Blue Moon Promise (37 page)
With an inarticulate cry, Lucy burrowed into his arms. “I wanted to be a blessing to you, just like the Bible says.”
“You already are. My life was empty without you. I can’t imagine living without you. If you couldn’t adapt to ranch life, I’d leave it all behind and find a job in the city. You’re all I want, Lucy. You and Jed and Eileen. And our own kids, of course.” He smiled crookedly.
“I love the ranch. As long as I don’t have to share it with Zeke.”
Nate grinned. “Zeke’s gone, but you’re here and I’m here. Can we have a honeymoon here, or would you like to travel somewhere? I have money tucked away, if that’s what you want.”
“Keep your money, Nate Stanton. All I want is you. This cabin with you is where I want to be. I won’t have to share you with anyone here.”
Nate’s eyes grew bright, and his lips came down to claim hers again. Lucy reveled in his love and in who she was in his sight. She lifted her face to the moon beginning to rise. “It’s not the blue moon yet, but I can’t wait. I want our marriage to be real.”
C
arriages rattled by the Wabash hotel that Nate had chosen for their belated honeymoon. Lucy stood in the window and stared down at the people hurrying by on the street below. She checked the watch pinned to her bodice. “She’s late.”
“Patience, love. It’s only ten after.” Nate’s gaze went to the tiny swell of her belly. “You’ll get young Stanton riled, and she’ll be demanding more pickles.”
She put her hand on the small bump and felt the baby kick. “He’s already kicking me.”
“She,” he corrected.
It was a familiar argument. Nate swore he wanted a girl, and she wanted a boy. But they would be happy with whatever they had. She stepped into his arms and nestled her head against his chest. “I just want this meeting to be over.”
“Soon.”
She listened to the beat of his heart against her ear. He was a good man, and she was so blessed. Every time she thought about her uncle’s reaction when Nate had freely given him the land, her eyes welled. The stoic man had broken down and actually sobbed. He’d asked Nate to forgive him for trying to burn down his barn and wanted to go to the sheriff and confess, but Nate had told him it was all in the past—that together they would move forward and be a family.
The last few months had been sheer bliss. Family was everywhere Lucy looked, and she had never felt so loved.
The knock they’d been waiting on came. Nate left her and opened the door. Resplendent in a blue satin dress, Catherine stood in the hall. “Come in.”
Her gaze sharpened when she looked past Nate and saw Lucy. “I didn’t expect to see you too.” She entered the room and glanced around. “Rather posh surroundings for you, Lucy. Where are my children?”
“Home,” Nate said.
Catherine smiled. “Then you’ve agreed to my terms. You brought the coins?”
“I have them,” Lucy said, struggling to keep disdain from her voice. “Did you bring the document agreeing to turn over full custody to us?”
“I have it here.” Catherine touched her beaded bag. “Let me see the coins.”
Lucy wanted to scream at the woman, but she forced herself to get the bag containing the coins and hand it to Catherine. The woman loosened the drawstring top and stared greedily at the shimmering silver dollars inside.
“The agreement.” Lucy held out her hand.
“I didn’t want the brats anyway.” Catherine withdrew the paper from her bag and signed it with a flourish, then handed it to Lucy. “Good riddance.”
She turned to go to the door, but before she’d taken two steps, the door behind them opened. A man with a big nose held another man by the arm. Yet another man was in cuffs and was guarded by an officer. Lucy immediately recognized the prisoner with the big nose as the man who had broken into the house. The man with the strong hair tonic.
Lucy held her breath as the policeman pointed at Catherine.
“That the woman who hired you?”
Both prisoners nodded. “That’s her,” the man who had broken into the house said.
Catherine’s face paled. “What’s this all about?” Her gaze darted to the door, but Nate stepped in front of it.
The officer approached her. “Mrs. Marsh, you’re under arrest for the murder of your husband.”
Catherine held her hands up. “No! You have no proof.”
“Jed remembered what happened,” Lucy said.
Catherine whirled to run for the door, but Nate grabbed her as she approached. The detective wrestled the bag of coins from her hand. She made a grab for them. “Those are mine!”
“They belong to Mordecai Mitchell in Detroit,” the detective said. “He’s in the lobby to receive his property back.”
