Epilogue
The wedding went off without a hitch.
Lewis hadn’t shown his face since he was sent away from the Daley ranch. His father, however, was in town as usual and attended the wedding, much to the shock of Kitty and Noah. When the ceremony was over and the newlyweds gathered with their friends under the shelter behind the church, he came over to give his congratulations.
“Thank you so much,” Kitty said. “I must say, I’m very surprised that you came. I’m sorry it couldn’t work out between your son and me.”
Walter shook his head. “It is a shame to our family that the boy isn’t good enough for you, but in truth, he isn’t. He will never amount to much, sadly enough. I don’t like to berate my own child, but Lewis has shown himself to be a good-for-nothing and a scoundrel. It makes me ashamed to be his father. I have sent him away.”
Noah nodded. “That’s why I haven’t seen him around. I wasn’t looking, but I was glad I didn’t run into him nevertheless.”
“No.” Walter turned his eyes to Kitty. “As soon as he came back that day from your ranch and told me what happened, I sent him away. He’s in California with some cousins. He’ll be better off there. He has to work there, which will prevent him from drinking as much … maybe.”
Once the man left their presence, Noah said, “That was awfully nice of him, don’t you think?”
“It was.” Kitty nodded, agreeing. “I reckon his whole family isn’t so bad, is it?”
Noah’s parents had come from Oklahoma. Kitty was shocked by how much Noah looked like them. They were given seats at the reception table for the family and were seated on his other side when she and Noah sat down.
Kitty leaned forward. Before the wedding, she hadn’t had time to talk to them. They had arrived an hour before the wedding, and Kitty was already entrenched in getting dressed, putting on makeup, and attempting to look her absolute best.
“Mr. and Mrs. Fleck,” she said, pleasantly. “I’m so pleased you were able to come. Thank you so much for being here.”
Mr. Fleck, to whom Noah was almost an exact replica, grinned wide. “Oh, it is our pleasure, to be sure.”
“We thought he’d never settle down, our Noah,” Mrs. Fleck said. She was a tall woman with a slender body and a long nose that served to flatter her face rather than look awkward. Kitty thought they were both attractive people. “After what happened …”
“Diane!” Mr. Fleck barked her name but not too loudly. “He doesn’t want to think about that right now.”
Kitty was amused by the gentle scolding and the way Mrs. Fleck pulled back, ashamed. “Oh, you are right, Jared. I shouldn’t be bringing up that awful woman and how bad she made my son feel.”
Kitty had to giggle, hearing the resentment still in the woman’s voice ten years later.
“Don’t mind her, Kitty,” Mr. Fleck said, shaking his head at Kitty. “She’s protective of her baby boy.”
“I fully expect to be the same way with my own sons. And daughters, too.”
“I’m sure you will be!” Mrs. Fleck exclaimed, confidently. Kitty was flattered by Noah’s parents’ trust in her.
The reception was much more fun than the actual wedding. Once she got past the jitters of just having signed her life over to a man she’d met three months ago, she relaxed and enjoyed herself. Noah looked like he was enjoying himself, as well. He danced smoothly with her to the town band’s music. Everyone laughed and ate and had a good time. Kitty thought her favorite thing of all was watching Georgia and Sebastian take to the dance floor and blow the rest of the guests away with a fancy dance Kitty didn’t even know Georgia could do.
During the cheers afterward, Georgia fell into Kitty’s arms, laughing.
“When you first met Noah,” she said, “Sebastian pulled me over at church and asked me to learn that dance to perform for you at your wedding.”
Kitty’s eyebrows shot up. “No. Did he really?”
“He certainly did!”
***
When the people began to drift away, and Noah’s parents had gone to their hotel room, it was just Kitty and Noah left, sitting by the stream that ran along behind the church. They were on a large blanket, cuddled together as if they were cold, but it was just them being in love with each other. Kitty wanted him to hold her as close as he could, and he was certainly trying to.
