Bride of the Wild (29 page)
Authors: Carré White
“Oh, my gravy. That’s truly miraculous.”
“He had two arrows in him, one in the arm, the other in the leg. He’ll recover well enough.”
I touched his face, feeling the roughness of his beard. “I’m just so happy you’re here.”
“She wasn’t patient in the least,” said Tom. “She complained about it quite often, like every hour of the day.”
Pa approached, dismounting. “How’s my family? I see the house is still standing. That’s encouraging.” He grinned.
“We’re fine, Pa,” said Amelia. She hugged him. “Saffron’s pining for Micah was nearly intolerable. Please let them marry at once. The sooner she’s good and married, the happier everyone will be.”
He chuckled, “I see. Let me take care of these horses, and then we can discuss this marriage business.”
Micah kissed me, his lips soft and sweet, his breath hinting at whiskey. “Have you been to town?” I asked, gazing into his eyes.
“Yes. We had to bring the deceased there. It’s a sad affair, but those families need to have them for burial. You should’ve seen Mrs. Thomas. She had thought her husband died. When word reached her that Leonard was alive, you could hear her cries of joy from nearly every corner of town.”
“That’s something else I’ll feel bad about now. We left him behind. We didn’t even check the bodies.”
“Don’t, Saffron. There was nothing else we could do. Deputy Thomas would’ve come home. He’d made it halfway on the trail, if you can believe it, with arrows and all. The will to live is strong, my love.” His arm wound around my back. “How’s Silas?”
“Improving. Clarissa Faris is happy about that.”
“That’s good news. I haven’t eaten a thing all day. I’m starving.”
“You smell of whiskey. How much did you have?”
He grinned crookedly. “A few. It hit me pretty hard on an empty belly. Some food would be nice.”
We turned for the house. “And where will you be staying tonight?” He was home. He was mine, and, soon, he would be my husband.
“Here.”
“Did you ask pa?”
“I have.”
We took to the steps, our boots clonking on the wood. “I’ll make up the guest bed then.”
“I’m sorry I was gone so long, Saffron.” His smile faded. “I knew every day I was out there, you’d worry about me. We had such trouble finding the bodies. Then we had to transport them by mule. It was terrible.”
“I can only imagine.”
“I put in an offer on the Goldman farm. Hopefully, we’ll get the furniture as well. You said you liked it. We’ll be settled before you know it.”
“And then we’ll always be together.” Our eyes met, as the bond we shared flared, the happiness of the reunion filling my soul with a blinding white light.
“Yes, my love.”
I kissed him, closing my eyes and melting into his arms. This felt peaceful and right and exactly where I longed to be. “I hope it’s soon. I can’t mourn for another year. I just can’t.”
“No, Saffron. No more tears. The future is now, and we shall live it.”
The End
Author’s Note
I have taken some historical liberties because of plot issues. In 1855, only a smattering of military outposts and trading hubs existed in what would later become the Territory of Colorado, so I created a town. This is a work of fiction, and my only desire was to write an entertaining, romantic story. If this offends anyone, I apologize.
Carré White
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