A Love to Heal a Broken Heart: An Inspirational Historical Western Romance Book

by Lilah Rivers

  “Yes,” was all Giles could say.

  “Because that is what it is to be alive, to be a person low among the others; frail and faulty…”

  “Yes.”

  “Destined to fall short of the mark.”

  “Yes.”

  “But each of us able to rise up from a place of greatest degradation, like Samson among the Philistines, who learned finally from where his true strength came.”

  Giles nodded, hiding his face in her shoulder. “Yes.”

  Alice held him closer, fingers in his hair. “Then I will not go against God’s will either, Giles. We will follow His will together, as He surely always intended.”

  “Thank you, Alice, thank you…”

  “We will do what He wants.”

  “Thank you…”

  “What will please Him will please us both, please us all.”

  Giles wept into her shoulder, Alice gently rocking him from one side to another. But he stopped suddenly, pulling away and looking at her with round, frightened eyes.

  “What, Giles, what is it?”

  “The sheriff,” he muttered, looking away, “and that daft deputy of his.” He rose to his feet and grabbed Alice’s hand to pull her across the room. “C’mon!”

  “Where are we going?”

  Giles led her out of the room without even bothering to close the door. “To prevent a tragedy!”

  Chapter 56

  Scott turned from a corner of his office, surprised as the door burst open. Giles and another newcomer to Angeldale, Jodi’s cousin Alice, rushed in and looked around. Seeing that there was no disruption in the office other than their own intrusion, the pair seemed to relax, Giles especially.

  Alice asked him, “Giles, what on Earth is going on?”

  He surveyed the office, finding Scott alone and nodding at him. “Sheriff.”

  “Mister Devlin.” Scott said nothing more.

  “Giles,” Alice said again, “I demand you tell me what this is about!”

  “I …” Giles wrestled with his words. “I bumped into the deputy, not long ago, and… Well, looking back, I’m afraid he might have been in an ill temper, let us say. I’d heard of tensions between you and, perhaps I’ve got it very wrong, I hope so. I was just afraid he might have… I dunno, come to a clash with his sheriff.”

  Scott asked, “And what would have made you think that?”

  “Things… things he said.”

  “What things?”

  Giles went on stammering. “I… I’m not sure, exactly, just a… a general impression I got.”

  “From him,” Scott presumed.

  “Yes.”

  “When you spoke?”

  “Um, we bumped into each other, though we met as strangers. Still, he seemed troubled, I lent him an ear.”

  “You did.”

  “That’s right,” Giles said. “But as long as you’re all right. Have you seen the man, your deputy?”

  Scott gave it some thought, deliberately waiting longer than necessary before saying, “I did.” The tension between them had been memorable, and it was beginning to make clearer sense.

  “Well, I guess everything must be okay, then.” The relief in Giles’ voice was palpable.

  “I dunno,” Scott said. “He did make a few odd mentions, now that you bring it to my attention.”

  Giles turned his head as if to get a clearer picture of his adversary. “Such as?”

  Scott let a little smile curl into his cheek. “Just a general impression I got, but… he mentioned things—strangers, matter of fact.”

  “Strangers?”

  “That’s what he said, something about meddlers, things being better before. It was hard to follow. I tried to calm him down but he stomped out of here, swearing he’d ‘Put things right,’ he said, ‘teach that snake in the grass a lesson!’”

  Alice looked at Giles, suspicion growing on her face as worry grew in Giles. “Giles, what’s wrong?” After another moment of increasing frustration, Alice demanded, “What did you do, Giles? What mistakes did you make this time?”

  “Nothing altogether that bad… at least, not yet.”

  “Tell me,” Scott said, “everything… now.”

  Giles shrugged. “Much of it, you already know.”

  “What don’t I know?”

  The man sighed, shaking his head. Alice scolded, “Giles!”

  “All right, I spoke to the deputy the other day, that’s true. And maybe, well, maybe I riled him up a bit, got him thinking that, maybe, maybe if you weren’t around anymore, that might not be so bad.”

  “I gathered that,” Scott replied. “But my deputy wouldn’t have opened up to you like that, or have been so easily manipulated by a complete stranger.”

