Authors: Leah Atwood
“Tell me about your husband. Daniel’s family told me you married a rancher named Randall McCade.”
“Daniel’s family told you where I was?” Feelings of betrayal made her grit her teeth. She’d trusted them.
“Don’t be angry with them, please. I was desperate and went to them as a last resort. They could see I am trying to change. They put their faith in me— please don’t fault them for that.”
She gave her mother a sad smile. That did sound like Daniel’s family. After all they’d done for her, she couldn’t hold any ill will toward them. And time would tell, but it did look like their faith hadn’t been misplaced. She let that drop, and proceeded to tell her mother about her husband. “Rand is a good man, similar to Daniel in many ways, but also very different.”
“You love him, don’t you?”
“I do.”
“Does he love you?”
Lettie paused, forcing herself not to pity herself for unrequited love. “He respects me and cares for me, which is more than many wives can say. I am very fortunate to have found him.”
“The correct answer is, he does love you,” a rich baritone voice spoke from the kitchen’s entrance.
Rand waited for Lettie’s response. When he learned her mother had shown up in Weatherton and was on her way to the ranch, he’d promptly left town before finishing his business. Lettie was going to need him, and he was suspicious of any reason her mother could have for appearing.
Both Lettie and her mother had been so fully engrossed in conversations that neither had heard him enter the house. Forgive him, but he couldn’t help listening to their conversation, shocked to hear Lettie offer their house to her mother. Of course, he’d agree. He was still leery of Evelyn Montrose, but he’d support Lettie in her strides of forgiveness.
Yet, when Lettie told her mother that he respected and cared for her, he had to make his presence known. She had to know the truth. Couldn’t she see it every time he looked at her, feel it every time he touched her?
She spun in her seat, shocked to see him standing there. “What are you doing home so soon?”
“I heard we had a visitor.” He walked over to Evelyn and offered a hand. “Randall McCade, Lettie’s husband. Evelyn Montrose, I presume?”
“Yes. Nice to meet you, young man.”
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to have a word alone with my wife. It seems we have some small issues to discuss.”
“I’ll just wait outside.” She pushed her chair back and began to stand.
“Actually, would you please watch the babies for a few minutes, so Lettie and I can talk on the porch uninterrupted?”
“I can do that.”
Lettie looked at him, her wide eyes full of questions.
“Trust me,” he mouthed to her.
She stood upright and moved to hand Naomi to Evelyn. Taking her hand, he led her outside to the porch. Dark clouds persisted, but the rain had ceased. The carriage still lingered out front.
“Wait here a minute,” he told her.
He went to the carriage and paid the driver some money. Returning to the porch, he went to Lettie’s side.
“Did you mean what you said in there?” she asked, her voice shaky.
“Every word. That’s what I wanted to tell you tonight. I love you, Lettie McCade. For better or worse, I always will.”
Pink dusted her cheeks. “But I overheard you yesterday afternoon. You were having a conversation, telling Mellie that you still loved her and that’s okay.”
Understanding dawned on him. That’s why she’d been curt yesterday. “My dear Lettie. Yes, I said that, but you didn’t hear the entirety of my words, or you would have heard me releasing that vow I made to her, acknowledging that I’m free to love you without guilt of breaking the vows I’d made to her.” He took her hand and pointed to a break in the clouds.
“Do you see that patch of blue in the sky, fighting to be seen through the clouds?”
“Yes.” She nodded, but her brows were scrunched in obvious confusion of what his point would be.
“That was my life when I met you. After Mellie died, my life was a constant rainy day. I couldn’t imagine the sun ever shining again. Then I met you, and the dark clouds started to drift away. I could see blue skies again and they were pushing out the clouds. As I got to know you, there were more blue skies and sunshine in my life.”
“That’s a lovely way to state it.”
“It’s true, though, and I mean every word. The thing about dark skies and rainy days is that, if you wait long enough, the sun will always shine again. And you, Lettie, are my sunshine after the rain. You brought me back to a better place and I love you.”
“It’s really true,” she whispered, finally accepting it as fact.
“I love you,” he repeated, saying each word slowly. And he would repeat it every day, one hundred times a day if that’s what it took for her to believe it.
“I love you too, Rand McCade.”
July’s heat was a brutal contrast to the cold temperatures Lettie had arrived to five months prior. Today, everyone took a break to have a picnic down by the stream. Her mother sat on a quilt that was spread out over the grass. She’d extended her stay indefinitely, leaving a close friend in charge of her affairs in Baltimore. Holding Danny up in the air, she blew kisses onto his stomach, eliciting squeals of delight. Beside her, Myrtle sat, playing with Naomi. Flynn wasn’t able to attend as he was occupied treating patients for summer colds and ailments.
Taking advantage of their babies being under someone else’s care, Rand and Lettie went downstream several hundred feet for a private moment. They reclined in the grass, lying flat on their backs, watching the clouds float along.
“Can you skip a stone over the water?” Rand asked.