“I can’t believe how well this turned out for us, Noah,” Kitty said. “I really can’t. I’m so happy. I never thought I would be. Especially after the last few months.”
“I would never have let you marry that man,” Noah remarked, his voice low.
She looked up at him. “Oh? How were you planning to stop it?”
Noah’s face flushed. “I would have kidnapped you. I would have done something. Only would have stopped short of killing him. I would have agreed to be your lover before I did that.”
Kitty sighed, tilting her head so that it was resting on his shoulder. “You’re a wonderful man, Noah. I’m so happy to be your wife. I’ve never felt anything like this before. I hope the feeling never goes away.”
“If we promise to talk everything out and not let anyone else come between us, we can make this work. I know we can.”
“I know it, too. I love you, Noah. So much. So very much.”
“I love you too, Kitty Daley Fleck. My sweet woman.”
“I’ll make you forget about that other girl real quick.”
Noah raised his eyebrows. “What other girl?”
THE END
Can't get enough of Kitty and Noah? Then make sure to check out the Extended Epilogue to find out…
How will Noah manage to keep his promise and show Kitty the marvels of the world?
What will it take for Kitty to heal Noah’s fear of abandonment?
What lengths will Noah have to overcome to assuage Fabian’s doubts concerning his devotion to his beloved daughter?
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(After reading the Extended Epilogue, turn the page to read the first chapters from “The Bright Moon in his Sky”, my Amazon Best-Selling novel!)
The Bright Moon in his Sky
Introduction
When Maybelle Tippin loses her father, she is faced with the ugly truth that he has been telling nothing but lies her whole life. Their cotton business is a front for illegal trade and gambling! Distraught by his betrayal and desperate to pay off his debts, she sells the business, and she’s suddenly left with no money and no prospects. Realizing that she has no choice, she decides to become a mail-order bride. An advert from a sheriff catches her eye, and she feels that with him, she’ll be safe from the wrong side of the law. What she doesn’t expect is that her true troubles will start from the very first moment she will set foot in Silver City. To her dismay, she discovers that her fiancé has been accused of murder and her heart breaks into a million pieces. Can Maybelle put all her faith in a man whom she only knows from his letters?
Keen to follow his father’s example, Gabe volunteered to be a soldier as soon as he was old enough. This painful experience made him lose faith in the world, and understand that fighting the good fight can be challenging. When his father is shot, Gabe takes his place as the sheriff, without hesitating to make his mark on the town in order to get justice. He considers himself blessed to have almost everything a man could want, although there is only one thing missing; a woman for him to spend his life with! However, being far too busy to find someone, he chooses a mail-order bride – Maybelle. What he couldn’t have predicted was that upon her arrival he would face serious charges... Now he is forced not only to prove his innocence but also to convince his beautiful new fiancée that she can trust him. Faced with growing suspicion, will he manage to get his life back together and protect Maybelle’s fragile heart?
Maybelle and Gabe go on a journey that will define what metal they are made of, as they race against time to save Gabe from a terrible fate. Will she put her trust in him to pave the way to a happier future that they both deserve, or are there too many formidable obstacles standing between them?
Prologue
Maybelle Tippin sat in the chair offered to her, feeling a little sick to her stomach. The man’s office was small, and it wasn’t really even an office. It was a caravan, part of several that traveled around the great state of Arizona. That’s how they did business, buying and selling properties.
Maybelle had always been under the impression real estate was a profitable business. But these people didn’t act like they were wealthy. They wore dark, grungy-looking clothes, often smelled bad due to lack of personal hygiene and constantly traveling, and were usually avoided unless necessary. Only an emergency would bring a person to a place like this.
If there was ever an emergency, though, this was one. Maybelle was desperate. After her father's passing last week, she’d quickly discovered that he hadn’t been the man she’d looked up to all her life. She’d always been proud of him. Her mother had died when she was just four years old and her father, Tobias, had raised her on his own – with the help of several nannies, of course. He’d provided well for her, and when he passed, she fully expected to inherit quite a substantial sum, enough to keep her in her beautiful home and with the lifestyle she was used to.
