And Here I'll Stay

by Rita Hestand

  And Here I'll Stay

  (Brides of the West Book Nineteen)

  Rita Hestand

  Copyright© 2019 by Rita Hestand

  All Rights Reserved

  ISBN # 9780463424148

  Cover Design by Sheri McGathy

  License Note

  This book, And Here I'll Stay is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. It may not be copied or reproduced in any manner without express written permission of the author. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy or copies. If you did not purchase this book or it was not purchased for your use, please go to Smashwords.com to purchase your personal copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  And Here I'll Stay is a work of fiction. Though some of the cities and towns actually exist they are used in a fictitious manner for purposes of this work. All characters are works of fiction and any names or characteristics similar to any person past, present or future are coincidental.

  Dedication:

  When a girl and a boy are best friends all their young life, it's no wonder it carries over into adulthood. Sometime people discover that there is more to it than friendship when they grow up. Even in the old west it happened. Hope you enjoy "And Here I'll Stay" as much as I did writing it.

  God Bless

  Rita Hestand

  Books in Series

  Heart of a Family

  Delivering the Bride

  Heart of a Woman

  Wanted Bride

  This Side of Forever

  Shotgun Bride

  A Love as big as Texas

  Heart of a Captive

  Wherever my Heart Roams

  In the Arms of an Angel

  Bride of Shenandoah

  Falling for the Bride

  An Unexpected Welcome

  A Desperado's Bride

  The Filly & the Gambler

  The Lady Train

  Comes a Hero

  An Unescorted Lady

  And Here I'll Stay

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  About the Author

  Rita's Other Books

  1873

  Wayward, Texas

  Chapter One

  Anna Lee Murray peeked out the cracked doorway to look at the crowd gathering inside the church. The preacher was shaking hands with some of the guests. The organist was reviewing her music. She knew most everyone out there. Yet there was no sign of Bill Gardner anywhere. A sense of dread filled her; tears weren't far from falling. How could such a thing happen three times in a row? Was there something wrong with her?

  Anguish filled her beautiful face, as she wrung the handkerchief once more.

  People were talking already, and she could just guess about what. She closed the door and squeezed the handkerchief once more.

  "What am I going to do Joe, he walked out on me?" Anna cried as Joe Callahan handed her a dry handkerchief.

  "Don't cry honey, it may just be nerves or something." Joe said softly. "There's still time, he could show up."

  "It isn't nerves! He's gone, for good. The wedding is in half an hour, and all those people are out there waiting for me to come out. I'm not sure I can face them—" she cried, clutching Joe's shirt collar. "Not this time, it's too embarrassing. I'm not a coward but facing them for the third time is a little too much to handle."

  "Do you want me to explain?" He turned his head in question.

  "No, of course not, it isn't your place to explain, and there really is no explanation necessary. By the looks on their faces, they all know what happened. I'm so ashamed. I had a feeling all along that something was wrong. He's been so quiet the last two days." She cried. "N-no, it isn't your problem." She kept wadding the handkerchief in her hand.

  Unable to face the mocking smiles of the people in the church, she managed a tremulous smile. "There isn't much need for an explanation. He didn't show up."

  "What are you going to do, then?" He asked, "You can't just leave them hanging."

  "I wish I could find a husband right quick. Anyone to keep me from embarrassing myself to death." Anna cried.

  "Your joking," he tried to laugh. "Anyone?"

  His eyes pinned her with astonishment as she quickly regretted her thoughtless words.

  "No, not just anyone." she looked at him then hung her head in shame. "But I'm not joking. You know me better than anyone, what's wrong with me?"

  His head lifted to stare into her eyes. "Nothing is wrong with you, Anna. You've turned into a beautiful young woman. Any man would be lucky to have you."

  "I can think of three that wouldn't."

  He shot her a frown.

  "Don't look at me like that. I've been the joke in this town too long. You of all people should know that. The girl that never gets her man, that's what my friends call me all the time. I thought as an adult, things would get easier for me. At first it was funny, but now it hurts. Everyone told me he wouldn't go through with it, everyone but you."

  "I guess I haven't been around enough to tell you anything, lately. I'm sorry. I've just been so busy on the ranch."

  "Don't apologize. It's not your fault." She moved toward him. "You had to live your own life, go your own way, I understand that. I accepted that a long time ago." She cast him a quick sad smile. Strangely that statement still hurt even after all these years.

  Then suddenly her eyes widened, and she stared at her best friend for the longest. Her calculated glance made for tension in the room. She seemed to study her words this time. "Marry me Joe!" she blurted.

  Joe's head jerked about to stare into her tear-stained eyes. "Anna, what are you talking about?"

  "Marry me!" she repeated. "We get along fine. It would save me from such embarrassment. I can't go out there and face all those 'I told you so', friends of mine. The whole town thinks of me as some kind of clown."

  "But Anna, why me?" He made an incredulous face.

