Philip knew that Bella would love to have the last house. The kitchen was every woman’s dream. And that stove. Her eyes had lit up like candles on a Christmas tree.
She countered his question by bouncing it back to him. “Which one do you like best? After all, it is your business.”
“Well, I liked the first two best, but moneywise, buying them together will cost as much as buying the big house.” He looked over the menu.
“Yes, but if we got the two, you would have separation from work and home. That might be nice.” Bella laid down her menu.
Philip set his to the side, deciding he’d have the roast beef sandwich with potatoes. “But you really like the big house, don’t you?”
“I do, but the porch on the first house was very nice. I could picture myself having a hot cup of tea out there in the mornings.” She grinned at him.
“You aren’t going to make this easy on me, are you?”
The waitress came by and took their orders. When she’d returned to the kitchen, Bella answered. “Philip, you need to get the house you like best. I may not be here. If you get what I want and you don’t like it, well, that would be horrible for you.” Worry lined her face.
What did she mean she may not be here? Did she still believe she was wanted for murder? “Bella, I really don’t believe you will be going anywhere.”
“Still, you are the one who needs a good place for your store. I liked both houses, so either one will work for me.” She laid her napkin on her lap.
Philip waited until the waitress had served their food and then responded. “If you are sure you don’t mind the smaller house, I think we should get that one and the building beside it for the furniture store.”
Bella nodded. “I think that’s a good choice.” The smile she offered was genuine, but so was the worry in her eyes.
Philip knew she was concerned about Brooks and his lies. The thought of her not living in the cozy little house troubled him more than he cared to admit. He blessed their food and silently prayed that they’d have answers soon.
* * *
Bella stepped out of the bank, happy for Philip. All the paperwork was complete on their new home and his furniture store. They would soon be able to move into the little house and he would start his business afterward. Everything was falling into place, for him.
She smiled at him. Then saw the sheriff coming up the boardwalk behind him. Her heart began pounding fast. Had he found Marlow? Was the man in jail? So many questions ran through her mind.
The sheriff tipped his hat to her. “Good afternoon, folks. Do you have a minute?”
Philip smiled broadly. “Sure do.”
“Then let’s step to the side of the building and out of this wind.” The sheriff led the way into a narrow alley.
Philip took Bella’s elbow and leaned over to whisper in her ear. “I believe he caught our man.”
“I hope so,” she whispered back.
When the sheriff stopped, he turned and grinned at them. “I did get our man.” He directed his gaze to Bella. “You will be happy to know that the good attorney is as snug as a bug in a rug at the jailhouse.”
“Did he put up a fight?” Philip asked.
The sheriff laughed. “Naw, he’s not much of a fighter. But he sure wasn’t happy to be found squatting on another man’s property. Kept saying he had rights.”
Philip chuckled. “Good. Now can we find out if Bella is wanted for murder?”
“That’s next on my agenda.” He turned to look at Bella. “Ma’am, would you write to those lawyers in Denver and find out how things are going with your sister’s estate? After what you and Philip have told me, I think Philip is right and that Mr. Brooks knows more then he’s told you.”
Bella nodded. “Yes, sir.”
“Good. In the meantime, I’ll draft my own letter and send it to the sheriff. We’ll get to the bottom of this in no time.” He pulled up his collar. “Well, I think that about sums it all up. You let me know when you hear from the lawyers and I’ll let you know when I hear from the sheriff.” He started to walk away, but Bella stopped him.
“Sheriff?”
He turned to face her. “Yes, ma’am?”
Bella swallowed hard. “How come you aren’t arresting me, too?”
The big man walked back toward her. “What do you mean?”
“Well, I’ve been accused of murdering someone. Aren’t you supposed to arrest suspected murderers?” Bella felt Philip’s hand tighten on her elbow.
The sheriff tilted his hat back on his head. “Well, ma’am, no one has accused you. Brooks didn’t mention it to me when I was arresting him. So, if it’s all the same to you, I’ll wait and see what the sheriff of Douglas City has to say about it.”
Bella smiled at him. “Thank you.”
He chuckled and winked at her. “My pleasure, ma’am.”
Once he was out of earshot, Philip whistled low. “Woman, are you trying to get locked up?” He turned her to face him.
“No, but I needed to know if he’d suddenly change his mind and come arrest me. I didn’t want the boys to see it if he did.” She looked Philip in the eyes. “It’s not a memory I want them to have.”
He released her arms. “No, I reckon it isn’t.” Philip ran a gloved finger down the side of her face. “You really are something.”
