Noah (14 page)

Kate hadn’t heard a lot about Noah’s family and
talk of his brother piqued her interest.

“Yes, sir!” Mr. Everett said enthusiastically.
“Just came from Whisper Ridge where I’ve been working as foreman for the last
few years.”

She watched the exchange with curiosity and
trepidation.

“What brings you out this way? You’re lucky you
made it before that storm hit. Travelling that kind of distance in the winter
is either mighty brave or mighty stupid.”

“Yes, sir. I thought the reward would be well
worth the risk.”

Kate took a deep breath and bit her lip. She
needed to be the one to tell Noah, not Mr. Everett. When the fine-looking
stranger’s eyes found hers, heat filled her face at the appraising smile that
touched his features.

“And what reward might that be?” Noah asked
nonchalantly.

“I’ve come to marr—”

“Hello, Mr. Everett,” Kate said, stepping
forward. “I’m Kate.”

The man practically knocked the hat from his
head, pulled off his gloves, and extended his hand with a slight bow. “Miss
Callahan,” he said warmly. “You are even prettier than I’d imagined.”

“Thank you,” she said with an uneasy smile. “So
are you.”

Heat flooded her cheeks at the admission.

Despite the chilly morning, the air around her
seemed a bit stifling as all eyes fell on her.

“Noah,” she turned to him and took a deep
breath before continuing. “Mr. Everett is here…”

Just say it.

Yes?” Noah said, waiting, one brow raised.

“…in answer to my ad.” The rest of the sentence
spilled out of her mouth faster than she knew herself capable. Then, she folded
her lips together, wary of his response.

Noah threw his head back and laughed heartily.
“Is that what’s gotten you all nervous and acting so strangely all of the
sudden?” He turned to the mail-order-suitor. “I came for the same reason,
Everett. She’s quite a catch.”

The man’s smile faltered.

“Mr. Everett, I can’t tell you how much I have
enjoyed your letters. I looked forward to them every week.”

“As did I, Miss Callahan,” he responded,
switching his glance back and forth between her and Noah. “I’ve thought about
this day longer than I care to admit.” He settled on looking at her. “I guess I
was just too enamored to realize that others would see in you what I have and
that they would call on you as well.”

Tell him, Kate.

“I know you’ve come all this way…”

He dropped his head.

“But, you’ve already made your choice,” he
finished for her, nodding, his lips puckered with realization as he looked down
and kicked at some imaginary pebble on the ground.

“Yes.”

“Well, that’s that then.” He knocked his gloves
against the leg of his denims.

“I’m sorry. I…”

“No need for apologies, ma’am. If there is one
thing I’ve learned about Deardons, it is that you don’t bet against them. If
he’s anything like his brother,” he said with a half-hearted smile, “then he’s
good stock.” He held out his hand again to Noah. “You’re a lucky man, Deardon.”

Noah returned the gesture, then slipped his
hand over Kate’s.

“Don’t I know it.”

The savory aroma of Fannie’s chili cooking on
the stove was enough to send Noah’s grumbling stomach into fits. The cook had
made a thick, buttery cornbread and apple dumplings to serve along with it, but
they wouldn’t be ready to eat for another half an hour.

“It’s been a while since I’ve eaten a home
cooked meal,” Mason said. “Thank you for inviting me to stay.”

Somehow, Noah had found himself alone on the
porch with the man who’d come to Laramie with hopes of marrying his Kate and
counted himself fortunate that he’d arrived first. He imagined that Everett had
no lack of female attentions with his easy smile and good work ethic.

“You handled yourself pretty well out there,
both with the cattle and with Kate. You’ve proven you’ve got a good head on
your shoulders and that you aren’t afraid of a little hard work. Or a lot. I
thought you might consider staying on. At least through the winter.” Noah
looked at the man who’d endeared himself to Kate through his letters and was
grateful for the kindness and encouragement he’d offered her during a difficult
time. He leaned down, his elbows on his knees and his hands folded together in
front of him.

“You’re offering me a job?”

