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TABLE OF CONTENTS

The Bride Who Fell for the Wrong Twin

The Extended Epilogue

A Perfect Storm to Bind their Hearts – Preview

A Thank You Note to Starfall Publications

About Melynda Carlyle

Also by Melynda Carlyle

The Bride Who Fell for the Wrong Twin

Prologue

Jonathan kept his eyes tightly closed as the marshals threw him to the ground, and his knees clattered into the dirt. He winced, not that they cared. Soon he would see light for the first time in seven months. His stomach fizzed with anticipation. He’d been in the pen for so long; he’d forgotten what it would feel like to be outside.

All he’d had to get him through his time in solitary confinement was memories of what sun felt like touching his skin, and the feeling of a breeze caressing his face. Finally, he would feel it once again.

It's been too long, he thought. He could already feel the breeze rushing around his body, it was enough to make him smile.

The shackles were undone around his wrists and tossed to the ground. They clattered somewhere behind him and made him jump. The marshals chuckled, but he wouldn’t let it bother him.

They untied the cloth hood and pulled it from his head, but Jonathan didn’t dare open his eyes at first. He felt the light on his face, the soft touch of the sun on his skin for the first time in over half a year was almost too much to bear. A breeze whipped by and he let out a heaving breath.

Steadily he opened his eyes, squinting at the burning rays from above. The sky was clear, as clear as it had been the day they’d put him inside. It was almost like a dream. He took a deep breath, filling his lungs and holding it there just a moment too long before exhaling.

It felt good to be outside again.

Seven months of solitary incarceration and hard labor, breathing in his own scents, his own sweat and never feeling the sunlight on his skin. It had taken its toll on him. He thanked God that he wasn’t being kept there for a moment longer. It was supposed to be two years. As he looked to the sky and saw a flock of birds flying across it, free just like he was, he thought of how two years might have been too much for him to take.

The marshals left him be, returning to the Eastern State Penitentiary Prison to inflict some pain or horror onto some other inmate because now Jonathan Saunders was free. Of course, he shouldn’t have been there in the first place. It was all a case of wrong place, wrong time. Well. Wrong place, wrong group of people.

Jonathan had been arrested for a robbery he didn’t commit, incarcerated for something that hadn’t had anything to do with him. He’d paid the ultimate price, and his life was worse off for it.

Much had happened while he’d been inside. He’d grown older, though not necessarily wiser. His twin brother Wayne hadn’t been able to come and visit, but the marshals had been kind enough to let him know that his father had died. He wasn’t allowed to attend the funeral, something that Jonathan wouldn’t be forgetting in a hurry. Their relationship hadn’t been the best, that much was easy to say, but to not attend his own father’s funeral felt wrong. No amount of reasoning convinced the marshals of that fact.

Jonathan took one last look at the penitentiary, at its concrete walls and soulless façade. He would walk away from here and not look back. He wouldn’t think of his time inside if he could help, though even Jonathan knew that it would haunt him and follow him around for as long as he lived. Fortunately, he had a plan for that.

Jonathan turned on his heel and started in towards Philadelphia. He had no direction and not a single penny to his name, but he had a plan at least. All those hours in solitary, the only thing keeping him going was what he would try to do once he made it back outside into the real world.

I’ll go home, he thought, though he had no idea how exactly he would get there. Whether they will welcome me home, I don’t know, but it certainly seems like the best place for me to go.

He ignored the looks he received from the townspeople watching him walk by them in his dirty clothes. Their looks didn’t matter. Jonathan was free. Just thinking of that freedom brought a wide smile to his face.

What must they think of me? he thought, laughing to himself.

He continued through the town, past the stores, past the tavern, until he found himself in a wide-open green space. He took a seat beneath a tree and thought back on the plan that he had made while he had been in solitary. It would be too easy to lose track of time here and to let the rest of his life pass him by, just grateful for being out in the world. Now was the time to make something of himself.

Back in Nebraska, in Bellfield Town where he’d grown up, he knew his father had left an inheritance for himself and his brother Wayne. He was fairly sure that Wayne had no use for it whatsoever given that he was already a success before Jonathan had ended up in prison. But his share of that would be more than enough to get himself started.

I’ll go back to Nebraska as soon as I can, he thought to himself, leaning back against the trunk of the tree and enjoying watching the world go by. I’ll make a little money here to get myself on a train and I’ll go and make my fortune back in Nebraska, back home.

He had already decided that it was the only true course of action. He’d take up the land that he and his brother had inherited from his father and would turn it back into a profitable farm. He would work on the crops; he would ingratiate himself once again with the people of Bellfield and would make a living as a law-abiding citizen.

He pushed any thoughts of his previous wrongdoings away from his mind. Now wasn’t the time to think about that. His reputation may have been stained, but surely, that wouldn’t be irreparable. He would work it out, one way or another.

Jonathan looked up at the sky, watching birds cross over the midday sun, a flock of them flying free and he smiled at it once again. His life may have been uncertain going forward but at least now he had a life, he had things to do so he could get himself back on his feet. He’d get back to Nebraska, back to his roots, and he’d figure it all out from there. He’d settle down, maybe even marry a good woman and start a family.

The smile on his face broadened at this thought. Things were finally looking up for Jonathan Saunders. He just had to put the work in

Chapter 1

Kathleen Morrow knew she was staying out past curfew. She’d watched as the sun had dipped on the horizon, bathing their town in an orange glow, and she had enjoyed it. She’d even allowed a smile to crack across her face as she felt the sun’s warmth.

Now seems as good a time as any to go home, she thought with a slight laugh. Father will enjoy that, certainly.

She marched her way home, holding her head high, nodding at the townspeople that she passed, offering them a simpering smile. Kathleen held herself higher than a lot of the townsfolk. Not because she thought she was better than them, but because she knew that she was. She was raised to know that, raised to know that she was a prize and they should be so lucky to be in her presence.

When she arrived home, her father was waiting for her on the front porch. She wondered how long he had been standing there, whether he had been out there waiting for her and counting down the seconds until she was supposed to arrive. She stifled a laugh. She didn’t want to antagonize him any more… or did she?

As she walked the path to the front door of their rather large home, Kathleen didn’t take her eyes off Humphrey Morrow, and he didn’t take his eyes off her. The two of them were pretty evenly matched when it came to disagreements, neither one of them wanting to back down. He opened his mouth to speak, though Kathleen could hear the words coming before they even left him.

“Any particular reason you are returning home alone, Kathleen?” he asked, clearly exasperated by her. “And late, might I add.”

“Would you rather I returned late with a man on my arm, father?” Kathleen asked. “I hardly think that would be proper.”

Kathleen walked past him and into the house, heading straight through and into their garden where she sat out and watched as the last of the light faded from the evening sky. She took a deep breath, difficult as that was in her corset, and prepared herself for the onslaught she was about to receive from her father once again.

“None of what you are doing right now is proper, Kathleen,” Humphrey sputtered as he joined her outside. “No matter how much I do for you—"

“Oh, Father, I know, you do everything for me, and I am never grateful, I’ve heard it all before.”

“Well, if you’ve heard it all before, why do you choose to completely ignore it?” he blustered. It was like he was about to explode. Kathleen, once again, stifled a laugh.

She had been ignoring her father’s advice for as long as she could walk. Ever since she turned sixteen and he told her that she was to start thinking about finding a husband and settling down, Kathleen had been rallying against it.

She didn’t want an arranged marriage. It didn’t matter how many times her father told her that she was desired by many of the most respectable businessmen in Ohio, or how many men he set up meetings with, Kathleen wasn’t interested. Every single one of them was the same. They were old, they were boring, and they didn’t want Kathleen because of her brains or because of how brilliant she was, they wanted her because she was pretty and would look good on their arm. She was a status symbol, something to be shown off, and she didn’t just want to be shown off. She wanted to be loved.

“I see you’ve turned down Finnegan Turner too,” Humphrey said. “You know that he will be able to provide for you. There would be a good and stable future for you with Finnegan.”

“If I were with Finnegan Turner, I would likely be dead,” Kathleen snapped.

“Kathleen!”

“He would just keep talking and talking and talking until I dropped dead right in front of his eyes, Father,” Kathleen said. “There was nothing about him that I liked.”

“He would provide for you.”

“Oh Father, will you ever put an end to this topic?” Kathleen lamented, looking up at him.

“No, you know that I cannot do that,” he said. “You are my responsibility, Kathleen, I need to make sure that you are well looked after.”

“I am well looked after, Father,” Kathleen said, gesturing around her. “You look after me just fine.”

“But I mean for your future,” Humphrey said, taking a seat across from her. “You need to grow up and understand that this is just the way that things are done. You cannot be young and restless forever.”

“Why on earth not?” she asked, though not in earnest. She could see that Humphrey was getting frustrated with her, as he often did when this conversation happened which was more often than she would like.

Kathleen enjoyed sparring with her father in this way, purely for sport, but she didn’t enjoy the exasperation she put him through. He just didn’t understand. Maybe this was the way that things were done when he was growing up, but it wasn’t the way she wanted things to be done for her. Kathleen wanted more than that, she wanted romance, she wanted love, she wanted excitement.

It doesn’t seem like too much to ask, she thought.

She knew it was her duty to find a husband and have children, it was the lot of many of the women in their town, but she had already found the man she wanted to do that with: Eddie. It was the only time in her life when she had actually seen that future for herself, and not just known it as a story that her father had told her, a set of milestones she needed to hit until she was six feet underground.

Eddie might not have been the perfect man, certainly not what her father had imagined, but he had been perfect to her. Humphrey had driven him away, and Kathleen wasn’t about to let him get away with it so easily by setting her up with somebody else.

It annoyed her that Eddie had given up so easily. The one time she had fallen for a man, and all it had taken was a few choice words from her bear of a father, and he had given up on her. A simple threat had made him quit on her when he should’ve fought. They could have run away together. There were so many ways they could have made it work, but Eddie just… couldn’t see it.

That didn’t stop her from missing him, though. He would come to their house in the middle of the night and throw pebbles at her window to wake her. She would then sneak out just for a chance to see him, even for a few moments. It was those moments that she missed, the stolen ones away from the prying eyes of the townsfolk or her father. They were long gone now.

“Kathleen, I’m speaking to you, and you’re sitting there getting lost in your own head,” Humphrey grumbled. “Are you listening?”

Kathleen sighed. “Yes, Father, I am listening,” she said. “Will that be all?”

Humphrey rubbed at his temples. “For now, yes, but mark my words, young lady, this is not over yet. If you do not choose yourself a good man, I will find one for you and the choice will be my own. I’ve been far too lenient with you on this, given you too much freedom, and that is about to change.”

Kathleen stood, now towering over her seated father. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “You wouldn’t,” she gasped, though she wasn’t sure. “Would you?”

Humphrey got up and looked her straight in the face. She could see from the look in his eyes that even he knew that he had won this particular round. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. “Wash up and join me for dinner.”

Humphrey turned and moved back into the house, no doubt about to get the housekeeper to serve them dinner. Kathleen could hardly believe what she’d heard. Her father had never gone so far as to suggest choosing a husband for her. She thought, eventually, Eddie would return, and she would have worn him down enough that he would be more than happy for her to be with him. Apparently, that wasn’t the case at all.

Kathleen headed inside and upstairs to wash up for dinner, as she was instructed. It was times like this that she wished she was born into a simpler family, like one of the farming families or ranch families, somewhere without all the pressure for her to marry someone wealthy. Their only ambition is to survive the day or survive until the next harvest. It would certainly make things easier.

As she looked in the mirror, taking in her bright, hazel eyes and her long golden-brown hair, she was struck by how much she looked like her mother with every passing day. There were paintings of her around the house, ones that had been commissioned when they had been younger. More often than not, they made Kathleen miss her mother. She didn’t think for a single second that her mother would allow her father to do this to her. Though, she would never know that for certain.

She looked out of the bathroom window, out towards the town and beyond. The sun had dipped below the horizon now, the light of the day finally fading away. These summer months meant that even on days when she missed her curfew, intentionally or otherwise, she would still have the light to guide her home.

There is so much world out there, she thought. I’ve barely been outside of this town. There’s so much I want to see, so much I want to do. She wanted to meet people who hadn’t grown up in the luxury that she had, and she wanted to know what it was like to live a life without the borders she had. She had privilege of course, but it came at a price. What was it like to pay a different price for fewer restrictions?

With every passing day, Kathleen wondered what it would be like to jump on a horse and ride away or catch the next train out of there, and just see where it would take her. It was a fire that burned brightly in her, and the longer she tried to ignore it, the brighter it shone. If she chose to let her father win and marry some older gentlemen who wanted nothing more than to keep her as a trophy…

I might as well just die now, she thought, aware of how dramatic she sounded even thinking it. But with such a mediocre existence, one without adventure, what would be the point?

Kathleen went downstairs and joined her father for dinner. The spread that the housekeeper had put on was truly impressive, the smell of roast meat and buttery vegetables filling her nostrils and making her salivate. If she were to marry would this be her responsibility? Would she have a housekeeper to order about? What would she do with her days? Would she just follow the housekeeper around and make sure they were doing precisely as she asked?

That would be awful, she thought.

“Kathleen,” Humphrey snapped. “Are you listening to a word that I’m saying?”

“Of course, I am, Father,” Kathleen said, forcing a smile onto her face. “You were telling me about your day, how things are with the business.”

Humphrey smiled back at her and went back to whatever it was he had been saying. This is what her life was for? She was supposed to marry rich and carry on the family name, her father inviting some new man into the family business to take over while she had babies. It was all so material. Where was the meaning in it? Where was the joy?

She couldn’t let it happen.

If I have no joy, then what kind of life do I have? she thought. I can’t let Father marry me off to some rich gentleman, I just can’t. I must find some joy. Somehow.

Chapter 2

The rails squealed, causing Jonathan to jerk awake. He’d not had a comfortable night’s sleep in a while and, just as he was managing to drift off, the train made some noise or another again.

He shook his head and sat himself up straight, looking out the window to try and occupy his mind. He’d caught a lucky break back in Philadelphia. It hadn’t been perfect, of course, but perfection seemed hard to come by when you had a criminal record and nothing in your pockets whatsoever. But luck had led him to work in construction.

It didn’t pay an awful lot, and it was hard work, but just doing that for a couple of months had got him enough money in his pocket for a train ticket back to Nebraska and a future in sight that might be a little more promising.

He smiled as he looked out of the window. It was empty as far as the eye could see, the hot sun beating down on the ground and causing waves of heat to rise and obscure the horizon.

Once I’m in Nebraska, things will really start looking up, he thought. I’ll be back on my feet before I know it. He stopped himself from smiling, suddenly thinking about all he’d gone through and all he was supposed to have done.

How many people had heard all about it back in Nebraska? What if his name was tainted now? He wouldn’t find anybody that would want to buy his harvest, and nobody would want to work with him on his land and he certainly wouldn’t be able to find a nice woman willing to marry him with such a reputation.

No one would care that he hadn’t committed the crime in the first place. The fact that he had been imprisoned was enough for anyone to not want to be seen near him.

As Jonathan looked out across the bare landscape, he couldn’t help but feel a little bit lost, like his journey was going to turn out to be for nothing no matter how hard he tried.

Maybe it’s not even worth coming to Nebraska after all, he thought. I might as well have stayed back in Philadelphia. At least, there was a job there.

As the wheels screamed over the tracks once again, Jonathan sat up straight. He’d not seen his brother for an awfully long time but, last time he checked, he wasn’t living on the farm life anymore. He was far away from Nebraska, determined to make something of himself. That presented an opportunity. They were twins after all.

Jonathan started to think it through. He would need to smarten himself up a bit, make sure that he looked the part. Wayne was always well dressed, a lot more so than Jonathan was, and well-groomed too. The beard he’d grown since working in construction would need to go, that much was for certain. He could do all this before he got to Nebraska and, hopefully, no one would even recognize him.

* * *

When he got off the train at Bellfield Town, he looked and felt like a new man. He’d stopped off one stop before and made sure he looked as much like Wayne as he could. There wasn’t a chance anyone would think he was Jonathan.

He took a deep breath and stepped off the train platform, his canvas bag slung over his shoulder. A pair of ladies walked past, their hair stacked high on their heads, their eyes drinking him in. They offered him a smile that he gladly reciprocated.

This is going to be easy, he thought.

Not wanting to waste another second, Jonathan started into town and made his way to the town hall. Now would be the real test. He walked over to the clerk; an older looking lady dressed head to toe in mourning blacks.

“Good afternoon, sir,” she said as cheerfully as she could muster. “What can I do for you today?”

Jonathan took a deep breath and painted his kindest smile onto his face. “A very good afternoon to you too, madam,” he started, knowing this would be just how Wayne would speak, all calm and responsible, his voice measured and easy. “I was wondering if you would be able to assist me. My name is Wayne Saunders, I used to live around these parts—"

“Wayne Saunders!” the woman gasped, her eyes going wide. “Why goodness me, I cannot believe it’s you. It’s been such a long time since I’ve seen you here. I was so sorry to hear about your father.”

Jonathan felt suddenly caught off-guard. He didn’t want to give anything away, but the mere mention of his father was enough to send a chill through his body.

“It was a shock,” Jonathan said. “But we carry on.”

The woman smiled kindly at him, reaching across the counter and giving his arm a light squeeze. “That we do, Mr. Saunders,” she said. “That we do. I’m sorry, I interrupted you there, how can I help?”

Jonathan smiled once again. “I am looking to get hold of my birth certificate,” he said. “As well you, Ms.…”

“Ms. Lexington.”

“Ms. Lexington, of course!” Jonathan said. “As well you know I’ve not been here very much recently, many of my affairs being dealt with elsewhere. But in order to open up a bank account here and access the money my father left behind, I’m going to need it.”

Ms. Lexington rolled her eyes. “Surely a formality,” she said. “Anyone who even looked at you would know that you were Wayne Saunders. Maybe they’ve got that new teller in today.”

Jonathan rolled his eyes, joining in. “Maybe indeed. I don’t suppose you’ll be able to assist me at all?”

“Well, of course I can,” Ms. Lexington said. “Your father was always kind to me. We were great friends, so it would be an honor to be able to help one of his sons in his time of need. Just give me a moment.”

Ms. Lexington truly was accommodating, finding the birth certificate and getting it for him swiftly before sending him on his way. She had actually believed him. He hadn’t even had to do all that much, just be cordial to her as Wayne would have been, just paint a smile on his face and tell her his new truth. He shook the thought from his brain.

It’s one thing to fool an old woman, he thought, trying to ignore the thrill in his chest at seeing his plan working. But to fool the rest of the town, to fool the bankers, that’s a whole other story.

He left the town hall and headed across the square to the bank, joining the end of the line and keeping his hat low. If an old woman could recognize him as Wayne, how long did he have before someone recognized him as Jonathan. Surely, not long at all.

Jonathan knew there had been money left to him and his brother and that the land around his father’s old property had been left to them too. Now, he could finally claim it as his own… well, as his brother’s.

As he waited in line, Jonathan could feel himself getting a little nervous. He met the eyes of a few curious townsfolk, offering them a smile and a nod, not giving them too long to dwell on his face in case they saw something they recognized. How long was he going to have to keep this up?

“Anything else I can do for you today, sir?” the teller asked, looking up at Jonathan with a smile.

“Actually, yes,” Jonathan said, drawing himself up to his full height and trying his best to look as confident as possible. “I’m looking for a couple of farm hands,” he started. “That’s what this money is for. I don’t know where to start with looking as I’ve only made it back to town today. If anybody comes by today, could you send them over to the old Saunders’ property?”

The teller smiled. “Of course, Mr. Saunders.”

“Let them know I can pay well,” Jonathan said with a smile.

“Absolutely, sir.”

When he was about to leave, he noticed something on the board. Before the teller could move on to the next customer, he pointed it out to them.

“What is this?” he asked.

“That is where you can place an order for a mail order bride,” the teller said, a bright smile on his young face. “We have quite an ageing population in this town, so a lot of the townsfolk do it, sir. Would you like to place one?”

Jonathan considered it. This boy knew the town better than he did right now. If it was going to be hard for him to find a bride, then what would be the harm in placing an order. He’d wanted to marry a good woman, and this was a much easier way of doing it. He didn’t even have to make an effort to meet her.

Jonathan agreed, taking a little of the money he had withdrawn and placing the ad.

How wonderful, he thought. Money and company. Things were already starting to look up for Jonathan.

He left the bank and, continuing to keep his head low, he started away from the hustle and bustle of town. He bought himself some food from the general store and then started on the familiar route back to his former home. He knew the route to his father’s old place like the back of his hand. Somewhere it was imprinted on his memory and he knew the exact route he needed to walk, even though he hadn’t walked it in well over a year.

Some things just never leave you, he thought.

He was shocked when he got there. He’d had memories of this place. It had been painted sky blue one summer by Wayne in a fit of creativity, something that their father had loved. It was hard to maintain but it looked great, making their house stand out. The only problem now was that the house stood out for all the wrong reasons.

The once well-kept yard was overgrown, weeds pushing themselves up through the dirt and making it unsightly. The land that surrounded the property, where Jonathan hoped to grow crops, had been left to grow to ridiculous proportions. What it told Jonathan was that Wayne hadn’t been back here for quite some time, and if he had, he hadn’t bothered to pay any attention to the house the two of them had grown up in together. It made him sad to see how much it had fallen into disrepair.

He battled his way through the yard and to the front of the house. When he pushed open the front door, thankful that it didn’t fall off its hinges or cause the whole house to fall down, he recognized the layout instantly. It opened into a spacious living area, a door off to one side leading to a kitchen, the bedrooms at the back and away from the beating Nebraska sun.

It was a miracle that the house was still in good condition. He’d need to clean the outside and fix up the yard, but the insides looked okay. They were good enough to live in, that much was for certain. But Jonathan didn’t mind the work. Working in solitary was one thing, that was public work that didn’t benefit him. Any work he did on this house and did to the land surrounding the house would all be to help him turn a profit and get back on his feet. He didn’t mind at all.

Just thinking about it all made him feel even more angry about what had happened with Will and Barry, the two men who had conducted the robbery he’d been imprisoned for. When it had come down to it, they had looked out for themselves, not caring even the tiniest bit about what would happen to Jonathan while he was locked away.

He was even stupid enough to cover for them, that’s what made it even worse. He could have, and probably should have, turned them in.

Stupid, he thought to himself.

“You’ve got to surround yourself with better people, Jonny,” Wayne had said to him when he’d first started getting to know Will and Barry. “You barely know those boys, but I know enough to know that they’re trouble.”

“You’re just saying that,” Jonathan said.

“I mean it,” Wayne replied. “I’ve heard some of the things they’ve been doing around town, it’s only a matter of time before they get you into trouble. I know it.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about!”

“I don’t want to see you getting hurt, Jonny,” Wayne said. “I know it’s not much, but I’m a whole hour older than you. Makes me feel like I need to look out for you.”

Jonathan pushed him aside. “Don’t baby me, Wayne, I’ll be fine,” Jonathan had said. “More than fine. They’re my friends. Friends look out for each other.”

It was only now that Jonathan could see just how blind he was. And he’d paid for it, after all.

“Excuse me! Anybody home?” Jonathan pulled himself out of his reverie and headed back outside the property. At the front gate two young men, no older than eighteen, were stood looking towards him. When they caught sight of him, both of them seemed to relax.

“Can I help you?” Jonathan called.

“Is this the old Saunders’ property?” the first one asked, a mixed-race boy with short hair shaved close to his head.

“It is.”

“We’re here because you were looking for farm hands,” the second boy said, taking off his hat and ruffling his shock of black hair. “You still looking?”

Jonathan nodded to himself. That teller works fast, he thought.

“I am, yes,” Jonathan said. “My name is …” he almost slipped before correcting himself. “My name is Wayne. If you can get started clearing some of the weeds from the fields, that would really help me out. I’ll make sure you get paid.”

The boys’ faces lit up and they headed into the fields to get to work, Jonathan returned inside to spruce the house up and get it ready to stay in for the night. He cleaned and tidied, he dusted, he put away the food and what little belongings he had and worked up quite a sweat when the boys came to the door to tell him that they needed to head back home as it was getting dark.

Jonathan paid them, as he had promise, and learned that their names were Matthew and Rick. He asked them if they would return tomorrow, which they agreed to do. And when they left, the house went quiet once again.

As he got himself ready for bed that evening, Jonathan wondered if a woman would answer his ad or not. It would be great to have some companionship. He’d spent so long by himself, of course, it was often hard to know what being in someone’s presence constantly again would be like. But he could feel that he craved it. His time working at the construction site back in Philadelphia told him that he was a people person. He hoped someone would come back to him. It would be a shame for so much of this house to go to waste.

He took himself to his old childhood bedroom and laid down in the old bed, staring up at the ceiling. The world around the property had gone quiet but for the chirping of the cicadas outside the windows. He welcomed the noise. After so much silence, it was a joy to have these noises in his life again, to be sleeping on a bed instead of a floor, and to have something that almost looked like a future stretching out ahead of him.

Chapter 3

Kathleen decided to get out of the house before her father woke up. He had become more and more persistent as the weeks went by that he wanted her to find a husband, and three more men had come and gone in that time without managing to impress Kathleen. She didn’t want to spend her time fighting with him about marriages, she certainly didn’t want him to make any more threats about choosing a husband for her.

She headed over to Millie’s house to find her already waiting with tea on the front porch. This was a fairly regular occurrence for Kathleen and her mornings with Millie, drinking tea and watching as the town became more and more busy was becoming something of a habit.

The two of them were quite different. While Kathleen had a darker complexion, her hair often loose around her shoulders, Millie was pale, the sun practically reflecting off her. Her bright red hair marked her out as different in the town, but there was no denying that she was a beauty. The other thing that set them apart was that while Kathleen wanted to get away from the town’s ideals and expectations of her, Millie was happy to fall into them.

“Well, well, well,” Millie said with a grin, pouring a cup of tea for Kathleen. “What a surprise it is to see you this morning.”

“Don’t you start too, Millie, I’ll walk away from you too,” Kathleen said, grinning back at her. “Is that for me?”

“Oh, darling, it’s always for you,” Millie said. “Whether you show up or not, it’s a lady’s duty to have tea ready and waiting for anyone who may come to call.”

Kathleen rolled her eyes. “Now I think you’re just making that one up.”

Millie shrugged. “Highly likely,” she said. “But it sounds like a ladylike thing to do.” She gestured to the seat opposite her for Kathleen to sit down. “What has your dear old father done this time?”

Kathleen sighed. “What hasn’t he done, Millie?” she groaned. “He’s probably realized I’m not home and is out trying to find me a husband to marry me off to.”

“What else is new?”

“No, Millie,” Kathleen said firmly. “This time he is being quite serious about it. He has threatened to find me someone if I don’t choose soon. He wants to pick for me.”

Millie’s eyes widened. “Well, you can’t be surprised,” she said. “You’ve been an absolute horror to all of the men who tried to court you.”

“That, my dear Millie, is because they’re old and boring,” Kathleen grumbled. “Remember Joseph Alexander, the man with the toupee.”

“Joseph Alexander the Third, I believe was his full title,” Millie replied through a giggle.

“It was the windiest day and he was determined to go for a walk.”

“Big mistake!”

“When his hair flew off in the wind—” Kathleen couldn’t go on, the laughter wracking her entire body until there were tears rolling down her face. “He ran after it.”

“And you ran away!” Millie chuckled. “Did he ever track you down?”

“I never saw him again!” Kathleen said, taking a few deep breaths to calm herself down. “For all I know, he’s still out in the desert somewhere trying to catch up with his hair.” The dissolved into laughter again, their cackles flying up into the early morning sky. Kathleen so loved this time with Millie. It was like she was in another world and, in that world, she didn’t have to worry about what her father thought or what would happen to her when she was eventually forced to choose one of these awful men.

Kathleen sighed. “The problem is my father doesn’t understand me, and therefore doesn’t understand what I want.”

Millie put down her cup of tea and looked at Kathleen carefully. “Your father probably doesn’t understand you because you don’t give him a chance to,” Millie said flatly. “And as for understanding what you want, we all know the only man you want is Eddie Browne. I’m afraid that’s not going to happen for you.”

“Oh, Millie, don’t say things like that,” Kathleen protested.

“I may be younger than you, Kathleen, but he vanished into thin air at the first sight of trouble,” Millie said. “You can cling onto the idea of him if you want to, but, in the long run, it’s just going to make you sad. Do you really want to be sad?”

Kathleen shrugged. She didn’t want to be sad. But she also didn’t want to be married off to some stranger. She was caught and she had no idea what she was going to do about it.

In a desperate bid to move the attention away from her, Kathleen started to talk to Millie about her prospects for a husband. Just getting to talk about it thrilled her in a way that Kathleen very much envied. While Kathleen hated the idea with a burning passion, it was all Millie had ever wanted. She wanted to be looked after, she wanted to run a house, and she wanted it to be with someone of as high a status as possible.

“I just feel it’s my duty,” Millie said. “My mother and father have made it clear that they want me to have the very best life can offer, and that means marrying as high as I can. So, I want that. I want to be able to give my children the best start that I can. My parents did incredibly well but had to work so hard for it. I want my children to be able to enjoy life.”

It was like she was giving a speech to thousands of people. It felt well-rehearsed.

I hope she doesn’t say things like this to the men that are courting her, Kathleen thought. Though maybe that was what they wanted to hear. They wanted a dutiful wife and they certainly didn’t come more dutiful than Millie.

They finished up their tea and conversation and Kathleen excused herself to go home. The town was bustling now, and she enjoyed walking through the crowds and smiling at people. She didn’t look like a lot of the other women in Wood Ridge. While they were often fair, Kathleen was dark and mysterious. And it was that air of mystery that made her a prize. But she didn’t want any of the men competing for her to win.

When she made it home, she was about to head out to the garden to enjoy the morning when her father’s voice boomed through the hall.

“Kathleen, I need to speak with you,” he said. It was like an omen of doom. Whenever he wanted to speak with her it was for something serious. They never sat down and had father-daughter heart-to-hearts. It was always about how she was disappointing him in some way.

I wonder what I’ve managed to do to upset him before noon? she thought with a sigh.

She headed into the kitchen where he was sitting with a pile of papers. He looked like he was working but her father never worked while he was at home. There were maps and papers, what looked like a letter. Her blood ran cold.

What is he planning? she thought.

“What is it, Father?” she asked, trying to keep her composure while also trying to see exactly what it was, he was working on.

“You really need to learn to speak to me with some respect, Kathleen.” He sighed. “You’ll need this ability for your future husband, you may as well start practicing now.”

In four words she had managed to upset him. Kathleen wanted to turn on her heel and stomp upstairs, slamming her bedroom door and not speaking to him for the rest of the day. She hadn’t even done anything, and he was already so disappointed in her.

“Father, I was just wondering what you wanted to speak with me about,” she asked sweetly. “I will aim to do better. Will that be all?”

Humphrey sighed. “No,” he said flatly. “We need to talk about your husband.”

“Oh father, can we just not talk about it for one day.”

“No,” he said sternly. “This time I have decided for you.”

Kathleen froze. How was that possible? She hadn’t really thought he would do it. She thought that he was just saying that to make her choose someone.

“What are you talking about?” she breathed, her dress suddenly feeling tight, the room spinning around her. Who will he have chosen? she thought. Some rich old man, withering in some grand house somewhere?

“You’ll be going to Nebraska,” he said, handing her a piece of paper.

She read it once, twice, three times, seeing that it was an ad from a rich landowner looking for a bride.

Nebraska, she thought. NEBRASKA?!

“You can’t do this to me father, please,” she begged, her eyes filling with tears. “I’ll do anything, but you can’t—”

“Oh, I see, now you can learn some manners,” Humphrey sighed and rolled his eyes.

“Father!”

“It is already done,” he said firmly. “There is nothing you can do. I have responded and you will be leaving as soon as we get some information on how to get you there.”

“But Nebraska?!” she moaned. “That’s so far away from what we have here, from even what they have in Ohio. You’re sending me off to live with some wild mountain man? Father, you can’t, I’ll die.”

Humphrey sighed. “You’re being dramatic, Kathleen,” he scolded. “This is a respectable man. He’s not some savage.”

“But how do you know that?” she begged. She wanted answers. She wanted time to turn backwards so she didn’t have to do this. But it was no use. Her father stared at her blankly, his mind completely made up. There was nothing that she could say to change his mind.

He shook his head at her and walked away.

Kathleen stared down at the mail order bride ad, the paper crumpled in her hands from where she’d been holding it so tightly. What was to become of her now?

How can he send me off to the wild with some man that neither of us know? she thought. Any and all hope she had slowly trickled away as the tears rolled down her face. He could be anyone. He could treat me horribly and father wouldn’t even know because apparently, I don’t matter enough to him.

Could that be true? Could it really be that her father did not care enough for her? After everything they had been through together, living in this big old house and surviving her mother’s death, he was just going to hand her off to the wealthiest man to post a want ad? Sure, he was trying to find her the best husband possible, and this one certainly seemed to have a lot of prospects, but it didn’t seem worth it to her. It was such a risk. What if he was awful to her?

Unable to stop the tears from flowing, Kathleen ran upstairs and slammed her door. Maybe if she’d done this earlier, she wouldn’t have had to hear about her new husband. Maybe it wouldn’t have made a difference at all.

When the housekeeper came up several hours later to tell her dinner was ready, she refused to go downstairs. Her father shouted at her through the door and demanded her presence, but she would not give it to him. He was out to ruin her life; she was not about to be cordial with him.

* * *

The following morning, Kathleen woke to a knock on her door. She didn’t know what time it was, but the sun was creeping in through her window. Her father didn’t usually let her sleep in but perhaps today he had made an exception.

“Kathleen?” Her father’s voice was outside the door. “Kathleen, I need to speak with you.”

“I’m sleeping!” she called back.

He opened the door and barged into the room, more papers in his hand. “I’ve received word from Nebraska,” he said. He could barely bring himself to look at her. “You’re leaving in two days.”

“Two days?”

“You had probably better start packing.”

“I hate you,” she spat.

He looked her dead in the eyes, his face looking a little vacant, maybe something akin to regret there. “Well, that won’t help you pack any faster,” he said. “Be ready with your things in two days, or I’ll send you to him with nothing but the clothes on your back.”

“Get out!” she shouted, grabbing a book from her bedside table and throwing it in his direction.

Humphrey shuffled out the door and closed it behind him. He was truly doing it. He was going to betray her and leave her to some old man in the middle of nowhere. Who knew what fate had in store for her now? What could possibly happen to her?

At least there will be travel, she thought. You’ll get to see some of the world, that’s something.

It was only the slightest happiness. Of course, she wanted to see the world, but she had wanted to see it with Eddie at her side, not with the prospect of marrying some stranger at the end of it.

Not wanting to leave her precious things behind, Kathleen spent the rest of the day packing up her clothes with the help of the housekeeper. It was slow work and when they were done, Kathleen’s bedroom didn’t even really look like it belonged to her anymore. It just looked like a vacant room in a beautiful house. She wondered what her father would use it for.

On her final day in Wood Ridge, she made her usual trip over to Millie’s house to find her ready and waiting on the porch with some tea. She wondered if news would have traveled quickly enough to inform her of her departure.

When Millie jumped up from her seat and wrapped Kathleen in the tightest hug, she realized that news traveled awfully fast.

“So, you’ve heard?” Kathleen said into her shoulder.

“Yes,” Millie replied. “Are you not excited?”

Kathleen sighed and pulled out of the hug. “Of course, I’m not excited, Millie. It’s a complete and total nightmare,” she groaned. “I don’t know this man. I don’t know what he is going to be like or how he is going to treat me. It is the absolute last thing that I want.”

“But you know there is nothing you can do about that,” Millie said quietly. “You’re not going to do anything stupid, are you?”

“Millie, no, of course not,” Kathleen said.

“Because I am sad enough to see you go, I’d hate to see you getting into any trouble,” Millie replied.

Kathleen squeezed Millie’s arms tightly. “I will go, and I will just have to make the best of it,” she said, trying to put on a brave face.

“Perhaps you won’t need to make the best of it,” Millie said with a grin. “This could be the greatest thing to ever happen to you, Kathleen. This man could be wonderful, the man of your dreams, and then won’t you feel like a silly goose for getting all upset about it.”

Kathleen looked at Millie and smiled. While there wasn’t a huge amount, she would miss about Wood Ridge, Millie was something she knew that she would miss. They may not have shared the same ideals when it came to finding a husband and settling down, but Millie understood her like no other. She would miss her dearly.

“I doubt it, Millie,” Kathleen said with a sigh. “I imagine he will be just like the others.”

Chapter 4

Jonathan hadn’t expected such a quick response to his ad. He wondered for a moment if he had oversold himself, made himself sound better than he truly was. He hoped the woman wouldn’t be disappointed in him.

The father seemed to be looking for his daughter to marry someone with prospects. He looked out at the land that they had made a good solid start on. He supposed they were prospects. The men he had hired were working tirelessly over the past few weeks to get the ground ready to grow some new crops, and really get everything looking its best. All it would take is a bit more work and some elbow grease and they would be up and running. It may not have been totally true in the ad, but it would become true. He was determined to live by the promise of the good life he’d described in the ad.

The woman, Kathleen Morrow, would be arriving in Bellfield by train from Ohio in a day. He didn’t have long to get himself ready for her arrival, but it would have to be time enough.

I hope she is a good woman, he thought. I will provide for her as best I can, but if she is expecting the world, if she is spoiled, I won’t be able to make her happy.

All he wanted to do was make her happy. It had to be scary traveling from one place to another with the instruction to marry the first gentleman you meet. So, he would do his best to make her happy and to live the peaceful life he had wanted to make for himself when he moved back to Bellfield.

Without a moment to lose, Jonathan started working on the house to make it look presentable. He’d been working so hard with the other men on the land over the past few weeks that any housework and chores had fallen by the wayside. He didn’t want to bring his soon-to-be-bride to her new home only for her to have to clean it as soon as she walked through the door. He wanted her to like him and making her clean in the first ten minutes probably wasn’t the way to do that.

“How are we getting on?” Jonathan asked when he was about halfway done, stepping out of the front door to greet Matthew and Rick, who had spent the morning working up a sweat in the fields.

“We’re about ready to sow the seeds,” Matthew said, wiping the sweat off his forehead. “Then you should be in business.”

Jonathan smiled. That was just the good news he was hoping for. “I really appreciate all you guys have done for this farm,” he said. “You’ve worked so hard.”

“Thank you, sir,” Rick replied, tipping his hat. “We had a few more people coming down to ask about the orchard while you were inside too.”

The orchard had been a big topic of conversation when Jonathan had returned to the farm. While no one had been around, the only thing that had been edible and hadn’t required so much work had been the orchard. People had just idly picked the apples to avoid them falling on the ground and going rotten. Apparently, they were some of the best-tasting apples around.

“People are really eager for them to be harvested,” Matthew said. “Old man Withers from the general store wants to buy them from you.”

Jonathan laughed. “Well, make sure you tell old man Withers that I’m going to be selling them myself if what everyone’s been saying about them is true.” They’d be ready for harvest in a month or so and they would be the first bit of produce Jonathan would be able to sell. It would be great.

“We should get back to the fields,” Rick said. “Just thought you’d want an update.”

“Thanks boys,” Jonathan said. “When you’re done, just come on back to the house and I’ll get you paid, and you can head on your way. No use sticking around if there’s nothing left to do for the day.”

Matthew and Rick headed on over the fields carrying bags of seed with them. Jonathan could feel the excitement fizzing through his body. This would be the start of the enterprise. Before he knew it, he would be turning a profit. He would be a good man to his new wife, and he would be a good citizen, just like he had planned.

He headed back inside the house, welcoming the coolness that the shelter offered and carried on cleaning the place up. There was only one room that he’d not really stepped in since he’d made it back, and that was his father’s bedroom. It didn’t seem right to go in there somehow. It didn’t seem right to go snooping through all his things.

But this is your house now, Jonathan told himself. And you’ve got to get it clean and ready for Kathleen. It’s the biggest room in the whole place.

He took a breath and opened the door to the bedroom. The smell of it was so very familiar. How it had managed to linger so long after his father had left town was incredible, but it was like he’d never left. Everything had been left in the same place, like time just hadn’t moved in this one room.

The bed was fully made, the dressing table still had things on it gathering dust. There were even clothes in the wardrobe, dust on the shoulders of the jackets, shirts that had faded from where the doors had been left open and the sun had bleached them through the window.

It was strange being in here without his father. They’d had heart to heart chats in here, they’d had arguments in here, they’d lived entire lives in all of these rooms and seeing that this one hadn’t changed at all hit Jonathan in a strange way.

Wayne and Jonathan had taken separate paths many years ago, leaving the home behind and letting his father and mother enjoy some time without them. But when their mother died, things got a little more complicated. Jonathan had listened to how much his father had disliked living here without his mother, how the memories of her were built into the very foundations of the house and it felt almost haunted without her. He’d hated seeing him that way.

It was Jonathan who suggested that he get up and leave to go and live somewhere else. He’d gone to live in Delwood, Dakota Territory, and before Jonathan had been arrested, his father had seemed so much happier there.

“But what about the house?” Wayne had asked on the day they’d helped our father pack. “What will you do with it?”

His father had looked around at the place, taking it in one last time. “I’ve made enough money from this place that I don’t need to sell it in order to move on,” he said. “So, I will leave it to you two boys when you are ready. You can decide what to do with it.”

Jonathan had expected his father to have packed up his bedroom before he left, but when he said he wanted to start anew, apparently, he really meant that he was going to start completely afresh. The memories of his wife, Jonathan’s mother, must have been too much for him to bear.

But Jonathan could see what his father was talking about. There were little markings of his mother’s presence here all over the house. There was the burnt spot on the kitchen counter from when she had put a pan that was too hot on there, and it had left a mark. There were the tiny markings on the outside of the house in the garden where she had measured Jonathan and Wayne as they had grown up. The porch had been her idea too. It hadn’t been there when the property was first built, but his mother had wanted somewhere she could sit and talk with her friends, or somewhere she could sit with her husband and watch the sun go down. She was all over the house, and it had caused his father a lot of pain, but it was doing precisely the opposite for Jonathan.

Seeing all the parts of her that still existed around the house made him feel altogether closer to his mother. He hadn’t had the best relationship with his father. Just like he had argued with Wayne about the people he was spending his time with, those same conversations had happened with his father too and he hated him for them. He wished he’d been able to reconcile things before he had died but being thrown in solitary took all of that away from him.

His relationship with his mother had always been stronger. He’d been devastated when she passed away. If he really thought about it, that was when he had started spending time Will and Barry. They had been a welcome distraction from the pain of losing his mother. Now all he really wanted to do was make her proud and feeling her presence around the house made it feel like she was watching over him in some way and trying to guide him and make him into a better person. She always wanted what was best for him.

When he’d first arrived in Bellfield, Jonathan had been struck at how little the town had changed. The buildings all looked exactly the same as he remembered, though many had been spruced up over the years, a fresh coat of paint here, a new sign there. Even the people seemed to be the same. The people who worked in the general store were either the same people who had worked there while he was a child, or they were the sons and daughters of those people. It was a strange comfort seeing them there, though it did still make him worried about his past.

He was lucky that he was almost identical to Wayne, and Wayne had spent enough time away from here that people clearly didn’t remember their differences. He dreaded to think what would happen if anyone found out that he was Jonathan and not Wayne. There was some small part of him that hoped they would be a little more forgiving to him as he had grown up here, but he knew what people could be like. Anyone who found out he had been in prison back in Philadelphia didn’t want anything to do with him. He’d been lucky to find the job that he had. He couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to support the farm and livelihood of a known criminal.

“Keep working hard, keep doing your best,” he could hear his mother’s voice saying as he swept out his father’s bedroom. “No matter what happens, it will all come right in the end.”

He kept cleaning up his father’s bedroom, washing the clothes and hanging them out in the back garden, throwing out any of the ones that were beyond repair. He changed the bedsheets and got it, so it was all looking nice and fresh, ready for Kathleen’s arrival.

When he was done, he admired his handiwork. He hoped she would really love it here.

Chapter 5

Kathleen was awoken early on the morning of her departure. She didn’t tell the housekeeper that she hadn’t slept a wink, that the thoughts of who it was she would soon be married to were rushing through her mind as fast as the train that would take her to him.

She hoped and prayed that he wouldn’t be awful to her, but with every passing second her imagination became wilder with thoughts of just how he could be with her. It felt like everything was coming to an end when, truly, at her age things should have just been beginning.

She refused to have breakfast with her father that morning, instead opting to go through her things one more time. She made sure she had her books, the hand mirror her mother had given to her, the dresses that reminded her of home, a small homemade farewell card that Millie had given to her.

Kathleen fought against the tears that threatened to fall.

She met her father outside, the heat of the day already scorching the world as she stepped outside. She turned to look at her home one more time.

Will I ever see it again? she thought, desperately trying to commit every brick to memory so she wouldn’t forget it. She’d lived her whole life here and now she was being forced away. It didn’t seem right.

