His Heart’s Secret Refuge – Extended Epilogue

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Three Years Later

“Marcus, it’s time to come in for lunch,” Agatha called to her young son. He sat under a nearby shade tree, playing with two of the puppies their cattle dog had given birth to a few months ago. 

“Okay, Mama,” Marcus replied. 

She stayed on the porch of her home and waited for a moment to make sure Marcus really was going to leave his play and come inside. She loved watching her son and was so grateful that he was in their lives. He looked exactly like Robert, with his dark hair and eyes. He spent all his time outside, following his father around or exploring, typical things a young boy would do. 

Marcus stood up and ran towards her, tripping over a small rock. The two puppies followed him, and the moment he hit the ground, they jumped on him, giving him kisses in delight. He giggled before getting up and running again. The two puppies followed at his heels. 

Satisfied that he was listening to her, she went inside and finished up the last of the meal. Robert would be in soon, and she knew he’d want to eat quickly before spending the afternoon with a new horse he’d just purchased.

As she worked, she wondered if she would be able to go into town in the morning with Robert. She couldn’t believe that she and Robert had been married for almost four years now. There had been many changes in their lives.

The town Cayden Price had started was growing slowly but steadily.  At one time, about a hundred people made the area their home, they voted and named the town Sandy Creek, which Agatha felt was fitting because of the river that ran through the area and the sandy shores it formed along its edges. Now there were at least two hundred people, and the area was still rapidly growing. 

When Aunt May discovered that a town was being built near where her niece and nephew lived with their families, she and Greg sold their thriving boarding house in Chestnut Ridge and immediately moved to Sandy Creek to build a new one. A year later, they added on a restaurant, and Tucker came to run it, along with his new wife, Elizabeth. Agatha loved that her entire family lived nearby. 

After Ike bought the land Robert had in mind for them, her brother built a home as close to their ranch as possible so that she and Mary Jane could easily get together for visits. Ike also began to raise horses, and the two men often helped each other. The two ranches were beginning to be very profitable as word began to spread not only in the New Mexico territory but throughout the west. Just the week before, a man from California had traveled to their ranch to purchase a few horses. 

Things weren’t always roses and sunbeams, though. Mary Jane had been pregnant when they arrived at their new home and had lost the baby a few months later. She had been ill for weeks after, barely able to get out of bed. Agatha had spent quite a bit of time with her friend, trying to get her healthy again with herbs and medicine that she had learned how to use, some of the knowledge coming from local Indians. 

Even now, two years later, Mary Jane still wasn’t strong, and she hadn’t been able to get pregnant again, something she struggled with greatly. Agatha wished she could do more to help her and prayed daily that Mary Jane would continue to get strong. 

The second winter they’d been on the ranch, a fierce snowstorm hit the area, and they lost a number of cattle, which had set them back financially. Robert had wanted to build them a new and larger home, but that hadn’t been able to happen yet. Agatha didn’t mind living in the cabin, though, and Robert had been able to add two small rooms to the back of their home, so Marcus had his own bedroom. Agatha had spent much of their first winter sewing new curtains for the small windows and had been able to finish the quilt for their bed. Over time, she was able to make the cabin into a cozy place to live.

Agatha pulled three plates from the cupboard and filled a plate of food for Marcus, setting it aside. Just as she was ready to make a plate for her husband, the kitchen door opened, and Robert stepped inside. Agatha turned to greet him with her usual kiss on the cheek, but instead, her eyes widened in shock. Robert’s shirt was covered with fresh blood, and his face was bruised and bloody.

“What happened?” she asked, as she rushed towards him with a towel.

He took the towel from her and covered a wound on his arm. “I’m okay.”

“Are you hurt, Pa?” Marcus asked from his chair at the table. 

Robert smiled at their son. “I’m just fine. Your ma just likes to fuss.”

Marcus nodded as if he agreed with Robert, but he didn’t look convinced as he frowned at the blood on his father’s shirt. 

She put her hands on her hips and glared at him. “It doesn’t look like you are okay to me. You have blood all over you!”

“I had a bit of a problem with one of the men in town,” he said.

She waited impatiently for him to tell her the entire story. Six months ago, Cayden had come to Robert and asked him to help out with keeping order in Sandy Creek. He’d only been able to hire a deputy, and while there was little crime, Sandy Creek wanted another man to help the deputy. He’d offered Robert the job as sheriff, but he’d refused, much to Agatha’s relief. When Robert agreed to help until Cayden could find more men who’d want to move to Sandy Creek and take on the job, she hadn’t protested. She understood that he missed the excitement of being part of keeping the peace. But she always said a prayer when he left the ranch to take his shifts in Sandy Creek. Even though the town was still small, anything could happen when drunk and unstable men were around.  