“If you want it.” Noah nodded. “The way I
figure it, if my brother trusted you, that’s all I need to know. I believe you
to be a man of your word. Besides, you were smart enough to figure out that
Kate is worth fighting a Wyoming storm, and we could use a little of that kind
of determination and perseverance around here. The job’s yours if you want it.”

“That’s awfully generous of you, Mr. Deardon.”

“Call me Noah.”

“Noah, thank you. I would consider it an honor.
I’ll stay. At least until I figure out where to go from here.”

Noah understood all too well the need to figure
out what life had in store for a man’s future and felt very blessed that his
included one Kate Callahan.

“Great. Now, if you’ll excuse me for a moment.
It’s torture sitting right here with the smell of that delicious food floating
through the cracks and not being able to eat. I’ve got a few things to attend
to.”

Mason stood and followed him down the porch
stairs.

“I noticed the gate on the corral next to the
barn is barely hanging on its hinges and thought I’d do something about that.”

“They’ll call when supper’s ready.” Noah
laughed, tipping his hat at the man as he headed for the stable, but as he
passed the bunkhouse, he noticed Levi inside. He pushed open the door.

He didn’t know what to say. ‘Thank you’ just
didn’t seem like it was enough. If it hadn’t been for Levi, he would never have
risked everything for the chance to find his place in a little town like
Laramie or to be with a woman as incredible, strong, and beautiful as Kate.

“I have something for you,” he said, motioning
out the door with a slight jerk of his head.

“I just finished up.” Levi cinched up his bag
and followed him out to the stable.

“I offered Everett a job to stay on through the
winter. I figured he was as good a ranch hand as I would find and he needed a
place to stay, so it will work out.”

He and Levi had been together for near a month
and Noah was just beginning to realize just how much he was going to miss his
cousin.

“There are still several towns along the
transcontinental route that will need men like him. Don’t be surprised if I
lure him away from here with dreams of a place of his own—and maybe a woman to
go with it.”

They both laughed.

“Well, you were right. This trip to Wyoming is
exactly what I needed. Kate is amazing.” Noah paused at Apollo’s stall gate and
reached down into the bag of apples. “I can’t thank you enough for dragging me
out here. I could have missed out on life without my other half.”

“Now, you’re just getting sappy,” Levi called
it like it was.

“He’s yours.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You cannot keep riding that little pony of
yours across the west. You need a dependable mount that you can trust. I’m
giving you Apollo.”

“And what are you going to do?”

“I did train horses for the first twenty years
of my life, I think I’ll be okay.”

The light-colored Arabian perked his head up
and over the stall gate.

Noah laughed. “I’m going to train this one,” he
said, rubbing the horse’s nose and neck. “Ares. It’s quite fitting, don’t you
think. A lover and a fighter.”

“What is it with you and the Greek gods?” Levi
asked, shaking his head as he strode over to Apollo and brushed his hands
across his neck and back. “Thank you, Noah. For Apollo, and for taking a
chance—even at great risk. You were the right man for this place. And for
Kate.”

“And she is the right person for me. I’d like
to do something special for her. Will you help?”

“Of course. What can I do?”

It had been a long time since Kate had taken a
bath, let alone in the middle of the day, but Noah had insisted on carrying
several buckets of steaming water into one of the back rooms and filling the
oversized washbasin he’d purchased in town. She dipped down into the warm,
sudsy water, luxuriating in the feel of it on her skin, and allowing it to wash
away her cares.

“Miss Kate,” Fannie said, peeking around the
door as she came into the room with a towel and a clean dress ensemble. “I
thought you might like some help brushing your hair. You’ve had a hard couple
of days and it’s the least I can do.” She hung a pretty rose colored skirt and
lighter pink blouse over the back of the quilt rack, along with all of the
accompanying undergarments.

Kate thought of telling her just to bring in
the old pair of her brother’s trousers and one of her father’s button-down
shirts, but thought better of it. Putting on something nice to wear would
complete the experience. She doubted many women this far west would enjoy such
luxuries as a warm bath in their own home.

