My Heart Will Find Yours (33 page)

He nodded, and they walked toward the door. When they got outside, Garrett was alone. Royce looked up and down the street but didn’t see a woman. Maybe he was mistaken.

Ruby wanted to stay outside so they moved off the porch onto the lawn. Before he knew what was happening, she had her arms inside his jacket and around his waist, and she was kissing him. He’d be lying if he denied enjoying it. His body was starved for the feel of a woman’s, but for some reason holding and kissing her just didn’t feel right.

Royce’d been about to break the kiss when he heard the hissed whisper. He knew only one other person who’d used that term. Texanna. But it couldn’t be her. Who was out here hiding behind trees? He remained still and lifted his nose to the wind. The scent of strawberries reached him, and his heart twisted with longing.

The woman turned and started running. He shouted some orders but damn if she didn’t ignore them. Whoever she was, she’d catch hell when he caught her. He gave chase, but she was fast as lightning. The thought made his heart drop to his stomach. No, it wasn’t possible. He had the locket. She had no way back to him.

Hand fisted, his wedding band cut into his palm, bringing him to a halt. The jeweler brought it by his office one afternoon the week he’d ‘buried’ Texanna. After reading the words, he’d gotten drunk for the first time in four years.
My heart will always find yours. Love, Texanna 1880.
He shook off the words and his hope. It wasn’t possible.

Gun drawn, he approached the buckboards and buggies around the church. “Garrett, come here. Come here right now.”

“Pa, I’m all right. Nothing’s wrong.”

“You heard me young man. Woman, whoever you are, you better stay far away from my boy, and walk out with your hands up.”

Garrett appeared at his side. “Pa, it’s really okay. She’s not here to hurt anyone. She didn’t want to make a scene and spoil Jason and Sally’s wedding.”

“Yeah, but you pissed me off when you had the gall to stand and kiss that blonde hussy right in front of me. You’re lucky I didn’t snatch every hair out of her head.”

Royce grew dizzy and thought he’d faint. He holstered his gun. It wasn’t possible. It wasn’t.

Garrett grasped his hand. “It’s true, Pa. It’s her. She came back to us.”

The lady stepped from behind the buckboard and walked toward him. Moonlight caught the glint of her hair and the shine in her eyes.

“Royce, I couldn’t stay away. You’re my life, the blood in my veins, my destiny. I love you. How could I not return?”

He couldn’t speak. It was Texanna, his wife, his love. She was thinner, her hair longer and curled on top of her head. How could she be here? The locket was in the drawer of his chest. She’d have needed it to get back to him. He drew closer and marveled at how beautiful she was as moonlight shone on her hair, and creamy breasts exposed by the neckline of her dress. Her hands were clasped at her waist. His ring adorned her wedding finger, and the scent of strawberries reached his nostrils.

“My God. It really is you.” In two long strides, he had her in his arms, crushed against his body, breathing in her scent. Lips against her hair, he whispered. “Oh, Texanna. Please don’t disappear on me. My old heart can only take so much.”

She trembled in his embrace. “I’ll never leave you again. I promise. I have it on good authority we’re going to have three children and live to a ripe old age. You’ll have loads of grandkids to keep you young in your old age.”

“But how did you do it? I have—”

“I’ll explain everything soon. It’s God’s plan for us and the most miraculous story you’ll ever hear.”

Royce heard the sound of running feet coming towards them and turned to see Jason and Matthew.

“Royce, what’s going on over there? Ruby ran in all upset. Said you were chasing someone.” At the mention of Ruby, he felt Texanna stiffen.

“Jason, you better tell your sister-in-law, Ruby, to keep her hands off Royce.”

Both men stopped in their tracks. Neither Matthew nor Jason said anything, but they looked at each other then continued forward. Royce turned around, bringing Texanna with him, his hands around her waist. They stopped and stared.

“What’s going on here?” asked Matthew. “That can’t be Texanna, I know it can’t.”

Jason stepped forward, lifted and tilted her face toward the moonlight so he could see her better. “Well, I’ll be damned. It is, Matthew. It’s Texanna.”

Amid shouts and whoops, Texanna was dragged from his arms and hugged and kissed by his brothers.

Royce knew he was grinning like a jackass, but he couldn’t help it. He grabbed Matthew and Jason’s collars and pulled them away from Texanna. “Back off you guys, I’ve not even had a chance to kiss my wife yet.”

