A Choice of True Love – Extended Epilogue

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Four years later

Kit sat on his horse, looking over the vast ranchland to the north and east. To the west, the mountains rose, fall turning the leaves of trees on the foothills gold, orange, and russet. Higher up, clouds butted up against the mountain tops. Another winter on the way. 

He shook his head, the list of things he still needed to do to prepare the ranch once more for another long, harsh winter racing through his head. The first time he would do so alone. Last winter, his father had passed away. He’d never fully recovered from the heart attack and had instead experienced a frustrating and lingering weakness in his left arm and leg that made it difficult for him to do anything but yard chores.

Aunt Betsy spent most of her time in Horizon these days, running the mercantile full-time, and staying there most nights. He and Ruth worked hard to take care of the ranch. His love and admiration and respect for her had grown with each passing year. She never complained, never once grumbled about having to ride out in the dead of winter, bundled up, to help him toss pitchforks full of hay into the fields to feed the cattle during the days and weeks that snow covered the ground.

Despite their happiness and their devotion to one another, he couldn’t help but feel the sadness that she kept hidden from him, most of the time. After four years of marriage, and a happy one at that, no doubt about it, he knew that their failure to have a child weighed heavily on Ruth’s mind. She so badly yearned for a baby and yet, it was not to be.

During their first year of marriage, in early spring, Ruth had given him the good news that she was with child, but their hopes and dreams had been abruptly and cruelly dashed two months later after Ruth had taken a tumble from her horse after the mare she rode had been startled by the abrupt appearance of a snake. Ruth had blamed herself for months afterward, but eventually, she had recovered.

The year after that, Ruth had once more announced that they were with child, but she had lost that one as well, barely a month after making the announcement to Kit. Ruth had been devastated and once more blamed herself, thinking that she was doing something wrong, that she was not meant to have a child. While they had recovered eventually, there were times when he saw Ruth standing at the edge of the yard, turned toward the plains, her thoughts her own as she gazed out over the landscape.

Sometimes, he felt a deep sense of worry about that, worry that his family had been cursed. His parents had wanted so many children and had only had two. Yet now, Kit had none. He knew that if this was the way life was to be, he and Ruth with both accept it. But without an heir, who would the ranch pass down to? His father and his mother had worked so hard for decades to build the ranch, and Kit was dedicated to devoting the same time and effort to it as his parents had.

He knew that nothing lasted forever, that there would come a day when he too would pass, as would Ruth, and he struggled with the disappointment of no children to pass the ranch to. Not so long ago, he had given very little thought to marriage, to a family, so busy was he on the ranch, always working so hard, season after season. And yet, after he had fallen in love and married Ruth, he realized that more than anything, he wanted a family. Children to love, children for Ruth to read her stories to, for both of them to teach. To someday take over this ranch.

What if they never—

The sound of hooves distracted him and he glanced over her shoulder to find Jesse riding up the hill. He paused his horse beside Kit’s, the horse blowing, tail swishing as they both looked over the land.

“Came to help with the hay,” Jesse said.

Kit nodded. Every year, they continued to help each other get the ranches ready for winter. Last year had been especially hard, and long. He glanced at his friend and smiled. Given the direction of his thoughts this morning, he couldn’t help but be envious of his best friend. In the same four years that Jesse and Stella had been married, Stella had borne him two children. He knew he needed to be patient, that if it was meant for him to have children, he would. Someday.

“It’s going to be another hard winter, according to the almanac,” Jesse said.

Kit nodded. “At least it was a good year for both of us as far as the stock was concerned. We met our expectations with sales of beef and horseflesh.”

Jesse nodded and pointed down toward the ranch, where they watched a wagon making its way down the path from the main road into the yard.

“Stella thought she would help Ruth out today with the canning and preserves.”

Even from this distance, a quarter-mile away from the ranch house, Kit heard the squeals and laughter from Stella’s children carried toward him on the breeze as she lifted one, and then the other from the bed of the wagon. She set them down on the ground and they raced for the front door. He saw the door open, knew that Ruth stood there, a smile on her face, her hands out to the toddlers. Kit was happy for his friend, but it was a bittersweet happiness, one that he couldn’t deny.

“You’re a lucky man, Jesse. A lucky man indeed.”

Jesse turned to him, his expression somber. “We’re both lucky men. Maybe even more than we deserve to be, but I’ll take every day without complaint.”

Kit grinned. While Jesse had settled somewhat and grown a bit more serious about things, he still had a way about him, a joie de vivre as Ruth told him, some fancy French phrase for joy of life. Kit shook off his dismal feelings, knowing that Jesse was right. He was a lucky man. He had married a woman who touched his heart and soul. He owned one of the largest ranches in the area and had friends like Jesse and the townspeople of Horizon supporting him through their friendship. How could he complain about anything? He felt ashamed.

“Come on, let’s get to work. If I know them at all, Stella and Ruth will have a nice hearty meal waiting for us by this afternoon.”

