Eden Read online

John grinned widely. “All the men like Gray Wolf and he’ll come in right handy with working on the new addition to the barn. We’ll be needing more stalls and the only way to do it is to add on to the back, as far as I can see. What do you think?”

  Bill nodded. “I’ve been considering the same thing, and we’ll just put Gray Wolf in charge of the project. I’ll ask him to draw up some plans and we can look them over next week.”

  John was in accord with Bill’s suggestions, and when Katie and Jane put the meal on the table, Bill agreeably decided to stay for the soup and corn bread they offered. A quick message sent to Berta at the big house notified her of her boss’s absence from her table, and things were settled.

  They ate quickly, for much awaited their hands during the afternoon. New calves were being herded together for branding, the young bullocks being separated for the necessary task that was to be their destiny. One the men did not relish, but knew to be necessary on a ranch.

  The newest of the foals were set loose in the pasture today, the weather being deemed warm enough to warrant their escape from the stalls inside. New birth was to be found everywhere on the ranch with the coming of spring, and Katie had announced it was time to open the windows and doors and let the warm air blow through the cabin.

  The sun shone brightly, the breeze was gentle and Katie took young John outdoors to take his nap on a blanket beneath a tree. She settled beside him, covering him well from the prevailing westerly breeze and read a book while he slept. Before long, her own eyes were closing and she curled beside the babe, pulling him into the shelter of her embrace as she tucked his blanket around him and bent to press soft kisses on his head. The joys of mothering were many and sweet and she cherished each day and hour she spent with her child.

  It was there that John found them as he finished up his chores and headed for the cabin to wash up. Jane came out onto the porch as he made his way from the barn and he pointed to where Katie slept and put a finger across his lips, motioning Jane to silence, lest Katie awaken and recognize that the afternoon had slipped away from her.

  Jane went back into the cabin then and watched as John settled beside Katie on the quilt, his big body curled behind hers, his arms encircling her waist and the babe she held, holding them against himself.

  He propped his head on his hand and watched his wife, enjoying the half smile she wore, wondering at the dreams that passed through her mind, simply enjoying the few moments of peace they shared beneath the apple tree.

  And then Katie awoke, moved her hand to find John’s fingers and brought his callused palm to her lips, pressing her mouth against his toughened flesh. “Hey there, Mr. Roper. What are you doing out here in the shade?”

  “Just enjoying my wife and son,” John said easily, his hand brushing her cheek, then bending over her the better to catch a glimpse of the child she held against herself. “He’s growing like a weed, isn’t he?”

  She laughed, turning her head to look into his eyes. “What a thing to say about your son. He’s growing all right, but he’s getting more like his father every day. Just look at those long fingers and the size of his feet. And that crop of black hair.”

  Katie preened as she listed the merits of her child, and John felt a thrill of appreciation for the gifts he’d been blessed with. A wife who loved him, a child to nurture and raise to manhood and a home filled with love and laughter.

  “Katie, sweetheart…it just don’t get no better than this, does it?” he asked quietly, his mouth touching her forehead and cheek with kisses that spoke of his love and commitment.

  She turned her head a bit, the better to see him and her smile was a beacon that drew him. “John, I’m just so happy with you, with little John and all we have here together. I don’t know how to tell you how much it all means to me.”

  “You don’t need to, Katie girl. I can tell when I look at you just how happy you are, how much you enjoy your life.”

  He moved back a bit and rolled her to her back, the baby settling against her breast as he was shifted in tandem with his mother. Then he bent again, his lips touching hers, then moving to where his son lay, curling into a sleeping bundle of beauty that John could barely believe was their very own.

  “I love you, Katie,” he whispered, his kisses warm against her face, his long body warming the length of hers as he bent to her. “But we need to get up from here and get ourselves in the house, or I’m gonna be all over you like flies on honey, and that’ll never do, right out here in the middle of the yard.”

  Katie blushed and lifted herself and her son to a sitting position, then handed the baby to John and rose from the quilt, gathering her book and folding the blanket to carry them to the cabin.