  “No,” Giles had to admit, “no, weweren’t complete strangers, we’d met before, and spoken… in some detail, actually.”

  Scott stood waiting, and Alice crossed her arms angrily beside the squirming Giles.

  “I’d heard the young man talking to your local pastor, standing in front of the church. He mentioned a certain attraction to a young woman, that his own sheriff was an obstacle. At the same time, there was a question about rustlers in the area—”

  “So you and Doyle concocted this little story about him chasing off a few rustlers, taking a shot in the leg. Make himself look good, make me look bad. And I’m guessing you’re the gunmen.”

  Giles sighed. “In all fairness to him, I came up with it. Do you think he’s that bright?”

  “I didn’t think he was that insidious.”

  “You never know,” Giles said.

  Alice shook her head. “Truer words were never spoken.”

  “But the idea,” Giles pressed, “it was only politics.”

  “Politics?” repeated Alice.

  “The mayor have anything to do with this?”

  Giles looked surprised to hear it. “I don’t even know your mayor. But I’m sure he’ll buddy up to whomever his voting constituents prefer.”

  Scott didn’t need to reflect on that for very long. A simple nod was all the agreement he felt he owed the scheming Giles Devlin.

  “And, of course, Jodi knows nothing about it—all this with the deputy, I’d never have involved her in such a thing. You must believe that, Sheriff.”

  Scott just looked on. He did believe it, but he didn’t see any reason to confide in or open up to Giles, as regards Jodi or anything, but especially as regards Jodi.

  He did say, “But it was a happy coincidence for you if Jodi wound up turning me down, for one reason or another.”

  Giles looked like he wanted to deny it, but Scott knew there was no point and Giles seemed to know it, too.

  Alice shook her head again. “Oh, Giles, you are really too much!”

  “I came to prevent a tragedy,” Giles reminded her.

  “One of your own making,” Scott added.

  “Even so.” A long silence passed, Alice and Scott glaring at Giles. “So… what now? Am I under arrest?”

  Scott had already reviewed the legal facts, such as they were. “Doyle never came at me as you’d hoped, and you shooting him, well, if he doesn’t press charges, I don’t suppose you’ve committed any crime, at least not in the eyes of the law. Your would-be family can make their own decisions.”

  Giles said, “Thank you, Sheriff—I hope Jodi and I can be friends again someday.”

  “Entirely up to her,” Scott told him.

  Alice turned to Scott. “May I ask… what about your deputy?”

  Scott shrugged. “No real crime there either, I don’t think. Not much precedent for it, far as I know. But I’ll take care of Doyle.” He turned to Giles. “One more word between him and you, though, and I will book you for conspiracy to commit murder.”

  “Murder?”

  “Do not test me,” Scott forced out, and Giles stepped back with his head low, palms flat and out.

  After another long pause, Alice asked Scott, “What about us? Are we free to s
tay here in Angeldale?”

  “I don’t have an opinion about that,” Scott said. “But I will be part of Jodi’s life and she mine, and that will put me in the vicinity of the Burnett ranch, and the Burnetts.” Scott turned and looked Giles dead in the eyes. “When I’m there, I don’t want to see you or hear from you. I walk into the room, you walk out of it. I speak, you don’t hear it. You speak, I don’t hear it. Understood?”

  Giles and Alice glanced at once another, then Giles looked back at Scott. “Yes, of course, I understand.”

  “I don’t care if you understand or not,” Scott retorted. “Just so long as you remember—and obey.”

  Chapter 57

  At the Angeldale train station, Jodi and Scott stood in the very spot where they’d met several months before. She’d been greeted then by Amy and Clinton, both now remaining back at the ranch in deference to Amy’s condition. But as the patriarch of the house, Martin had insisted on seeing his niece and her fiancé off along with Jodi and the Angeldale sheriff, Scott.

  Giles said to Martin, “Thank you again, sir, for being so generous.”

  “Do not thank me,” Martin responded with a huff. “Were it my choice, you’d be shipped off to California to live with the rest of the savages! But my niece has made an appeal, and she has lost enough in her young life. Because it pleases her, you may marry with my blessing.”

  “Again, sir, you’re… it’s very kind.”

  “But make another misstep and I will not be so tolerant! You have much to answer for, and many to answer to.”

