Grayson Ranch, one year later

 

 

Eleanor gripped the bedsheets with her fists. She was drenched in sweat, her ragged breathing coming in short bursts as she tried to focus on the midwife’s guidance to keep pushing. She was consumed by the labor, while Mrs. Hensley and several other women had come to help as best they could, bringing new clean sheets, hot water, and warm stones to help ease the pain. She didn’t want to scream, but at some point, she couldn’t hold back any longer.

And then, it was all over. 

Eleanor was cleaned up and wrapped in clean blankets when the tiniest voice made itself heard. At first, it was barely a choking sound, but then it became louder. And stronger.

When the midwife placed a tiny bundle into Eleanor’s arms, she started crying all over again, but this time, it was out of pure happiness.

“Congratulations!” the midwife said with a genuine smile. “It looks like a healthy boy.”

Mrs. Hensley sobbed and laughed at the same time.

“Is it okay if I get Cole to come and see you?” she asked. “He’s been out of his mind with worry for you.” Eleanor nodded with a weak smile. She was physically exhausted, and her body was spent, but her heart was elated. 

Mrs. Hensley spun around, and minutes later, Cole came running into the room, closely followed by Rose and Jacob. 

Cole looked just as exhausted as she was, and the fear in his face was noticeable.

“Are you all right?” he asked, as he bent over her to kiss her forehead. It was at that moment that he saw his baby. He froze. It was the first time that Eleanor had seen him this choked up. Mrs. Hensley stepped next to him, holding onto his arm to steady him.

“You have a son,” she said. “Congratulations to you both.”

“Can I see the baby?” Rose asked as she ran around the bed to the other side.

“Careful!” Mrs. Hensley warned them. “Babies are very delicate!” Rose and Jacob both went on their tiptoes to the edge of the bed. 

“What is it?” Jacob asked, tilting his head.

“It’s a baby, dummy!” Rose said with a questioning look at her older brother.

“I know that,” Jacob snapped back. “But what is it?” Rose stared at him as if he’d lost his mind.

“It’s a boy,” Cole whispered, a smile growing on his lips. “It’s a boy!”

“Oh!” Rose said, slapping her palm against her forehead with a giggle. “That.”

“What’s his name?” Jacob asked as he stretched his neck to get a better glimpse.

Eleanor and Cole locked eyes. 

“We haven’t decided it yet …” Cole said with a drawl.

The door burst open, and Lucy rushed into the room. Daniel followed right behind her.

“Did we miss it?” she exclaimed. “I’ve missed the birth?” she called out, seemingly disappointed, as she stroked her swollen belly. “I wanted to see it! I’m about to pop myself!” she announced unceremoniously. 

Eleanor chuckled at that.

“Be glad you didn’t,” she said weakly. “I’m glad you’re here now.”

Lucy stormed to the side of the bed, where Cole was standing, and since she was big, round, and heavily pregnant, Cole gallantly made space for her.

“What is it?” Lucy asked, beaming at Eleanor with tear-filled eyes.

“A baby,” Jacob and Rose said in unison before they both burst out laughing. Lucy looked at them in bewilderment.

“Obviously!” she replied, shooting Eleanor a questioning look. 

Eleanor just smiled.

“I have a son,” Cole announced proudly. Daniel hugged his friend, congratulating him.

“What’s his name?” Lucy asked curiously. 

The room fell silent for a second.

“Henry,” Eleanor said quietly as she looked down at her newborn child. This new kind of love was so powerful that it washed away all the pain and worries she’d had for the last few hours. She heard several gasps, and when she finally looked up and into Cole’s eyes, she was surprised at what she saw. There was nothing but warmth, love, and utter devotion.

“Would you be all right with naming him after your brother?” she asked tentatively. 

All eyes turned to her husband. 

Cole swallowed hard. Eleanor had never truly seen him cry, but a single tear rolled out of the corner of his eye. He could only nod. Then he swallowed hard again, trying to speak.

“I like that,” he croaked. “I like that very much.”

 

***

 

Cole was surprised when Eleanor suggested his late brother’s name, but it somehow felt right. More than that. He’d been carrying the guilt of not reconnecting with Henry for too many years, so this was the honorable thing to do. The fact that Eleanor had suggested it only solidified his belief that he had found the perfect woman for himself. Eleanor was not only beautiful on the outside, but she was also pure and good to her core. He was a very lucky husband.

After a few minutes, Daniel tapped him on his shoulder.

“Can I have a quick word with you?” his deputy asked him, shooting his wife Lucy a quick smile, which she immediately reciprocated. 

“Sure. What is it?” Cole asked. “Do I need to be worried?” 