“Come along, Kathleen,” her father called from the carriage. “If we don’t leave now, we’ll miss our train.”

Wouldn’t that be a shame, Kathleen thought as she stomped over to the carriage.

It was in that moment that Kathleen wished they had more time to look around the town, more time for her to take everything in just one more time. Who knew when she would return, if ever? She wasn’t sure she wanted to see her father again. Millie, however, she couldn’t dream of a life that didn’t have her in it in some capacity.

“Do you have everything you need?” Humphrey asked her as they pulled up at the train station. He had remained silent for the entire journey. So had she. The tension in the carriage was so thick she was going to have to swim through it just to get out.

“I certainly hope so,” Kathleen said flatly. “You’re hardly going to take me back if I’ve forgotten anything.”

The door to the carriage opened and Kathleen immediately stepped outside, welcoming the fresh air into her lungs, the sunlight on her skin. Just being in that carriage had been stifling.

The train was already waiting on the platform, due to leave in ten minutes, Kathleen would need to leave now so she could find her cabin and get comfortable for the journey. It was going to take her hours.

“Well, Kathleen,” her father said, stepping out of the carriage and taking a long, hard look at her. “I suppose this is goodbye.” He looked… sad. Kathleen felt suddenly confused, how could he be feeling sad when he was the one that sent her away in the first place? She was about to shake those feelings away when she saw that his eyes looked a little misty, his lip appearing to quiver. She had to be imagining it.

Kathleen would not be moved. “I suppose it is,” she said curtly.

He stepped towards her to wrap her in a hug. His big arms squeezed her tightly to him and, despite not hugging him back, Kathleen couldn’t help but breathe in the scent of him one last time. He may have been doing this awful thing to her, but he was her father after all. They hadn’t always seen eye to eye, but he’d raised her, and she knew that she would miss him, even if she didn’t want to say it out loud.

He let her go and stepped back towards the carriage. “Have a safe journey.”

Kathleen shrugged. “That’s hardly something I can control,” she said. “Perhaps you should have a word with the driver and make sure this precious cargo makes it to Belfield Town in one piece.”

“Kathleen—"

“I’ll do my best, Father.” Kathleen sighed, not wanting her last moments with her father to be an argument. “Look after yourself. Don’t miss me too much.”

And that seemed to be enough to crush him. He sniffed but was unable to stop a tear rolling down his face. But he wouldn’t acknowledge it, instead smiling as widely as he could as he waved her away.

“Be sure to write to me when you arrive, please,” he said. “I need to know that you’re safe.”

“Of course, Father,” Kathleen said, suddenly unsure of herself.

“And please take this,” he said, handing her a sealed envelope. “It’s not for you, it’s for Mr. Saunders when you make it to Nebraska. Please make sure he receives it.” He was shaking as he handed it to her. He had arranged all of this, why was he the one crying?

“I will, Father,” she said. “Get home safely.”

She took a deep breath and turned away from him. She swore she could hear him breathing heavily behind her, could feel his eyes on her as she walked towards the train platform. She handed her ticket over to the conductor who took her bags and loaded them onto the train. Without hesitation, she climbed aboard and made her way to her cabin.

There had been a part of her that had wanted to turn around, something in her that had wanted to look upon her father one more time, but she resisted it. If he was standing there crying, she didn’t think she would be able to keep herself together and that was the one thing she needed to do right now. She couldn’t fall apart. She needed to stay strong.

He has sent me away, she thought, frustrated. He has arranged all of this, so I should be the one crying.

Then she allowed herself a moment to think it through. He hadn’t wanted to do this, after all. He had done this because of how disobedient she had been, how much she had resisted every single match he had made for her. If she had been kinder to the men that he had tried to set her up with, if she hadn’t knocked every single one aside, then maybe they wouldn’t be in this situation. Maybe she would have settled in Ohio all along, and wouldn’t be having her whole life torn apart.

Kathleen shook the thoughts from her head and found her way to her cabin; she didn’t want to think about it, didn’t want to find reasons for him to have done this to her. She squeezed into her cabin and placed herself next to the window, letting out a heavy breath. If she was going to be traveling for hours on this train, she wanted to take in as much of the world as possible. It was to be her first time traveling outside of Ohio, her first time seeing anything that was beyond her town.

Though she wasn’t happy about the destination, there was nothing to say that she shouldn’t at least try to enjoy the journey.

As the train pulled away from the station, she let herself get hypnotized by the sound of the train on the steel rails, the occasional scream of metal, the sound of the wind rushing by. She allowed her mind to drift once again to Wayne Saunders, her soon-to-be husband.

What on earth is he going to be like? she thought as the world rushed by, the train picking up speed. She had nothing else to go on apart from him being fairly well off and in ownership of land. It made her feel more than a little bit nervous.

No, she thought. Stop it now, what happened to making the best of it?

It was one thing to be grumpy about it when she was around her father, but she would need to be on her best behavior once she got to Belfield Town. She wanted to make a good first impression. She wanted him to like her. If this was going to be what her life was, she needed to make sure it was the best life possible.

She took a deep breath and leaned against the window and thought of Millie. Maybe Millie would be proved right. She’d said that it could be a good thing, so maybe it could be. She just needed to employ some of Millie’s blind optimism.

I hope he isn’t dull, she thought. The last thing I want is a dull, conventional man. Though by the description in the ad, it didn’t sound like she should expect someone different. He sounded like he was stable, like he was secure, and that made him sound boring.

Everyone that Kathleen had turned down up to now was boring and lacked any sort of zest for life. They liked to be normal and not draw too much attention. If it rained, they would put up an umbrella or quickly find some shelter while Kathleen would want to dance in it until she was soaked to the skin.

It didn’t matter if he had land and money, it mattered that, whoever he was, he understood her. That’s what would make her happy. At least, that’s what she thought would make her happy. She’d never really thought about anybody apart from Eddie making her happy in her life. They just matched. They were wild and free. That’s what she was constantly crying out for. Freedom.

She remembered what it had been like when she’d first met Eddie. Kathleen had been out in town, spending time with the few friends she had at the time that weren’t ready to get married off to a nice, boring, gentleman. They had gone to walk home, and Kathleen had found herself cornered near the general store by William Quinn, a nasty drunkard who rarely left the tavern during daylight hours.

He wouldn’t leave her alone, brushing up against her, taking hold of her when she didn’t want him to. She’d obviously shouted at William loud enough that she’d caught Eddie’s attention because he’d dragged him off her and practically thrown him down the street.

Eddie Browne wasn’t what Kathleen had been expecting for her savior. He was no taller than she was, his face a little rugged, his whole demeanor a little bit rough around the edges. But once he’d locked eyes with her, those gorgeous brown eyes staring down at her filled with concern, she was lost to him.

“Fine,” she had said, getting up and dusting herself off. “I could have dealt with him myself, you know,” she added.

“Oh, I know,” he said. “I just wanted to talk to you so much that I had to speed things along. I’ve got a curfew.”

Kathleen laughed. “Is that so?”

“Uh-huh,” Eddie said. “So, we’ve got until sundown to get to know one another Miss…”

“Morrow,” she said. “Kathleen Morrow.”

Eddie took a moment to breathe her name in. “Kathleen Morrow,” he repeated. “That’s a beautiful name.”

“Thank you,” she said. “I didn’t choose it.”

“But it suits you perfectly,” Eddie said.

He was a smooth talker, that much was for sure. They stayed out for the rest of the evening, Kathleen breaking her curfew for the first time in her life, just so she could spend some more time with him. She lied to her father that she was out with her friends and had lost track of time. It was the first time she’d done that, too. She’d barely known Eddie for a few hours and she was already lying for him.

What followed were afternoons where she would tell her father she was off with her friends when, in fact, she was off getting to know Eddie. They would spend their time down by the creek, soaking up the sun and telling stories to one another, kissing in the shade of the trees until either one of them had to head on home.

It had been the perfect arrangement until one of her father’s business partners had caught them together late one afternoon. Kathleen came home to that same thunderous silence she had become so accustomed to in recent weeks, that tense feeling that told her that Humphrey Morrow was about to give her a piece of his mind. She didn’t enjoy that, not one bit.

“You are to stop seeing him,” Humphrey spoke very carefully, clearly not wanting to explode in a rage, though Kathleen could see it bubbling beneath the surface like water in a hot spring ready to blow. “I must be able to account for your whereabouts, Kathleen, no more lies. None of it.”

“But father—"

“Eddie Brown has a reputation in these parts, Kathleen, surely you must know that.” Humphrey’s neck was turning red, the color creeping up towards his face. “When he told you his name, or told you about his life did you not think—?”

“Father, I wasn’t thinking about that, I was too busy getting to know him,” Kathleen groaned. “He is wonderful, Father. He is kind-hearted and—"

“He is not a good man, Kathleen.”

“He is good to me.”

“It isn’t enough!” he snapped, slamming his fist on the table. “You are not to see him anymore, and that is the last thing I will say on the matter.”

Kathleen wanted to protest, but even then, she knew that there was no reasoning with her father once he got an idea in his head. She got her stubbornness from him, that much was for certain.

But she knew that Humphrey didn’t know Eddie like she did. All he knew was hearsay and rumors, she knew the real Eddie. She knew the man who had protected her from William Quinn, she knew the man who was always polite to her, always opened doors for her, always treated her well and looked at her like she was the only woman in the whole world.

So, she had taken the risk.

And that was her downfall.

Humphrey wouldn’t be ignored and tracked down Eddie to make sure he didn’t come near Kathleen again and, much to her distress, Eddie actually listened.

Kathleen ran away the night she heard what had happened, stealing away into the dark of the town to track down Eddie and convince him to change his mind.

“Stay away from me,” he barked as she approached him. “Your father threatened my life, Kath, I can’t just keep doing this with you. If he finds out—"

“He won’t find out!”

“Of course, he’ll find out,” Eddie scolded. “He found out the first time, what makes you think he won’t find out this time?” Kathleen didn’t have an answer to that. She opened her mouth to respond but she had nothing. All she had was her love for him, and she could see that it wouldn’t be enough for him either, just like it hadn’t been enough for her father.

“Eddie, please, we will speak to him together,” Kathleen said. “We will stand before him, and we will tell him how we feel. He can’t deny us, Eddie, not if we make sure he knows that our feelings are true.”

Eddie stayed silent. Even Kathleen felt herself falter in that moment.

“Eddie, our feelings are true, aren’t they?” she asked. “Tell me your feelings are true.”

“Of course, my feelings are true,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean your father will let us be together. You know that better than either one of us.”

No matter how she pleaded with him and begged him to solidify their relationship, to stand in front of her father and tell him that they loved each other, it was too much for Eddie to take. And Eddie vanished.

Kathleen cried for days. She was inconsolable. The friends she’d had before Eddie abandoned her, the only one she had left was Millie who was probably too nice to cast her aside as the others had done.

That was where her relationship with her father changed. From that day on, he didn’t trust her anymore and so she did everything she could to spite him, knowing she was being childish, but also knowing exactly how to push his buttons. It drove him insane. And it drove him to care about his reputation even more and that was how she ended up on this train.

If he didn’t care so much for what other people thought, maybe he could be happy again, she thought. Maybe he could let me be happy. Her mother would have. At least she thought her mother would have let her. It was hard to say, she had died when Kathleen had been so young. And her father never spoke of her, so it was like her ghost was constantly roaming the halls of the house, haunting them both in one way or another.

She longed for her mother to be with her when times were difficult, and there seemed to have been more difficult times than easy ones lately. There were times when Kathleen thought she could feel what her mother might say, what her mother might do, but she hadn’t known her well enough to know that. Maybe it was wishful thinking on Kathleen’s part. Maybe she just longed to have someone in that house who understood her.

Kathleen leaned against the window and let the world pass her by, spending so much of it trying to predict the future of her life in Nebraska that the time vanished a lot quicker than she expected. She knew it would be a huge change for her, and she had no idea how she would fit into the farming life, but she would just have to make it work. What other choice did she have?

She noticed the change in scenery the closer she got to Belfield, the terrain becoming rougher as the miles ticked down. When the train stopped at Belfield Town, she had to take a deep breath to stop herself from throwing up. She’d thought so much about what her life was going to be like when she got here, she’d not had a chance to be nervous about the first time she would meet Wayne. How would she even know who he was?

The heat greeted her as she stepped onto the platform, the air thick with it, the sweat immediately dripping off her body. It was stifling. The conductor rushed her suitcase over to her, smiling at her kindly.

“Anything else I can do for you, ma’am?” he asked. “Can I point you in the right direction?”

“I’m afraid not,” she said with a smile. “I’m waiting for someone.”

He seemed to know exactly what that meant and bowed his head to leave, climbing back aboard the train as he waited for it to depart.

She fanned herself with her hand, desperate to stop the oppressive heat. The mid-April sun was hot, hotter than she anticipated and definitely a lot hotter than the springtime in Ohio. She looked about herself, trying to figure out where Wayne Saunders would be standing. And there he was.

At least she thought it had to be him.

There was a man standing all by himself holding a single flower to his chest. While he wasn’t looking, she managed to get a decent view of him. He certainly hadn’t been what she had expected. He was tall, with a strong jaw and a nose that was a little bit crooked, maybe from being in a fight or two. He was fanning himself with his hat, the breeze not moving his dark hair that was slicked back against his head. He turned toward her, his bright blue eyes popping as he met hers.

A smile burst across his face as he realized that she had to be the one he was waiting for. He took a deep breath and put his hat back on his head. He walked over to her, his hand gripped so tightly around the flower it was a wonder the stem didn’t break and cause the poor thing to droop.

“Kathleen Morrow?” he said, taking his hat off again so as to be gentlemanly. He seemed sweet.

I wasn’t expecting this at all, Kathleen thought.

“Yes,” she said. “You must be Wayne Saunders.”

He smiled. “I am indeed,” he said.

Kathleen couldn’t keep the smile off her face. She had been scared of old and boring and instead had been met with handsome and smiley. Very handsome. Very smiley, she thought, noticing that he hadn’t stopped smiling since they clapped eyes on each other.

“This is for you,” he said, handing her the flower.

She dutifully took it and sniffed it. “Thank you,” she said. “How sweet.”

“I grew it,” he replied.

“How nice,” she said. “Shall we?”

He put his hat back on his head and lifted her bag like there was nothing in it at all.

Handsome and strong, she thought. Perhaps this won’t be so bad after all.

Chapter 6

Jonathan had been incredibly nervous all the way to the train station that afternoon. He hadn’t known what to expect. He’d done exactly what he thought his father might do in that situation, or what his brother might have done. He put on a nice shirt and made sure he was clean shaven and had his hair slicked back.

“The thing to do would be to make yourself look as smart as possible,” he could hear his father saying as he got himself ready in the mirror. It was one of the many pieces of advice he had given Jonathan. Whenever Jonathan was nervous to meet people he would tell him to look his best and he would feel his best. At the time, he had dismissed it as nonsense, but now just thinking of the wise words, was enough to calm him down.

When she’d walked out of the train station, he knew his eyes had widened at her. He didn’t want to look like he was leering, so he quickly turned that look into a smile. It was hard not to smile at her when she looked as beautiful as she did. She was breath-taking. Wearing a beautiful dress with her golden-brown hair pulled up and away from her face, she looked effortlessly beautiful. There wasn’t a single person on that whole platform that wasn’t staring at her. Even the conductor seemed to be in a hurry to get her bags to her and make sure she was alright.

I wonder how I managed to get this lucky, he thought.

It felt strange when Kathleen had called him Wayne. He was still getting used to hearing his brother’s name being called and him having to be the one that answered. He half expected his brother to appear behind him and blow his cover entirely. But hearing it coming from Kathleen was something else entirely. She wasn’t really what he’d been expecting. Surely, Kathleen could have any man she set her mind to, why on earth would her father send her all the way to Nebraska?

“Oh, before I forget,” she said, stopping as they got to his wagon just outside the train station. Kathleen reached into her pocket and pulled out an envelope. “It’s from my father,” she added.

He took it from her and examined it. It was still sealed. He wondered what it could be about. He looked up at Kathleen and she was deliberately keeping her gaze off him. He put it in his pocket, vowing to read it later on.

“Thank you,” he said. The two of them walked out of the train station and towards the road where his wagon was waiting, two dark bay horses attached to the front of it. “This is my wagon,” he said, gesturing to the horse and cart. Kathleen smiled at him. “Do you need—?”

“I’ll be fine, thank you,” she said, walking by him and stepping up into the cart with great ease. He put her luggage in the back and climbed in next to her, taking hold of the reins and starting the horses on their way.

The crunch of the wheels on the dirt road provided an underscore to their travels, something Jonathan appreciated. At least there was no way they would be sitting in silence the whole way home.

Talk to her, he thought to himself. Don’t just sit quietly, talk to her. Get to know her.

He took a deep breath before he spoke. “How was your journey here?” Jonathan asked, desperate to fill the silence between them.

“Long,” she said, watching the buildings they passed, the houses, the people staring up at them. “But I had plenty to look at along the way. Nice and scenic.”

“Oh, I know,” he said. “I’ve always liked it.”

She looked at him curiously. “Have you been to the East?”

“Yes, I have,” he replied.

“Oh.” She sounded surprised. It made him wonder what exactly she had expected him to be like upon arrival. Perhaps not a question to ask lest he want his feelings hurt. “Where? Have you ever been to Ohio?”

“No, I haven’t,” Jonathan said. “But I’ve heard it’s lovely.”

“Some parts of it are, other parts not so much,” she replied. “Where have you been then?”

“Pennsylvania,” Jonathan answered carefully. Though he hoped that would be as far as the conversation about it went. He hated lying about his name as it was, but to then lie about why he was in Pennsylvania would be too much. Though, given he was about to build a marriage upon a false name, perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad.

Start as we mean to go on, he thought, cursing himself quietly.

“I’ve never been,” Kathleen said, turning back to the road. “Actually, I haven’t been to many places at all. Just Ohio, really.”

“Really?”

“Yes,” she said. “This is my first time traveling any great distance. And all alone too. Father will be surprised I made it in one piece.”

“I’m sure that isn’t the case.”

Kathleen turned and fixed him with a withering stare. Jonathan decided not to press the issue.

“Well, I’m glad to be the reason for your traveling,” Jonathan said. “And I hope that you enjoy Belfield Town, it really is quite something.”

Kathleen looked out at the town, taking in the general store, the tavern, the bank, the town hall. It was as if Jonathan was seeing the town through her eyes, like he was seeing it for the first time. And he was seeing that it was a little unpolished. It certainly could do with getting a little spruced up. Time had weathered it in a way that no one seemed to have bothered to repair.

“Have you always lived here?” Kathleen asked after some time.

“No,” Jonathan replied. “Just part of my life. My father relocated us to Delwood, Dakota when I was a young man. But I am back here in my family home.”

“Oh, how nice.”

“Well, you say that now,” Jonathan said with a grin. “I’ve only inherited the land quite recently, so I need to apologize for its state. There is much to be done and-“

“Don’t you worry, Wayne, I’m sure it will be more than fine,” Kathleen said with a warm smile.

“I just want you to have a comfortable home,” Jonathan said plainly.

Kathleen blinked. “Well, thank you,” she said. “I’m sure it will be.”

They continued their journey mostly in quiet, Jonathan finding himself captivated by Kathleen as they went. She really hadn’t been who he had been expecting to get off that train. She had long, golden-brown curls that she had pulled back away from her face, and bright hazel eyes that seemed to stun him every time she looked in his direction. She seemed like a fine woman. Why on earth would her father send her here?

When they turned the corner and he caught sight of the house, Jonathan winced a little as he waited for Kathleen’s reaction. But she didn’t flinch, she didn’t seem upset or offended by the way the house looked. In fact, she seemed to be looking at it with a rather loving look in her eyes.

“This is my father’s old house,” Jonathan said quietly. “It needs a little work, but please know that I am making sure the land is fertile so that we can grow crops and sell them to the townsfolk, I have a couple of men working on that, and inside it looks a lot better than out and—"

“Wayne, it’s beautiful,” Kathleen interrupted as the cart drew to a stop.

Jonathan blinked. “Really? You think so?”

Kathleen turned to him, her eyes bright and wide with amazement. “Yes, of course I do,” she said. “It’s cozy and sweet,” she continued. “And look at all this land, is all of this yours?”

Jonathan could feel the color coming to his cheeks. “Yes, it is,” he said. “And a little beyond that ridge there too. The horses stay in the field quite near the house—"

“These horses are yours, too?”

“Of course,” he said.

“Do they have names?” Kathleen asked excitedly.

“Uh, no,” he said. “But you can name them, if you like.”

She looked over at him and smiled. “Thank you, Wayne.”

They got out of the carriage, Jonathan getting Kathleen’s luggage from the cart and heading towards the front gate. He opened it and let her walk in first, watching her as she strode down the garden path, taking in the sights of the garden that he had carefully pruned, at the apple tree not far from the house that was almost ripe for the picking. She seemed enthralled by it all.

What had she been expecting from me when she came here? he thought.

He stepped up onto the porch ahead of her, hurrying to open the door so she could step inside. He braced himself for her disappointment, but it didn’t come.

“This is wonderful,” she said as she stepped inside, immediately rushing to the window to look out at the land. “There is so much of it, I had no idea.”

“Much needs to be done,” Jonathan said. “It’s a work in progress.”

“You need to learn how to take a compliment,” she said flatly. “I’m telling you I like it. You can relax.” She winked at him, and Jonathan felt his stomach flip over.

“Let me show you around,” Jonathan said, trying to regain his composure. He took her to the kitchen, showed her the small table where they would share meals. He showed her the living room and the side door that took them out into the garden.

“Is that the bush you took my flower from?” she asked, pointing to a large bush of purple flowers leaning towards the sun. “It’s really beautiful.”

“There are some chairs out here,” he said. “You can come out here whenever you want, sit and read or just enjoy the weather. It’s very warm in Nebraska at this time of year.”

“I’ll say,” she said. “I feel like I stepped off the train into a heatwave.”

“It gets worse,” he said. “But you’ll miss it by the time winter rolls around.” He laughed but noticed that she wasn’t. Had that not been the right thing to say? She quickly righted herself and headed back inside. What could that have been?

She’s only been here five minutes and you’re already talking about something six months from now, he thought. Give her a chance.

“Wait,” he said, and Kathleen quickly reappeared at the door.

“What?”

“I just wanted to show you where I will be staying,” he said.

She blinked and looked confused. “You won’t be staying in here with me?”

He shook his head. “I wanted you to be as comfortable as possible,” he said “And we hardly know each other at this point, it didn’t seem proper for us to be sharing a house, a bed, all of that. So, I’ll be just over there,” he pointed a little way from the house where a small shack stood. He’d built it with the help of Matthew and Rick, something just big enough for a bed and a sitting area so that Kathleen could have some privacy when she arrived. He worked such long hours it made sense that she got the run of the house for a little while.

“Are you sure, I—?”

“Absolutely,” Jonathan said. “And you can always knock on my door if you need anything. Day or night.”

She smiled at him and seemed to let out a breath she had probably been holding since she got there. Her entire body seemed to relax. “Thank you, Wayne.”

“My pleasure,” he said. “Now, let me show you where you’ll be sleeping.”

Jonathan followed her inside and took her towards the back of the house where his father’s bedroom was. He’d done the most work on this room, wanting it to look as perfect as possible for her when she arrived. It was barely recognizable as the bedroom that his father had spent most of his life in.

He’d cleaned it from top to bottom and even put in a new table and vanity so she had somewhere to get ready in the mornings, should she want to. She looked around, taking it all in, once again walking over to the window. She pointed at his tiny guest house.

“And you’ll be just in there,” she said.

Jonathan shrugged. “For whatever you need, yes,” he said.

“Thank you,” she said. “It’s wonderful. It’s so much bigger than I expected.”

“I haven’t even shown you the best part yet,” Jonathan said, reaching out and taking her hand, pulling her back through the house.

They headed out to the porch, and he ushered her onto the swing. The road was clear ahead of them, the sun dipping below the horizon line far off in the distance. It bathed everything in a purple-orange glow as the light slowly faded from the sky.

“I love this porch,” she said. “And you just get to sit here and watch this every day.”

“I do.”

“I bet it never gets old,” she said.

“Not even a little,” he replied.

Steadily, the two of them started to sway back and forth on the swing, watching as the sun dipped away, as the world cooled off around them. Without a word, Jonathan headed inside and prepared some sweet tea that a neighbor had brought over as a welcoming gesture. He grabbed a blanket from the sofa and took a glass out for each.

“I thought you might be thirsty,” Jonathan said, handing her a glass. “Oh, and cold,” he added, wrapping the blanket around her shoulders.

She looked up at him and smiled. “Thank you, Wayne,” she said. “You’ve been so wonderful and welcoming. And the house really does look great.”

“My pleasure,” he said, taking a sip of the tea before returning to his seat next to her. It was really good tea, just the right amount of sweetness and perfectly cold as the heat of the day faded away. He took a deep breath and enjoyed the silence that had wrapped itself around them as they stared out at the long dusty road and watched the world change around them. The bright amber and purple of the sky made Jonathan feel more relaxed than he had done in quite some time. His anxieties about Kathleen arriving were fading, as she seemed lovely and already seemed comfortable with him. Things were lining up for him and, as the darkness enveloped the world, he couldn’t keep the smile from his face.

Chapter 7

Kathleen awoke the following morning with a start. She looked about herself and struggled to get her bearings. The room was different, the air was different, the smell around her was different.

Of course it’s different, you fool, she thought. You’re in Nebraska now.

She sighed and fell back onto the pillows, staring up at the ceiling. She had slept incredibly well. The traveling all the way from Ohio to Nebraska had clearly taken it out of her and was enough that by the time she’d gotten to bed, she was out like a light.

What am I even doing here? she thought. Her life was about to change forever. Sure, Wayne had been wonderful to her yesterday, getting her all settled in and making sure that she was comfortable in the house but how much longer could that last? Her experience with men wasn’t extensive, but there hadn’t been a single good man out of all the ones her father had set her up with. The only good man was Eddie. And Eddie was long gone. If he was even looking for her, which she doubted he was, he would really struggle to track her down. She doubted anyone back in Ohio would dream of telling him where she had gone to.

Everything would change for her soon. Meeting Wayne had been fun, she had to admit. And he seemed sweet, like he genuinely wanted what was best for her. But she had no choice but to enjoy herself. If she didn’t at least try to enjoy herself, what kind of life would she have here in Nebraska?

Kathleen walked out into the kitchen, following the scent of coffee to the pot that was still hot. She poured herself a cup and took a long sip. It was good coffee. So far, she had had good sweet tea and good coffee, so at least she wouldn’t miss those things while she was in the middle of nowhere.

She could hear noises outside, movement where Wayne and his men had no doubt started their days before the sun had even risen. She would need to make an effort to wake up earlier, most likely.

Kathleen walked over to the window to see Wayne out in the fields with the two other young men. They were clearly younger than Wayne, and definitely still growing into their bodies in a way that Wayne certainly wasn’t. He was dusty and sweaty from the morning’s work, now wearing his undershirt so his shoulders glistened with sweat in the morning sun.

Kathleen swallowed. Well, there was the appeal she had seen yesterday. How quickly she had forgotten that not only was Wayne a very nice man, he also looked… well… he looked like that.

She tried to shake the thoughts from her head. She was so torn between making the best of it and spiting her father, she didn’t know what to do. On the one hand, Wayne seemed very nice, the perfect kind of man to marry, and he was rather easy on the eyes. On the other, this was her father’s match up, despite him never having met Wayne in his life. The rebel in her wanted to resist him. The woman in her…not so much.

“Good morning,” Wayne’s voice made her jump so much she nearly dropped her coffee. “Sorry, sorry, didn’t mean to startle you. I thought you’d seen me.”

“I did, I mean, I had... I mean—” Kathleen quickly pulled the cup to her lips to stop herself from babbling. Breathe Kath, breathe, she thought. She rearranged her face into as demure a smile as she could muster and fixed it on Wayne. “Good morning,” she said.

“Found the coffee, I see,” he said, gesturing to the cup.

“Oh, yes, I hope you don’t mind?”

“No, I left it there for you,” he said with a grin. “Did you sleep well?”

“Yes,” she said. “It was pleasant, the room stayed cool all night, I’d expected to wake up and be stifled by the heat like when I stepped off the train yesterday.”

Wayne smiled. “It’s north facing.”

“What now?”

“The room is north facing,” Wayne said. “When my father built the house, he made sure to have the bedroom at the back of the house north facing so it didn’t get too much sun.”

“Your father must be a very clever man,” Kathleen said.

“He was, yes,” Wayne said, unable to keep the sadness out of his voice. He cleared his throat and tried to force a smile back onto his face. “I will be working out in the fields all day today,” he continued. It’ll be quite a long day for me, so make yourself at home, there are books around and I’m sure you want to unpack or—"

“Actually, would you mind if I popped out?” she asked. “I’m just itching to explore the town.”

“Of course,” Wayne replied. “I trust you won’t get lost.”

“I’ll do my best not to,” she said.

“If you go left as soon as you get out of the gate and follow the road, it won’t take you too long to get to the town.” He smiled at her. “Happy exploring!”

She wished him a good day and headed to her room to get dressed, choosing a light dress and a parasol to protect her from the sun. It would probably be best to get out now rather than later anyway. If it got as hot in Nebraska as it had yesterday, she wouldn’t want to be out in the world for too long.

Kathleen did as she was told and headed out towards the town. This was the best part of this arrangement. Sure, Wayne seemed lovely, but she was finally getting to see something that wasn’t Ohio. It was like she was in a whole other world altogether and she couldn’t wait to explore it.

The town certainly was smaller than Kathleen had expected. Sure, she hadn’t thought it would be as big as where she was from, but when she stood at one end of it, she could actually see the other end of the town. There were houses and ranches around, but the town itself was small. There was a hardware store, a boutique, a tavern, a general store, the bank, nothing out of the ordinary. But that was all.

The people seemed to be quite nice though. As she walked through town a few people said ‘hello’ and ‘good morning.’ And she greeted them back. They didn’t know who she was, but in a town this small, news would certainly travel fast.

“I don’t know you, do I?” Kathleen stopped and turned sharply to see a woman stood outside one of the boutiques. She was tall, taller than Kathleen anyhow, with a shock of bright red hair and pale skin that practically glowed in the sun. She was strikingly beautiful, a lot curvier than Kathleen and, boy, did she know it. As she walked over, she was moving her hips so much it was like she was dancing.

Kathleen cleared her throat. “No, you don’t.”

“Ah, so you’re the new girl that came in on the train yesterday.” The redhead smiled, looking Kathleen up and down. “Lovely to meet you.”

“And you,” Kathleen said. “Sorry, what’s your name?”

“Sybil,” she said, reaching out her hand. “Sybil Giles.”

“Kathleen Morrow.”

“Pretty name,” Sybil said. “And such a pretty face too, can’t believe someone wouldn’t have snapped you up back in…”

“Ohio.”

“Ohio,” Sybil repeated. “I’m from New York myself, got sent over here to marry Howard Oswal.” Sybil raised her hand to show Kathleen the shiny diamond on her finger. “He’s a banker, so he works a lot, which means I seem to know what’s going on around here. If you’re looking for the gossip, I’m your gal.”

“Well thank you,” Kathleen said. “I’ll be honest with you, I’m a little bit overwhelmed.”

“You’re bound to be,” Sybil replied. “It’s a lot to take in. New town, new people, new man in your life. If it means anything to you, I’ve not heard a bad word about him.”

Kathleen breathed a sigh of relief. “Well, it does mean something to me, so thank you,” she replied.

“You’re just in time for the harvest fair,” Sybil said. “It’s on tomorrow. It should be fun. Also a good time to show your face to the town. People here like to know what’s going on, we all know each other. You should come down.”

“I’d like that,” Kathleen thought out loud, not wanting people to dislike her when they barely knew her at all. “I’ll ask Wayne if he wants to come too.”

“Sounds perfect,” Sybil replied. “I’ll make sure to seek you out when I’m there, it’ll be nice to have someone my age to talk to.” She lowered her voice. “The population here is bordering on ancient,” she whispered, the two of them descending into giggles that caught the attention of a few passersby.

Sybil seemed wonderful, and so kind of her to come and look out for her like that. If everybody in the town were even half as nice as Sybil, she would do just fine while she was here. Maybe she would have nothing to worry about after all.

“My house is just down this way,” Sybil said, pointing off in the distance. “I’ve got a few bags of groceries to take back with me, I don’t suppose you could—"

“I’d be happy to help,” Kathleen replied, taking a couple of the bags from Sybil and following her out of the town. “So, what’s your husband like?” Kathleen asked cautiously.

Sybil sighed. “You nervous, Kath?” Sybil asked. Kathleen nodded. “It’s okay to be nervous, you don’t even know the man. If he’s a decent guy, he probably understands that too and will be extra nice to you. He wants an easy life just as much as you do. The last thing he’ll want to do is upset the woman he’s going to be spending the rest of his life with.”

Kathleen laughed. “I suppose you’re right.”

“Howard is fine,” Sybil said. “He’s not perfect. He works an awful lot, which means I’m often bored out of my skull, but we get along just fine. He keeps me company, I do the same for him. There are certainly worse things that could be happening in my life if I’d stayed back in New York.”

Kathleen didn’t want to pry into Sybil’s private life. Whatever would have happened to her had she stayed in New York must have been pretty bad. They made their way out of the town and to Sybil’s house. It was beautiful. Certainly, a lot more polished than the house she was living in with Wayne, but it lacked character, Kathleen thought. It didn’t look as homely.

“Thank you so much for coming with me,” Sybil said as they’d finally put everything away. “And look, if you ever need anything, do not hesitate to knock on my door.” She lowered her voice. “Lord knows I’d love the company.”

Kathleen spent a little longer with Sybil before heading back home. She’d spent a little bit too long in Sybil’s house and now the day had become so hot it was almost unbearable. When she stepped back into Wayne’s house, she embraced the coolness of it and finally felt able to breathe.

The weather is certainly going to take some getting used to, she thought.

Wayne wasn’t anywhere to be seen. He hadn’t returned from the fields yet, and the house was as quiet as it had been when she left it. Sybil seemed perfectly content to be in the house all day, no doubt working away on keeping the place clean and tidy for Howard, cooking for him even. Would she need to do that too?

Of course you will, Kathleen, she thought. You’ll just have to figure out how.

She didn’t have the faintest idea how to put a meal together, but Wayne would surely want one once his day was over. He would have been working hard out in the fields all morning, he’d hardly want to walk through the door and have to make his own food.

There wasn’t much of a kitchen, just enough space for a stove and a worktop for her to chop some things. She rummaged through the cupboards for a knife and then found some meat and vegetables that looked like they would probably go together.

This was the kind of thing we had at home, wasn’t it? she thought. She couldn’t remember. She’d spent so much time enjoying the food that had been made for her over the years, that she didn’t think for a single second that one day she would have to do that for another man.

Maybe if you hadn’t scared all the incredibly rich men away, you wouldn’t have to, she thought darkly. That was true. Wayne didn’t have a housekeeper for her to order around. She was the housekeeper.

“I’ll just have to make the best of it,” she said out loud to the empty house. It was fast becoming her motto.

She spent the rest of the morning preparing the meal, seasoning what she thought should be seasoned, cooking the meat and vegetables until… well… until they looked like they were cooked.

I really am hopeless at this, she thought.

She heard the door open and close, quickly popping out of the kitchen to see that Wayne had walked in. He was still sweaty from being outside, the dirt all across his brow and in his hair. Where it had been slicked right back when she had seen him yesterday, now it was sticking up at odd angles and he looked thoroughly exhausted.

“What’s that smell?” he asked as he caught sight of her.

“That’s lunch,” she said with a feigned sort of confidence. “If you wash up and set yourself up at the table, I’ll bring it right out to you.” She turned around and headed back into the kitchen, her heart pounding like a horse's hooves on the dirt. She crossed her fingers and hoped that she’d managed to come up with something good.

Chapter 8

Jonathan couldn’t help but smile as Kathleen scurried back into the kitchen to continue preparing the food. He certainly hadn’t expected this on her first day here. He thought it would take her a little bit of time to adjust to life as a bride-to-be, but she had taken to it already.

He went to wash up and couldn’t shake how strange it felt to have someone waiting on him. His entire life since his mother died, he’d been looking after himself, though with the help of his brother. When he was in prison there wasn’t so much ‘looking after’ he needed to do. That was more about surviving.

Is this what life is supposed to look like? he thought. It had been so long since he’d been in a house with a woman that the whole concept was lost on him. She is supposed to prepare my meals while I work. It didn’t seem right.

He set himself up at the table and waited to be served. He could hear Kathleen moving around in the kitchen.

“Do you need any help?” he called.

“No, I’m fine,” she called back. She certainly didn’t sound fine, but he didn’t want to contradict her so quickly.

He waited as she brought out a bowl of steaming food to him. Swimming in a broth, that actually smelled quite good, were chunks of meat and some vegetables that he’d picked from their own field.

“It smells fantastic,” he said to her. She was staring at him so intently it was putting him on edge.

“Try it,” she said.

“Is it good?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” she replied. “I made it for you, I wanted you to try it first.”

Jonathan took a deep breath and scooped up some of the meat. He chewed it. He chewed it some more. He could barely get his teeth through it. With some effort, he managed to swallow it, washing it down with a glass of water. He moved to the vegetables next. In stark contrast to the meat, the vegetables were soft. So soft in fact he couldn’t even get hold of them.

“Okay, I’ll admit, I’ve never cooked a meal before,” Kathleen said in a hurry.

He had to stop himself from laughing.

“It’s okay,” Jonathan said.

“it’s not okay, I messed it up,” she grumbled, sitting next to him at the table.

“It’s alright,” Jonathan said, placing a careful hand on her arm. “You’ll learn. I’m hardly a cook myself. We’ll learn together if we have to.”

She looked over at him and smiled. “You mean that? You’re not upset?”

“Why would I be upset?” He laughed. “You tried to do a really nice thing for me. It didn’t work out, but you tried. So, thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Kathleen replied.

“How was your walk into town?” he asked, pushing his plate to the side.

“It was nice,” Kathleen replied, suddenly brightening. “Actually, I think I’ve already made a friend.”

“Wow, you work fast,” Jonathan said. “I’ve not done any of that yet. I barely know anybody in town.”

“Well then, we should go to the harvest fair together, tomorrow evening,” she said excitedly. “My friend's name is Sybil, she was telling me all about it. She thinks it will be a good opportunity for everyone to get to know us a little better.”

Us, he thought. She’s already thinking of the two of us together as an ‘us’. She really did work fast.

Jonathan didn’t usually get involved with town events. Even when he lived here with his brother and father, he would much rather avoid them than attend. But Kathleen seemed excited to go, and he wanted her to be happy while she was here, didn’t he?

“That sounds wonderful,” he said. “Let’s go.”

“Wonderful!” She got to her feet and reached for his plate. Jonathan stood and picked it up himself. “Now, Wayne, I’m not going to be able to learn if you don’t let me do these things,” she said firmly, holding out her hands for the plate. He gave it to her. “Thank you.” She practically skipped back to the kitchen.

Here was a woman who had never done any work in her life, yet she was so humble and sweet and wanted to learn.

She really is a good woman, he thought.

He suddenly remembered the letter that she had given him the day before; he had put straight into his pocket and promptly forgotten about. He hadn’t had a chance to read it yet.

He walked out of the front door and to his shack where he dug the letter out of his trouser pocket. It had crumpled a little where he hadn’t hung his trousers up, but he hadn’t damaged it in any way. He took it out of the envelope and started to read.

Dear Mr. Saunders,

I would first like to thank you for agreeing to take my daughter at such short notice to be your bride. I’m sure you weren’t expecting such a quick uptake on your offer, but it seemed like one that I wasn’t able to refuse. I do hope that what I am about to tell you does not cause you to reconsider your offer or return my daughter to me. I am sure that she can be tamed, but it would be wrong of me to simply leave you to find out these things by yourself.

As I’m sure you’ve already realised Kathleen is a very stubborn girl. She has a very strong will and, quite often, once she decides what it is she wants to do, there is no changing her mind. I regret to inform you that she was not sent to you under the best circumstances. She did not want this union and has rejected every suitor that I have brought to her in the past. She has a wild past and often intentionally rebels to get herself in trouble. It is something she has done to me for many years and I sincerely hope that you will be able to keep her in check much better than I.

On another note, I do have a business proposition for you. I am to be traveling to Nebraska as I have been considering for quite some time starting up a new business in the fur trade. It has proven to be quite profitable with some of my peers and, should you wish to, I would welcome your assistance in this. It would be a lot more profitable than farming, from what I have heard, and would certainly be much easier for you. If it is something you want to explore, feel free to get in touch with me when I am in Nebraska.

I look forward to hearing from you and hope that things are going well with my daughter.

Yours in faith,

Humphrey Morrow

Jonathan had to read the letter again, and then again to make sure he had read it correctly. Was Humphrey Morrow talking about the same daughter that was currently in his kitchen trying to cook and clean for him? As far as Jonathan was concerned, she had been anything but a rebel. She had been kind and sweet, nothing but polite from the moment he had met her.

He must have gotten it wrong, he thought as he looked back towards the house. Jonathan knew all too well what it was like to be blamed and judged for occasional reckless behavior. He also knew how much one infraction could color people’s opinion of you. He wasn’t about to let that happen to Kathleen.

Besides, if she did decide to rebel, there were few people better equipped than him to take care of it. That much was for certain.

The offer had certainly been strange too. It was quite customary, as far as he was aware, for the husband to end up working in the father’s business if that business was more successful than his own. His intention had been to work on his land only and make an honest living for himself, but perhaps he would need to think about it a little more. It certainly was a kind offer, not one to be dismissed out of hand.

Not wanting to think about the letter for too much longer, he refolded it and put it beneath his pillow. The last thing he wanted was for Kathleen to see it. She seemed to have a turbulent relationship with her father, he couldn’t imagine a letter warning her future husband about her past behavior would improve it.

He returned to the house to find Kathleen on her hands and knees in the kitchen, sweeping up the remnants of a couple of broken plates.

“I’m sorry, Wayne,” she said, her voice quivering a little. “I didn’t mean to do it, I just lost my grip on them while I was cleaning and they just…” She gestured to the floor to where the fragments had scattered. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t you worry over that,” he said. “They’re plates. Plates can be replaced.”

She carried on cleaning, not stopping until every fragment was gone. He certainly had to admire her determination; she wasn’t going to let anything stop her.

Jonathan looked out of the window and suddenly thought of a perfect way to calm her down. She’d been so interested in all the land yesterday, maybe the thing to do this afternoon was a little tour, something to take her mind off all of this new stress in her life. He turned to her.

“Kathleen, I was wondering…”

“Do you mind if I head out to Sybil’s house?” Kathleen said quickly. “It’s nothing to worry about I just… she said if I ever needed anything I could—"

“Of course,” Jonathan said quickly. “But is there anything I can help with?”

“No,” she said, softly. “No, you’ve been wonderful. I won’t be too long, excuse me.”

Jonathan watched as she gathered herself and promptly left, leaving him standing in the middle of his house unsure of what to do next.

One thing was for sure, Kathleen Morrow was a whirlwind and he had no idea what she was going to do next.

Chapter 9

Kathleen walked from the house at speed, not able to stop the pounding in her chest or that feeling that she was messing everything up. She could feel herself panicking. She’d tried to play the housewife as she was expected but had failed. Maybe Sybil would be able to help her, or at least talk her off the ledge she’d suddenly found herself on.

She hurried through town to Sybil’s house, the beautiful, clean house that Sybil spent all of her time in, keeping it just right for her husband. Was that really the life that Kathleen wanted for herself?

I don’t know, she thought. I’m not sure.

She knocked on the door.

When Sybil opened it her expression quickly flashed into one of surprise before rearranging it to one that was pleased to see her.

“Kathleen!” Sybil exclaimed. “I hadn’t been expecting you again today.”

“I’m sorry,” Kathleen said, feeling suddenly sheepish. She’d only been there a couple of hours before and now she was intruding on Sybil’s life. Could she get anything right today? “I… I’m just having a little crisis and—"

“You don’t need to explain yourself at all,” Sybil interrupted, throwing open the door. “You’ve only just got here, who else have you got to turn to but me? If I’m honest, it’s nice to feel a little bit wanted by someone other than my husband. What can I do you for? You miss me so much you had to come and see me again so soon?”

Kathleen chuckled nervously. “Not exactly,” she said. “I got home and tried to do what you were doing, getting some food ready for Wayne, trying to play the housewife.”

Sybil led her through to the living room and gestured to a chair for her to sit in. Kathleen practically fell into it, the entire weight of her problems coming down with her.

Sybil sat across from her and raised a careful eyebrow. “And how did that go?”

“I’ve never cooked before.”

Sybil grimaced. “So, it was inedible.”

“Worse than inedible,” Kathleen said. “And he was so nice about it.”

Sybil looked confused. “I’m sorry Kathleen, you’ve lost me,” she said. “Why are you upset?”

