A Glimpse of Her Heart – Extended Epilogue

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Serena set the dishes down on the kitchen table as she hummed. The sound of the cabin door opening and closing made her rush into the tiny parlor of the cabin she now shared with Andre. 

“You’re back!” Serena hurried over to give him a quick hug. He had stepped out for a bit to supervise a new shipment of cattle. 

“I am back. But I have to go back out right after we eat. Are you going to be all right here?” 

“Yes, I’ll be fine. Are you sure that we need these cattle? With you preparing to become sheriff, maybe we don’t need the extra income.” 

“You’re right, we don’t need it, but I want to do it. You know this was my parents’ ranch, and I think my father would have liked to see cattle on the place again.” 

“What are we going to do to manage it. You know that with me helping out at the sheriff’s office, I am not going to be here all the time.” 

“I know, and I’ve already made plans to hire some ranch hands. Don’t worry. I will make sure they are good people before they come anywhere near you or our ranch.” Andre winked, and Serena had to smile. They still talked of Jasper and the adventures that had bought them together two years ago. 

“All right, if you are sure. I am happy for you.” Serena smiled as she dished up their plates of food. She had prepared roast chicken and vegetables. The chicken was one of their own hens who had stopped laying a few weeks ago, and the vegetables were from her parents’ garden. They had only just moved to the ranch that Andre’s family used to own and hadn’t had time to do their own planting yet. 

“It looks really delicious, Serena. Have I told you how lucky I am to have you for a wife?”

Serena giggled. It seemed that Andre’s compliments were endless. He constantly told her sweet things that made her feel as if it was her who didn’t deserve him. Their relationship had only grown in the past two years, even though they had faced their share of difficulties. One of their difficulties was their lack of children. So far, they had not had any luck in bringing a new addition to their family or the world. 

“I hope you like it. It is a new recipe that my mother taught me. She is the one who always used to make it.” For a moment, Serena missed helping her mother with the meals and her sisters. She still saw them often. The ranches were only a half-hour ride apart. Sometimes Serena would go out to visit her family, and sometimes both she and Andre would go. 

Right after they had married, things had been a little tense and strange between their families, but most of that was gone now, replaced by a comradery that both families enjoyed. Serena’s father seemed to have gotten over the idea of her not marrying Spencer and had even expressed how proud he was of the progress she and Andre were making together. 

“Did I tell you who is coming for dinner tonight?” Serena asked. 

“No, who?” Andre looked up from his food which he had been about to take a bite of. 

“Everyone. My family, the Dixon’s, and Ivy.” 

“Really? That’s tonight? My goodness, time flies. I thought that wasn’t till next week.” Andre reached out his hand, and Serena took it while they said grace. As soon as they were done, she took a bite of the chicken. 

To her surprise, it tasted almost identical to her mother’s chicken. 

“This is truly delicious, Serena.” Andre shook his head with wide eyes. “You should have made this for dinner.” 

Serena winced, feeling a guilty look creep over her face. “I did. I figured I would just make a big batch this afternoon and serve it for dinner too.” 

Andre chuckled. “That is actually a good idea, and I promise I don’t mind having it twice. So, why is Ivy coming along tonight? She doesn’t usually visit when your family comes to dinner.” 

Serena felt a rush of excitement. She had run into Ivy in town that morning, and the excitement of what her best friend told her was still driving her a bit crazy. 

“Well, what is it? You look like you can barely contain yourself.” 

“You’re right. I can’t. I saw Ivy in town, and she said that she and Spencer are seeing each other.” 

“What?” Andre’s eyes widened in surprise. 

“Yes. Apparently, Spencer and Ivy started spending more time together after we got married. It took them a while, but they are officially seeing each other now.” 

Andre grinned. “I’m glad. After everything that went down, I am sure it was hard for Spencer. It is good to know he has someone.” 

Serena smiled. She was more than happy for both Spencer and Ivy. They deserved each other. She was surprised that she had never seen the potential for a match between them before. They were both kind and caring people. She was certain that they would make a wonderful couple. 

She looked back at Andre. She only hoped that her friend could find what she had, love and happiness, and a reason to never give up. She reached over and squeezed Andre’s hand. She didn’t need to have a reason. She just did it. She wished that she could express to him just how grateful she was to have him be a part of her life. 

—*—

Andre stumbled out of the room that he shared with Serena while pulling on his boots. Ever since the sheriff had decided it was time to train Andre to take over his place, he had to get up almost twice as early as before. 

