A Stranger at the Keeper’s Door – Extended Epilogue

Two Years Later

The tavern was loud, but that was normal. Those passing through stopped to have a drink and take refuge in a comfortable bed that wasn’t in the back of a stagecoach or in an uncomfortable wagon. The locals liked to come up and spend time with their friends. The food was always hot and fresh, and the drink kept flowing. To Nathaniel’s surprise, there were barely any fights and brawls.

Maybe knowing that the owner was the wife of the sheriff helped, or perhaps it was due to Maggie being in charge whenever someone started getting a little out of hand. Nobody messed with her.

Nathaniel could see Elspeth’s decision to make her in charge of the tavern, especially when Elspeth and Clara were busy. Given the multitude of children the sisters were having, they were going to need plenty of help. Lillian had even started helping to bring in some more money for her growing family. Rose and Millie were eight years old and precocious as ever, although they were good as gold around the small children around them.

They were out in the yard with Samuel and Clara watching over them, playing with Clara’s son Luke and Nathaniel’s daughter Caitlin. Both were just over a year old, and they were starting to learn how to walk. They tottered a few steps before sitting down again. Samuel and Clara stood nearby, Samuel’s arm around his wife’s shoulders.

“How are they?” Elspeth asked from the bed, her voice breathless. “They’re not getting into trouble, are they?”

“No, they’re fine.” Nathaniel turned to her. “Samuel and Clara will make sure they’re safe.”

“I know.”

“Just focus on yourself. And our new little bundle of joy.”

Elspeth was sitting up in bed, leaning back against the pillows. She was pale, her expression one of exhaustion and sweat beaded her brow. She looked close to falling asleep. Given she’d been in labor practically all night, it was no surprise that she was worn out. Nathaniel wanted to lie down himself; he’d refused to leave her while Elspeth gave birth, staying by her side the whole time and watching their second daughter being born.

Their baby lay in the crib beside the bed, wrapped in a blanket with a little knitted hat on her head. She was sleeping, looking peaceful with her mouth slightly open. Their first daughter looked more like Nathaniel, something that Elspeth had teased him about, but this one looked like Elspeth.

“She’s perfect,” he whispered, approaching the crib and leaning over to stroke his daughter’s face. “They both are.”

“You’re not upset, are you?”

“What?” He looked up. “What are you talking about?”

“That I haven’t given you a son yet?” Elspeth looked nervous, biting her lip. “Don’t you want a son as well?”

Nathaniel was surprised at that question. He’d never given any indication that he wanted a son. He’d been happy with whatever he had as long as they were able to love him back. He sat on the edge of the bed and took her hand.

“You don’t need to worry about that, love. I don’t care if we don’t have sons. We’ve got two daughters, and if that’s all we’ll have, I’ll be happy.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I don’t want to put you through too much stress going through labor all the time. If I could do it for you…”

Elspeth giggled a little, the tension easing.

“I don’t think you could cope,” she teased. “You couldn’t handle it when I was squeezing your hand.”

Nathaniel chuckled. She did have a point. He saw his wife go through childbirth twice, and she was utterly worn out afterward. He couldn’t do it himself. He wondered what people in the tavern thought if they weren’t aware of the owner being pregnant and about to give birth.

They were probably toasting to the happy mother and father.

He looked at his daughter again, who stirred a little but fell back to sleep.

“You’ve decided on a name, have you? You said you wanted to name this baby.”

“I thought about calling her Mavis.” Elspeth paused. “After mother.”

Mavis Cole. That had a nice ring to it. Nathaniel smiled and leaned over to kiss his wife.

“Mavis Cole it is. It’s a good name.”

A tap at the door and it opened, Maggie sticking her head into the room.

“Sorry, Elspeth, I didn’t want to intrude…”

“Come on in, Maggie.” Elspeth waved her in. “Sorry about keeping you awake last night. I know you wouldn’t have gotten much sleep.”

“I’m used to it by now.” Maggie’s expression softened as she looked down at the baby. “She’s gorgeous. I didn’t think babies could get any cuter.”

“I wish I could sleep like that, though.” Elspeth made a face. “I’m so tired, and yet I can’t close my eyes.”

“Maybe you should try?” Nathaniel suggested. “I can look after Mavis and Caitlin.”

Elspeth looked unsure, but he could see her weakening. She was so tired, and it was clear she wanted to sleep. She gave him a tiny smile.

“I love you,” she whispered, squeezing his hand. “I know you’ll take good care of them.”

