Chasing Sunsets of Love – Extended Epilogue

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Several months had passed since the arrest of Royce Wolff, leader of the once notorious Iron Wolves outlaw gang, as well as that of Hank Wilson. Royce would spend the rest of his life in the Arizona territorial prison while Hank Wilson had been sent to the Colorado state prison in Cañon City. 

During the first week after his capture, Wyatt spent a lot of time thinking about the old outlaw, with surprisingly mixed feelings. Ever since he had left the gang, he had feared Wolff, but he didn’t any longer. Seeing the man after so many years, so much older, so tired and defeated, he almost fell sorry for the man. It was like the Good Book said, you reap what you sow, and Royce Wolff would never see another day of freedom as long as he lived.

As far as Hank Wilson was concerned, he felt the imposter deserved everything he got. Before he was sent to prison, he had confessed that it was he who had stolen the money from Wolff, and had spent it all in a matter of year. The day that Sheriff John Stone had taken him in handcuffs to meet the train in Cheyenne was just about the last time that Wyatt spared any thought for the man.

While everything had returned to normal in Hope Springs, Wyatt’s life had changed drastically. He no longer lived in a sod house, but at the schoolhouse with Ava. Within two weeks of the capture of the outlaw, Ava and Wyatt, already knowing how they felt about one another, decided they didn’t need a long courtship and decided that they wanted to get married. It wasn’t really a surprise to anyone in town who saw them together, especially to Bernard.

Wyatt remained Bernard’s partner, although he didn’t work in town every day. Bernard and he had added a small structure a short distance away from the schoolhouse where he could continue to work under Bernard’s tutelage, primarily on furniture. The work kept him busy when he wasn’t helping out at the schoolhouse with the children. He took no active role in their schooling, but he did tutor a couple of the older deaf boys in his workshop, showing and teaching them about the tools of his trade just as Bernard had taught him. With a bit of luck, both of them would gradually develop their skills and be able to make a life for themselves when they left the school.

Their quickly planned marriage had been very much a town affair, with Caroline helping to adapt one of Ava’s nicer dresses into a wedding dress. The Reverend Radford had performed the ceremony, with the church full, and the windows and doors thrown open to allow those couldn’t fit inside to attend the ceremony from outside. Wyatt was pleased to finally live without the burden of the secrets that he had carried for so many years. 

He was surprised to discover that no one held his past against him, once they learned of what had happened in his youth. How following the death of his parents, an outlaw had taken him in, provided him with food and shelter, taken him under his wing and tried but failed to teach him the art of an outlaw.

At that moment, he turned to look at the open doorway of his woodshop and saw Ava emerging from the schoolhouse, holding the hands of two younger children, both of them blind. His heart warmed. She thrived in her new vocation and it was apparent her that all the children who came felt a strong affection for her. The school was full, often brimming with the joyful shouts and laughter of children playing.

He was alone in the shop for the moment and paused in his work to watch his lovely wife carefully guide the two young girls down the steps. She was speaking to them but he was too far away to hear her words. What he did notice was her smile. She was a good teacher, a good woman, and she would be an even better mother. His heart swelled. Just a couple of weeks ago, she had told him the good news, that she was bearing their first child.

Of course, they wouldn’t have to go it alone, as the sheriff and his wife were a regular presence at the school, not just visiting their niece, but helping out with the children. After the rescue of Ava from the clutches of Royce Wolff, he had been welcomed into the family by John and Evelyn Stone with open arms, and he was very happy that they had become a fixture of the life here at school. He placed his tools down and emerged from the small woodshop, striding toward his wife. She saw him, said something to the children as she paused, and waited for him to approach. She gestured for him to stop when he stood maybe three feet away. He knew what was coming next.

“Bethany and Martha, do you know who just approached?”

“Wyatt!” They both exclaimed at the same time.

Wyatt grinned. “How did you know it was me?”

“You smell like sawdust!” six-year-old Martha giggled.

“You got fresh paint on your clothes,” eight-year-old Bethany replied, a bit more shyly.

He glanced down at his trousers and lifted an eyebrow as he saw the splotch of white paint on his lower pant leg. He’d forgotten that less than fifteen minutes earlier, he had dropped his paintbrush, just dipped into a small can of whitewash, as he tried to finish a cabinet door.

“Very good, girls,” Ava remarked. She released their hands and gestured toward Alice, the housekeeper that emerged from the structure just then. “You two go with Alice and you can play with the baby chicks for a little while.”

The girls squealed with delight as Alice took both their hands. With a smile, she strode toward the chicken coop, the girls tugging on her hands in anticipation. Wyatt watched them go and then turned back to Ava, stepping closer, arms out. “Do I really smell like wood? And paint?”

She laughed softly. “You do, and it smells wonderful.”

She stepped into his embrace and they stood for several moments, just enjoying the moment. Though it seemed impossible, his love for Ava grew stronger every day. He knew it was more than just her joy at successfully building the school, filling it with children, and now teaching. She was a very kind and patient teacher and it seemed as if every of one of her students loved her. She spent time with any child who needed extra help, especially those that were nervous or were away from their parents for the first time in their lives.

“How’s the house coming along?”