“I broke two plates.”

“Does…does Wayne have any more plates?”

“Yes.”

“Kathleen, what are you so upset about?”

“I’m just bad at this!” Kathleen said. “I never intended to move somewhere to become a wife and all of this housewife stuff is so new to me I have no idea what to do and—"

“I thought I heard voices!” A man appeared around the corner. “I didn’t know we were having company over, Sybil. Who’s your friend?”

Sybil stood up and hurried over to the man, kissing him on the cheek. He was a little taller than her and certainly a lot older. His hair was silver with a little black peppering it, and his face was a little worn, but his eyes seemed kind. And he was certainly smiling at Sybil a lot. Though who could keep a smile off their face when they were married to someone like Sybil?

“Howard, you’re home! This is my new friend, Kathleen,” Sybil said. “She has just moved in with Wayne Saunders.”

Howard’s eyes widened. “Goodness me, Wayne Saunders,” Howard said. “Wonderful house he’s got just outside town, a lot of land too, could make himself a pretty penny if he gets those crops growing in time for harvest.” He reached out a hand to Kathleen which she took hold of and shook. “A pleasure to meet you, Kathleen.”

“And you, sir,” Kathleen said. “Do you know much of Wayne?”

Howard shook his head. “Oh, not much at all,” he said. “I knew his father well when his father lived here, though I was only a teller at the bank back then. Now of course I have the run of the place, which is good fun.” He trailed off and smiled to himself. “Anyhow, I shan’t keep either of you, I’ve got plenty of work to be getting on with. What time will dinner be ready dear?”

“Six o’clock sharp,” Sybil said.

“My little timekeeper,” he said, kissing her on the cheek before heading out of the room. He seemed like a nice man, and he seemed to care about Sybil an awful lot considering he’d placed an ad for her.

“Let’s go out to the garden,” Sybil whispered. “Howard doesn’t like to be disturbed while he’s working. It’s probably why he came in here in the first place. His way of telling us to quieten down.”

Kathleen’s eyes widened. “Really?” she hissed.

“Oh, not like that,” Sybil said. “He’d never say anything so rude to anybody out loud, he’s too polite. But I understand him a little better than I used to. He just likes his peace. Come on.”

Sybil took Kathleen through to the garden, a couple of chairs and a table sat out on some decking in the sun. She brought out some homemade lemonade for them to share, pouring Kathleen a glass without asking her first. She was playing the hostess, although it didn’t seem like she was performing a role. She just knew what to do, like it was instinct or something. Where did she get that from?

Kathleen took a sip of the lemonade, enjoying the freshness of it and sighed heavily. The garden was beautiful. It was quiet, relaxing, like a little sanctuary away from the rest of the world.

“This is lovely,” Kathleen said. “You’ve done a marvelous job with it.”

Sybil snorted. “Not me, darling,” she said. “We hired a gardener. I don’t know the first thing about plants or growing things. In fact, the gardener even brought me a small bushel to take care of in my house. I watered it every day, did everything he told me to do but it still died within a week.”

“Wow.”

“What can I say?” Sybil said. “I clearly have a gift. It’s a miracle I can keep myself and Howard alive.”

“But you have everything so well-kept together,” Kathleen said. “You know how to cook, how to clean, how to keep a house…”

“Oh, of course, before Howard interrupted us, you were having a breakdown.”

Kathleen gasped. “I was not having a breakdown.”

“If Howard hadn’t walked in, I would have wagered you would have been in tears,” Sybil teased. “I’m joking, Kathleen. You’re allowed to laugh.”

“But it’s not funny, Sybil,” Kathleen said. “I’m not cut out for this kind of life. When I lived back in Ohio, we had a cook, a cleaning lady, a gardener, everything. I never even had to lift a finger.”

“Well, your highness, you might just have to learn how.”

“I want to learn,” Kathleen said. “I just have to hope Wayne doesn’t get rid of me before I do. It’ll take some getting used to.”

Sybil laughed. “Don’t be so hard on yourself,” she said. “You’ve been here for all of five minutes, clearly tried to do too much all at once and look at what happened. Take a few deep breaths, take it one step at a time—"

“That’s easy for you to say,” Kathleen replied. “You have everything figured out!”

“Hardly!” Sybil said. “Howard knew when I arrived that I would never be the conventional housewife. There’s just no way.”

“And Howard doesn’t mind this?”

Sybil threw her head back and laughed. “I care deeply for Howard, I do, but he’s not the kind of man to stand up and demand that I be the perfect housewife. It’s not in his nature. He’s too docile, poor soul.”

Kathleen was surprised to hear that. The men her father had set her up with in the past had seemed so domineering it was hard to think of a man being anything but that with his wife. What if Wayne was more like Howard? What if he constantly tiptoes around her and never reacts to anything she does?

“And you’re okay with that?” Kathleen asked. “You don’t want someone a little stronger?”

“There are times when I question it,” Sybil said. “He wasn’t the man I thought he was going to be when I arrived here. He was kinder, he was sweeter, but that passion or fire or whatever it was, was always… missing.” Sybil stared off into the distance and Kathleen felt like she saw her façade slip a little, that veneer of being happy in this life.

“But he is a good man. I could have ended up with a tyrant, you never know when you are being married off to someone who is a stranger. If we had met under conventional circumstances the likelihood is, we never would have worked out. I probably wouldn’t have even given him a second glance.” Sybil turned to Kathleen and offered her a smile. “But no point dwelling on that,” she added. “It is what it is.”

“Yes,” Kathleen replied. “I suppose it is.”

Those words kept ringing in her ears for the rest of the afternoon with Sybil. No matter what they talked about, the gossip of the town, the daily goings on of Belfield, it was still there in the back of Kathleen’s head.

How could she be happy with that? Kathleen thought. No passion, no flame, just what it was.

Kathleen liked Sybil an awful lot. She certainly felt like she could trust her, but it wasn’t her place to criticize her relationship with Howard. So, Kathleen decided she would stay quiet on the matter unless Sybil brought it up to her. She only wanted what was best for her new friend.

When Kathleen returned to the house later that afternoon, Wayne was already sitting out on the porch watching the sun go down as they had done together the previous night. He seemed to perk up when he saw her, smiling, his eyes brightening.

“Join me, won’t you?” he said with a grin.

When she looked at Wayne, she had no idea what kind of man he was going to be, how he was going to treat her or how their relationship would develop. Her mind was in such a whirl that she didn’t feel much like socializing anymore today.

“I’m actually feeling rather tired,” she replied, half-expecting him to demand that she stay out here with him. But Wayne just smiled.

“Then why don’t you head inside and get some rest,” he said. “There’s always tomorrow.”

Tomorrow, she thought. There would be so many tomorrows here. But the thing she noticed the most was that he didn’t even react. Not a thing. Maybe he was going to be like Howard after all, and she would have a dull life. Not only was it not the life she had wished for herself, it was a life that would be without passion.

The thought kept Kathleen awake that night in the worst possible way.

* * *

Kathleen was awoken by the light outside the house. She knew she hadn’t slept very long, the heaviness beneath her eyes told her that much, the ache in her limbs too. She looked out of her window to see that the door was still closed. The day was still early, perhaps Wayne wasn’t awake yet.

She headed out into the kitchen and looked at what food they had, trying to decide what would be the easiest thing to make him.

Fruit, she thought. I can’t cut fruit up wrong, can I? She didn’t give herself a moment to consider it, putting on some coffee and then getting to chopping apples and pears, putting them into a bowl for Wayne. She heard him step inside the house.

“Kathleen?” he said. “Is that you?”

“Yes,” she called back. “Just preparing breakfast.”

“Oh,” he replied. But he didn’t say anything else. It was enough to make her feel suddenly tense. Was he worried about what she was preparing? She shook the thoughts from her head. She couldn’t get cutting up fruit wrong, so she had nothing to worry about.

She brought it out to him and then poured him a fresh cup of coffee. He was quiet, watching her closely as she served him. She wanted to ask him what the matter was, press him on it, but it didn’t seem right somehow.

“I’m sorry I didn’t join you last night,” she said sheepishly, sitting across from him at the table. “I just—"

“Don’t worry about it,” he said, smiling before taking a sip of his coffee. “This is a big change for you, and I didn’t last too much longer out there myself. Though you did miss a beautiful sunset.” He took another sip of coffee and smiled at her. “This is good, by the way. Stronger than I’m used to but will definitely keep me going.”

“Good,” she replied. “I’m glad.”

She watched him eat, every now and then taking a moment to sip his coffee. Why was he being so nice to her? She’d been so useless yesterday and she hadn’t prepared him a meal last night. She was being a terrible wife and he was being nothing but kind to her.

“So, the festival tonight,” he said. “You still want to go? I know you mentioned it yesterday, I hope you’ve not changed your mind.”

“No,” she said. “Not at all. I’m really looking forward to it.”

Chapter 10

Kathleen seemed to have retreated within herself. Maybe he was imagining it, but the fiery young woman who’d gotten off that train seemed to have suddenly vanished, replaced by someone altogether more timid and withdrawn.

Have I said something to upset her? he thought, tracking back through the day to try and remember. He didn’t think he had. Have I done something?

He thought back to what the letter had said and couldn’t but think that it couldn’t be further from the truth. Especially now.

Maybe she’s homesick, he thought. It hadn’t been all that long since she’d arrived, but he could hardly blame her for missing the place she was from. Everything she’d ever known had been taken away from her so suddenly, maybe she was struggling to adjust. Or maybe it’s nerves.

He hoped she hadn’t had a change of heart about the arrangement. He’d not even thought about discussing the wedding with her. He’d not even really thought of a date for it himself. He perhaps wasn’t as prepared for this as he had thought. Maybe she was waiting for him to make the first move.

Jonathan finished his breakfast and headed out with Matthew and Rick to work on the fields. The day was hot, sweltering in fact, the sun already beating down on them before it had even reached the middle of the day. But he worked hard, trying to keep thoughts of Kathleen away from his brain as he did so. If she was feeling nervous, his feeling nervous about her feeling nervous would surely only make things worse.

When he returned home, he washed and changed into a fresh shirt and slacks for the evening. Kathleen appeared from her bedroom looking completely different from the woman he had spoken to this morning.

Her golden hair had been pulled up on top of her head, and she was wearing a long green dress that was pulled in tightly at her waist. She smiled at him, her red lips parting to reveal her dazzling smile. Jonathan found himself struggling to catch his breath.

“You look incredible,” he whispered.

“Well, thank you,” she said, twirling around, the green of the skirt catching in the light. “I brought it from home, it was always one of my favorites.”

“It really suits you,” he said. Jonathan was feeling suddenly warm. Clearly the heat of the day had not yet passed. “Shall we?”

“Yes, sir,” she replied, hurrying over to him and linking her arm in his as they walked out the door.

He looked at her as they walked down the garden path together, she was smiling, bright, a lot brighter than she had been that morning. Maybe this was something she was a little more used to. He didn’t know much of her life back in Ohio, maybe she got dressed up and went places more often and it just happened to make her happy.

The unpredictability of her had caught Jonathan off guard once again. One minute she was fiery and cheerful, the next she was withdrawn, and he couldn’t seem to get through to her. But even with all that being said, she intrigued him. He wanted to get to know her better so when she did something like that, it wasn’t so much of a surprise.

He couldn’t keep his eyes off her. Though he knew he would need to tear them away if he was going to get them there in one piece.

When they arrived in the wagon, the town was already crowded by the locals. They were dancing in the square, talking and laughing loudly with one another, everyone clearly in a festive mood. The smell of char-grilled corn filled the air, the scent of it making Jonathan feel suddenly hungry.

A pang of jealousy pulled at his stomach too when he thought of how that could have been his corn had he managed to start his crops earlier. He could have had them harvested now and could be selling them and finally feel like he was making an honest living.

It will come, he thought to himself. Just give it time, it will come.

“What do you think?” Jonathan asked Kathleen.

“It’s… not what I expected,” she said.

“How do you mean?”

“There are so many people out,” she said. “From my walk through town yesterday, you’d think this place was a bit of a ghost town, but look at all of these people. And what is that I can smell?”

“I think it’s corn.”

“Corn?!” she repeated. “How on earth have they managed to make corn smell that good?”

Jonathan laughed. “I have no idea. Maybe we can ask.”

“Wonderful!”

Jonathan stood up from the wagon and got out, reaching out a hand for Kathleen. She took it a bit too quickly and lost her footing on the way down, stumbling forward and into Jonathan’s waiting arms.

“Sorry,” she mumbled into his shoulder.

“Are you alright?”

Kathleen stood up and rolled her eyes. “Fine, just silly me lost my footing.”

They walked closer and Jonathan found himself getting absorbed by all the sounds, snatches of conversation. He saw a few people in the distance pointing him out and talking to one another. He hoped they hadn’t realized that he wasn’t who he pretended he was. He hoped they were maybe just surprised to see him here with Kathleen on his arm.

“Come on,” Kathleen said suddenly, reaching down and taking hold of his hand. She had taken off at a run, powering towards the crowd of people who were dancing in the square. The band kicked into an up-tempo number and suddenly he realized what Kathleen was doing. He dug his feet in and stopped her.

“I don’t know about this, Kathleen,” he said, nervously. “I’m not really much of a dancer.”

“Don’t be silly,” she said, looking over at all the people. “I’d say there aren’t too many people here who would happily say they were dancers. It’s just a bit of fun.”

“I think I’d rather sit out,” he said. He caught the look of disappointment on her face. It was the last thing he wanted to do, but the thought of going in there and dancing in front of everyone tied his stomach up in knots. “There are more market stalls around. We can get some of that corn and then we can take a look at—"

“If he doesn’t want to dance with you, I’d be happy to,” a man’s voice from behind Jonathan made him suddenly stand up straight. He turned to see a black gentleman with close cropped hair and a clean-shaven face standing there, holding his hat to his chest. “If this gentleman doesn’t mind, of course. My name is Peter Fletcher, I live one town over. I'm here for the festival.”

He looked to Kathleen, who suddenly seemed to have brightened at finding someone who wanted to dance with her. Jonathan wasn’t altogether sure what to do. It didn’t seem proper to let another man dance with her but, the last thing he wanted was for her to be sad on his account.

“Of course,” Jonathan said, trying to force a smile onto his face. “By all means. I’ll… I’ll go get some… corn.”

Kathleen and Peter headed off into the crowd of people and started to dance. Kathleen’s face was wild. She was smiling, beautiful, her eyes sparkling and her laugh so bright and vibrant it seemed to light up the entire night. The man she was dancing with certainly wasn’t a good dancer, but had seen his opportunity and jumped at it, clearly.

Jonathan went to the nearby corn stall and got a couple of ears, one for him, one for Kathleen, and he took himself to a nearby bench and sat to watch Kathleen while she had her fun.

If you weren’t so nervous, maybe that could’ve been you out there having fun, he thought.

But the last thing he wanted to do was draw too much attention to himself. Even being here at the festival tonight felt like a risk. All it would take was someone who knew Wayne well enough and his cover would be blown. Then where would that leave him and Kathleen?

Jonathan watched Peter as he finished his dance with Kathleen and moved on to somebody else. So maybe he hadn’t been angling to get close to Kathleen after all, he was just looking for somebody to have a dance with. If he had been looking for somebody, he could see why Peter would choose Kathleen. She really did look so beautiful and elegant.

Another man approached her, a much older gentleman this time. He was grizzly looking, much taller than her with arms like tree trunks and a chest like a barrel, and was stumbling before he even got to her.

He seemed to be speaking to her, Kathleen smiling, staying polite. But then it took a turn.

He reached out and grabbed hold of Kathleen’s arms. She tried to break away from him, that joyful face she’d had all the time she’d been dancing with Peter had vanished, replaced by a look of absolute fear and panic.

Jonathan jumped to his feet, letting the corn fall to the ground, and broke into a run to get into the dance space.

“Leave me alone!” he heard Kathleen shouting as she tried to pull away, but the man wouldn’t let her go. He wouldn’t stop asking her for a dance, demanding one in fact. “Let go of me,” she shouted again, more desperate this time.

“She said, let go!” Jonathan said, his voice coming out like more of a growl than anything else. The man looked over at him, swaying a little on his feet. “Did you hear? Let her go,” Jonathan repeated.

The man finally removed his hands from Kathleen, raising them into the air where Jonathan could see them, and took a few stumbling steps backwards before he turned around and left without another word.

Jonathan let out a sigh. Confrontation was not his best suit. His heart was pounding so hard in his chest it was practically humming.

“Thank you, Wayne,” Kathleen said, looking up at him, her eyes wide and a little bit glassy. She looked like she might cry. “He wouldn’t go away, he—"

“I know, I know, but you’re alright now,” he said, trying to calm her down. “I should have just danced with you in the first place.”

“Well, the music is still playing,” Kathleen said, a smile creeping back across her face.

“Alright then,” he said. “But I warn you, I am no dancer.”

“Well, no one is perfect. I am a horrible cook,” she said, teasing.

“That’s not true!”

“Oh, stop it,” Kathleen said. “You don’t have to be so nice about it! What did you really think?”

Jonathan hesitated. “I… well… I’ve had… better food.”

Kathleen laughed. “Much better!”

She took hold of his hand and took him out into the thick of the mass of dancing people. He twirled her around and danced with her, doing the best that he could to keep up, though it certainly wasn’t easy. She seemed to have rhythm where he did not. He did his best not to feel self-conscious about it, try to forget the eyes of the town on him.

When she’d had her fill of dancing, Jonathan went and got her an ear of corn which she devoured like it was the first piece of food she’d seen since she arrived. In the middle of a bite, she caught sight of someone through the crowd and beckoned them closer.

Jonathan turned in time to see a red headed woman with ghostly pale skin walking towards them on the arm of an older gentleman that Jonathan recognized from the bank. Or at least he thought he did anyway.

Kathleen swallowed hurriedly. “Wayne, this is Howard and Sybil,” she said. “Sybil was the one who told me this was happening, isn’t that nice.”

“Wonderful,” Jonathan said, reaching out a hand to shake Howard’s. “A pleasure to meet you, Howard.”

“And you, Wayne,” Howard said, shaking Jonathan’s hand. “A real pleasure. It was such a pleasure talking to Kathleen yesterday, she really is wonderful.”

Jonathan smiled a tight smile. “I certainly think so.”

They parted ways, Sybil saying something about getting Howard home as he was tired, and Jonathan and Kathleen continued to walk around the market.

“They seem very nice,” Jonathan said. “Did you have many friends back home?”

“Oh,” Kathleen said. “Not many at all, no. I only had Millie.”

“Millie?”

“Yes, we were awfully close,” Kathleen said. “My father wasn’t the most understanding man when it came to my friends, but he always liked Millie. She never had a bad word to say about anybody and she was always polite and sweet to him.”

“What about you?”

“Oh, I moved around so much I never really took root,” Jonathan said, trying to shift the focus from himself and back to Kathleen. “But what else? Tell me more about your life before this. I know it’s only been a couple of days, but I want to know as much about you as possible.”

“Well, what do you want to know?”

Jonathan smiled. “Everything.”

And that was enough to set Kathleen talking. Jonathan didn’t want to reveal too much of himself for fear of him getting caught in a lie later on. How much longer would he be able to keep up the charade of being Wayne? Had Howard noticed? He recognized the man from the bank but if he knew of Wayne too, surely, he would be able to tell the difference.

Jonathan tried not to think about it too much, instead keeping his focus on Kathleen, as she talked about her relationship with her father, what she’d liked about Ohio and more, and he found himself listening incredibly intently. She had a way of speaking that seemed to pull him in. He was hanging on her every word.

He was glad they had come here tonight, and he was glad to be seen with her.

Chapter 11

Kathleen felt like she had talked an awful lot. Wayne had said he’d wanted to know everything and who was she to deny him of that. He was her husband to be after all. She was still reeling from how he had stopped that man from dancing with her when he’d tried to manhandle her. Just thinking about it made her heart flutter. Maybe she wouldn’t be without passion after all.

When they’d had their fill of the festivities, they hopped back into the wagon and made their way back to the house. The sun had long since set and the cicadas were out, singing their haunting song as the wagon came to a stop. The sky was beautifully clear, the stars twinkling within the inky black sea above them.

Kathleen allowed Wayne to help her out of the wagon this time so she didn’t fall, and she didn’t let go of his arm all the way down the garden path and to the house. This night had certainly felt like something of a turning point for her. They’d talked, they’d laughed, they’d even danced together and, maybe she’d read it wrong, but she was certain that Sybil looked a little bit impressed with Wayne. She felt suddenly proud to be on his arm.

“Can we sit?” Kathleen asked as they reached the front door. “I… I’m not sure I want this night to be over just yet.”

“Of course,” Wayne said, letting Kathleen lead him over to the swing.

She took a seat and he sat down next to her, the two of them staring out into the distance, down the road and up into the night sky where the moon hung clear and bright. Everything around them was bathed in a ghostly white, the distant sound of the festival floating over to them on a light breeze. Kathleen felt a contentedness wash over her that she was yet to feel since arriving. She felt calm.

“Are you alright?” he asked. “Did you enjoy this evening?”

“I did,” Kathleen replied. “Did you?”

“Yes,” he said. “It was good fun, I’m glad we went.”

“Thank you again,” she said. “For what you did when that man tried to dance with me.”

“He wasn’t trying to dance with you, Kathleen, he was manhandling you and that is not an acceptable way to behave to a woman,” he said. She watched his hands ball into fists in his lap. “That is no way to treat anyone actually, it really makes my blood boil when I see men acting that way.”

“I’m sorry,” Kathleen said. “But I mean it. Thank you for jumping in to save me.”

“It was my pleasure,” he said. “I just hope I don’t end up running into him in town. I don’t know what I might do.”

It had been impressive when he’d jumped in to defend her. Even now, just thinking about it, she could see that fire inside him, that desire to protect her, to keep her safe.

Maybe there was a little more to him than she first thought, and she didn’t need to be so worried about it after all. It probably helped that the rest of their evening had been so wonderful. She wouldn’t be forgetting about it in a hurry, and not just because of the awful man. She’d had a great time.

Though, thinking about it, Wayne hadn’t revealed an awful lot about himself as they’d been walking around and getting to know one another better. Now that Kathleen really thought about it, she realised that she had been the one to do most of the talking. She’d gotten a glimpse of what Wayne was truly like tonight, and she liked it. She just had to know more.

But now didn’t feel like the time to ask. So, she leaned her head on his shoulder and watched the darkened world quietly with Wayne, just enjoying his company and enjoying the closeness. She was supposed to be spending the rest of her life here with him. She had all the time in the world to get to know Wayne.

The following day, Kathleen woke up to find that Wayne had already put the coffee on, and was fully dressed and ready to head out for the day.

“You should have woken me up,” she said, walking into the kitchen and pouring herself a cup. “I could have done the coffee. Did you want any food?”

“I wasn’t going to wake you up,” Wayne said. “We didn’t get in until late last night, and I felt bad enough coming in here in fear of waking you.”

“What did I tell you about being nice?” Kathleen teased.

“I don’t think that’s being nice, I think that’s being courteous,” Wayne replied.

“Fine,” Kathleen said. “What are you doing today?”

“I actually have to head into town again,” Wayne said. “I’ve got some fertilizer that I…” he trailed off. “You don’t need to hear all the details, I just have some things to do.”

“No, tell me,” Kathleen said. “I want to know.”

Wayne smiled. That seemed to have been the right thing for her to say.

“I got some fertilizer from a guy in town and it hasn’t quite done what I needed it to do.”

“It’s not helping the crops grow?”

Wayne sighed. “It’s doing the exact opposite of that,” he said. “It’s killing them, and I have no idea why. All my hard work is going to be wasted if I can’t fix this. So, I’m taking it back, and I’ve gotta find something else.”

“Can I come with you?” Kathleen asked. “I won’t be any bother.”

“I don’t know, it will be boring.”

“It won’t be,” Kathleen said. “I just want to see the town with you some more. I’m still getting used to it here and besides, I want to spend some time with you. Is that so wrong?”

Wayne looked at her, unable to keep the smile off his face. Kathleen was sure that she could even see a little bit of a pink flush in his cheeks. It wasn’t the reaction she was expecting but it certainly was a nice one to see.

“Well, alright then,” he said. “Get yourself dressed and meet me outside at the wagon.”

“Wonderful!” Kathleen exclaimed, hurrying back to her room to get ready.

The two of them hopped into the wagon and headed into town. It wasn’t as hot as it had been yesterday, and Kathleen enjoyed taking in the sights of the town and feeling a cooler breeze on her skin. The coolness of the day reminded her a little more of home and made her feel more at ease somehow.

They headed through town and out the other side to a ranch where a man was sitting on the porch smoking. Wayne seemed to be psyching himself up to go and talk to him. He seemed really agitated and Kathleen had no idea why. Before she had a chance to even ask him, he’d gotten up and walked over to the gentleman.

“Well, well, well, Mr. Saunders, what can I do for you?” the man asked. He was a lot older than Wayne, as seemed to be the case with most of the men in this town. He had rusty, ginger hair and a scraggly beard that looked like it had never seen a comb or a razor. He looked like he’d been working out in the fields all day and it was barely ten. His clothes were so dirty.

“I need to talk to you,” Wayne said, his tone pointed, aggressive even. Kathleen sat up straight.

“What seems to be the problem, Mr. Saunders?”

“Don’t Mr. Saunders me, Al,” Wayne said. “I need to talk to you about the fertilizer you sold me last week.”

“Ah, wonderful, good stuff isn’t it?” Al was smiling, his teeth crooked, a couple missing here and there.

Why is he smiling when Wayne is so angry? Kathleen thought.

“Hardly,” Wayne scoffed. “I used it to fertilize some of my crops and they’ve gone rotten. I’m only thankful I didn’t use them on the rest of it otherwise I’d have nothing left. I’d be ruined.”

“Well, wouldn’t that be a shame,” Al said. “I wonder why that could be.”

“Don’t go playing stupid with me, Al,” Wayne said. “I ain’t in no mood for that.”

“Look, Wayne, I sold you that fertilizer because it’s the good stuff I use on my own crops,” Al said, standing up. He was clearly trying to keep his voice calm and sweet, soft to butter up Wayne. It clearly wasn’t working. Wayne’s hands were balled into fists at his sides. “The fact you’re having trouble with it hurts me. And what hurts me more is that you’re here getting all frustrated with me about it. Maybe it wasn’t a good crop in the first place. Or maybe the land your father left you is rotted.”

“It’s not rotted, Al,” Wayne growled. “The rest of my crop is fine. You sold me a dud.”

“What accusations!”

“Al, stop it! I’m not dumb, I know what you’ve done here,” Wayne barked. “Why would the rest of my crops be fine? I’m not here to pick a fight with you Al—"

“It certainly seems like you are—"

“I’m here to make things right, okay? I bear you no ill will, I just want things to be a fair and square,” Wayne said. “I’m not out here trying to put you out of business, I’m just trying to make an honest living. And I’d wager you sold me that fertilizer so you could get me out of the picture, am I right?”

Al didn’t seem sure of how to answer. He looked to Kathleen and then back at Wayne. He was definitely nervous, on edge. And Kathleen marveled as she saw a different side to Wayne once again. Last night she’d seen him getting into a rage at the drunkard and now she wasn’t just seeing him a little bit angry, she was seeing him reason with a man who tried to mess him around. Anybody else would have shot first and asked questions later, but here was Wayne actually trying to reason with him?

He really is a good man, she thought. Not one to be angered, clearly. You certainly don’t want to get on the wrong side of him, but he is trying to do the honorable thing here.

Kathleen couldn’t stop herself from feeling impressed. She admired him, even. She wanted a man who was honorable, who was kind, which Wayne certainly was, but she wanted one who fought for what he believed in too. Someone who fought for what was right.

On two occasions now, Wayne had proved to her that he was that kind of man. Maybe she’d found herself a good thing here. Maybe it wouldn’t be for her like it was for Sybil and Howard after all.

“Well good morning, Miss Morrow!” Sybil’s voice chimed through Kathleen’s reverie. She turned to see that her friend was standing to one side of the wagon, fully dressed and made up to look gorgeous despite the earliness of the day. “What a surprise to see you out and about. After all that dancing last night, I half expected you to be in bed until noon.”

“Not at all,” Kathleen said. “I am a good woman to my soon-to-be husband, so I got myself out of bed to accompany him into town for him to go about his business.”

She turned back to see Wayne still in a heated conversation with Al, though it seemed to have calmed considerably from the fire it was just a few moments before. Thank goodness.

“You look fantastic,” Kathleen said, taking in Sybil’s full outfit: a glorious purple dress with a jet black trim. It was definitely too much for everyday attire in the town, bolder than anything Kathleen had seen on anyone else, even at the festival last night. But Sybil carried it so well. And she didn’t seem to care what anyone thought of her, which made it all the more impressive.

“Thank you very much,” Sybil said. “Got to do something to keep me occupied while Howard is at work. Apparently, today that something is getting all dressed up just to walk around town and make everyone hate me for how wonderful I look.” Sybil looked over to where Wayne was talking to Al. “Well, well, that was not what I was expecting from him at all.” She turned back to Kathleen. “After everything you said about him yesterday, and how docile he was when I met him, I thought he was going to be some little wallflower. He’s over there giving old Al Stubbs what for.”

“Well, there was an issue that needed fixing and, well, Wayne is doing all he can to fix it I suppose,” Kathleen said, a little flushed.

“I don’t think you’ve got a thing to worry about with that one,” Sybil said. “And I heard about what happened at the festival last night. Howard would never step up to someone like that. I think you’ve got yourself a keeper.”

Kathleen turned in time to see Wayne walking towards the wagon with a brown bag thrown over his shoulder. He looked a little shaken, like the conversation had really taken it out of him.

“Everything okay, Wayne?” Sybil asked. “So lovely to see you again.”

“Lovely to see you too, Sybil,” Wayne said, shortly. He flashed her a brief smile, but that was all. He didn’t seem able to muster anything beyond that.

“I’ll leave you two to the rest of your business,” Sybil said. “Hopefully see you soon, Kathleen.”

“Hopefully,” Kathleen said, waving her goodbye as she slinked off down the street and back towards the town. “Everything okay? Are you feeling alright?”

Wayne nodded. “Yes, it’s fine, he was just trying to cheat me, and I couldn’t stand it,” he said. “You didn’t see me getting too angry, did you?”

“Wayne—"

“Because that’s not what I’m like, okay? I don’t do that very often,” he said quickly. “But when there are injustices in the world, I just can’t stand by and—"

“Wayne, it’s fine,” Kathleen said, putting a calming hand on his shoulder. “I completely understand why you did what you did.”

Wayne took a deep breath. “Well, thank you,” he said. “I’ll just grab the last two bags, and then can we head back home? I really should get back out onto the fields.”

“Of course!” Kathleen said. She waited while he loaded up the wagon, watching the world go by, the town coming to life as the morning wore on.

“Oh my!” Kathleen said as a man walked by holding the reins of two horses, a white one and a brown one. They were magnificent, huge, muscular, their coats so shiny in the morning sunlight.

The man stopped at Kathleen’s exclamation, walking a little closer to her so she could get a better look at the horses. She was mesmerized by them.

“You can stroke them if you like, Miss,” the man said. “They’re awfully docile.”

“Thank you,” Kathleen said, reaching out and stroking the mane of the brown horse. It was so soft under her fingers. “My beauty,” she whispered. “You’re just beautiful, aren’t you? And you know it, look at you!”

“She’s for sale, you know,” the man said. “She belonged to Robert Patton, he died a week ago and his family are looking to sell everything and move away.”

“Oh, that’s such a shame, they’re both so beautiful,” Kathleen said.

“What’s that?” Wayne asked. Kathleen looked over to see he’d loaded the last of the fertilizer, the sweat dripping from his brow, his shirt sticking to him a little.

“These horses are being sold.”

“They used to belong to Robert Patton,” the man repeated. “The family is shipping out as soon as they’ve cleared out the house.”

“And they’re so beautiful, Wayne, look at them!” The brown horse leaned over to her and licked at her face. She giggled and stepped away, caught off-guard. “Now that’s no way to treat a lady, we hardly know each other!” She laughed. “Good luck with them, sir, I’m sure you won’t have any trouble. They’re wonderful!”

Wayne helped her up onto the wagon and they started on their journey home. Kathleen watched the horses until they were totally out of sight. They really were magnificent creatures, so beautiful, so graceful.

“Have you ever ridden a horse, Kathleen?” Wayne asked as they made their way through town.

“No,” she said. “Father never liked it. He forbade it, said it wasn’t ladylike for me to be gallivanting around on a horse.”

“I see,” Wayne said, turning his attention back to the road. He was quiet the rest of the way home, and Kathleen couldn’t quite figure out why. She wanted to ask, but she didn’t know how.

Chapter 12

Jonathan spent the rest of the day working in the fields, putting out the fertilizer and hoping against hope that Al Stubbs hadn’t tried messing him around again. He couldn’t abide people who did business like that. All he wanted to do was make an honest living and here was Al trying to make that completely impossible. It made him angry.

He found himself having to think of Kathleen as much as possible to calm himself down. He only hoped he hadn’t scared her when he’d gotten so angry at Al.

He thought a lot about the way Kathleen had been with those horses. Of course, Jonathan had a couple of horses that pulled the wagon and did a lot of work for him on the farm, she’d taken a shine to them too. When she’d first gotten off the train, she’d been enamored with them.

He started to wonder if the horse would make her happier here, if it would help her settle. She’d come here with a few possessions of course and she’d already made a fine friend in Sybil, but maybe it would be good for her to have something of her very own.

He could just imagine the look on her face if he came back with that horse. She’d seemed a little sad when they’d had to leave it behind in town. He’d do anything to put a smile on her face, that much was clear.

He formulated a plan and, the following day, he awoke at the first light of dawn and got himself ready without heading into the house. He didn’t want to disturb Kathleen. If this was going to work, it would have to be a surprise.

Jonathan hurried through the town to the old Patton house where the man was just getting ready to take the horses out into the town. He talked to the man for a little while and managed to negotiate a good price for the horse, the brown one that Kathleen had taken such a shine too. His heart thrilled at what her face would look like when she saw it. He couldn’t wait.

He walked the horse back to the house, taking it slowly, giving the horse a chance to get used to him, talking to her and gently reassuring her that everything would be alright. He didn’t know if it would help, but it worked on the horses at the house. And whenever his father had trouble with the work horses, he found that talking to them helped. They just wanted to be treated with dignity.

When the house came into view, he could already see that Kathleen was sitting out on the porch drinking some coffee, watching the day come alive. She looked so serene, so peaceful. She hadn’t gotten herself ready for the day yet, so her hair was a little bit all over the place from sleep.

As she caught sight of him, her eyes widened. She got to her feet and started jumping up and down excitedly, a smile bursting across her face, pure joy raining down on her.

She hurried down the garden path and to the front gate where she stopped and looked up into the horse's face. Her eyes looked glassy, like she was about to cry.

“What did you do?” Kathleen whispered, reaching out a hand to stroke the horse’s mane again. “Did you—?”

“Yes, I bought her for you,” Jonathan said, unable to take his eyes off her. “Her name is Freya.”

Kathleen gasped. “Freya, that’s the most perfect name in the whole world.”

“I thought it suited her.”

“She’s beautiful,” she said, looking into the horse's eyes. “Hello, Freya. Welcome home. This is your home now. We’re going to take real good care of you, I promise.”

To Jonathan’s surprise, Kathleen threw her arms around him and squeezed him tightly, so tight he wasn’t sure that she would ever let go.

“Thank you so much, Wayne,” she said into his neck.

“You’re very welcome.”

She pulled out of the hug. “I mean it, I think this is the best present anyone has ever bought me,” she said. “I promise I will take good care of her.”

“I’m sure you will,” Jonathan replied. “But first I think there is a lesson in order, don’t you?”

Kathleen’s eyes widen. “What?”

“Well, you said your father never let you ride,” Jonathan said. “So, let me teach you.”

“Do you mean it?” she breathed out.

“Of course,” he said. “Though, you may want to put some sturdier clothes on. It’s hardly proper for you to go riding a horse in a dressing gown.”

Kathleen laughed. “I’ll only be a minute, hang on!”

She hurried back inside and got herself dressed in double quick time, returning in a sturdy pair of boots, ready to go.

Jonathan taught her everything that his father had taught him so many years ago. He showed Kathleen how to put a saddle on Freya, how to do it gently so the horse didn’t spook and so it was as comfortable as possible.

Once he’d shown her how to do it, he took the saddle off and let her try so she could get the hang of it herself. She was taking to it quite easily, though Jonathan got the impression that Kathleen could do absolutely anything she set her mind to.

He helped her up onto the horse and he led the two of them around the land, giving Kathleen a chance to see what it’s like to be up on a horse. She looked so happy, unable to keep the smile off her face as she rode around.

He taught her what to do to make Freya trot, and soon she was trotting around the front yard all by herself, laughing and smiling, while Jonathan looked on to make sure she was alright. She was more than alright. She was in her element.

“Wayne, look at me!” she cried. “If my father saw this, he would have a heart attack!”

Jonathan laughed. His cheeks hurt from smiling so much. She was beautiful, the most beautiful woman in the world probably. When she was all lit up like this, laughing and smiling, enjoying what she was doing, there was no other feeling in the world like it. If he could make her feel like this every day for the rest of their lives together, he knew that he would be doing the right things as a husband.

After a little while, Kathleen slowed down, managing to get Freya to stop completely. Jonathan hurried over.

“Everything alright?” he asked. “You’re not hurt, are you?”

“No,” she breathed. “A little sore. I’m not used to this, my legs ache.”

Jonathan smiled and helped her down. Kathleen took the saddle off Freya and tied Freya’s reins to the fence post.

“Don’t you worry, I won’t be gone too long,” she whispered. “You be good.”

“You’re happy?”

“More than happy, Wayne, it’s wonderful!” she said. “You didn’t have to do something like this for me,” she added. “I’ve barely been here a few days.”

“But it made you so happy,” he said. “I want to do things that make you happy like that as often as I can. Is that okay?”

Kathleen grinned and looked over at him. She was watching him a little more carefully than she had been before, her eyes roaming over him like they hadn’t done since that first day they had met at the train station.

“What?” he asked.

“Nothing,” she said. “You just keep on surprising me, Wayne. You’re not what I was expecting, really far from what I was expecting, in fact.”

Jonathan smiled. “I’ll take that as a good thing.”

“Where will she sleep?” Kathleen asked. “I don’t know the first thing about taking care of horses.”

“There is space in the stables where the work horses stay,” Jonathan said. “I’ll get her settled in there this afternoon. How does that sound?”

“And I can ride her whenever I want?”

“Of course, you can,” Jonathan said. “I bought her for you after all.”

Kathleen sighed. “I still can’t believe you did that. Thank you so much.”

Jonathan shrugged. “You’re more than welcome, Kathleen.”

Kathleen headed inside, taking the saddle with her and Jonathan got to work on getting Freya settled. He took her just a little way past the house to the stables where he kept the work horses and cleared out one of the stalls for her, making sure to fill it with enough hay that she wouldn’t go hungry and a salt block.

He stayed with Freya for a little while, making sure she was as comfortable as possible before heading back over to the house where Kathleen was once again sat out on the porch. She had hiked her skirt up and was letting the midday sun tan her legs. She looked so content, and it was that soft smile on her face that told him that he was doing a good job in helping her settle in. He was making her happy. What more could he possibly want?

“You seem relaxed,” he said as he got close enough to be within earshot.

“She’s okay?” Kathleen asked. “She’s not scared being over there all by herself?”

“I don’t think so,” Jonathan said. “But you’re more than welcome to go and see her whenever you wish. But maybe be sure to give the other horses some attention while you’re there, otherwise they might get jealous.”

Kathleen grinned. “I’m sure that won’t be a problem. Are you hungry?”

Jonathan felt suddenly nervous. “Yes, why?”

“I’ve been cooking.”

Jonathan felt suddenly frightened, but didn’t want Kathleen to see it across his face. Given how he had reacted when he hadn’t enjoyed her meal last time, the last thing he wanted to do was upset her again.

“No need to panic,” Kathleen said, standing up. “Sybil came round this morning and gave me a recipe. She made it as ‘Kathleen proof’ as possible. Even I can’t mess it up.”

“What is it?” Jonathan asked.

“Chili,” she said. “But I promise you this meal will be better than last time, trust me.”

He followed Kathleen inside the house to see that she really had been busy over the course of the day. She must have been preparing this all morning and, when he’d returned from buying Freya, she must have just been giving herself a break. The house smelled unbelievable.

It was the first time for as long as Jonathan could remember that the house had smelled like freshly cooked food. The last time that would have happened, his mom would have still been alive. The memories of her were suddenly so prevalent at the front of his mind, it took him a moment to refocus on what was happening.

I really hope it tastes good, he thought.

“It looks about ready to me,” Kathleen said, stirring the big pot of chili. “You ready?”

“I’m starving,” Jonathan said, sitting down at the table.

Kathleen served up the chili in two bowls, slicing off two great hunks of bread from a loaf they’d picked up at the festival and bringing them over to dip.

Jonathan sniffed. It definitely smelled good. And it looked good too, there were vegetables in it and meat, even he didn’t see how this could go wrong. He could feel Kathleen’s eyes on him, which wasn’t making the situation any easier. He took a deep breath and ate a mouthful.

He chewed it.

He chewed it some more.

The meat wasn’t the most tender, but it was certainly better than last time. There was a little kick to it, maybe too much of a kick as he could feel his nose starting to run even just after a single mouthful. But as he swallowed, the warmth of it going down his throat and spreading through his body, he was pleasantly surprised.

“Well?” she asked. She’d still not taken a single bite.

“It’s good,” he said.

“You’re sure?” she replied, raising a careful eyebrow at him. “Remember what I said to you about being nice to me all the time.”

“Kathleen, honestly, it’s really delicious,” he said. “It’s a great recipe, you’ll have to thank Sybil for me.”

Kathleen sat up straight and delved into the chili she’d made. She looked over at Jonathan, her eyes widening in surprise. She seemed to have even managed to shock herself with this one. The two of them ate in almost complete silence until both their bowls were clean, the last of the sauce being mopped up with the bread.

That’s definitely a sign of a good meal, Jonathan thought.

“I’m so sorry,” Jonathan said. “But I need to get back out into the fields.”

“Oh my goodness, of course, go.”

“I spent the morning with you and with Freya, so Matthew and Rick have been fertilizing the crops all by themselves,” he said. “I’d love to leave them to it for the rest of the day, but I feel like I need to help if I’m going to salvage those crops.”

Kathleen reached across the table and took hold of his arm, giving it a squeeze. “I completely understand,” she said. “You have to do your work. But, just one more time, I want to say thank you for Freya. You really didn’t have to do that.”

“It made you happy,” he said softly. “And you deserve happiness, Kathleen. You deserve all the happiness in the world.”

She seemed a little stunned by that statement, like perhaps she’d never considered that before. She sat back in her chair and looked over at him, unable to keep the smile from pulling at the corners of her mouth. Jonathan was doing the same, unable to keep his eyes off the face of the woman he might just have been falling for, if such things were even possible.

Of course, it’s possible, he thought to himself. She’s right in front of your face. And you can’t stop staring.

Chapter 13

Kathleen could hardly believe her luck. She’d spent so much time worried about what this man would be like that she would be spending the rest of her life with and, at that moment, she didn’t think she could be happier. He’d bought her a horse, for goodness sake!

She was so pleased to have Freya in her life and Wayne too. He seemed so intent on making her happy, and Kathleen couldn’t exactly argue with that.

She was happy. She could hardly keep the smile off her face. Perhaps this life that she had been so afraid of might not be so bad, after all. It might end up being the best thing that had ever happened to her.

Would you look at that, she thought. Maybe Millie was right after all.

Kathleen woke up early, eager to go and tend to Freya and the other horses in the stables. She got up, made coffee for herself and for Wayne when he returned from the fields and got herself ready, putting on some clothes that she didn’t mind getting a little muddy.

She made it out of the front door when she noticed the mailman waving at her from the end of the garden path. At least, she assumed he was the mailman. She’d never met him before.

“Good morning, Miss,” he called out. “Do you, uh, do you live here?”

Kathleen headed down the garden path toward him. “I do, yes,” she said. “Is there a problem?”

“Are you Miss Kathleen Morrow?”

“Yes.”

He let out a heavy breath. “Thank goodness,” he said, handing her an envelope. “I wasn’t sure this had been addressed right. I had no idea that Wayne had a visitor.”

“Thank you,” Kathleen replied. “I’ve not been here long,” she added. “Thank you for the letter.”

He tipped his hat. “Just doing my job, ma’am.” He skipped off to continue his route and Kathleen looked down at the letter. She recognized that handwriting, she would recognize it anywhere.

It was her father.

He hadn’t written to her since she had arrived and with the way they left things, Kathleen had all but forgotten he existed. What on earth could he be writing her for?

She opened the letter where she stood, folding the envelope and putting it into her pocket before unfolding the letter.

