The Key to Her Heart’s lock – Extended Epilogue

Three Years Later

“Abby, don’t run!” Sierra called to the young girl as she waddled out into the yard at a speed that left her mother running after her swiftly. She was panting as she ran out to catch up with her daughter, already out of practice from such a high-energy activity.

Sierra scooped her up quickly and smiled as the young girl giggled at the sudden rush of air blowing past her as she was lifted. She brought the young girl back toward the farmhouse, where she hadn’t quite finished with her chores. However, Abigail Roger had wanted to play outside in the yard. At the ripe age of almost three, she was getting quicker on her feet, although still very prone to falling over and injuring herself.

Tom was out in the yard working, and as they usually took it in turns to watch over their child, Sierra found that it was her turn. In the beginning, it had been almost impossible to keep an eye on the baby as well as complete the various tasks that the farm demanded to as high of a standard as usual. Sierra couldn’t say that she had been coping to the best of her ability—at times, it had brought on many sleep-deprived arguments between herself and Tom.

But it had all been a part of the process. Abby was now beginning to grow up at an alarming rate, making Sierra almost miss the times when she couldn’t yet use her own legs to get around. Now, it was clear that Abby wasn’t going to stop running ever since she’d first realized that she could do so. Sierra was sure there was going to be some kind of harsh lesson for her to learn, a particularly bad fall that would leave her not wanting to dart around for a while. She didn’t want it to happen, but she could see no other way that her child would listen to reason.

“Come on, you, just wait inside for a little while longer now,” Sierra chuckled as she walked with Abby back into the house.

There was a buzz in the air, as Sierra had spoken by letter to John and had agreed on a date for when he was going to come and visit them. That date had finally arrived, and she was struggling to keep in her excitement at the thought of seeing her brother again. He hadn’t been back for so long, not since he’d first left, and it felt like another world ago by that point. A world without Abigail now felt like a far-off imagination, as though the child had always been there.

“You’re going to meet Uncle John soon, aren’t you?”

The little girl seemed to squeak in response, smiling widely without any kind of clue as to what was going on. Sierra chuckled at this, marveling at the adorable way that the girl in front of her resembled a mixture of both herself and Tom. She had always found it incredible that there was now another human that looked a bit like her, it was something in the way that her nose rose up as though it had to climb over an invisible hump. It was the same structure as her own. Sierra couldn’t help the smile on her face as she quickly got back to cleaning up the kitchen.

She had been busy doing something that three years ago she wouldn’t have been the best at. But since then, she’d simply had to learn how to manage, how to do most things that she couldn’t previously do. Cooking was one of the biggest ones.

She had used an old recipe, one she’d found upstairs in one of her father’s old files. It had been written in almost illegible cursive writing by a Fisher. A Fisher from far back in time that was no longer remembered by anyone living.

It was a simple enough recipe to make, a sweet bread that Sierra could only hope would taste amazing. She was sure John wouldn’t mind if there were no extravagances for his arrival, but Sierra still wanted to do something to show that she’d missed him.

“How’s it going in here?” Tom walked in with a smile on his rugged face. The sweat on his forehead was causing his hair to stick to it, making him look slightly ridiculous.

“It’s all good, we’re just cleaning up now.”

“Is Abigail part of that we?” Tom asked with a chuckle. He moved over to kiss his wife, who squirmed at the fact that he was a clammy mess.

“Of course she is.”

The little girl laughed again as though she understood exactly what they were talking about.

“Everything is almost ready.” Sierra nodded to him, knowing that there were still things to be done around the house that would benefit from a little more love than they usually got.

“It’s his home, he’s not going to worry about whether or not you’ve dusted it to within an inch of its life,” Tom reminded her with a chuckle, shaking his head.

“I know, but it would still be nice to just put in a bit of an effort for him. It’s been three years, after all.”

“I understand.” Tom nodded and smiled lightly to show that he was in full support of her. “Just don’t stress out by making sure everything is as close to perfect as you can get it. I don’t think it’s very healthy for you.”