He released his embrace and took a step back, gazing toward the framing of a house maybe a hundred yards away. “Slowly but surely. Bernard said he would be able to come by this weekend and help. If the good weather holds out, we should be able to get it framed out and a roof over it before the weather changes.”

Wyatt gazed at the structure for several moments, proud to see the home he was building for them slowly take shape. He couldn’t deny that he had never anticipated the many changes he would go through since that day he had ridden into Hope Springs for the first time, and even more so after meeting Ava the day she’d arrived. He was dedicated and determined to be the best husband and father that he could. As the two of them turned to go back into the school house and spend a few quiet moments in Ava’s office, the sound of a buggy approaching prompted them both to turn.

Ava lifted a hand to block the sun and smiled. “It’s Caroline.”

Wyatt watched as Caroline guided the buggy up to the hitching post in front of the school. He moved forward and offered her his arm as she stepped out, wearing a lovely soft yellow dress with white cuffs and collar. She wore a bonnet of the same color with a white bow tied beneath her chin.

“Caroline!” Ava said, stepping toward her friend. The two embraced. “What a lovely dress!”

Caroline smiled as she swept her hand along the front of the skirt. “You think so?”

Ava nodded and then turned to Wyatt. “Don’t you think so, Wyatt?”

“I do,” he said. He meant it. Caroline came by at least two or three times a week, often bearing baskets of muffins or cookies or some other treats for the children.

Ava and Caroline hooked arms and approached the house. Wyatt figured that this was all the private time he was going to get with his wife for the moment and spoke to Caroline. “If you’ll excuse me, I guess I’d best get back to work.”

“Oh,” Caroline laughed. “Don’t go disappearing on my account. I just came to see how Ava was doing.” She gestured over her shoulder. “I also brought a basket of cornbread muffins for the children.”

Wyatt nodded and stepped toward the buggy, looked on the back seat and saw a large wicker basket, its contents covered by a red and white checkered cloth napkin. He lifted the basket from the buggy and snaked his hand underneath the napkin to pull out a golden cornbread muffin.

“May I?” He grinned.

Ava laughed. “We’ll now that you’ve touched it, you have to eat it, Wyatt.”

As he approached, she reached out a hand for the basket. Caroline beat her to it. “I’ll carry it.”

“Oh for heaven’s sake,” Ava exclaimed. She laid her hand gently on her ever so slightly growing belly. “I’m perfectly capable of carrying a basket filled with cornbread!”

They laughed, and Wyatt noticed that Caroline was smiling, but there was something different that morning. There seemed to be a special sparkle in her eyes. Ava saw it too. She glanced at Wyatt and gave him a wink before she turned back to Caroline.

“You baking for anyone else lately?”

Wyatt grinned when he saw Caroline’s cheeks flush red.

Wyatt was aware that there was a new deputy in town, mainly because John and Evelyn had stopped by the afternoon before to let them know. John had assured his wife that this time he had checked very carefully into the history of the man he had hired to be his new deputy and had come away satisfied.

“What’s he like?” Ava asked.

“His name’s Seth. Seth Hopkins.”

Ava grinned. “What’s he look like?”

“Oh, I don’t know.” Caroline hesitated. “He’s got sandy blonde hair and is about as tall as Wyatt.”

Ava grinned. “You’re sweet on him, aren’t you?”

Caroline gasped. “I only met him yesterday and he’s only been in town a few days!”

“Well, based on my experience, that’s about all it takes, isn’t it?” She turned to Wyatt with a smile.

As always, Wyatt’s heart warmed when he became the recipient of that smile. He couldn’t deny that every time she looked at him that way, he felt like he was the most important man in the world. He thanked the good Lord every day that He had seen fit to bring Ava in his life, or him into hers, whichever way it was meant to be. The important thing was that they were together, that he loved her with all his heart, and he had no doubt that she felt the same about him.

“That’s right,” he said. He glanced at Ava, gave her a wink, and then turned to Caroline. “I knew the moment I met Ava that I was caught.”

“All right, I admit that I’m sweet on the new deputy, but I’m not sure he’s even noticed me.”

“You brought him some cornbread muffins too?”

She glanced at Wyatt, her face flushing a deeper red.

“Of course I did. He’s new in town.”

“Then I’m sure he noticed you, Caroline,” Wyatt said softly. He meant it.

She smiled, gazing between the two of them. “I can’t tell you how happy I am that you both found each other, and I hope that one day, I might find someone who makes my own heart skip a beat.”

“There’s only one way to find out,” Wyatt told her.

The two women went inside and Wyatt returned to his workshop. There was a lot to do before winter came. Ava had been exchanging letters with her sister, who planned to come for a visit after Ava had the baby. The town of Hope Springs was thriving, with new people moving in frequently, and new businesses opening. Wyatt and Bernard were kept very busy with providing furniture to the new businesses, and it seemed as if every Saturday, the men in town gathered to help put together a new home or barn for a new neighbor.

One of the newcomers, a man from St. Louis, had built a small restaurant in town where families could come and enjoy a meal, and they’d had to add on to the church to make room for a growing population.

Hope Springs had certainly lived up to its name, and once more, Wyatt thanked the good Lord for the day that He had guided him to this small town nestled in the mountains of Wyoming Territory, where his life and his future had been changed forever.

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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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