Dear Kathleen,

I hope this letter finds you well. I trust your journey was good and that you are in good spirits. I have yet to receive word from Wayne regarding a business proposition I made to him and also with regard to the date of the wedding. I will, of course, need enough notice that I can leave the business behind.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

All my love,

Father

She read it through a couple of times. The date of the wedding. That was something else that had totally slipped her mind. She had been enjoying getting to know Wayne a little better, getting to know the town and becoming good friends with Sybil, she hadn’t really thought about the real reason she had come to Bellfield in the first place. She was supposed to be marrying Wayne.

Kathleen was unsure of what to do next. She certainly didn’t know how to respond to her father and tell him that a date had not yet been decided. That would only disappoint him, and he would surely think that it was because she had done something wrong.

Maybe Wayne will have a better idea than me, she thought. Maybe he already knows the date and he’s just… forgotten to tell me.

She may not have known Wayne that well, but that certainly didn’t seem likely.

Kathleen headed back inside and put the letter on the kitchen table before heading out to tend to the horses. But she couldn’t focus on what she was doing. Even Freya seemed to know she was a little distracted, tugging at the hem of her skirt and doing anything she could to get Kathleen’s attention.

When she returned to the house, she busied herself with cleaning and cooking until Wayne returned. He looked exhausted. There was dirt all across his face and his clothes and he looked like he could do with a nap rather than Kathleen questioning him about the wedding.

Maybe another time, she thought.

“How was your day?” he asked. “How is Freya?”

Kathleen beamed at the mention of her horse. “Oh, she’s doing well,” she said. “I’m not sure how well she’s settling in though.”

“How do you mean?” Wayne replied.

“I think she misses me,” Kathleen said. “It probably sounds silly, but she’s so far away up in that stable and she looked so sad when I had to leave her. It’s probably nothing, but I’m just worried.

Wayne nodded. “Okay,” he said. “I’ll see what I can do.”

“How was yours?” she asked. “You look a little tired.”

“It was a long day,” he said. “I was awake before dawn and now the sun is disappearing and I’m only just getting back.” He sighed. “Do you want to see the work that’s been done? It’s a lot nicer to walk through at night. Plus, the sunset hides a multitude of sins.”

“Sure,” Kathleen said. “Show me.”

They walked out of the house and up towards the fields, beyond the stables and into the crops.

“It was practically dead when I got back here,” Wayne said. “When I was growing up here, I couldn’t remember a time when it was bare, when there was nothing growing, but the whole land was barren when I got back.”

“It must have been so hard to see it that way,” Kathleen said looking across the fields. It was hard to imagine them empty. They were teeming with life now, livestock grazing in one field, crops growing in another, apple trees with apples growing on them that looked so good they made Kathleen’s stomach grumble.

“It was heartbreaking.”

“Well, you’ve certainly brought it back to life now,” she said. “Look at it, your father would be so proud.”

“Maybe not,” Wayne said. “He never would have picked up the wrong fertilizer.”

“You don’t know that.”

“We could have harvested already if that guy hadn’t been so intent on making my life difficult,” Wayne grumbled. “Father would—"

“Your father would be proud of all the hard work and the man hours you’ve put into making this place flourish again,” Kathleen said firmly. “Sure, you got the wrong fertilizer, but there’s no way your father could have done everything perfect all the time. Give yourself a break.”

Kathleen took a deep breath.

That might have been a little strong, she thought. Definitely don’t ask him about the wedding now.

“Thank you, Kathleen,” he said quietly. “I really appreciate that.”

“Besides, you know better now,” she said with a shrug. “You’ve got to learn somehow.”

“That you do,” he sighed and looked out at the fields. “Father always liked things done a certain way. He was very hard on me. Do you know what that’s like? What was it like for you growing up in Ohio?”

“Oh, you don’t need to hear all that.”

“Go on,” Wayne said, “Tell me.”

The two of them started walking around the corn field, tracking the path that Wayne had made around the outside. Kathleen walked ahead.

“Well, it was overcrowded and busy mostly,” she said. “Nothing like Bellfield.”

“Few places are,” Wayne chuckled.

“But I wasn’t really raised by my parents,” Kathleen said. “Mostly by housekeepers and nannies. Anyone who was around when my father wasn’t.”

“How so?”

“Well, my father worked an awful lot,” she said flatly. “Still does actually. And I lost my mother when I was very young.”

Wayne put a hand on her shoulder, and she stopped walking. She turned to face him, his eyes were big and round, looking down at her and trying to show that he cared. “I’m really sorry to hear that,” he said. “Did you have any siblings?”

She shook her head. “No, it was just me,” she said. “Which I guess in some ways was good, others not so much.”

“How?”

“Well, at least my mother only left one child behind,” Kathleen said. “So, it’s just me who is hurting because of it. The bad part is that I had no one really to share that pain with because my father…” She trailed off and turned away from Wayne. Kathleen could feel the emotion coming over her, threatening to drag her under like a riptide. She wouldn’t do that, not in front of Wayne.

Without thinking, she disappeared into the cornfield.

“Kathleen, what are you doing?” he called.

“Nothing!” she called back.

She could hear him coming after her.

“Where did you get to?” he shouted, the laugh coming through in his voice. She could hear him smiling and it was enough to get them off a conversation that was hurting and that was enough for her.

She could see him through the corn, and he looked confused, a little bit lost, so much so that she could almost see him as being cute rather than rugged and handsome, which was certainly strange for her.

“Where are you?”

“Over here!” she called.

He turned in her direction, but still didn’t seem able to see her. She couldn’t stifle a laugh, one that made him turn around again. She was now looking at his back, which made her laugh so much it hurt her sides.

“Oh, you’re being playful now!”

She giggled.

He started to follow the sound of her laughter, moving through the corn and closer to her. She started to find a way out of the crops and back to the path.

“I can see the movement, it’s only a matter of time before I find you!” he called.

“You can try!” she shouted back.

She broke out of the corn and into a run, following the path away from the house. She’d never been this far into the land before, there really was a lot of it and, with the sun having vanished from the sky, it was certainly easy to play hide and seek.

She could hear him behind her, his panting, the sound of his footsteps pounding along the dirt. She tried to keep her pace up, but he was getting louder and louder, he was definitely faster than her. When he said he would be able to catch her, he really wasn’t kidding around.

“Here I come!” He was so close now she could practically hear the words being spoken into her ear, but she kept running.

He reached out for her and, for the briefest moment, grabbed at her waist. It wasn’t enough to stop her, but it was just enough to knock her off balance. Before Kathleen knew what was happening, she was on the ground, rolling across the dirt, laughing maniacally as Wayne came tumbling down too, both of them landing on the ground in a heap.

He was on top of her, his arms on either side of her head, looking down into her face. He was panting hard. At least, she’d given him a run for his money.

She smiled at him, feeling a strange sort of fizzing in her stomach as they locked eyes. She’d never felt something like that before. It was strange, new, different.

“Your eyes are almost as bright as the night’s stars,” he whispered, his voice so low it came out like more of a growl.

She breathed deeply. “Thank you,” she replied. “I’d say yours resemble the color of water. Deep water,” she added, her breath shuddering.

“Well, aren’t we poetic,” he teased.

They laughed and he laid on his back next to her and stared up at the sky. He was so close, that Kathleen could feel the warmth coming off him in waves, the closeness of him enough to make her breath shallow.

Above them, in an inky black sea, the stars twinkled at them, and they stayed in the blissful silence of it all for a moment. The world around them had vanished almost entirely, leaving just the two of them here in the middle of this field. Anything could be happening elsewhere. The world could have ended, and they probably wouldn’t have noticed.

“I’m glad it’s you,” he whispered into the night.

She looked over to see him staring right back at her.

“I’m glad too,” she replied.

Chapter 14

After their little chase through the crops, Jonathan and Kathleen had headed home. It had been a strange evening all in all. Jonathan certainly felt like he’d gotten a lot closer to Kathleen, but there was definitely something that she was shutting him out from. Though he was hardly one to talk given the amount of secrets he was keeping.

They parted ways at the front door, Jonathan returning to his little shack and Kathleen to her bedroom, but he couldn’t keep her out of his head. For the rest of the night he seemed to think of her, and she invaded his dreams, every inch of them. No matter where he turned, there she was, waiting for him, smiling, teasing him.

When he saw her the next morning, it was as if they hadn’t even been apart. She was already awake, preparing them some fruit for breakfast and pouring him a cup of coffee as soon as he walked through the door.

“Good morning,” he said with a grin, his stomach a little fizzy from the previous night. “How did you sleep?”

“Well,” she said smiling back at him. “You?”

“Fine,” he replied, taking a seat at the table. There was a letter unfolded on it. He picked it up to read it, assuming it was for him but noticed Kathleen’s name at the top. “Oh, goodness, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry, I thought—"

“No,” Kathleen said, coming over to the table and taking a seat across from him. “I want you to read it,” she added. “It’s certainly easier than me bringing it up. My father always was better at breaking tension.”

Jonathan looked at her confusedly. “Okay,” he said, turning his attention back to the letter. It was short, to the point, something that given the letter he had received from her father, he wasn’t all that surprised about.

The wedding, he thought. Had that been why she’d been so cagey yesterday?

“The wedding,” he said out loud.

Kathleen nodded.

“I suppose we’ve not really gone over the details of it,” he said.

“No,” she replied. “Can I be honest?” she asked in a rush.

“Of course,” he said. “I always want you to be.”

“Well, I’d forgotten about it,” she said. “I don’t want you to think that means anything, but I was just enjoying getting to know you that I’d not really thought about the wedding at all. I’d just thought about… well… getting to know you. I’d not really thought much further than the next day.”

Jonathan felt a little nervous even thinking about the wedding. He had no idea when the appropriate time would be to do it, how soon after they had met. He didn’t want her to feel uncomfortable. And then there was the issue of his name. He had hoped to tell her the truth before they would get married but it was a hard conversation to have. When in life did it come up in natural conversation that you’d stolen your brother’s identity to give yourself a second chance at life?

“I’d not thought much about it either,” he said. “I had also been enjoying getting to know you and I appreciate your honesty here. That can’t have been easy.”

“No.”

“I have a proposition for you,” Jonathan said. “How about we be engaged for now?”

“For now?”

“Well, you don’t seem like you want to rush into anything without properly getting to know me first and that seems perfectly sensible if you ask me,” he said. “We’ll be engaged to be married until we find a time that is… appropriate.”

“Appropriate,” Kathleen repeated, nodding her head. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. “That seems very sensible,” she added.

“What about your father?”

Kathleen turned her gaze to the letter in Jonathan’s hand, looking a little deflated.

“I think it will be enough to keep him satisfied,” she said begrudgingly. “It will keep him happy and maybe he won’t ask about it again for a little while. He has a habit of becoming quite persistent when it comes to… well… most things.”

Jonathan laughed. “Alright then. How about next week?”

“Next week?”

“For the engagement.”

Kathleen took a deep breath. “How very organized and proper,” she said. “Next week sounds fine.”

“It shall be done then,” Jonathan said, refolding the letter and putting it on the table. “Now, where’s breakfast, I’m starved.”

* * *

Jonathan set Rick and Matthew to work out in the fields as soon as they arrived that morning, setting them enough tasks that they would be occupied so he could spend some time on a different project.

He’d decided to make a stable for Freya that was nearer to the house so that she could be kept separate from the work horses he had. It also meant that Kathleen wouldn’t have to go so far just to get to her. She could ride her to her heart’s content then.

Jonathan headed into Bellfield to collect plenty of wood so he could get to building, laying down foundations.

“What are you doing?” She must have heard all the hammering from inside the house because Kathleen had hurried out to see just what he was up to. “What’s this for? Are you moving shack?” she teased.

“This isn’t for me,” he said. “It’s for you!”

Kathleen blinked. “You’re moving me out of the house and into a shack?”

“No, no, hang on,” Jonathan gathered his thoughts, realizing he wasn’t making any sense. “I’m building this for Freya so that she can be closer to you.”

“What?”

“You said that she wasn’t settling in all that well, and that you thought she missed you being so far away, so it only made sense that I bring her closer,” Jonathan said. “It might be a little bit loud, I’ve got a lot of hammering to do. Maybe you could go out and see Sybil or—"

“Can I help?” she interrupted. “I mean, you don’t have to say yes, I’m sure you’ll be fine on your own, but if you need an extra pair of hands, I’m a lot stronger than I look.”

“Of course,” Jonathan said. “Maybe put on some clothes you don’t mind getting dirty, it might get a little messy.”

“No problem!” Kathleen said, hurrying back inside. She really was full of surprises. He hadn’t expected her to help, not even a little bit. There was so much about her that he was still figuring out.

They spent the rest of the day working together on the stable. They sanded down the wood, they polished it, Kathleen helped Jonathan put all of the pieces together and make sure that it was all as nice as possible for Freya when they would eventually move her down later on that day.

They took a couple of breaks throughout their working day, Kathleen heading inside to get them some food or something to drink. The day was hot and, while Jonathan was used to it, the last thing he wanted was for Kathleen to get sick or end up with heatstroke from being outside for too long. But she really was being a massive help. It would have taken him all day to get this done if he was working all by himself.

They were pretty much done, the only thing left to do was to get Freya down here and settle her in, something he was more than happy to leave for Kathleen. It was her horse after all, and she knew Freya better.

He looked at her when she returned from getting them some more water and couldn’t help but smile.

“What?” she asked. “What are you smiling about?”

“Nothing,” he said.

“No, come on, do I look funny?”

He looked her up and down. She really did. She looked nothing like the girl who had gotten off that train a couple of weeks ago. He never would have guessed that he would be chasing her through corn fields or buying her a horse or having her help him make a stable. He certainly didn’t think when she arrived that she would end up covered in sawdust.

“You’re just a little messier than usual,” he said, stifling a laugh.

“How so?”

“You’ve got sawdust in your hair, on your face, on your clothes,” he said. “It’s everywhere, Kathleen! You’re covered in it.”

“I am?” she asked, actually looking surprised. He was shocked she couldn’t feel it all over her skin, it was like she was covered in powder or something. She headed over to a barrel and looked in to see her reflection.

Jonathan couldn’t help himself.

He hurried over and splashed her with the water, hitting her square in the face.

She stepped back, sputtering, her face dripping wet.

“You did NOT just do that!” she shouted, reaching into the bucket and trying to fling water at him, but to no avail. “I’m soaked!”

Jonathan scoffed. “You are not soaked, you are just a little cleaner than you were a second ago.”

“You’re out of your mind!” She laughed.

“And you looked like you needed a wash!” he replied.

“I can’t believe you!” she shouted, a grin splitting her face. “You’re such a child!”

Jonathan turned around to get back to working on the stable.

And that was his first mistake.

There was a rush of cold water over his head, his breath suddenly catching in his chest. When the sound of water rushing by his ears subsided, he was met with the sound of Kathleen cackling and rolling about on the ground, holding onto her sides.

He shivered. “Oh my god, you’re out of your mind!” he gasped, trying to get the air into his lungs.

“You looked like you could do with cooling off!” Kathleen managed between cackles. And even though he was soaked to the skin and suddenly shivering on what had to be one of the hottest days of the year, Jonathan couldn’t keep the smile off of his face just because of how happy Kathleen looked in that moment.

* * *

While Jonathan cleaned himself up and got changed into some dry clothes, Kathleen brought Freya down from the other stables and to the new one they had built. He watched out of the window as the horse took her first tentative steps into the building, taking a minute to settle before eventually resting on the hay that they had laid down for her.

The whole time Kathleen was talking to her, speaking so softly that all Jonathan could really hear was the lightest whisper drifting over in the breeze. She was so good with Freya. It was a wonder that her father had never let her have a horse. She was perfect.

The evening passed by and they found themselves sitting out on the porch once more to watch the sun set. Jonathan couldn’t help but notice that it had become something of a tradition for them. They would eat dinner together and then sit out on the porch as the world went quiet, as the light faded from the sky. Jonathan also couldn’t help but notice how close to one another they were sat, how all it would take would be for him to move his hand a little and their fingers would be touching.

There was certainly something between them, an energy that he certainly couldn’t put into words. He could feel himself wanting to act on it, wanting to reach out and take her hand, take a chance, a leap in the dark. But what would happen then?

You will have to figure that out, he thought to himself. He only hoped that when he did, he would find a way to tell her the truth.

Chapter 15

They passed many evenings together sitting on the porch and watching the sun go out, but last night had felt different. Kathleen could see the change in the air as clear as anything. There was a shift in the way they were with one another. Their night out in the fields had made sure of that.

They were closer somehow and she felt more comfortable around him than she had before, and now that they had talked about the wedding, it was like the last bit of awkwardness between them had been lifted. And she could feel herself starting to like him.

Wayne certainly wasn’t the kind of man she thought she would be attracted too, certainly not the kind of man that she thought she would end up with, but something far better than what she had imagined was waiting for her when she got to Bellfield. She’d expected someone older, someone who wouldn’t let her be so free, but Wayne was… Wayne was different.

He was a child at heart, and it reminded her what it was like to have fun. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been chased by someone like that, she certainly couldn’t remember the last time she’d ended up in a water fight with someone. He was making her life fun again. Her life hadn’t been this fun since Eddie.

Haven’t thought about him in a while, she thought to herself.

As the corn grew better with the new fertilizer, Wayne spent longer out on the fields working, giving Kathleen more time to figure out how to keep the run of a household. She got tips from Sybil on how to clean Wayne’s clothes in a way that got all the dirt and sweat out, she got so many new recipes from Sybil that they were trying out something brand new every night of the week to varying degrees of success.

There were even days when she found herself not only feeding Wayne but feeding Rick and Matthew too. They were sweet boys, young and good-natured. But the fact that Wayne let them into his home and fed them and paid them well, just gave another thing about him that made him so different to the men that she had met before.

All the other rich men she had met, her father included, never treated their workers this well. He was passionate, driven, kind, and, sure he lost his head a little when things hadn’t quite gone his way with the fertilizer, but he was a man who knew what he wanted. She had to respect that.

And then there was Eddie.

She’d not had this much fun since Eddie, sure, but Eddie also had a tendency to be quite cruel to her. Now that she had spent a bit of time being treated so well by Wayne, it was pretty clear to her that Eddie wasn’t such a good guy. He made her cry more than he made her laugh. All Wayne seemed to do was make her laugh, so much that it hurt.

I just hope he doesn’t get bored of me, she thought. That would be terrible.

She could feel herself getting attached to him in a way she hadn’t gotten attached to anybody since Eddie and it scared her when she thought about it too much. But when they were together it was easy. It was exactly how things were supposed to be when you were with your other half.

“Knock, knock!” Sybil called as she walked through the front door. “I’ve been outside for a whole five minutes, Kathleen, what are you daydreaming about?”

“Nothing,” she said. “Nothing at all. Thanks for coming over again.”

“Well, we’ve started a comprehensive course on how to be a woman in the wilderness,” Sybil teased. “I can’t very well leave you without all your lessons learned, now can I?”

They got to work on cooking a stew, Sybil directing and telling Kathleen exactly what to do every step of the way. She was getting better, she knew that she was, and every time Sybil came over, she had to remind her less and less of all the things she needed to do.

Kathleen even remembered to make some bread the previous day so that they would have some to dip into the stew, something that Sybil was very impressed by.

“You’re learning really fast,” Sybil said as they chopped vegetables next to each other in the kitchen. “You’ll be keeping house all by yourself in no time. No need for old Sybil to come around anymore.”

“You can come around as often as you like,” Kathleen said. “You know that. I wouldn’t have been able to do any of this without you Sybil, I would have been lost at sea.”

Sybil shrugged. “You’re not wrong there, Kathleen, you were awful, but look at you now! You’re cutting vegetables without nearly slicing off your fingers. That’s growth.”

Kathleen laughed. “And I think Wayne is impressed too,” she said. “He’s noticed that things have been getting better. I wouldn’t be surprised if you end up with something from his first harvest at this rate, he’ll be so thankful that I’m not making him inedible meals so often anymore.”

Kathleen went back to chopping but she could feel Sybil’s eyes on her. She was being watched but not in the way that she was chopping, Sybil was just staring at her.

“What?” she asked. “What are you staring at?”

“You know you radiate, right?” Sybil said. “You’re practically glowing with it.”

“With what?”

“With what?” Sybil repeated. “It’s so obvious that you’re falling for Wayne.”

Kathleen sputtered. “Um… I don’t… I mean, I…”

Love was such a strong word. It was a word that scared her more than anything else. Kathleen knew that allowing yourself to love someone was practically like allowing that someone to hurt you. That was the last thing she wanted to happen to her.

“You don’t have to say anything,” Sybil said. “I don’t even think you could convince me otherwise. I can see it. Anybody could see it.” She leaned in and lowered her voice. “But you don’t have anything to be afraid of, Kathleen. Wayne is a great guy. You’re very lucky to have him.”

Kathleen didn’t know what to say to that. But she did feel lucky having Wayne in her life, and she certainly had felt herself falling for him. Had he noticed too?

* * *

The night of their engagement came around a lot quicker than either of them had anticipated. With getting ready for the harvest, Jonathan had been busy out in the fields most days and, between them, they’d been planning the party in their spare moments, usually in the evenings when they sat out on the porch enjoying the view as the sun dipped into the horizon.

They’d decided to keep it as small as possible, with a little bit of dancing - because you couldn’t not have dancing, as far as Kathleen was concerned - and some snacks in town. It certainly wouldn’t be anything close to the grand affair that the festival had been, and they didn’t want it to be.

Kathleen knew exactly which dress she was going to wear for the occasion. It was a gorgeous red gown she had brought with her from Ohio. She’d bought it with the intention of wearing it on a special occasion and what occasion would be more special than this.

Well, the wedding, of course, she thought to herself. But for that I’ll be wearing white. No. This is perfect.

She threw her hair up on top of her head and headed out to the wagon to meet Wayne. He looked so handsome, dressed in a pair of slacks and a button-down shirt, his hair slicked to one side and his face freshly shaved. He looked as handsome as he did the day she met him, twice as handsome in fact because now she knew him.

His hand flew to his chest as he saw her. “My goodness, Kathleen,” he said as she approached. “You look beautiful.”

“Well, have you taken a look at your reflection?” she asked. “You look extremely handsome.”

“You don’t have to say that.”

“I know I don’t,” she said. “But I mean it. You look wonderful.”

He gave her his arm and they walked to the wagon together, Kathleen letting him help her on board before they headed into town.

There were already people waiting for them when they arrived, Kathleen immediately spotting Sybil with an already agitated Howard and a couple of people she’d met in the general store. Sybil had been in charge of the guest list, determined to keep it as small and exclusive as possible. Kathleen knew that Wayne wasn’t so good in social situations and didn’t want to push him into anything that made him feel too uncomfortable.

“Attention, ladies and gentlemen,” Sybil called out as Kathleen and Wayne got off the wagon. “The happy couple have arrived!”

The crowd erupted into applause as Wayne and Kathleen stepped onto the ground. Kathleen could feel Wayne tensing up next to her. He really didn’t like having the focus on him at all.

“Hey,” Kathleen whispered. “Are you alright?”

“Just nervous,” Wayne replied.

“Don’t worry,” she said. “I’m going to say yes.”

And he seemed to relax a little after she said that, taking an actual breath rather than being so tense stood next to her. He stopped and turned to her, taking both of her hands in his.

“Kathleen…”

“Oh gosh, we’re doing this now?” she whispered, taking a deep breath. “Okay, I’m ready.”

“Will you do me the great honor of being my wife?”

Kathleen’s heart jumped. She couldn’t help it. Even though she knew that the day was coming, even though they had planned it out and organized a party, it still made her want to cry. This was happening for her, and it was happening with the most wonderful man she had ever met.

“Yes,” she said, swallowing hard to stop herself from crying. Get it together, Kathleen, she told herself. “Yes, I will marry you.”

Then Wayne did something really unexpected. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring. Even though it was tradition to have an engagement ring, Kathleen hadn’t expected there to be one as this wasn’t exactly a traditional situation.

He put it on her finger and the crowd erupted into cheers once again. Kathleen gave Wayne’s hands a little squeeze just to let him know that she was there for him and that he didn’t need to feel nervous. He smiled back at her.

“Congratulations, both of you,” Sybil said, pulling Kathleen into a hug and giving Wayne a handshake.

“Thank you, Sybil,” Wayne said stiffly. “And thank you for all of the help you’ve been giving Kathleen over the past week. You’ve been incredible.”

“Not a problem,” she said. “It’s been really fun to pass on my wisdom to someone else.”

“The way this woman cooks, you should be thanking your lucky stars,” Howard said with a laugh. “The best food I’ve ever had in my life. Just don’t tell my mother.”

Wayne smiled at them and nodded, seemingly unsure of what to say next. He was still so serious around people. Kathleen knew that he felt nervous in crowds of people and that social situations made him feel uncomfortable, but it just meant that there was so much of him that other people didn’t get to see. He was kind and funny and sweet but all anyone in the town would see was either the guy who stayed stoic and serious at his own engagement party or the guy who got mad over fertilizer. It was a shame.

Although maybe he is just saving the best of himself for me, Kathleen thought. Now, that is a nice thought.

The night went off without a hitch. People enjoyed mingling with each other and dancing, even Wayne danced, which Kathleen wasn’t expecting. He was getting better. Maybe he just needed to do more things like this to come out of his shell. She hoped that was the case because she wanted the rest of the town to see his beautiful personality.

There was a lot of laughter and a lot of talking, and by the time the evening came to an end, Kathleen’s feet ached from all the dancing and her cheeks ached from all of the smiling. She couldn’t have asked for a more perfect night.

“I won’t bother you tomorrow,” Sybil said as they said goodbye to one another. “I can’t imagine you wanting to stand on your feet in a kitchen after all of the dancing you’ve done tonight. Just enjoy being engaged.”

“Thank you, Sybil, I will,” Kathleen said. “And thank you for all of your help.”

Sybil brushed her away. “We’ve got to look out for each other.”

When they headed home in the wagon, Kathleen unable to keep the smile off her face. Wayne helped her down and walked with her to the front door. It was so much quieter here than it had been in town, like they were in a totally different world.

He took hold of her hand and kissed it lightly. It made Kathleen shiver.

“Well, thank you for a wonderful night, my fine gentleman,” she said. “Or should I say, my fiancé?”

Wayne smiled and looked down at her. Kathleen couldn’t tell whether he was going to say something or lean in and kiss her. Her heart was pounding so fast she was sure that he would be able to hear it. Secretly, she hoped it would be the kiss.

Wayne cleared his throat.

Oh well, Kathleen thought.

“Good night,” he said.

She watched him as he walked away, heading over to the guesthouse. She really was lucky to have found someone like him.

Chapter 16

Jonathan had been working incredible hard over the past week to get the crops ready for harvest. Given how well they had been growing now that the fertilizer was right, he figured that it would probably be in a month or so and finally he would be starting his new life properly, able to provide for his new bride-to-be and live an honest life.

Bride-to-be, he thought with a smile. It was strange to think of Kathleen like that now. He’d spent so much time just trying to get to know her better that now it had a proper label on it, it was like a promise. When he’d given her his mother’s engagement ring, he’d really meant that as a promise that he would treat her well, that he would take care of her. But it all felt a little too personal to say that in front of the rest of the town. It was none of their business after all. He just needed to find the right time to say it to Kathleen.

At the end of another long and hard day, Jonathan called to Rick and Matthew. They had been working hard all morning and, given that last night had been a celebration for him and Kathleen, it didn’t seem right to work all day. Maybe, once he’d finished with Rick and Matthew the two of them could do something together.

There were so many places around Bellfield that he wanted to show her, places that he used to go to with his family when he lived here a very long time ago. It only seemed right to show them to her. He was excited to do so.

He took Rick and Matthew to the house, ushering them inside and pouring them a glass of Kathleen’s homemade lemonade. It was another recipe that she had gotten from Sybil and it really was the best lemonade he had ever tasted.

“Kathleen!” he called, but no sound came back. “She must still be out on her ride,” he said to the boys. “Thank you so much for your hard work today,” Jonathan added. “And over the last weeks. The whole farm is looking a lot better. We’ll be able to harvest soon.”

“You’ll still need us for that?” Matthew asked. “Gosh, this lemonade is good, Mr. Saunders.”

“Of course, I’ll still need you,” Jonathan said. “Though if you happen to have anyone else you know that could do with the extra work, harvesting is going to be really tough and we could do with the extra hands.”

“I’ll keep my ear to the ground, sir,” Rick said, downing the rest of his glass. “I’m pretty sure some of my friends could do with the work.”

“Glad to hear it,” Jonathan said. They really had been so good for the farm and he knew that he couldn’t have done any of it without them. It really had been a stroke of luck finding them on his first day here. They were a godsend.

“Well, we’d better get back to work,” Matthew said, getting to his feet.

Jonathan waved his hand. “Take the rest of the day off,” he said.

“You’re sure?”

“I already said you’ve worked really hard,” Jonathan said. “The last thing I want to do is work you to exhaustion. Relax this afternoon, and I’ll see you both tomorrow bright and early.”

“Thank you, sir,” Rick said with a grin.

Jonathan paid them both and sent them on their way, pouring himself another glass of lemonade and sitting out on the porch to wait for Kathleen to return from her ride with Freya. It was very unlike her to be out so late. She had gotten into the habit of going out with Freya early in the mornings before the day got too hot, and returning in time to see him come in from work around noon. It was a routine they’d started to establish without really talking about it. He liked it, the way the two of them had just fallen into a rhythm with one another. It was nice. But the fact that she wasn’t back was setting him on edge.

When he got to the bottom of his glass, it was well past noon and Kathleen was nowhere to be seen. He could feel himself getting a little worked up, the worry bubbling in the pit of his stomach.

What if she’s gotten herself lost? He thought. She doesn’t really know the area that well, all it would take was a single wrong turn and she’d find herself out in the middle of nowhere.

He got to his feet and headed over to his neighbor’s property. He’d been getting along with Bill pretty well over the past few days. Because of how accommodating he’d been when Jonathan had first shown up, he’d given Billy the first pick of the fresh vegetables he’d grown, after Kathleen of course.

“Bill!” he called as he knocked on the door. “Bill, can I ask you a favor?”

Bill appeared at the door, fresh faced with a glint in his eye. He was always so happy to see Jonathan. It was part of the reason that he’d taken such a shine to him, he didn’t seem to have a mean bone in his body.

“What can I do for you, Wayne? Those tomatoes you brought over the night before last, my wife used them in the most wonderful chili.” He licked at his lips. “I’ll give you the recipe for young Kathleen to try out, you won’t believe how wonderful it tastes.”

“Thanks, Bill, that’s so kind,” Jonathan said. “Hey, speaking of Kathleen, I don’t suppose you saw her head out on a ride this morning?”

“Yes, I did,” Bill said. “Like clockwork, ain’t she?”

“Yeah,” Jonathan smiled. “She’s not back yet and, I’ll be honest with you, I’m getting myself a little worried about her. I don’t suppose I could—"

“Borrow old Petey to go and look for her?” Bill interrupted. “Of course, you can, Wayne. He could do with a little leg stretch anyhow!”

“Thanks so much, Bill, you’re a lifesaver.”

“He’s just out in the stable, his saddle should be there, too!”

“Thanks, Bill!” Jonathan called as he headed to the stable to saddle up Petey, Bill’s old black horse. He’d normally have headed out on one of his own work horses, but they were so exhausted from what they’d done this morning he didn’t want to run them into the ground.

He hopped on the back of Petey and headed off into town. He rode around it twice, looking down the alleyways for Freya to see if Kathleen had just wandered into a store and lost track of time, or maybe gone for tea at Sybil’s, but Freya was nowhere to be seen. And now Jonathan’s heart really was pounding.

“Hey, you,” he called out to one of the men tending to the horses outside the tavern. He looked up at Jonathan curiously.

“Yeah?”

“I don’t suppose you’ve seen Kathleen come through here, have you?” he said. “Golden blonde hair, would’ve been riding on dark brown horse?”

“Sorry, Wayne,” the man said. “I’ve not seen her since last night.” The man started to laugh. “Not lost your bride already, have you, Wayne?”

Jonathan ignored the man, heading off to a different part of town. Maybe he’d missed her, maybe she was around her somewhere. How far could she have gotten?

What if she’s gotten herself hurt? He thought as he rode around on Petey, asking a few more people if they’d seen her. Nobody had. He was starting to panic. Worse, what if she’s been taken by robbers or something? She’s not accustomed to the wildness that exists out here.

Jonathan kept riding around town, eventually giving up and heading out of Bellfield. He just had to find her.

Chapter 17

Kathleen went out for her usual morning ride on Freya, still glowing from the previous night’s festivities. She looked at the ring on her finger and couldn’t help but smile, unable to ignore the little rush it gave her every time it glinted in the early morning sunlight.

Sure, it had started as her being a mail order bride but now it was starting to feel like something more, like something more real.

She had grown much closer with Freya since they moved her to the stable nearer the house. It meant that, even on a whim, Kathleen could go out and check on her and talk to her, make sure she was alright. Freya was an incredibly good listener and, luckily for Kathleen, wasn’t about to spill all of her secrets to Wayne.

As she made her way through town, she saw some of the other horses on a nearby ranch galloping around their enclosure. They were no doubt dying to get out and really try their speed on the open plains. Freya was lucky enough to have that opportunity, but Kathleen had been a little too nervous to do it.

“You want to try going fast, Freya?” Kathleen said, stroking Freya’s glossy black mane. “Let’s see how fast you can really go, girl?”

Kathleen worked her way up to a trot as she headed out of town, enjoying the feeling of going a little bit faster. Freya seemed to be enjoying it too, already picking up a little bit of speed.

“Come on, Freya, we can do better than that!” Kathleen exclaimed, kicking her heel into the side of the horse.

But it was too much.

Freya bolted.

Kathleen nearly fell from the horse as Freya fired off and out of Bellfield, her hooves pounding against the ground. She gripped the saddle as hard as she could, not wanting to let go because if she did, that would surely be the end of her.

“No!” she shouted. “No, Freya, stop!” she cried out as the horse just kept on going, not listening to her voice.

Stupid, stupid, stupid, she scolded herself as the dust kicked up behind them. She had no idea where they were going, no idea where they were going to end up, she had to get Freya to stop or she’d end up all the way back in Ohio before she knew it.

There was another town in the distance, one they were heading towards at an alarming pace. Kathleen was scared to let go of the saddle, but she needed to find a way to make her stop. If she didn’t, they’d hurtle through the town and out the other side if they didn’t crash into anything on the way through.

The thought was enough to scare Kathleen, enough to make her start trying to reach for the reins, letting go of one hand so she could try and reach for them. But they were flapping about as Freya galloped at top speed. Nothing could stop her.

Clearly, Freya was enjoying the speed. Kathleen had at least been right about one thing, she was certainly keen to get out and gallop.

Slowly, trying to keep her balance as best she could, Kathleen reached for the reins once again, only just managing to grab one and hold it tight. In one swift movement, Kathleen leaned forward and grabbed hold of the reins with both hands as they bolted into the town. She pulled as hard as she could, with all the strength that she had, pulling until Freya finally ground to a halt.

Kathleen leaned forward on the horse, out of breath, her heart pounding about as hard as Freya’s hooves had been on the dirt.

“Well, I won’t be doing that again in a hurry,” Kathleen breathed.

“Well, well, well, isn’t that quite a sight.”

Kathleen sat up straight at the sound of a voice that was all too familiar. She looked around herself at the new surroundings she had found herself in. The town was a little bigger than Bellfield, the tavern a lot grander looking, the general store with several fancy looking horses out the front. Kathleen certainly didn’t look well-dressed enough to be somewhere like this.

“Hey, daydreamer, are you listening?”

The voice again. She knew it from somewhere.

She turned around and there he was. The last person she had been expecting to see so far from Ohio. Sat on top of a jet-black horse looking like the cat that got the cream.

“Eddie?”

He was giving her that same suave smile, that one that usually made her feel totally weak at the knees but right now was just making her angry. He was the last person that she wanted to see, especially the last person that she wanted to see when things weren’t going quite so well for her.

“Hello, sugar,” he said with his usual charm. He was trying it, that was for sure.

“What on earth are you doing here?” she asked.

He trotted next to her and looked her up and down with those piercing eyes. It was so hard to believe that just a few short weeks ago, she would have longed to have Eddie look at her again. Now it was making her feel uncomfortable.

“I heard you live here now,” he said.

“Well, not here,” she said. “One town over from here. But that doesn’t answer my question, Eddie. What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to see you,” he said, reaching out a hand and tracing a finger along her arm. It sent a chill up and down her spine.

“Whatever for?” she snapped. “You abandoned me, Eddie.”

“No, that’s not what happened at all,” Eddie protested. “I was off on business. Don’t you think for a single second I’m afraid of good old Humphrey. I had things that needed taking care of.”

A likely story, Kathleen thought, though she wasn’t sure whether or not to believe him. For the longest time, she had been angry with him and now, out of absolutely nowhere, he was back. She’d just happened to run into him, what were the chances of something like that happening?

It seems pretty typical something like that would happen just as I was getting my life together, she thought bitterly. Just as she was settling down with Wayne and everything seemed to be going well, of course, Eddie would come but with the intention of absolutely ruining things for her.

“I hear you’re engaged now,” Eddie said, narrowing his eyes.

“News travels fast.”

“You didn’t wait around.”

“You gave me no reason to wait around, Eddie,” Kathleen snapped. “I wasn’t just going to sit around and wait for you for, I don’t know, forever. You just vanished off the face of the earth.”

“Of course, I’m sorry about that,” he said, turning his gaze downwards. “You’re too beautiful to be without a man.”

There was an uneasiness creeping through Kathleen. She hadn’t known what she would feel if she saw him again. A few weeks ago, she might have fallen into his arms. Now… she wasn’t so sure.

Just looking at his face was stirring those old emotions in her, it was hard to explain.

“Thank you,” she said. “For the compliments, I mean.”

“I can leave if you want,” he said suddenly. “I can just vanish again and never come close to you again. I know you’re settling down elsewhere.” He took hold of his reins as if he were about to gallop away.

“No, wait,” she said before she could stop herself.

“I truly don’t want to stand in the way of your happiness, Kathleen,” he said. “If you’ve found a good man and a good life, who am I to get in the way of all that. All I caused was drama and heartache, I’m sure you could do without that.”

Kathleen said nothing. She didn’t know what she wanted any more, just seeing his face had clouded all of her judgment. She wasn’t ready for any of this.

“I do wish to ask you a small favor,” he said. “I will be traveling for a while and I was wondering if I could leave something with you. It’s very precious to me and the value is… well… it’s so valuable that you are the only person in the world that I would trust with it. I fear traveling with it makes me a target.”

“Of course,” Kathleen said before she could even think about it. She was so used to doing what Eddie asked of her she was already falling into old patterns.

“Well, it is gold I earned from working in a mine in California,” he said. “That’s where I’ve come from, and it was hard enough to bring it all the way here,” he explained. “So, I need someone to keep it safe and, of course, I hoped—"

“Well, isn’t there a way for you to keep it safe and keep it with you?” she asked. “I don’t want to get involved in anything—"

“It is too much of a risk for me to keep hold of it,” he said, suddenly more urgent. “If anyone finds out I’m traveling with such an amount of gold, I’d be doomed, as good as dead.” He took a breath. He really did look a little less steady all of a sudden. She was so used to Eddie being calm and confident, this was a whole other side of him, and it made Kathleen feel unsure. “I really need your help,” he said.

Kathleen heaved a great sigh. How could she possibly say no to him if he was in trouble? “Fine,” she said. “Fine, whatever you need, Eddie.”

“Can we meet the day after tomorrow?”

“Eddie, I don’t—"

“Please, Kathleen, you’re my only hope,” he pleaded.

“Yes, fine,” she said.

“You’re such a doll, I’ll be in touch,” he said, taking her hand and planting a soft kiss on it. “I couldn’t resist.”

He pulled hard on the reins of his horse and galloped off into the distance, Kathleen staring after him, stunned. Had that really just happened to her? How? How had she managed to get herself mixed up in Eddie’s dealings again?

Freya neighed, breaking Kathleen from her reverie and started to lower her head to the ground. She needed to get out of there.

“No, Freya, let’s go. It is getting late,” but Freya wouldn’t move. She’d found some grass on the ground and was happily eating. She’d probably worn herself out, on top of galloping goodness knows how far with her, Kathleen sitting on her this whole time probably hadn’t helped matters.

I’ll give her a moment, Kathleen thought. Then I will make my way home.

Kathleen got off Freya and sat on the grass next to her, stroking her gently.

The poor thing must be exhausted, Kathleen thought. Stupid of me to do that to her. I hope she can forgive me.

She then found her mind wandering to Eddie. What on earth had all of that been about? What kind of trouble could he have gotten himself into? Though even Kathleen had to admit it had been nice to see him. Old habits and old routines quickly clicked back into place and she found that he struggled to resist him, even now.

So stupid, she thought. To even think of throwing all of this away for Eddie I—

There was the sound of a galloping horse and Kathleen jumped to her feet, wondering if Eddie was returning to her. But this time it was Wayne. He looked positively panicked, his eyes wide, sweat pouring down his face. He leapt off his horse and wrapped her in his arms. Kathleen found herself melting into him.

“Thank goodness you’re alright,” he breathed. “I’ve been worried sick, I was looking all over for you.”

“On a new horse?” Kathleen said, pulling out of the hug. “Where’d this come from?”

“I borrowed him when you didn’t come back from your ride,” he said. “Are you alright?”

Kathleen breathed. “Fine, yes,” she said. “I went a little too fast on Freya and I almost couldn’t stop her. It was… frightening. But she’s fine. I’m fine. All is well, she’s just… hungry.”

Wayne looked down at Freya and laughed. His entire body seemed to relax a little. Had he really been all that worried about her?

“I’m so glad,” Wayne said. “Are you sure you’re alright? You seem a little elsewhere.”

Kathleen was still feeling a little shaken having seen Eddie. It was hard to imagine him being there, given everything she had with Wayne now. It didn’t seem right.

“Wait, what’s wrong? Did you hurt yourself?”

“Oh, it’s nothing, no,” Kathleen lied. “I’m… uh…just a little dizzy. From the speed. It was a lot to take in and I wasn’t quite ready for it.”

“I could have taught you how to go faster on her, you know,” Wayne said. “All you had to do was ask. If you were galloping off to one town over, no wonder you’re feeling dizzy.”

Freya seemed to have satisfied herself on the grass. Wayne helped Kathleen back on board, ready for the two of them to go home. But even as they trotted next to each other, Wayne telling her all the places he went looking for her, she couldn’t shake Eddie out of her head.

She did her best to act as normal as possible, but it was hard to do. When they made it back home and Wayne returned the horse to Bill next door, Kathleen excused herself for the night, saying that she still felt dizzy and needed to lie down.

So, she went to her room and got in her bed, staring up at the ceiling, Eddie swirling around and around in her head.

Why now, Eddie? she thought, frustrated that she had agreed to have anything to do with him. Why did you have to show up now?

Chapter 18

There was no use denying it now, and Jonathan knew it. He was in love with Kathleen.

He hadn’t anticipated it happening so quickly, but obviously the thought of her getting hurt, of her being in trouble, was just a little too much for him. He’d worried so much about her when she had vanished and, even as they made their way home, he was struggling to get his heart to slow down. He checked every now and again that she was still there, holding onto the reins of both of their horses just in case Freya decided to bolt again.

The gesture might have been a little possessive, maybe too much so because he caught Kathleen looking every now and again, clearly not all that impressed with it, but he couldn’t take that risk of losing her. Not again.

She was a disaster. Well. That was putting it a little too strongly, but in that moment that was all he could think. How could she let something like this happen? But, then again, he liked that he got to be the one who rescued her, the one that brought her back home.

He kept looking over at her all the way home, trying to catch her gaze, trying to find the courage to finally tell her the truth.

She probably won’t like it, he thought. I’ve been lying to her for the past couple of weeks. There’s no way that could go down well. Though, when he thought about it a little more, all he’d lied about was a name. What harm could that do? So she got used to calling him Jonathan instead of Wayne.

What about your past? he thought. My past. What would she think of that?

When they made it back to the house, Kathleen quickly excused herself inside, which didn’t surprise Jonathan. She was likely exhausted from the ordeal she had been through. He wasn’t about to deny her a decent night’s rest.

But he decided to sit out on the porch and sit under an ocean of stars and think about what he was going to do next.

Tomorrow, he thought as he lay in bed. Tomorrow, I will tell her.

The following morning rolled around much quicker than Jonathan would have liked, and he struggled to get out of bed to start his day. Matthew and Rick had already started work in the fields, clearing all the wild weeds growing around the corn and clearing the paths. If they decided to go running around the corn fields late at night again, no one would be falling over, he supposed.

Jonathan still felt that sturdy resolve in his chest, that feeling that he needed to tell her who he really was. It would be the only way for them to have an honest relationship wouldn’t it? Who would want to build their marriage on a lie? With those kinds of foundations, the marriage could never last.

