the side to look at him. “I’m open to suggestions on how to accomplish that.”
“There’s a job in Big Timber I’ve been considering. Same thing I’m doin’ now. Less money, but it’s a much smaller community. We show up there married, with our boys.”
“And?” she prompted.
“And nothin’. That’ll be that.”
“Was that a proposal, Mr. Jonas?”
“A shitty one…but yeah.”
She grinned at how cute he was when he blushed. “I accept.”
Addie and Mack shared the bottle of cider and laughed at the antics of their sons. The boys were unsure of Mack, but curious. It wouldn’t be long before he’d be such an integral part of their lives, they wouldn’t remember a time when their father wasn’t there. That filled her with indescribable joy.
Still, she sensed his melancholy. “Are you all right?”
“The best I’ve ever been. You. Our sons. Our life ahead of us.” He paused. “But not a day goes by that I don’t miss my brother, Ruby girl. Seein’ them together…makes me remember all the times we were called ‘them McKay boys’.”
“I fear Teddy and Seth will be hellraisers of the first order and we’ll hear plenty of complaints about them Jonas brothers.”
“The Jonas brothers,” he repeated. “I like the sound of that.”
Epilogue
Three years later…
Late July 1904
Jonas returned from town waving a letter. “You got mail. It’s the damndest thing though, it don’t have a return address on it. Postmaster Pete was fit to be tied.”
“That is odd. Can I see it?”
“Sure.” He kissed her cheek. “How you feelin’? Get a nap in?”
“Yes. But napping while you’re working makes me feel lazy.”
“We’ve got a ranch hand so you can stay on bed rest, sugar pie. That’s the most important thing. I brought you a new book and one of them chocolate bars you love so much.”
Dinah touched his face. “I love you so much.”
“I know.” He nodded at the letter. “I’m gonna pop outside for a few.”
Meaning…sneaking out for a cigarette. She wished he hadn’t taken up the habit, but at least he didn’t smoke in the house, which was something.
She studied the beautiful floral stationary and the loopy handwriting and knew who’d sent it. She muttered, “About damn time,” and carefully broke the seal.
Dearest Dinah,
I must apologize for the lengthy span of time between this and our last correspondence. Leaving Cheyenne and finding a place to permanently settle with Mack and our twin boys took longer than I expected.
But the good news is…we are finally in our new house! It required some convincing, but my husband agreed to indulge in my girly side, and we live in a Victorian painted-lady style home. I’m madly in love with it, even if the colors are exceedingly bright for the prairie. My biggest challenge is keeping our five-year-old sons, Teddy and Seth, from dragging critters into my parlor and having slingshot contests in the dining room.
Mack is still working for the county. He loves every aspect of his job, especially that he doesn’t have to travel nearly as much. Some days I see his wistfulness and know he’s thinking back on the time he spent working cattle with his family and he misses it. Every year he’s invited to reunite with his buddies from the war he fought in, in Cuba, but he declines, telling me and our sons there’s no glory in reliving war.
As for me, the duties of running a household and chasing after our sons keeps me busy. I did manage to open a small dress shop in town—you know how I’ve always loved fashion!
I hope all is well with you and you found your heart’s desire. I treasure the time we spent in Cheyenne and yet sometimes it’s good to leave everything behind and start fresh. Mack and I are certainly proof that patience and determination are the foundations upon which love can thrive.
All my best ~ Adeline J
Dinah pushed to her feet and walked to the window above the kitchen sink.
Had it really been six years since she’d extracted a promise from Ruby to contact her if she’d been successful in tracking down her McKay?
In some ways those six years had flown by. In others…each month had dragged on with excruciating slowness.
So by mentioning their sons’ ages, Dinah knew that Ruby had been pregnant when she’d left Labelle.
Dinah’s hand dropped to the swell of her abdomen. She and Jonas hadn’t been so lucky to start their family in the five years since they’d become husband and wife. She’d had numerous miscarriages. The last two pregnancies…neither of her