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A few years later
“Mamaaaa!” Josie cried out, squirming in the seat of the buckboard as her brother, Henry, tickled her sides.
Evie and Max shared an amused glance from the drivers’ seat. They’d been traveling for three days already, and the children had been acting out ever since they had left the ranch.
“Shall I ignore them?” Evie murmured, leaning closer to her husband.
“You know if you don’t say anything they’re only going to get worse,” Max retorted.
“Can’t you do something about it?” Evie asked, batting her eyelashes at him.
The countryside rolled past, filled with crags and hills. Wild horses grazed in the distance, looking up occasionally as the chaotic family drove past. She could only imagine what they must have looked like to onlookers.
“You know me, I only go in as the last resort,” he reminded her, waggling his eyebrows amusingly. “If I get involved, they’re going to learn my bark is worse than my bite.”
A loud thwack sounded from the back seat followed by a howl.
“Mama!” Henry wailed. “Josie kicked me!”
Evie sighed as she turned to her children. Josie and Henry were twins, both only five years old. They were inseparable, but that didn’t always mean they got along. Josie had an adorable button nose with long, straight dark hair and a pointed chin. Henry was a copy of his sister, except his jaw was a little more square, taking after his father.
“Don’t worry, Mama,” Jack, their oldest, said. He stood up and sat between the twins, pushing down on Henry until the little boy squirmed away from his sister. “I’ll make sure they behave from here on out.”
He gave her a large, gap-toothed smile. Her heart melted and she reached out to ruffle his hair affectionately. Jack had been born seven years prior, cementing her hopes for a family. He had been the ideal baby, sleeping through the night and never crying unless something was very wrong.
Max and Evie had joked that they were natural parents, which explained why their firstborn was no trouble at all. Of course, then the twins came along and smashed that theory to pieces. They had been the exact opposite of their older brother. As soon as one stopped howling, the other picked it up. When they started walking, they pulled the tail feathers out of the chickens, and harassed the household cat until the poor animal refused to move out of the barn.
Despite their mischief, Max and Evie loved them deeply. It would have been nice to have calmer children, but they wouldn’t change their children’s personalities for all the money in the world. Besides, the twins kept life interesting.
“I want to sit next to Henry!” Josie complained.
Jack crossed his arms over his chest resolutely. “Uh uh, Josie. You need to learn to behave.”
Henry let out a huff and glared at his older brother. Meanwhile, Josie stuck out her tongue, licked her hand and shoved it in Jack’s face, causing him to grimace in disgust as he tried to wrestle her hand away from him. Henry pounced on Jack, grabbing his shoulders and pulling him away from Josie in an attempt to sit beside his twin.
“Stop it!” Evie chided, leaning over her seat to try and separate the children. “Stop it right this instant!”
Max whistled loudly and brought the buckboard to a stop with a jolt. The children froze, wide-eyed as Max turned to them with his strictest expression.
“Do y’all want to walk to Ridge Canyon?” He asked, his tone low and dangerous.
They grimaced and shook their heads, immediately dropping their hands and sitting quietly.
“We’re Alstons and, this isn’t how we treat each other,” he continued, shaking his head at them. “What will your Auntie Willow say?”
Jack sighed as he wiped his face clean while Josie sheepishly offered him her handkerchief.
“Please don’t tell Auntie Willow we were naughty,” Henry said in a soft voice.
“Well now, that depends on whether or not you behave,” Evie said, wagging her finger at him.
The children nodded obediently. When Evie turned back to her husband, she shot him a grateful smile, and he winked at her. Their children remained quiet for another five minutes before the next round of fighting started up again.
***
By the time they arrived in Ridge Canyon, it was already dusk, and Max was exhausted. He brought the buckboard to a stop outside a pretty wooden house on the edge of town. Despite his exhaustion, excitement coursed through his veins as he hopped from the driver’s seat and stretched his arms above his head.
“There you are!” Garth said, grinning widely as he strode out onto the porch. “We’ve been expecting y’all.”