“No, I’m fine. We’re fine, aren’t we Abby?”

Abigail started at her name and smiled almost deliriously as she looked up at them both.

The couple smiled and Tom bent down to pick the girl up. “Come on, you, I think it’s time to give Mommy a bit of a break.”

Sierra smiled at Tom’s words. She couldn’t believe that one man could be just so caring and helpful. He rarely complained about his own fatigue, making Sierra feel slightly bad whenever she complained herself.

“Thank you.” She smiled to Tom as he shook it off as though it was nothing, then proceeded to take their daughter outside for some fresh air.

*

Tom had been the one outside, so he had been the one who’d called for her to come out and see who it was.

But Sierra knew exactly what that meant even before she was out of the door. John was riding into the compound on a horse, with another rider following suit. Even from that far away, Sierra could tell that the person riding behind John was a woman; her skirts flowed with each gallop and blonde hair tumbled over her shoulders.

Sierra’s eyes widened and she soon felt a great happiness that she simply couldn’t describe. To know that John had found somebody that might be the person for him to share his life with was so good to see.

She wasted no time in running over to him once he had dismounted from the horse. Her broad smile continued as she embraced him in such a strong hug that he staggered back slightly.

“Woah, it’s good to see you, too.” He chuckled, smiling broadly as the companion with him dismounted, too.

“I can’t believe you’re really here.” There were tears in her eyes as she pulled him in for another hug, savoring the feeling. It felt so strange to be seeing him in the flesh after so long.

He hadn’t changed much in three years, although he had let his hair grow slightly longer than she remembered he would usually tolerate it. But it didn’t seem to be bothering him as he smiled and pulled away.

“Sierra I’d like to introduce you to Madison.”

“It’s very good to meet you,” the woman said to her. Sierra could already see that she had soft features and a kind voice, she seemed delicate but not overly so. She seemed right for John.

“It’s good to meet you, as well.” Sierra smiled. Madison nodded to her, but Sierra then laughed and shook her head, pulling the woman in for a tight hug. “We don’t do the usual formalities around here.”

Madison was chuckling too, her cheeks tinted a slight rose color from the unexpected embrace. Sierra could only hope that the hug had helped her to feel a little less nervous. She knew exactly why she had come with John; it was clear from the moment that he took her hand in his that they were a budding couple.

Tom stepped forward and pulled John in for a rather manly hug that involved a lot of strong fists patting one another on the back.

“It’s good to have you back.” Tom nodded to him with a smile.

“It’s good to be home.” John then looked down at the toddling girl by Tom’s side. “And I’ve heard all about you.”

His face softened in a way that Sierra couldn’t remember seeing before, his features were kinder and didn’t look as weary as they had done a second ago. He looked as though he was beyond happy to finally be meeting Abby.

“Abby, this is your Uncle John that we were telling you about,” Tom tried to explain to her. All of them were guilty of putting on a slightly higher-pitched voice whenever they spoke to her, it seemed to be some kind of habit when addressing a baby.

However, Abigail had suddenly become incredibly shy and had decided that she didn’t want to see John at all. She hid behind her father’s leg as though she was going off the mentality that if she couldn’t see John, then he wouldn’t be able to see her.

Tom moved his leg away and scooped up Abby into his arms. “Come on, say hello.”

The young girl squealed and giggled in his arms, finally turning her attention to the stranger in her midst. She didn’t know what to do or how to react, and it was in that moment that Sierra realized they’d been keeping Abby too sheltered on the farm. She wasn’t used to the sight of new people. Sierra quickly made a mental note to take her daughter down into the town more often.

“Hello, Abigail, it’s so great to finally meet you.” John smiled down at the young girl and held out his hand. Her entire hand managed to close around just one of his fingers. It was a humbling sight and John found himself almost choking up. “Congratulations, you two.” He nodded to them both.

They both smiled before Tom gave Abby to Sierra to hold while he introduced himself to Madison.

“You have a beautiful daughter,” she told him with a smile.

“Thanks.”