Garrett piped up. “We’ll turn our backs, Pa. But don’t take too long.”

Royce’s laugh was cut off when Texanna’s lips found his and gave him a scorching kiss that left him hard and aching. Both brothers looked at him and chuckled. Neither one had an ounce of sympathy.

“Hey, squirt.” Matthew tousled Garret’s hair. “You want to go home with me, Molly, and the twins tonight? We’ll drop you back with your pa and ma tomorrow at church.”

Royce was ready to agree when Texanna pulled Garrett to her side. “Thanks, Matthew. But I think we all need to be together as a family tonight. I want Garrett with us.”

Royce’s heart filled with pride and love. His brothers looked from his wife to him, and their smiles echoed his feelings. Jason took out his handkerchief and blew his nose while Matthew coughed to cover his emotion. Royce’s vision blurred as he cradled Texanna close.

Matthew looked from Royce to Texanna. “Will we see you guys at church tomorrow?”

“I can guarantee you won’t see me and Sally,” said Jason.

Royce laughed. “I doubt you’ll see us either, but stop by in the morning, Matthew. I’d like to put off telling everyone Texanna is alive, but...Lord, don’t you know it’s going to cause a stir.”

“Well, be getting your story straight. We’ll see you in the morning and carry the news to town.”

“And be sure and send Ruby Royce’s regrets.”

“Dammit, Texanna—”

“Pa was kissing Ruby tonight outside the party. It pissed Texanna off.”

“Garrett, don’t—”

Jason laughed so hard he could hardly talk. “Don’t worry, Texanna. I think one look in your eyes and the way you wear that gun, and her passion for Royce will disappear.”

Matthew scratched his chin. “You could come on in to the party and tell her yourself.”

“That’s not funny, Matthew.” Royce didn’t want to think about the two women meeting.

The grin on Jason’s face got broader. “Yeah Royce, come in for a while. Might as well let people see Texanna and get the shock over with. Then maybe folks won’t be quite as gossipy at church tomorrow.”

His suggestion wasn’t bad, though he knew people would be gossiping about Texanna’s reappearance for at least six months or until something else outrageous took its place. He looked at Texanna. “Are you up to facing them right now?”

“After what we’ve been through, I think this should be a piece of cake.”

Jason added. “Yeah, Royce, she needs to have a bite of our cake and see Sally on our wedding day. Not to mention Molly and the twins.”

“Okay, let’s do it.” He took Texanna’s arm. “By the time folks start asking questions, I’ll have answers for them. Relax.”

She stopped walking. “Royce, I’m so happy nothing could make me uptight tonight.”

Her face was turned up to his, eyes bright and sparkling. Without looking away, he said. “We’ll be inside in a minute.”

Matthew put his arm around Garrett. “Come on, squirt. Let’s get inside and get a good seat for the fireworks.”

Royce leaned down and kissed his wife. He poured four months of love and longing into the kiss, and when he lifted his head, they were both crying. “God, I’ve missed you.”

He lifted her off her feet and twirled her around in the air shouting. “Thank you, God! Thank you. Thank you.”

When they walked in the room, Matthew, Jason, and their wives were lined up across from the door pretending to be deep in conversation. Garrett stood in the middle of them. As they entered, Molly and Sally, faces lit with joy, started toward them, but the men held them back.

Royce took Texanna’s cape and hung it up. Then he took her in his arms and swung her into the waltz being played. Of the roomful of guests, Ruby was the first to notice Royce had found another dance partner. The expression on her face wasn’t pretty. Royce struggled to keep a grin off his face. One by one, couples stopped dancing and moved to the sidelines to watch and whisper. The whispers became a buzz, and when Edna Murphy and Brother Riley noticed the pair, the buzz became a roar.

The music stopped and Royce led Texanna to her sisters-in-law. With squeals and tears, they embraced, talked, and cried, then hugged again.

Royce pulled Texanna from the emotional women and, with his right arm tight around her shoulders, turned to face the crowd. “Folks, it looks like I have some explaining to do.”

Brother Riley spoke up, “That’s an understatement, son.”

“You all know I got on the train to San Antonio with Texanna in my arms.” Nods and words of agreement sounded around the room. Yeah, many had been at the depot to see them off that day.

