Mending His Wounded Heart – Extended Epilogue

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Marcia strode into the sheriff’s office, a wicker basket dangling from her hand. She never got over the pride she felt when she came here, seeing her husband sitting at the desk. They’d been married six months ago. Three months ago, Sheriff Terrence Chase had approached Dale with an offer that he could hardly refuse.

Terrence wanted to move away from Cooper’s Rest, deciding that the life of a sheriff was not for him. He wanted to head back east to Virginia, where his parents now lived. They were getting on in years, he had explained, and needed help with a small hotel they had purchased and managed in Richmond.

The sheriff had suggested that Dale take over as sheriff of Cooper’s Rest in his place. Of course, it was an elected position, but in the six months since he’d returned from Arizona, Dale had earned a good reputation as Sheriff Chase’s deputy, and he was not only well-liked but well respected. A month later, he was overwhelmingly voted in by the town of Cooper’s Rest as their new sheriff.

The job suited Dale. He could still help people and arrest lawbreakers, but he didn’t have to travel all over the countryside to do it. Of course, Marcia would always worry about his safety. But she knew that keeping the peace was in his blood. She knew Dale would never thrive in a more sedentary or inside job, although he had been offered work at the town’s livery and even the hardware store and at the carpenter’s shop. Very few ranchers in the area were offering work as ranch hands, and besides, they didn’t pay so well.

Marcia also knew that it wasn’t so much the pay that concerned Dale but the type of work he could get. She knew that Dale wasn’t afraid of any kind of work, but she also knew that he longed for something that wouldn’t keep him inside, performing the same menial tasks every day. So even though she had felt a moment’s hesitation when Sheriff Chase had offered Dale his position, she also encouraged Dale to take it. This was who he was.

In turn, Dale was content that Marcia continued working with her father in any capacity that he needed. She’d been pleased but not particularly surprised. Dale knew that she enjoyed her work just as much as he enjoyed his.

He looked up from his desk as she entered, smiling as he stood and moved around the desk to give her a hug.

“You busy?”

“Nope, not at the moment. Just looking over telegrams from Reno and Carson City, warning about a bank robber. I’ll keep my eye open for him.”

“I’m sure you will, and after all the newspapers bragged about your success in nabbing Blake Aldrin and his gang, I have a feeling that anyone crossing over to the wrong side of the law is going to be avoiding Cooper’s Rest if they have any brains.”

Dale chuckled and took the wicker basket from her, placing it on his desk. He glanced at it just as his stomach rumbled.

“Belle made you some of that beef stew you like so much and some biscuits.”

“You have a nice visit with her this morning?”

She smiled and nodded. “I always do.”

“Have lunch with me?”

She couldn’t help but make a face, wrinkling her nose. “I’m not hungry,” she said. “I just wanted to drop this off for you, and then I’m headed home. I’ve got to get the laundry off the line and take care of some chores before Father arrives for supper.”Once a week, usually on Friday evenings, her father had dinner with Dale and Marcia.

Marcia frowned as she lifted a hand to press against her forehead. A headache had been badgering her on and off for the past couple of days, along with an upset stomach.

“You still feeling off? We should tell your father to come another time.”

Marcia shook her head. “It’s nothing. I don’t feel like I’m sick. It comes and goes. Maybe it’s just the change in weather. I tend to get more headaches as spring changes over to summer.” She smiled up at him. “Don’t worry about me. I’m fine. Really I am.”

While her husband looked doubtful, she gestured toward the basket. “You better eat while it’s still warm. Nothing worse than cold beef stew.”

Dale nodded, kissed her, and then wrapped his arms around her shoulders. She never grew tired of his kisses nor his hugs. In the past year, Dale had changed quite a bit. During the first six months of their courtship, he had left for a couple of days every month, simply wanting to head up into the hills and sleep outside. He had almost convinced her to go with him a time or two, but she declined, stating that the town would likely keel over in shock with such an impropriety. Maybe after they were married and winter’s chill had left the air, she might acquiesce.

Over the winter months that had passed, Dale stayed close to their home more and more, the pull of the wild easing gradually. Thanks to his bounty reward and the reward he had gotten from the bank down in Arizona, he’d managed to purchase them a small house on a few acres on the western edge of town near the foothills. Stands of pine and fir grew on the property. Not far from the house, a small creek ran past.