The four of them walked as Abigail decided to remain in Tom’s arms for the duration of the journey. Sierra walked ahead with her brother.

“So, when did you meet Madison?”

“Do you like her?” John looked rather nervous as he asked this.

“She seems lovely, is it serious?”

John nodded tentatively. “I met her in one of the first towns that I went to when I got down to Texas. It took me by surprise, because I never expected to find someone like her so soon.” Sierra smiled as he continued. “We just clicked. There was something between us that we realized neither of us could ignore. I’ve spent over a year with her now, I’ve met her family and have her father’s blessing. We’ve been courting for a while.”

Sierra’s eyes widened at the news; it was something that he had kept quiet in the letters he’d been sending.

“I wanted it to be a surprise,” he continued. “I just was so nervous that you wouldn’t like her.”

“Is it important that I like her?” Sierra asked with a chuckle.

“It is, because you’re the only immediate family I have left. It’s important that you like her.”

“Well, you won’t have any worries with that. She seems lovely,” Sierra nodded reassuringly. She was excited to get to know Madison more, but she was sure she was going to thoroughly enjoy it.

“I’m glad.” John nodded, a smile returning to his voice. “Abby is adorable.”

“Thank you, she can be a bit of a handful when she wants to be.” Sierra admitted with a chuckle.

“Just like her mother, then.”

John’s cheekiness was something she had thoroughly missed. It reminded her of the old times, when it was just the two of them against the world.

“Watch it, you,” Sierra teased playfully as she invited him inside.

John stopped once he stood in the doorway. Sierra could see that he was looking around the room and blinking slightly wildly.

“What is it?”

John started at the sound of her voice and then moved to the side to allow the rest of them inside.

Sierra turned around to see that Madison was now holding Abby with a smile on her face.

“I just… it looks the same, but nicer.” John looked around and marveled. “Although a little more… family-like.”

He gestured over to the corner, where a few of Abby’s toys had been discarded in the rush to get everything ready for his arrival.

“I couldn’t change it too much, there’s far too much to do out there for us to be worrying about what it looks like in here.”

“Always the Fisher mindset.” John chuckled and continued to look around. “I like what you did outside, by the way, with the tree.”

“It’s where we found the chest.” She nodded out the window to where the lone tree stood. “It’s the one hole that we didn’t cover for ages. We decided to plant a tree there, figured it would last longer than anything else.”

“It’s a good idea, it makes for a nice reminder.”

“It does indeed,” Tom added with a smile.

The small talk around them ensued. Sierra turned to Madison, who was still holding Abby, and decided to get to know her a little better.

“I’m a farm girl myself,” she explained, and suddenly, the similarities were as clear as glass.

“John came to my father’s farm looking for work. My father just happened to be looking for a new ranch hand, he tried him out and then kept him on for a rather long time.”

“And John says that he approves of the two of you?”

“It might have taken a little encouragement from my mother. In my father’s eyes, nobody would ever be good enough, that was simply a fact of life. He wasn’t interested in trying to find me a suitor, but eventually, he saw the good in John and gave his blessing to us both.”

“I’m glad it worked out like that. John’s a good guy, he really is.”

“I saw that in him all along, it was just a case of convincing my father of that fact. But once he saw it, too, John was beyond happy. He’s been courting me for a while now, calls me his sweetheart.”

Sierra widened her eyes at this, she knew he could be rather sensitive sometimes, but she had never heard that kind of detail about it. It caused her to break out into a wide smile, glad she’d gotten the chance to speak to Madison.

“I could hear my name. What are you two talking about?” John suddenly interjected.

“Nothing,” Sierra chuckled as they rejoined as a group.

“Well, in that case, I might go and put everything down in my room and rest for a bit, if that’s okay?”

“Of course, I’m sure you’ve had a grueling ride.”

After John led Madison up to his room, Sierra turned to Tom and raised an eyebrow, clearly excited to discuss everything that had just happened.

“What’s that look for?” Tom was quizzical as he looked at his wife in confusion.