Bella laughed to cover up the nervousness she felt at being so close to him. “Thanks. So are you.”
At that, Philip laughed also. He grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the alley. “Come on, let’s go tell everyone our good news.”
They hurried to the wagon. “Do you mind if I stop at the lumber mill and pick up some wood and nails?” he asked, helping her up to the seat.
“No, not if you don’t mind dropping me off at the general store first. I’d like to get a bag of flour and some salt.”
The wagon tilted slightly as Philip climbed on. “That sounds like a fair bargain to me.”
Within a few minutes, Bella was entering the store. She smiled at the thought that she would soon be able to go to the store whenever she liked. The smells of spices and leather filled her senses.
“Hello, Mrs. Young. What can I help you find?” Mr. Jones asked.
“Would you mind weighing out ten pounds of flour and a cup of salt for me?”
“I’d be happy to.” He walked to the dry goods section of the store. “Is that all you need?”
“Yes, thank you. While you do that, I’ll look around, if that’s all right.” She walked to the fabric table. The boys could use new shirts. Since they were going to be living in town, they’d need nicer clothes for church and school.
Bella continued walking about the store. It had a toy section for children. Her heart ached for her nephews, who had left their toys in Denver. Why hadn’t her brother-in-law taken better care of their finances? It wasn’t like him or her sister to be so careless.
She sighed and walked to the counter, where Mr. Jones was checking in merchandise. There was a big bag of flour and a smaller bag of salt in a box on the counter.
“Did you find anything else you needed?” he asked, looking up from his list.
“No, but I do need a couple of sheets of writing paper and an envelope, please.” Bella smiled at him, hoping he’d have what she’d just asked for.
Mr. Jones reached under the counter and pulled out the items. “I keep those items behind the counter.” He counted out two sheets and one envelope and handed them to her. “Do you need a quill and ink also?”
Bella nodded. “Yes, please.” She watched as he added those items to the box.
“I’ll add them to Philip’s tab.” He jotted the totals down in a ledger.
“Thank you.”
The bell over the door jingled. Bella was happy to see Philip coming through the door. He smiled at her and Mr. Jones.
“Are you about ready, Bella?”
“I am. That was good timing.” She started to get the box from the counter, but Philip stopped her.
“I’ll get that.” He crossed the room and picked up the box. “Did you put this on our tab?”
Mr. Jones answered, “We sure did. How are you today, Philip?”
“Great. We just purchased the properties on Maple Street across from the church.”
Bella didn’t miss the fact that he no longer said “I did.” He was now saying “we did.” And he’d referred to his tab as their tab. Her heart swelled. Whether Philip knew it or not, they had moved from being friends to being a couple.
* * *
Philip grinned at Thomas. “Well, I did it.”
Thomas looked up from the hammer he was trying to fix. “Did what?”
“Quit the Pony Express and bought property in Dove Creek for my store.” He couldn’t contain the smile on his face.
Thomas grinned up at him. “That’s good news.” He laid down the hammer. “What happened with the sheriff?”
“He found Brooks and arrested him for squatting on private property. He’s also going to write to the sheriff in Douglas City and see if Brooks told Bella the truth about her old boss.”
“Sounds like you two have it all taken care of.” Thomas walked toward the front of the barn. Philip followed.
“Just about. Bella is inside with Josephine and the boys, she’s writing a letter to send with the Pony Express. She’s hoping her sister’s lawyers will know who sent Marlow after her or what they had told him that would have sent him looking for her on his own.” He closed one side of the barn doors while Thomas closed the other.
Once that was done, they headed toward the house. “I’m going to miss you around here,” Thomas said.
“Don’t kid yourself. We’ll be coming out for visits. Bella and Josephine have become very close,” Philip answered.
Thomas rubbed his boots on the porch rug. “Well, I wouldn’t be so sure of that.” He opened the door.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Philip asked, wiping his boots and following.
“Just that we’ve found the ranch we’re going to buy. We’ll be going to the bank next week and signing the papers on it.”
Josephine giggled as they entered. “We’ve been dying to tell you two, but so much has been going on that we haven’t had the chance.” She hugged Mark close.
The little boy struggled to get away from her. “Aunt Josephine, you are squishing me,” he protested.
It was obvious from his laughter that Josephine wasn’t hurting the little boy. Caleb joined in the fun by trying to help his little brother escape. Everyone laughed.
Philip and Bella spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying Thomas and Josephine’s company. They intended to stay with the Pony Express at least for a month or two longer, as winter wasn’t the best time to jump into the ranching business. The current owner assured them that in the spring they would have plenty to do.