And now it seemed that he had gotten injured. She began to fuss, pouring hot water into a large bowl and adding a bar of soap. Tearing up an old sheet into strips, she began to clean the blood off Robert’s face. 

“I was going after Reed Jenkins. You remember him, don’t you?”

She gave a short nod as she thought of the man Robert had named the town drunk. Reed was an old grizzly mountain man who had decided to make Sandy Creek his home “until the Good Lord decides to take me,” he’d declared.  He didn’t have a home and lived in a decrepit shed he’d built out of old logs and boards at the edge of town. Usually, he kept to himself, but ever since the saloon opened, he’d been spending more and more time drinking.

“I thought I’d pay him a visit and see if we can find him better… accommodations. A couple of men have offered to build him a better house. But when I arrived, I could tell he had been drinking, probably most of the night.”

“Go on,” Agatha said when he paused. He had taken off his shirt, and she was glad to not find any more wounds. The one on his arm ended up being very small and most likely wouldn’t even need stitches.

“I tried to talk to him anyway, but Reed seemed to think I was going to take away the shed he built himself. He began swearing at me and swinging his hands. He tried to attack me with a pocketknife but fell down, hitting his head against a rock.”

“Oh, no. Is he okay?” she asked, feeling a little bit of compassion for the older man, now that she knew Robert wasn’t seriously hurt.

“Yes. His knife nicked me here on the arm, but most of the blood you see is from his head wound.” Robert shook his head. “We really need a doctor in Sandy Creek.”

“Maybe someday,” Agatha murmured as she continued to clean the blood and dirt off Robert. She had often thought the same, especially when she thought of a new secret she had, one she hadn’t shared with Robert yet.

“I know that Cayden is working on trying to find a doctor from back East,” Robert said. “Anyway, I bandaged Reed’s head up and left him to sleep off his drinking.” Robert shook his head. “I wish that saloon had never been built.”

This was something Agatha also agreed with. She hadn’t been happy when a man from California arrived and had a saloon built a week later. 

“I’m just glad that you’re alright,” she said as she tied a thin bandage around his arm. “Lunch is ready when you are.”

Robert left the house to finish washing up outside at the pump. She quickly began to fill the other two plates and set one in front of Marcus, who immediately began to eat. 

After the meal, Agatha put a sleepy Marcus on his bed for his afternoon nap and then began to wash up the dishes. 

“How are you feeling?” Robert asked. “I really wish you’d let me hire someone to help you.”

“I’m fine,” she argued, but she didn’t look at him as she spoke. He immediately knew something was up. She was fully aware that she didn’t have the energy she normally had, and part of her wanted to take a nap like Marcus was now doing. 

Robert stepped behind her and, after removing the washrag from her hands, turned her to face him. “I don’t think you are. If I had to guess, I would think you’re expecting another child.”

Agatha sighed, feeling disappointed that he had guessed her news. She had been wanting to tell him after Marcus had gone to bed the last few nights, but Robert had needed to help a horse give birth to her first foal one night, and the next had stayed up to make sure some of their cows who were giving birth were alright. She had been asleep when he finally joined her.

“I am. How did you know?” she asked as his eyes lit up.

“I know my wife,” he said simply as he gathered her into his arms. She settled against his chest, enjoying his hug. She knew without saying anything that Robert was concerned for her, mainly because of what Mary Jane had gone through after losing her baby. “When will the little one be joining our family?”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if the baby ended up sharing a birthday with Marcus,” she replied with a grin. Marcus had arrived the week before Christmas, kicking and screaming his protest of leaving his warm, comfortable womb. After an initial period of fussiness, Marcus had become a happy baby and was now a delightful child. She prayed that this new little one would arrive safely.

After Robert left to go work with his new horse, Agatha quickly finished the dishes and then began to make a cake. She slid it into the oven and then went into the sitting room to make sure everything was set up for her guests.

Once a month, Aunt May, Elizabeth, and Mary Jane came to her house to spend an afternoon together. Agatha cherished these days with her family. She uncovered the sewing machine Robert had surprised her with, for Christmas last year and removed some pillows from the sofa so Mary Jane could have the softest place to sit. Less than a minute later, there was a knock on her door, and Aunt May and Elizabeth stepped inside. Mary Jane arrived only a moment later. 

The women quickly found seats, and the next hour was spent getting caught up with each other’s lives. Aunt May loved using Agatha’s sewing machine, and she now sat behind it, running material through it for new curtains. Elizabeth knitted a baby blanket, and Mary Jane held small squares of fabric in her lap, presumably for a quilt. Agatha was mending one of Robert’s shirts.

“The boarding house is finally full,” Aunt May announced, pleased. “We were able to rent out the last room this week.”

“That’s good to hear,” Agatha said. 