“Madison,” Sierra said in a rather comical voice. “I never anticipated that there would be a Madison when he came home.”

Tom frowned as she said this. “What did you expect?”

“I’m not sure, but I’m just over the moon that he’s found somebody like her,” Sierra said with a sigh.

“Do you think that she’s trustworthy?”

“I think if he’s been seeing her for over a year, we’ve got to assume so. That’s something we can’t control, unfortunately. It’s got to be John and John alone that finds out whether or not that’s the case.”

Tom nodded at this and pursed his lips. Both of them were silently hoping that Madison was the one for John and that she was genuine in her intentions. Sierra knew she sounded like an overprotective sibling, but she was going to have to be the one to do so. After the way Ana had managed to worm her way into their lives and ruin John’s confidence in the way that she did, Sierra knew that she couldn’t trust so easily again.

But she had to trust in John, too. After being hurt like that, it was going to take a lot for him to be able to love like that ever again, so she knew that his judgment was not to be overlooked.

“Have you got enough food for Madison, too?” Tom suddenly asked, as though Sierra wasn’t already prepared.

“Oh, believe me, I’ve stocked up with enough food to feed most of the town. One extra mouth is not going to be a problem.”

Sierra couldn’t help but smile as she spoke, it was the kind of sentence that she took pride in saying now. Three years ago, they were just scraping by and had to be careful with every penny they spent. Nothing could go to waste. Now, they were in a position where they were able to feed the ranch hands with ease, as well as themselves. It was a firm security that allowed the stress to be alleviated from the atmosphere inside of the farmhouse. Sierra felt proud that they had managed to achieve this in such a short time.

The farm was doing so well, she was sure they would soon be able to expand further if they wanted. To the west of their property was land that was currently not being used, which meant they would be able to purchase it with their savings and expand onto even more land. The thought was something that reminded her of the old farm on the other side of town. Her grandfather had reached this point in the success of the farm and moved to a completely new area. Sierra could only hope that by pushing the boundaries of their existing land, it wouldn’t have too much of an effect on their current success.

“I think it’s time to feed Abby,” Sierra muttered as she moved past Tom and over to the pantry area. She was sure they were going to have a good time playing host to John and his sweetheart.

Sierra couldn’t help but smile at how John seemed so much more in touch with his feelings now, as though he was able to finally express them in a way that Ana had never let him.

“What are you thinking about now?” Tom asked with a chuckle.

“What do you mean?” Sierra frowned at him.

“You’re doing that look again, you’re thinking about something.”

“I’m always thinking about something.”

“I know, but what is it this time? It looks like a happy memory.”

“That’s because it is a happy memory,” Sierra chuckled, refusing to properly give him the answer he wanted.

Tom knew she was playing and rolled his eyes. He shook his head and seemed to give up. “Fine, I don’t need to know that badly.”

Sierra found it nice that he was able to simply look at her and know that she was thinking intently, it showed how well he knew her. “I was thinking about John, and how much happier he seems.”

“Well, you told him to go out and find an adventure. I think he’s found a very nice one that he’s decided to introduce to you.” Tom nodded and picked up Abby while Sierra began to mash up some vegetables for her.

She found it hard trying to make sure that she had all of the correct foods in stock for her child, not wanting Abby to grow up eating food that wouldn’t help her grow. The doctor had talked her through the majority of it, but it was still difficult.

After a little while, John came downstairs and saw that Sierra was simply playing with Abigail.
“Did you manage to get some rest?” she asked him.

“Not really, I was much too excited to see my niece.” He chuckled and moved over to where she was positioned on her mother’s lap.

“Well, she’s going to need a rest of her own soon, I should think.”

“Of course.” John nodded and then pursed his lips. Sierra thought that he looked as though he was about to say something else, but then quickly stopped himself.

“Everything all right?”

“Well…” He paused from cooing over Abby to look at Sierra properly. The light from outside was beginning to die, casting heavy shadows through the darkening house. “Actually, no. I have something that I need to tell you, something that I need some advice with.”