“Better than you, I bet.” That might have been an exaggeration.
“Let’s have a contest.” Rand jumped up, pulling her up with him.
She followed him several steps to the water’s edge. They stooped down, searching for the perfect stones.
“Found mine,” she said.
“And I have mine. We’ll stand here, at the same spot and send them off on the count of three. Whomever’s rock goes further will be the winner.”
Lettie got her hand into position. She hadn’t skipped rocks in years.
“One… Two… Three.”
She let go of hers at the same time Rand’s left his hand.
One… two… three skips before hers stopped and sank into the water. Rand’s continued for three more skips.
“I guess you win,” she conceded.
“Best two out of three,” he declared, changing the game, his eyes flashing a challenge.
“Okay. Let’s find another set of rocks.”
Stooping back down to the water, she searched for a rock with the perfect smoothness.
“Over here, Lettie, come look at this one.”
She stood and waded into the shin-deep water. “Where?”
“You have to crouch down to get closer. It’s right between these two larger one.”
Bending her knees, she tried to find the one of which he spoke. Too late, she saw the mischievous glint in his eyes. Before she could move, he pushed her shoulder with just enough effort to throw her off balance. Teetering, she had no choice but to fall in the water, soaking her clothes from the waist down. She had to admit, the cool water felt great on this excessively hot day.
Rand extended a hand to help her stand up, laughter in his eyes. “That was payback for the snowball.”
The memory made her smile, and she laughed. “I think this was more payback than a snowball warranted, which means you are now in my debt.”
“And how can I pay that debt?” he asked with false innocence.
“I think a kiss should take care of it.”
Not wasting a second, he bent his head and pressed his lips against hers. “Never let anyone say that I don’t pay my debts,” he teased when they broke apart.
“Should we go and reclaim our children?” The time alone had been nice, but she missed Danny and Naomi’s sweet laughter and coos.
“Yes, let’s go get them.” He laced his fingers with hers and they shared a smile when the sun peeked out from behind a cloud.
Sunshine after the rain, indeed.
Pragmatic Maeve Benetton would never have answered an advertisement for a mail-order bride on her own accord, but without her knowledge and on her behalf, her brother replied to one placed by Patrick Holden from Weatherton, Wyoming. When a letter came from Patrick several weeks later, Maeve decided to pen her own reply, giving in to the romantic notions she’d always kept hidden.
After a time of correspondence, she fancied herself in love with Patrick and agreed to marry him. She packed the few belongings she had, said goodbye to her family, and left her home for romance in the west.
When she arrived in Weatherton, Patrick was nowhere to be found. Weeks went by, and with no money to return home, Maeve was stuck in limbo, living with Patrick’s family. When he finally does return, will Maeve be able to adapt to changes? And can she trust herself enough to fall in love or will she fall back to her practical self?
Dear Reader,
This summer flew by and is soon coming to an end. After our trip “home” in the spring, my husband and I chose to stay close to our home this summer. I attempted a garden (which failed), repurposed some old home décor (success!) and spent time with my kids. We took a few day trips, my favorite being to an alligator park. We’ve been several times and I still find myself in awe whenever I watch the alligators chomp their jaws over a piece of meat. It’s loud! You can hear the force and power. I hope that I never meet up with one in the wild.
I’ve also been very busy working on several different manuscripts, including After the Rain, Come to Me Alive, which is a contemporary Christian romance, and a Christmas themed novelette whose title is still undecided. The ideas flow faster than I can put them to paper, but that’s a good thing! I can’t imagine a world where I couldn’t write and ideas keep me going, even if those idea change once I start writing.
Lettie and Rand’s story first began last winter but was put on hold. Something about the original plot didn’t feel right, so I set it aside for several months. The end result was worth the wait. I really enjoyed spending time with these characters and getting to know them.
Rand has such a large capacity for love, but it takes him some time to realize that. Lettie has been through much and her personality is completely different than that which you would expect from someone of her upbringing. Together, they grow and work beyond the grief of their pasts, and not without a little fun.
Whether you are a new reader or a loyal fan, I thank you for spending time with Rand and Lettie. As I write my stories, my characters become such a part of me that I want everybody to love them as I do. If you enjoyed After the Rain, please consider leaving a positive review on Amazon.
The second Brides of Weatherton book will be released in Late December 2014/Early January 2015. You can find more information online at
www.leahatwood.com
. Yes, I now have a website! I told you this has been a busy summer.
As this season comes to a close and autumn approaches, may you find joy in the small things and not get so busy that you miss out on simple pleasures.
Until next time,
Leah
Connect with Leah:
Contemporary Romance Novels
Come to Me Joyful
(Bonus NOVELLA)
Brides of Weatherton Novellas
Dancing on Dew (December 2015)
Texas Wildflowers Novelette Series
Mail-Order Short Stories and Novelettes
The Not Quite Mail-Order Bride
The Most Wonderful Bride of the Year