Authors: Amelia Rose
With Andrew helping, they soon had all the posts in and because they were using wire mesh, it was a lot faster than stringing a regular fence. It was hot work but with Maddie and Penny keeping up the liquid refreshments and steak sandwiches, the day passed quickly enough. At midday, Jim realized he could have his place completely fenced by the end of the day. It was an achievement they could all be proud of.
“I can come back tomorrow Maddie, and do the picket fence for you,” offered Michael. “Any little thing you need doing with lumber, just let me know. Like replacing the floor inside, porches, and the like, I’m your man,” joked Michael.
It was Andrew who surprised them though. “Why don’t we all come back tomorrow and finish off fencing Dad’s plot too. The Circle O won’t fall apart if we take a couple of days to help erecting the barn when it comes on Monday either, if that’s okay with you, Dad - and William, Michael and Joseph, too, of course,” he hastily added.
“You sure you haven’t had a touch of the sun, Andrew?” asked Joseph. “If it’s cool with Dad, I’m good to go again for a few days. At least it would see Jim and Maddie almost set up.”
It was Red who answered. “I think it’s a great idea, Andrew, and kind of you to offer.”
“Same goes for me,” said Jim. “I’d be obliged to you all if you could and you’re good to go with the food and drinks again, Maddie? It really helped.”
“Sure, no problem and if you finish a bit earlier, I’d be happy to make dinner for you all too.”
“That’s great, Maddie.” It was Penny who was beginning to become excited now. “I’ll get the boys to load up the spit roast BBQ into the pickup and we can have a cook-up in style.”
“All right then. It sounds perfect but I need to go and get cleaned up and have an early night. And if it’s okay with you, Jim, one night sleeping on your front lawn is enough. It’s an experience I’m not keen to repeat any time soon,” joked Andrew.
Jim went over to Andrew, “I’m okay with that and thanks for your help, bro.” They shook hands, friends again, and threw in a few back slaps for good measure. “Seriously, guys, I really appreciate your help. I’ll see you all tomorrow.”
******
When all the goodbyes had been said and everyone had gone, Maddie and Jim stood outside and waved them off until their headlights faded away into the warm Texas night.
“I’ll go and get us some water so we can clean up and I’ll give you a hand with the dishes too.”
“No, you won’t, but the water would be great. I can’t wait until the pipes are hooked up and you get the pump going.”
“I’ll take a look at it first thing in the morning, I promise. I’m so happy, Maddie. We have a place of our own and it’s going to be the best Angora goat ranch in Texas.” He turned to her and took her in his arms, loving the way she fitted perfectly to his frame and grateful she hadn’t given up on him yesterday.
“Jim, I love you and want you to know how proud I was of you yesterday. I know I can rely on you now and I felt safe knowing you would look after me. It’s hard to find the words to tell you how much that means to me.”
“I think I have a pretty good idea. You mean the world to me, Maddie, and I want to build a good life for you, for us, and our children.’ He looked deep into her eyes, seeing his love for her mirrored there. “I want to share my life with you here beside me forever.” Their lips met tenderly in a gentle kiss, sweeter than the whole of Texas.
“Maddie?”
“Mmm..”
“I want to tell Red about the gold coins tomorrow. I have a feeling the whole O’Connor family could do something good with them, including us. I’m going to suggest to Red that he divides them up among the whole family. It’s amazing to think they’ve been buried there for so long. Old Seamus must really have distrusted banks. Or something could have happened that we’ll never know about.”
“Who knows what kind of secrets Texas holds? It’s one of those places where special things can happen. But if Red agrees with you about dividing the coins up, I still don’t want a fancy wedding and a honeymoon. I want us to get married right here. We can take a vacation in a few years, when we’re established properly.”
“That’s fine with me, but I would still like to buy you a ring. I’ll let you choose it if it helps the idea to rest easier with you, but I want you to have something special that you can look at every day to remind you of how much I love you and to thank you for rescuing me from myself.”
“I figured you’re worth it but something tells me I won’t need to do it ever again.” Her voice was starting to become husky with feeling as Jim kissed her again, harder this time with a hint of possessive passion, barely contained.
Their feelings for each other were raw and strong and Jim realized that Texas, with its wide open spaces, was like a reflection of the love he had for Maddie. A gentle breeze carried the scent of the land as it passed over them; wildflowers, grass, cattle, and earth. The open sky, filled with endless stars, wrapped around them like a soft, comforting blanket as the moonlight added luster to the greatest treasure of all, a place of their own.
The End
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©
2014 by
Amelia Rose
All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced in any format, by any means, electronic or otherwise, without prior consent from the copyright owner and publisher of this book.
This is a work of fiction. All characters, names, places and events are the product of the author's imagination or used fictitiously.
First Printing, 2014