Love’s Recipe in the Old West – Extended Epilogue

---

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!

---

Three Years Later

“Who’s that coming up the hill with Lucas?” Emily asked Teller as she put down the small jar of wildflowers in her hand.

It was the first day of the year that was warm enough to warrant an outdoor meal, and Emily wanted to make a special occasion of it. The growing staff at Lucky Thunder Ranch hardly ever ate all together anymore, so it was going to be a struggle to fit them all around the table, but Emily was up to the challenge.

“I don’t know. Looks like a kid,” Teller replied, piling two wooden crates on top of each other to make something like a stool for someone to sit on. Emily made a mental note to ask Lucas if he had time to make extra chairs, or if it would be better to commission a set from the local carpenter.

“Hmm. Well, we’d better rustle up an extra place at the table. I have a feeling this unexpected guest will be sticking around for dinner.”

Emily was generally a “more is merrier” kind of hostess, and this evening was no exception, though she did appreciate a little prior notice. Much had changed around the ranch since the place got properly up and running, but their open doors never had.

Her father made a habit of visiting once a month or so, and they’d struck up a real friendship without the pressure of living with one another. Jack and Sarah had gotten married the previous summer, though Sarah was still living with her father on the farm, and Jack kept his place in the bunkhouse. Lucas had made some noises about letting Jack build a house on the ranch for him and Sarah to live in so they could properly start a family without leaving Lucky Thunder, but the plans had yet to be set in motion.

Most of what had changed over the years was the size of their operations. The herd grew every year and so did the profits. Mark showed an interest in starting a horse training area, which Lucas fully supported. The house Lucas and Emily had always dreamed of had finally come to fruition, with all the additions they could possibly think of. Everyone was busy all the time, and for once, the enterprise felt stable, even predictable, save for the constant ups and downs of the weather. Together, they’d managed to build something sustainable not only for themselves but also for everyone who worked at the ranch.

Everyone who came to Lucky Thunder knew they were joining a family. As time pressed on, however, Emily yearned more for children of her own. Try as they might, Lucas and Emily had yet to be blessed with a baby, though they’d done all the planning for a large family. Emily hired an extra hand in the kitchen to hopefully take over all the cooking once there was a bun in the oven. That had been two years ago. Mr. and Mrs. Taylor were still waiting for a precious bundle of joy, and the kitchen was still where Emily spent most of her time.

“Did you have a nice visit to town?” Emily asked Lucas once he and his strange companion made it up the hill.

“It was… very fruitful. I’ve cleared the loan with the bank to take on more horses. And I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve… I’ve brought an extra friend to dinner to celebrate the solstice with. Emily, this young man’s name is Jesse. Jesse, this is my wife, Mrs. Taylor.”

Lucas gave the boy an encouraging pat on the back and nudged him toward Emily. Jesse was small with slender shoulders, but a good look at his face told Emily that he was older than he looked. Criminally underfed with the stature of a nine-year-old, she guessed that he was at least twelve.

“Please, call me Emily. It’s very nice to meet you, Jesse. We’d be thrilled if you’d join us for dinner.”

“Why don’t you go wash up by the pump over there,” Lucas said, showing Jesse the way. He silently did as he was told, running instead of walking to the pump.

“Where did you find that one? Who are his parents?” Emily asked, trying to limit herself to only two questions at a time.

“I happened to be walking through the market when he got caught red-handed stealing a tomato. According to him, his parents were killed outside of town a few days ago. They were riding west, planning on getting a plot of land in California. The sheriff was going to bring him into the jailhouse to keep him out of trouble for the night, but I said he could come with me. We can give him a hot meal and a good night’s sleep at least before someone takes him to the orphanage tomorrow,” Lucas explained.

“How did his parents die? Who killed them?” Emily’s heart swelled for the boy. No child deserved to be abandoned at such an age.

Lucas shrugged. “Who or what? Couldn’t tell you. He doesn’t seem to want to talk about it. The point is, he’s on his own. And I… well, I’ve been there.”

Emily smiled. When she’d first met him, she’d had no idea how big Lucas’ heart was. The longer she spent with him, the more she realized that she might never find the limits of his compassion for others. Perhaps it was his guilt leftover from his younger, less law-abiding years, but regardless, it made Emily fall more in love with him every time he took in a stray dog or nursed a calf back to health with a bottle of milk himself.

“He’ll make a lovely addition to our company for the night. I think we’re ready if you are. Smithy, do you want to do the honors?” Emily asked, gesturing toward the large bell near the cookhouse.

Smithy gladly rang the bell for dinner, and within two minutes the rest of the staff had gathered. Emily knew all of their names, but it was impossible to truly know all fifty or so of the people who worked at Lucky Thunder. It was a miracle she and Smithy had been able to put together a sort of table that would be able to seat them all.

After making sure that everyone had a place (with a warm bowl of lamb stew in front of them), Emily went to sit. To her left was Sarah, and to her right was Jesse, with Lucas at the head of the table next to him.