But that didn’t happen.
Tobias had been running a gambling ring that had ultimately cost him greatly in the end. Not only was Maybelle not getting an inheritance, but she was also inheriting the significant debts Tobias had garnered in the last few years of his life.
At twenty-two, she found herself in a position where she needed to sell the legitimate side of her father’s business and the house along with it.
The real estate gypsies were the only ones Maybelle knew who would give her a fair sum. She needed enough to pay off his debtors, or they might come looking for her. She didn’t want to pay for her father’s sins with her own skin and blood. She shuddered to think what those people would do to her.
Louise Mason, her best friend and companion leftover from the days when she’d required a nanny, was sitting behind her. Louise knew everything about the situation she was in. She was just seven years older than Maybelle at twenty-nine, unmarried but attractive with prospects.
She, like Maybelle, had known nothing about Tobias’ business dealings. As a nanny, there was no reason for her to. She had come to work for the family at the age of nineteen when Maybelle was twelve. They’d made fast friends and Louise had never left.
When Maybelle grew into a woman, Louise had decided to stay as a companion. She was paid the same wage until Tobias died, and the scheme came crashing down around Maybelle’s head. Not only had Tobias driven his debt sky-high, but he’d also been living way beyond his means personally – taking trips abroad, buying expensive clothes and jewelry for his ladies, whom he spent lavishly on.
He’d given Maybelle an allowance once a week and, according to Louise, had never missed a payment to her for her services as a companion.
At the reading of the will, wherein it was stated that Tobias had died a pauper owing thousands of dollars to various people and places, Louise had told Maybelle she would stay by her side, that she didn’t need to be paid to be Maybelle’s friend.
She looked nervously over her shoulder when the caravan's door opened, and a gruff-looking man stepped up into the room. He nodded at her and passed her by.
She smelled a faint odor as he went by, but it wasn’t as offensive as some. She glanced at Louise, who gave her a look of confidence. She had brought Maybelle to be introduced to the man, Big Lou Timberlake. She could see why he was called that. It wasn’t an oxymoron. He had to be at least six-foot-three or more, roughly two-hundred-twenty-two pounds of solid muscle. He wore an oversized red shirt that showed the muscles in his arms and chest poking against it. His jacket made him look even bigger, and with a bushy beard and mustache, he looked about as intimidating as a man could get.
“You Maybelle Tippin?” he asked. His voice was surprisingly smooth for a man who looked so rough.
She nodded. “Yes, that’s me.”
“You have business and property to sell, that right?” The man’s brown eyes shifted to Louise and then back to Maybelle.
“Yes, that’s right,” she responded. She was almost breathless with apprehension. The man looked like he could eat them both for lunch. She was reminded of an ogre and then felt guilty for thinking such things about a man she didn’t even know.
“Let’s see the deeds. You do have the paperwork with you, don’t you?”
“Oh! Yes.” Maybelle pulled her bag up onto her lap and undid the clasp to open it. She reached in and shuffled around a bit until she saw the small stack of papers. “Here you go.” She handed them to the man.
The next ten minutes were silent as the man looked over the documents. He asked a few simple questions Maybelle was grateful to know the answers to. When he finally nodded and quoted his price, Maybelle was able to relax a little. The amount would pay off the debts and give her a small amount to work with until she figured out what to do.
She nodded at him and thanked him, accepting his offer. They shook on it, signed where they needed to, and the man wrote Maybelle a check.
“Take this to the bank in Tumbleweed Junction,” he said, handing it to her. “They know my money is good there and will cash it for you.”
Maybelle nodded, looking down at the cash, denying the tears that threatened to rise. “I will take it there. That’s where I’m from.”
“Yes, I know. Take care of yourselves.” The man lifted one hand and flicked his fingers at them as if to say they were dismissed and should immediately leave.
Maybelle didn’t mind. She was taking her money and getting out of there.