Reforming the Rebel Read online

  Reverend Bing gave a speech about how happy he was that Patience and John had found each other and about how the church would help them in the years ahead, individually and as a couple. Patience waited impatiently for Reverend Bing to get to the end of the ceremony. Normally, she loved his speeches and sermons in church, but today, she was waiting for something new for a change.

  Finally, Reverend Bing declared, “I now pronounce you man and wife. You may now kiss the bride.”

  In front of the small assembled crowd, John Jackson tipped Patience Graham’s head back, pressed his lips to hers, and gave her the sweetest kiss she could have ever imagined. Patience kissed John back with passion until she heard Reverend Bing cough discreetly, certainly a signal that they should end their embrace.

  John and Patience instead turned to the congregation, smiling and laughing. Patience was so glad that they had made it to this day. When she had first started spending more time with John, she hadn’t been sure if marriage was the right next step for the pair. Now, she couldn’t imagine her life any other way.

  After the ceremony, the group adjourned to Graham’s Grub for food and dancing. The Grahams had posted a large sign on the door letting people know that they were closed for the evening.

  Inside, Lydia and Toria had placed dozens of candles and red roses in vases on each table, and the tables themselves had been arranged in a large circle.

  One of Mortimer’s friends sat down at the piano in the corner of the room and began playing one of Patience’s favorite songs. Together, she and John danced to the music and stared into one another’s eyes.

  From one of the tables, Toria watched the newlyweds, her eyes shining with fresh tears. She was thrilled for her stepson and his new bride.

  “Are you all right, dear?” Mortimer asked gently.

  “Yes,” Toria replied. “I’m so happy for John and Patience.” She squeezed her husband’s hand.

  Meanwhile, Arthur and Beatrice looked at their daughter, Sally, as Patience and John danced.

  “Being here with you and Sally, my heart is so full, Arthur!” Beatrice exclaimed. “I just know that one day, Sally will be the one getting married. I know we have a long way to go before that point, and I want to enjoy every moment of it, but think of how nice that will feel for our family to grow and change.”

  Arthur smiled and put an arm around his wife’s shoulder. She looked like an angel holding baby Sally. Although the young girl had been set on their doorstep without any explanation or information, Beatrice and Arthur had taken her in and raised her as their own. Now, Arthur couldn’t imagine his life without either one of them. He thanked God for allowing Beatrice and Sally to come into his life, and he couldn’t wait until the baby Beatrice carried was born.

  The Reverend Callum Bing eagerly ate the cake Toria had carefully baked. Each bite was more delicious than the last. The cake was rich and buttery, and the frosting had the exact right amount of sweetness.

  “Don’t eat so fast; you’ll get a stomachache!” Callum’s sister, Millie, scolded.

  “You haven’t tried this cake yet, Millie. I don’t think anyone could eat this cake slowly,” Callum replied.

  Millie took a bite of her own cake, which she had been saving for later, still full from the dinner Robert and Lydia had served. “Oh, my,” Millie said as she chewed each delicious bite. “This is incredible.”

  On the dance floor, John leaned in for a kiss. Patience kissed him back, surprised at how natural it felt to be in his embrace. She was still a bit apprehensive of the other activity married men and women were able to do, but she trusted John, and she knew that he would make sure she was comfortable. Even though she was nervous, she was also excited about it. She wanted to demonstrate to John that she was his wife in every sense of the word.

  Patience excused herself to go to the powder room. She had perspired a bit from the dancing and wanted to pat down her face and cool off. When she stepped into the room and looked in the mirror, she was shocked to find not only herself in the mirror, but Sarah’s reflection staring back at her.

  Patience whirled around and stared at Sarah. “What are you doing here? I did what you asked.”

  “Yes, and I’m very glad that you made the right choice,” Sarah said. “This is our last visit together.”

  “It is?” Although Patience had sometimes been annoyed by Sarah, she had grown accustomed to her visits and actually found herself liking the woman’s personality.

  “That’s how guardian angels work. We are here for you when you need us, but once you don’t need us any longer, we must move on to the next person who needs our help,” Sarah explained.