  Jane was busy at the stove and her glance at the couple who joined her in the kitchen was filled with pleasure. “You two get that baby settled down and wash up. I’ll have supper ready in about a half hour.”

  Settling the baby in his crib was easily done, and then they went to the kitchen, Katie helping with setting the table, Jane dishing up the food she’d prepared and John settling into his chair with a sigh. It had been a long day involving hours of hard work, and ending with a most satisfactory few moments beneath the tree outdoors with his wife and their son. Only more joy beckoned in the hours to come and he looked up to where Katie carried bowls to the table, then paused by his side.

  His hand curved to cup her waist and he drew her closer as Jane turned back to the stove. Careful not to be intimate before others, he merely looked up with a wide grin, knowing that Katie read his thoughts, and was offered a saucy look in return.

  And as he ate, he considered the weeks and months of the future that stretched before him, the happiness he would find here in this cabin with the woman he’d been smart enough to marry.

  And when the night hours were upon them, he spoke those same thoughts into her ear, curled together in their bed, the starlight shining through their window, finding them entwined as was their wont, enjoying the final hours of their day.

  “I love you, John.”

  It was the one truth he lived for, the joy of his life, and John Roper held his wife close as he offered up thanks for the joy he’d found with her.

  EPILOGUE

  THE SUMMER PASSED QUICKLY, and one of its surprises involved the arrival one day of Tom Loftin at the ranch. His visit was a time of awakening for the young woman who had thought that her paternity would forever be unknown to her.

  He came to the porch where she sat, and dismounted from his horse, settling on the top step and watching her as she snapped fresh green beans from the garden.

  “What can I do for you, Tom,” she asked, curiosity winning out over her natural good manners, which would not have allowed her to ask his business in such a way.

  “I think it’s maybe more what I can do for you, Katie,” he said, folding his hands over his knee and leaning back against the post behind him. “I’ve been putting this visit off for a while, but between Molly and me, we decided it was past time for you and me to have a talk.”

  Katie was perplexed at his meaning, but smiled and waited for him to continue. She’d rarely spoken to the man, only three times in her memory had he said words to her, and now, she could not understand his interest in having this conversation.

  “I’ve got something to tell you, Katie. I probably should wait till your husband shows up this afternoon to spill this news, but maybe it’ll be better with just the two of us here.

  “You know that your mother and I were friends, years back when she worked in the saloon. She was a woman worthy of marriage and I was the fool who didn’t offer my hand to her. Even when I knew she carried my child, I kept my silence and when you were born I didn’t suggest that she put my name on your birth records.”

  Katie swallowed hard and her eyes filled with tears, unable to absorb the story Tom related to her, yet somehow unsurprised at his words. She’d felt a strange link between them, but thought it was because she had known him as a little gi
rl. Now he’d told her facts that changed her perception of her life and left her with an emptiness within.

  “Your mama gave birth to you and asked if she could keep you with her and I told her she could do as she pleased. I loved her, Katie. Claire was a special lady and if I’d been more of a man I’d have married her and given you a decent home. But when your mama died, I figured I couldn’t provide for you and I made arrangements for you to go to a family I thought would love you and take care of you.”

  He lifted his gaze and it pinned her where she sat. “I was wrong, Katie. They were brutes and I didn’t recognize it. I’d never heard gossip and they were respected folks. Didn’t take the time to check on you and make sure you were taken care of as you should be. It wasn’t till that night in the saloon when John Roper brought you back to the kitchen that I realized the life you’d led.

  “I’m sorry, girl. I can’t tell you any other way but that. I’m your father and I failed you. I should have taken better care of you, and I was wrong to do what I did. The only thing I can do now is ask you for your forgiveness and go on from here. I’d like to see the child you bore to John Roper. I understand I have a grandson, and it would give me great pleasure if I could be a small part of his life.”

  Katie was stunned by his words, her mind whirling at the news he’d brought to her. And as she tried to absorb the things he’d said, John walked from the barn, lifting a hand in greeting to Tom.

  “I wondered how long it would take you to find your way out here,” he said soberly. “I figured you’d be wanting to take a look at that baby inside the cabin before too long.”

