Feelings Louder than Words – Extended Epilogue

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Nelson stepped into the newly constructed press office, where Lucas was speaking to a group of three young boys who looked just about to become teenagers. They all looked anxious and their eager faces hung on every word Lucas was saying.

Four years had passed since he and Lucas decided to dissolve their partnership. Nelson picked up a new partner—a very lovely female with hazel eyes named Daphne. They had together solved numerous cases around Topeka and in the surrounding towns and cities. 

For the past six months, though, Daphne had taken on a more serious role in their home, becoming a mother to their son, Blane, and pushing for the building of a new structure to be used specifically for lending books to anyone who cared to visit. Her library would be huge someday, she insisted, and campaigned vigilantly in every village, town and city they visited on their journeys until she had enough money to have it built.

She named it the Abraham Lincoln Topeka Library, after the president. 

The grand opening for the library was in just a few weeks, so Nelson had stepped back from the private investigating and had been helping out in the bakery. 

“Well hello, Nelson!” Lucas said enthusiastically, bringing the attention of the boys to Nelson. “Boys, this is Nelson Cannon. He’s the—”

“—We know who he is!” one of the boys said excitedly while another cried, “I know you!”

Their eyes, which were already wide with life and energy from talking to Lucas, grew even larger when spotting on Nelson. 

“You’re the detective!” the first boy continued, rushing his words to get them out quickly. “My papa talks about you sometimes. He says you and your lady are two of the smartest people he knows!”

The flattery made Nelson feel exceptional inside and he smiled wide. He held out his hand to the boy. “Well, that’s a mighty fine thing to say behind my back. Thank you for telling me, young man. What’s your name?”

“My name is Allan Crosby. Papa is Barney Crosby. You ain’t done work for him, but he was tellin’ Ma about a friend of his you did work for. I was thinkin’ maybe that’s what I’d do when I grow up!”

“It’s a dangerous job, son,” Nelson responded in a warning voice, shaking the boy’s hand and leaning so his hands were propped on his knees. He looked at all three of them as he spoke. “You just gotta keep that in mind. Anybody you’re with is in danger if you’re chasin’ an outlaw. But yeah, it’s an exciting job. Maybe when you’re older, you can give it more thought.” He reached out and patted each of them on the shoulder as he spoke. “For now, you just keep exploring and trying new things until you figure out what you’re best at and what you like doing. If you enjoy your job, you’ll always have a happy life!”

“Remember that,” Lucas said, nodding. The three boys turned back to him. “He’s a wise man.” He cocked a finger in Nelson’s direction. “I reckon I don’t need to tell you that, do I?” He smiled at Nelson. “Your reputation precedes you.”

“Clearly,” Nelson agreed, returning the nod.

“Go on now, boys, we’ve got some business to take care of. You bring me some interesting stories and I’ll help you write them so they’re fit for print, all right? All right. Yes. See you later, then. Goodbye.” Lucas ushered the boys out the door, coming around his desk and sweeping his arms through the air upwards dramatically as he walked as if he was sweeping them away. 

They hurried out the door, smiling at both men and calling out their energetic goodbyes.

Lucas turned when they were gone, closing the door behind him and returning to his desk.

“Those boys are going to be the death of me,” he mumbled lightheartedly, dropping into his chair. He grinned up at Nelson. “I’m kidding. Love ‘em to death. Really glad Tory sent them my way from the orphanage. I think all they really need is maybe a father figure, you know?” 

Nelson nodded, settling comfortably in the chair on the other side of his ex-partner’s desk. He was extremely proud of where they had all taken their lives. Tory and Lucas married shortly after he and Daphne, and they all settled in Topeka as close to each other as they could get without living together. 

Nelson’s parents decided to take a long vacation with the money they’d made on Robert’s paintings and were traveling the world. Nelson regularly received letters from areas all around the United States. Soon, they would travel overseas. He was very nervous about that, and worried they would not come back from such a long boat ride. He was concerned about the safety of the ships they would be traveling on. It just seemed so risky.

So, he was pleased that, so far, they had been on trains and stagecoaches and not once had they been held up at gunpoint, which was a fact that his mother pointed out in each letter. It seemed she was waiting for that day. She was ready, she said. She’d learned to defend herself from her detective son. 

Thinking about his mother made him miss her, so Nelson turned his thoughts back to the present.

“I reckon you know why I’ve come. We have something serious to discuss.” Nelson shifted in his seat and heaved an immense sigh.

He was amused when Lucas played along, responding to Nelson’s words by deflating like a balloon, almost melting onto the top of his desk.

“Ugh. Yes. I know what you want to talk about. It’s infuriating but yes. I know.”

Nelson chuckled. “We’ve got to do something. He’s going to pull all the hair he has left out if we don’t.”

“You and I have absolutely no control over what those ladies decide to do, Nelson.”