He headed inside to see Kathleen already up and about, clearly having shaken off her ordeal from yesterday.

“Good morning,” she chirped as he stepped into the house. “Did you sleep in?” she asked.

“Not intentionally,” he replied. “I think yesterday really took it out of me.”

Kathleen looked suddenly worried. “I’m so sorry, Wayne,” she said. “I had no idea that—"

“It’s alright, it’s alright,” he said. “All that matters is that you are okay. And you are, aren’t you? You’re not hurting or anything?”

Kathleen hesitated.

“Kathleen?”

She shook her head. “I’m fine,” she replied. “Just a little ache in my legs, that’s all. Nothing that a bit of relaxation won’t fix.” But Jonathan couldn’t help but feel there was something else. Though maybe he was just imagining it. “What are you working on today?”

“Me?” Jonathan asked. “I’m not working on anything,” he said. “I thought it might be a wonderful day for us to go for a picnic. Somewhere outside of town. There’s a beautiful spot that I know of. I’ve not been there since I moved back here, so I thought why not go and rediscover it together.”

Kathleen’s face lit up. “That sounds wonderful.” She clapped her hands together. “And Sybil has given me a recipe for some things to put in a picnic basket, let me get started on it. How exciting!”

She buzzed all the way back to the kitchen and he could hear cupboards opening and bowls being taken down. The picnic certainly seemed to be enough to take her mind off everything that had been going on. He only hoped that his news didn’t bring her down. Or put her off him altogether.

An hour or so later, they had a picnic basket together and Kathleen saddled up Freya, ready for them to head on out. Jonathan headed next door to borrow old Petey once again.

Jonathan found himself keeping a pretty close watch on Kathleen as they rode through town, but she seemed perfectly alright. What had happened to her yesterday clearly hadn’t affected her too badly. She was fine getting back on Freya and them heading out for a pretty long ride. She was obviously made of hardier stuff than Jonathan had anticipated.

They rode to the edge of town and out the other side, heading in the opposite direction to where Kathleen had gone yesterday. It was a little further out than Jonathan had gone since he’d moved back, and he was fairly sure Kathleen hadn’t come this way either. If they got lost, they’d just have to figure their way back together.

“I hope you don’t mind a bit of a climb,” Jonathan said as they reached the base of a hill near a stream. He hopped off Petey and tied him to a tree, leaving enough slack in the reins that he could get water if he needed to. “It’s a bit of a long way up.”

“I don’t mind at all,” she said. “But my legs are still hurting, so don’t you be getting cross with me if I lag behind!”

“I wouldn’t dare!” Jonathan laughed.

Kathleen followed Jonathan’s lead and got off Freya, tying her to the same tree as Petey and giving her a quick kiss on the forehead before joining him. They walked next to one another, through the overgrown bushes and trees until they found a well-trodden pathway. They walked mostly in silence, Kathleen marveling at the beauty of it all.

“What’s that?” Kathleen asked as they walked by a clearing, a clear view to the valley below. There was dust kicking up all over the ground below as cattle were being driven through it, a couple of men on horses behind keeping them in check. “What are they doing?”

“It’s a cattle drive,” Jonathan said. “You never seen a cattle drive before?”

She shook her head, open mouthed.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Jonathan said, unable to take his eyes off her.

“I’ve never seen a view quite like this before,” she said. “How high up are we?”

Jonathan shrugged. “Pretty high,” he replied. “But that’s not even the best part. Come on.”

He reached out and took hold of her hand, trying to ignore the feeling of his stomach flipping over, and started to walk a little further down the path. As they got closer, he could already hear the water rushing by, of it crashing down from the height of the waterfall and clattering into the water below. It soothed Jonathan in ways he couldn’t quite describe. He associated the sound so strongly with his childhood, with his happiest times in Bellfield.

Kathleen could hardly believe her eyes. She stared up at the waterfall, watching it as it tumbled down creating a mist that floated in a breeze and softly caressed their faces. She was beaming.

“This is incredible!” she said, raising her voice a little to be heard over the water. It had this effect of muting everything around them, he could only hear her because they stood so close to each other, close enough that he could smell her hair. “Thank you so much for bringing me here.”

“My pleasure,” Jonathan said. “Shall we?” He gestured to a flat piece of ground looking over at the water. Kathleen hurried to lay out of the blanket, immediately taking a seat on it and watching the water. She was transfixed by it, amazed by what she was seeing.

He knew she would like it. He couldn’t stop that warm feeling in his chest as he watched her enjoying the waterfall. He probably should have been looking over at it himself, but he found himself transfixed by her. In a place of natural beauty, he only had eyes for Kathleen Morrow. What did that say about him?

That you love her, he thought. That’s what it is. That’s love.

“Where did you ever find a place like this?” Kathleen said. “It looks like no one ever comes here. Like a secret hideaway.”

“My mother used to bring me here,” Jonathan said. “She loved it for that exact reason. It was a way for her to get away from things and she started bringing us here, so we didn’t disturb father while he was working. Which was fine by me. We’d play in the water, we’d laugh, we’d have so much fun.”

“I wish I grew up in a place like this,” Kathleen said.

“It was devastating when she died and my father took us away,” Jonathan said. “She was everything to me.”

“That must have been a pretty big change,” she said. “I know what that feels like, although I was much younger than you when you lost her.”

“It leaves quite the void, doesn’t it?” Jonathan said. Kathleen turned to look him right in the eyes. They stared at each other for a moment, breathing one another in. She nodded.

Jonathan took a deep breath. “There’s something I want to share with you, Kathleen,” he started. “Something about my background that—"

Kathleen gasped. “Hold that thought,” she hissed, slowly getting to her feet. “This is amazing!”

He turned to see what she was looking at and was met with the sight of a light brown deer fawn, white spots all over its back. Her eyes were wide with amazement, her smile so wide she looked a little crazed. Jonathan desperately wanted to press on and tell her the truth, he’d gotten so close. But she was having such a good time, enjoying this place he’d shown her, it was like watching a happy child discovering the world for the first time. Everything seemed to be amazing for Kathleen. It was beautiful to see everything as if through her eyes. Maybe if he could attach new memories of this place to her, it wouldn’t be so heart wrenching to come here.

She tried to get a little closer to the deer, not noticing the twig on the ground. It snapped and the deer ran off, alarmed by the sound.

“Oh no,” she grumbled. “I frightened him away.”

“Don’t you worry, there are plenty of deer in these parts, you’ll be sure to see more.”

“Okay.” She sighed. “He was beautiful, though, wasn’t he? Such a magnificent creature! So regal!”

“Yes,” Jonathan agreed.

Kathleen gasped and placed a hand on Jonathan’s arm. “I am so sorry, you were telling me something, that was rude of me.”

“Not at all,” Jonathan said. “It wasn’t anything important.”

“Come on,” Kathleen said, squeezing his arm where her hand rested. “Tell me.”

“It’s just that…” He looked at her smiling face, at the joy he had brought her by taking her here. And the last thing he wanted to do was spoil it with the ugliness of his past. “I just never had a good relationship with my father, that’s all.”

“Well, that’s one more thing we’ve got in common!” Kathleen said with a smile, leaning back on her hands and staring back at the waterfall.

They stayed there for the rest of the day, Kathleen only daring to go ankle deep into the water and making sure that Jonathan stayed clear of her after the incident when they were building the shack.

As the day wore on, they hiked back down to the horses and Kathleen really lagged behind. The day had really taken it out of her, and Jonathan wondered if perhaps she wasn’t quite as okay as she had made out before they took this trip.

“Do you want to ride with me?” Jonathan asked as he untied Petey. “It’s really no bother.”

“I’m sure I’ll be—" A yawn interrupted her. Jonathan laughed.

“Are you sure about that?” he asked.

“Okay, maybe I am tired,” she admitted. “Are you sure?”

“I wouldn’t offer if I wasn’t sure, Kathleen,” he said, reaching out a hand to her. She took it and he helped her up onto Petey. He took hold of Freya’s reins and climbed up onto Petey himself, settling in behind Kathleen for the journey home.

They had barely taken a hundred steps when Kathleen had fallen asleep, leaning back into him. He slowed the horses right down, not wanting to wake her up…or for her to fall off for that matter. It took a little longer to go back than it had taken them to get there, but Jonathan didn’t mind. She looked so peaceful it wasn’t really too much of a price to pay.

When they made it back to the house, he nudged her to wake her up. She groggily opened her eyes.

“What?” she said.

“We’re back home,” he said softly. “I need to give Petey back.”

He climbed down off the horse and helped her off too. She really was wiped out, barely able to keep her eyes open. She wandered over to the porch and sat herself down.

“I’ll just… I’ll wait for you here, okay?” she mumbled, lying down and closing her eyes once again. “We can watch the sunset together…”

Jonathan shook his head and put Freya back in her stable before taking Petey back to Bill. At least with Kathleen asleep on the porch, he had an excuse to not get stuck talking to Bill for too much longer than he needed to. He thanked him and headed back to see Kathleen out like a light once again.

“Kathleen,” he said walking over to her, bending down beside the porch swing. “Do you want me to take you to bed?”

“Mmmhmm,” she replied.

Jonathan shook his head and lifted her up into his arms, carrying her through the house and into her room. He laid her down on the bed and kissed her on the forehead before covering her up with the blanket.

“Can’t have you getting cold,” he whispered.

“No,” she replied sleepily.

He chuckled and shook his head. “Goodnight, my beauty.”

Chapter 19

Kathleen woke up with a start. She didn’t remember getting to bed. She remembered being with Wayne by the river, watching the waterfall, looking out for the deer, but she didn’t remember being taken home. But that must’ve happened because there she was in her bedroom, feeling altogether more refreshed than she had felt in a very long time.

The day truly had been wonderful, even if it had really exhausted her. The waterfall was a beautiful spot, she hoped she would be able to find it again. Actually, if she was honest with herself, she hoped she would get to go there again with Wayne. That would be wonderful.

It had felt like home, that little spot by the waterfall, a little secret place just for the two of them. And the way they had talked. Maybe it was because he was somewhere that reminded him of his childhood, but Wayne was getting more and more open with her. To talk about his mother like that was unheard of. And it made her feel a lot closer to him. They had both lived through that, they’d both survived it.

Eddie, she suddenly thought. Over the past day she had let it slip her mind. Maybe she had even managed to convince herself that it hadn’t really happened, that she’d been so delirious from being rushed to that town on Freya’s back that she had made it up. But that didn’t seem right, not at all.

He had been there alright. He’d reached out to her and asked her for some help, and she hadn’t said no. She had agreed to it.

I wonder when he’ll come to find me, she thought. Or maybe I should be the one to go and find him. I certainly don’t want him at the house. That would be awful. If everything is as urgent as he made it out, then it would surely be sooner rather than later. The thought of it made her blood run cold.

She got out of bed and headed out into the kitchen, trying to push it from her brain if she could. Sitting on the table waiting for her was a pot of coffee—no wonder the place smelled so good—and a plate of fresh fruit. There was a note too.

My sleeping beauty,

I didn’t want to wake you this morning. I hope you’re well rested.

W x

He was such a sweet and giving man. And here she was keeping secrets from him. It made her feel terrible. She took a seat at the table and ate the fruit and drank the coffee. It tasted wonderful, but she couldn’t get the feeling that she had betrayed Wayne out of her head.

I bet if I spoke to him about it, he would understand, she thought. I’m not doing any of this because I love Eddie. Quite the opposite. I want him gone.

Kathleen got herself ready and walked into town. She had to keep Eddie away from the house if she could. If she could make all of this go away, then Wayne wouldn’t even have to know. He can keep thinking she is this sweet, innocent girl rather than a woman with secrets.

“Kathleen!” Sybil’s voice pulled Kathleen out of her head. She forced a smile onto her face so Sybil wouldn’t suspect anything was wrong. “I’ve been calling your name for the last minute or so,” she added. “You looked really out of it.”

“Just…a long day yesterday,” Kathleen said. “Wayne took me up to this really romantic waterfall, we had a picnic and relaxed, it was so incredibly lovely.”

Sybil raised her eyebrows. “How very nice for you,” she said. “How about you join me for some sweet tea, and you can tell me all about it?”

“I can’t today,” Kathleen said, suddenly weary of being with Sybil right now. She didn’t want Eddie to appear while Sybil was there, that would only make things worse. Sybil was a wonderful friend, but she had a habit of speaking and there would be no guarantees that Eddie’s presence would remain a secret.

“Tomorrow, then?” Sybil asked.

“Perfect,” Kathleen replied. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Kathleen left Sybil behind and continued her slow walk through town, keeping her eyes peeled for any sign of Eddie. Back when she was in Ohio, he had this habit of managing to sneak into the most unlikely of places. He’d hide between buildings, around corners, and manage to scare her out of her wits.

She took another long walk around town but still he didn’t appear. Wayne would likely expect her home for lunch soon and, after what happened a couple of days ago, the last thing she would want him to do was worry about her again. And if she didn’t show up for lunch, that’s probably what he would do.

“You were looking for me, weren’t you?” Kathleen jumped, her hand flying to her chest. Hiding behind a building near the house, his face a little grubby, his pants a little scuffed up, was Eddie. He was grinning at her, pleased to have surprised her. How many times had she walked past this spot and not seen him?

“Well, you said you’d be in touch,” she grumbled.

“What’s wrong? Did you not miss me?”

“Quite the opposite,” Kathleen spat. “Have you just been watching me all day?” she asked. “That’s weird, Eddie.”

He shrugged. “It was fun. You look nice all dressed up.”

“I’m not dressed up for you, Eddie,” she snapped. “Do you have anything for me?”

“You mean you don’t want to stay here and talk? Catch up for old times’ sake?”

Kathleen groaned. “Eddie, I want to go home. Do you have the gold you want me to hold for you or not?”

“Oh, don’t be like that. A man must be careful with such things,” he replied. “How do I know I can trust you?”

“You already decided you could trust me to do it, Eddie, you’re playing for time,” Kathleen said, reaching out her hand. “If you have it, give it to me, if you don’t then please go away.”

She was pleased with herself being this strong in front of Eddie. He could usually talk his way out of or into anything at all. She was stopping him. She was being strong.

Eddie reached into his pocket and pulled out a cloth bag. Even as he held it, Kathleen could tell that it was weighty. He handed it to her but, as she tried to pull it towards her, he took hold of her wrist and pulled her in close. He brought her close to his face. Kathleen pushed him away.

“Eddie, no!”

“But—”

“I said, no!” she barked. “Is that all?”

“Yes, that is all. I will be back in about a month to pick it up again,” he said, frowning.

“Alright then,” Kathleen said, readjusting her dress. She was trying not to feel flustered, but she could feel the heat rising in her face. What was he thinking acting like that with her? He knew that she was getting ready to marry someone else. “I’ll keep it out of sight and safe then until your return.”

“Thank you,” he said, his face still looking a little grumpy. With a curt nod of his head, he turned on his heel and ran away.

I wish I knew what you were up to, Eddie, she thought. And I wish I knew what it was you were getting me into too.

She watched him as he vanished into the distance, climbing onto the back of that same horse and galloping off like some kind of bandit. It was enough to make her blood boil that he could just barge in and out of her life like that and she was expected to simply accept that it was how things were going to be. That wasn’t what she wanted.

But here she was, standing with a bag of gold, something that could be stolen, something that could get either her or Wayne into trouble, and she had just let it happen.

So much for being strong, Kathleen, she thought.

She pocketed the bag and walked back to the house, hoping that no one had seen her, determined to get out of sight as soon as possible and just hide this bag and forget about it.

A month, he’d said, Kathleen thought. A month and then all of this will be over, Eddie will be gone for good. Then everything will be better.

She took a deep breath and headed into the house, trying to hold her nerve. Fortunately, Wayne wasn’t there, so she hurried through the house and to her bedroom. Without thinking, she pulled the bed to one side and lifted one of the floorboards. She threw the bag inside and pulled the bed back over the top of it.

Out of sight, out of mind, she thought. The door to the house opened and closed. Out of time.

“Kathleen?” Wayne called out. “Are you here?”

Kathleen took a steadying breath. The last thing she wanted to do right now was for her nervous voice to betray her.

“Yes,” she called back. “I’m just getting dressed. I’ll be out in a moment.”

“Only just getting dressed!” Wayne called back. “I knew you were tired, but I didn’t realize you were that tired!”

Kathleen laughed. Maybe the laugh was a little too much. “I went out for a walk,” she said. “And my clothes got all dusty. Some fool with a cart driving too fast.”

“Typical!” Wayne said. “Sweet tea?”

“That would be wonderful!”

Kathleen took a seat on the bed and steadied herself. For the longest time, she had wanted Eddie. She had longed for him to be with her and be fawning over her, just like things were before he had vanished. But now she was conflicted.

Out there, pouring her a cup of sweet tea, was one of the sweetest, kindest men she had ever had the pleasure of meeting. She had come a long way with Wayne. She felt more herself than she had in years, but now she was conflicted. What if she wasn’t becoming more herself? What if she was just losing the person she was when she was with Eddie? She couldn’t remember what that person was like. She was the person who had argued with her father, who had rebelled against everything he had ever said and for what? For the sake of it.

The last thing she wanted to do was hurt Wayne. Maybe knowing that she had been to meet Eddie, an old flame no less, he wouldn’t be so understanding. Or maybe, worse than that, he would be understanding but would feel so betrayed by her that days like the one they’d had yesterday wouldn’t happen anymore.

I wish I knew what to do, she thought. There are so many things I don’t know.

Chapter 20

Kathleen appeared from the bedroom in a loose-fitting sundress, her cheeks a little red, her eyes a little misty. She certainly wasn’t quite herself, that much Jonathan could see. She was normally so lively and chatty, but now she seemed… he couldn’t quite place it. Something was missing. Like someone had come along and put out a flame inside her.

He wanted to ask her what the matter with her was and whether there was anything he could do to help, but she was normally so forthcoming about things, he didn’t want to push her. If there was something that she wanted to tell him, then she would surely tell him in due course, when the time was right for her. He just wanted her to be happy.

Maybe this is just how things are with her, he thought. One day she will be up, the next day she will be down. He remembered his mother having times like that. Heck, he even remembered his father having times like that. No human was perfect after all.

“Here’s your sweet tea,” he said, handing her a glass.

She forced a smile onto her face and took a long sip followed by a heaving sigh. “Thank you,” she replied. “I really did sleep well last night,” she added. “Thank you for putting me to bed.”

He smiled. “My pleasure,” he replied. “I couldn’t very well leave you sleeping outside on the porch.”

“I fell asleep on the porch?!” she repeated. “Goodness. I knew that was a long hike, but I didn’t know it had taken all of that out of me.”

“Well you’d spent the whole day in the sun,” Jonathan shrugged. “It does different things to different people.”

“It seems to light you up rather than wear you out,” Kathleen said. “You always come in from the fields with a big smile on your face.”

“That’s because I have someone to come home to,” he said, immediately regretting how forward it was. “I mean… it’s just that you’re here and I like… well… you’re very nice to spend time with and—"

“I understand, Wayne, you’re very sweet,” she said with a smile. There was still something missing though, something he wished he could put his finger on. He shook it from his mind. There was no use in dwelling on such things.

“I have some good news,” he said, taking her hand and leading her to the table. She took a seat across from him. “The apple trees are about ready to be picked. So long as people want to buy them, this will be my first profitable harvest.”

“Oh, Wayne, that’s such wonderful news.”

“I was thinking of having a small festival and selling the apples fresh off the trees,” Jonathan said, her lack of enthusiasm was giving him pause. “Can’t get much fresher than that. What do you think?”

“I like it,” she said. “When would you like that done?”

“I was thinking the day after tomorrow,” he said. “We need to fertilize the corn tomorrow for the last time before harvest. So many things to do, so little time.”

“Alright then. I can make a few things if you like and set up the tables outside,” she said.

“Thank you, Kathleen, that would be wonderful,” he replied, trying to give her a jolt of enthusiasm but nothing came back but a weak smile. He started to become a little worried. “Are you feeling well?”

“Yes,” she replied a little stiffly. “I think it must be exhaustion from too much sun exposure, like you said. I’m still getting over it.”

“Ah, I see, yes, that is probably it,” he replied, though he wasn’t totally convinced. The silence pushed its way between them. Without Jonathan talking, Kathleen had nothing to say back. She just sat there looking sad. He finished his tea and stood up. “Well, I had better go and inform the townspeople about the apple harvest,” he said. “Do we need anything?”

“Nothing,” Kathleen replied, offering him a weak smile. “Have a wonderful time.”

“I’m sure I will,” he said, walking over to her and kissing her on the forehead. “I’ll be back soon.”

He took himself from the house, unable to keep the sullenness of Kathleen out of his head. She had been sad before or a little downbeat, but this was so much more than that. He started to wonder if he had done something wrong, something that might have upset her in some way. Perhaps the coffee he’d made her wasn’t quite right, or had he left a mess when he’d made the fruit that morning. He didn’t think he had. And it seemed to be a lot deeper than that, he could see that much.

But Jonathan had to shake it from his head, trying to give off the air of someone who was excited about his apple harvest rather than someone who was worried about their bride-to-be. He needed the townspeople to be excited for the apples, he needed them to want to buy them just as much as he wanted to sell them, otherwise his entire venture working on the farm could come to nothing.

He started at the general store, checking in with some of the store clerks and letting them know about it. He even got a chance to speak to the manager, a man he used to play with as a boy when he lived here with his mother and father. Jonathan was surprised to see that he was still around after all these years.

“Well, well, well, look who it is out among the townspeople.” The sound of Sybil’s voice startled Jonathan so much that it took him a moment to right himself. “Goodness me, I seem to be doing that to both of you today, what’s gotten into you guys?”

“I’m sorry?”

“Oh, don’t apologize to me dear, I just mean Kathleen,” Sybil said. “She seemed a little skittish when I saw her earlier today. She practically leapt out of her skin when I spoke to her and then just seemed a little out of sorts. I couldn’t quite put my finger on what it was, but what can you do, huh?”

“Did she talk to you about it?” Jonathan asked.

“Excuse me?”

“Kathleen,” Jonathan said. “Did she tell you why she was feeling like that or give you any indication as to why she might have been a little out of sorts?”

Sybil shook her head. “I’m sorry, no she didn’t my dear, why?”

“Well, she seemed a little out of sorts when I saw her today too,” he said. “And then I told her about the festival, and she seemed… I don’t know. She is usually excited about things like that.”

“I’m sorry I can’t help you, Mr. Saunders, she’s said nothing to me,” Sybil said.

Jonathan sighed. “Oh well. I was just hoping that she had someone to speak to if she wasn’t speaking to me about it.”

“Oh dear, Mr. Saunders, that’s no way to be,” Sybil said with a smile. “I’m sure she’s just been having a bad day. You’ll blink and everything will be back to normal and she’ll be looking up at you with those big, wide, loveable eyes and you’ll have forgotten about it all.”

Jonathan smiled. “Thank you, Sybil, I really appreciate that.”

“In the meantime,” Sybil said. “If she happens to tell me anything, I’ll be sure to look after her okay?”

“You’re a very good friend to her Sybil, I do appreciate it.”

Sybil shrugged. “I’m just being a good person, Mr. Saunders,” she said. “My mother always taught me to be kind to people, so I’m making sure to be kind to Kathleen. She really seemed like she needed it when she first got here.” She paused. “So, what was this I heard about apples?”

“Oh!” Jonathan said. “Yes, the apple trees on my farm are ready for picking and I thought it would be good to turn it into a little festival, seeing as I missed the last one.”

“Because of the fertilizer?” Sybil asked, wrinkling her nose.

Jonathan flushed. “Something like that, yes.”

“Do you want me to spread the word?” Sybil asked. “I know practically everyone. We’ll really make it a festival to remember.”

“That would be great, thank you, Sybil.”

“What did I say about kindness, eh?” she said. “It’s all I’m trying to do, Mr. Saunders. And my husband and I will be along at… what time does it start?”

“Noon.”

“My husband and I will be along at 11:30 to make sure the food is good and to get first dibs on the apples.”

“Sybil—"

“Only fair, I’m doing your marketing!” she crowed, laughing to herself. “I’ll see you the day after tomorrow. Goodbye, Mr. Saunders.”

“Goodbye, Sybil.” Jonathan shook his head. She really was quite a character. He was finally beginning to understand why Kathleen liked her so much. Though it was slightly comforting to know that Kathleen had been feeling this way earlier on today. It certainly made him feel a little better knowing that it wasn’t entirely his fault that she was upset.

He spent a little more time in town, stopping by at various people’s houses to let them know about the festival, more than happy to let Sybil deal with letting everybody else now. It made him smile how happy everybody seemed to be to see him, greeting him with smiles and waves, welcoming him in for sweet tea or offering him baked goods. He was accepted here. It was nice.

He couldn’t imagine what things would have been like if he’d come back as Jonathan rather than as Wayne. He certainly didn’t think that the folks at the general store would have been quite so nice to him. He wouldn’t have had Kathleen, that was for sure. And he’d have no way of making money, no way to show that he was a just and honorable man. It was amazing how much going to prison could have held him back. What hope was there for anybody who got out of prison?

But the people of Bellfield liked him as Wayne. No judgement, no reputation, no difference. He was treated as an equal. And in being treated as an equal, he was their friend and they were willing to buy things from his upcoming business. Things were going to be alright. It was all coming together.

When he returned home, he saw that Kathleen was out at the stable with Freya. She’d gotten her out and was brushing her, humming softly to her as she did so. Freya seemed to be enjoying it, taking great pleasure in being made a fuss over and Kathleen seemed a little brighter than she was earlier.

Freya licked Kathleen’s face, which made her laugh a little. It traveled over to Jonathan on the breeze and tickled at his ears. It was such a wonderful laugh. It made him feel lighter than air and it reminded him of the playfulness they had shared when they had been building the stable together, the incident with the buckets of water.

He couldn’t keep the smile off his face as he thought about it, remembering Kathleen’s riotous laughter. He hoped that would come back. This was the saddest he had seen her, and he hoped that it wasn’t permanent.

Maybe it is just the weather, he thought to himself. Kathleen said it was the weather so what reason do you have to not believe her?

But even with that being said, there was something going on that he couldn’t quite place. She seemed unsteady on her feet, unsure, and the quietness was what was driving him to distraction.

I hope we can get back to that happiness we had before, he thought, but then suddenly realised what he’d thought. This whole situation had thrown him off balance and made him feel uncertain. He hoped that Kathleen wasn’t having second thoughts about him.

Chapter 21

Kathleen still couldn’t get Eddie out of her head. No matter how hard she tried, he was right there, and she couldn’t help but feel that every minute that she kept it from Wayne was another minute she was betraying him. And the more she did that, the worse it got. The longer she kept this from him, surely the worse the whole situation would be when he found out.

Because he would eventually find out. That was the thing about secrets, they were never kept for too long.

But what am I doing wrong? Kathleen thought as she got ready for her day. I’ve not done anything wrong at all, Eddie is just a man. Of course, he is a man that I used to love and used to want to spend the rest of my life with, but things have changed. I have not done anything with Eddie more than meeting him. He was a friend before I fell for him.

She started to wonder if she could ever be with Eddie again.

No. She shook her head violently. There was just no way she could put herself through that. Eddie had been awful to her and she had to remember that. Of course, he was incredibly charming and had quite a way with words, but that aside, he had been monstrous to her while they had been together.

And then when you compare him to Wayne, there is really no comparison, she thought. Wayne was in an entirely different league to Eddie. Where Eddie was young and impulsive, Wayne was wise and thoughtful. Where Eddie was reckless and cruel, Wayne had shown her nothing but kindness. He had a fire in him, which she thought was essential for any man she was with, but that fire was under control in a way that Eddie’s certainly wasn’t.

Wayne had never made her cry, never made fun of her, never treated her badly, all he ever wanted to do was make her happy and make sure she was safe. And that’s all she could foresee him ever wanting for her.

Kathleen got herself together and headed over to Sybil’s house for sweet tea as she had promised. Sybil answered the door and took Kathleen straight through to the beautiful garden where they sat and soaked up the sun together.

“So, an apple festival,” Sybil said after a time. “That’s incredibly exciting for your Wayne. He’s been waiting for that farm to start earning its keep for a few weeks now, he must be thrilled.”

“Thrilled beyond measure,” Kathleen replied. “He really is quite happy about it. He’s not one for socializing, as you know, but he wanted to have a festival. Isn’t that wonderful?”

“Does he know that you think it’s wonderful, Kathleen?” Sybil asked.

Kathleen blinked. “What do you mean?”

Sybil sighed. “I bumped into Wayne in town yesterday. He was going around all excited telling people about the apple harvest happening tomorrow.”

“Did he really seem excited?” Kathleen said. “That’s wonderful.”

“Well, he was excited, yes, but he wanted you to be excited too,” she said. “I’m not trying to tell you how to be as a wife, Kathleen—"

“Aren’t you?”

Sybil put her drink down and took a deep breath. “Kathleen, this isn’t an attack. I am just asking you if you’re okay. You seemed a little out of sorts with me when I saw you in town the other day, and now I bump into Wayne and he’s worried about you,” she said. “I’m not saying any of this because I’m angry or annoyed with you. I’m just asking if you’re alright.”

Kathleen considered what would happen if she told Sybil about what had happened with Eddie. Of course, Kathleen had already decided that what had happened with Eddie wasn’t a problem at all and that Wayne had nothing to worry about, but Sybil would probably turn it into something to worry about wouldn’t she?

Would she? Kathleen thought, looking over at the woman that she would probably call her best friend at this point. All she seemed to be doing was looking out for Kathleen. She didn’t seem to want to harm her in any way. If she told her about Eddie would she tell Wayne?

She would tell you not to see him again.

And Kathleen didn’t know if that was the right thing to do.

I only have to see him one more time and then all of this will be over, she thought. I just need to stop thinking about him, stop letting him make me sad like he used to do all the time.

She straightened up and looked at Sybil.

“I’m really sorry, Sybil,” she said. “It’s been a strange couple of days, that’s for sure. I’ve felt out of sorts after what happened with Freya and—"

“What happened with Freya?”

“Oh my goodness, I’ve not even told you,” Kathleen said, launching into the story of Freya bolting and galloping her all the way over to the next town and Wayne coming along to save the day. “So that already had me feeling a little shaky, and then there was everything that happened at the waterfall—"

“What happened at the waterfall?” Sybil asked.

“Oh, no, nothing like that,” Kathleen said. “It was such a long day and a long hike, and the heat really got to me. You saw what I was like yesterday, I was so lightheaded and had no idea what was happening around me. I certainly shouldn’t have been out of the house, that much I know. I should have been resting.”

“But you’re feeling better now?” Sybil asked.

“I am,” Kathleen said. “I just feel bad for how things are with Wayne, the last thing that I want him to do is worry about me,” she added.

Sybil looked at her carefully. Kathleen wasn’t sure if she could see through everything that she was saying. She was alright with herself, of course she was. But with Eddie in the picture, it made things complicated. She had no idea what was going to happen and, more than anything else, she longed for it to be over.

“You’re sure there is nothing else you want to talk about, Kathleen?” Sybil said. “Nothing on your mind? If something has happened with Wayne—"

“Nothing has happened with Wayne,” Kathleen laughed. “He is being nothing but wonderful to me. It’s great. I think with the exhaustion of the last couple of days and then looking after a house as well, I’m still trying to adjust. I will get the hang of it eventually. I may not be an angel in the house like you quite yet, Sybil, but I will get there.”

Sybil snorted. “Angel? Oh, honey, I’m no angel,” she said. “But that’s the spirit. That’s the kind of attitude that is needed. Now, what kind of things was it that you wanted for the festival, I want to make sure that it is right.”

Kathleen went through a list of things she wanted Sybil’s help making. She wanted to have a range of apple pastries as well as some savory food for everyone to have. They would be making money off the apples, of course, but it would be good if they could make a little more from the food she was selling too. And given how good of a cook she had gotten since Sybil had started teaching her, Kathleen didn’t have a problem with the idea of selling her wares.

When they had finished their tea, they spent the rest of the day in the kitchen together, getting things prepared that Sybil could bring along with her and that Kathleen could take him to store there. This festival was going to be a hit. Kathleen would work hard to make sure of it.

* * *

Kathleen awoke early on the morning of the festival, knowing that she only had a couple of hours before people would start arriving. She had spent a little time with Wayne the evening before, determined to not let him see that there were things bothering her. She didn’t want him to be suspicious because if he was suspicious maybe he would go looking for things. And if he was looking, he might find Eddie along the way.

They sat out on the porch until it was dark, drinking sweet tea and talking until her voice was a little hoarse. It had been delightful. It was one of the traditions they had established that she was glad had stuck around for. She enjoyed him greatly.

But the morning of the festival was all about business. She made Wayne breakfast and sent him out onto the fields to get everything ready before she started cooking. She’d made a big chili pot, and the pastries they had made yesterday smelled so delicious she couldn’t resist trying one.

I really have gotten good at this, she thought as she swallowed her mouthful.

“Eating the product!” Sybil exclaimed as she walked into the kitchen. “You’re not going to turn a profit if your produce ends up being eaten by you.”

“But Sybil, you have to try this,” Kathleen said, handing her the rest of the pastry.

Sybil took a dainty bite, her eyes rolling into the back of her head before she took another, and another, finishing the whole thing. “I don’t know what I have left to teach you,” Sybil said. “That was delicious.”

The two of them got to work on preparing the front yard for their guests. They put out long tables, putting old sheets on them to act as tablecloths, setting out chairs and barrels for people to sit on. They even grabbed a couple of bales of hay to put to one side. If anything, they were overprepared for the amount of people arriving.

“Better to have too many places to sit than none at all,” Sybil said.

They then set up a little stall on the porch where they could sell bowls of chili and their pastries, and Kathleen could feel herself getting excited. It was enough of a distraction that she’d hardly thought about Eddie all day.

She was ready for this festival and she couldn’t wait to see Wayne’s happiness drawn on his face.

Chapter 22

Jonathan was feeling incredibly nervous when he woke up on the morning of the festival. He’d worked his fingers to the bone in the fields that morning, helping with the last of the weeding around the corn fields, determined to keep his brain busy.

Kathleen had seemed a little better over the past day or so. He’d enjoyed sitting outside with her like they used to, and he’d certainly enjoyed the pastries she had made for the festival. He’d taken one before he’d left the house that morning and the townsfolk really were in for a treat.

Every now and then, though, he noticed her looking off into the distance and that strange sort of sadness would appear once again. She was keeping something from him. He was hardly one to talk given the secret he was keeping from her, but as far as he was concerned, he was keeping it a little better than she did. And he’d at least tried to tell her what was happening before the deer had interrupted them.

What about since then? he thought, quickly reasoning with himself that he had been busy with the farm and with harvesting the apples. That’s what it was. Right?

He returned home to see that Sybil and Kathleen had made the entire place look fantastic. They’d set out more than enough tables and chairs for everybody, they’d got a whole stall of food ready for them and baskets upon baskets for people to come and pick their own apples, should they so wish.

They’d even gone so far as to hang up bunting along the front of the house and across the fence posts. It looked magnificent. Jonathan thought it would give the festival in town a run for its money, that much was for sure.

The townspeople started arriving around noon. Sybil had already been down to the fields and taken her fair share of apples and now the rest was for everybody else. He watched as people’s faces marveled at how the house looked, at the way Kathleen and Sybil had decorated the front yard. Kathleen stood there and greeted people as they arrived, being as sweet as possible but still lacking that usual energy. It was like she wasn’t really there at all.

But he didn’t have time to let it worry him because there were so many people coming and only he, Rick and Matthew to help them out. He went with the townspeople to the fields. They formed an orderly queue and waited until one of them was free to serve, handing baskets of freshly picked apples to each of their waiting customers. When they had their basketful, they all headed back to his front yard where they ate the food Kathleen and Sybil had cooked up and gathered.

It was a strange sight to see. Jonathan hadn’t anticipated that when he returned to this house that it would be he that made it so alive with activity again. He thought about the harvest, he thought about the farm and the possibility of making money, an honest living, but he hadn’t thought about the possibility of building a community. That seemed to be a by-product of all those other things. He certainly had Kathleen to thank for things like that. If she hadn’t pushed him out of his comfort zone to do things and meet with people, half of the crowd wouldn’t have shown up.

While people congregated and ate Kathleen’s food, Jonathan, Rick and Matthew went back to the fields and collected the last of the apples. He would try to sell these to the neighboring towns, maybe even traveling around with them in the wagon to see if anyone would take them off his hands. It truly was a big harvest; he hadn’t been expecting so much. It was wonderful. He couldn’t help but wonder what his dad would say if he could see all of this now.

He would be amazed, Jonathan thought. There was nothing else to be but amazed.

They returned to the front yard with all the baskets in tow and were met with wild applause from the townsfolk. A few people had been so eager to try the apples that they were eating them there and then, enjoying them as a dessert for their chili. Which Jonathan found to be quite bizarre when there were pastries on offer.

Jonathan smiled and walked through the people, thanking them as he went past, shaking hands, actually enjoying another moment of acceptance by this town.

“You know, I’d love to try that chili,” Jonathan said as he approached Kathleen’s table. “I’ve heard it’s exquisite.”

“Exquisite?” she repeated. “Well I doubt anyone here would use a word like exquisite, but it’s certainly passable. Do you have the money to pay for it?”

“Don’t I get a friends and family discount?”

Kathleen laughed and scooped him out a bowl of the chili. It really did smell fantastic. She had become quite the cook.

“Congratulations on your successful harvest,” Kathleen said as she handed him the bowl. “But you know they’re going to be expecting one of these every time you have a harvest now.”

“Well we might just have to give the people what they want.”

“I’m going to need a bigger kitchen.”

“Then we’ll have to sell enough apples to get you a bigger kitchen,” he said, taking a mouthful of the chili. It warmed him. He hadn’t realized how hungry he was until he took that bite. He’d been so nervous about the townspeople coming to the farm that he’d hardly eaten all day. “This really is good.”

“She learned from the best,” Sybil called over, which made Kathleen laugh.

“Thank you for everything you’ve done to make this a success, Kathleen,” he said.

“Oh stop,” she said. “This is all you. I just made some food.”

“No, Kathleen, I mean it,” he said. “I appreciate you.”

She looked a little taken aback, like she hadn’t expected him to say something so sweet to her. He was trying to be more forthcoming with her, tell her how he really felt.

“I appreciate you too, Wayne,” she said. “Hugely.”

“Is this seat up here taken?” he asked, gesturing towards the porch swing.

“Oh, don’t sit up here, Wayne,” she said. “Go down and spend it with all of your new friends. I’m sure they’re dying to tell you how wonderful your apples are.”

“They can tell me another time,” Jonathan said. “You want to come sit by me?”

Kathleen grinned. “Alright then,” she said. “Maybe just for a little while.”

Every now and again, Kathleen would have to stand up and serve somebody some chili or take their money for one of the pastries they had bought but, for the most part, they were allowed to just sit and watch everybody having fun, talking and laughing and joking with one another as the sun set.

As Jonathan scanned the crowd, he recognized most of the people there. Bill from next door had popped by, even the guy who had sold him the dud fertilizer had come along, but Jonathan didn’t mind. They were buying his apples, they were eating his bride’s-to-be food, everything was going perfectly.

Then he caught sight of a group of men he hadn’t seen before. They were dressed head to toe in black and looked pretty smart, Jonathan had to say, immediately making them stand out from the rest of the crowds. They were looking at everybody carefully, walking between the tables, sizing everybody up.

Where did they come from? he thought.

He didn’t claim to know everybody in town, not by a long way, but he thought he might at least recognize them. But Jonathan was pretty certain he hadn’t seen them around before.

They walked towards the house, heading towards the table and eyeing up the food. Jonathan moved to stand up but Kathleen told him to stay where he was.

“You’ve worked really hard today, Wayne, let me deal with them,” she said. “They’re probably just travelers and are hungry or something.”

She walked over to them, smiling at them sweetly and gesturing to the food. He couldn’t quite make out what they were saying but not a single one of them cracked a smile. It set Jonathan on edge. The last thing he wanted to do right now was cause a scene with these fellas.

I hope they ain’t here to cause any trouble, he thought.

But, as quickly as they had come, they had gone. Kathleen shrugged and headed back over to Jonathan, taking her seat next to him and snuggling into the crook of his arm.

“What did they want?” he asked. “They didn’t take any food.”

“Maybe they don’t like chili,” Kathleen said with a chuckle. “They just wanted to know who lived here, that’s all.”

“And did you tell them?”

“Of course,” she said. “They were looking for the Robinsons. Do you know any?”

Jonathan shook his head. “I don’t think there are any Robinsons in town.”

Kathleen shrugged. “Then they must have the wrong place.”

“Must be,” Jonathan said.

As the night wore on, people started heading home, thanking Jonathan again for the apples and Kathleen for the wonderful food. They didn’t have a huge amount of apple baskets left, some of the townspeople who had already started eating theirs deciding that they were just too delicious to leave behind. It was a compliment Jonathan was happy to take.

“It’s alright, Sybil, you’ve done so much already,” Jonathan said as Sybil started to clear the bowls away.

“I don’t mind.”

“Sybil,” Kathleen said. “You already helped me cook, what kind of hostess would I be if I made you clean too?”

“One that should be paying me an hourly rate!” Sybil called. “You sure you can finish up on your own? Howard is getting a little moody.” She gestured over to Howard who was sat to one side staring off into the middle distance looking bored. Jonathan had to stop himself from laughing.

“We’ll be fine,” Kathleen said. “You get yourself home.”

“Well then, good night to you both,” Sybil said, curtseying before heading over to Howard and taking him out of the front yard. Peace had returned to their little front yard and Jonathan was incredibly grateful to have Kathleen at his side in that moment.

“I think we did quite well tonight,” he said. “Better than I could’ve hoped.” And he meant it too. He hadn’t expected the townsfolk to be so supportive. He felt so grateful that they’d come out for him today.

“And the food went down a treat,” Kathleen said. “Not a pastry to be seen but plenty of chili. We’ll be eating it for the next week.”

Jonathan shrugged. “Not so bad, it was delicious.”

She grinned. “You’re too kind!”

“Hey,” Jonathan said, reaching into his pocket. “I saved you an apple.” He handed it to her, all green and shiny in the moonlight.

“Just one?” she teased.

“You wanted a whole tree?”

“Perhaps.” She laughed.

They cleared up together, taking everything inside, returning the hay bales to the disgruntled horses. They were happy that everyone had gone away, and they could finally get some peace and quiet.

When they had finished, the two of them once again found themselves sitting on the porch swing. It was strange looking at the front yard from this vantage point now it was all clear. How quickly Jonathan had gotten used to having it full of people. Maybe he would put on another festival at the next harvest. If it was anywhere near as successful as this one, they would certainly be doing alright.

“That was a wonderful experience,” Kathleen said. “I will admit, I was a little worried about the food. If that was bad, they wouldn’t have stuck around for so long. Maybe they wouldn’t have bought more apples.”

“Well it’s lucky Sybil has taught you so well,” Jonathan said. “It really was fun wasn’t it?”

“Great fun.”

“Though those men that came looking for the Robinsons did you say? They did strike me as a little odd,” he said. They seemed so out of place here and they didn’t seem to know anybody so what on earth were they doing in Bellfield? “Did you think it was odd?”

Kathleen shook her head. “Maybe it’s a big town thing,” she said. “But in Ohio, people would come from all over. If they were lost, they’d just head to the nearest gathering of people and see what was what? Maybe they thought they were somewhere else.”

“Maybe.”

“And they certainly couldn’t have found anybody to talk to in town because you had enticed everyone here with the promise of good food, good company and more apples than anyone could possibly eat in a lifetime,” she teased.

“Are you making fun of me?” he asked.

“I might be,” she said. “You just worry a lot.”

“I want us to be safe,” he said. “That’s all.” He took a deep breath. “Anyway, I imagine you’re right, just a case of wrong place, wrong time, wrong family name.”

Though he still couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.

Chapter 23

The following day brought Kathleen a brand-new demeanor. The worries she’d had the day before about Eddie had been washed away by the festival, by the kindness of all the people who lived in Bellfield. She hadn’t expected so many people to come, she certainly hadn’t expected so many people to compliment her on her cooking, but it made her feel better.

And then there was Wayne. He was continuing to be so kind to her even though Sybil had pointed out she’d been a little off with him. Things had calmed down in her brain now. It was incredible how just the smallest bit of contact with Eddie was enough to send her spiraling. Now she was far enough apart from him, it was like nothing had happened at all.

Thank goodness, she thought to herself as she got out of bed. She prepared her usual breakfast that she had with Wayne who was equally thrilled at how well the feast had gone, though it seemed to have affected him a little more than it had her.

“I’m sorry I keep yawning,” he said through another yawn. “It was such hard work getting all of the apples picked and sold. I was amazed at how well we did.”

“Better than I could have imagined,” Kathleen said cheerily. “You’ll have to recover in time for the next harvest, you know they’ll expect you to do it again.”

