{Chapter 15}

Aubrey broke down into tears right there, right in front of him. Tears started spilling unbidden down her cheeks without her knowledge or consent.

“Aubrey, what’s wrong? What did I say?” Wade reached out to touch her, but she moved out of his reach.

“You didn’t say anything wrong, Wade. That’s just it” Aubrey wiped tears from her eyes and sniffled.

“I don’t understand…”

“This would be so much easier for me if you at least pretended like you hated me for burdening you like this. I know you told me not to blame myself, but I can’t help it. I just want you to blame me. I want you to yell and me and act cold toward me and act like I don’t even exist” Aubrey blubbered.

Wade smiled. He actually smiled. Aubrey felt mad at him for a moment, and then looked back over at him to see his face had sobered.

“Okay. You feel like a burden? How about helping out around the ranch?” Wade offered. “I could take you to work with me in the mornings, and Jay could play with Sandy. You could go home whenever you feel like it.”

Aubrey thought a moment. “You’d let me do that?”

“If it would stop this ridiculous talk about being a burden,” Wade said.

Aubrey smiled. “I’d love that. Thank you.”

“Of course, tomorrow I’ve got to find Jay a puppy, but the next day you can start.”

Aubrey wiped her eyes and looked up at him. “Ah, yes. The puppy. We make pretty good parents, don’t we?”

Wade laughed at her.

Aubrey took a deep breath and looked around at the land around them as a gentle, cool breeze blew, making her shiver.

“We better get back to the ranch,” Wade said.

Aubrey nodded.

He looked into her eyes for a moment, and then rubbed her cheek with the back of his forefinger. “This is all going to work out. You’ll see.”

**********

Toni walked into the sheriff’s office in Sundance on Monday morning. She had given Adam plenty of time to think about her idea.

“Deputy!” she hollered from the doorway.

Adam came out from the back room. “Oh, hey Miz McBride.”

Toni looked around but didn’t see the sheriff. “Where’s Duncan?”

“Trying to get votes” Adam smiled.

“Well, have you thought about what we spoke about?” Toni asked.

Adam took a deep breath. “Yeah.”

“And?”

Adam sat on the corner of the desk and looked at her. “I reckon I’ll do this for you and myself. It’s a right royal pain working for that man. I guess I know the law inside and out.”

Toni started to smile. “Good. Now just focus on winning. We’ve got to get rid of this man, Sterling”

“I understand” Adam said.

“Good” Toni turned on her heel and walked out. She had other business to attend to and a letter to mail for Aubrey.

Wade’s wife was a peculiar sort. It seemed to Toni that she was holding back, trying to be perfect. It was somewhat disturbing. Anyone who set foot on the MC Ranch knew that none of them were perfect, so why would she feel the need to impress them? Aubrey needed to learn to stand up and speak her piece, or they would never get along.

“Are you quite finished with all this?” Erik’s voice said from beside her.

Toni smiled up at him and rubbed her hands together. “He’s gonna do it. There’s hope for us yet, Erik.”

Erik smiled.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you thought this was silly” Toni narrowed her eyes at him.

“No, of course not. I know better than to think that” Erik quickly assured her.

“You nearly died because of that man’s laziness. I aim to make sure he’s never going to be the sheriff of this town again. I also aim to put Adam Sterling in Duncan’s place,” Toni told him.

Erik nodded. “Okay, and then what?”

“Then I can sleep easier.”

***********

“What’s the puppy for?” Jay asked as he played with the little Golden Retriever in the ground out in front of the line shack.

“He’s for you, bud” Wade smiled, squatting down next to the playing puppy as it ran around Jay, barking in little squeaks.

“Me?” Jay looked up at Wade, wonder eyed.

“Sure. You can name him and everything,” Wade said.

Jay rubbed the puppy’s head and smiled. “I’ll call her Sadie.”

Wade looked up at Aubrey, who was covering her mouth with her hand to keep from laughing hysterically. Neither of them had the heart to tell Jay that the dog was a boy.

“I think Sadie is a good name, Jay” Wade smiled.

“Thanks, Mr. Wade” Jay smiled up at him.

“How about just callin’ me Wade, huh?”

“Can I call you Pa?”

Wade nearly fell backwards. That was the last thing he was expecting out of Jay. He looked up at Aubrey desperately, and she was smiling. He looked back down at Jay, not sure how he felt about the question.

“Um… sure. Sure you can” he heard himself say.

He knew it was coming, he knew that someday Jay would see him as his father, but Wade didn’t expect it this soon. He wasn’t sure he was ready to be what Jay needed.

“Can I show Sadie around?” Jay stood and picked up the 9-week-old puppy.

“Go ahead.”

“Be back in a few minutes. Supper’s almost ready,” Aubrey cautioned.

“Okay!” Jay took off running with the puppy secure but bouncing in his arms. They made quite a pair.

Wade went inside with Aubrey and plopped down onto one of the chairs at the table.

“I know what you’re thinking” Aubrey said.

“How am I supposed to do this? I’m not father material,” Wade asked, dropping his head into his hands.