He kissed her, watching as her eyes closed, and she drifted off into sleep. Then he beckoned Maggie to follow him outside. They tiptoed out, closing the door behind them.

“Sheriff Ramsey sends his congratulations,” Maggie whispered.

“He does?”

“He said he’d come by to see you. Apparently, he likes holding babies when he knows he can give them back.”

Nathaniel could see that point. Although he had to admit that he loved the fact he could cuddle his children as often as he wanted. He hadn’t thought about having children until he met Elspeth, and now the thought didn’t scare him as much as he imagined. He’d not grown up with a proper family, so he’d been scared that he couldn’t have a healthy, happy family.

Now it was two-and-a-half years since he married Elspeth, and he felt like everything was getting so much better.

“Also, I wanted to let you know that I’m heading into town and Lillian’s in charge of the tavern,” Maggie went on. “Just in case she needs help.”

“All right, that’s fine.” Nathaniel grinned. “How’s the preparations going? Do you have the right dress?”

Maggie blushed, but she nodded, her eyes sparkling.

“I do. I just need to negotiate getting it down in price so I can afford it. I’m almost there, but not quite.”

“You’re not supposed to haggle for a wedding dress, Maggie.”

“And? I know it’s just right for me.”

Nathaniel could see his friend winning this argument. She was determined to have her perfect wedding dress. And it was about time it happened as well; Maggie and Elias had been dancing around their feelings for each other for over a year before Elias finally admitted that he’d fallen in love with her. Three months ago, Maggie was the one who proposed to him. Now they were soon to become husband and wife.

Nathaniel wasn’t sure which one of them was more shocked about it. Neither Elias nor Maggie had wanted to get married, mostly because of the commitment regarding their jobs, and Maggie didn’t want to be tied to a man and lose her identity. But it seemed like the two of them were coming to a good compromise. They balanced each other out, Elias making Maggie a calmer person while Maggie made sure Elias didn’t go out gambling again. That was not something they wanted to get mixed up in again.

Nathaniel was pleased for his two friends. They made a good couple. Much like he and Elspeth did.

“Anyway, I’m going to head off now.” Maggie squeezed his arm. “Congratulations. You and Elspeth are great parents. Your little girls are going to thrive.”

“That…I…”

For once, Nathaniel felt at a loss for words. His chest tightened, and he rubbed it absently. Maggie frowned.

“Are you all right?”

“I…I’m fine.” He attempted a smile. “It’s just…it’s strange being here. After having no family, and then only knowing Pinkerton, I feel like this is a dream that I don’t want to wake up from.”

Maggie smiled and stepped away.

“Well, make the most of it. You won’t get any better than this.”

Nathaniel wondered if he could, but he wasn’t going to think about that. He turned away and slipped back into the room. Elspeth was still asleep, although Mavis was wriggling around in the crib. She looked ready to wake up. Nathaniel reached into the crib and lifted the baby out, cradling her in his arms.

“Let’s not wake Mama, darling,” he whispered, rocking her gently. “She needs her sleep. You and Caitlin are going to run her ragged. Let’s give her some time to herself.”

Mavis opened her eyes, and she looked up at him with a curious expression. Her eyes were bright blue, looking stunning in her face. Nathaniel kissed her forehead and tiptoed from the room. Elspeth had done so well to bring their baby into the world. He would happily let her have the rest that she needed.

There was plenty of time for them afterwards.

Heading downstairs, he managed to get past the tavern door without it banging open and someone stumbling out. Mavis wriggled and protested a little at the noise, but she remained mostly calm as they left by the front door. Clara looked around as Nathaniel approached, her eyes widening in delight.

“Oh, my! She’s beautiful!”

“Meet little Mavis.”

Clara’s eyes suddenly filled with tears, and her smile was beaming as she leaned in to look at Mavis, who stared back at her.

“She’s gorgeous. I can’t believe she’s here with us now. I thought this pregnancy was going to go on forever.”

“I think Elspeth thought the same thing,” Nathaniel chuckled. “She’s been complaining about it since around four months.”

“I’m not surprised. It’s hard work, carrying a baby, and that’s before it’s born.” Clara straightened up, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. “And she’s named her after Mama? That’s a sweet gesture.”

“You’re not upset about it, are you? I know you and Elspeth talked about doing it, but with our first children that didn’t happen.”

“Well, my next son will be called Thomas. After my father.” Clara smiled and rested a hand on her stomach. “I’m sure that can be arranged.”

“Let us enjoy Luke for a while longer,” Samuel replied, appearing behind his wife. “He’s a handful right now. I want to get him a little older before adding another child to the mix.”