Nelson had to laugh. Ever since the incident with the theft of the paintings, Marilyn York, Nelson’s mother-in-law, had been harboring a not-so-secret crush on Sheriff Adam Condor. Daphne’s friend, Max Caldwell, who was a deputy as well, let the secret out during a game of cards where he’d had one too many spirits. 

Since then, the two had been playing a cat and mouse game. The timing had never been right for them. 

“I’ve talked to Tory,” Lucas went on when Nelson didn’t reply to him. “She says they are going ahead with the plan and we need to be on board with it whether we like it or not. I’m a little uncomfortable, I gotta say. I don’t know how I would feel if I was set up on a date like that.”

“I think it’s probably best if we just play along,” Nelson said. He’d never felt more like a helpless bystander in his life. He was being told what to do by ladies who were determined to set their mother up with the hapless, clueless Sheriff Condor. And he was pretty sure he was going to do what he was told, no matter how embarrassing it might be.

Lucas sat forward, his hands clasped together on top of his desk. When he spoke, it came out as a hiss. “What if they make us wear fancy clothes? I don’t want to put on some crazy outfit. I like my jeans and shirts and boots. I don’t want to wear a fine suit, looking like a penguin in a kid’s book.”

Nelson scoffed, sitting back and shaking his head. “You know you’re gonna do what they tell us to do. Don’t try to pretend you won’t.”

Lucas pursed his lips and gave his friend a sarcastic look, sitting roughly back against his chair. Nelson noticed he didn’t deny it. 

“So what did Tory say then? What are they planning? I haven’t talked to Daphne about it after we had that family meeting a couple days ago.”

“Tory and Daphne are planning some kind of party,” Lucas recited as if he had been rehearsing. “It will be a grand celebration, but I don’t know what we would be celebrating. We will be hosts, too, so we’ll have to know what we’re doing lest we look foolish in front of everyone. That’s the dressing up part I’m worried about. And they’re gonna sit the sheriff next to Marilyn. And something is gonna happen, like somebody is gonna spill wine on the Sheriff and somebody else is going to encourage Marilyn to help him clean it up, and they won’t allow him to just go home and change because he might not come back.”

Nelson raised his eyebrows halfway through his friend’s speech. “You’ve been thinking a lot about it.”

The young man shook his head. “Nah, Tory was going on about it last night before bed. Just rattling on, I tell ya.”

“In that case, I’m impressed with how well you listen to what your wife rambles on about.”

Lucas laughed. “I’ll take that compliment and say, thanks a lot!”

“So when is this party supposed to take place?”

“Soon, I’m sure,” Lucas replied. “Maybe this weekend even.”

“So I reckon we don’t have to do anything but make sure Adam gets there.”

“He’s gonna hand the reins over to Max, that’s what I’ve heard. It’s a good time for him to find out how good of a baker he is.”

Both men laughed. Marilyn York’s bakery was one of the most successfully run female owned businesses in Kansas. She had even had a write-up in the newspaper, an article that was published in twenty-five newspapers around the whole of Kansas. She was the first woman in Topeka to have people write letters to her, sending money and trusting she would ship them some of her baked goods. She’d had to return several people’s money outright, telling them to use it to come to Topeka sometime because her delicious offerings would not be so delicious after a long haul across the country in the back of a stagecoach or in the baggage car of a train.

“I’m done here for the day,” Lucas said, standing up. “How about we go find our ladies and see what they are doing with their time?”

“I like that idea. I haven’t had a chance to really talk to Daphne in days. She’s always so busy. Between helping out at the bakery, caring for Blane, looking for new jobs for the agency and helping out at the orphanage with Tory, she hardly has any time for her husband.”

“We should get them both and take them to the restaurant tonight,” Lucas said, coming around the desk with a flourish and throwing open the door. He stepped back like a butler and bowed at the waist, sweeping one hand in front of him to indicate Nelson could go out first. “I think they would appreciate some time with their husbands, don’t you?”

“Yes. As a matter of fact, I do.” As Nelson went past him, he thought how nice it would be for him, too. He missed seeing his wife every day, waking up in hotels with her snuggled against him, creeping through people’s backyards so they wouldn’t be seen… it made for a very exciting relationship. Now things were settling down for a time. He fully expected that their adventures would continue at a later date. Right now, it was important that Blane was taken care of, put first until he could at least feed himself and make a dollar or two on his own.

Nelson laughed at his thoughts as he pulled himself into the saddle. He pictured his two-year-old son hauling a bale of hay to the door of a barn and couldn’t help laughing harder. 

Beside him, coming up with his reins in one hand and a smile on his face, Lucas gave him an amused look. “What’s so funny?”

Nelson shook his head. “You wouldn’t understand. Maybe we should warn Adam what’s coming.”

The look on his friend’s face prompted Nelson to let out another laugh.

