Chapter 20
Thatcher enjoyed spending Christmas with Lee and his family. The time with them took some of the sting out of being away from his parents and siblings.
Of course, being with Amelia anywhere and at any time made his life brighter too, especially now that they’d determined how to proceed with their future together.
She’d made it clear that she wanted to be with him, had declared her love, and had even given him her father’s watch as a sign of her commitment. He couldn’t have asked for more.
Now he just had to figure out a way out of the mess that their marriage had caused.
“So you’re telling me you both have different matches that are still waiting to marry you?
” Lee asked as he puffed on his pipe at the table after they’d finished the last of the wild grouse along with the potatoes and other delicious side dishes Dot had prepared.
A wisp of a woman compared to Lee, she sat in the chair beside her husband and was sipping a cup of tea, seemingly in no hurry to begin the clean-up of the meal and instead relishing the time with company.
“That’s what we’re telling you.” Thatcher set down the two-year-old tyke who had climbed onto his lap after dinner and was now wiggling his way free to go play with carved wooden animals that his older brother had dumped out on the floor nearby.
Lee and his boys had the stocky Hoyt build. A few years older than Thatcher, Lee had grown up on an Iowa farm not far from Thatcher’s since their dads were brothers. But Lee had red hair—or at least, what was left of it after losing most of it over the past couple of years to a receding hairline.
Lee had initially come to Colorado to try his hand at mining and getting rich quick. When he’d failed at that, he’d opened a fishing and hunting business, selling fresh fish and game as well as supplies for fishermen and hunters in the area.
He was doing well for himself and had built a fine home attached to his store in Breckenridge. He and Dot seemed happy to be in the West, even though they were so far away from home. Maybe having each other and having their own family made it easier.
Thatcher was reclining in his chair beside Amelia, who was holding Lee and Dot’s youngest child, another boy who had been born over the summer. Amelia had been interested in the babe all the while they’d been eating and visiting, probably thinking about her own child.
Now that Thatcher had cleared up his confusion about when Amelia had married and conceived, he’d helped her calculate approximately when the baby was due.
They guessed likely in May. They’d also decided to be honest and let everyone know she was a widow and the baby’s father was her previous husband.
On the horse ride over, they’d also agreed to tell Lee and Dot everything about their situation.
Thankfully, the young couple had been sympathetic and hadn’t passed judgment.
Thatcher didn’t expect the revelation of the mail-order-bride mishap to go so well with everyone else.
But at least their version of the tale would soon be out there for everyone to hear instead of just Beckett’s rumors.
“No one meant to make the mistake.” Lee leveled a long look at Thatcher through the haze of pipe smoke. “So it seems that your intended can’t hold you responsible for what happened.”
“Unfortunately, Beckett’s already made the accusation that I stole Amelia from him.
” Thatcher’s shoulders tensed at just the thought of the confrontation that was sure to come when he went to Beckett and told him he was keeping Amelia.
Would they have a fight? Were duels legal in Colorado?
If they were, Beckett would probably challenge him to one.
Or maybe the foreman would throw Amelia over his shoulder and steal her away.
If that happened, Thatcher might be forced to hurt Beckett. Either way, he had the feeling their next meeting wouldn’t be civil.
Amelia laid a hand on Thatcher’s arm. She’d obviously sensed his wariness, and now her eyes met his, and she seemed to be silently reassuring him that nothing would separate them.
He picked up her hand and kissed the back of it and prayed she was right.
At the kiss, a soft glow filled her eyes, turning the hazel more green than brown. Her lips curved up just a little, and she sidled closer to him, leaning her head against his shoulder.
His chest expanded with love that couldn’t be contained. It rose into his throat, tightening his airway. He bent in and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.
In return, she tucked her free hand into the crook of his arm and expelled a soft breath that seemed to be filled with contentment.
Thatcher couldn’t stop himself from pressing one more kiss against her head. “I love you,” he whispered.
“I love you too,” she whispered back.
He was surprised at how gratified he felt, given all the problems that awaited him in the coming days. Maybe, with the right person by his side, the dark valleys wouldn’t be so difficult to walk through.
As he settled back again, he noticed the silence in the room, only broken by the chatter of the boys playing on the floor nearby. He glanced up to find Lee and Dot watching him and Amelia with wide eyes.
Thatcher was tempted to squirm under their scrutiny. Instead, he did what he was good at—he initiated more conversation. “So if Eileen shows up now or in the spring expecting to marry me, I’m thinking I’ll offer to pay for her to return east. It only seems fair.”