Wayne sighed and rolled his eyes. “Don’t I know it.” But he couldn’t keep the smile off his face when he said it. That was something that they had in common.

More than anything else, the two of them were determined to fit in, to be accepted, and the festival last night had gone a long way to making them both feel that way, Kathleen could definitely see it. “What are you up to today?” he asked.

“I am going to go and meet Sybil,” Kathleen said. “There were some pastries left over from last night, so I thought I would take some over and thank her again for all of her help.”

“A wonderful idea,” Wayne said. “If you feel like taking another basket of apples over, we have plenty to spare.”

Kathleen shrugged. “I can’t see her saying no to that. She’s probably expecting a bushel as payment for the work she did.”

Wayne headed out onto the fields shortly after that and Kathleen cleared up the kitchen, a little routine they’d gotten themselves into. She didn’t mind it. It made her feel a little more like the place was hers as well as Wayne’s. She knew where everything was, where everything needed to go, and it made her calm to have the kitchen clean once again.

She got herself ready and headed out to go and meet Sybil, a basket of apples hung over the crook of her arm, the remaining pastries placed neatly on top beneath a blanket. She waved at people as she walked, greeting them like old friends, many of whom she recognized from the festival the previous night.

It warmed her heart to have people responding to her in this way. Back in Ohio, she’d been so used to people crossing the street when they saw her coming or doing anything and everything in their power to avoid her gaze when she approached. It was like she truly had turned over a new page and started a new life here.

Thoughts of Millie suddenly sprung into her head, her near and dear friend who she’d hardly had a chance to even think of since she had arrived in Bellfield.

How cruel of me to never have written to her, she thought as she walked. We were the best of friends when I was back in Ohio and now look at me, carrying on with Sybil like she’s my only friend in the world. She made a promise to herself to write to Millie as soon as she got back to the house. She couldn’t believe she had been so thoughtless.

Thoughts of Ohio obviously brought her father to the front of her mind, but she wasn’t so worried about that. He had been in contact and she had informed him that she was safe, that was about as much as she could have offered him at the time. Kathleen and Wayne hadn’t discussed anything more to do with wedding dates since the big engagement, so she didn’t have any news.

Why bother writing to him with no news? she thought. Though even she knew that was a tenuous excuse to not be writing to her father.

She knocked on Sybil’s door and she greeted her with a wide smile and a hug. The smile got wider when she saw what Kathleen had brought with her.

“Aha, the rest of my payment I see,” Sybil said with a grin, rubbing her hands together. “And are those pastries I smell there?”

“Well it hardly seemed fair for me to sit in the house and eat them all by myself,” Kathleen said. “And I wanted to take a moment to say thank you for everything you did for me yesterday, well, everything you’ve done for me since I arrived.”

“What are you talking about, Kathleen?”

“I’ve never been so accepted before, Sybil,” Kathleen said. “I was walking through town just now and everyone was being so kind to me. There were people smiling, waving at me, a few even asked if we had any more apples available for sale. It really was wonderful.”

“You’re obviously a good businesswoman.”

“You’re obviously an exceedingly good friend,” Kathleen said. “So, thank you.”

Sybil looked like she was getting a little misty-eyed, a side of her that Kathleen certainly hadn’t seen before. She quickly sniffed and brought her handkerchief to her eye, determined to not let a single tear fall.

“Now, now, look at me getting all emotional,” Sybil said. “Can’t have that now. Come on through, the tea is already on and those pastries are calling my name.”

They spent the rest of the morning talking about anything and everything as they ate and drank. Sybil talked a little of Howard and how he’d managed to get himself into one of his moods last night.

“He always gets a little like that when I’m not paying him enough attention,” Sybil said, lowering her voice. Kathleen assumed Howard was in the house somewhere. “So, I had to get him out of there. You understand?”

“Of course,” Kathleen said.

And it wasn’t long before Kathleen had to head on home to get lunch ready for Wayne. She said her goodbyes to Sybil, thanking her once again for all that she had done, Sybil once again brushing the thanks off as if they were nothing when, to Kathleen, they were everything.

Kathleen walked back out into the town and took the long route back, enjoying the sights and sounds of everybody bustling around, relishing in people calling her name and waving “hello.”

I wonder if this novelty will ever wear off, she thought, not truly imagining it ever could.

And then she stopped dead in her tracks. They were stood up by the general store wearing what appeared to be the same dark clothes they had been wearing the day before, each and everyone one of them looking altogether more angry and irritable than they had been last night.

Those three men, Kathleen thought. It made her feel uneasy when she saw them, a little jab in the pit of her stomach telling her that something wasn’t right. It was a feeling that she’d had last night, one that Wayne had shared but she didn’t want to dwell on it for too long. They were having such a nice evening; she didn’t want him getting all upset about some strangers.

But they were watching everybody incredibly carefully, every single person who walked out of the general store was getting the once over and it was setting Kathleen on edge.

What if Wayne had been right after all? she thought. What if they were looking for someone that maybe wasn’t who they said it was. If there were no Robinsons here, maybe it was all a cover.

Kathleen quickly turned on her heel and started back towards the house at double speed, not wanting to be near them for another moment for fear that they would recognize her and start asking questions again.

As she walked, she looked over her shoulder, seeing a flash of black clothing in her periphery. Her breath caught in her chest and she picked up the pace, the dust kicking up around her as she walked. She was hardly being inconspicuous, but she just wanted to get away from them. Had they recognized her? Were they following her?

She kept walking as quickly as she could, refusing to look back again, trying not to let her mind run wild with why on earth they could be following her.

You’re just imagining it, she thought. But she didn’t slow her pace. She didn’t turn around again until she made it to the gate of the house. With a heavy breath, she turned back to see that the path behind her was empty. Perhaps she had imagined it, but she was not so certain.

Steadily, she took herself through the gate and up the path to the house. She had really managed to scare herself. Maybe it was Wayne’s words echoing in her head from the previous day, or maybe just her overactive imagination, but she had been so sure they were following her. Maybe they had changed their mind when they’d seen her pick up the pace. It was hard to tell.

Kathleen started to wonder if they were here for Eddie. It had been sitting in the back of her head that maybe it was why they were here; he’d said that he would be in trouble for carrying around that amount of gold. Maybe they had heard that he was near this town and they were looking for him here.

Cautiously, she made her way through the house, drawing the curtains as she went until she made it into her bedroom. She moved the bed and pulled up the floorboard to check that the gold was still there. She hadn’t dreamed it, Eddie had given her this pile of gold to look after and maybe, just maybe, that’s what these awful looking men were here for.

Maybe I’m in a little more danger than I first thought, she thought. Kathleen had quite enjoyed not having Eddie on her mind all day but, as usual, he pushed his way back in. She shook her head and put the gold back into its hiding place.

No one other than her knew where the gold was being kept and, as far as she knew, Eddie hadn’t spilled to anyone that he had given it to her. Not that he would have any reason to. Unless he was in trouble.

Kathleen shook her head. No, Kathleen, she scolded herself. Now is not the time to be thinking about him. If he’s in trouble, it’s trouble he has found himself. But she was part of it now. That much she couldn’t deny.

Maybe the best thing for her to do after all would be to tell Wayne about the gold and about what had happened with the men, and her suspicions. But that would surely mean she would have to bring up Eddie and that was the last thing she wanted to do.

She hadn’t wanted to tell him about Eddie in the first place because she hadn’t wanted to upset him, but now, surely, she was in a position of maybe being in trouble. The last thing she wanted to do was drag him into it too but what if something happened?

Kathleen spent the rest of the day feeling worried and desperately trying to hide it from Wayne. She didn’t want him suspecting anything. She would figure this out on her own. She just had to.

Chapter 24

Jonathan awoke early the following morning, surprised to see Kathleen already up and about as he walked past the window towards the fields. He had some errands to run in town and, originally, had intended to head in early by himself, but figured there was no harm in asking her if she wanted to accompany him. Everything had been so busy in the run up to the harvest, they hadn’t really spent a day together since their time at the waterfall. And everything seemed to have gone a little more back to normal now. He was less worried.

He knocked on the door and, as he stepped inside, Kathleen appeared at the door to the kitchen.

“Good morning, early bird,” he said.

“Chirp, chirp,” she replied. “Coffee?”

“Please!”

She poured him a steaming cup of coffee and one for herself.

“Come outside with me?” he asked.

“Of course,” she replied, following him to the door.

They sat down on the porch swing, taking up their usual spots. The morning was cold, that sort of bright freshness that Jonathan really enjoyed. It made him feel a little more alive than the mornings where the air was already stifling before the sun was even properly up.

“This is nice,” she said, looking out at the quiet town. “I never see the town this quiet in the mornings,” she added. “By the time I’m awake, everyone is already rushing around, carts are heading by, people are wandering, right now it’s so calm.”

“You see why I’m always up early?” Jonathan said with a smirk. “It’s not just for work, it’s for peace.”

“Are you saying I don’t give you peace?” Kathleen said.

“Did I say that?” Jonathan replied. “I think I just said I enjoyed the peace. It’s twice as enjoyable with you… and with coffee.”

“Well saved,” she replied.

“What got you up so early?” he asked.

She shrugged. “I didn’t really sleep all that well,” she said, before taking a sip of her coffee. “But then the sun rose, and I thought, well, it’s the start of a new day and thought I would just jump to it. I’m not going to ask you the same question because you’ll just make me feel bad for always sleeping in!”

Jonathan laughed. “I promise I’m not trying to make you feel guilty by getting up early,” he said. “It’s just easier to work before the day becomes so unbearably hot. Believe me.” He paused and took a sip of his coffee. It really was good this morning, just what he had needed. “I’m going to run some errands in town,” he said. “Just need to pick up a few things from the general store. You’re more than welcome to come along.”

Kathleen smiled and looked back out onto Bellfield, slowly waking up from its slumber. “I think that would be wonderful,” she said. “Let me finish my coffee and I’ll get myself ready.”

They sat out on the porch for a little while longer, the two of them enjoying the quietness and the coolness of the air. They didn’t need to talk much, and it was a sort of comfort that Jonathan definitely wasn’t used to.

The silence he’d faced in solitary had been stifling and unbearable, there were more occasions than he could count when he would find himself talking just for there to be a little bit of noise but this was a different kind of quiet.

This was the quiet that told him everything was okay. This was the quiet that told him he was right where he was supposed to be. It was like a blanket of calm.

They got ready and walked into town with one another, greeting the early risers as they passed them, Kathleen linking her arm in Jonathan’s as they walked. It was nice. The town, of course, knew that they were engaged but it was something else entirely to be parading around town and showing everybody that they were a couple. It was another thing that told him things were back to normal and, after the smallest rocky patch, he and Kathleen were back on the right track.

When they made it to the general store, Kathleen immediately let go of Jonathan’s arm and hurried over to the horses that were drinking from a nearby trough.

Like the horse whisperer she had already proved herself to be, Kathleen started to talk to them, the horses paying attention to her and hanging on her every word almost instantly. It was amazing how she did that. He couldn’t imagine a single other woman in Bellfield wanting to do that or being so amazed by the beauty and grace of the horses whenever they passed by. But Kathleen was. Her wonder was infectious.

“I won’t be a moment,” Jonathan called. “Will you be okay here?”

“You mean will I jump on one of these horses and bolt to the next town over again?” Kathleen called back, a playful twinkle in her eye. She was teasing him. “I’m sure I’ll still be here when you get back.”

“How sure?”

“Just don’t be too long!” she said with a giggle.

Jonathan headed inside the general store, heading straight to where the scythes were kept and picking one up. His own back at the house had become so old and rusted that the handle had broken off, and with the corn becoming visible, almost ready for harvest, he needed to invest. He bought two so that either Rick or Matthew could help when the time came and headed back out of the store.

“Good, you’re still here,” he said with a grin, but it wasn’t returned. Where a mischievous grin had been on her face as he’d walked into the store was now a frown, her arms crossed over her chest. “Was it something I said?”

“I wouldn’t say it’s something you said, rather something you did,” Kathleen said.

“What? What’s wrong?”

“Whatever could be wrong, Jonathan?” she asked.

His eyes widened at the mention of his name. He was so used to hearing and responding to ‘Wayne’ that it sounded foreign to him, certainly coming out of Kathleen’s mouth.

“W-w-w-what?” he could barely get the words out. What was going on here?

Kathleen stepped to one side and Jonathan suddenly found himself lost for words.

Sat on the railing outside the general store was Wayne, eating an apple, looking over at his brother with a smirk etched onto his face. There was no possible way he could be enjoying this.

“Hello, brother,” he said. “What a nice surprise.”

Jonathan felt as if the ground had given way beneath him, his stomach flipping.

“Kathleen, please let me explain,” he rushed to say.

“No, I don’t have time for your excuses, just leave me alone.” Kathleen turned on her heel and walked away. Jonathan ran to catch up with her.

“Kathleen, please!”

“I said no!” she barked, holding up a hand and continuing to walk away from him.

Jonathan whirled back around and turned on his brother who was still sitting on the railing. They looked so very much alike, he couldn’t imagine what it must have been like for Kathleen to see him showing up when Jonathan, the man she knew as Wayne, was supposed to be in the store.

“What did you tell her?” Jonathan asked.

“I told her the truth,” Wayne said. “Well, I told her who I was, what my name was and who my brother was, and it didn’t take her long to put two and two together and come up with the fact that you were a dirty liar.”

“Why did you do that?”

“No, brother,” Wayne snapped. “Why did you do that?”

People were staring now, watching as these mirror images stood off against one another. No doubt they were more than a little confused, anybody who knew them from way back when they used to live here knew they were twins, but they knew Jonathan was the bad apple. They must have now been trying to figure out which one was which.

“You know why,” Jonathan said quietly, not wanting people to overhear, feeling more embarrassed about his past now than he ever had before.

“And somehow you thought I’d never find out and you would keep it up forever?” Wayne shook his head. “The poor girl was stunned when she saw me, so confused. Not a single mention having a brother to her whatsoever.”

“I was going to tell her.”

“When? After the wedding? Do you Kathleen take Jonathan to be your lawful wedded husband, because that’s his real name?”

“I was trying to do the right thing to get back on my feet!” Jonathan protested.

“And lying was the way to do that?”

“I—" Jonathan didn’t know what else to say.

“After all of these years, Jon, you’re still the same person you were all those years ago. You know, I thought that maybe those years in prison would have changed your childishness.”

Jonathan perked up. “I’ll have you know it has.”

“I see no proof of that, Jon.” Wayne snorted. “Here you are still running around and lying to people and playing about in fantasy worlds. That poor girl, what did you think would happen when you told her?”

“I don’t know.”

“Did you think that she would just fall into your arms because it didn’t matter? Because she’d fallen in love with you it didn’t matter that you’d lied your way into her heart?”

“Stop it!” Jonathan snapped. He could feel the heat rising in him, felt the eyes of even more people drilling into him. This news would be round the town in a flash, he needed to get a handle on it and get a handle on it quickly. “Will you keep it down?” Jonathan asked, pleading with his brother to show some kind of mercy.

“No, brother, I can’t,” Wayne said. “You’ve been here lying to her, lying to all of these people. You had to know that the truth was bound to come out one way or another.”

“I don’t want to talk to you right now, you’ve ruined everything!” Jonathan snapped, starting away from Wayne. The only thing he could do right now was find Kathleen and explain. That would be the only way to fix things. Where on earth could she have gone? Would she have gone home?

“Typical Jonathan, always playing the victim and blaming everyone else for your problems,” Wayne called. “When are you going to grow up?”

“This isn’t over, brother,” Jonathan called. “I’ll… I’ll come and find you later.”

Jonathan’s head was reeling as he walked back towards the house.

Where had Wayne come from? He’d been gone for such a long time he hadn’t even thought about him showing up here. He wanted out of here just like his father had all those years ago. Jonathan thought he would be safe, he thought that he would get away with it. He would have told Kathleen eventually, wouldn’t he?

He thought it over and tried to convince himself that he would. That had been the plan all along, hadn’t it? But he still hadn’t gotten around to it. He’d tried once, by the waterfall but it just hadn’t come out. And now here he was caught in the lie with nowhere to turn.

You’ve really messed things up this time, Jonathan, he thought.

He made it back to the house and went straight to the door. He pulled at the handle, but it was locked. He hammered on it.

“Kathleen!” he called. “Kathleen, please!”

“Go away!” she shouted back. “I don’t want to see you, I don’t want to talk to you, get away from me.”

“Kathleen, there is an explanation, it’s not what you think!” Jonathan continued to hammer on the door, continued to pull on the handle but she wouldn’t let him in. She wouldn’t even answer him. Everything was falling apart.

Chapter 25

How could he have done this to her? After everything they had been through, after all of the things they had shared, all of the late-night conversations, the secrets, everything. It all felt like it was for nothing. It left a sour taste in Kathleen’s mouth.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to go, she thought. Wayne… well… Jonathan, she supposed, had been so sweet. He’d been nothing but a gentleman to her, he’d treated her kindly, he’d given her a place to stay, he’d persevered with her while she’d learned how to look after a home and now she realized it was all for nothing. He had been filling her head with lies.

He still hammered on the door.

“Kathleen, please!” he called, his voice a little weaker now. “Kathleen, I just want to talk to you. Tell me what Wayne said. I can explain.”

What Wayne had said had been enough to let her know that Jonathan wasn’t the kind of man she wanted to be mixed up with. If she took out the part where he had deceived her, pretending to be someone else entirely, there was the fact that he had been to prison. How could she be with someone who had been to prison?

All of this time she had spent feeling bad for keeping secrets from Jonathan, for hiding what had been going on with Eddie and it turned out that Jonathan had secrets all his own, bigger ones than she could have possibly imagined. Eddie might have been far from perfect, but he’d never lied to her, he’d never deceived her. He’d broken her heart and left her feeling completely devastated but he’d always been honest with her. Which was something she never thought she would think of W—Jonathan.

His name is Jonathan, she thought. His name was never Wayne, it was all a lie.

Everything they had built their relationship on had been a lie. What else had he not been honest about? How many more things were going to come out of the woodwork? She wasn’t so sure she wanted to stick around and find out. The thought of talking to Jonathan made her feel sick.

Why did men always insist on disappointing her? If it wasn’t the men her father was trying to set her up with in Ohio, it was Eddie, if it wasn’t Eddie, apparently it was now this man she was supposed to be marrying.

I can’t marry him now, can I? she thought. Father certainly wouldn’t allow it. He got me here under false pretenses. Father certainly wouldn’t let it happen. Though maybe he would just be glad to be rid of her.

“Kathleen?” Jonathan’s voice was weak through the door now, the knocking having subsided entirely, the only thing left now his sorry sounding voice. “Kathleen, please I just want to talk to you about this.”

“I don’t want to talk,” Kathleen said, walking over to the door so he could hear her. She didn’t feel like shouting anymore. Not because she wasn’t angry, but because he had disappointed her. She wanted him to know how disappointed she was. He was supposed to be different and it had all been for nothing.

“But what Wayne said—"

“Was the truth, wasn’t it?” she said.

Jonathan seemed to hesitate on the other side of the door. It was enough to confirm to Kathleen that what he had said had been true.

“I don’t know what he told you, Kathleen, but it’s not like it seems,” he said, seeming to get some energy back. “I can explain everything that happened.”

“I don’t want you to explain, Jonathan, I want you to leave me alone,” she said, turning away from the door again.

Kathleen sat at the kitchen table, her head in her hands and tried to think of what on earth she could do next. There was a part of her that wanted to write to her father about it but who knew what would happen when she did that? She would end up back in Ohio and then he would marry her off to the first man who came along and asked. Somehow this would all be her fault and then where would she be? No, that wouldn’t do at all.

She wished she had gone the other way and headed to Sybil’s house, at least then she would have someone to talk to. Sybil wouldn’t let him come inside, that much she knew and then she wouldn’t have to deal with the infernal knocking.

There was a hammering at the door. Louder than it was previously, like Jonathan was throwing his entire weight behind it.

“What are you doing?” Kathleen shouted.

“You can’t keep me out of my own house, Kathleen,” he shouted, throwing himself at the door again.

But she wouldn’t be beaten so easily. Kathleen picked herself up from the kitchen table and made her way through to her bedroom, slamming the door and locking it behind her. She moved the dresser too, pressing it up against the door.

Good luck getting through that, she thought as she lay back on her bed.

She heard a crash as the door opened and Jonathan barreled inside. His footsteps moved to the kitchen and then to the back of the house where her bedroom was. He pushed against the door, twisting the door handle, but to no avail.

She heard him sigh.

“Kathleen, please,” he said for what had to be the hundredth time. “It cannot end like this.”

“Well it seems to me like it is,” Kathleen said, unable to keep the hitch out of her voice.

She didn’t want to cry over Jonathan, but she just didn’t seem able to help herself. Kathleen had invested in this. She had given herself over to the possibility of actually loving him and, it turned out, it had all been for nothing because Jonathan had lied to her.

I wish mother were here, she thought as she laid down on the bed and let the tears roll down her face. At least if she were here, I would have some idea as to what to do.

She cried until she fell asleep, every now and then waking at the sound of a knock at the door, her name being whispered.

Kathleen.

Chapter 26

Jonathan felt awful for lying. He sat by the door the entire night, knocking every now and again to see if Kathleen had changed her mind, but she must have fallen asleep because she was no longer responding. He had heard her crying and, worse than the lying, he hated being the reason that Kathleen was upset.

That was the last thing he wanted. The whole point of being with her was to make her happy, was to bring some joy to her life, but now he was the one that was causing her misery.

He didn’t want to leave the house. He wanted to talk to her, and if he left the house then she would have an opportunity to run away and his chance would be lost.

If she would just let him explain, Jonathan was sure he would be able to make it right. He hoped he would be able to anyway.

As the day wore on, he brought food from the kitchen to the door, knocking and trying to wake her, telling her that she needed to eat, but she didn’t answer. He didn’t even hear her shuffling about in there anymore. She really didn’t want to speak to him.

He really had ruined everything.

Wayne was right all along, he thought. I really have brought all of this upon myself.

It was no use trying to blame Wayne for any of it. He shouldn’t have lied in the first place. If he hadn’t lied, he wouldn’t be in this mess.

There was a light knock on the doorframe. Jonathan looked out to see Wayne stood where the door had been just a few hours earlier. It was like he had summoned him here just by thinking about him. If only he could make him go away as quickly.

“I’ve had a look around,” Wayne said. “I know, I know you didn’t invite me, nor did you ask me if I wanted to take a look or anything like that, but… I’m impressed.”

Jonathan stood up and walked over to him by the door. He’d never heard such kind words coming from his brother before. He was waiting for Wayne to crack a joke or tell him that he didn’t really mean it, that would seem much more Wayne-like.

“You mean that?” Jonathan said.

“Truly,” Wayne replied. “From everything that I heard about this place before I came back, it was a wreck and… and you’ve really turned it around. Maybe it isn’t beyond the realms of possibility that you’ve managed to turn yourself around after all,” Wayne added quietly.

“Thanks,” Jonathan said begrudgingly. He wasn’t used to Wayne being so nice, more used to him railing on him or telling him to do better. He had to admit that he sort of liked it. “I can show you around if you want,” Jonathan added.

“I’d like that,” Wayne said. “So, you used the money to fix it all up?”

“Not all of it,” Jonathan said. “I only used what was my fair share. But I did it all under your name and… well… that was wrong.”

“Does that mean I was right?” Wayne teased.

“You really need me to tell you that you’re right?” Jonathan said.

Wayne shrugged. “It can’t hurt your cause.”

“You were right,” Jonathan said. “I shouldn’t have lied, but I just wanted to fit in. I’ve never fit in anywhere I’ve been, Wayne, you know that. You… you’ve always had it so easy. And I knew that now I’d been to prison there was no way that the people of Bellfield would see me for anything other than a criminal. I needed a fresh start. I never dreamed that you’d come back here so I took my chance. It was the wrong thing to do, I know that. I knew that the whole time, but there was nothing forcing me to out myself, so I just kept up with the lie. And now look at me, huh? Waiting by the door of a girl I lo—" He stopped himself.

“Of a girl you love, Jon?” Wayne said. “You’re allowed to say it.”

“I know, but it seems like something I should be saying to her, but she won’t talk to me.”

Wayne shrugged. “You can hardly blame her,” he said. “Give her a little bit of time, maybe she’ll come around.”

“What if she doesn’t?”

Wayne shrugged again, it was getting annoying. “There’s nothing you can do about it if she doesn’t,” he said.

“I thought you had the answers to everything.”

“I don’t,” Wayne said. “Nobody does. That’s what makes this life thing so frustrating. You’ve just gotta figure it out as you go.” Wayne sighed. “Now come on, show me what you’ve made here. It really does look quite impressive, but I bet it can’t beat the tour. You can catch me up.”

“Catch you up on what?” Jonathan asked, feeling reluctant to leave Kathleen alone. He wanted to be there to talk to her when she eventually came out of the bedroom. He needed a chance to explain everything to her.

“Everything,” Wayne said. “It’s been far too long, brother.”

They started out of the house and toward the fields, the two of them walking in silence at first. Jonathan took Wayne on the paths he’d created over his time here, walking him past the now empty apple trees and towards the fields of corn that were looking so close to being ready for harvest. He could practically taste it.

“Tell me what it was like in prison,” Wayne asked as they walked, taking in the sights of the fields, of the life that Jonathan had created that he could slowly feel slipping through his fingers.

“It was the most terrible thing that has ever happened to me,” Jonathan said simply. It was something that he had certainly tried to push to the back of his mind, but every now and again he would think about it, or dream about it. Those nightmares were thankfully few and far between. “I’ll never forget it.”

“What did they do to you?” Wayne asked.

“I was forced to work in the mines,” Jonathan said. “They made me work long hours. Got me down there before the sun came out, didn’t take me back in again until the sun was long gone. They didn’t want me to have the human comforts of life if they could help it. What they wanted was for me to suffer as much as possible.”

“And they kept you alone?”

“Solitary,” Jonathan said flatly. “It was for seven months. The guards wouldn’t speak to me, they were told not to. The only contact I had with anyone was with the warden and, like the others, he didn’t speak to me unless he really had to. I had a lot of time to think.”

“I can imagine,” Wayne said. “It would drive most people insane.”

“There are days when I wonder if it has done that to me,” Jonathan said. “Who in their right mind would decide to lie to someone about who they were?”

“Someone desperate for a fresh start,” Wayne said. “Was that something you thought about while you were in prison?”

Jonathan shrugged. “In so many words, yes,” he said. “I had a lot of time to think of all of the things I had done or hadn’t done as the case was and how I could better myself when I came out. I knew I wanted to make a fresh start, I knew I wanted to work an honest living, live as quietly as I could and just enjoy life. I was just starting to do that.”

“And I came along and wrecked it,” Wayne said.

“Yes and no,” Jonathan said. “You wrecked it, but you were right, I couldn’t just keep it a secret forever. If I’d have tried it was bound to backfire at some point.”

They reached the furthest point of the fields, the same spot where Kathleen had spent an evening looking up at the stars and weaving themselves further and further into one another’s lives. He supposed now it was all for nothing. She might never speak to him again.

Wayne took a deep breath and looked back at how far they had come, looking back over the fields. He turned to Jonathan and smiled.

“I have to admit, when I turned up in Bellfield, I wasn’t expecting this at all,” he said.

“What?”

“I wasn’t expecting you to have changed, I wasn’t expecting you to have done anything, turned this whole place around,” he said. “It was never like this, not even when father was in charge, you know that.”

Jonathan did know that, but he definitely struggled to take any kind of credit for it. It didn’t seem right somehow. Sure, he’d worked hard to get the farm to be this fruitful, to have the potential to be somewhere profitable, but he still felt as if he was working off a lifetime debt. He had no idea when that feeling would change, or if it ever would. He could only hope that one day he would get there.

“I wouldn’t have expected it either, if I were you,” Jonathan replied. “I had been something of a disappointment I have to say. Father would have said it also.”

Wayne shook his head. “That might have been what father would have said a long time ago but not anymore. How could he after this?” Wayne said. “You kept on fighting and you turned things around for yourself. You’re allowed to be a bit proud of yourself. You don’t have to keep on hiding yourself just because you don’t think you’re good enough or you’re never going to hear father’s approval.”

“Is this me getting yours?”

Wayne laughed. “You don’t need anyone’s approval, Jon,” he said. “But if you want it, you’ve got it. I’m incredibly proud of you for what you’ve done. This is wonderful.”

He hadn’t seen his brother in such a long time before this moment, Jonathan found the feeling of warmth in his chest to be a strange one. He’d never really had warm feelings towards his brother. Sure, the two of them were related and he cared for his brother as any sibling would, but they’d had so many differences growing up, so many arguments that had caused them to grow apart that Jonathan wasn’t used to feeling this.

Maybe this was what growing up felt like. No longer having the petty squabbles with your siblings, being able to support one another and be proud of one another’s achievements. What Jonathan had done with the farm was an achievement.

The way Wayne lived his life was something to be admired, it was certainly something that Jonathan admired. The whole reason he had taken Wayne’s name in the first place was so he could, in fact, be more like him in the way that he lived. He had tried to emulate his brother and improved himself in the process. How about that?

“How did you find out I was here?” Jonathan asked. “I didn’t tell a soul anything. I didn’t have anybody to tell.”

“I didn’t.” Wayne chuckled. “I came to town for business. It was a surprise for me when everyone was being so friendly and knew my name even though I had been away for many years.” Wayne sighed. “To tell you the truth, Jonathan, I had come here with the intention of selling the place, but now that I’ve seen all you’ve done with it, I know that I just can’t. This is your farm now. And Dad would be so happy to see it flourishing like this.”

“Thank you, Wayne,” Jonathan said. “That’s very nice of you to say.”

“I’m not saying it to be nice, Jon, I’m just telling you the truth,” he said. “You’ve brought this place back to life. I reckon Mom would be pretty proud of you too, you know. She always wanted to see this place in full bloom and, look at it, you’ve done it. She’d be absolutely thrilled to see it like this.”

“You really think so?”

“I know so.”

On their walk back towards the house, they discussed the finances a little more. Wayne had been coming back to Bellfield to sell the house and free up some money so he could buy himself a house and invest more into his business, but now that wasn’t quite the case.

Jonathan told Wayne about the rest of the money that was in their father’s account, the last of what he had left to them. He had only taken from his half, so there was still money waiting in there to be taken by Wayne, then they would be completely even.

“And, since this property is technically both of ours,” Jonathan said. “We can split the profits. I look likely to do quite well, so long as the people of the town don’t decide to disown me after all this. That would seem a lot fairer.”

“I hate to go back to sounding like the old me, Jon, but I disagree.”

“Why?”

Wayne clapped a hand on Jonathan’s shoulder, fixing him with a big smile. “This is your venture now, Jon,” he said. “You’ve taken it from nothing to a flourishing piece of land, I couldn’t very well come along having not even gotten my hands dirty and take that from you. That would make me a pretty terrible brother and would make you an even worse businessman.”

Jonathan laughed. “What do you suggest, then?”

“I suggest I take what is rightfully mine from what father left us after he died,” he said. “And then we are square. Anything you make from this place is yours. You said you wanted to build yourself an honest life Jon, so build yourself an honest life. You’ve done all of the hard work here, you’ve made this place your own, you’ve brought it back to life. You’ve worked so hard to get yourself back on your feet, it’s about time you reaped the benefits.”

Jonathan pulled Wayne into a hug, squeezing him tighter than he ever had before. He couldn’t remember the last time he had shared a hug with his brother, he couldn’t even remember the last time the two of them had shared a tender moment, but he was enjoying this. It had been a long time coming.

“Thank you, Wayne,” Jonathan said into his brother’s shoulder. “Thank you so much.”

Chapter 27

When Kathleen awoke the following morning, she was once again struck by that feeling of not quite knowing where she was. She had fallen asleep with Jonathan knocking at the door, waiting for her to come out, that much she could certainly remember. She wondered if he was still there, if it was safe for her to come out without being accosted and asked to let him explain.

The problem Kathleen had was that she was fairly certain that if she saw Jonathan’s face all heart-broken and sweet, she wouldn’t be able to resist him and hear him out. Kathleen always was a little soft that way. It was how Eddie had managed to treat her so badly all those years ago.

Kathleen got herself up and pulled on some fresh clothes. It hadn’t exactly been the most restful sleep of her life. Sure, she had managed to drift off, but all that was floating around her head were images of Wayne and Jonathan, the two of them interchanging, each one telling her a different story that she couldn’t tell whether or not it was true. It had really messed with her head, and now she was completely exhausted.

She listened at the door for movement and heard none. Perhaps Jonathan had given up, or maybe he had just taken himself to bed. It hardly would have been the most comfortable night’s sleep for him down there on the floor, that much was for certain.

As quietly as she could, not wanting to alert him to her presence, Kathleen moved the dresser away from the door. She tried to ignore the sound of the legs scraping along the wooden floor and hoped against hope that Jonathan would be ignoring those sounds too.

Keeping as quiet as she could, she opened the door and looked outside. Jonathan wasn’t anywhere to be seen, he wasn’t waiting outside the door to pounce on her and beg for her forgiveness, so he must have gone to bed after all.

Good, Kathleen thought. That means I can get out of here and clear my head.

She didn’t waste any time, getting herself out of the door and over to the stables where Freya was ready and waiting for her. She pulled the saddle onto her and strapped it on tight, climbing aboard and kicking into the sides of Freya before she could so much as change her mind.

The two of them took off away from town, Kathleen determined to get as far away as possible, determined to push thoughts of Jonathan out of her mind, even if it was just for the duration of her ride. This was what she needed right now, she needed the clean air, she needed the open space, she needed to feel this freedom right now, like she had control over what was happening to her.

There was a familiar feeling of eyes on her, that creeping feeling that she had experienced when she had first arrived in town. She wondered if she was just being paranoid. After everything that had happened with Jonathan in town, all of the ears that had no doubt pricked up at the slightest sound of any drama, it wouldn’t surprise her if there were curtains twitching as she rode by, people wondering what she was doing or where she was going.

Let them wonder, she thought. It’s none of their business, after all.

She ignored the feeling and held on a little tighter to the reins, letting Freya take off at full speed, or as full a speed as Kathleen dared let her ride. She didn’t want another repetition of what had happened before.

She enjoyed the wind in her hair, the sound of it rushing by her ears. Freya seemed to enjoy it too. They spent so much of their time just riding around Bellfield, to get out somewhere more open must have been a novelty for her too.

This was what she needed. No Jonathan, no Wayne, no people of Bellfield watching her, just the horizon line off in the distance and an entire world to explore if she desired. There was that small part of her that wondered what would happen if she just left. She didn’t have anything with her, just the clothes on her back, but maybe she would be able to make do. Maybe, she would manage on her own if she really tried.

Now you’re just letting your mind run wild, she thought, laughing to herself. You’ll have to go back and face everything eventually. Just not yet.

Kathleen stopped at a small stream, hopping off Freya and giving her a chance to drink. It also gave Kathleen a chance to stretch her legs. It was tiring riding for too long, and just a little bit of riding to ease her frustration had resulted in her calves feeling more than a little sore.

She looked off into the distance as she walked around a little to stretch out her legs. It really was a beautiful clear day. It had a similar sort of feeling to the morning yesterday, not all the way hot yet, so the air felt fresh, like it could breathe a little bit of life into her. Maybe it was. Maybe this was just what she had needed today.

Then she saw them.

They appeared out of nowhere, like they had been hiding in the nearby bushes hoping that she would come that way. Or maybe it was an awful coincidence and Kathleen had once again ridden herself right into the waiting arms of trouble.

It was the men that she had seen yesterday in town, and the day before that at the festival.

Maybe they were following me all along, she thought, though she couldn’t see any horses. She counted them quickly, One, two, three, that’s all of them, she thought, and she ran back over to Freya, practically leaping onto her back and kicking her in the side in one swift movement.

She fired off from her spot by the stream, her hooves pounding against the dirt and kicking up the dust around them as they went.

There was no way of being inconspicuous when you were trying to get somewhere fast, and right now because Kathleen was trying to get away fast, she was leaving a trail behind her that would lead them right to her. But maybe if she could get back to the house, if she could get to Jonathan, she would be okay.

She urged Freya to go faster, the wonderful courageous horse leaping the front fence and taking her into the garden. Kathleen jumped from her back and tied her to a nearby post.

“Jonathan!” she shouted, hoping he would come out of the house and rescue her. He always seemed to be in the right place at the right time, but this time that talent had eluded him. Maybe Kathleen’s luck was about to run out.

She saw them coming, the three men in black on horseback, racing towards the house. There was only one thing for it. She took off at a run towards the fields.

Surely Jonathan would be there, surely, he would have heard her crying out for help and he would be on his way to help her now. She could only hope.

But as she ran towards the fields her hope quickly faded. She couldn’t see the familiar sight of the crops moving as Rick or Matthew moved through them or see Jonathan’s head poking out over the tops of them where he was so tall.

And now it was too late for her to turn back. Her only chance would be to run and hide amongst the crops and pray that someone would come to help her before they managed to find her.

Just stay away from them, she thought. If they can’t see you, they can’t catch you!

Kathleen hurried towards the corn, the tallest of the crops in the field and pushed her way inside them, moving through them until she was sure she was somewhere near the center, somewhere that was more out of sight.

She stopped and took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself down.

Then she heard their footsteps. She heard one of the men grunting to one of the others to split up, to spread out and search for her. There was the sound of them stepping into the cornfield, of the crunching of their boots on the grass, some of the crops no doubt being destroyed as they went through them. Jonathan would be devastated. He’d worked so hard on it.

She ducked down and started to move through the corn and towards the other side, being careful of where she stepped, keeping her breathing as shallow as possible. Eventually, she stopped and couldn’t hear anything. She started to believe that maybe, just maybe she had managed to get away from them.

But then the steps came again, more frantic this time, more forceful, like they really knew where she was. Maybe she was being louder than she thought. Maybe Kathleen thought she was managing to be stealthy but in fact she was just leading them right to her.

They were getting closer. Their voices were getting louder and if she didn’t move soon, they would find her standing there like she was a sitting duck, and Kathleen had no intention of walking into their waiting arms.

She started away from the voices, moving further and further to the opposite end of the corn. She stopped caring about what noise she was making and just made a break for it. She didn’t really know what was beyond the fields, what existed beyond the land that Jonathan had here, but she would find out if she meant she could keep her life.

“There! I see movement! Don’t let her get away!”

Kathleen wanted to scream, wanted to cry out for Jonathan again but she knew that it wouldn’t do her any good. He wasn’t here, it was just her and them and they were catching up with her.

Though, she didn’t know why. She could only assume it was about the gold. What other reason could it be?

She burst out of the corn field and ran as quickly as she could towards the perimeter of the farm. If she could make it out there, maybe she could call for help, maybe she could find someone who would take her in and get these men to go away.

She ran as hard as he could her lungs threatening to burst as she pushed herself harder than she had ever pushed before. But before she could do anything about it, hands clamped around her legs and she was falling to the ground, hearing someone shout nearby.

“We’ve got her! We’ve got her!”

Chapter 28

Jonathan and Wayne made their way into town to see the local lawyer. It was about time Jonathan came clean about everything. He knew that what he had been doing over the past few months wasn’t right, deceiving Kathleen, the entire town. He was going to make another fresh start.

And this time he would do it under his real name.

With the town lawyer, they sat down and discussed the inheritance, Wayne taking what was owed to him and leaving the rest of it to Jonathan. When Jonathan saw the number it certainly took some of the pressure off when it came to making the farm a success.

He had a little bit of breathing room, so maybe things wouldn’t be so bad. He wouldn’t need to work his fingers to the absolute bone desperate to make ends meet.

He had grand plans for the farm too. He planned to move his work horses out of their current stable and build them a new one, one that would allow them an entire field to roam around so they would be happier and freer. He knew that this would make Kathleen happy. He’d seen the way that she looked at the work horses whenever they went to feed them together.

He wanted to spend time on the garden. He’d neglected it the whole time he had lived there because he’d been so focused on making the farm profitable and living an honest life.

Now with this money, he would be able to do all of these things. Maybe he would even replace their current porch swing with something nicer, rather than the same old porch swing that had been there ever since he and Wayne were children.

Every time he thought about the things that he wanted to do to the farm, to do to their home, he thought of how Kathleen would react to it. All he saw was her face smiling when she saw what he’d done. He needed to make things right with her, he just had to.

It was like a weight had been lifted off Jonathan’s chest. He hadn’t even realized it was there, that there had been this pressure on him in the first place. He turned to his brother and smiled.

Wayne seemed pretty happy too. He always did like being the one that came along and saved the day and man had he saved it this time around.

“So, explain that to me one more time,” the lawyer said as they were signing the papers, writing the house to Jonathan’s name officially. “Because I thought… well… I thought you were him!” he said, pointing to Wayne.

The two of them really did look alike but even the lawyer seemed to notice the subtle differences between the two of them now they were both sitting in front of him.

The way Wayne was a little broader than Jonathan, or how Jonathan’s nose was crooked from where he’d gotten into a couple of scraps when the two of them were growing up. To the untrained eye, they were identical, but their mother and father could always tell them apart.

“I had just gotten out of prison, sir,” Jonathan said.

“For a crime he did not commit,” Wayne chimed in. “He was falsely accused, that’s why he didn’t do his whole time in there, you have to tell them that part,” Wayne said, nudging Jonathan.

“Yes, for a crime I didn’t commit,” he said. “But I was still friends with those criminals. I’d fallen in with the wrong crowd. I came back to Bellfield to turn over a new leaf, to start over and have a second chance at life. I thought… well, I thought if people knew who I really was they wouldn’t be so keen on having me here.”

The town lawyer considered Jonathan for a moment, but his face quickly morphed into a smile. “I understand why you did what you did, Mr. Saunders,” he said. “We all hide parts of ourselves for fear of being judged, for fear of being cast out. Maybe it wasn’t the wisest move to fool an entire town into thinking your name was different, but you have proven your character time and time again. You are a part of this town, and no name is going to take that away from you, do you understand?”

“Yes, sir.”

They finished signing the papers and Jonathan felt like he could breathe again. Immediately his thoughts trailed to Kathleen and how much he wanted to run to her and tell her the good news, how everything was sorted, and he was going to live as Jonathan now.

But there was that hollow feeling in his chest as he thought of her locked up in that room, not wanting to speak to him. He needed to fix it, he just had to.

He turned to his brother and offered him a smile as they walked out of the office together. What had started as a frustrating moment for Jonathan, seeing Wayne all over again, had turned out to be the very thing he needed to happen. He was thrilled to have his brother back, and even more thrilled to have his life back on track. No more secrets.

“I cannot thank you enough for this, brother,” he said to Wayne as they left the office. “This is the start of a whole new life for me. Everything is going to be better from now on.”

Wayne smiled. “Your new life has already started, there’s no need to thank me, no need at all.”

“What are you going to be getting up to now?” Jonathan asked. “You’re more than welcome back at the house.”

“I think perhaps I should leave you and Kathleen alone for a little while, to settle your differences,” he said with a smirk. “She’s fiery, that one. I can’t imagine being caught on the end of one of her rages. I’m not sure I’d survive.”

“I’m still not sure I’ll survive this one,” Jonathan said. “What do I say to her, Wayne? What do I do?”

“I don’t think it’s really my place to say, Jon,” Wayne said. “I’m hardly an expert, but I’d say the best thing you can do is speak from your heart. She cares for you, doesn’t she?”

“I think so.”

Wayne fixed him with a withering stare. “From the way she has reacted to this news, Jon, I’d say she cares about you quite a lot, and you care about her?”

Jonathan nodded.

“Well, the only thing that you can do is tell her how you feel, tell her how sorry you are and hope that she forgives you.”

“What if she doesn’t?” Jonathan asked sheepishly.

“If she doesn’t, well, it was never meant to be,” Wayne said. “The only thing you can do right now is try. If you don’t try, you’ll never know!”

Jonathan said his goodbyes to Wayne, promising to find him later when he had patched things up with Kathleen but, as he walked back, he could feel his heart getting heavier.

He knew that what he had done was wrong, and he had tried to tell her but just hadn’t managed to do it. And in doing that he had potentially ruined one of the best things that had ever happened to him.

You have to make it right, he thought. You can’t lose her.

He carried on towards the house, stopping and looking over at it. Maybe she would have cooled off a little now, and be willing to talk to him about things. He didn’t want there to be bad blood between them.

Even if things were going to end, he at least wanted to end them on good terms, with her knowing that he really did care about her.

The farm was pretty quiet. His workers weren’t working today, and Jonathan considered maybe walking around the fields a few times to clear his head and figure out exactly what it was he was going to say.

But as he was about to walk over to the fields, he heard the sound of a carriage drawing to a halt behind him.

He turned sharply to see a wagon stopping just outside his house. It was huge, a lot fancier than the one that he had, with something covering the whole of the back of it. There was a driver at the front, a young boy who looked exhausted and incredibly bored at the same time.

Who on earth would be driving something like this in Bellfield? Jonathan thought. It was like nothing he had seen here before.