Later that day as the two men rode down from the foothills after searching for calves and cows, even a stubborn bull hesitant to come down out of the hills to join the herd for the winter graze, he and Jesse rode into the yard, covered in dust and mud, exhausted yet pleased with the outcome of their hard day’s work.

Ruth came to the door to greet them, eyeing them up and down, then wordlessly pointing to the washbasin at the side of the house. After washing up, the two men strode inside, hanging their hats on the pegs by the door. Very little had changed in the house since the day Ruth had arrived. Betsy still had her room downstairs. Kit had busted down the wall between his bedroom and the smaller bedroom where he had stayed when Ruth first arrived. He had turned that into the master bedroom. Pearl’s old room would someday be converted into a nursery, if and when it was needed. The door to his father’s room remained closed. 

The sound of children in the kitchen and Stella’s soft burst of laughter greeted them as Kit closed the door. He glanced at Ruth, who looked up at him and smiled. While Ruth immensely enjoyed Stella and her two young children, he knew it was also hard on her. After their visits, she would typically be upset, worried that she would never give Kit children of his own. Even now, before they even sat down to supper, he mentally prepared to soothe her emotions after they left.

However, he couldn’t help but notice Ruth’s smiles as she bent down to lift up Sarah, Stella and Jesse’s youngest, barely two years old. The child giggled, wrapped her fingers in Ruth’s hair, and squealed with delight as Ruth gave the toddler a gentle squeeze and kissed her neck. Kit felt a surge of relief. Maybe Ruth had accepted the fact that perhaps they were not destined to have children of their own. It was something that he too, might have to accept.

Maybe he and Ruth would have to be satisfied with being aunt and uncle to Jesse and Stella’s children. The couple had asked them to be the godparents of the toddlers, to which Ruth and Kit had gladly and willingly agreed. Suddenly, Ruth handed Sarah to Kit, and he cradled the toddler as the two-year-old stared at him with wide eyes, tiny fingers reaching out to touch the scruff of beard along his jaw. Such a cute baby, and, as his arms gently cradled the child, he tried to settle his own conflicted emotions.

The two couples enjoyed a nice hearty meal of beef stew, fresh biscuits, and coffee. Kit couldn’t help but laugh as Stella tried to feed both her children small bits of potato and soft carrots. Jesse looked on with wry amusement.

“Believe it or not, it’s like this every night at supper time,” Jesse said. “In fact, Sarah will only eat the food if Rebecca eats it first.”

Rebecca was the three-year-old, the spitting image of Stella, while Sarah seemed to take more after Jesse. Both children were well-loved, and he knew that Jesse’s parents doted on them and spoiled them terribly. Which reminded Kit of something. He turned to his friend.

“We need to get that extra bedroom finished within the week, Jesse. Even though the framing is done and you can work on the inside through the winter, we’ve got to get that roof finished before the first snowfall.”

Jesse nodded. “At the rate we’re going, we might have to add another room too.”

Both Ruth and Kit stared at Jesse, and then at Stella, who wore a wry grin. She shyly made the announcement.

“Jesse and I are going to have another child in the spring.”

Kit smiled, but couldn’t help but send a worried glance toward Ruth at the news. Another child for Jesse and Stella? To his surprise, Ruth displayed no expression other than genuine happiness. She stood and offered a quick hug to Stella, and then to Jesse. 

“Well, looks like I better get busy with more sewing and knitting, shouldn’t I?”

Stella turned to Ruth with a smile. “Well, maybe we’ll have a boy this time. And I do have to admit that I’ve got plenty of sewing to do as well. Sarah has pretty much worn through the hand-me-downs from Rebecca.”

Kit offered congratulations and lifted his mug of coffee in an impromptu toast. Maybe Jesse would get lucky this time around and they would have a boy, someone for Jesse to some day pass his ranch down to.

After supper, with the children growing a bit fussy, Jesse and Stella made their goodbyes, bundled the children back up into their wraps and they all walked outside. Kit stood on the porch, his arm around Ruth’s waist as they bid their friends goodbye, then watched Jesse pull the wagon out of the yard, his horse trailing behind.

In the lamplight glowing outside the door, Kit turned to Ruth and found her eyes wet with tears. He wrapped her in his arms and gave her a hug, then pulled her inside, closing the door softly behind them, and into the warmth of the house and the aroma of biscuits from the kitchen still hovering in the air.

“No doubt about it,” Kit said. “Jesse’s going to have his hands full, especially if he has another girl.”

Ruth said nothing but merely nodded, reaching for one of the empty bowls on the table. She picked it up and moved toward the kitchen.

“Ruth, we just have to be patient.”

Without turning around, Ruth nodded. “I know. It’s fine, Kit. Would you mind helping me clear the table? As soon as I get the dishes done, we can sit in front of the fireplace and I’ll continue with the story.”