As Marcia walked home and approached the house, she smiled, pausing on the path to admire it. When Dale had bought it, the house had been a single one-room structure, but with the help of several townspeople, he had enlarged it, adding on a small kitchen area and a bedroom, plus a smaller bedroom in the back that would someday be suitable for a nursery.

A fresh coat of white paint and new roofing shingles had improved the exterior appearance. A small stable to the side was large enough for two horses and a milk cow. Chickens ran free in the yard, although Dale and her father had built a small chicken coop beside the stable, from which she gathered eggs most mornings.

She and Belle had planted flowers around the house earlier in the spring. On the east side of the house was a small, half-acre garden, just now beginning to flourish. Soon, they would be able to take advantage of their garden bounty, and later, as harvesting season approached, she would have plenty to can and preserve for the long, cold, winter months ahead

Marriage suited her, and it suited Dale as well. At first, she had to admit to Belle that she had been worried. Worried that Dale might not be able to adjust to his new lifestyle. Worried that he might get the wanderlust. Worried that he might grow tired of living in one place for so long. However, she had turned out to be wrong. After he had returned from Arizona, he had even written a letter to his parents, the first one in quite a long while.

A return letter from his parents had been received a little over a month later, expressing their joy to learn that not only was their son alive – she’d scolded him for worrying them so – but doing well, engaged, and finally settling down. That had happened after Marcia had learned how long it had been since he’d contacted his family, and she had insisted that he write to them and let them know how he was doing.

 At first, he hadn’t understood why she been so adamant about it. She had to remind him.

“Did you think about me when you were gone, taking Blake Aldrin and his outlaws down to Arizona all those weeks?”

“Yes, I did. I thought about you every day,” he replied.

“Did you worry about me?”

He frowned, not understanding. “Well, of course. Even though I had Blake Aldrin and his men in custody, there are other things that I worried about.”

“Like what?”

“Well, that everything was okay. That your father was all right, that you were healthy, you know, things like that.”

“And you love me, right?”

“You know I do, Marcia.”

She nodded. “All right, think about it this way. You were gone only for a few weeks, and yet you thought about me and worried about me nearly every day.”

He grinned. “Not nearly every day. Every day.”

“And why is that?”

He still didn’t understand. He frowned in consternation. “Because I love you. And because I love you, and I’m going to be your husband soon, it’s my job to worry about you.”

“Exactly.”

He frowned. “Exactly what?”

She sighed. “Dale, you missed me and worried about me, and you were only gone for three weeks! Can you imagine how your family has felt, especially your mother and father, not hearing from you for months at a time? Now you sit down and write your parents a letter. Let them know you’re alive! Let them know where you are and that you’re safe.” She’d shaken her head, amazed that men could be so obtuse.

He had thought about that for several moments and then finally nodded. “I suppose you’re right. But I’m not a child, Marcia. My parents raised me to be independent and to be able to take care of myself.”

“Well, sure,” she agreed. “All parents try to do that for their children. But it doesn’t mean they don’t worry. It doesn’t mean that they don’t want to know what’s happening in your life. Besides, you’ve got to invite them to the wedding.”

He’d grinned. He had followed her father’s wishes and courted her for exactly six months before they announced the wedding date, which they’d set for just after the new year. It had been a wonderful wedding, surrounded by family and friends. To Dale’s surprise, his parents had made the trip over from Colorado to attend. Marcia had fallen instantly in love with Dale’s parents. His mother, a no-nonsense woman, practically beamed with love and pride when she saw her son after stepping off of the stage in Cooper’s Rest. His father had stared at Dale for several moments, his shoulders wide and strong, his back straight, and then extended his hand.

Both of them had treated her like the daughter that they had never had. It had been a wonderful visit, and Marcia had truly been sorry to see them go after the wedding.

Now, as she stood in front of the house, smiling, the breeze tugging at her skirt, the path leading to the front door reminded her of walking down the aisle of the church, the pews on either side filled with celebrants. She and Belle had worked hard on her wedding dress. Belle had insisted on ordering a dress catalog from New York City. It had taken a month to arrive. Over the next five months of Dale and Marcia’s courtship, the two women had worked many hours late into the evening on crafting a dress that was based on the latest fashion in wedding gowns.