A man stepped off the back of the wagon. He was tall, broad, grey hair a little wild about his head. He desperately tried to flatten it as he walked in Jonathan’s direction. The man fixed a smile onto his face, as fake a thing as Jonathan had ever seen, and extended a hand.

“Good day to you, sir,” he said. “I’m looking for the man who owns this establishment. A Mr. Wayne Saunders.”

Jonathan took his hand and shook it. “I’m the owner,” he said, without thinking too much about it. He didn’t want to correct the man.

He seemed quite formidable. But there was certainly something familiar about him. “Can I help you?”

“I’m Humphrey Morrow,” the man said in a stern tone. “And if you are the owner of this farm then I believe you are exactly the man I should be speaking too.”

Humphrey Morrow, Jonathan thought. Kathleen’s father? What does he want? Now really isn’t the time to be coming around to check up on the state of our relationship.

He cursed his bad luck. Of all the times for him to come around, why did it have to be now? He needed to talk to Kathleen alone, having her father there would only make things more complicated.

“It is time for the two of us to talk,” Humphrey said.

Jonathan did his best to rearrange his face into something more amiable. He didn’t want Humphrey getting the wrong idea about him.

“Why is that, sir?”

“Well, apart from the lack of correspondence from either you or my daughter,” he said, clearly annoyed by the whole situation. “I have been asking about you in town.”

“Oh?”

“You see, this isn’t the easiest place to find,” Humphrey continued. “So, I needed to find someone who knew where you were. It turns out that when I asked for Wayne Saunders, a few people thought it incredibly funny if they asked me which Wayne Saunders I was looking for.”

Jonathan felt his blood run cold. He did not need this right now. He needed to patch things up with Kathleen, he didn’t have time to be dealing with her father too.

“Is that so?” Jonathan said.

“Indeed,” Humphrey replied. “So, I want to know precisely what the meaning of this is. Well? Explain yourself.”

“It’s a little complicated to explain,” Jonathan said.

“Well, I’ve traveled all this way, I think I am owed that at least, aren’t I?” he said. “And where on earth is my daughter, you would think she would be out here greeting me by now. Has she not taken to country life all that well? Typical.”

“Excuse me, Mr. Morrow but I—"

But Jonathan didn’t get a chance to finish his sentence.

There was a noise coming from the house, a loud thumping noise that alerted them both. And maybe he was just a little too on edge, but it was enough to make Jonathan stand up a little straighter, make his heart beat a little faster.

Then there was a sound like someone crying out and Jonathan could feel himself go into overdrive.

Kathleen, he thought. What’s happened?

“What was that?” Humphrey said quietly.

“I don’t know,” Jonathan said. “But perhaps you should stay here.”

“I will do nothing of the sort,” Humphrey grumbled. “Lead on, sir.”

Jonathan really didn’t want to have to think about protecting Humphrey as well as Kathleen if something was going on, but the man didn’t seem to be leaving him much of an option.

The two of them started towards the house, Jonathan trying to keep as quietly as possible in case something really was wrong. He didn’t want to alert anyone of his presence.

He carefully stepped up onto the porch and flung the door open to see Kathleen inside, surrounded by three men dressed head to toe in black.

The men from the other night, Jonathan thought. So, it was Kathleen they were looking for all along?

One of the men turned their gaze towards the door.

“Hold on, fellas, we’ve got company,” one said.

Kathleen looked up and saw Jonathan.

She looked distressed, her hair wild, her face covered in sweat. She looked utterly terrified and Jonathan couldn’t believe he had left her here alone. If he hadn’t have left, none of this would have happened.

“Kathleen!” Humphrey shouted.

Finally, she seemed to see him. “Father? What are you doing here?”

“Shut up!” one of the men shouted, quickly swiping a hand through the air and striking Kathleen across the face. Silence fell in the room. Maybe the man hadn’t expected to do it, maybe he had surprised himself, but Jonathan could feel a level of rage building in him like nothing he had felt before.

He would kill the man for raising a hand to her. How dare he!

Chapter 29

Kathleen could see Jonathan in a rage standing at the door, his fists clenched at his sides, his eyes fixed on the man who had just struck her. But she couldn’t let him do anything.

He hadn’t looked around the room properly, he hadn’t seen the guns, Jonathan was about to put himself in real danger if he wasn’t careful.

“Kathleen—!” Jonathan started.

“No, Jonathan, don’t!” Kathleen screamed. She didn’t care if she got hit again, she couldn’t sit here and watch Jonathan get murdered, it would be all too much for her.

Why didn’t she just let him talk to her? Why didn’t she just listen? If she’d have listened, she wouldn’t be in this mess. “They have guns, Jonathan, please, just go!” she shouted.

“Jonathan?” Her father looked confused. She was trying not to focus on the fact that her father had decided to show up precisely at the time when she was looking like she couldn’t handle herself. Typical. “Who on earth is Jonathan?”

“Father!”

“This is not the time or place to explain,” Jonathan snapped at Humphrey before turning back to the men that had Kathleen surrounded. “Let go of her, or else. Untie her, NOW!”

The men laughed. They weren’t intimidated by Jonathan at all.

How are they laughing at him right now? Kathleen thought as she watched him getting more and more agitated. She had never seen him like this. He was so... angry.

Of course, she had seen him lose his temper at the man in town who had sold him the dud fertilizer and at the man at the festival, but this was on an entirely different level.

There was a fire burning in him so brightly it was a wonder the men weren’t cowering at the very presence of him.

“I mean it!” Jonathan shouted.

He really does, Kathleen thought. He’s going to tear these men limb from limb if they’re not careful.

“What are you going to do, farmer boy?” one of them teased. “Will you raise a pitchfork at us?”

“We just want the gold and we’ll be off.”

Kathleen froze where she was.

So, they are here for the gold, she thought. What am I supposed to do? I promised to keep it safe.

She didn’t know who the good guys and the bad guys were anymore, whether she was helping someone who was trying to live a more honest life or if she was just helping Eddie be a criminal again. Kathleen felt helpless.

“I said, let her go!” Jonathan said, the warning prevalent in his voice. He really was going to explode if someone didn’t do something in a minute.

But they were about to do something, Kathleen could see it in the subtle way they repositioned themselves, each one of them fixing their gaze squarely on Jonathan. They were about to go for him, and when it was three against one, what chance did they have? And what about her father? She knew for a fact that Humphrey Morrow wasn’t in any position to defend himself. She was fairly sure he’d never been in a physical fight in his life.

“Father! Run!” Kathleen shouted just as the three men burst forward towards Jonathan.

Humphrey bolted out of the door and out of sight. Kathleen breathed a sigh of relief, for once in his life he had actually listened to her. She had no idea where he was going, of course, but hoped that maybe he was going to do something useful for once and go and get some help.

Meanwhile, the three men had advanced on Jonathan and Kathleen was frightened.

One of them threw a fist at Jonathan, one that he managed to dodge but it only took another man swinging a fist at Jonathan’s stomach to knock him off balance. He was going to be beaten up if Kathleen didn’t do something.

And that’s when an idea came into her head.

She wasn’t being watched right now. Their attention was squarely on Jonathan, each one of them trying their best to hurt him that they clearly didn’t expect Kathleen to be a threat.

How wrong they are, she thought as she steadily got herself up from the chair.

She got to her feet and took hold of the back of the chair, raising it above her head. Before any of them could turn around and see her, she cracked the chair across one of the men’s heads, knocking him out cold and sending him straight to the floor.

It was enough to distract the other two men from attacking Jonathan, and he took his opportunity. He grabbed hold of one of the men and punched him in the face before tossing him across the room, sending him clattering into the table, leaving just a single man left in the room.

He looked terrified, and rightly so because Jonathan looked like a raging bull, ready to take out anything that was in his path.

Kathleen backed up, trying to keep out of the way, and watched as Jonathan launched himself at the man, his fist connecting with his jaw, his knee connecting with his stomach and sending him tumbling to the floor.

He grabbed one of the men’s pistols and pointed it at the man on the ground. He was watching each and every man carefully, seeing which one dared move first, if any.

“There is rope on the front porch, can you get it for me?” Jonathan barked. Kathleen couldn’t answer. She wanted to say yes, wanted to respond to him, but she couldn’t.

There was something about the way Jonathan had exploded like that, which shocked her in ways she couldn’t quite explain.

She knew he had that in him, of course he did, from the other times he had completely blown his top, but she hadn’t expected to see him protect her like that. It was a strange sort of comfort that she felt, something that told her that no matter what happened, he would be able to protect her if things went wrong.

She looked at him surrounded by his victims, sweat on his forehead glistening, the muscles bulging through his shirt, his chest heaving.

She wanted to rush over to him and wrap her arms around him, thanking him, kissing him, just to be close to him, but it felt too much in that moment. She had really seen a new side of him today.

There was a fire in him that she hadn’t seen before, at least not to this level. Before, she had very much seen him as a kind man with a tendency to be quite docile, with the exception of when he lost his temper in town.

Now, Kathleen was looking at him with fresh eyes. He was all man, and Kathleen couldn’t help feeling even closer to him than she had before, despite all the lies he had churned out. Though, she knew she wasn’t innocent after all.

“Kathleen?” Jonathan said. “The rope? Please?”

“Of course, I’m sorry,” she stammered, hurrying out of the house to grab the rope. She saw her father on the porch, cowering behind the porch swing. Kathleen rolled her eyes, but then she noticed he was holding onto his ankle. She rushed to his side.

“Father?” she said. “Are you alright? What happened? I thought you might have gone to get help!”

“I was about to when I…” he blushed a little. “I fell over my own feet, Kathleen, hurt my ankle. So, I just pulled myself to one side so if they came out they might not see me.”

She helped him to his feet, and he managed a few tentative steps. Thinking quickly, Kathleen found him a nearby stick he could lean some of his weight on to help him get around.

“Is it over?” Humphrey asked.

“Yes,” she said. “Jonathan has made sure of it.”

“Who is Jonathan?”

“The man who just saved your daughter’s life,” she said. “Are you going to be alright?” she added. “Do I need to go and get someone to help?”

Humphrey shook his head. “I’ll be just fine,” he said. “Just need to put some weight on it, get myself moving, I’ll be good as new.” He smiled at her, looking her up and down.

“What?” she asked.

“You look different, Kathleen,” he said. “You’ve grown up.”

Kathleen wondered if he was right. So much had changed for her since she had come to Bellfield, it wasn’t really much of a surprise that she would look somewhat different. But had she really changed that much?

Now certainly wasn’t the time to think about it. She turned away from her father and headed back inside with the rope in hand. She handed it to Jonathan who went about tying the three men up. He grabbed some cloths from the kitchen and covered their mouths too.

“I don’t want to hear a single word they’ve got to say,” he grumbled, before turning to Kathleen. “Are you okay?”

“I am now.”

“Can I ask what is going on here?” Humphrey said from the door. “I was under the impression that—"

“Would you mind going and notifying the sheriff, Mr. Morrow?” Jonathan asked directly. “I imagine they’ll be quite keen to meet these three fellas, don’t you?”

Humphrey nodded his head and walked back out of the house. Kathleen heard the sound of his wagon trundling away before she let out a breath.

“What’s this about gold?” Jonathan asked.

Kathleen sighed. “You’re not the only one of us with secrets, it seems.”

“You only know half of mine,” Jonathan said with a grin. “I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours."

“That seems fair.”

Kathleen walked away from Jonathan and pushed back her bed to take out the loose floorboard. Without hesitation, she pulled the bag of gold out and brought it to Jonathan.

She could see the men tied up on the ground, their eyes lighting up as they saw it, but Jonathan wasn’t about to let them anywhere near it. Besides, he was the one with the pistol.

“So, where on earth did this come from?” Jonathan asked.

“You first,” she said. “You may have just saved my life, but I think I deserve an explanation, don’t I?”

“Absolutely,” Jonathan said, taking a deep breath. He explained everything to her, telling her all about his childhood and everything that had happened to him, how he fell in with the wrong crowd and, despite his father’s protests, had spent time with them anyway.

“We seem to get more and more alike every time we open up to one another, you know that?” Kathleen said.

“I spent every day that I was in there thinking about all the things that I would do when I got free,” he said. “I thought about how I wanted to come back to Bellfield and reconnect with everything I’d known when I was growing up, I thought about how I wanted to get this farm up and running again. For my parents.”

“You really do care for your parents, don’t you?” Kathleen said.

“My father might have been a hard man to deal with, but he always had the best interests of Wayne and I at heart.”

Kathleen was definitely struggling hearing the mention of ‘Wayne’ and not immediately thinking of Jonathan. That was something she was really going to have to get used to.

I hope he doesn’t mind being called Wayne every now and again, she thought. Because that’s just going to happen.

“When my mother passed away, I think I told you this before, my father couldn’t stand it here anymore, there were just too many memories,” he said. “And all of those memories seemed to eat him up inside, so he needed to get away. I wanted to make this a happy place. I wanted there to be joy here again.”

“And you managed all of that while you were in prison?” Kathleen said. “If I’d have been in prison, I don’t think I could have come out wanting to do anything other than... I don’t know... get revenge or something.”

Jonathan laughed. “Remind me not to get on the wrong side of you, Kathleen.”

“Consider this your one and only warning,” she said with a grin. “What about prison?” she asked. “What was that like?”

He looked suddenly nervous and vulnerable, so she reached out and placed a hand on his arm.

“I totally understand if you don’t want to talk about it,” she said. “I know it must be so hard for you, but I am here if you want to talk. A problem shared is a problem halved and, you know, since we’re sharing the last of our secrets right now, it might be worth knowing.” He took a deep breath and started to tell her about prison. He couldn’t seem to bring himself to look at her the whole time he was talking, looking out of the window for a lot of it like he was reliving every single word he told her. He’d been in solitary for the whole time, something Kathleen knew that she wouldn’t have been able to handle had it been her, and it had almost driven him insane.

“It’s why I want to be outside all the time,” he said. “You go outside and you look out at that horizon and you can’t even see where the world ends, you can go as far as you want and nobody can stop you, not really. In solitary, you’ve got four walls. I was determined when I got out to do something that kept me outside a lot, which is why that farming seemed like the perfect thing, and to do whatever it took to make an honest living for myself.”

“Hardly an honest living when I didn’t even know your real name.”

“But that was the only thing I kept from you, Kathleen,” he said. “Every other part of me that I showed you was a hundred per cent real. I opened up to you because I care about you. I, Jonathan Saunders, not Wayne, care about you. That was just a name I was trying to protect myself with. I thought it was the only way I would be able to start anew and actually have a life that was worth living.”

“I understand that,” Kathleen said. “People do all sorts of crazy things when they’re trying to keep themselves safe.”

And she really did understand why he did what he did. She knew what it was like to be judged by people before they had a chance to get to know her. It’s why she liked Wayne, wait no, Jonathan, so much.

“And that’s what scared me so much when you ran off when you figured out who I really was,” he said. “I was so scared to not be accepted by anybody in Bellfield as who I really was, I thought you were just proving me right.”

He had taken her in and gotten to know her. He didn’t care about her past, he only cared about her future, about their future, and she appreciated him so much for that. She knew what it was like to want to get a second chance in life and he had given her just that.

He looked a little bit unsteady on his feet all of a sudden, like just telling her that story had taken a lot out of him.

“My turn?” she said, hoping the switch in focus would calm him down.

“Your turn,” he said with a nod.

“This gold,” she said, gesturing to the bag. “Is probably the single biggest mistake I’ve made since I got here.”

She explained what had happened when Freya had bolted, how she hadn’t expected to run into Eddie, but he just had a habit of showing up when he was least wanted. And she had been stupid enough to almost let it ruin their relationship. She wasn’t about to do that again.

“And Eddie was... someone you were in love with?” Jonathan said carefully.

Kathleen considered it. She thought back to all of the time that she and Eddie had spent together over the years, the pain that he had caused her, the amount of time he had spent making her cry. There had been more sad times than happy if she counted them up.

“I think I was in love with the idea of him,” she said. “He seemed free-spirited and loving and kind on the outside, but it didn’t take too much digging to see that he wasn’t really that nice of a person.” She sighed, it was a strange thing to be admitting to herself. “He hurt me an awful lot,” she said. “In the way that he treated me, in the way that he just up and left when things got a little bit difficult. I think I saw him as my only way out of my life in Ohio, and my father didn’t like him, so once he was gone, I felt lost. That’s when the matchmaking started.”

“I see.”

“And that’s when it all got a little bit complicated for me,” she said. “And when he showed up here, it was like my past had caught up with me and it... confused me. I didn’t know if I was having loving feelings towards Eddie again or if I was just feeling things that didn’t even really exist in the first place. It confused me, which was probably why I was so... elsewhere.”

“That explains so much,” Jonathan said, nodding. She hated that it had been so noticeable, that she had hurt him in that way... “I thought you didn’t care for me anymore. I thought you’d changed your mind.”

“Oh Jonny, I could never change my mind about you,” she said with a smile, walking over to him and wrapping her arms around his neck. “I’m so thankful to have found you. And thank you for saving my life.”

“Thank you for saving mine,” he said, smiling down at her. She could feel herself melting into him right there and then, she could even feel herself melting into a kiss with him, their very first kiss…

Until the sheriff knocked on the door.

Blast, she thought.

Chapter 30

The sheriff could not have picked a worse moment to arrive at the house. He knocked on the door frame interrupting the two of them, and Jonathan couldn’t help but wonder just how long he had been standing there.

How much of the two of them getting closer and closer had the sheriff seen? He didn’t want to think about it. He could already feel his cheeks flushing.

He cleared his throat and took himself away from Kathleen, ignoring just how painful that felt, and approached Sheriff Williams at the door.

He was standing with Humphrey Morrow who was now looking between Jonathan and Kathleen with a look of confusion on his face. Jonathan could hardly blame him, he was expecting his daughter to be getting married to someone called Wayne for one, and now she was cuddled up with someone entirely different.

Kathleen had turned her face away to giggle.

“Care to explain what’s happened here, Mr. Saunders?” Sheriff Williams asked. “I couldn’t really get much out of Mr.…”

“Morrow,” Humphrey managed.

“Mr. Morrow,” he said. “Something about bandits.”

Jonathan tried not to laugh. “Yes, I suppose they are bandits,” he said. He took the gold and handed it to the Sheriff. “They were here looking for this,” Jonathan said. “I didn’t manage to get out of them just where it had come from or what they wanted to do with it, but they were willing to ransack my house and threaten Kathleen in order to get it.”

The Sheriff looked at the gold and then at the men. “You have anything to say for yourself?” Sheriff Williams asked.

“It was stolen from us!” one of them protested. “We’d…acquired it from an old manor house not too far from here and then, one of our associates, stole it from us and ran. We knew he’d gotten this far at least, a couple of people in the town had seen him.”

“Who is it?” Jonathan barked.

“Someone your lady friend seems to know an awful lot about,” another of the men said.

Jonathan slapped the man across the face. “You will not address her like that,” he barked. “Who?”

“Eddie Browne,” the man said, his cheek already turning red from the force that Jonathan had hit him with. “He’d come up with this grand plan to rob this house during a party they were having to get this plaque of gold and asked us to help, promising us a fair share of the loot when it sold.”

“And then he took off with it,” another said. “He was nowhere to be seen so we followed him as far as we could until we made it here.”

“Why Kathleen?”

“Someone gave her up,” one of the men said. “They saw her with Eddie, so we thought—"

“Thought you’d prey on an innocent woman?” the Sheriff chimed in, walking around them. “Thought you’d cause her undue stress. What kind of men do you think you are? Not men, that’s for sure. Cowards!”

“We just wanted the gold!”

“Well, that’s about all I need in terms of a confession,” the Sheriff said. “We heard about the robbing of this manor house. They got away with some jewels and some trinkets, but the gold was worth an awful lot more than that. Thank you for stopping them Jonathan.”

“My pleasure, Sheriff,” Jonathan said. “I’m just glad it’s all over.”

The sheriff collected the men and threw them into the back of his wagon, taking them all the way back into town. Jonathan was glad to see the last of them. He knew there was something off about them when they’d showed up at the apple harvest but he’d been too distracted to really take notice of them. This all could have been a whole lot worse. Thank goodness he showed up when he did.

“Well, I’d like to extend my thanks to you, Jonathan,” Humphrey said as he walked into the property. “My daughter means the absolute world to me and… and I’m not sure I’ve really shown her that level of appreciation for quite a long time. It was only when I realized that I could be about to lose her that I understood just how much she meant to me. That doesn’t make me much of a father, I know, but… it’s a start.”

Humphrey was looking over at Kathleen with misty eyes. Kathleen looked a little surprised to see him this way. Maybe he’d never been like this with her before.

From everything Jonathan had heard, the last few years with him had been incredibly difficult to deal with. Maybe it would be a turning point for their relationship.

“Can you ever forgive me, Kathleen?” Humphrey said. “I know I’ve been awful—"

“You haven’t been great, no,” Kathleen said, though she couldn’t hide the smile on her face.

“And we’ve not always seen eye to eye, but I would like us to be… close,” he said. “I have a lot of business to attend to in these parts and I imagine I will be spending a little more time in Bellfield. I hope you won’t mind if I see you from time to time.”

Kathleen smiled. She looked like she was about to cry. This was probably what she had been waiting for from her father for quite a number of years, that feeling of validation, that feeling that he actually cared for her and she wasn’t just a burden.

“I think that would be wonderful,” Kathleen said. “You can come ‘round whenever you like, I’ve gotten quite good at baking.”

Humphrey widened his eyes and looked over at Jonathan with a surprised expression.

“It’s true,” Jonathan confirmed. “The pastries she makes out of the apples from the farm are to die for.”

Humphrey nodded and smiled. “I’ll have to try them as soon as possible,” he said.

“And as for you, young man,” he continued, turning to Jonathan. “I know you said before that it wasn’t the time to explain, but I wonder if you might inform me as to why I sent my daughter to live here with a man who goes by the name of Wayne Saunders and she is now calling you Jonathan. I trust it isn’t a nickname of sorts.”

“No, sir,” Jonathan said, feeling a little sheepish. Though he’d already had to explain his story so much over the past day, that it seemed to get a little bit easier every time he did it. “There is a little more to it than that, I’m afraid.”

Humphrey smiled. “I have nothing but time, dear boy.”

Jonathan explained everything that had happened to him once again, his entire life, all the hardships, the time in solitary, and Humphrey listened along intently.

He made sure to let Humphrey in on everything that was happening on the farm too, the successes that they’d had over the past few weeks, how there seemed to be more success to come once the corn harvest was done.

He knew he would be able to provide for Kathleen, he knew that he wanted to. More than anything in the world he wanted to spend the rest of his life making her as happy as she possibly could be.

And it was a thought that he hadn’t really had before. When he posted the ad for a bride, he’d expected to have someone come along who would provide him with companionship, someone who would be able to keep him company and make him laugh.

Kathleen had done so much more than that. Kathleen had enriched his life in ways that he couldn’t even imagine. He was so thankful to have her here, even more thankful that she had understood his story and decided, after all, to not run away and leave him all alone.

He couldn’t help but smile as he told Humphrey of all the fun that they’d had since Kathleen had arrived; how she’d learned to ride a horse, how she’d learned how to cook, how they would spend their evenings sitting out on the porch and watching the day turn into night, either talking about their lives and their days or just sitting in silence and enjoying one another’s company. Even Humphrey couldn’t keep the smile off his face.

“It sounds like you two have had a wonderful time getting to know one another,” Humphrey said. He turned to Kathleen. “I’m very glad that you’ve found happiness here, Kathleen. In fact, it makes me incredibly happy to see that you have found a place where you feel like you belong, with someone who cares for you just as you are. You’re happy?”

“The happiest I’ve ever been, Father,” she said.

“And you care for this man? Jonathan, rather than Wayne,” he asked.

“Jonathan will certainly take some getting used to, I’ve been calling him Wayne since I got here,” Kathleen said. “But yes, I do.”

“Then I wish you a lifetime of happiness with one another,” he said. “I truly do.”

Jonathan took a deep breath, taking in the acceptance that Humphrey had given him.

He turned to Kathleen and smiled, she was smiling back at him, tears in her eyes. And this was the moment that he had been waiting for.

It had been building for so many days now and, maybe he’d known for longer than he cared to admit. Maybe he’d been keeping the truth from himself, as they had been doing from each other, to protect himself.

But in that moment, Jonathan walked towards Kathleen, and got down on one knee. She gasped.

“Kathleen Morrow,” he said. “I promise that I will protect you, come rain or come shine, I will make sure you are never short of apples, and I will never ever lie to you again. It would be the greatest honor of my life to make you my wife. Will you marry me?”

“Of course, I will.”

He stood up and, like it was meant to be that way all along, they kissed, Jonathan wrapping his arms around Kathleen and breathing her in.

This was going to be the start of something truly wonderful.

Epilogue

The night of the corn harvest was when Kathleen and Jonathan decided they were going to get married. It had come around as something of a whirlwind, neither one of them wanting to wait.

“I’ve done all the waiting I could possibly do in my life,” Jonathan said. “Let’s stop waiting, and start living.”

“Sounds perfect!” Kathleen had replied, before immediately recruiting Sybil to help plan and decorate.

Just like they had done for the apple harvest, they set out the front yard with rows of benches, setting up the porch as if it were an altar. They decorated it with flowers, Sybil managing to make everything look like it was something from Kathleen’s dreams.

At the end of every single bench was a sprig of herbs that Sybil had picked from her garden to make everything smell fresh and flowery. Together, they created bouquets of flowers that they tied to the opposite end of every bench, little splashes of orange and yellow and green across their front yard.

What they had done to the porch was second to none.

They had tied together garlands of flowers and hung them like bunting all of the front of the house. Jonathan had fashioned an archway out of wood for them to have the wedding under and, Sybil being Sybil, had gone a little wild with the flowers and now it looked like an explosion of color.

“How have you done all of this in just a few days?” Jonathan asked when he returned back from the fields the night before the wedding.

All Kathleen had to do was gesture to Sybil, who was trying to find a way up onto the roof to hang more flowers, and Jonathan understood and laughed.

Kathleen took one of her mother’s old dresses out of her wardrobe. She’d brought it with her knowing that she would get married while she was here, but she never imagined that the occasion would be one that would make her so happy.

When she’d made her way out here, she thought she was on her way to a life of misery but, in fact, it was quite the opposite. Jonathan made her happier than she ever thought possible and now she had the chance to spend the rest of her life with him.

Millie would be beside herself, Kathleen thought. She’d sent her an invitation so Millie would be there too. It would be wonderful to see her again. She’d probably be surprised at just how much Kathleen had grown up. Or maybe she wouldn’t. That seemed the more likely of the two things. Millie would happily tell Kathleen she’d been right all along.

Sybil managed the logistics, claiming that she would try and turn it into a business because she was so good at putting on events for people. Kathleen wasn’t so sure that such a job existed but if anyone could make something like that work, it would be Sybil.

She helped Kathleen get ready on the day too, putting her hair into a beautiful updo and making sure she looked her absolute best for her big day. And Kathleen did look beautiful. As she looked in the full-length mirror of her bedroom, soon to be a bedroom she shared with Jonathan, she couldn’t believe how wonderful she looked.

Humphrey had said just a few short days ago that she had changed, and now she really could see it. There was a spark in her eyes that she hadn’t seen before, a determination in the way that she stood and admired herself in the mirror. And then there was the dress.

It had belonged to her mother many, many years ago and now that it was on her shoulders, it felt right. It was a long, white dress with lace running over the shoulders and arms. It was almost certainly too warm to be wearing in this weather, but Kathleen didn’t care. She wanted to honor her mother in this way.

The veil was also her mother’s but with Sybil’s own personal touch. Over the years, the headband had deteriorated and wouldn’t stay on Kathleen’s head, so Sybil had woven flowers into it, ones that matched the garlands and the ones that had been left around the benches. She looked like she was part of it all now, like she was inviting the onlookers into her kingdom to watch her marry her prince.

There was a knock at the door, and it was her father. He looked over at her and beamed.

“You’ve never looked more beautiful,” he said, unable to keep the slight choke out of his voice. “Your mother would be so proud of you.”

“Stop it,” Kathleen said.

“No,” Humphrey replied. “I mean it. You look… well… you look just like her.”

Her father had stayed around. Once they had decided that the wedding was going to be sooner rather than later, he decided he wanted to be there to see his daughter get married, something that Kathleen found to be very pleasing.

Even though their relationship had been a little turbulent over the years, they were on their way to mending it. They seemed to be more open with one another and, every baby step they took towards becoming closer as a father and daughter made their bond stronger.

He was even getting on very well with Jonathan. Kathleen found out that the letter that she had given to Jonathan when she moved here had included an offer to be part of one of her father’s business ventures, joining the fur trade.

She couldn’t see Jonathan taking him up on the offer, but the potential for stability was something Jonathan could hardly refuse. It meant that they would be in a strong enough position to start a family of their own, which was something Kathleen wanted to do with Jonathan.

“You about ready to go, sweetheart?” her father said to her, still smiling at her from the door.

“I think so,” she replied.

She looked back in the mirror one last time. The dress was one that she had admired for such a long time in her mother’s closet back home. Even when she didn’t know who it would be she was marrying, she knew this would be the dress she got married in.

She hoped that she was making her mother proud by doing this, that was something she would never know for sure, but her father saying it, warmed her heart somewhat. She knew she was finally making her father proud.

Look at that, she thought to herself. I never thought I’d see the day.

They walked out to where the congregation were sitting, outside under the beautiful summer sky, everybody looking up to where Jonathan waited for her with the priest.

Jonathan beamed at her as she appeared, a smile so wide, so joyous that Kathleen could hardly stand it. It was so wonderful.

Her father offered her his arm and she took it, the two of them walking down the aisle together as Kathleen walked into her new life with Jonathan. She couldn’t wait.

She held Jonathan’s hand as the priest spoke, listening to every word he said but not able to take her eyes off the man who would soon be her husband. She couldn’t believe how lucky she was.

“Now it’s time for the vows,” the priest said, turning to Jonathan first.

He took a deep breath, a little nervous. She could feel that his hands were shaking.

“Kathleen, you know better than anyone the kind of life I have lived,” he started. “I’ve not always been right, but I’ve always tried to be, no matter what, I have always tried to make the right decision. The day I met you, I knew that I had made one of the best decisions of my life and I was going to do everything in my power to make you happy here in Bellfield.”

“You are like no one else I have ever met,” he continued. “You take pleasure in the smaller things in life, in the unexpected moments and you notice beauty in the world that others often look past, and nothing makes me happier than seeing you with a smile on your face. You’re caring and sweet, and I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life trying to keep that smile on you.”

Kathleen could hardly stop herself from crying. It wasn’t what she was expecting him to say, that was for sure. She’d been to the weddings of a few of her friends back home and the men had always been... a little boring. But Jonathan had managed to make her cry. When she walked down the aisle, she had planned what she was going to say, but now that was going out the window. Jonathan had spoken to her from the heart and now she was determined to do the same.

“I was so frightened when I came to Bellfield,” she said. “Leaving Ohio was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life, and I had no idea what was going to happen when I got here. You will never understand quite how happy I was when I got off that train and saw you standing there. You were so kind, so loving, and you didn’t even know me yet. You accepted me for everything that I was, and I’d never experienced that before. People had always tried to change me or want me to act a certain way, but you only ever wanted me to be me.”

“You stayed by me through terrible cooking, horse riding accidents and befriending Sybil,” Kathleen heard Sybil giggle from behind her, even Jonathan couldn’t help but smile through his tears. “And I am so beyond grateful to have met you. You’ve changed my life for the better and I cannot thank you enough. I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with you.”

* * *

After the wedding, they had a great feast, everyone from Bellfield bringing various food items for everybody to share. Kathleen had been to a few weddings before, but it was a totally different experience now that it was her own.

Everybody wanted to talk to her and congratulate her, no matter where she turned there was a smiling face wishing her well and wishing her all the happiness in the world for her future with Jonathan.

She hadn’t stopped smiling since the ceremony finished and her cheeks were definitely starting to hurt but she didn’t even care.

And it was as Kathleen was walking around and meeting people that she spotted a familiar face in the crowd.

“Millie!” Kathleen shouted as she caught sight of her best friend from Ohio.

Millie’s face burst into a smile and the two ran towards each other, hugging each other as tightly as they possibly could.

“What on earth are you doing here?” Kathleen said.

“You were getting married,” Millie replied, rolling her eyes. “I wasn’t about to miss it, was I?”

“I sent the invitation, but I didn’t know if you would be able to make it,” Kathleen said, so beyond happy that her best friend had come all this way to see her get married. How did she get so lucky? “Why didn’t I see you earlier on?”

“I was a little late for the ceremony,” Millie said. “I snuck in at the back, but then you were having such a good time talking to everyone, I didn’t want to interrupt.”

“Millie, I wish you’d interrupted!” Kathleen said. “I’ve got so much to catch you up on.”

“Yes, you do,” Millie said. “First, maybe introduce me to your new husband!”

Kathleen grabbed Jonathan and practically dragged him over to see Millie. She made the introductions and Millie’s jaw almost hit the floor.

“Jonathan,” she said. “It’s so lovely to meet you, but I do have to say, you were not what we were expecting.”

“Millie—” Kathleen warned.

“We thought you were going to be a creepy old man or something,” Millie teased. “Looks like you hit the jackpot.”

“Stop it!” Kathleen said, laughing so hard her sides hurt. “Jonathan, I’m so sorry, I’ve not seen her in such a long time, she has to get all of the teasing in that she’s missed out on while I’ve been gone.”

Jonathan smiled. “It’s honestly not a problem at all,” he said. “It’s nice to not be considered... old and creepy.” Jonathan laughed.

“Who’s calling you old and creepy?” Wayne appeared at Jonathan’s side with a smile on his face. He tossed an arm over his brother’s shoulders. “I’ll take out anybody who dares on your wedding day!”

“This is Kathleen’s best friend from Ohio, Millie,” Jonathan said, introducing her to Wayne.

And Kathleen saw it happen right in front of her face as the two of them locked eyes. It was like a spark had been lit between the two of them. They smiled at each other dumbly, reaching out a hand each to shake.

“A pleasure... to meet you, Mr. Wayne, Mr. Saunders, Wayne Saunders,” Millie garbled. Kathleen stifled a laugh.

“P-p-p-pleasure’s all mine,” Wayne said, shaking her hand. “What did you say your name was again?”

“Millie,” Millie said. “So, you’re Jonathan’s brother, wow. How long have you two known each other?”

“What?” Jonathan said. “He’s my twin brother we—”

Kathleen took hold of Jonathan and practically pushed him away from the two of them. “I’ll just leave you two alone for a minute,” Kathleen said. “Come find me later,” she added as she and Jonathan walked away.

“What was that?” he asked, gesturing back to where Millie and Wayne were standing smiling goofily.

“That,” Kathleen said, watching as they started to talk, neither one of them able to keep their eyes off the other. “Might be the start of a beautiful friendship. Or more,” she said with a wink.

As the night wore on, a band started to play and a dance floor was cleared. The music was loud, country music, guitars and violins, members of the band beating out rhythms on anything they could get their hands on, pots and pans, old crates, the porch swing.

It was enough to get everybody dancing and everybody in the town seemed to be having a good time, Kathleen and Jonathan included.

“What do you say?” Jonathan said as people hurried past them to dance. He was looking towards the dance floor, the most mischievous grin on his face.

Kathleen widened her eyes at him. For the first time in her life, she was lost for words. “I thought you didn’t dance,” Kathleen said as he offered her his arm.

“It’s tradition that we dance together, Kathleen, you know that,” he said.

“Oh, so you’ll dance with me because it’s tradition?” she said, enjoying teasing him like this. “I thought that maybe you’d want to dance with the new Mrs. Saunders because she’s your wife, and your wife just loves to dance.”

Jonathan smiled. “Well, if my wife loves to dance, I’ll just have to dance and dance and dance until my feet hurt, won’t I?” he said, leaning in and kissing her on the lips. It was enough to send a thrill through Kathleen’s entire body. “I’ll do whatever it takes to make you happy, Kathleen,” he said. “Just go easy on me on the dancing, okay?”

She dragged him to the dance floor and the two danced together in the crowd of people, Kathleen unable to keep the smile off her face, unable to keep her eyes off Jonathan. He was smiling too, laughing as they went.

Neither one of them were good dancers, but it didn’t matter, they were having the time of their lives. It didn’t matter that people were watching because all they were seeing were two people in love, enjoying each other’s company.

She noticed Sybil dancing with Howard in the throng, and even managed to catch Wayne dancing with Millie somewhere off to one side. It just made Kathleen smile more, tonight really was perfect.

Kathleen danced until her feet hurt and she needed a rest. It gave Jonathan a chance to have a break too, something she knew that he was craving. She’d seen the look on his face when the band did fast number after fast number after fast number.

She sat with Sybil and watched people enjoy themselves, watched them eat the food, watched them drink in the atmosphere. Kathleen couldn’t keep the smile off her face.

“Is this how you imagined your life to be, Kathleen?” Sybil asked.

Kathleen shook her head. “Not at all,” she said.

“But are you happy?”

Kathleen smiled. “The happiest I’ve ever been.”

Kathleen watched Jonathan with his brother at the party. Neither one of them really knew what Wayne’s plans were for the future. They’d talked about it a few times but, for the time being, he just seemed content in Bellfield.

He seemed to be enjoying spending time with his brother, something that Kathleen could see her new husband was enjoying too.

It was a wonderful thing to see because, since they had their fight, the two of them were inseparable. There were days when Wayne would come round and help Jonathan out in the fields, there were other days when Wayne would join them for an evening meal, or even sit out on the porch with them and look at the stars.

He was staying at the local tavern, they had a few rooms upstairs that people rarely rented out, so they were just pleased to have somebody in them. No matter how much Jonathan tried, he couldn’t convince Wayne to come and live on the farm with them, especially considering his shack would be free once he moved into the main house.

But Wayne wasn’t having any of it. He was happy to be a little bit free for a while, which Jonathan appreciated. As someone who literally had all of his freedom taken away, it was easy to see why Jonathan would allow his brother that.

Kathleen could see just how much Jonathan needed this bond. Not that he hadn’t been open with her before, but having a piece of his family around, someone who he could connect this town and all of his childhood memories too, had transformed him in ways that Kathleen hadn’t anticipated. All of it for the better.

The added bonus being, of course, that Kathleen liked Wayne. He was always sweet to her. He caught Kathleen’s eye and waved, quickly leaving Jonathan’s side as he engaged in conversation with old Bill from next door.

“How are you enjoying yourself, Mrs. Saunders?” Wayne asked as he joined her. “You throw quite a party.”

“I think you’ll find it’s Sybil who throws quite a party,” Kathleen said with a grin.

Wayne laughed. “Well, my compliments to Sybil,” he said. “You look very beautiful tonight.”

“Thank you, Wayne.”

“And I don’t think I’ve ever seen my brother this happy,” he said, looking over at Jonathan. “You really bring out his best self, Kathleen. The Jonathan I met when I returned to town was not the same Jonathan I knew all those years ago. You changed him.”

“You’re being silly,” she said.

“I mean it,” he said. “He cares for you so deeply. And you’ve done so much for him, I don’t think you even know.” He sighed. “And I’m sorry for how I was when I got here. I know he shouldn’t have lied, and it all worked out in the end but I really could have messed things up for you two. I thought he was just being his old self but... like I said... it’s like the old Jonathan doesn’t even exist anymore.”

She breathed in Wayne’s words. She didn’t know Jonathan before, she only knew this Jonathan so she would have to take him at his word. But he had changed her too.

She had never felt more confident, surer of herself than she did when she was with him. And she was happy. This was what true happiness felt like.

She leaned back and looked at what her life had become and couldn’t help but smile to herself. She never dreamed this would be it, but it’s all she could have possibly wanted, and so much more.

The Extended Epilogue

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A Perfect Storm to Bind their Hearts – Preview

Prologue

Melville, Nebraska

It was the first truly warm day of spring. Rosalie paused from where she was working in the ranch’s garden, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand. Her sister, Chloe, six years younger than Rosalie’s twenty years, continued plucking weeds from the arid soil.

Living on the plains of Nebraska was rarely easy, but Rosalie and her family had a moderately peaceful existence. The Furman ranch was one hundred and sixty acres that her father had carved out of the wilderness some twenty-five years before for growing corn and grazing cattle. Tending the ranch was a full-time job for everyone who lived there, especially since the sudden death of Rosalie’s only brother, Matthew, a year ago.

Looking over her shoulder, she could see the pecan sapling that they had planted as a grave marker. Matthew had been older than her by two years, strong and kind, with the same yellow blonde hair that all the Furman siblings had. But, the previous summer, he had been kicked by a frightened horse and died several days later.

“What’s this one called again?”

Rosalie turned back to her sister. For a moment, she saw a flash of Matthew in the determined squint of Chloe’s eyes.

“Those will bloom into Black-Eyed Susans,” Rosalie replied. “See how the stems are all bristled? That’s how it’s so easy to recognize them.” She got to her feet. “Come on now, we need to go weed the vegetable garden too. The peas are starting to get choked.”

Chloe brushed the dirt off her hands onto her apron. Rosalie marveled at how quickly her sister was growing. Although only fourteen, she was shooting up like young maize, all gangly arms and legs. Her faded, red calico dress, that had once been Rosalie’s, was creeping up above her ankles.

“I’m going to ask Mama if tomorrow at school I can invite some of my friends for a visit to see the new chicks,” Chloe said. “But I’m going to make sure I’m extra helpful today and do all of my chores, so she has less reason to say no.”

Rosalie laughed as her sister rushed off ahead of her. “It’s lovely to know that you offered to help me for your own selfish reasons.”

Chloe gave her a wide-eyed look of contrition. “Oh no, it’s not just because of that. I love helping you in the garden. It’s better than being stuck inside doing tatting with Mama.”

Rosalie tugged on one of her sister’s long golden braids and let the subject go. In all honesty, she would choose the garden over any other chores. She spent countless hours there. Her father always had encouraged his daughters to get involved with as much work on the ranch as possible. Chopping wood, tilling the soil, caring for livestock, and going hunting were regular occurrences for the sisters, both before and after Matthew had died, leaving their father without his main work companion.

He never scolded them for taking on tasks he would usually do, always beaming with pride when he would come home to find the fence in the yard fixed or the barn repainted or the feedstore reorganized. He’d find his two daughters wherever they had sprawled out to take a break, covered in dust and sweat, and would praise their work.

Their mother fretted over such events, insisting that while the girls were being helpful, they were neglecting to learn the skills that they would need as wives in the future. It also was clear that seeing her daughters performing such work reminded her painfully that she had lost her only son. As much as Rosalie loved her mother, she knew that she sometimes struggled with raising her daughters in a world so different from the fancy house she had grown up in back East in New York. She worried over them for ruining their dresses or if all this bold behavior would damage their prospects with the families in town.

The two sisters slipped through the gate that led to the vegetable garden. Rosalie left the gate open while they worked, letting the chickens that roamed around the house to come in and rummage through the fresh soil and young plants for worms and bugs.

“I can’t wait until we have fresh vegetables again,” Chloe bemoaned. “I’m so tired of the canned stuff.”

“Well, I think Mama is making something special for dinner since Father is due back tonight,” Rosalie replied, shooing away a hen that was trampling some seedlings. “I know she went into town to buy fresh beef and some sugar for pie.”

Chloe’s eyes lit up, although Rosalie wasn’t sure if it was at the mention of their father’s return or the pie.

Their father, Raymond, was a ranger. That meant if there was news of brigands or cattle thieves in the area, or someone had lost a horse or a child, he would saddle up his buckskin stallion, Oak, and go out with the rest of his unit from the town. Sometimes he would be away for days, sometimes more than a week, but he would always return.

The girls always tried to surprise him with something every time—a piece of needlework, a new pie recipe they would try with their mother, or completing a big job around the ranch that he had been putting off—because they loved the look on his face: a mix of surprise and awe. Now that Rosalie was older, she realized he had exaggerated the expression to make them giggle but it only made her love her father more.

“Girls?”

Their mother appeared at the back porch, drying her hands on her apron.

“Rosalie, can you go to the root store and get me an armful of potatoes? Rinse them off at the pump then come help me with dinner.”

Rosalie gave a longing look up to the bright blue sky, wishing she could remain outside in the fresh air. But then she got to her feet, brushing the dirt off her hands. “Yes, Mama.”

Chloe gave Rosalie an apologetic look. Being the baby of the family, Chloe often was coddled more by her mother, who was more likely to ask for Rosalie’s help, even if she was already busy. Not that she didn’t like helping her mother. She just was slowly realizing that, as the years went by, more and more was expected from her. Her father still called her ‘Chickadee’ though, the pet name she’d had since childhood, and that was something.

Rosalie sighed and left the fenced garden, crossing the yard in front of the house to go to the root store. Despite its name, it was where they kept all their dried and preserved food. She climbed around sacks of corn, brushed aside herbs hung in bundles from the ceiling, and paused to reshelf a can that had tumbled to the floor. Finding the sacks of potatoes, she loaded a good dozen or more into her apron.