Since Brooks was in jail they felt free to go back to their place, so later that afternoon, Philip took his family home. He still needed to tell Hazel they were moving to town. How was she going to take the news that both he and Thomas would be moving away?
Caleb pulled him from his thoughts. “Will I get to go to school when we move to town?”
“Yep. And I want you to study really hard.”
The little boy looked up at him. “How come?”
Philip looked to Bella, who was cleaning the kitchen. “If it’s all right with your aunt, I’d like to legally adopt you and Mark.”
The boys had been building with the blocks and farm that Hazel had given them. Mark stopped and asked, “How come?”
Bella stopped her work and waited for the answer along with the boys.
“For two reasons. First, I want you both to know how much I care for you, and also because I want to name the furniture store ‘Young and Sons Furniture.’” Philip held his breath, waiting for Bella’s reaction. Would she let him adopt the boys? Or would she be too afraid he planned to take them from her?
* * *
Bella nodded her blessing. “I think that is a wonderful name for a furniture store.” She knew that Philip thought Marlow was lying about Sam, but she couldn’t just pretend it wasn’t a possibility that Marlow could be telling the truth. Someone could have murdered him and the sheriff of Douglas City might be searching for her. Even if she didn’t hang for the crime, Bella knew that she could be arrested and held in jail until they found the real murderer.
Mark walked over to Philip and leaned on his knee. “What’s adoption?”
Philip laid his hand on the little boy’s shoulder. “Adoption means that I want to raise you and your brother as my little boys. It means I love you.”
Tears filled Bella’s eyes. Mark climbed up into Philip’s lap and hugged him around the neck. “I love you, too, Philip.”
Bella watched her older nephew. “What do you think, Caleb? Do you want Philip to adopt you?”
Caleb looked at her. “I don’t know.”
Hurt filled Philip’s eyes. He set Mark back on the floor and turned to Caleb. “I don’t have to adopt you, Caleb.”
“But if you don’t adopt me, you won’t love me.” He gulped, fighting back tears.
Philip walked over to the little boy and stooped down. “I already love you, Caleb. Nothing will ever stop me from loving and taking care of you.”
Bella walked over to them and sat down on the floor beside Caleb. “Why don’t you want Philip to adopt you, sweetie?” She brushed the hair from his forehead.
“I love Ma and Pa.”
She pulled him onto her lap and into her arms. “I love and miss them, too. Philip’s loving you and wanting to adopt you will never take your love away that you feel for your parents.” Bella felt as if her heart was breaking for the confusion that the little boy was feeling.
Philip eased to the floor with them and wrapped both Bella and Caleb in his arms. His hug felt warm and comforting. She lay her head on top of Caleb’s. Not to be left out, Mark joined them. Philip pulled the little boy down on the floor with them.
Bella held her nephews close. How could she explain to them that loving her and Philip wouldn’t take away from the love they had for their parents? She kissed the top of Caleb’s head. “Boys, I want you to know that no matter what happens, we will always love and care for you. Your ma and pa would want you to be happy.”
Caleb’s watery blue eyes looked into hers. “But I don’t want to forget them, Aunt Bella.”
“You will never forget them, Caleb. They will always be in your heart. Sometimes God calls people away to heaven. It hurts our hearts because we miss them, but that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t allow other people into our hearts.”
“How come?” Mark asked, pushing until he was closer to her.
Bella smiled. “Because love isn’t something that you can control. God is love and He made us like Him. Like Him, we can love lots of people in our lives and it’s good.”
Caleb ducked his head. “But it hurts when they move to heaven.”
She nodded. “Yes, it does.”
“Will you ever move to heaven?” Mark asked, laying his head on her shoulder.
Bella felt Philip ease away. “I will. And when I do, I want you to find another person to pour all your love into.” Missing Philip’s embrace, Bella hugged the two little boys even tighter.
“Like Philip?” Caleb asked.
Philip froze in place.
“Yep, like Philip.” She tickled both little boys until they jumped up and ran away.
Philip had scooted back. He’d pulled his legs up and sat with his arms on his knees. Caleb ran to him and jumped. Philip was quick to catch him.
“I love you, Philip. If you still want to adopt me, you can.”
He held the little boy tightly in his arms. “Thank you, Caleb. I love you, too.”
Mark joined in the fun and soon all three of them were wrestling on the floor. Bella moved to get out of their way. She returned to the kitchen and wiped off the table.
Watching them play and wrestle, Bella silently thanked the Lord for bringing Philip into their lives. She didn’t know what her future held, but she was thankful that Philip would take care of Mark and Caleb.