A Love Most Worthy Page 10

  Chapter Thirteen

  Rance waded through toe-deep water as he and Bill moved as much stock as possible off the floor. Even as they worked, all he could think about was seeing Hallie at the window of the boardinghouse. It was as if, in that one moment, God had pounded into him what he’d fought so hard not to see.

  In those days with Colleen, he had trusted in his own wisdom, his own desires. Maybe if he had put that trust in God, as Trevor had done, and behaved accordingly, he would have seen the woman’s true character. The story would have ended differently.

  The light from a half-dozen lanterns flickered over the interior of the store. Debris hit the roof, and he thanked God things weren’t worse. But the storm hadn’t abated yet. Who knew what they were in for in the next hours or days.

  They lifted a heavy crate filled with parts for the water pumps used in mining. Rance shuffled backward toward the storeroom, and his foot hit something under the water. He stumbled, dropping his end of the crate. “Ahh...” Cold sea water soaked his trousers and splashed into his face. Pain throbbed through the ankle trapped under the wooden box.

  Bill set his end down and waded to Rance’s side. “How bad is it?”

  Rance panted through gritted teeth and said, “I don’t know. Get this thing off, will you?”

  Bill shoved the container aside and examined Rance’s lower leg, then removed the shoe on his swelling foot. “It doesn’t look broken, but—"

  “Rance!” Hallie stood in the doorway. Her eyes bulged, and her shoulders lifted and fell with wheezing breaths.

  “What are you doing here? You ought to be in your room where it’s safe.” He hadn’t meant to sound harsh, but the pain in his ankle combined with seeing her standing in the doorway and knowing the jeopardy she’d faced in getting here had sent his heart plummeting to his swelling toes.

  She splashed through the room, her skirt sopping up water like a sponge. “How could I remain at the hotel if there was something I could do to save the boys’ store?”

  Beneath his fear for her, pride puffed up larger than his ankle.

  The worry on her face shifted to the dark stare of exasperation. “Furthermore, I am not the one on my back and in obvious pain.”

  “Thankfully,” he mumbled. “Help me up, Bill.”

  The man helped him to his feet...his foot. When he placed his weight on the injured one, agony shot up his leg.

  Hallie shuddered and turned to Bill. “We need to get him home.”

  Rance limped the short distance to the counter. Leaning against it, he eyed her. His attention caught on the blood pooling in a cut on her cheek. He ran a gentle finger under it. “What happened?”

  For a moment, she stilled, then leaned away from his touch. “I forgot to duck.”

  Maybe he was tired, or perhaps, it was gratitude that she hadn’t suffered worse damage, but he laughed at her scowl.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “My relief. My stupidity. Whatever you want to call it.”

  Whether or not Hallie had written him a letter of explanation no longer mattered. God had answered his prayer for a woman who would love the boys as her own. And he believed she loved him, too, or had loved him until he turned her away like a fool.

  A year ago, Christ made him a new person, but he had failed to live like he believed it and struggled through his own power to prove himself. Then, God brought him this sparkling, beautiful, and loving woman through a remarkable set of circumstances. A miracle perhaps. The time had come to accept that miracle.

  Rance drew her close to him, basking in the fragrance of her lilac scent. “Hallie, I—"

  Bill cleared his throat.

  Hallie stepped back. She stared at the wall behind Rance and, in a soft voice, said, “You should return to the hotel, Bill. Sybil is worried about you.”

  Bill glanced out the window. “No one’s going anywhere until this storm is over.” He frowned at Rance. “You ought to put that foot up. I saw a chair in the storeroom. I’ll be back with it in a jiff.”

  Neither Rance nor Hallie moved until Bill returned. When he did, humor-spawned creases framed the man’s eyes. He pushed Rance into the chair. “Well, there’s plenty of stock to try to save in the storeroom. I’ll mosey on in there.” He walked away, whistling a catchy tune.

  Rance studied Hallie’s downturned mouth. She had told him a mistake could be forgiven, even if hearts had been broken. Had she meant it? Would she ever forgive him for breaking both of their hearts?

  He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her out of the cold water and onto his lap. She inhaled a quick breath but didn’t fight him. He fingered the wedding ring he’d given her the day she arrived. “You still wear it.”

  She glanced around the store, out the front window, anywhere but at him. “I’m still married.”

  “We should do something about that, don’t you think?”

  HALLIE STIFFENED AT Rance’s statement. He would demand even the ring from her? She tugged the band to remove it, but he covered her hand with his, stopping her. Now, she was downright confused. “I thought you wanted me to return your ring.” The words emerged as little more than a murmur.