  Tom stood and nodded at him. “You’re right, John Roper. I’ve just asked Katie if I can be a part of my grandson’s life.”

  “And what did she say?” John asked quietly.

  “She hasn’t said anything yet,” Tom told him, casting an imploring glance at the woman who watched them both from her perch on the porch.

  “Well,” Katie began, sorting out her thoughts as she went, “I’d say that baby in there can use all the relations he’s got, and if his grandpa wants to meet him and make friends, I’d be the last one to put a stop to it.”

  Tom looked up at Katie, as if his best dream had come true and with two long steps he stood before her, grasping her hand, pulling her to her feet.

  “I can’t tell you how much that means to me, girl. I’d like to make up for a lot of things, beginning with the way I messed up your life. I want you to know that me and Miss Molly are getting hitched and setting up a place in town. I’ve sold the saloon and made enough money to keep that woman for the rest of her life. We’re gonna have an extra bedroom ready for our grandson when he’s old enough to come spend the night with his grandpa and grandma, if that’s all right with you.”

  Katie’s eyes filled again with tears and she sought John with an outstretched hand. He came to her, as he always had, readily and gladly, holding her in his embrace. “What do you think, John?”

  He looked down into her face and his eyes were shiny with a trace of tears. “Our son sure can use a set of grandparents close by. It’ll be a long time till he sees any of my family, and in the meantime, he’ll be spoiled rotten by Tom and Molly, if I’ve got it figured out right.”

  Tom stepped onto the porch and his big hand held the screen doorknob. “Can I go in and see my grandson, Katie?”

  “Sure, go on ahead. He’s about ready to wake from his nap and he’ll need someone to hold him once I get his diaper changed and get him ready for his next meal.”

  “I’ve been waiting a lot of years to practice on just that thing,” Tom said with a wide grin, opening the door and crossing the kitchen floor to where soft snuffling sounds were coming from the bedroom beyond.

  On the porch, John held Katie close. “Are you happy, my Katie?”

  And she only nodded and lifted her face for his kiss. “I’ve finally got a father, John. I didn’t realize how important that was until I had little John. Knowing that he was a part of you and would forever be your son made me more aware of my own empty past. Tom has no idea how happy he’s made me today.”

  “Oh, I think he’ll figure it out right soon, girl. Let’s you and me go on in there now and watch this family reunion. I think it’s gonna be the finest time we’ve had since we got married. All but the moment when our son was born.”

  And in the next hour, Katie was tempted to agree, for she found that watching the three men in her life, her father, husband and son, was the greatest joy to have come to her in all the years she’d lived.

  And when the day was done, and Tom had gone back to town, Jane had gone to her room to bed and the baby was settled in his crib, she spoke the words to John that had dwelled in her mind for the past months.

  “I’m so glad that you rescued me, John, that you took me home and then married me. I can’t tell you how wonderful my life is here with you. And now, we have even more to look forward to, with Tom and Molly in our lives.”

  “The best part of it all is that we’ve managed to build our own Eden right here in this place, Katie. Remember the night we talked about the Garden of Eden and how perfect it was for the man and woman who lived there? Well, I’m certain that we can be as happy in our own Eden as they could have been in theirs. What do you think?”

  She laughed softly. “If this is Eden, then it’s right next door to Heaven, John. For I don’t know how much happier I could be than I am, right here with you.”

  His arms held her close then, his voice was a whisper in her ear and his hands moved against her flesh with knowing touches, coaxing her to a time of loving that would make this day complete.

  It was late when the moon found them there, together in the big bed, their kisses and caresses seeming fresher and more splendid than ever before as their bodies blended in celebrating this day of new beginnings.

  ISBN: 978-1-4268-2944-4

  EDEN

  Copyright © 2009 by Carolyn Davidson

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario M3B 3K9, Canada.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

  ® and TM are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.

  www.HQNBooks.com

  *Edgewood, Texas

  *Edgewood, Texas

  **Montana Mavericks

  †Colorado Confidential