Five Years Later

Tom let the horse have its foot back before picking up the next, getting back to work shoeing the animal. It was slow, backbreaking work, but he’d put it off long enough. With summer just around the corner, it was time to get the horses ready to move the cattle.

He heard the barn door open and close before he saw Daniel. The boy had grown into a young man, adopting much of Tom’s mannerisms with each year. He now moved with the same hunch in his shoulders, spoke with the same cadence, and often used the same terms Tom used himself.

Though people in the territory had always thought Daniel was Tom’s by blood, it appeared even more true now than it had been ever before. And Tom was proud of him. Over the years, Tom had come to view Daniel as his own boy.

Sure, they didn’t share blood, but Tom didn’t believe that it mattered. He had seen how Daniel’s presence had all but saved Elizabeth, and how the boy had given Tom the family he’d always wanted. They’d met under horrible circumstances, but considering what they’d all been through, Tom couldn’t have asked for a better outcome.

Looking up from his work, Tom saw a serious expression on Daniel’s face. Though the boy was almost always serious, just like Tom, he appeared more so than usual.

“Something on your mind?”

“Sort of.” He shrugged as he spoke.

“You going to spit it out, or you going to sit there and chew on it all day?”

“I’m not really sure how to start,” Daniel said.

Tom stopped, looking up again and this time letting the horse’s other foot down.

“Is it trouble?”

“No, no trouble,” he said. “But it’s from my past.”

“Have you talked to your ma about it?”

“A little.”

Tom relaxed. If it was anything too bad, then Elizabeth would have come to him immediately. But still, he could see that there was something bothering Daniel, and he wanted to be there for him.

“Let’s hear it.”

“I found my mother’s sister,” he said.

Tom’s heart dropped. He suspected he knew where things were heading. Daniel was going to tell them that he wanted to go to this woman. That he wanted to be with his real family. But, rather than accuse the boy of anything, Tom kept the conversation flowing.

“That so?”

“Yeah,” Daniel said. “I’ve been writing letters to her this past year. Ma knows I have. I didn’t want to say anything to you because I wasn’t sure where things would go.”

“And how has it gone?” Tom prompted.

“She doesn’t know who I am,” Daniel confessed. “Not yet. I knew her name from my mother, and I’ve been using my fake name when writing. It turns out that she owns a large cattle ranch in the east with her husband, and I made it sound like I was looking for a job. I know it was wrong to lie to her, but I wasn’t really sure how to tell her the truth.”

“So what can I help you with?” Tom asked, unsure of where Daniel was heading with the conversation.

“I want to tell her now,” Daniel said. “I want to tell her who I am and where I’m living. Maybe why. I asked Ma if I should, and she said that I ought to speak to you about it first. Before you think that I’m trying to get ready to leave, I’m not. Ma almost cried when I asked because she thought I was going to move away.”

Tom let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

“I do understand if you think that it’s a bad idea,” Daniel added. “After everything. I wouldn’t want to send information that wound up falling into the wrong hands and bringing more trouble to us. But she doesn’t live anywhere near the network, like I said. I can tell her everything and not have to worry about the letter going anywhere it shouldn’t. And I don’t even know if she’d believe me anyway. My ma—Sarah, I mean—spoke of my Aunt Anna often, but I’m not sure how much Aunt Anna really knows.”

“And what are you hoping to accomplish?” Tom asked after a pause.

“I don’t know,” Daniel said with another shrug. “I guess there’s a part of me that hopes I could meet her sometime. I don’t remember what my mother looks like, and it would be nice to see a face that I assume would resemble her.”

Tom nodded. He could understand where Daniel was coming from, and it broke his heart to hear that the boy wanted to see his mother but couldn’t remember her. He didn’t answer right away, taking his time as he put a new shoe on the horse before he turned back to Daniel.

“I don’t see any harm in it,” he said at last.

Daniel’s face lit up. “You don’t?”

“I just don’t want you to be disappointed,” Tom said. “She doesn’t know who she’s talking to right now, and you never know how folks will respond when they’re given news like that. But so long as you understand you can’t control the outcome, I say you should tell her the truth.”

Daniel grinned. “I know. But she seems like a really kind woman, and even in the letters, there’s something about her that reminds me of Sarah.”

“By all means, invite her and your uncle out for a visit. I’m sure Elizabeth would be thrilled to meet them as well.”

“She did sound excited,” Daniel replied over his shoulder as he headed back to the house.

Tom stood for a moment, watching the boy go. He shook his head, surprised by the amount of relief he felt hearing that Daniel wanted to stay. After all, that boy was his son.