Clara simply turned her smile up to him and they kissed. Nathaniel watched them, glad that things had worked out for the pair of them. After what happened to Clara, when she was almost married to Horace Whitlock, she had been in some state of shock, scared of what she might’ve gotten herself into. The thought that she’d nearly married her parents’ killer had been sobering. Samuel had stayed by her side, looking after her and making sure she didn’t hide away from everyone. He was there protecting her, not passing any judgment about what happened despite his own thoughts about it. It was six months before he finally confessed his feelings, but only after Clara said it was all right to be honest with her once he stumbled over his words one too many times.

It was adorable to see them together. They were a more settled couple than Nathaniel and Elspeth, and that was impressive.

A babbling came from near his leg, and Nathaniel felt his trouser leg being tugged at. He looked down and saw Caitlin holding onto him, smiling up with a toothy grin. Rose and Millie were helping Luke to walk over to them.

“They want to see the baby,” Millie said. “We all do.”

“I can tell,” Nathaniel laughed. He crouched. “All right, but don’t touch. She’s very delicate and not ready for rough handling.”

The children crowded around, leaning in to inspect the baby, who was looking rather confused with the sudden onslaught. Luke and Caitlin looked a little bewildered at the fragile baby, but Rose and Millie were beaming.

“When can we hold her?” Rose asked.

“When she’s a little bigger. It’ll just be me and Elspeth who hold her for now.” Nathaniel winked at her. “But I’ll make sure you two are the first ones to do so.”

The twins grinned. Luke gurgled and said something that sounded like an agreement. Caitlin looked up at Nathaniel, her eyes wide.

“Ba-ba?” she asked.

She’d been learning to talk recently, managing to say mama and papa. Nathaniel kissed her head.

“Yes. Your baby sister.”

“Ma-ma?”

“She’s resting right now. I’ll take you to her shortly.” Nathaniel stood up, adjusting his hold on Mavis. “They’re going to need their naps soon, aren’t they? The tavern is very busy right now.”

“Lillian said she can handle it as long as we got the twins out from under her feet.” Clara turned away. “But I do need to get back. I’ve got to do some more cooking.”

“I’ll stay and watch the children.” Samuel gave a lopsided shrug. “Pa isn’t needing me right now, so I’ve got plenty of time.”

Clara gave him a loving smile and kissed him, the moment lingering before Clara walked away. Rose and Millie made faces at each other, which Luke and Caitlin copied. Nathaniel laughed.

“You’ve got your work cut out for you, Samuel. I’ll leave you to it.”

He planned to walk around the ranch to give Mavis some fresh air and soothe her into sleep while Elspeth rested, but he didn’t linger. He found himself back at the lodge before he knew what was happening. It felt like he didn’t want to be away from Elspeth for too long. Even when he was at the sheriff’s station in Alder Creek, he was eager to get back home and be with his wife and child.

Children now.

He stood at the kitchen door and looked out across the valley, covered by trees and the glimpse of a river trickling through. There were cattle that Nathaniel had recently brought grazing in the nearby field. That would bring in some income, as would the tavern, which was thriving. Not a day went by without laughter and music, even if the people involved were often drunk.

Elspeth and Clara didn’t need to worry about money anymore. They were wealthy in their own right, and they didn’t even need to mine for any gems on their land. They decided to leave it as it was. Even if he managed to walk out of prison, Horace Whitlock was never getting his hands on the gold that came out of the ground.

Nor was anyone else. Elspeth had made sure everything was secure. She wasn’t about to be swayed.

Nathaniel knew there were moments when his wife was sad that her parents couldn’t be there to see how they’d managed to turn everything around. She still missed them, and he would catch her looking out of the window with a sorrowful expression. But she had accepted that they were never coming back and were likely looking down on them with pride. Nathaniel knew she clung onto that.

They would understand what she went through and would be proud of her protecting Clara from their killer.

Nathaniel knew he would never put his wife in that position again. He would always protect her.

Tiptoeing back upstairs, he sneaked back into the bedroom and saw Elspeth was still sleeping. Mavis had fallen back to sleep, so he eased her into the crib, checking that she was properly cuddled up in her blanket. Then he settled carefully onto the bed beside his wife, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. Elspeth stirred a little, looking up at him and giving him a sleepy smile.

“I love you,” she murmured.

“I love you, too.” He kissed her head. “You’re the best thing that’s happened to me.”

And he meant it. Elspeth had given him a life that he could be proud of.

THE END