Love Inspired Historical July 2015 Box Set: The Marriage Agreement\Cowgirl for Keeps\The Lawman's Redemption\Captive on the High Seas (23 page)

“I am free.”

She threw herself at him.

He enfolded her in his arms.

“I love you, Jonathon, now and forever and always.”

Smiling, he kissed her on the tip of her nose. “I love you, too, Fanny. More than I can ever put into words.”

The sun chose that moment to split through a seam in the clouds. Fanny lifted her face toward the warmth before glancing once again at her husband. “What do you say we head back to the hotel and begin the rest of our lives as the happily married couple that we are?”

The corners of his mouth twitched. “We're going to have a full, sometimes frantic, mostly happy life together, with at least a half-dozen children underfoot.”

“Only six?”

“All right, seven.” He placed his palm flat on her stomach. “But we'll focus our love on this special blessing first.”

“Oh yes.” She covered his hand with hers. “This one first.”

Epilogue

I
n a state of barely subdued terror, Jonathon paced outside Fanny's childhood bedroom on the Flying M ranch. Only moments before, he'd been banished by her mother and the other two women in the room, something to do with his tendency toward overreaction.

Admittedly, barking at the three women on more than one occasion to make his wife's pain stop—
now
—may have played a role in his expulsion.

He could only wonder what was happening inside that torture chamber disguised as an innocuous bedroom. The walls were thin enough that Jonathon could hear every sharp groan that came from Fanny, could feel every birthing pain that made her cry out in agony.

He'd never experienced this level of helplessness in his life.

Although he'd known the trip to her family's spread—their fifth in so many months—had seemed ill-timed this late in Fanny's confinement, there was something synergistic about her birthing their first child in the same room where she'd been born.

A screech of feminine anguish ripped into the unnatural stillness of the hallway. The last shreds of Jonathon's control snapped.

He lunged for the door.

A hand grabbed him by the shirt collar and bodily yanked him back. “That's it, you're done.”

Jonathon strained against the inflexible grip at his neck.

Hunter pressed his face inches from his. “The expectant father needs to head outside and take a breath of fresh air.”

Jonathon dug in his heels. “I'm not leaving my wife.”

“She's in good hands.” Reese Bennett Jr. spoke the words in his calm, lawyerly voice, which had defused many heated arguments at the negotiation table. “The women know what they're doing.”

“That's a fact.” Cyrus Mitchell agreed with his son-in-law, his shoulder carelessly propped against the wall.

Jonathon snarled at his father-in-law. “How can you be so calm?”

“The women have been through this countless times before. They haven't lost a mother or child yet.”

It was the
yet
that sent Jonathon breaking free of Hunter's hold and sailing back toward the door.

“Enough.” Fanny's father took charge. “You're coming with us.”

He motioned to Hunter and Reese.

Giving Jonathon no chance to argue, the two men he'd come to think of as brothers dragged him down the stairs and tossed him out into the front yard.

Jonathon washed out his tight lungs with big, long gulps of air, then attempted to look around. The scenery was breathtaking. The barns were well maintained, the corral well tended. The roaming horses and cattle added to the picture of a large, successful Colorado ranch, as did the Rocky Mountains in the distance.

No matter how beautiful the setting was, abject terror remained alive inside him, nipping at him like tiny rodent teeth.

He strode back toward the house.

Cyrus barred his way. “Cool off, son. You're no help to your wife in your current state.”

Shaking with pent-up frustration, Jonathon speared a hand through his hair. “I can't stand seeing Fanny in this kind of pain.”

“Understandable.” Fanny's father clasped a commiserating hand on his shoulder. “But as tough as this is to hear, what's happening inside that room upstairs is the natural way of things.”

So everyone kept telling him.

Jonathon remembered silently scoffing at how the Mitchell brothers had hovered over their expectant wives. Turns out he was the hovering sort, as well.

Women didn't always survive pregnancy or childbirth.

Too overcome with a renewed surge of panic to stand by and helplessly wring his hands, he attempted to pray. But he couldn't focus his mind properly, so he sent up silent groans and wordless pleas.

Surely the Lord knew what was happening in that birthing room. Surely He was protecting Fanny and their child.

Another scream from the second floor sliced through the air. Jonathon broke out in a run.

Hunter tackled him to the ground, then hopped to his feet lightning quick and pressed his boot on Jonathon's chest. “Stay down or I'll make sure you're out cold for the rest of the day.”

Rolling free, Jonathon scrambled to a standing position and glared at his brother-in-law, who was poised on the balls of his feet. Hunter's determined gaze communicated a silent message Jonathon fully understood.

He wasn't getting past Fanny's brother.

Grimacing, he glanced up at the second-floor window.
Please, Lord, let this be over for her soon.

God answered his prayer a half hour later. Annabeth burst out the front door, a wide smile on her face.

Relief nearly brought Jonathon to his knees. “How is my wife?”