“Let’s all join hands and give thanks for this fine meal,” Lucas called out down the long row of friends. Everyone did as they were told, bowing their head in reverence to the moment. “Thank you to Emily and Mack for preparing such a wonderful feast. Thank you to everyone that had a hand in putting this night together. We are so grateful to the Lord for blessing us with such fruitful land that has made it possible for us to enjoy such a feast. Finally, please accept our thanks, oh Lord, for bringing together such a loving group of people. You keep our cups full, and we praise you for it. Amen.”

The sounds of other hearty amen’s echoed around the lengthy table and a gentle, warm breeze blew over them as the men and women of Lucky Thunder tucked into their meals. Emily looked over at Jesse, who scarfed down his bowl of stew before she could even start.

“Would you like some more?” Emily offered, passing over her own bowl. Truth be told, she’d already eaten plenty in the form of taste tests. As much as she enjoyed cooking for everyone else, sometimes food made by someone else tasted better to her.

“Yes, please. But…”

“Don’t worry. There’s plenty more where that came from. I can get myself another bowl in just a minute. I heard you were supposed to be heading out to California. Where are you coming from?” she asked, partly out of interest, but also because keeping him talking might slow down his eating. She’d heard stories of people getting ill from eating too much too fast after going hungry for too long.

“Came from Chicago. We were going to look for gold. Well, I’m still going to look for gold,” Jesse insisted before shoveling another spoonful into his mouth.

“Gold? That would be wonderful indeed,” Emily replied, looking up at Lucas briefly. He was listening to every word as carefully as she was. She wanted to keep young Jesse talking, but every topic of conversation seemed potentially perilous. She didn’t want to bring up his parents’ fate unless he did, and reminding him that he was bound for an orphanage the next day might be very upsetting for the boy.

 “Searching for gold can be hard work,” Lucas added.

“I can always steal it if I have to,” Jesse retorted. Emily had to hold in her laughter, but clearly, Lucas didn’t think the comment was quite so funny. She was reminded that Lucas saw a lot of himself in Jesse, and while the threat of stealing felt harmless coming out of the boy’s mouth, Lucas knew firsthand what petty thieving could turn into.

“Sometimes, that’s even harder than searching for it fair and square,” Lucas pointed out.

“Do you like horses?” Emily asked quickly, not wanting Lucas to launch into a scolding speech about keeping on the right side of the law.

“Love them. I… I don’t really know how to ride. But I’m going to learn when I go out west,” Jesse assured her.

Emily didn’t know much about what orphanages were like, but she’d never heard particularly positive reviews. The thought of Jesse, a child so full of stubborn optimism, being dragged off to a place where no one cared what became of him seemed heartless. She could see his future play out. He would doubtlessly run away from wherever the sheriff brought him, and get sucked into a life of crime in moments.

Without careful supervision, Jesse might end up in the hands of someone like Hal. Thanks to Lucas’ work with Judge Fitzpatrick, Hal was now behind bars, but there were thousands more grifters just like him looking to take advantage of Jesse’s innocence.

Catching Lucas’ eye, Emily tried to communicate with him silently. When he nodded in her direction, her heart skipped a beat.

“Well, you know… we could teach you how to ride right here on the ranch. It might take a while for you to learn, but we’d be happy to have you. There might be some other things you’ll want to learn and prepare before you head to California,” Emily proposed. Jesse crinkled his nose. She couldn’t tell if it was an enthusiastic gesture or a dismissive one.

“As long as you’re willing to help out a bit, you can stay here for a while. We eat well here at Lucky Thunder. It can be tough finding your own food out there,” Lucas added.

Jesse put his spoon down and tilted his head to the side, considering his options.

“I suppose I could fatten up a bit before heading out again. Can you really teach me to ride?”

Lucas smiled at Emily over Jesse’s head, and she felt tears of joy start to well up.

“Yes, we really can. Would you like that?” she asked.

He nodded. “I’d like that. Where’s the kitchen? I can go get you more stew now,” Jesse offered Emily. Caught off guard, she simply pointed in the right direction and the boy took off, two bowls in hand.

“Pretty good manners for someone in his position,” Emily managed to say after swallowing her tears back.

“Oh, I’m sure he just offered so he could steal some more food for himself, but we can let it go for the night. If he ends up staying for a while, we’ll train it out of him,” Lucas replied, making no attempt to hold back his smile.

Jesse was never sent to the orphanage, and he never tried to run away from Lucky Thunder. In fact, he was the first of many young children Lucas and Emily took into their home and loved as their own. Slowly but surely, it wasn’t California that Jesse dreamed of anymore but ranching in Iowa, just as Emily and Lucas eventually realized their prayers for a family of their own had been answered tenfold. Their love for each other healed all who they met, and everyone thrived under the bright stars at the Lucky Thunder Ranch. 

Readers who read this book also liked

---

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!

---