  “I meant we should do something about our marriage. The ring belongs where it is.” His voice grew somber. “If you’ll continue to do me the honor of wearing it. Will you, Hallie?”

  How could she reply when she was afraid his words were part of a dream?

  He tightened his hold on her waist as if he expected her to bolt. Not a chance. Not even the plank that shattered the front window moved her.

  Rance tipped her chin upward until his gaze held hers. “I don’t know where to begin to tell you how sorry I am. You were right. My mistrust in my judgment overruled my love for you. Please don’t return to Seattle. Give me another chance.”

  She pressed a hand to the base of her throat. He loved her! Even if this was a fantasy, she would see it through to the end.

  A frown crinkled his brow. “I’m not as wealthy as some men, Hallie, but I’ll always do my best to provide a comfortable home for you and the boys.”

  She planted her hand against his warm and stubbly cheek. “You have the kind of wealth some of the richest men in the world dream of possessing. You have two wonderful boys and a wife who adore you.” She attempted a fierce scowl, but her lips twitched. “I came to Nome based on nothing but a promise, Mr. Preston, and it’s high time that promise is fulfilled.”

  “A promise?”

  “Marrying you was supposed to make me part of a family.” She swallowed the emotion threatening to clog her throat on that last word.

  “We are a family—you, me, Robbie, Davie”—his mouth tilted in that crooked grin she loved—“and any other children God gives us.”

  Children of her own? Of theirs? Oh, please, God.

  “I’ve been thinking about returning to Georgia to set things right with my family. Maybe I’ll open a store there for us. What do you think of R. Preston and Sons?”

  “I think it sounds lovely, but what if we have girls?”

  “Then I’ll open another one called R. Preston and Daughters.” When his lips brushed the finger surrounded by the gold band—the only gold she would ever need—a thrill shivered through her. “I would do this the proper way and kneel, but I’d probably fall and drown.”

  “Then please don’t take that risk.”

  Rance’s soothing gaze contrasted with the fury of the storm assaulting the building. “I want to marry you again, Hallie. I want no lies between me and God and no distance between the two of us. No separate rooms. No distrust. Please allow me to repeat my vow to love, honor, and cherish you, because I do. Will you become my wife for real and for all time?”

  “I-I can’t think of a grander adventure than to be truly married to you...for all time.”

  The depth and passion in his kiss brought to the surface those undercurrents of excitement and daring she had sensed in him long before he revealed his past to her.

 
And he was awake this time.

  As the walls bucked, Hallie’s tears covered Rance’s face like the water covering Front Street. His breath tickled her ear as he whispered, “Let’s not tell Robbie I made you cry.”

  Epilogue

  The trees on the horizon appeared to prop up the sinking sun as its rays spread into a halo of yellow-orange. Hallie leaned against a fence post and gazed across the stubble of the harvested cotton field, where rows of brown stems held fast to remnants of white wisps. Not as spectacular as the landscape around Seattle or as remote and wild as the Alaskan tundra, but this small farm in the middle of Georgia was pretty in its own right.

  They’d left Nome in late September and arrived in time to help Rance’s family finish harvesting the crops. Hallie had canned more fruits and vegetables than she could ever hope to eat. Despite crawling into bed each night thoroughly exhausted, it was worth every backache to see her husband reunited with his family.

  “I’ve been looking for you.” Rance locked his arms around her waist from behind and nuzzled her neck. She quivered with the sensation of prickles on goosebumps. “They’re a handful, aren’t they?”

  Hallie turned in his arms. “The boys?”

  He laughed. “The Prestons.”

  Five siblings, along with their wives and children, all lived within walking distance and tramped in and out of the elder Preston’s farmhouse daily. It was Hallie’s dream come true. “Davie comes alive with the attention. Robbie is more reserved, but I’m sure he’ll get used to the activity.”

  “And their Aunt Hallie?”

  She grinned. “The goings-on can be a little much for someone who grew up an only child, especially when everyone is around at the same time. But they’ve treated me as part of the family, and I’m grateful.”

  “You are a valued member of the Preston clan now.”

  Yes, she was. But if she had learned anything from her experience in Nome, it was that she became a valued member of God’s family from the moment she had accepted her role as His child.

  Hallie glanced over Rance’s shoulder at the house. “Is Galen still here?”

  The smile gave way to a pensive sigh. “Mama made him come today. I left the house, because I couldn’t take any more of his criticism.”

  Rance’s return was met with hesitation by all at first. However, the health and happiness of the boys, as well as Rance’s obvious remorse and the unconditional love of his parents, was a forgiving and healing balm to the family—with the exception of his older brother. Galen continued to doubt that her husband had changed.