Managing a ranch while also preparing to become sheriff wasn’t easy. He was trying to take care of getting everything running and learning a new trade-in law enforcement. When the sheriff had first told him that he would be sheriff, Andre thought it would be easy. He had been under the impression that it would be stuff he already knew. 

But there was so much more to it. Andre rushed into the kitchen. He was surprised to see that there was breakfast waiting for him. He had barely noticed that Serena was already up. 

“Serena, you didn’t have to prepare this for me. It’s really early.” 

“I know, but today is your first official day as sheriff. Besides, I need you to be well-fed while you are in town, or I wouldn’t be able to stop worrying. Do you want me to come in early with you this morning?”

“No.” Andre crossed the room and planted a kiss on his wife’s forehead. “But thank you for offering.” 

One of the things that he enjoyed about being sheriff was that Serena got to work with him. For a couple of hours a day, she would come by the sheriff’s office and clean things up. Then she would go through the paperwork and make sure everything was in order. At first, the sheriff had been skeptical about having a woman working in the sheriff’s office. Still, after some convincing and a trial period, he had also agreed that Serena made life much easier for everyone. After working at the sheriff’s office, she went to the seamstress’s shop for a couple of hours and then they headed home together. 

“So, I’ll check on the cattle and then come back and get you?” Andre asked as he wolfed his breakfast down. 

“Sounds like a plan. I’ll be ready.” 

Andre stood from the table and gave Serena one more kiss before he hurried out. He had been skeptical about purchasing his parents’ ranch back from its second owners. He didn’t know how it would feel to have the place where his father had died under his care. But the fact was after he had purchased it and he and Serena move in, they had changed it to fit themselves.

Serena had made the kitchen hers. She moved around it like she belonged there. The memories that they had created in his parents’ cabin were their own memories, unique and untainted by the past. But then there were the sentimental feelings of having his parents’ ranch. He could still remember his parents playing with him out front. He remembered getting his first horse and keeping him in the barn. 

He remembered his father walking and talking with him as they did chores together. He still could smell his mother’s cooking if he tried hard enough. Being on their ranch seemed like his way of keeping them close. They were always right there with them. 

Andre thought of his father as he looked across the pasture now filled with thirty new cattle. He was doing what his father had. His father would have been so happy to see him with all of the things he had now. He was going to be the sheriff of the town. He had a wonderful wife, he had a ranch, and he had a town who loved him. 

There was so much in his life. It felt like it was overflowing with blessings. 

When Andre made it back to the house, Serena was waiting for him. She was dressed in the same dress she had made for their wedding. It was a deep blue dress that pulled out the color of her eyes. It was simple and beautiful. Andre held her hand as they walked to their horses. 

“You know, whenever I see you in that dress, I think of our wedding.” 

“I know. Me too. It’s such a simple dress, but it holds so many good things.”  

“You’re right. It does hold a lot of good things. Come on. We don’t want to be late.” Andre held Serena’s horse while she mounted. It had become a sort of tradition for them. For some reason, Serena seemed to have bad luck with mounting horses. She had fallen more than once in the past two years. 

“Do you ever think about what will happen if we never have children?” Serena’s voice was sad. 

“Of course. But I think that God will send us a baby soon. Maybe he thinks we just aren’t ready.” 

“Maybe.” Serena sounded unsure. 

“Maybe?”

“Yes, Maybe. I mean, what if it’s something that is wrong with me? We’ve been trying for two years to have a baby. Mrs. Cray has a friend who is my age, and she just had twins.” 

“Serena…” Andre paused. He wished that they weren’t having this conversation while riding horses so he could pull her into an embrace and reassure her. “There is a time and a place for everything. Maybe this just isn’t our time to have a child. But rest assured, if God wants us to be parents, he will send us someone special soon enough.” 

“You’re right.” Serena smiled. She did look like she felt a little better. “God has watched out for us up until now. I suppose that I shouldn’t let my imagination get away with me.” 

“You’re right. You shouldn’t.” Andre grinned. “I think that the sheriff wants to take a ride with me today. See how he’s already waiting? Can you handle things inside the sheriff’s office on your own until I get back?” Andre spoke the words as soon as he spotted the sheriff outside of the sheriff’s office, sitting on his horse waiting. 

“Of course, don’t worry.” Serena smiled confidently. When they arrived at the sheriff’s office, Andre rode up to the sheriff while Serena dismounted and walked up into the sheriff’s office, disappearing inside. 