“When we arrived and got to the hospital, Texanna was unconscious. They put her on a stretcher and rolled her into a surgical room.” Royce cleared his throat. “They wouldn’t let me go with her. I fought to stay with her, but they escorted me to a room to wait and told me the doctors would come speak to me when they knew something.”

Edna Murphy, dressed in a gray bombazine dress decorated with purple soutache, mopped at her tears with her handkerchief. Pete stood at her side and patted her shoulder awkwardly as murmurs of sympathy echoed around the room.

“Two hours later, I couldn’t wait any longer and charged into the room where they’d taken Texanna. It was empty. I started yelling.”

Brother Riley shook his head sadly. “You poor boy.”

“Finally a doctor showed up and pulled me into a room. He said, ‘I’m sorry, sir, but your wife is dead.”‘

Women’s sobs could be heard around the room. He didn’t intend the story to be so dramatic, but seemed regardless what he said, the ladies’ hearts would be touched. He cleared his throat. “Sometime later, a mortician arrived with a casket. They said Texanna’s body was placed in it, and I didn’t have the heart to look. The casket was taken to the depot.” Actually, on the return trip he’d used his badge to order the train to stop in Temple for a short layover. He’d arranged to have a coffin filled with rocks loaded on the train.

He looked down at Texanna and hugged her waist. “Somehow they’d gotten her confused with someone else, a woman who’d come in off the street. They didn’t have her name or anything to identify her. She was feverish and out of her head for several months, then once Texanna started getting well, it took her a long while to recover. As soon as she did, she boarded a train home.” Royce had no idea what her recovery had been like in the future, but he looked forward to finding out. He bet Doc would like to hear the details too. The fact she was indeed alive and here with him was a miracle.

Edna’s head jerked up in alarm, and she bustled toward them. “Lord have mercy, Marshal. Who did we bury out there in the cemetery?”

Chapter Twenty-Four

Texanna slipped from the bed, lifted and dropped the gown over her head. The floor was cold against her bare feet as she walked down the hall to Garrett’s room and quietly pushed open the door. In the moonlight, she could see her son snuggled under the heavy quilts. Since they’d gotten home, the weather had turned colder. She leaned down and kissed him. Tears of joy pricked her eyes. He was so beautiful, as was his great-great-grandson Garth. She couldn’t wait to tell Royce all she’d learned and about their descendents she’d met. But they had plenty of time.

Around Easter, they’d have a baby to put in the room next door. In time, they’d need to add on to the house. The knowledge Royce’s child grew in her belly filled her with wonder and joy. Its presence helped sustain her during the long months of her recovery. She touched her slightly rounded belly, aching to feel life moving inside her. Sometimes she felt tiny flutters, but she longed for a firm kick.

She felt Royce’s arm go around her waist. “He’s beautiful, isn’t he?”

“Yes, indeed he is. And just like his father, his heart is as beautiful as his body.” She turned in his arms and snuggled close. Her fingers traced the scar where the bullet had exited his body. “I can’t believe you were shot and lay waiting two days for help. If I’d known, I’d been beside myself with fear and worry.”

He kissed the top of her head. “I’m glad you didn’t know then. Everything turned out fine. I knew Jason and Matthew would come looking for me, and Samson was there to scare off any predators.”

“I’m glad you were able to keep the boy who shot you out of prison, though if I’d been here at the time I’d probably have voted to hang him.”

Royce chuckled. “It’s over. Put it from your mind.”

“Oh Royce, I’m the luckiest woman on earth.”

“No, sweetheart, we’re the luckiest three people on earth.” He lifted her in his arms and carried her back to their bed. With his big hands, he rubbed her feet and legs to warm them, then crawled in beside her and pulled her close. “And since you said your diary revealed there are supposed to be six of us in this family, I think we need to be working on those additions.”

“You don’t want to work yourself to death.”

He chuckled against her neck. “If I do, I’ll die a happy man.”

“Actually, no need to worry about the growth of our family.” She carried his hand to her belly. “Meet your daughter, Rosie.”

Epilogue

Houston, Texas, December 2008

Andrew Keith sat in the library of a prestigious home in an old section of Houston. It once belonged to Rosie’s son, Joseph Crocker, but now belonged to Rosie’s granddaughter, Julianne Evans, and her husband Nathan.

“Can I get you some more coffee?”

He looked up at the middle-aged woman who was his daughter’s great-grandchild.