  “And I will,” Giles assured him, “given the chance, I will. And I will not give you pause to regret it, sir.”

  Martin nodded and turned to hug Alice. “Have a safe trip back, and we will wire you as soon as Amy’s child is delivered.”

  “We shall be praying for her,” Alice said, “most assuredly.”

  Scott and Giles glared at each other, but they shared no words of parting. Alice turned to Jodi and the two hugged.

  Alice said, “I admit, there is a lot to take in with all this, but… that’s the nature of life, I suppose.”

  Jodi nodded, recognizing the words they’d shared before. “It’s not always what we expected, but it is often quite a delightful mystery to watch unfold. If this is your opportunity for happiness, then I want you to have it, and to savor it. It’s a matter of respect; to each other, to society, to God—”

  “It is, Jodi, quite so. And I'd never have you disrespect God… or anyone.”

  Jodi smiled. “Be free to be happy, to be married; and know that, after all, we still are and will always be family.”

  They hugged again and pulled away, Giles and Alice stepping toward the train as the porter pulled their luggage away. Giles led Alice to their car, and Jodi knew that she wasn’t seeing them for the last time. Their story had not yet been told to completion, and Jodi knew the ending for them all could still reveal terrible twists.

  Martin turned to Jodi and Scott. “Very well,” he said. “And as for you two, we’ll need all the help we can get around the ranch, so Jodi, if you won’t mind—”

  “Mind? Of course not, Father, you know that!”

  He nodded and turned to Scott. “And what about you, young man? Are your affairs… in order?”

  Jodi admonished, “Father!”

  “That’s not what I mean,” Martin said quickly. “Sheriff, I do not know you well, but it seems clear that you intend to marry my daughter, and she has the likewise intention to marry you. I see no reason to object to any of that; you’ve presented me with none. In fact, despite what seems to be a downward trend in your popularity, you strike me as a stalwart and worthy young man. I never cared much for gossip, though a man’s reputation is his living.”

  “I know that, sir.”

  After a thoughtful pause, Martin went on, “If there’s anything I can do, you’ve only to ask.”

  Scott nodded and extended his hand in friendship. Martin took it, the men shook, and Jodi clung to Scott with even more strength and love.

  “We should get back to the ranch,” she said, “make sure everything there is still okay.”

  Jodi led them to the Burnett family carriage for one more fateful trip back to the homestead of Amy and Clinton Burnett.

  Chapter 58

  Jodi clung to Scott, both of them standing in a corner of the little bedroom. Midwife Maria assisted Martin, against his own wishes. But the old woman did have knowledge of roots and tinctures and other things which may well have been necessary before the end of that long labor period.

  “Keep pushing, Amy,” Martin urged, his voice low and authoritative, commanding without being demanding.

  Amy lay there, panting and puffing, sweat pouring down her reddened face. Her red hair was plastered to her cheeks, damp with her own perspiration.

  “Okay, Amy,” Martin said reassuringly, “that’s good, that’s good, now… push, Amy, push!”

  She held her breath and strained, clearly pouring all her might into the effort. It had been sixteen hours, and though Martin had said such a thing could take even longer, Jodi could see in his expression that he was concerned.

  And that made Jodi very concerned. She held onto Scott, knowing herself to be unable to help her old friend. But she clutched Scott’s arm as if she could pour her strength into Amy through him, driving her own energies into her best friend in the world, a life-saving effort that seemed utterly fruitless.

  Ellen watched from the doorway, fading back into the hallway, ready to fetch whatever might be required.

  By the bedside, Clinton sat, holding his wife’s right hand in both of his. “You can do it, honey, you can do it!”

  “I dunno, it hurts,” Amy managed to say, her voice thick with pain, “it hurts so much!”

  “I know it does, baby,” he replied gently, “but you can do it! Nobody pushes you around, right? Not the spitfire from Rhode Island.”

  “I… I’m trying, Clinton…”

  “I know you are, Amy, and you’re doing great!”

  “Okay,” Martin interjected, “I need you to breathe now, Amy; no talking, just breathing.”

  Nodding, she started huffing again, a series of measured pants, ten or twelve before Martin instructed, “Now push, Amy, push!”