“Go on.” Sierra sat up. She could feel the urgency in his tone.

“Well, I’ve been courting Madison for quite a while now, and I feel like I’m ready to ask her the question.”

Sierra didn’t need to ask him what question he was talking about; she knew there was only one question that he would be leading onto.

“And you want to know how to ask it?” Sierra frowned in confusion.

“Well, in a way. I’ve got her father’s blessing, I asked him before we left. I wanted to do it here, on the farm.”

“Oh, John.” Sierra smiled at his earnest tone. He truly was a changed man for the better, he was clearly showing improvements on how he expressed himself. It was something that she was happy to see, something that showed her just how much he had grown up in recent years.

“I mean, if you think you’re ready for it,” Sierra continued when he didn’t say anything. “I think you should go for it. It’s as simple as four words: will you marry me?”

“I know, but it’s the build-up to those words. I’m sure I’ll be fine with the actual question.” He chuckled and shook his head.

Sierra quickly realized that he was far too nervous to fully appreciate her teasing nature. “All right, I know what you mean. I’m not sure if I’m going to be of any use to you, though.”

“What are your thoughts on me asking her to be my wife?”

“I think that if you trust her, if you think that she’ll make you happy and you’ll make her happy, then it will be the best decision you could possibly make. So far, she seems like a lovely girl, very well spoken and a farmer’s daughter at that. If she truly is as she has been in the very short time that I have known her, then I wish you a happy marriage.”

“Thank you, that means a lot. And I know what you mean, I was scared, too, at first. I didn’t think that I would ever be able to trust another woman again.”

Although John said this with a light-hearted chuckle, Sierra knew he was also still very upset by that betrayal. It had left a long-lasting scar on his confidence and his ability to put his trust in others. Sierra could see it and felt incredibly sorry for him.

She didn’t want to make her sympathies too obvious, knowing John wouldn’t appreciate it in his nervous state.

“I think you just need to tell her how you feel. Perhaps take her out to the tree and do it? Explain that our father had wanted both of us to find happiness in this life, to not regret a moment of it.

You know, make her feel special and loved. It’ll go a long way. Trust me.”

“Thanks.” He pulled her in for a hug and squeezed tightly. “It really means a lot.”

“Don’t think about it, just let the words come naturally. I know you’ll be amazing. She’s going to love whatever you do.”

“What’re you two talking about in here, then?” Tom questioned as he walked into the kitchen through the door to the yard.

“Just sibling gossip.” Sierra chuckled as he moved to take a step away from the door. “Boots off! You’ve been working all day.”

Tom sighed but complied with his wife, shaking his head and making a real fuss out of the entire ordeal. Abby gurgled, causing the three of them to chuckle as Sierra moved to turn on a nearby lamp. The receding sun was leaving them almost in pitch black.

“Is that all right, your majesty?”

“I’m not sure about that attitude,” Sierra laughed as she greeted him with a chaste peck to his lips. “I guess if you’re coming in, you’re going to be wanting some dinner soon?”

“That would be amazing.” Tom’s eyes lit up. John soon joined in their conversation and Sierra offered him a beer to help him loosen up and shake the nerves off. She was glad to see it worked as he was able to laugh and joke as they shared stories.

Sierra liked to hear the version that John would tell them of his adventures, and then the more realistic version that Madison would explain. She was like the rock that kept him grounded to the Earth, the person who was able to see through him and anything he said. Sierra could see why he liked her company: she was easy to get along with, but headstrong enough to hold her own.

Sierra admired that about her, especially in a world where that wasn’t always a positive quality for women to have.

*

The next day arrived and Sierra knew that John was going to put his plan into action. She began with some idle work in the yard. Abby was by her side, playing with the nearby wild plants. She felt almost as nervous as John, looking around every couple of seconds in the hopes of seeing that they would be by the tree and John would be voicing his proposal.

“What’s gotten into you today?” Tom questioned as he walked past with his arms full of wood.
“What do you mean?”

“You keep looking around as though you’re expecting something to happen.”