  Patience nodded. “I think I understand. So does that mean I don’t need help anymore?”

  “That’s right. You just married the love of your life, and soon, you two will start a family. Now—” Sarah began.

  “How do you know that? When? Will our first be a boy or a girl?” Patience asked her questions in rapid succession.

  Sarah shook her head, smiling mysteriously. “I’m afraid I can’t tell you all those details just now. They’ll come to you when you need them most.”

  Patience sighed. Sarah was still being cryptic as always. “Will John and I be happy?”

  “Oh, yes,” Sarah nodded. “That, you can be sure of. You two will be very happy together for many years to come.”

  Patience smiled happily. Hearing that from her guardian angel was certainly reassuring. “Thank you for all that you’ve done to bring John and me together. I know I probably wasn’t the easiest person to be the guardian angel for, but I’m glad you kept at it until I changed my mind.”

  “You were perfectly fine, dear,” Sarah said. “Now, there is something else I need to tell you.” She looked off into the distance, her eyes clouding over.

  “What is it?” Patience felt nervous. She had felt so exuberant during the wedding and dancing with her new husband. Why did she feel like Sarah was about to give her awful news?

  Sarah turned her gaze back to Patience. “By marrying John, you have avoided a very bad event that could have happened to you. I’m so glad you chose John and married him as quickly possible. But . . .”

  Patience felt her heart sink. What was Sarah about to say?

  “Trouble is coming to Creede, Patience. A very bad sort of trouble, the kind even I likely can’t protect against. There are some things we can do to try to prepare you, and some precautions you can take, but most of all, you and John will need to do everything in your power to keep your family safe from harm,” Sarah said, her words taking on an ominous tone.

  “When is this trouble coming?” Patience asked. She knew she should be scared, but it was hard to be frightened of something so vague.

  “That’s the thing. We don’t know,” Sarah admitted.

  “Then how do you know anything bad will happen?” Patience was so confused. She wanted to get back to dancing and eating cake with her new husband.

  Sarah sighed. “Patience, Creede has turned into a very dark place. Many people come here for less than honest reasons, and they make poor choices here. Whenever a place like that exists in this world, it’s only a matter of time before the darkness creeps in.”

  Patience frowned. She still didn’t understand how this related to her and her coming family.

  “I need to go, Patience. But I wanted to warn you about the darkness that’s coming. Just remember to always do what is right and what is kind,” Sarah reminded. “Goodbye, Patience.”

  Patience threw her arms around Sarah to hug her in farewell, but she ended up wrapping her arms around herself instead. Sarah was gone. Patience laughed to herself. Maybe Sarah was being a little overprotective, like her parents. Then again, everything else Sarah had said so far had turned out to be true.

  In either case, Patience wanted to return to her husband. She practically skipped down the hallway into the dining area. She found John sitting at a table next to his parents.

  Patience joined t
hem, and John kissed her as soon as she sat down.

  “Congratulations again, Patience,” Toria said, squeezing Patience’s hand. “You look beautiful.”

  “Thank you, Toria, for this incredible dress. I feel wonderful in it,” Patience replied.

  “It was all Beatrice,” Toria said modestly. The dress had been a gift of love, happily given to her new daughter-in-law and sewn with love.

  “Welcome to the family, Patience.” Mortimer smiled. He was excited to have a new daughter-in-law. When his first wife had died, he had worried about John’s ability to get married one day. He was worried that the pain of losing his mother might harden John from other relationships. Instead, and likely due to Toria’s patience and kindness, John was now able to open up and have meaningful relationships with others.

  “Thank you, Mortimer.” Patience smiled. She could see where John had gotten his streak of kindness and generosity from. At first, she had thought Toria was a little young for Mortimer, but now that she knew them both a little better, she could see that they were a perfect fit for one another.

  “You can call me Father, if you’d like,” Mortimer said with a big grin. “I won’t tell Robert.”

  Patience threw her head back and laughed. “That might take me a little getting used to, but I’ll keep it in mind.” Patience loved how this family could joke and chuckle with each other for hours. It was a difference from her own family, where things were usually quieter and more serious.