  "Why not, we can get a bill of divorcement later. I mean, I'm sure you wouldn't want to make it a permanent arrangement." She insisted. "No one has to know."

  He frowned at her, grabbing her shoulders he shook her lightly. "Anna, marriage is sacred! It's not something you do on the spur of the moment, honey. And it certainly isn't something you do when you're thinking of divorce too."

  A strange new tension filled the air between them as his eyes glittered with a mischievous glance and his mouth twitched to an almost smile.

  She knew what he was thinking, same old Anna, always in some kind of trouble.

  She sighed heavily.

  "I know that. But I do love you." She stared into his eyes now. She began to turn away. It was a thoughtless request, she knew. "It's okay, I can see in your eyes you don't love me enough to do it for me?" she cried tearfully. "And it is a selfish request. Forget it. I'm just upset, that's all."

  "Anna Lee, you need to face this." Joe's voice insisted shaking his head as though clearing it.

  He always called her by her full name when he was aggrava
ted. It would seem some things hadn't changed.

  "Three times. How do you face rejection three times in a row? Tell me something, am I so hard to love that no man can go through with a wedding with me?"

  She waited for his answer. When he didn't say anything, she shook her head and moved toward the back door. "I guess I am." She glanced over her shoulder at him. "Well, there's only one thing left to do. I'll run away. I'm not going out there. I just can't take being laughed at any longer. You don't seem to understand; this is so humiliating to be dumped three times by three different men. I must be crazy. I'm doing something all wrong, as usual. This time, I can't face them. I'll leave…" her voice trailed off and she moved closer to the door. "Tell my folks I'll come back some day. You’re the best friend a girl could have, Joe. And no matter what, I'll always love you. I will not face this a third time though. So, this is goodbye."

  She was halfway out the door when he came toward her.

  It didn't stand to reason why this was happening to her.

  He nodded slowly, "I'll do it." He said in a whisper, then looked at her as though he wished he hadn't said it.

  She looked over her shoulder at him, "Y-you will?" Her voice held shock and relief. "You mean, you'll marry me?"

  "I'm here, and here I'll stay." He told her with a nervous smile.

  "You'll marry me?" she shrieked a bit shocked. Even she hadn't expected him to agree to such an idea.

  "If that's what you want."

  "Joe," she moved slowly toward him, putting her hands on his chest and staring into his unbelievably warm brown eyes. "I can't believe it. Do you have your coat here?"

  "Yeah, it's in the other room."

  She glanced at his serious face and asked out of the blue, "You won't hate me for this, will you?"

  "I could never hate you, Anna Lee."

  "There must be something wrong with me? Is that why they all runaway? I'm not very good at being a lady. I don't know how to do these things like Mary. She always did things so well."

  "I don't know, honey, but," he looked into her beautiful face and smiled with understanding, "it might have helped if you'd let him court you a bit longer than a month before you agreed to marry them. A man says things in haste sometimes, then later regrets it."

  "Your right of course, I'm impulsive. Maybe he got scared. I guess I can't blame him. I'm a bit scared myself. It seemed like the right thing to do at the time, but, now, I'm not so sure. They are always pressing me, for more than I want to give. So, I accept their proposal."

  Joe stared at her tear stained face and thought about it. She was right, it was the third time he'd watched her get ready to walk down the aisle and was left with no explanation. It really wasn't fair to her, she didn't deserve this, but could he dare marry her?

  She sighed, then reached to kiss him on the cheek, "Oh my God, thank you Joe." She cried. "I'll be ready in fifteen minutes. You won't regret this; I promise I'll make it up to you somehow."

  "Alright, we'll talk about that later." he nodded. Then on second thought he came toward her, and grabbed her shoulders, staring into her blue-green eyes. "You sure about this?"

  "Why not, I love you!" she smiled.

  He smiled softly. "You say that so easily."

  "How can you doubt me? I've always loved you Joe, you know that. You're my hero."

  "But this isn't some childish game, Anna Lee."

  She stared and a tear rolled down her cheek. "I'm sorry. I just thought of all the men I know; you and I could make it."

  His glance nailed her once more.

  "I've always loved you," she cried.

  The way she said that had him staring. Something in his expression changed, a sparkle in his eyes made her smile.

  "Be ready in fifteen minutes then." Joe went to the other room, and she stood shocked at her audacity. She couldn't believe she had the nerve to ask Joe such a thing. Was she wrong to do it? She was about to marry her best friend. It would break an unspoken law about best friends, she knew that. The fact that he'd do it for her, made her heart swell. Joe was the one man she could count on, no matter what.

  She couldn't think about it right now. She had to get ready for a wedding. Her wedding.

  Her father knocked on the door, "Are you ready, Anna?"

  "Not quite father, give me a few more minutes." Anna cried.

