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Three Years Later
Clara dropped her gardening tools and hitched up her skirt, hurrying to meet the man on horseback.
“A letter?” she gasped. “Is it a letter? We’ve been expecting one.”
“It sure is,” the messenger laughed, fishing out a battered envelope. “I don’t know where it’s come from, but those are a lot of postmarks.”
Clara took it, beaming from ear to ear. “It’s from my sister. I don’t recognize any of the postmarks either, but truly, I’ve lost track of the places she’s been by now.”
“Lucky her,” the man responded, handing over the letter. “Happy reading!”
He turned his horse around, trotting away down the winding path. Two years ago, he would have crossed the Winslow boundaries down at the crossroads, but recently, they’d been able to expand the boundaries, buying new fields and paddocks, full of horses. There was a lot of talk now about the famous Winslow horses. People who understood horses traveled a long way to get a Winslow-bred filly or stallion.
Rosemary stood in a paddock, watching mildly as Clara hurried past. She was old now, Pa’s favorite horse. No more foals for her, but she seemed entirely content to graze and trot around the paddocks, socializing with her new fellow mares and watching the world go by.
Clara spared a quick pat for Rosemary’s nose as she passed by, hurrying to the house.
Elias stood out on the porch, leaning against the railing, talking to Pike, who lounged in the rocking chair. He and Pike generally took a break for coffee just before lunch. With more men working seasonally on the ranch now, Pike had more cooking to do than before. He didn’t seem to mind. In fact, he appeared to be enjoying it.
Elias glanced up, hissing through his teeth when he saw Clara hurrying toward him.
“Don’t rush!” he chastised, flinging back the last mouthful of his coffee and setting down the cup. “Your back! The baby!”
“My back is fine,” Clara laughed, taking Elias’ outstretched hand and hauling herself up the porch steps. She let a hand drop to the curve of her belly, patting it complacently. “I’ve got at least a month to go, so you might as well stop worrying.”
“I won’t stop worrying until I have you safe in one arm and a healthy baby in the other,” Elias muttered darkly, helping her lower herself into a chair beside Pike.
“Any twinges?” Pike asked, smiling. “Do you think it’s a boy or a girl? My mother used to dangle coins above her belly and claimed that she could tell from the twist of the rope whether the baby was male or female.”
“Do you think that would work?” Clara asked, wincing. “Because I have no idea.”
“We don’t mind whether we have a boy or a girl,” Elias answered with a grin, dropping into a crouch beside his wife. Clara laid a hand on his head, feeling the warm softness of his hair. Glancing down at him, she found that he was already looking up at her, his eyes soft and warm. Her heart beat giddily in her chest.
“I’m glad to hear it,” Pike chuckled, setting down his own cup and levering himself up. “Well, I’m going to go back and clean up the bunkhouse. Won’t take long you know. Those boys are unbelievably tidy. Once I’m done, I’ll come back and make a start on supper. It’s beef stew tonight, and I’ll be making fresh bread. How’s that sound?”
“Delicious,” Clara promised.
With a grin, Pike took his leave, setting off at a brisk walk across the courtyard. His bad leg still played up, of course, but his bad days were few and far between. Just like Clara’s back rarely pained her like it used to. Oh, the pain was never far away, she’d be a fool to believe otherwise. Managing her swelling belly was not easy, and carrying a growing baby on her hip would certainly have repercussions.
That didn’t matter, though, because Elias would be right there beside her. He would help her, just as he had from the beginning.
“May’s letter arrived,” Clara explained, holding up the envelope.
A smile spread across Elias’ face. “That’s good news! Where is she now?”
“I’ll tell you,” Clara answered, tearing open the envelope. The letter was short, but detailed, dripping with excitement. As always, May covered the bottom of the paper with kisses and postscripts promising her sister and brother-in-law just how much she missed them.
“San Francisco,” Clara murmured. “That’s where she is now. She seems to think it’s the most exciting place in the world.”
Elias gave a huff of laughter “Well, I’ve certainly heard good things about the place.”
“I can’t believe she’s so far away,” Clara let the letter sink to her lap. “I wish she could be here for the baby’s birth.”