The boarding house had only been up and running for six months. Aunt May was determined to only take single women again, like she had in Chestnut Ridge, although she had been concerned that it would be hard to find boarders. The boarding house was smaller than the one in their old town, only able to have four boarders, but her husband, Gregory, felt that it was plenty large for their town.

Elizabeth spoke up. “Tucker is planning on taking on an apprentice. Cayden has a cousin from back East who wants to learn how to run a restaurant.” 

Agatha smiled at her newest sister-in-law. She had liked Elizabeth from the moment she had met her. Tucker had brought her back with him from San Francisco, after spending almost a year courting her. She had blonde hair and blue eyes that always seemed to sparkle when she talked. She was a happy woman, and at the moment, she was expecting their first child, which was why she was knitting a baby blanket. 

Agatha cast a concerned look at Mary Jane, who sat quietly on the sofa, pushing a needle through some fabric. Agatha lightly touched her stomach, and while she wanted to share her good news with these women, she didn’t want to add to Mary Jane’s sorrow that she wasn’t able to get pregnant again. She vowed that she would ask Mary Jane to stay a little longer after the other women left just to make sure everything was alright.

The next few hours flew by as the women sewed and chatted. Elizabeth spoke of the new preacher who had just moved to Sandy Creek and suggested that they invite his wife to their next sewing day, to which everyone agreed. 

Marcus woke up from his nap, quickly ate a piece of cake that Agatha served him, and then ran out the door to find the puppies. When the clock Agatha had on a shelf by some books chimed four times, Aunt May and Elizabeth began to gather up their sewing. They left a few minutes later, and Agatha was happy to see that Mary Jane stayed where she was. 

“How are you doing?” Agatha asked when they were alone.

Mary Jane sighed. “I am feeling better.”

Agatha frowned, not sure she believed her friend’s words. 

“I’m being honest,” Mary Jane reassured her with a thin hand placed on Agatha’s arm. “Those herbs you gave me last month to make into a tea have been helping. I’m not in as much pain as I was.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Agatha said with relief. “But you’ve been so quiet today.”

“I have a lot on my mind. I didn’t want to say anything in front of the others because nothing is definite yet, but Ike wants to take me back East to see a doctor that Cayden has recommended.”

“That’s a great idea,” Agatha said.

“I don’t want to go.”

“Why not?” Agatha asked with surprise. “Maybe the doctor could help you.”

Mary Jane looked at her clasped hands in her lap. “I don’t think he will be able to help.” She looked at Agatha with sadness, but also, there was a light in her eyes, something she hadn’t seen in her friend for a long time. “I know that I won’t be able to have another child. There isn’t a doctor in the world that would be able to change that.”

Agatha didn’t respond, but she also felt the same. The miscarriage had been so difficult for Mary Jane. 

“I was finally able to convince Ike of that. It’s taken me a while to also accept that our family isn’t going to end up the way I had hoped. But I have been thinking of another option. I have talked to Ike about adopting instead.”

Agatha grinned. “What a wonderful idea. There are plenty of children that need good homes.”

Mary Jane nodded. “Ike has finally agreed to the idea. We are still going to take a trip back East, but not to see a doctor. We’ll visit a few orphanages and see what we can find. Ike also wants us to do a bit of sightseeing. He feels it would be good for us to get away for a while.”

“What about your ranch?” Agatha asked.

“Ike is going to ask Robert to help, but he also plans to hire someone to do the day-to-day chores,” Mary Jane explained.

As Mary Jane spoke of their plans, Agatha was glad to see the peace and happiness in her friend. After she left, Agatha began to make dinner, but she couldn’t get Mary Jane’s news out of her mind. She was glad Ike had agreed to his wife’s idea. Ike also struggled with the loss of their baby, although his concern was more for his wife and her health. Agatha knew that both of them would make great parents and would love any child they were able to adopt as their own. 

She put together a simple beef stew, then went outside to find her husband, anxious to see what he thought of Ike and Mary Jane’s plans. She found him in the barn, milking their cow. Marcus was leaning against Robert, and one of the black and white puppies sat nearby. Robert smiled a greeting.

“I guess you heard of their plans,” Robert said.

Agatha nodded. “I think it’s a great idea, and I hope that they are able to find a child that will fit in their family.”

“I’m sure that they will,” Robert said. “I’ll be busier than usual while they are gone, though.”

Agatha picked up a broom and began to sweep the barn floor while they talked and made their own plans for their future baby. It was a typical day, with a typical conversation they had, and she was content. They worked together as a partnership with the horses and other animals, and she looked forward to whatever changes, good and bad, that might come their way. She felt that her life had changed for the better on the day Robert had stepped into her life.

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OFFER: A BRAND NEW SERIES AND 2 FREEBIES FOR YOU!

Grab my new series, "Hearts of the Untamed West", and get 2 FREE novels as a gift! Have a look here!

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