As she closed the root store door behind her, she heard the far-off thunder of hooves drawing closer. Raising her hand to shield her vision from the afternoon sun, she peered out across the flat landscape surrounding the ranch. There! In the distance, she could see riders approaching the ranch at high speed.

“Mama! Chloe!” she shouted, hurrying to the house. “Father’s back!”

The dogs began to bark in excitement, running in circles around the front yard. Chloe came running from the back garden, her braids flying, and their mother hurried out onto the porch, flour streaked across her cheek.

Rosalie and Chloe ran to the ranch gate, releasing the latch and pulling it open to greet the riders. As the horses drew closer, Rosalie’s excitement at her father’s return began to waver a little as she realized that there were only two riders. This was the first house on the road back into Melville, so it wasn’t as if any of the ranger units already had gone home.

Finally, the horses were close enough for her to see that it was Rogers and Willum, the two men who had set out on a ranging trip with her father a few days before. They cantered into the bounds of the ranch, taking their horses directly to the trough by the hitching post.

For a brief, blessed moment of innocence, Rosalie wondered why they returned alone. In later months, she would look back on that moment and wonder at how different her life had been before it. She would wonder why it took her so long to understand what it meant when she saw Willum carrying her father’s dusty, dented hat.

It was only when he handed it to her, and she realized that her mother had collapsed on the porch with a devastated wail, that she understood.

The big Dutchman had tears in his eyes as he stepped back. “Miss Furman...we’re so sorry. We were tracking a group that tried to rustle some cattle from the O’Connell estate and we thought we lost them. But they’d circled around behind us and there was a shoot-out. Raymond ended up in the line of fire. We carried him back as soon as we could, but…it was too late.”

Chloe was clutching at her dress behind her and Rosalie looked down to see her sister’s confused expression. Seeing the realization dawn on her face was almost more painful than feeling it herself. Their mother still was weeping on the porch. Rosalie couldn’t move and just kept staring at the old brown hat in her hands.

“Miss Furman?” Rogers was giving her a concerned look.

Rosalie, without a word, slipped free of Chloe’s grasp and began to walk away. Ignoring the cries of her mother and the questions of the men, she kept walking. Past the barn, through the maize field, out to the farthest pasture, where the grass nearly came up to her knees and the beef cattle slowly were becoming silhouettes in the setting sun.

Only the day before, she and her father had ridden the perimeter, fixing fencing and checking on young calves. Now she fell to her knees in the grass, the hat still clutched in her hands, and let out a scream that sent a wave of black-capped chickadees cascading up out of the grass to pepper the reddening sky like bullets.

Chapter 1

Melville, Nebraska

One year later, early spring

Barret cursed his fate for the third time that morning. Hat pulled low over his eyes and a kerchief tied around the lower half of his face, he knew he cut a somewhat suspicious figure, riding through the wilderness with his small mismatched herd of cattle. But the wind was still bitter, and he didn’t need to add frostbite to his list of problems.

On the way out of Denver, in the hundred or so miles he’d traveled to reach Melville, he’d lost two pregnant heifers in a dreadful blizzard that he and his cattle now were trying to outrun. He knew it was time they found a place to rest; the animals weren’t going to last much longer out on the open plains. He’d be finished if the storm caught up to him again.

Barret laughed quietly to himself. This past year had been the hardest of his life. He’d thought the open road and vast prairies might finally give him the peace that he so yearned for. It quickly had become clear that staying at the small ranch he had hoped to make a home with his wife only was going to eventually drive him mad.

Cresting a low hill with his herd, Barret stopped for a minute. His paint gelding, Blackjack, shuffled a little, reaching to grab a mouthful of the grass. In the distance, Barret could see the dull smudge of a town out on the plain. From what he had been told at the last town, this was Melville. There should be a place for him to take a few days of rest and these people needed to be warned of the blizzard chasing him into town.

He set off once more, circling away briefly to chivvy a distracted heifer back into the herd.

“Don’t want to go roaming wild out there, sweet,” he said, flicking his lasso softly at her side to steer her toward the others.

He could almost hear Katherine’s teasing voice asking if he expected the cow to talk back. The memories of her last days flooded his mind as they so often did when he heard echoes of her voice in his head.

It was cruel that they hadn’t even been able to enjoy the first months following their wedding. Katherine began to weaken and fade from the consumption almost immediately following their marriage, the disease stealing pieces of her every day that passed. Being unable to do anything to help her had started to kill him too, little by little. By the time he had buried her, he felt as if he was burying a version of himself alongside her.

A few days spent in the empty cabin that still rang with Katherine’s weakening coughs had been enough to send Barret onto the open road. He took his small herd of cattle and wandered, never setting down roots anywhere ever again. Moving from town to town was good most of the time. It suited the version of him that had come into being following Katherine’s death.

But fighting his way through the cold front, and the days he had spent huddled in an old barn waiting for the storm to pass was unlike anything he had ever seen before. Now, with Melville within sight, the first town he had seen after days of traveling, he wondered if it was time to hunker down for a while. Wandering the plains in these conditions, putting his livestock and himself in danger, was just foolish.

Whistling to the cows and tapping Blackjack’s sides to urge him forward, Barret also knew that he needed to warn these townspeople of the impending storm. Livestock would need to be brought in from the pastures; everyone would need to dig out their thickest winter clothes; children would need to be kept home and safe.

Warmed by the prospect of sleeping under a roof, he drove his animals across the few miles of open prairie into town. Asking for directions from a passing gentleman and his wife, Barret was directed to a large, solidly built barn behind the local inn. The cattle milled quietly around the yard, going to drink from the large wooden troughs at the edges of the corral. Barret swung his leg over the front of the saddle and slid off Blackjack, tying the paint to the fence just as a man exited the back of the inn.

He was a large man, perhaps in his early forties, and hefty as a bear. He was taller than Barret by at least two inches or more, and his torso was like a barrel. The buttons of his faded green waistcoat remained attached only by some miracle, the seams straining to contain the man’s vast ribcage. However, his face was kind, a bristling brown mustache making up for his bald head. He squinted at Barret through a small set of spectacles and offered his hand to shake.

“I’m Harold Cadwell, although most folks around here just call me Caddy,” he boomed, his hand nearly swallowing Barret’s.

Barret immediately liked the man. “I’m Barret Tilson.”

“Well, Barret, what brings you to Melville?” Cadwell released Barret’s hand to hook his thumbs into the pockets of his waistcoat.

Barret took a careful half-step to the side just in case the thread finally gave up and sent the brass buttons firing off like bullets. “I hail from the far side of Colorado. Took to the road last summer. Wintered over Denver way but have had my herd back out on the road for the past few months. I was told I could find some room and board here for myself but is there anywhere I can keep my cows?”

“Not a problem.” Cadwell gave a sharp whistle and Blackjack flickered his ears in mild annoyance. “John Boy!”

A rumpled lad of about seventeen or eighteen tumbled out of the backdoor of the inn. “Yes, Pa?”

“Help Mr. Tilson get his cows settled in the barn, will you?”

The lad nodded, tipping his hat to Barret, and Cadwell went on to explain, “Your animals are safe back there. I own the barn and my boy will help take care of them while you’re here. The cattle can go in the barn and your horse can have a stable at the livery next door.”

John was leading the cattle into the barn, shaking a bucket of feed to draw them to him. A younger girl with long black hair in plaits appeared from the inn as she heard the mooing of the cows, a rough-haired mutt of a dog following along behind her.

“Shall I tell Ma to get some food going?” she asked.

“I’ll deal with that, Natalie, love. You take Mr. Tilson’s horse over to the stables,” Cadwell said. The girl nodded, heading for Blackjack, the dog going with her.

“I’m fine to bed Blackjack down myself,” Barret insisted, a sudden flash of worry hitting him.

These seemed like good folks, but he’d nearly had Blackjack stolen from one of the inns he’d last stayed at. As it was, he’d lost a set of his saddlebags, and now tended to sleep in the stall with his horse if he felt unsure about the people hosting.

Cadwell clearly recognized his concern and quickly reassured him. “We’re God-fearing people here in Melville, Mr. Tilson. And my Natalie has the best touch with horses. Your horse—”

“Blackjack,” Barret clarified.

“Your Blackjack will be well cared for. And you can go check on him as soon as you’ve got some warm food in you and taken the weight off your feet for a minute or two.” Cadwell clapped a heavy hand onto Barret’s shoulder but the weight wasn’t intimidating.

“Very well,” Barret said, crossing to Blackjack to take the saddlebags from the back of his well-worn ranching saddle. “I’ll check on him later. He’s a sweet lad, Natalie, so don’t worry about him being difficult.”

Blackjack already was snuffling softly at the girl’s pockets in search of treats as the two men went inside. The inside of the inn had a homely atmosphere that Barret hadn’t experienced in many months. The split log walls were whitewashed to make the interior space seem lighter, and the furniture that filled the space was worn but all gleamed. It was clear that everything was kept clean, polished, and in good order. There were around ten or twelve people in the room, mostly men, quietly drinking in twos or threes around several of the small tables. There were several unoccupied large leather armchairs arranged around a fireplace containing a blazing fire on one side of the room where Cadwell led Barret.

“Rest yourself and warm up, Mr. Tilson,” he said. “I’ll let my wife, Myra, know you’re in need of feeding and she’ll put together a hearty plate for you.”

“That’s very kind of you,” Barret said, removing his hat and coat before settling back in one of the armchairs. He nearly groaned in delight at how comfortable the chair was; after so many days of being in the saddle, his body was grateful for something a little more forgiving.

Cadwell disappeared for a minute but then he returned with a large cup of steaming coffee that he placed on the table by the armchair. He lowered his bulk into one of the chairs opposite Barret, letting out a relaxed sigh.

“Your dinner will be out in a minute,” he said. “So, have you any news from the world outside of Melville?”

Barret enjoyed his coffee, the scalding, pleasantly bitter liquid slowly thawing the parts of him that the wind had chilled. Between sips, he passed on the various pieces of news and gossip he’d picked up in the towns he’d passed through.

Some twenty minutes later, a slip of a woman with her red hair scraped back into a tight bun and a smile as bright as a noonday sun approached the chairs with a large tin plate piled high with food. This was clearly Cadwell’s wife, Myra.

“This should do you well, Mister Tilson,” she said, her voice sweetened with a Scottish brogue. “There’s white-tail deer and buffalo in the stew, cornbread, a potato hash, and canned greens for you. If you need any more coffee, just let Harold know.”

“Many thanks, ma’am,” Barret said, taking the plate and immediately setting to work on the meal as Myra hurried away to serve another customer.

“Now,” Cadwell said, settling back in the chair as he produced a pipe from somewhere, “what I am wondering, which I’m hoping you might be able to clear up for me, is if there’s any reason we don’t get as many folks passing through town as we once did?”

“We’re just coming out of the winter, Caddy,” a grizzled man with a long gray beard said from one of the nearby tables. “It’s not as if we’re easy to find way out here.”

“No, no,” Cadwell said insistently. “I know it goes quiet in the wintertime, but traffic into town from other settlements and folks further out on the frontier usually would have picked up by now.”

“Might be the storm that I caught out near Denver,” Barret said, mopping up the thick gravy of the stew with a hunk of cornbread studded with crisped bacon scraps. “Lost two cows to it. Might make people stay home for a few more weeks.” He wiped his mouth. “I’d suggest all of you prepare for some real nasty cold weather in the next few days. Bring your animals in. Put the shutters back onto your windows.”

Harold chuckled around the stem of his pipe. “Don’t you fret about all that, Mr. Tilson,” he said, lighting the tobacco packed into the bowl. “We never get blizzards over here in Melville past March time. Last time was, oh, maybe sixteen years ago?”

The grizzled man nodded in agreement as he took another drink. “I know this land,” he said. “Know the ways of the seasons around these parts and I would have seen the signs if anything was on its way.”

Too weary all of a sudden to argue, Barret merely made some indecipherable noise and focused on finishing his meal. He’d wash, sleep, and eat again in the morning, then would track down the mayor to try making his case tomorrow morning. If he could save these people from suffering in a blizzard, he would.

Chapter 2

Rosalie was by the kitchen stove, fixing the fire in preparation for cooking dinner. Briefly, she allowed her thoughts to drift, thinking of nothing in particular. She had precious little time these days to let her mind rest from worries.

As if on cue, a violent fit of coughing from the next room yanked her from her reveries. It was a relatively warm day for the plains, but her mother always was unable to get warm. The slightest change in the air temperature would send her into seemingly never-ending bouts of coughing.

Hurrying to the medicine cabinet and pulling out the bottle of Scott’s Emulsion of Cod Liver Oil, with its label promising relief from “Consumption, Scrofula, Bronchitis, Wasting Diseases, Chronic Coughs and Colds”, she found it was nearly empty. Pure despair washed over Rosalie, a sensation she had become more than familiar with over the past year.

After her father’s death the previous spring, everything had become a struggle. They couldn’t afford to take on any farmhands and so, despite all three women working from dawn until dusk, they barely had brought in enough crops that year to get them through the winter, let alone any excess to sell.

Then, one day in January, Rosalie had come in from cleaning the barn to find her mother collapsed on the kitchen floor, sweating, shaking, and coughing blood. Thanking God that Chloe was still busy in the barn, Rosalie had helped her mother to bed.

Over the next few months, the cough and the fever became worse. Rosalie tried to care for her mother as best as she could, but money was tight and soon she couldn’t afford visits from Dr. Jansen.

The only thing they had left was the ranch and she knew they couldn’t make good use of the full amount of land when they didn’t have the hands and resources. As much as it pained her, she knew she would need to sell some of the land and animals very soon, or else risk losing everything.

The sound of the door opening and closing drew Rosalie out of her panic. She put the bottle back into the cupboard, turning to see Chloe carrying a bundle of supplies with one arm. In her other hand, she had a small bag. The delicious scent drifting from the package immediately gave away its contents.

Rosalie sighed, taking the supplies from her sister and beginning to unpack it all onto the kitchen table while giving the bag of cooked food a reproachful look. “How many times do I have to tell you, Chloe, we do not need charity.”

“It’s not charity. Mrs. Cadwell said she made some extra food by accident and didn’t want it to go to waste.” Chloe took off her bonnet and coat, hanging up both behind the door.

Rosalie rolled her eyes affectionately at her sister’s inability to realize that Mrs. Cadwell “made extra food by accident” at least once a week and only on the days that Chloe was visiting Natalie at the inn.

“They were stocked back up with slippery elm at the chemist, so we can boil it and make tea for mother.” Chloe pulled a little paper bag out of the supplies, then filled the kettle and set it on the already hot range. “Oh! Also, there was a man at the inn who just has arrived in town.”

“And?” Rosalie began putting away the vegetables that she had planned to use for that night’s dinner. She wouldn’t admit it, but she was glad that Mrs. Cadwell had provided the meal for tonight. They were getting low on most things, she noticed with some worry, even after Chloe’s trip to town. Basic things like cornmeal, coffee, and salt were all close to gone.

“While I was waiting for Natalie to come back from stabling his horse, I heard him saying there’s probably going to be a big storm soon.”

“At this time of year?” Rosalie frowned, wrapping up the salt beef she had set aside for dinner. It would do another meal tomorrow. “What makes him think that?”

Chloe shrugged, unwrapping a cloth to reveal Mrs. Cadwell’s bacon and rosemary cornbread. The smell filled the kitchen in a puff of deliciously scented steam and Rosalie allowed herself to get excited about the food. Even though she was more than capable of providing mouth-watering meals for her family, despite how difficult things had become in recent times, she loved Mrs. Cadwell’s cooking.

The food from the inn was as delicious as expected: thick, rich stew with various root vegetables roasted with thyme. Then there was potato hash and fresh cornbread, all washed down with coffee.

Rosalie helped her mother into the kitchen to sit with them for dinner, though she barely had the strength to eat anything. Her brown hair hung limply around her pale, sunken face and her coughs punctuated the entire meal, even though she fought to hide them in the quilt she had draped around her shoulders.

Chloe’s warning passed on from the stranger in town weighed on Rosalie’s mind as she ate. The coldest parts of the winter nearly had killed her mother. They’d been so desperate to keep her warm that she and Chloe had moved her bed into the kitchen to sit in front of the range. If there was a sudden storm like this traveler suggested, she would have to be sure to keep her mother warm and rested.

Although it was unlikely for such weather to happen at this time of year, Rosalie dared not dismiss the idea, not when she nearly had run out of the few things that seemed to alleviate the symptoms of this wasting cough.

Once dinner was finished and the sisters had cleaned up, Rosalie helped her mother back to bed. Her mother leaned on her heavily on the short walk from the kitchen to the bedroom she had shared with her husband for more than twenty years. As it always did, Rosalie felt a surge of sadness as she saw her father’s boots still neatly placed by his side of the bed.

As she settled her mother into bed, her small frame was wracked by another burst of coughs. When Rosalie tried to support her, she was shaken off.

“I’m fine,” her mother gasped, her hand fluttering by her mouth. She forced herself to take a deeper breath, smoothing out the pain in her face when she noticed Chloe hovering nervously by the door. “Come and sit with me while you study, Chloe, dear,” she said. “I want to hear what you’ve been learning recently.”

Leaving the two of them alone, Rosalie moved onto the remainder of her chores for the day. Every morning she walked Chloe over to a crossroads out toward their neighbor’s house so that her sister had the company of other children on the hour-long walk to the school. But it took over an hour out of her day and so she found herself often doing chores late in the evening.

When Rosalie tended to the fire, she noticed they were getting low on wood. Peeking outside the backdoor to where the chopped wood was stacked, she sighed as she saw the supply had dwindled out there as well. Whether there was going to be a storm or not, they needed more wood.

Tying a scarf around her hair to keep it out of the way, she picked up the ax from the back porch and went to chop some more logs. Soon, she was sweating in the evening light, her slight figure belying the strength of the lithe muscles hidden by her dress.

She knew it distressed her mother to see her daughters completing such physical tasks. When Rosalie came into the house stinking of the barn, or with muddy hands from digging in the garden, she never failed to notice the look of shame in her mother’s eyes. It was as if she had failed her children somehow. It pained Rosalie more than she could admit to herself, but there was no other option.

If she only took on the tasks and developed the skills her mother so wanted her daughters to have as proper young ladies, they would not have made it through the winter. As it was, Rosalie wasn’t certain how she was going to manage the plowing and the planting this spring. No matter how much she tried, she didn’t have the strength, knowledge, or time to complete it all herself. She already was behind in preparing the ground for the sowing season. But she was hoping to make a deal with an interested party to help with the manual labor in return for a cut of the crop.

At the sound of the dogs barking, Rosalie paused, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand.

“Hello at the house!” came a call from the front gate.

Rosalie smiled as she recognized the voice. It was her friend Maisie Willum. Her father had been one of the men to bring Rosalie news of her father’s death. And, while it had been a terrible day, she never had forgotten his gentleness.

“I’m back here, Maisie,” she called.

A minute later, her friend appeared around the side of the house. She was tall and slim, her auburn hair catching the last of the evening light. Even in her plain-green calico dress, her sweet face and her smile made it clear why she was considered a beauty by many in Melville.

However, Rosalie narrowed her eyes when she saw her friend was carrying two large bags of groceries. If this was more people offering charity, she was going to scream.

“You’re heavily burdened tonight,” Rosalie called out, swinging the ax to sink the blade into the chopping block.

“My parents asked me to buy some extra food, just in case.” Maisie set the bags down on the porch, rolling her shoulders, which, no doubt, were aching. “I don’t know if you heard, but a very handsome traveler came into town. He was warning that a storm might be on its way and that we should prepare.”

Rosalie raised an eyebrow. “Chloe mentioned the stranger in town and his warning of a storm. The comment on his appearance she didn’t include.”

“Well, now you know,” Maisie said with a teasing smile. “Perhaps you’ll see him in town one day soon. I certainly wouldn’t mind taking another long glance.”

“You are incorrigible,” Rosalie said, laughing, pulling the ax free and reaching for another log. “And as lovely as it is to see you, it’s getting dark and you need to get home.”

“I know. I know,” Maisie grumbled, then reached into the bag and pulled out a large can of smoked beans and molasses. “Lighten my load and make the trip easier.”

Rosalie immediately set the ax down again, narrowing her eyes. “Maisie Willum, you know I don’t take kindly to either charity or trickery.”

“This is neither,” Maisie replied bluntly, hefting the two bags onto her shoulders again. “And if you argue with me, I’ll give you a lecture on the dangers of pride. I practiced it the whole walk over here, so just test me.”

Rosalie felt hot tears threaten unexpectedly. She brushed them away, but Maisie noticed.

“I know you are in need right now, dear friend,” she said quietly. “So, please take this as a boon of friendship. I know you would do the same for me and my family if we were in a rough patch. I just wish I could do more, especially if the stranger in town is right.”

She hurried away into the gathering twilight before Rosalie could protest any further.

Rosalie was left standing there, ax in one hand, trying to ignore the possibility that this traveler was right. If a storm came, her family probably wouldn't stand a chance.

Chapter 3

The next morning, Barret rose early. He washed and dressed, then left the warmth of the inn to feed his cows. Out in the barn, however, he found that Cadwell’s son, John, already had tended to the cattle.

Instead, Barret took the time to carefully check the animals, particularly taking his time to assess the state of the pregnant heifers.

Once he’d done that, finding no issues with his herd, he went to check on Blackjack. He found the paint gelding flat-out asleep in a deep bed of sweet straw. Listening carefully, he could hear his horse’s gentle snores. Grinning to himself, Barret left Blackjack sleeping and went in search of his own breakfast.

Despite the early hour and the fact that the inn was almost silent, Myra Cadwell was whirling like a twister through the room.

“Well, good morning, Mr. Tilson,” she said cheerily. “Sit yourself down and I’ll bring you some coffee and a good breakfast to get you set up right for the day.”

“I appreciate that, ma’am,” Barret said, taking a seat at one of the small tables opposite the polished bar. “And I’m ready to pay for a few days of room and board upfront.”

“Not a problem,” she said, disappearing for a moment and then returning with a book he assumed held the accounts.

He settled the bill for the night before for himself and his animals, as well as paying for three more days. Overall, it dented his purse a little, but meals and laundry were included. It was better than being stuck out on the open grasslands when the storm returned. And it was on its way, he had no doubt about that. He could smell it in the air when he’d stepped outside. It was only a matter of time.

“Here you are, Mr. Tilson.”

Mrs. Cadwell placed a platter piled with thick cuts of bacon, boiled eggs, salted porridge, fried potatoes, and buttered bread in front of him, along with a fresh pot of coffee. Barret nodded his thanks, his stomach growling with delight in anticipation of the feast. He’d been living on wild game and travel rations for so long he’d almost forgotten the luxury of a home-cooked meal.

“Could you do me one final favor, please, ma’am?” he asked. “I need to find the sheriff today to get the word out about this coming storm. Who’s the sheriff in these parts and where can I find him?”

Mrs. Cadwell thought for a moment. “Sheriff here in Melville is Robin Trussell. It’s Tuesday, isn’t it? Yes, in that case, he’ll be in a meeting with the town protectorate until nine. Then he’ll head to the sheriff's station downtown. I’d suggest waiting for him there rather than trying to track him down beforehand.”

And so, Barret did. Nine o’clock found him sitting on a bench outside the small but neatly maintained sheriff’s office, twisting his battered black Stetson in his hands. He knew why many were cautious to believe him. Storm season was long past, and the slight chill in the air was standard. They were skeptical of his knowledge, he realized, thinking him to be some well-meaning but ultimately ignorant out-of-towner.

“Can I help you there, sir?”

Barret looked up to see a man of around his age mounting the stairs. He had sandy hair that fell to the collar of his loose, knee-length brown coat and a neatly groomed mustache. If the badge on his chest hadn’t identified him to Barret as Melville’s sheriff, then the confidence in his pale eyes would have.

“Sheriff Trussell, I assume?” Barret asked, getting to his feet and putting out his hand for the man to shake. “I’m Barret Tilson. Got into town yesterday and am staying over at the Stockbridge Inn. Mrs. Cadwell said I’d be able to find you here.”

“Ah, yes,” Trussell said, taking a ring of keys from his pocket and unlocking the door to the sheriff's office. “I’d heard murmurings of a stranger arriving last night. Are you the one talking about a big storm?”

He stepped inside and Barret followed him. The inside of the sheriff's office was warmed by a pot-bellied stove in the center of the room that was glowing with heat. A coffee pot sat on the top of it, from which Trussell poured himself a cup.

“Yes sir, that’s me.” Barret noticed that two of the three cells in the office were filled with crates and furniture. Seemed there wasn’t a lot of crime in Melville. “I rode through the edge of it on my way here from Denver and lost two cows. Thought your townsfolk might appreciate a warning since it’s likely heading this way.”

“These are frontier folk, Mr. Tilson,” the Sheriff said jovially. “They’re not going to let a little bad weather send them scurrying for cover.”

“This isn’t just some bad weather, Sheriff,” Barret said. He could feel his frustration building but tried keeping his tone calm. “Folks could die. Where is the harm in asking people to put the shutters back up on their windows and make sure their kids and livestock are safe inside for a few days?”

Sheriff Trussell sighed as he leaned against the edge of a desk that carried nothing but a lamp, several pens, and one thin stack of papers. “I appreciate your concern for my town, Mr. Tilson, but it’s not all that easy. I don’t know where you hail from, but Melville isn’t so much a town as a loosely connected group of homesteaders, ranchers, and farmers who all happened to buy their goods from the same few shops here on Main Street. These are self-sufficient, fiercely independent people who aren’t likely to take kindly to being told they should stay confined to their homes, especially on the say-so of a stranger.”

He took a drink of coffee. Barret couldn’t help but notice he hadn’t offered him a cup. It was clear this meeting was going to be polite, but brief.

“Even if it was on my say-so, there would be issues. Saying that this is on the advice of a town-hopping cowboy who arrived last night? That’s just not going to fly.” Trussell spread his hands. “These people have work to do. Animals to tend. Crops to plant. They haven’t got time for maybes.”

Barret grit his teeth as he put his hat back on. The blind stubbornness of people had been something he’d practically forgotten about riding the plains on his own. “I appreciate your candor and for granting me your time,” he said, heading for the door.

“Wait a second,” the Sheriff said, getting to his feet.

Barret paused, hand on the door handle.

“I’m genuinely moved by your desire to keep safe the people of a town you’ve only just ridden into,” Trussell said, placing a hand over his heart. “But I do mean it when I say that even if I told them to, these people would not necessarily stay home. They can’t afford to lose the days of work. The Patricks just had another child and need to make sure their crop this year will account for the extra mouth. Sylvia Furman, who lost her son and her husband within a year of each other, has been sick for months and her daughters, Rosalie and Chloe, are doing everything they can to provide for her. The Santiagos only arrived in Melville last autumn. So, this is their first year working their farm. They need it to succeed or they’ll be damned come next winter. And all of those lives could be made or broken by a few days of work.”

“I’m familiar with the frontier struggle, Sheriff,” Barret said, squaring his broad shoulders. “Got the scars and calluses and tales of hardship to prove it. But all those folks will be equally damned if they get caught unawares in a blizzard.”

The other man was quiet for a minute, clearly thinking deeply as he drank his coffee.

“Try going and talking to Layton Morley,” he said eventually. “He’s the Mayor of the town. If he thinks you have a point, the people are more likely to listen to him.”

He directed Barret to where the mayor would be at this time of day. Which, as it turned out, was back at the Stockbridge Inn where he was having coffee and a late breakfast at a table in the corner.

Layton Morley was a small and wiry man with short blonde hair going silver and bright blue eyes. There was a gravitas about him that made Barret see why he had been appointed as mayor.

He spoke before Barret could introduce himself. “I know who you are, Mr. Tilson. Despite being in my town less than twenty-four hours, you’ve already made quite a name for yourself.” His voice was a pleasant baritone, but his tone was sharp. “You’re the stranger going around scaring people about a storm.”

Barret took a seat, noting the slight tug of annoyance around the mayor’s mouth but not caring. “It is not my intent to scare people, sir. Or at least I’m not trying to scare people for petty reasons. I merely came carrying a warning that I hoped might help some people.”

Morely wiped his mouth with a napkin. “Well, your warnings are not wanted here. No one else has seen hide nor hair of this storm you keep rambling on about. I’m starting to get people asking me if they should be sending their children out to school.”

He waved a hand and Mrs. Cadwell hurried over with a coffee pot to refill his cup. She gave Barret a sympathetic look as she passed as if to acknowledge that he had at least tried.

“Maybe they shouldn’t send their kids all the way out to the new schoolhouse for a few days,” Barret said. He didn’t mind confrontation, but knew he had a fine line to walk or else he risked being run out of town and left to the storm’s mercy. But he also knew from Natalie, the Cadwell’s daughter, that many of the children from the ranches and farms had to walk for the best part of an hour to reach the new school building on the edge of town.

While he’d nursed a whiskey at the bar and she’d been cleaning dishes, the girl had told him how the town’s school had been moved from the church’s upper floor to an old cabin a few years ago. The church’s upper floor was slowly collapsing, and it was dangerous to stay there. After repairs had been completed, many argued that despite the less central location, the new school building accommodated the students’ needs better. It was decided that the children shouldn’t return to the church, where they would be cramped.

Morely started to speak, clearly less than impressed by Barret’s tone, but he didn’t get the chance.

“I mean no disrespect, Mayor Morley,” Barret said, holding up his hands. “My only thought is that the school apparently is quite a distance from home for many of the children. If the storm hits, they risk either getting trapped at school or getting lost while trying to make their way home.”

“Mr. Tilson,” the Mayor said, voice as icy as the wind Barret knew was rushing across the prairie toward Melville. “You are interfering in my town, spreading false alarms that are disturbing the peace. I don’t know if you are just arrogant or whether you have a more sinister reason to restrict everyone to their homes for several days.” He sat back, eyes blazing. “Who knows? Maybe you have a gang of robbers waiting at the edge of town for everyone to go inside and then you’ll steal our livestock.”

“I can assure you it’s nothing of the sort,” Barret said, trying one last time. “I only wish to forewarn you that the consequences of being caught unprepared for this storm may be grim.”

Morley abruptly got to his feet. “I don’t want to hear another word, Mr. Tilson, about storms or consequences or enforcing a lockdown. And I will insist that once your prepaid days here at the inn are up that you move on from Melville. Do I make myself clear?”

Barret nodded slowly, fear beginning to grow in his chest. Not fear for himself, but fear for what would result in this town that didn’t heed his warning. He’d watched children trailing out of town that morning on the way to school. He couldn’t help but envision them, lost and freezing, fighting through the storm to try getting home.

Layton Morley left the inn without another word. Frustrated, Barret retreated to groom and feed Blackjack, then checked once more on his cattle.

At around noon he strolled out to stand on the porch of the inn, leaning against one of the posts by the steps as he peered up into the sky. It looked sickly: yellowish and swollen, with thick clouds. Holding out his hand, he could feel the wind had a new bite to it. A single heavy drop of rain fell into his palm.

The fear burned his throat like cheap liquor as he recognized the signs. It had started the same way out on the plains. Only hours later, he and his herd had been fighting to survive.

There was no doubt about it: the storm was here.

“They can chase me out of town if they like,” he growled, bolting back toward the stables. He needed to warn the children and try getting them home before the storm arrived.

In minutes, he had Blackjack saddled and was mounting up in the yard behind the inn. It was starting to rain now, cold and sharp. Soon, Barret knew, it would be howling winds and blinding snow.

“Where are you off to in such a rush, Mr. Tilson?” Cadwell said jovially, sticking his head out of the back door of the inn.

“Where’s the school?” Barret asked by way of reply.

Cadwell frowned, then seemed to notice the change in temperature and the color of the sky. Barret watched as concern filled the innkeeper’s face.

“By God,” he muttered. “You were right.”

“Where’s the school?” Barret repeated, holding Blackjack steady as the paint began to stamp and skitter. He could sense the storm too. “I’m going to get the kids heading home as soon as I can.”

“Head east out of town,” Cadwell replied. “It’s a few miles out.”

Without another word, Barret gave Blackjack his head and urged the paint into a gallop. As he tore along Main Street, prompting shouts of surprise and alarm, thunder started breaking in the distance.

Chapter 4

Rosalie had been up with the dawn. As she stepped out onto the porch, she found the morning to be unexpectedly cold, nipping at her nose and fingers as she went to gather the eggs from the henhouse.

On the way back across the yard, she couldn’t help but pause and admire the vivid beauty of the sunrise, a smear of red and pink and bruised purple swelling across the sky. She hoped the sun would burn off the chill and provide a pleasant temperature for her to work in the garden. Today, she intended to plant potatoes, tend to the seedlings just starting to peek through the rich earth, and perhaps even try to do some plowing to prepare the fields for sowing. It was going to be an exhausting day, of that she was certain.

Chloe was making breakfast as Rosalie stepped back into the house, stirring porridge in a pot and frying bacon and potatoes in a skillet. She took several eggs straight from the basket Rosalie carried and added those too. It smelled delicious.

“Be sure to wear your coat for the walk to school,” Rosalie said, beginning to prepare coffee.

“It can’t be that cold,” Chloe protested. “And I’ll be far too hot wearing it this afternoon.”

“Then you carry it home with you,” Rosalie said, making it clear there was to be no discussion about this. “It’s bitter out there this morning and I can’t risk you getting sick.”

As if to punctuate her statement, a burst of hacking coughs drifted from their mother’s room. Chloe waited until the coughing had subsided, then nodded meekly.

“Here,” she said, serving up a bowl of the thin porridge and drizzling molasses over the top, along with a dried apple. “Take this to Mama. I’ll serve up our breakfast.”

Rosalie poured hot water into the coffee and a large mug of herbal tea for her mother. The mixed herbs were supposed to loosen the chest and ease consumptive symptoms, or so Mrs. Patrick had claimed when she brought the small bag around one afternoon last winter.

“Thank you, my darling,” her mother murmured as Rosalie settled the tray onto her lap. But as soon as she lifted a spoonful of porridge to her mouth, she began coughing again. Rosalie had to leap forward to stop the cup of scalding tea from spilling over her mother’s stomach.

“Let me help you, Mama,” she said, gently taking the spoon from her mother’s shaking hand.

Tears began dripping down her face as her daughter slowly fed her.

“This is not the life I wanted for you,” she whispered, swallowing carefully so she didn’t choke. “Tied to an invalid mother at twenty-one when you should be out being courted, trying to secure your future.”

“Hush, Mama,” Rosalie said, stirring the molasses and apple into the porridge. “You cared for me as a child. The least I can do is repay your kindness while you are sick. Then, when you are well again, I can go in search of as many affluent bachelors as you desire.”

Her mother nodded, wiping at her eyes with the corner of the sheet before accepting another mouthful of porridge. Neither of them acknowledged the specter lingering in the corner of the room: The very real possibility that she might not recover, and that Rosalie might be left to raise her sister alone.

It was a thought that invaded Rosalie’s thoughts as she walked Chloe the two miles to the crossroads where a group of several other girls were waiting.

“I wish I’d brought my thick coat,” one of them, Sheila Patrick said, wrapping her shawl tighter around herself.

“Ma told you to,” her younger sister, Meredith, piped up. “But you told her you’d be fine.”

“Button your mouth,” Sheila snapped. “It’ll warm up soon enough and then I’ll be fine. I was planning ahead for later, so I don’t have to carry my coat home.”

Rosalie smiled. Sheila spoke with all the lofty confidence a twelve-year-old could possess and her seven-year-old sister nodded along, trusting her words fully.

Natalie Cadwell rolled her eyes and linked arms with Chloe. “Let’s get going, shall we?”

Chloe nodded and waved goodbye to her sister, quickly starting to chat with the three other girls as they set off along the rough road marked out across the prairie that led to the schoolhouse.

Walking quickly home, Rosalie watched the sun climb higher, waiting for the expected warmth to arrive. But it remained cold, and the wind began to pick up, whisking bloated clouds across the sky. By the time she got home, the sun had disappeared completely.

The stranger’s warning she’d heard secondhand repeated in the back of her mind, unsettling her. The first thing she did once she arrived back at the ranch was to go to the root store and move several days’ worth of fresh and canned food into the house. She did it quietly so as not to worry her mother. She decided she would rather be prepared than go hungry for days because it was too dangerous to cross the yard.

After that, she cleaned out the henhouse and the barn, setting down deeper bedding like she would in the winter as she saw the clouds begin to turn yellowish. It would just be a bit of a storm, she told herself. Maybe a day or two cold, heavy rain and some strong winds. An unpleasant set-back, but nothing she couldn’t handle. Perhaps she would ride out to the school and bring Chloe home a little early, just to be safe.

After washing herself up and making some lunch for the two of them, Rosalie was surprised at her mother’s request to move to her armchair in the kitchen. Despite the rough start to the day, she insisted that she was feeling better than she had lately. She said she wanted to try mending some of the rips, holes, and fraying hems that had been appearing in more of her daughters’ clothes.

“God knows neither you nor Chloe are getting around to it,” she said archly, peering over her glasses at her eldest daughter as she cleaned the dishes.

“I do try to do some of it during an evening, Mama,” Rosalie protested. “But more often than not I have other things to be doing or I’m just too tired.”

“I know. I know,” her mother said, wrapping the blanket closer around her shoulders. “You’re both good girls. I was just teasing.”

The pleasant mood of the day didn’t last. About a half-hour after lunch, there came a firm, distinctive knock at the door.

Rosalie’s heart sank. Only one person knocked like that. Her mother knew it too from the way she tried to sit up straighter and patted her hair. Putting away the account books, Rosalie smoothed her dress as she approached the door.

Opening it, she fixed a smile on her face. “Percy. What a lovely surprise.”

At her greeting, Percy Voght preened a little where he stood on the front porch. His thin black mustache was waxed and twisted to fine points as usual. She didn’t like the way his froggishly green eyes swept up and down her figure.

She knew very little about Percy Voght; in fact, most people knew very little about him. All anyone was certain of was that he was new to town, moving to Melville from back East just more than a year ago. He clearly had money since he constantly was ordering expensive food, wine, and clothes to be delivered to the general store and his house was the most beautifully furnished in town. Or so Rosalie had heard. Maisie said she’d been there once. But she was prone to being hyperbolic when she was excited about something. It was rumored that Percy had very rich relatives in Philadelphia, but no one knew for certain.

No one had anything bad to say about him, but Rosalie didn’t trust him. This was partly due to a gut feeling she had, which her father always had taught her to listen to. It was also partly because, although Percy had approached Rosalie’s family following the death of her father to offer his condolences and support, his words had been less than sincere. It was becoming clear that he probably had his eye on buying the ranch. This was why, despite his money, Rosalie never had approached him with the offer for him to become a financial partner in exchange for part of the crop. It too easily could become a slippery slope, leading to him taking over the life that her parents had worked so hard to build.

Her mother, on the other hand, insisted that he presented an opportunity that could save them all. He was unmarried, had money, and had dropped enough hints in conversation that he would be willing to join the Furman family through marriage. Rosalie rejected the thought, however; she had no intention of marrying someone as soft and selfish as Percy Voght.

“Are you going to let me in out of the cold, dear Rosalie, or leave me out here on the doorstep like a dog that has earned your ire,” he drawled, rubbing his leather-gloved hands together.

Still forcing a smile, Rosalie stepped aside. Between coughs, her mother welcomed him in.

“It’s so kind of you to ride all the way out here, Percy,” she said, her voice husky from the attack.

“Not at all, Mrs. Furman,” he said smoothly, taking the chair farthest away from her, wrinkling his nose minutely as she coughed into a handkerchief.

Fighting to keep her temper in check, Rosalie bit her tongue and set about making coffee for the three of them, mourning the time she would waste entertaining him when she still had so much work to do.

“It always surprises me how orderly and neat your home is,” Percy said, taking a sip of his coffee and immediately pulling an unimpressed face.

“Why is that?” Rosalie asked, keeping her eyes on the table so he didn’t see the anger in her eyes.

“Well, the state of the fences and the fields really suggest rather slovenly owners.” Percy had the nerve to laugh, as if he had done a day’s manual labor in his life.

Rosalie saw her mother flush with shame and she dearly wanted to drive the toe of her boot into Percy’s shin.

“It’s just a slight readjustment period,” her mother said, plucking with anxious fingers at the quilt wrapped around her. “As you know, we lost my son and my husband only about a year apart. Not having a man around the ranch has made things difficult, to say the least. But Rosalie and Chloe have stepped up, especially while I’ve been ill.”

Percy laid a hand over his heart. Rosalie couldn’t help but resent the softness of his hands and the carefully maintained shape of his fingernails. Her hands constantly were chapped and marred with scrapes; she silently compared her faded and patched calico dress with the rich fabrics of Percy’s suit.

“I meant no offense in the slightest, Mrs. Furman,” he said, voice sugary sweet with faux earnestness. “And you know that you have my deepest sympathies for your losses and hardships.” He flickered a look to Rosalie. “In fact, I’m sure I could be of some assistance.”

Rosalie saw her mother square her shoulders, drawing herself up to sit as proudly as she could in her weakened state.

“We don’t accept charity, Mr. Voght,” she said formally.

“Oh, of course not,” he said. “But I’m sure we could figure out a… business arrangement of some kind.”

Once again, his eyes flickered to Rosalie and she experienced a surge of discomfort at the leering look on his face. It was too much for her to bear and she hurried to her feet.

“Perhaps,” she said stiffly. “But, right now, I’m afraid I must be getting on with some things, Percy. I’ll show you out.”

He scowled at her brusque tone but said nothing more except to bid farewell to her mother. As Rosalie ushered him from the house, she noticed that the wind was picking up and icy rain was beginning to fall.

“Hopefully we can discuss an arrangement sometime soon?” Percy said, climbing onto his horse, which had been standing out in the cold in its saddle the whole time. “I’ve always been told I would have a talent for husbandry. I’m eager to put that theory to the test.” He winked, tipped his hat, and dug his heels into his horse’s sides, sending it jerking forward into a lope out of the yard.

Rosalie’s stomach sank as she understood the multiple meanings of his parting statement. He was interested not only in a marriage of assets, but a marriage with her. The shiver that rippled down her spine wasn’t purely caused by the turning weather.

She hurried back inside and tossed several more logs into the fire.

“I’m going to get Chloe from school, Mama,” she said. “It’s getting bitterly cold out there. I think that stranger in town was right about a rogue storm coming through. I don’t want her getting stuck out there all night.”

“Be careful,” her mother fretted. “If there’s a storm, ride out on Oak. And take Fletch with you.”

Oak had been her father’s horse, a fleet-footed buckskin stallion. Fletch was a collie and Alsatian cross they had bought as a puppy from a rancher passing through town a few years before. He always had accompanied her father on long journeys. Rosalie couldn’t help but feel that, in some way, her mother was sending what remained of her father’s presence out into the storm with her for protection.

Not allowing tears to fill her eyes, she stooped and pressed a kiss to her mother’s forehead.

“I’ll be home soon, Mama,” she said. “I promise. If the fire runs low, throw some more wood on.”

She found another quilt, leaving it beside her mother’s chair, then dug out her heavy winter coat, boots, gloves, hat, and scarf. Just in case, she packed a small flask of hot coffee in a satchel along with a compass, a knife, some jerky, and a fire starter pouch. She wanted to be prepared just in case she and Chloe had to take shelter somewhere for a few hours.

“I love you,” her mother called out after her. “Stay safe!”

In minutes, she had Oak saddled and trotting out of the yard, Fletch at her heels. The wind was biting, and rain began stinging her eyes, but she pushed on. It was now a race against time to bring Chloe home safe.

A Thank You Note to Starfall Publications

Dearest Reader,

Writing a book is harder than I thought and more rewarding than I could have ever imagined.

Of course, none of this would be possible without the valuable help of Starfall Publications.

I am eternally grateful to this Publishing House for believing in my ability of creating beautiful stories for you.

Therefore, with the most sincere sentiments, a special Thank you to Starfall Publications.

With Love & Respect,

Melynda Carlyle.

About Melynda Carlyle

Melynda Carlyle grew up in Billings and studied Sociology at Montana University.

Her studies and love of communicating with people led her straight into writing! She delights in creating heroines who found love through hardships in the Wild West.

A mother of three, Melynda spends her days managing her loving little monsters and her nights writing. Thankfully, her cowboy husband is a great support.

If she can spare a second after spending time with her family and writing, you can usually find her stitching clothing material with other women in the community center, or swimming at her favorite lake even when the weather is cold!

Melynda is a peoples person and loves to connect with her readers!

So, join her on her journey, and share her immense love for creating exciting and heart wrenching stories where Love is always the winner.

Also by Melynda Carlyle

Book 1: A Bride to Heal his Broken Heart

Book 2: When the Heart Takes Over

Book 3: A Bride to Melt the Sheriff’s Iron Heart

Book 4: The Path to Tame a Wild Heart

Book. 5: A Bride to Tame the Rider’s Heart

Book 6: A Perfect Storm to Bind Their Hearts