  They'd all be surprised when Joe came out as the groom, but that didn't matter, they'd be married an no explanation would be needed. She did love Joe, but she'd never taken his kindness and friendship any further than as a friend. She'd been warned too many times by everyone that she took advantage of Joe's good nature. Now, he was saving her from total and complete embarrassment. She loved him for it, yet something in the back of her mind made her feel the least bit guilty for asking him.

  Still she was shaking like crazy; she could hardly get dressed and one of the bridesmaid came in to help her with her dress. Anna pulled the dress up and looked into the mirror as Gloria helped fasten the tiny buttons in the back. She glanced at her white boots and checked her hair.

  "You look beautiful. I better pin this curl up though. She reached to fix her hair. "I didn't see Bill outside," Gloria glanced at her with concern. "And it's getting late." Gloria told her.

  "Uh, Gloria, about that, there's been a change," Anna declared.

  Gloria stopped and stared, knowing her friend was about to admit she was jilted again. "What kind of change?" Gloria's head turned in question a slight sense of exasperation leaking through her voice.

  "I'm not marrying Bill." She told her.

  "What?" Gloria frowned, "What do you mean?" Then Gloria's eyes widened. "Oh no, don't tell me, he ran out on you!"

  Even Anna knew that was a fake reaction. She could tell just by looking at her that she knew.

  "Of course, he didn't. But well, I'm marrying Joe!" She told her with a smile.

  "Joe? Joe Callahan, you're best friend?" Gloria looked completely puzzled now.

  "I only realized it of late, how much I cared for him." Anna told her. "I've always loved him, you know that."

  "Anna Lee! I can't believe you. You don't just toss one for another!" Gloria's frown said everything. But there was no time to go into detail with her friend and she probably didn't believe her anyway.

  "I've loved Joe all my life, Gloria. What's so strange about that? And he feels the same about me! And the way people have talked about us forever, maybe this will set everything straight. Well don't look so shocked, it happens."

  "Do you know what you are doing?" Gloria tossed her long black curls over her shoulder and stared at Anna.

  "Of course, I do. Now let's hurry, I've got to get my boots on."

  Gloria looked more than a bit shocked now. She shook her head and walked out of the room. "Good luck, you're going to need it."

  Anna knew it was crazy. Still, being married to Joe wouldn't be so bad. She liked him. She liked him even more for doing this for her. Once they were married everyone would get over the shock and things would smooth out. She was sure of it. They could get a quiet divorce, and no one had to know the particulars.

  She heard music playing in the other room. Her dad knocked on the door once more.

  "I'm ready, daddy." She told him.

  He opened the door and frowned. "I didn't see Bill out there, just Joe standing close to the alter, is he the best man?"

  "No daddy, he's the groom!" she smiled.

  "Groom, what in the world are you doing, girl?" her father looked worried and concerned about her. "Anna have you lost your mind?" The concern on her father's face nearly made her cry. Until that moment she thought she had, but something made her shake her head and stare into her father's worried expression.

  "No daddy, I've found it. Don't worry, it'll all be fine." She told him.

  "But you don't love him, do you?" her father asked in a whisper.

  "Of course, I do, I always have! You know that."

  "But sweetheart, does he love you?"

 
; Her face flushed; it had hurt hearing her father say that. Was she so unlovable?

  "He's standing there, ready to marry me. Doesn't that say something?"

  The wedding march began, and he walked her down the aisle. He glanced at Joe, then her. Joe looked a bit nervous, as he was pulling at his tie.

  "Who gives this woman in marriage?" the preacher asked.

  "I do." Her father answered then went to sit beside his wife and hold her hand.

  Her mother gasped, "What's Joe doing standing there?"

  "Never mind my dear. You'll find out soon enough." Her father shook his head in total disbelief.

  Suddenly Anna Lee was standing beside Joe looking into his warm brown eyes and she felt like fainting, but Joe looked so good she couldn't believe it. His nerves seemed to have disappeared and he smiled, taking her hand. He had a black jacket on, and a big black cowboy hat. He looked more handsome than she'd ever seen him.

  He'd always taken her breath away when he dressed up.

  Someone gasped, but Anna wouldn't turn to look. It could be any number of people. The congregation got very quiet now, too quiet. Anna felt her legs nearly giving out on her. She reached to hold Joe's hand.

  As the preacher looked at her, then him, he looked as puzzled as anyone. "Anna … this isn't Bill."

  "I know," she whispered, "Just marry us, will ya?" she asked in a whisper.

  "You want me to marry you to Joe?"

  "That's right," she whispered.

  Joe looked at the preacher they had both known most of their lives and nodded.

  The preacher shook his head and began the ceremony.

  Whispers went all through the church, and when they came to the part "if anyone objects," the congregation got deathly quiet. Were they all expecting Bill to show up now? She really hadn't had time to explain and she knew everyone was more than a little puzzled.

  The preacher helped them through their vows.

  The preacher proceeded, "and the rings?"

  Joe pulled a ring out of his pocket and placed it on Anna 's hand. She smiled sweetly at him even though her hands were shaking.