“Says who?”

“Says me. I’ve never taken care of anyone but myself, now I’ve gotta be a daddy figure to that little boy” Wade let his forehead fall to the table. “I don’t know if I can even provide all he needs.”

“Hey, don’t look at it that way” Aubrey sat beside him. “So let’s name off the things we know. We know that God saw fit for you two to meet. We know that Jay wasn’t taken care of. We know that you took him in. We know that somehow this is all going to work out. We know that you’ve put a roof over his head. We know that he respects you, and that’s a big deal. We know that you listen to him. That’s the most any father can do for a child. Listen to them and what they have to say.”

“Did your Pa listen to you?” Wade felt his jaw clench at the thought of Aubrey’s father.

Aubrey was silent for a moment before she whispered a “no” to him.

“That’s why it’s a good thing that you listen to Jay. My father and I were never too close. We never understood each other. The only reason I’m the way I am now is because my grandfather invested time in me” Aubrey sighed. “I just wish he would learn from me and be a better father to Bridgette and the twins.”

He looked up at her as she breathed deeply through her nose. He didn’t know what to say to that.

“Besides, God put us both in this situation for a purpose. We just have to wait and see what the purpose is. That’s the meaning of faith, is it not?” Aubrey looked at him.

Wade smirked. “You’re right. I’m acting like I have to do this by myself, ain’t I?”

“Precisely. Now you better go fetch the boy while I tend to supper” Aubrey stood and walked to the little stove.

Wade stood up and headed for the door. He paused before opening the door. He thought she was beautiful the way she was now, with her face a little red from the heat of the stove and her hair loosely held back by a ribbon. Her sleeves rolled halfway up to her elbows and an apron tied around her waist. She was beautiful just the way she was.

**********

Aubrey stared up at the ceiling that night, listening to the fire crackling and wishing the comforting sound would put her to sleep. There was really no reason why she shouldn’t be able to go to sleep knowing that she had to get up early with Wade in the morning.

She took the time to rethink her life over the past few weeks. What with her grandmother’s passing, being trapped in a hole with Wade, her shotgun wedding, growing to love Jay, and her new life in Texas. She sighed as she thought of her grandmother. The woman had lived a good, solid life, even if she was over interested in Aubrey’s love life toward the end. If only she had a chance to say goodbye.

Suddenly, it came to Aubrey that she had forgotten about Gram’s letter that Momma had given her. She jerked straight up, not thinking about if she disturbed the other sleepers. She looked over to see them sound asleep. She quietly got up and looked back. Jay’s arm flopped to her side of the bed and she smiled. It was way too crammed for the three of them. She walked to where her suitcase rested against the far wall and opened the front pocket, retrieving the forgotten missive. She eyed her shawl knowing that it would do nothing against the cold outside. She walked to the door and took Wade’s coat off the wall peg. She spotted his Colt .45 and carefully slid it in the pocket of the coat. Looking back again to make sure they were asleep, she quietly opened the door and slipped outside. The clear sky gave enough light for her to read the letter without the aid of a lantern. Buttoning the coat all the way to the top and feeling of the gun in the pocket, Aubrey opened the envelope and withdrew Gram’s hand-written letter.

Dear Aubrey,

I write this letter with the feeling that my time is near. I can’t explain it, but I can feel like my time is coming quickly. If you are reading this, that means that it is as I predicted. I know you are tired of hearing about finding a husband, but I’m going to give you one last piece of advice. No, it isn’t about how to catch a man, but which one to catch. I have made a list and enclosed it in this envelope for you. Make sure you follow these rules and you should be just fine.

Aubrey looked in the envelope to find another paper folded up inside. She resumed reading.

Boys are easy to find, men are the hard ones. Not every man can be like your father and grandfather, but it is my dying wish that you try to find one similar to them. Please, don’t sell yourself short, and when you do find him, love him with all you have in you. A relationship can’t grow without the proper amount of love. Most of all, make sure he’ll love you until his dying day, because that’s what is important. Your love will do no good unless he loves you back. So read my list and go by it.

All my love in life and death,

Gram.

Aubrey shook her head and smiled. Dear old Gram, always trying to make sure she knew when and how to snag a husband. If only she knew what she had done. Her curiosity prevented her from just stuffing the other paper into the envelope and not even bothering with it. She opened the other paper and read the contents of what her grandmother expected her to find in a husband.

Handsome.

God Fearing.

A good mind.

Good with children.

Must want children.

Healthy

Hard working

Must have trade

Live near family

Must take care of his feet!

Gram had underlined the last thing on her list and Aubrey chuckled. There were only a few things in live that Aubrey found ridiculous, but one of those things was the way her family believed in finding a husband.

“Guess you got your wish, Gram. Wade probably don‘t fit the bill according to this list here, but he‘s a whole lot more man that Papaw and Daddy put together.”

Sorry it took me longer to update this one:) I know... a whole day without an update! No wonder I was grumpy:)

Thank you all so much for your support! It means so much!

Question: What kind of father do you think Wade will make?

-------->>> Jay's Puppy;)