The latest trend was to dress the bride in white or very light cream color, but Marcia had declined, stating that she couldn’t waste good money on a dress that could only be worn once. Besides, a white dress could get dirty so easily! So, she had chosen a very light blue shade, the shade of an early morning summer sky. A dress that could be worn for church, to attend other weddings or even Christmas services. The light blue fabric was a lovely silk. Both she and Belle had spent hours painstakingly adding silver beads and floral designs along the base of the bodice jacket and the wide lapels, hip flares, and wrist cuffs. Elegant embroidery and floral beading also graced the front lower half of the dress, from the hem to her knees.

Belle had slightly adapted to the design to incorporate a high collar that was open in front and lightly brushed upward along the back of her neck. The narrow shoulders and waist accented her figure, and puffs at the top of each arm extended a couple of inches above the shoulders. Though the sleeves of the bodice hugged her arms, she didn’t feel constricted. Buttons down the front of the bodice started just below the breasts line and extended down to a dipped waistline in front, flares of fabric draping over her hips. A small vestigial bustle added a bit of contour in the back.

A strip of white lace graced the edges of the lapels and set off the creamy white blouse that she wore beneath the bodice jacket, the fabric puffed and ribbed delicately with more silver beads. The blouse was completed after Belle added silk ribbon ruching along the neckline.

Belle had gone to extreme lengths to fashion her hair into a high chignon, with a sprinkling of baby’s breath flowers tucked around her crown. She would never forget the look on Dale’s face when she made her first entrance into the church that day, nor the gasp that issued from many of the celebrants – the entire town it seemed – as she walked down the aisle, her arm tucked into that of her father, who could hardly contain his pride as he gave his daughter away to the groom.

Every day since, her love for Dale had grown. It was hard to believe that her heart could be filled with such love, and in the coming days, would be filled even more.

*

Later that evening, sitting around the kitchen table, Marcia surreptitiously watched her father and Dale, enjoying their discussion regarding the meal she had prepared. It was like they both tried to top the other in their compliments. She smiled, even though she didn’t touch much of her own food.

She caught Dale and her father both glancing at her occasionally, and finally, Dale placed his fork down next to his plate and looked at her.

“Are you all right? You haven’t touched hardly any of your food.”

Her father reached across the table and placed a hand against her forehead. He frowned. “You don’t have a fever.”

She smiled and shook her head. “No, Father, I don’t have a fever.” She turned to Dale. “I just don’t have an appetite. And I’m not sick either. It’s nothing that’s going to hurt me.”

Both Dale and her father looked at her quizzically. Dale turned to her father. “She’s been acting like this the past couple of weeks. She’s getting more headaches, and sometimes she can’t eat a thing.”

“How do you know you’re not ill?” Samuel asked. “You’re a mighty fine nurse, and you know a lot, but you’re not a doctor. Tomorrow, I want you to come into my office. I can take some blood and examine it under the microscope, just to make sure nothing’s wrong.”

“Nothing is wrong, Father, and there’s nothing to fuss about.”

Dale snorted. “Well, what do you think it is?”

She placed her own fork down beside her plate and looked at Dale and her father, finally allowing a smile to reach her lips. Dale objected.

“This is nothing to laugh about, Marcia,” he softly scolded. “If you’re not feeling well, we have to figure out what it is.”

“I agree with Dale,” Samuel stated matter-of-factly. “You’re coming to the office tomorrow.”

“Father, I’ve got too much work to do. And before you know it, time is going to run out.”

He stared at her, eyebrows lowered. “What do you mean, time is going to run out?” He glanced at Dale and then back at her. “What are you talking about?”

“Well, you know how fast time flies when you’re trying to get things done, don’t you?”

“What’s that got to do with anything?” Dale asked.

“Why, in six months, it’s going to be harvesting time. There will be canning and preserving to do, and before that quilts to make, meat to smoke and store—”

Dale reached for her hand, his face filled with concern. “What are you talking about, Marcia?”

She laughed softly and lowered her hand to her belly. “You’re going to be busy too, Dale, because, by October, we’re going to have a child to take care of.”

He stared at her, his mouth open for several moments before he blinked. And then, a smile appeared on his lips, one that lit his entire face with an indescribable joy. The look in his eyes brought tears to her own as she smiled and then glanced at her father.

“And you, you might just have to find another assistant to help you out in the doctor’s office, Grandpa. For a little while, at least.”

Soon, the sound of laughter erupted from the small house tucked up against the trees, and contentment that Marcia had never felt before filled her to the brim. She thought she would never be so happy as she’d been the day she married Dale, but she’d been wrong. She could be happier, and she was ready for her future, for her life with her new husband, and for her first child and any more that came along the way.

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