And nothing would ever change that.

Six Months Later

“Well, I’ll be!” The woman waved a handkerchief out of the side of the carriage as she called to the house. “Hello! Hello!”

The driver pulled the team to a stop in the front yard as Tom and Elizabeth rose from their chairs.

“Daniel!” Elizabeth yelled over her shoulder. “Your company is here!”

Tom stepped off the porch and walked over to the carriage, pulling the door open for the woman who looked much older than the face of the woman in the photograph Daniel had carried six years ago. But even despite the age, the resemblance between the two women was still striking.

Daniel came out of the house, walking quickly down the two steps and toward his aunt. She was shaking Tom’s hand when she turned toward him, both hands flying to her mouth when she saw him.

“You have your mother’s eyes,” she breathed. “My goodness, but you are Sarah’s boy!”

Daniel’s cheeks colored slightly, and he let the woman pull him in for a hug.

“Ma, Pa, this is my Aunt Anna.” Daniel turned to both Elizabeth and Tom as he spoke. Then, he turned his attention back to his aunt. “And these are my parents.”

“Your ma would be so happy to see what a fine young man you’ve become,” Anna continued. “And it’s all thanks to you both. When Daniel finally told me who he was, I wasn’t sure I believed him at first. But then he told me all that you went through to get him out of that bad situation and out here. I can’t even imagine. You’re both angels, really.”

To Tom’s relief, Elizabeth smiled brightly. He could see that his wife really liked this other woman, and she seemed perfectly comfortable with Daniel getting to know her.

“We did what we needed to do,” Elizabeth said with resolution filling her voice. “It wasn’t always easy, but we stuck together, and we persevered.”

“As any family does,” Anna agreed.

“Was your husband unable to come?” Tom asked, noticing that she had arrived alone.

“Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to get away from the ranch with the cattle going to market. It was a long winter and he needs to get them sold.”

“It was the same here,” Tom said as he looked up at the blue sky.

Spring had finally arrived. The leaves were returning and the flowers were blooming. Tom felt the relief every time he saw a new bud.

“Come in, you must be exhausted after your trip,” Elizabeth said, changing the subject as she put an arm on the other woman’s elbow. “I’ve got some coffee brewed.”

“Thank you kindly,” Anna said. “Just let me get my bags.”

“Allow me,” Tom told her.

“Driver, I’ll be staying three days. I expect you back here at this time on Wednesday, you hear?”

The driver nodded, holding up a hand as Tom pulled the two carpet bags off the seat. The man didn’t wait. The moment Tom was clear of the carriage, he slapped the reins on the backs of the horses, sending them forward and jostling down the road toward the front gate.

Tom turned back toward the house, a bag in each hand. He paused.

Laughter floated outside through the open door. The lively chatter of the two women filled the air, and through the doorway, Tom could see Daniel leaning forward on the table, watching his aunt keenly.

“Tom! Bring in those bags!” Elizabeth called. “Anna’s got some photographs of Sarah and John, and she’d like to show them to Daniel!”

Though Tom would have expected to feel jealousy or uncertainty over the idea, he was surprised to find that he actually wanted to see those photos for himself. Daniel was his son, but Tom wasn’t his first father, and Elizabeth wasn’t his first mother. He wanted to see the folks who were Daniel’s family before Daniel was theirs.

He walked up the steps with a lighter feeling in his chest than he’d had in a long time. There had been a season when he’d worried that he’d never have his old wife back. He’d worried that the miscarriages and the loss had taken its toll, tearing her soul right out of her.

But he’d come to realize that all she’d needed was someone like Daniel to come into her life. They were happy again, and they had a much bigger family than Tom apparently realized.

He and Elizabeth might not share blood with any of them, but that didn’t matter. All that mattered was that they were there for each other, and that they loved each other for who they were. Family was a bond that was built by choice, and he was happy for who he and Elizabeth had chosen.

Closing the door, he set the bags on the rocking chair in the living room. Anna was still talking, quick to walk over to her things and pull out the photographs. She handed them to Daniel, and his eyes shone.

“That’s my ma,” he said softly.

“And your pa,” Anna said as she drew out a second photograph, passing it to the boy.

As Daniel admired the photographs, Tom walked over to his wife, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her close.

“You did good with that boy,” he whispered in her ear. “He’s growing into a fine young man.”

“You can thank yourself for that,” she said softly back.

“I think we can call it a team effort,” he said, squeezing her lightly.

She put her hands over his as they clasped around his waist, watching Daniel with a warm smile and a happy tear in her eye. The moment was serene, perfect.

And Tom never wanted it to end.

THE END