  Just then, Robert and Lydia approached the table and checked to see if anyone needed more cake, punch, or water.

  “I’m stuffed,” Patience protested, and Toria agreed.

  “We’re so proud of you, darling,” Lydia said to Patience as she looked down at her daughter, sitting at the table with her new husband.

  “Glad to have you in the family, son,” Robert said, extending a hand to John. John accepted and shook Robert’s hand, smiling up at the man.

  Just three weeks before, John had thought this day would never come. Now that it was here, he knew it was a day he would remember for the rest of his life.

  Epilogue

  Toria Jackson removed a batch of cookies from the oven and set them down to cool off on the counter. The rich aroma of chocolate filled the air.

  “Those smell so delicious,” Patience called from the living area. She had propped up her heels on a small footstool and massaged her round belly. “You’re such a good baker, Toria.”

  “We need to wait a little while until they cool off,” Toria said as she came back into the living room. “I’ll bring you one when they’re ready.”

  “Toria, you need to rest!” Mortimer scolded as Toria walked over to the crib and held up their baby boy, who had just woken up from a nap. He blinked his eyes a few times, and Toria kissed his forehead. “You’re on your feet all day and night these days!” Mortimer turned to Patience. “My wife never stops.”

  “I feel fine, Mortimer,” Toria grinned. “If I rest all the time, how will our baby ever learn the value of hard work?”

  “I always thought teaching children the value of hard work came after they were at least a few years old,” John teased his stepmother.

  “I say it’s never too early to start,” Toria responded. She couldn’t help but stay busy. With an infant of her own and a daughter-in-law who was pregnant, there was always work to be done.

  “Let me get the cookies once they’re cooled off,” Mortimer said.

  Toria sighed. “Fine. That will give me more time to catch up with Patience. How are you feeling?”

  “Mostly fine. Sometimes I’ll have strange cravings for an odd food. John has been very good about fixing me a snack in the middle of the night, at times!” Patience chuckled. She rested a hand on her curved stomach. Being pregnant was a very strange adventure, but she was thrilled to be going on the journey with John. He was a wonderful husband and would make a terrific father to this child and the others she hoped would follow.

  Mortimer couldn’t believe his luck. Although he hadn’t been sure that he wanted more children when he’d married Toria, he’d known that they were important to her. He knew she would have sacrificed her dream to make him happy, but the more he had grown to love her, the more he had wanted to share her gifts and form a more permanent bond as husband and wife. When their son had been born, Mortimer suddenly realized how important having a child together was for a marriage. It had brought them together in ways he hadn’t been able to imagine.

  Dr. Thomas believed Patience’s child would arrive in just a few short months. John would soon have a baby of his own in addition to his new brother!

  Toria cradled her son close to her chest. She felt alive in ways she hadn’t felt in years, since she was a small child. Mortimer was truly the man of her dreams, and now he had given her the family she had always wished for.

  Even better, she would be able to share her experiences in motherhood with Patience. Toria and Patience grew closer by the day. The pair had continued to make small and continuous improvements to the mercantile. The building was sparkling and looked nearly brand new, and the products were carefully arranged to allow customers to shop more efficiently and buy more in each trip.

  John Jackson sighed as he looked at his lovely wife. She was more than he had ever hoped for in a partner. He couldn’t wait to meet their future son or daughter. He knew that by having Patience as a mother, the baby would turn out wonderfully.

  Patience smiled back at her husband, taking his hand and placing it on her belly. She had thought she would be annoyed by the swelling and weight gain that accompanied pregnancy, but instead, she felt fantastic, better than she had in years. She could scarcely believe her good fortune in meeting John and being welcomed into his supportive, generous family. Their unborn child would be cared for and loved in ways she could barely imagine.

  As Patience looked out the window, she saw the first few flutters of an imminent snowfall. The tiny flakes cascaded down onto the city of Creede, and Patience felt grateful for everything she had. Although she didn’t know exactly what the future had in store for her, she knew that everything would turn out just as it was meant to be.

  What’s Next for Cowboys and Angels

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