“Uncle Garth!” Jack crowed. He ran up to his uncle, threw his arm around the sheriff’s waist and squeezed tightly.
Garth chuckled as he returned Jack’s hug. Ever since former Sheriff Bryant resigned after the baron’s arrest, Garth had taken up the mantle of sheriff and had been doing a fine job ever since. Unlike his predecessor, Garth actively searched out threats in the community and took care of them before they became unmanageable.
Josie and Henry ran up to Garth, jumping around him as they demanded their hugs. Once Garth was done, Max and Evie greeted him.
“How’s my sister?” Max asked after giving Garth a large hug.
Garth winced as a loud shout emanated from the house. The children looked alarmed while Evie winced and put her hands on her hips.
“She’s already in labor?” Evie asked in shock. “I thought we had two weeks!”
“So did we,” Garth said with a wince, “but the baby had other plans. She’s upstairs now with the midwife.”
“Well, she isn’t giving birth without me!” Evie marched into the house with a determined expression.
Josie was about to dart in behind her mother, but Max quickly caught her and held the wriggling child to his chest as he looked over at Garth. “Shall we wait out here?”
“Yes, please,” Garth said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Willow threatened me with murder if I went back in there. Apparently, I was breathing too loud.”
Max chuckled and shook his head. “Oh yeah, I remember those days. Don’t you worry. We’ll keep out of the way until you’re needed.”
Garth nodded as he wrung his hands. “Say, is it normal to be so nervous? I swear, I’m going to lose my mind if that baby ain’t born soon.”
“It’s very normal,” Max said, patting Garth’s shoulder. “Come on, I’ll fix us some drinks, and we can wait in the living room.”
They stepped into the well-furnished house, and the children immediately ran back to the buckboard to get their toys. Josie finally stopped trying to run after her mother, and he put her down on the ground so she could go play with her brothers.
“How are things going?” Max asked as they walked into the kitchen.
He quickly set about filling the kettle and making the coffee. Max was grateful for the task as it helped him keep his mind off the cries of pain coming from upstairs.
“It’s going well,” Garth said, crossing his arms over his chest as he kept looking up the stairs. “Oh, Elliot recently bought the old sapphire mines. He’s a real natural. I’ve never seen the miners look so happy.”
“I’d imagine so,” Max chuckled. “Elliot’s been saving up ever since they hired him to run the mines back in the day. I can’t believe it’s been nearly ten years since we took down the baron!”
“I can,” Garth grumbled, rubbing his chin. “I swear, every time I head to the bathroom it’s like I see a new gray hair.”
“Tell me about it,” Max sighed, running a hand through his own graying hair. “Anyhow, he sent me a letter bragging about his new mine a while back. I’ll pay him a visit once things are settled here.”
“You’d better,” Garth scoffed, “otherwise he and Marion will have your hide! They’ve been talking about your visit for weeks. Oh, you should see their children. They’re getting so tall now.”
“Who would have thought that Elliot and Marion would be the first among us to have children?” Max chuckled, shaking his head.
“Not me.” Garth smiled wanly as Willow let out another cry. “Say, how’s Agatha?”
Max shook his head slowly. “She’s been better. Her knee’s been giving her trouble again. She desperately wanted to join us on the trip, but she wasn’t well enough, and Evie wouldn’t hear of it. She’s getting along in years, so we just want to make sure she’s as comfortable as can be.”
“I’ll bet she wasn’t happy about being left behind,” Garth said with a grimace.
“Not even a little bit,” Max winced, “but we’ll make it up to her somehow when we return.”
The two of them spent the next few hours talking while Willow labored above them. Evie came down every hour or so to report on Willow’s progress. In the meantime, the children ate a simple meal Garth prepared and eventually went to sleep.
Max and Garth sat in front of the crackling flames, discussing the past decade in hushed tones. It was hard to believe just how far they’d come since the baron was arrested. Both the baron and Dustin had been sentenced to life in prison, and that was the last any of them heard of the duo. No one ever bothered to check, as they were too busy moving on with their lives.