“Tired, but fine. May all the future births in this family go so well.” The woman glided over to him and patted his cheek with affection. “Now, it's time you went upstairs and met your daughter.”

“A daughter? I have a daughter?”

“She's beautiful. She has your dark hair and her mother's beautiful face and—”

Jonathon didn't need to hear the rest. He darted into the house and up the stairs three at a time.

He surged through the open doorway and froze a moment to take in the sight of his wife and brand-new daughter. He nearly wept in relief. Fanny was sitting up in bed, smiling one of her secret smiles that always managed to reach inside his heart and grip hard.

Someone had helped her bathe and change into a fresh nightgown. In her arms, she held a small bundle swaddled in soft cotton.

“We'll leave you three alone,” Mrs. Mitchell said as she and Callie retreated from the room.

“Don't just stand there,” Fanny said. “Come over here and say hello to your new daughter.”

He gingerly moved to the bed and sat beside his wife. Eyes stinging, he kissed her softly on the lips, then glanced down at the child in her arms. The tears came then, tears of wonder and joy. Their daughter was perfectly formed, fair-skinned like her mother, with a remarkable quantity of coal-black hair.

“What should we name her?” Fanny asked.

He'd already given the question considerable thought. “Mary Amelia Hawkins, after your mother and mine.”

Fanny gave a delighted laugh. “We are of one mind, except for a small variance. I'm thinking Amelia Mary Hawkins has a much nicer ring to it.”

“Either version will do. I'll leave you the final decision, since bringing her into this world was completely up to you.” He settled in beside her, ran a fingertip down the infant's cheek. “You did amazing, Mrs. Hawkins.”

Fanny grinned up at him. “I did, didn't I?”

He smiled into his wife's eyes. She'd brought light into his life, and now the future stretched before them with endless possibilities.

“Are you happy, Jonathon?”

“Unashamedly so. I love you, Fanny.” He dropped a tender kiss to her forehead. “May the Lord continue to favor our family with His many blessings, now and in the days to come.”

“What a lovely prayer.” Her eyelids drooped.

“Before you drift off to sleep, I have a gift for you.”

“Oh, Jonathon, I have everything I need.”

He reached inside his jacket and pulled out the document Reese had given him upon their arrival.

Her eyes widened. “What in the world is that?”

“It's a deed in your name to a piece of land just north of here.”

“But what will I do with my own piece of land?”

“We'll talk more after you've rested a bit.”

“I want to know now.”

He smiled. He would give this woman anything she asked of him.

“There's a run-down train depot on the property.” He explained his original reasons for wanting to build on the land. “I hope you'll join me in creating a train stop to rival all stops. It will be our legacy, together.”

He paused, thought of his mother, of the desperation that had led her to make bad decisions out of terrible choices. “We'll pay our employees a fair wage, give them on-the-job training, as well as provide room and board for them
and
their children.”

“You've put a lot of thought into this.”

“We could name the stop Mitchellville.”

“I like it.” Her smile lit her face from within. “But I have just one question.”

“Ask me anything.”

“When can we break ground?”

The question signified what he'd already known. Fanny was his perfect match and of a like mind in nearly everything that mattered. They were going to have a good life together. “We'll start building as soon as possible.”

“Nice.” She snuggled against him.

He kissed her nose, moved to her cheek and then finally landed on her mouth, lingering there for several long heartbeats.

Fanny was the heart of him, his ideal mate, his savvy business partner and the mother of his precious daughter.

Jonathon hadn't wanted a wife, and definitely hadn't thought a baby would ever be in his future. Now, he had both.

He had the family he'd always wanted but never believed could be his. Not a happy ending, no, but a happy beginning.

A
very
happy beginning.

* * * * *

Dear Reader,

I can scarcely believe this is the ninth book in my Charity House series, a series that started with a simple question. What did women who made their living in brothels do when they found themselves in the
family way
? The answer to that question brought me to the sad reality of baby farms in the Old West. And so began a unique set of stories focused around an orphanage for unplanned and often unwanted children. I hope you've enjoyed each book in the series as much as I've enjoyed writing them.

I must confess. Some books are harder to write than others. This one fell into the “others” category. In many ways, Jonathon's story was
all
the children's story. I wanted to do right by him and give him the happily-ever-after he deserved. Who better for him to end up with than a woman with the last name Mitchell? Now Jonathon has five brothers, a brother-in-law and a sister. His and Fanny's future, as well as their children's, will be filled with vast amounts of faith, hope and love. That's what I call a happy ending.

We've come full circle with this book. Many of you have sent emails asking if there will be more stories to come. Keep checking my website
www.reneeryan.com
and Facebook page
ReneeRyanBooks
for updates.

In the meantime, happy reading!

Cheers!

Renee

We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Love Inspired Historical title.

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ISBN-13: 9781460384954

The Marriage Agreement

Copyright © 2015 by Renee Halverson

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