Lee’s gaze bounced back and forth between him and Amelia. Then he met his wife’s gaze, and they both smiled.
“What?” Thatcher asked, offering a smile of his own. “What’s so humorous?”
“Nothing,” Dot offered.
“You are,” Lee said at the same time.
“I’m humorous?”
“No.” Dot lightly slapped Lee’s arm. “You’re adorable, Thatcher. You and Amelia are adorable together. And it’s very clear you were made for each other.”
“Really?” Thatcher loved hearing that. He didn’t need the affirmation, because he already loved Amelia more than his own life. But he appreciated that someone else was noticing what he had—that Amelia was perfect for him.
Lee’s expression turned playful. “Who knew you’d be such a softie?”
Was he a softie? Maybe he was. But that was okay with him.
“I love the way you interact with each other.” Dot’s smile widened. “It’s obvious you’re really in love.”
Lee nodded. “Yep, more than with any other woman you’ve been with.”
Lee had lived in Iowa before Thatcher had left for college, when he’d been young and na?ve and claiming to be in love with a new woman every other week.
“Speaking of other women”—Dot rose from her chair—“we got a letter from my folks earlier in the week, and they said to tell you they’re happy Nora confessed that her lantern started the barn fire.”
Thatcher’s racing thoughts came to an abrupt halt. “What?”
Dot was crossing to a sideboard. “Apparently she told one of her girlfriends, and the word started to spread around the community.”
“When was this?” And why hadn’t anyone written from home and told him the news?
Lee finished taking another puff on his pipe. “From the way Dot’s folks tell it, Nora made the confession last month.”
Dot pulled open a drawer, fumbled inside, and retrieved a letter. “Here’s the letter from my mother. You’re welcome to read it.”
Thatcher’s mind raced with the implications of such news. If Nora had told everyone she’d left the lantern that had caused the fire, then he would be absolved of the blame for killing the prize horses as well as destroying the barn. He wouldn’t have the shame hanging over his head any longer.
Dot crossed back toward him, holding out the letter. “I’m sure you’ll get the news from your family soon. A letter or two is probably on its way and will arrive any day.”
Amelia’s words from earlier echoed in his head: People might talk for a little while, but your true character will speak louder eventually.
If that was happening back in Iowa, could he hope it would happen here too? That people would let his character speak for itself, that they would understand he cared about them and their animals even when he couldn’t save every creature?
He could only hope that was the case.
Quietly, he skimmed Dot’s letter until he reached the paragraph about Nora and how, after pressure from the rumors that were circling, she’d admitted to leaving the lantern that had started the barn fire that had killed her father’s horses.
Her father had apparently been embarrassed and apologized for blaming Thatcher and ruining his veterinarian practice in Cedar Rapids. From the sounds of things, many former clients had come forward and spoken highly of Thatcher and all he’d done to help them.
When Thatcher finished reading, he passed the letter to Amelia, who read it, then wordlessly returned it to Dot. Then Amelia tilted up and brushed a kiss across his jaw. “We won’t always get the justice we’re due, but it’s sure nice when it happens.”
“Very nice,” Dot echoed. “Guess that means you can go on back home to Iowa if you’ve got a mind to.”
Thatcher kissed Amelia’s forehead. He hadn’t anticipated ever having the option of returning home, had thought he’d be an outcast forever. But maybe he ought to consider the possibility if his reputation was irreparable here in Breckenridge.
“What do you think, sweetheart?” he asked. “Do you have your heart set on staying here in the high country?”
“I’ve got my heart set on staying with you wherever you go.” Her response was quick and earnest. Even so, he could tell it wasn’t complete, that she had more to say.
“But . . .?”
She settled her head back against his arm while adjusting her hold on the baby.
“No buts. I just want to be with you. That’s all that matters, even here, where it still may take some time for people to see that you’re not God and won’t be saving all the animals.
But you’re a godly man who lives an upright and righteous life and loves people generously. ”
She was right again. He couldn’t run off whenever someone called into question his abilities. In doing so, he was taking the cowardly way instead of staying strong and showing that he had nothing to hide and nothing to be ashamed of.
“Whatever you decide,” she whispered, “I’ll be by your side.”
And that was really all that mattered. He had her and her love. It was enough to get him through any hardship . . . at least, he hoped it was enough to get them through the coming confrontation with Beckett without anyone getting hurt.