Daniel shook his head.

“I don’t think so,” he replied as he pulled out a letter from his inside pocket. The yellowed paper looked very old. “Remember the judge who cleaned up the paperwork Halbridge had messed up for you? Henry’s testament and the children’s inheritance and all that?” 

Cole nodded. His face pulled into a frown as he stared down at the letter. There was no address on it, but when he turned it around, he froze. There, as plain as day, unmistakably in Henry’s own handwriting, it read a single name. Cole.

“As it turned out, Halbridge not only tried to steal the property from you, but he also stole several valuables from the house,” Daniel explained. “Jewelry, money, that kind of stuff. He’s sold most of the valuables, but this letter was among the things he kept.”

Looking up at his deputy, he hesitantly opened the seal. His hands were shaking, and he had to collect himself for a moment before he began to read. His brother had held this paper. His brother’s hand had written with this ink. Whatever he might find in there, this was a personal message to him.

 

Dear Cole,

 

I hope you are doing well. Wherever life has taken you, I hope you are happy.

 

First and foremost, I want to apologize to you and our parents for what I did. I want to apologize for being the reason our family broke apart. I want to apologize for not trying to talk to you sooner. 

It’s been years already, and I miss having you in my life. 

You are my brother, and I want my children to know you. I want them to know what a great uncle they have. I’ve always looked up to you, your strength, your resolve, all the things I never had.

I admire you, and I hope you’ll be able to forgive me one day. That’s all I want, even though I’ll understand it if you don’t. 

Just, please don’t punish my children for what I’ve done. 

They deserve to know you, because unlike me, you are what was good in our family. 

 

I wish you all the best.

With love,

Your brother,

 

Henry

 

 

Cole read it three times. He could hear his brother’s voice in his mind as he followed the curve, stripe, and dot of every single letter. The lump that grew in his throat was painful at first, but when he looked over to Rose and Jacob, he knew that he’d forgiven Henry long before he’d come to this ranch.

“Everything all right?” Daniel asked him quietly. Cole nodded. He folded the letter back together and hid it inside his vest, right above his heart.

Thinking about these last few months, things had improved a lot. The ranch was thriving; it had grown exponentially into one of the most successful horse breeding businesses in the region. They now employed double the number of workers that had been here before. As he’d promised, he promoted Finnegan to his top foreman and Elias as his second in charge. 

“Yes. Everything’s all right,” Cole confirmed. “In fact, everything is so much better than all right. My son Henry was born today!” 

Daniel smiled at him with a nod as they returned to the bed, where Lucy and Eleanor were talking about birth and babies.

“What will you do when you have yours?” Eleanor asked quietly. “What will happen to the schoolhouse?” 

Lucy waved her hand dismissively. 

“You won’t be able to teach for a while, or not?” Jacob jumped up, overly excited, but Lucy held up her hand to stop him.

“I will strap my baby to my back if I have to,” she announced. “School will be open, regardless!” Jacob’s shoulders sank, and he pulled his face into a disappointed frown.

Lucy had taken on a job as Marysville’s new schoolteacher, and she seemed to be a huge success among all the parents in town. Right after their wedding, Daniel and Lucy had moved into a small house up in his former jurisdiction, and with Cole working the ranch, Daniel had taken over his position as Marysville’s sheriff.

Cole walked over to the other side of the bed, where he gently sat on the edge. He pulled Rose and Jacob into a big hug.

“Do you know the best part of it?” Cole asked them both as Rose snuggled into his embrace, while Jacob tolerated it.

“What?” Jacob asked as he tried to get out of the hug. Cole wouldn’t let him just yet.

“We will have to get another puppy,” he announced, which instantly caught Jacob’s attention. Rose’s face broke out in a wide grin, and Eleanor’s eyes grew wide.

“We will?” his wife asked with a wary expression on her face. “So soon?”

Cole chuckled.

“Maybe not immediately,” he said. “Let’s say, when Henry can talk?”

“Walk!” Rose said decidedly. “He has to be able to walk because they are so fast!” 

Jacob scoffed at that.

“Mine is even faster,” he bragged. 

Cole enjoyed the sibling rivalry between them. Seeing them so carefree again made him happier than he cared to admit.

“Either way,” Cole interrupted them. “You need to promise us to take good care of your new brother!” He put special emphasis on the last word. 

Jacob looked up at him with such adoration that he slung his arms around Cole’s neck and hugged him fiercely. 

“Henry will be the best brother I’ve ever had!” he told Cole. 

Cole nodded. The words hit him harder than he thought.

“Yes, he will be,” he replied, choking slightly. “He will be!”

 

The End

 

 

 

 

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