Catherine sobbed as they took her away, but Lucy felt no pity. Only a deep sadness that a woman who had sworn to love her father had killed him instead. When the door closed, Lucy buried her face in Nate’s chest. Tears finally came, but they were mostly for Jed who would never forget what his mother had done.
“Shh, it’s over,” Nate whispered in her hair. “We can put this behind us.”
She lifted her head and looked into his gray eyes. “So much pain. And all for money.”
He cupped her face in his hands. “You brought sanity to all of us, Lucy. Your heart, your spirit, your generosity. We’re free from the taint of greed now. It died with Pa.”
It hurt her to see the pain in his eyes when he mentioned his father. But she would do her best to make him forget the past and look only to the future.
He turned her gently toward the door. “Let’s go feed you. I hear the café down the street has the best pickles in town.”
I
’m celebrating ten years with my Thomas Nelson team this year—truly my dream team! Publisher Allen Arnold (I call him Superman) changed everything when he came on board. Everyone in the industry loves him—including me! Senior acquisitions editor Ami McConnell (my dear friend and cheerleader) has an eye for character and theme like no one I know. I crave her analytical eye and love her heart. She’s truly like a daughter to me. Marketing manager Eric Mullett and publicist Katie Bond are always willing to listen to my harebrained ideas. Fabulous cover guru Kristen Vasgaard (you so rock!) works hard to create the perfect cover—and does. And of course I can’t forget my other friends who are all part of my amazing fiction family: Natalie Hanemann, Amanda Bostic, Becky Monds, Ashley Schneider, Jodi Hughes, Ruthie Dean, Heather McCoullough, Dean Arvidson, and Kathy Carabajal. I wish I could name all the great folks at Thomas Nelson who work on selling my books through different venues. Hearing “well done” from you all is my motivation every day.
I’ve heard legendary things about Julee Schwarzburg, and this was my first opportunity to work with her. She is indeed the master editor I’ve heard so much about! Thanks so much for all the ways you improved this book, Julee.
My agent, Karen Solem, has helped shape my career in many ways, and that includes kicking an idea to the curb when necessary. Thanks, Karen—you’re the best!
Writing can be a lonely business, but God has blessed me with great writing friends and critique partners. Hannah Alexander (Cheryl Hodde), Kristin Billerbeck, Diann Hunt, and Denise Hunter make up the Girls Write Out squad (
www.GirlsWriteOut.blogspot.com
). I couldn’t make it through a day without my peeps! Thanks to all of you for the work you do on my behalf and for your friendship. I had great brainstorming help for this book in Robin Caroll and Cara Putman. Thank you, friends!
I’m so grateful for my husband, Dave, who carts me around from city to city, washes towels, and chases down dinner without complaint. As I type this, today is the first day of his retirement. Now he will have more time for those things—and more. Thanks, honey! I couldn’t do anything without you. My kids, Dave and Kara (and now Donna and Mark), and my grandsons, James and Jorden Packer, love and support me in every way possible. Love you guys! Donna and Dave brought me the delight of my life—our little granddaughter, Alexa! This year at Christmas she was interested in watching her Mimi sign copies for her daddy to give away. When I told her that Mimi wrote the books, I’m sure I saw shock in her face. Okay, maybe I’m reading too much into her little two-year-old mind, but she will soon understand what her Mimi does for a living.
Most important, I give my thanks to God, who has opened such amazing doors for me and makes the journey a golden one.
1. One of the first things we try to do as Christians is to examine the idea of self-sacrifice. It goes against our nature as humans to put someone else above ourselves. Why do you think Lucy was good at this? Is it something innate, or was it something she learned?
2. Did you identify with Lucy’s insecurity? Why or why not?
3. What are ways we try to prove our self-worth to ourselves and to others? Where is our true self-worth found?
4. All families face strife from time to time, just as Nate and Roger did. What are some ways to handle strife in a biblical way?
5. Nate was hurt when he realized Lucy didn’t trust him enough to bring her worries to him. Is deceit ever warranted?
6. The Bible talks quite a lot about money and how an unhealthy attachment to it can affect our lives. Greed can be more than just the desire for money. What other things can we humans be greedy for?
7. Did you identify with Lucy’s desire to be a blessing to her husband? Why or why not?
8. Lucy’s compulsion for control was an illustration of what I’ve been going through myself. How about you? Are you able to turn things over to God, or do you continually try to fix things?