Since they had been married, they had sunk into the habit of sitting before the fire every evening while Ruth read a chapter of a story to him. He couldn’t remember how many books they’d gone through, but he never grew tired of Ruth’s voice as she read to him, the way she made the words come alive and jump off the page, make him believe he was living the adventures, the tales, the drama and the suspense in whatever book she was reading.

Tonight, they would come close to finishing a book called The Black Tulip, written by Alexandre Dumas. While he couldn’t claim that he liked this one more than he had the previous one, called The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, written by a clever writer named Mark Twain, he never failed to be captivated by the sound of Ruth’s voice, which also never failed to settle his mind, his troubles, and his heart.

He wanted to bring up the fact that Jesse and Stella were bringing another child into the world, growing their family, but didn’t want to upset Ruth. Surprisingly, she had taken the news in stride and he knew she hadn’t been pretending. She was genuinely happy for Stella and Jesse. His heart warmed. Despite their own disappointments of the past, Ruth was the kindest, most generous, and compassionate woman he had ever known.

She was much loved in Horizon, a staple in the community, always ready and willing to help others in need. He sat in his chair, watching Ruth as she read by the light of the fire on her right, a kerosene lamp on the small table on her other side. He was the luckiest man alive.

As she read, her voice lulled him and he sank back into memories of the moment they’d first met, the attraction that he had immediately felt for her. He remembered the times they’d ridden out onto the prairie, and the fright he had felt the day she’d been caught in the cattle stampede. He remembered the anguish he had experienced the day that his sister had shot her, and his relief that she had recovered.

He rarely thought of Pearl anymore, only knew that she had made a life for herself in Boston as a music teacher at a school for young ladies. After their father passed away, she never wrote. If he were to be honest with himself, he didn’t really mind. He and his sister had never been close and even if they had had a better relationship due to the fact that they were siblings, she had severed them the day she shot Ruth.

 He had forgiven her, a long time ago, but that didn’t mean—

“You’re not listening to me, are you?”

He jolted from his thoughts and turned from mesmerizing flames of the fire toward Ruth. She gazed at him with a furrowed brow, but he couldn’t ignore the gentle smile that curved her lips. 

“Don’t bother denying it,” she said. She closed the book and set it on the table. “What are you thinking about?”

“Nothing much,” he shrugged. She said nothing. He asked his own question. “What are you thinking about?”

“Honestly? I’m thinking about children.”

His heart thudded and he gazed at her with worry. “Ruth, it’s all right. I know that it’s hard sometimes, to watch Jesse and Stella’s children playing, their laughter filling our house, but—”

To his surprise, she stood from her chair and moved toward him. Even more surprising, she sat down in his lap. He certainly didn’t mind, and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close to him.

“You’re all right then?” 

She gazed down at him, her eyes searching his face and lingering on his lips. “I’m more than all right, Kit.”

He lifted an eyebrow. Of course, he felt relieved, as he had worried about her reaction to Jesse and Stella’s news. he told her so.

“Well, maybe it would’ve bothered me if they told me a few months ago, but tonight, not so much.”

He lifted an eyebrow.  Several months ago, but not now? “Why?”

She smiled, her eyes shining with tears, and for a moment, he couldn’t understand. How could one smile and cry at the same time?

“You see, Kit, I believe that Jesse and Stella’s baby is going to have a playmate.”

He stared at her as she stared at him. He was confused, but then it dawned on him. 

She slowly nodded. “I’m with child, Kit, and this time, I think it’s going to be all right. I’m further along than I’ve ever gotten before, and Doc says that’s a good sign.”

Kit was dumbfounded. Ruth was with child? He felt goosebumps travel over his spine and his heart leaped with excitement. “How far along are you, Ruth? You’ve seen Doc Keegan already?”

She smiled, a gentle, loving smile as a tear dropped from the corner of one eye and traced a path down her cheek.

“I’m four months along, and I feel wonderful.” A giggle erupted from her throat and she sank onto his shoulder, her cheek against his. “We’re going to have a child, Kit, and I have a feeling it’s going to be a boy. Don’t ask me how, but I just know.”

Kit didn’t care if it was a boy or a girl. His heart swelled with the love as he tightened his arms around his wife, holding her close, so tenderly, cherishing her. “I love you, Ruth. Have for a long time, and always will.”

She laughed softly. “I love you too, Kit. And I believe that our house will be filled with love and the sound of children playing. You’ll be able to pass the ranch along to our children, just as your father passed the ranch on to you.”

Family. Love. Such two simple words, yet two words that filled his life with meaning, two words that invigorated him to take anything that the Wyoming Territory could throw at him. Because now, he had not just a wife to fight for and protect. A child was on the way. A wife that he loved beyond measure, and now, the image of children, filling their hearts and home with unspeakable joy.

He turned his face to hers and they enjoyed a long, leisurely kiss, his heart overflowing with love and a sense of peace that settled over them as they sat there, together, staring into the flames of the fire, looking forward to spring.

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