“Andre, I’m glad you’re here. I actually thought we would take a ride to investigate a claim of bootlegging. I thought we could have a little chat on the way since today is your first official day as sheriff.”

Andre grinned at the title. “Of course.” 

“Come on then.” The sheriff motioned with his hand for Andre to follow. “First, I have a bit of news for you.” 

“You do?” Andre maneuvered his horse a bit closer to the sheriff so he could hear better. 

“Yes. I do. Owen and Jasper turned on the gang members in order to get less time in jail. Three of them have already been caught, and the fourth is close to being caught.” 

“What does that mean? Owen and Jasper won’t get time in jail?”

“No. It means that they will get less time. They will still get close to thirty-five years in jail. Even if they are still alive in thirty-five years, they will be old men. Don’t worry, Andre. They got what they deserved.” 

“Thank you for telling me. It feels good to know that almost everyone who was involved is now locked up. I thought for so long that this was a dream that would never happen. 

“It’s happened, and it is all because of you. If it hadn’t been for your insistence and the way you handled that investigation, we never would have caught them. That was what showed me that you were ready to be sheriff. When I invited you to come from the city, that was always my thought. I always wanted you to take over for me one day. But I really knew you were ready when I saw you take the lead going after Jasper and Owen. Even I wasn’t brave enough to do it properly for so long.” 

“I am sure you would have done it better if you had all the information that I did.” 

“I could have found that information. The fact is, you were braver than me, Andre, and you got everything you deserved and more. I wanted to tell you out here that I think your father would have been proud. When he died, I suppose I sort of felt responsible for you and what happened to you. That was why I always wrote to you after you left with your mother. Then I brought you back, and I felt so inclined to protect you from the dangers of investigating dangerous things.” 

“I know why you didn’t want me to investigate Owen and Jasper. I understand now.”

“I know, son. I also know that I never had the luck of having a son of my own, but I want you to know that you are exactly what I would consider the perfect son. I know that you will protect this town in the capacity of sheriff for many years. Just whatever you do, remember that your family is more important than anything, even your ego or your job.”  

“Thank you. I appreciate the words more than you would know. I always considered you a second father.” 

Silence settled between the two of them for several long minutes. Then the sheriff cleared his throat. “Come on. We should get on with investigating this bootlegger. I hear he has been distributing moonshine all over the mountainside.” 

“Are you sure there is a bootlegger at all?” Andre raised his eyebrows in suspicion. 

The sheriff averted his gaze with a quick huff. “Of course, there is. We just haven’t found him because you aren’t paying attention.” 

Andre chuckled. Some conversations would always be awkward no matter how close two people were.

Eager to change the subject, Andre remembered something that he had always wondered. 

“What happened to Collin? Have you heard from him recently? I went out to his cabin the other day to visit him, and he wasn’t there.” 

“You didn’t hear? He went to the city to be with his wife. Apparently, he always felt afraid to go live with her because of Owen’s threats. His wife was afraid of them all being together. She thought that Owen and Jasper would keep bothering them as long as Collin was with them. But then, with those two in jail, Collin was finally able to reconcile with her.” 

“Really? I’m glad. I could tell that most of what he did was to protect his family. He deserves a happy ending if anyone does. I only wish the same could have happened to my father. I wish that by solving all of that, I could have had him back.” 

“I know, son. I heard that Collin had a grandchild, born almost two months ago. He sent me a letter. The fact is, this started with your mission to find justice for your father, but it ended with you finding justice for so many more. Owen and Jasper won’t be messing with people in town. They won’t be causing trouble. They won’t be manipulating people with threats. You gave another child their father, their grandfather, even though you couldn’t have yours.” 

“I suppose when I look at it like that, it does make sense. My father would have been happy.”

“Yes. He would have. Both of your parents would have been proud, just like I am.” 

Andre turned his eyes forward. He had never thought of just how many people he had helped with putting Owen and Jasper away. He wouldn’t be able to get his father back. No one could go back in time and change the mistakes of the past. But he had been able to change the mistakes of the future before they happened. 

Maybe because Owen and Jasper were behind bars, he and Serena would have a good and peaceful life. The thought made him happy. The sheriff was right. He would spend many years protecting this town as if it were his family because it was. It always had been. This town and his family were the most important things he had left, and God had delivered both to him safely. Andre didn’t know what more he could have asked for, nothing. That was what more. God had given him more than enough, and Andre would be eternally grateful. 

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Grab my new series, "Courageous Hearts of the West", and get 2 FREE novels as a gift! Have a look here!

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