“You weren’t pregnant when she left, remember,” Elias soothed, placing a hand over hers. His palms, warm and calloused, sent a shiver of happiness down her spine. Clara glanced down at him, eyes soft, and smiled.
“I miss my sister,” she confessed. “I know she’s happy, and I suppose I was always going to have to let her go, one way or another. I miss her, but with you here, it… it doesn’t hurt as much. You have a knack for making pain go away.”
He grinned, eyebrows flickering. “All doctors want to have that knack. May will come back, you know that, even if only for a visit. Won’t it be good to have a little niece or nephew to present to her?”
Clara let out a long sigh, leaning back in her seat. She patted her belly thoughtfully, still keeping her hand under Elias’ palm.
“I never thought I’d have my own children,” she confessed. “I never imagined that I could manage my pain like this, either. Every now and then, it hurts the way it used to. My back, I mean. The pain, the sickening lurch of it, it… it’s never far away. It doesn’t scare me like it used to, though.”
Elias lifted her hand to his lips, pressing a kiss across her knuckles.
“You’re the strongest person I ever met,” he confessed. “Sometimes, everything we went through seems like a dream.”
“A nightmare, more like.”
He gave a huff of laughter at that. “I wish. Look, I know you’re worried about May. Of course you are. It’s natural. But you and I both know that May is smart, strong, and determined. She’s going to be fine. She’s going to be absolutely fine.”
Clara smiled softly at him. “I know you’re right. She asks in the letter if we know how Caleb is doing.”
She asked that every time she wrote. There was never a change in Caleb’s case. He remained in prison, sentenced for the death of their parents. If Clara ever thought too long about it, about how she’d shared her home and heart with the man who was responsible for the deaths of her parents, then she’d scream.
But the urge to scream faded with every passing year. Caleb grew smaller in her mind. That was the best way, wasn’t it?
“Tell her to stop asking about him,” Elias murmured, reaching up to touch her cheek. “Tell her that if she wants the past to leave her alone, she has to stop clutching at it.”
“I’ll tell her. I don’t know if she’ll listen, but…” Clara shifted, sighing. “Her world is getting bigger with every passing day, I think. We’re getting smaller, and that means that so is Caleb. Before long, she really will forget it. We just have to wait.”
“You know that she had to go, don’t you?” Elias said, after a moment.
Clara nodded tightly. “I know. I miss her, but I’m… I’m glad she chose to move on. I’m proud of her.”
“Maybe you should write that in your next letter.”
“Maybe I will. She’ll probably be in Timbuktu when she receives it, at this rate.”
Elias gave another huff of laughter and leaned forward to press a kiss against Clara’s lips. She leaned back in her seat, closing her eyes, and let the sensations wash over her.
At times like that, nothing seemed to matter at all. Not a single thing.
OFFER: A BRAND NEW SERIES AND 2 FREEBIES FOR YOU!
Grab my new series, "Western Hearts United", and get 2 FREE novels as a gift! Have a look here!
Hello, my dears! I hope you enjoyed the book and the extended epilogue. I’ll be looking forward to your comments here. Thank you 💖
Good book story as if from your heart. Now on to the next book.
Thank you so much! I wrote it from the heart, so I’m grateful it connected with you.✨
Love your books storyline goes all the through the story, wonderful books.
Thank you so much for your kind words!📚💛
The story was really good and held my interest. I read the whole story in one setting. I was really surprised by Caleb and the things he did. I wish the story would have let us know what the baby was and if May ever returns home to stay. Maybe a sequel?
Thank you, dear Rita. I’m really glad it kept your interest and that Caleb surprised you! 😊 As for the rest… some questions are meant to linger a little. You never know what the future might hold.
I loved the book. I wanted to keep reading every chance I got.
Thank you so much, dear Cathy! I’m really glad you enjoyed the book. It means a lot to know the story kept you wanting to read whenever you had the chance.
I loved the book. Elias was a man of dreams.
Thank you so much for your kind words, Donna. I’m truly glad Elias and his dreams resonated with you!
I really enjoyed this story I wish it went a little further so we could could know if the baby was a boy or a girl but I enjoyed it . Good story line enjoyed it very much
I’m really glad you enjoyed the story, dear June! I appreciate you reading and sharing your thoughts. Thank you 💫