It had taken Willow a long time to recover from her ordeal, much longer than Max had thought possible. All the while, Garth had made frequent visits to the ranch, patiently cultivating a deep friendship with her that eventually blossomed into love. About a year ago they’d been married, and now their first child was well on their way.
Finally, around midnight, Evie walked downstairs, looking exhausted—yet triumphant—as a baby wailed overhead. Max and Garth jumped to their feet, looking expectant. Evie nodded quickly, too overcome by emotion to speak.
Garth sprinted upstairs, while Max went to his wife and placed his arms around her.
“Well done, my love,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
“Willow did all the work,” Evie said, smiling broadly. “Come, you have to come meet your niece. She’s so beautiful.”
Max’s heart fluttered in excitement as Evie took his hand and led him to his sister’s room. The fire was raging despite the summer heat, and the midwife was busy removing the bloodied sheets.
Willow sat against the headboard, propped up by hundreds of pillows. Her hair was plastered to her forehead, and her nightdress was soaking wet. She was pale and trembling somewhat, but she glowed with sheer joy. Garth sat with his arm around her, while their newborn baby slept in his other arm.
“Come, meet her,” Willow said, beaming at them. “Little Mary…”
A lump formed in Max’s throat as he approached them reverently. He peeked over Garth’s arm to the swaddled form. Her skin was bright red, and her fine blonde hair was stuck to her forehead. She had the sweetest rosebud mouth and long lashes that fluttered as she dreamed.
“Mary…” Max breathed, gazing down at his niece, his heart brimming with love.
Evie stepped forward and cooed over the baby while Max went to sit by his sister.
“You did a wonderful job, Willow,” he said sincerely.
Willow’s eyes glimmered with tears as she reached forward and took his hand. “Do you remember that night when the baron was arrested?”
Max inhaled sharply as he nodded, trying to push away all the bad memories from that time in his life.
“You said that someday I’d be happy again, and that my joy would outweigh all the bad memories,” Willow continued.
“I do.”
“Well, I thought it was my wedding day,” Willow said, glancing over at Garth with an affectionate expression, “but I was wrong. This is it. This is my someday. Max… I made it to the other side.”
Max couldn’t say anything, the lump in his throat made it impossible without crying. Relief and love coursed through his veins as he wrapped his arms around his sister gently, careful not to move or jostle her. As he hugged her, he looked over at his wife, awed by the good fortune he enjoyed.
They were safe. They were loved. They were happy. That was all he could ever have wanted.
OFFER: A BRAND NEW SERIES AND 2 FREEBIES FOR YOU!
Grab my new series, "Brave Hearts of the Frontier", and get 2 FREE novels as a gift! Have a look here!
Hello, my lovely readers! I hope you enjoyed the book and the Extended Epilogue. I’d love to hear your thoughts—feel free to share them here. Thank you! 🙂
Reagan Grey is a wicked piece of work. I think a life sentence of hard labor would be minimal in comparison to what he was doing as Baron.
After childhood of verbal and physical abuse Evie now has her blessed happiness. Agnes must have been instrumental that Evie has a warm heart.
Max is a great character. So glad he found his sister before too late and Willow finally found her happiness again.
Thank you Ms Ellen Knightley for your entertaining story.
Thank you so much for your thoughtful feedback! I completely agree about Reagan Grey- his actions were unforgivable, and a life sentence of hard labor seems almost too light. Evie’s journey from a childhood of pain to the happiness she deserves is so moving, and you’re right about Agnes- her influence on Evie’s heart is invaluable. Max’s determination to find his sister was such a crucial part of the story, and I’m glad you appreciated that moment. Willow’s happy ending was a long time coming, and it’s wonderful to hear that it resonated with you. I’m thrilled you enjoyed the story, and I’m grateful for your kind words! Thank you for being such a supportive reader.