  “Give him time. Eventually, he’ll see that you’re not the same man who left for the gold fields.”

  “I hope so.” Rance pulled an envelope from his coat pocket. “I received this from Bill today.”

  “How are the Zellers?” Her husband had left Bill in charge of the store, depending on him to continue Trevor’s desire to meet the miners’ needs in a fair manner.

  “Winter’s approach, many of the miners leaving, and the storm haven’t helped, but Bill is determined to succeed, especially with Sybil being in her condition.”

  After spending the night and part of the next day trapped in the store, the gales had abated, colder weather took over, and the repairs began. Preston and Sons had received relatively minor damage compared to the destruction of the boats, including the steamboat Skookum, and the buildings along the sand spit. With the dozens of lives lost, she and Rance had counted their blessings.

  “He said Efrem came in one day to stock up on supplies. The old miner’s staying.”

  “I worried how he had fared during the storms. I wish we’d had a chance to say goodbye, but those last days were a whirlwind of preparation.”

  And talking. For long hours and with a depth neither of them had expressed before, they’d shared their dreams, joys, and disappointments.

  Rance held out an envelope. “Bill included something else. This is for you.”

  “For me?” Perhaps she had missed a letter from Harriet, or maybe Sybil wrote to her. She took the envelope and peeked inside. It contained another, smaller envelope. She pulled it out and stared at the handwriting. “This is my letter to you.”

  “The postal workers found it a few days after we left.”

  She examined the sealed envelope. “You haven’t opened it?”

  “I know all I need to know about the woman who married me in Nome.”

  Once Hallie found out about Rance’s connection to Harriet’s husband, she’d wanted to throttle her cousin. In the end, though, neither she nor Rance could remain upset with a couple who had fallen in love as they had. After all, if not for Harriet’s elopement, Hallie would not be standing at the side of a man who treated her as a woman of worth.

  Rance kissed the tip of her nose. “Speaking of marriage, are you ready to head to the church, Mrs. Preston?”

  “Past ready, Mr. Preston.” Tonight, she would repeat her wedding vows, and they would come from her heart rather than a sense of obligation.

  Tonight, she and Rance would set off on an adventure more precious than gold.

  My gratitude goes to...

  This particular book involved a new venture for me. I was terrified of diving in. Over time, as a I prayed and studied and prayed some more, I came to a place of total peace about it. That is what God does when we seek His wisdom and turn our decisions over to Him. Thank you, Lord!

  Author Dora Hiers was the first to prompt me to let go of the rim of the pool and plunge into the indie deep end. Thanks for answering my questions and for the encouragement, my friend!

  When I was stuck on the seemingly small issue of a summary tagline, my Brainstormers came to my rescue. I appreciate my fellow writers Angie Arndt, Marie Coutu, and Jerusha Agen. You’re awesome, ladies!

  Frankly, I would be curled in a corner, suffering from self-doubt, if not for my critique partner Heidi Chiavaroli. You’re a joy to work with, and I look forward to doing so for many more years!

  Robin Patchen of Robin’s Red Pen dug out the story polish and buffed my mistakes until A Love Most Worthy glowed. Any tarnish likely occurred after she’d returned it to me.

  If my Hartline Literary agent, Diana Flegal, hadn’t alerted me to a need for a mail-order bride story, it’s probable no one would ever have met Rance and Hallie...including me.

  Thank you, reader, for investing your time and resources in this story. I hope it contained the sigh-worthy ending you expect from a romance.

  Dear Reader,

  My goal was to set this mail-order bride story in a gold rush environment. Originally, I’d planned to use Skagway and its importance to the stampeders headed to the Klondike a few years earlier. Then, I began researching Nome, and my setting became clear. Numerous historical events helped to propel the plot (and my imagination). Soon, everything fell into place.

  As an avid reader myself, I know the importance of someone else’s recommendation when choosing a book or a new storyteller. If this novella met your expectations, please tell others about it and add it to your “Read” shelf on Goodreads.

  In addition, did you know that the number of reviews a book has on Amazon is crucial to its visibility? It involves some complicated algorithm I couldn’t begin to understand or explain. Let’s just say, I’d be grateful for a short, honest review of A Love Most Worthy on Amazon and/or Goodreads. A couple of sentences without spoilers will do.

  Thank you and Read On!

  Sandra Ardoin

  About the Author

  As an author of heartwarming and award-winning historical romance, Sandra Ardoin engages readers with page-turning stories of love and faith. Rarely out of reach of a book, she's also an armchair sports enthusiast, country music listener, and seldom says no to eating out.

  Visit her at www.sandraardoin.com. Connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Pinterest, BookBub, and her Amazon author page.

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