“What did I say?” he asked. “You look like I just proposed marriage between you and me.”

Lucas snorted loudly, moving his horse so he was directly next to Nelson as they set the horses to a steady gait down the dirt road. “Now, there’s a concept I never want to consider. You’re a handsome fella and all but…” He gave Nelson a thumbs down.

Nelson tipped his hat and they both laughed.

“It sounds like you value your friendship with Adam more than your marriage,” Lucas said seriously. “I can’t imagine what the girls would do if you told Adam what they were up to. Let them have their fun. Adam and Mary should be together, everyone knows that. If the girls want to hurry that up by spilling a drink on everyone’s favorite sheriff, let them. He’s a good fella. I’ll be glad he’s found someone to love him in his twilight years.”

Nelson pictured the man in his mind. “Is he that old?”

“No but he’s closer than we are.”

Laughter rang out in the air around them, broken only when they heard the sound of a woman’s voice calling their names. They turned to see their very own wives, coming out of the dress shop. Nelson glanced at Lucas, leaning over to murmur, “It looks like they didn’t purchase much. Thank the Lord for that.”

Lucas gave him a side-glance with a nod. “And all the saints, too,” he added. “Darling!” he called out to Tory, who waved enthusiastically. 

He and Nelson dismounted. Nelson approached his wife, who was holding Blane on her hip. “Look at my beautiful lady and that handsome son of mine!” he exclaimed as if he hadn’t seen either of them in years. He held out both arms wide and Blane squealed with delight, jumping in his mother’s arms. 

“Oh, oh!” Daphne said with a laugh, shrinking away from her frantic son and turning her body so the boy was closer to his father. Nelson pulled Blane from her and held him to his side, unable to push his hip out the way he’d seen his wife do. He wasn’t physically capable of it and had no idea why. He tapped the little boy on the nose, smiling at him. 

“Look at you. Handsome, aren’t you?” He leaned forward and gave his wife a kiss. “What are you all doing in town? I thought you had some kind of thing going on at the house.”

Daphne nodded, smiling at her son before moving her eyes to her husband. “I did. That is, we did, all of us. Just a meeting about how to improve conditions at the orphanage. The library is going strong, though, so no need to worry about that. We’re thinking of having a celebration in honor of the orphanage. Something to… well, to show everyone how much we appreciate the volunteer work that they do and all that. Maybe have the kids put on a play or something.”

Nelson pulled his eyebrows together, handing his restless child back to Daphne, who Blane really wanted to be with and had only been temporarily excited to see his father. “You’re going to serve wine at a celebration for the orphanage?”

Daphne looked confused. Lucas let out a snort and Tory pressed her lips together, turning away from them all to cast her smile away from her sister. 

“What are you talking about?” Daphne asked him.

Nelson moved his eyes over the three of them, not understanding what he’d said wrong. “You know… the wine… for the… thing… you know…” 

He looked at Lucas, who started laughing silently, his mouth open and only the sound coming from the back of his throat. He turned away, putting one hand up. When he turned back, he shook his head and said through his laughter. “That wasn’t to be taken literally, boss.”

It had been a long time since his friend had called him boss. Nelson realized what had happened and was both flattered and amused at the same time. He gave Lucas a pat on the shoulder as he laughed. 

“Oh! Oh!” He turned laughing, squinting his eyes to Daphne. “I was talking about… because you and Tory want Adam and your mom to finally get together… Lucas said you were thinking about accidentally spilling wine… your mom would have to help him…”

Understanding crossed Daphne’s and Tory’s faces in unison. The sisters looked at each other and again at the same time they shared the same “Why not?” look.

Nelson wouldn’t have been surprised if the folks on the other side of Topeka heard the four of them laughing. The confused and slightly frightened look Blane was giving the adults made it even harder to get their laughter back under control. 

When they were finally able to stop laughing, the men proposed their thought of a dinner at the restaurant since they hadn’t been able to in some time. The ladies loved the idea and that’s where they went. Lucas was loudly happy about the plan, saying he was “about to starve to death” with great dramatic exaggeration. 

They were just outside the restaurant, walking two by two as couples, when Lucas let out a new laugh and grabbed Nelson’s arm who was walking in front of him. Nelson turned to see what the fuss was about. Lucas pointed through the large bay window in front of the restaurant.

“Oh, my!” Daphne’s voice was filled with delight, matching the look on her face.

Seated just inside the restaurant, laughing and talking and very obviously having a wonderful time, was Marilyn York and Sheriff Adam Condor. 

“I guess when it’s right, then no extra help is needed,” Tory breathed happily, resting her head against her husband’s shoulder. He gave her a loving smile and patted her hand, which was wrapped around his elbow.

Nelson’s heart beat harder when he looked down at Daphne, catching her eyes, seeing the love there. He smiled at her.

“No extra help at all,” he whispered.

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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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