Fannie dragged one of the high-backed chairs in
the room over to the tub, sat down, and pulled the pins from Kate’s hair,
allowing it to drape down the back of the basin. The woman worked through the
snarls without Kate wincing every couple of seconds in pain. Instead, the brisk
movements of the brush sweeping through her hair and Fannie’s constant twisting
and pulling soothed her even more.

“Do you need anything else, my dear?” Fannie
asked as she stepped toward the closed door.

“I have everything I need,” she replied,
soaking in the moment.

As the water started to cool, Kate bemoaned the
end of her much needed indulgence and quickly washed up, then dressed. She glanced
in the small, square mirror hanging on the wall next to the door, pleased with
her elegant hairstyle and the pink glow to her cheeks.

She wanted to skip down to her room, but the
ankle still pained her enough that she was just happy she could make the
distance on her own.

After lacing up her boots as tightly as she
could for support, and pulling on a fancy coat that had belonged to her mother,
she gingerly stepped out onto the porch, awed by the spectacular sight of the
hitched sleigh on the snow, and Noah standing in front of it wearing a dark
grey suit and a tailored coat. She’d have never guessed he owned such elegant
wear.

He took her breath away as he tipped his hat
before leaping up the steps two at a time and sweeping her up into his arms.

“Noah Deardon, what on earth are you up to?”
she asked with a playfully narrowed gaze.

“The day is so beautiful, I thought we could
enjoy it on a ride into town.” He carried her to the sleigh and set her down on
the seat, then climbed up next to her.

After everything that had happened, physically
and emotionally within the last twenty-four hours—not to mention the last
couple of months, Kate decided a little time to recuperate was exactly what she
needed, even if it was only for the day.

She looked down at Mr. Everett, who stood in
the doorway of the stable, leaning with his hands on the shovel in front of
him, and smiled. He’d been very gracious. He would make another woman very
happy someday.

Noah kept a slow, even pace with the horses on
the way into town. The biting chill from the previous night had turned into a
mildly cool, winter’s afternoon, but Kate nestled a little closer to the
handsome man sitting next to her all the same. The sun occasionally showed its
rays as it shot through the clouds hovering across the sky, adding depth and
beauty to the landscape.

When they arrived in Laramie, Noah drove
straight to the little brown church at the far edge of town, which sat in
contrast amongst the neighboring bawdy saloons. Kate looked up at Noah and he
turned on the seat, holding her hands in his.

“Kate,” he said, searching her eyes, “I want to
marry you.”

“Me too,” she nodded enthusiastically.

“I know you wanted to wait until the Harvest
Jubilee to make it official, but I don’t want to wait that long. I love you,
Kate Callahan. Will you marry me? Today?”

She didn’t need time to think, only to voice
her answer.

“Yes,” she replied. “Oh, yes.” The hole that
had been empty inside of her for so long, spilled over with the love she had
for this man. He was her everything and she couldn’t wait to be his wife.

Noah jumped down from the sleigh and held up
his hands for her. Her heart beat excitedly, but she wasn’t scared. Or nervous.
It felt right and she knew that with him by her side, no matter where they
were, she would always be home.

Noah helped her up the steps to the chapel to
find Cindy and her husband, Reverend Jones, standing at the front of the room,
with Levi and Eamon to the side. She’d never believed that she would ever be
this happy, but she couldn’t imagine her life without this man who’d slipped
into her heart unannounced and made her complete.

She wasn’t sure how it happened all so quickly,
but the good reverend pronounced them man and wife.

“You may now seal this union with a kiss.”

Noah took her into his arms.

“You
are
a good woman, Katie Callahan
Deardon,” he said, closing the short distance between them in a tender melding
of their lips. “
My
woman. My wonderful, beautiful bride. I am yours.
Forever.”

“I will never tire of hearing that,” she said,
snuggling into him. “You are my irresistibly strapping and hard-working husband,
and I am all yours. Forever.”

The End

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