“Well, maybe I am.”

“What are you expecting to happen, then?” He placed the wood down and moved over to where she was coating more of the fence with a protector.

“It’s something that John told me he was going to do.”

“Tell me.” All of a sudden, she had her husband’s undivided attention, and she smiled lightly as he stared at her intently.

“Okay, fine, you know how besotted they are with one another? Well, John told me yesterday that he’s going to ask Madison to marry him.”

She watched as Tom’s eyes widened in delight, an expression that years ago she would have laughed at the thought of him pulling. He had once been so moody and rugged, so ready to brood over every little detail. Married life had softened this part of him—not in a way that had changed who he was, but in a way that had only made her love him more.

“So, when is he going to ask her?”

“That’s the thing, I don’t know.”

“That’s why you’re looking so obviously nervous,” Tom chuckled as Sierra rolled her eyes.

“I didn’t realize that it was that obvious.”

“Oh, believe me, it is.”

Sierra shook off his comments and got back to work, checking in on Abby to make sure that she was okay. She then turned her attention back to where John was sitting with Madison, enjoying the sun. They had both offered to do something, feeling guilty in their non-productivity.

However, Sierra had politely declined both of their offers—they were guests, after all. She felt as though she would have been doing the world of hospitality a disservice by making them get down in the dry, dusty dirt to paint a fence.

The day continued on with John showing no sign of his intention to bring her over to the tree.

Sierra was beginning to get impatient, and she could tell that Tom was, too. They were both on edge, waiting for the moment they could turn around and watch the scene unfold with an all-consuming happiness.

“Are you sure he’s going to do it today?”

“That’s what he told me…”

Doubt was beginning to fill Sierra as she watched John shift uncomfortably. She was sure that Madison must have been able to sense how nervous he was. She sat there until she caught his eye and raised an eyebrow at him. Sierra didn’t want to put too much pressure on John, but she felt he needed a small boost to remind him of the fact that he could do this.

She pulled Abby into her lap as she watched him stand up and take Madison’s hand in his own.

He then guided her over to the tree, and Sierra felt her heart leap that he was actually doing it.

She felt Tom come and sit down at her side, cooing at Abby before resuming watching the scene unfold in front of them. She quickly realized that he was going to deliver some sort of speech to her; he held onto both of her hands and faced her straight on. Sierra couldn’t deny that it looked romantic under the tree that had grown considerably since they had planted it.

She watched as the confusion melted from Madison’s face as John began to speak—it was a look of pure admiration and love.

Sierra couldn’t help but smile, the scene in front of them was so wholesome and beautiful.

“They suit each other,” Tom commented as he leaned back.

“Don’t lean back!” Sierra suddenly cried, causing Abby to make a noise of surprise. “It’s okay baby,” she quickly cooed to stop their little girl from having a tantrum and ruining the moment.

Tom winced as he quickly moved forward; he had been merely inches from touching the wet paint with his back.

“Thanks for the heads up,” he grumbled as they continued to watch the scene in front of them. It was like some kind of show, a romantic play, and they had finally reached the final act.

Sierra didn’t think that her grin could get any wider, but as soon as John dropped down onto one knee and produced a ring from his pocket, she felt her cheeks straining from the expression.

Madison’s face was an expression of pure shock, tears of joy were falling freely as she said yes.

As soon as she did so, both Sierra and Tom erupted into a frenzy of cheers—even little Abby had something to say about it all. They smiled and clapped as John put the ring onto her finger and then stood to kiss her properly.

Sierra turned to Tom and smiled widely at him. He was also smiling as he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer to him.

“You know,” Tom began as she looked up at him and quirked an eyebrow. “I don’t think that things could have worked out any better in the end.”

“I agree with you there.” Sierra nodded with a small smile as she thought about everything that had led them to that moment. “I love you so much.”

“I love you, too,” Tom replied as he leaned in and kissed her tenderly. Abby made a small noise, causing them both to move away as she tried to come between them. “I love you both,” he added with a chuckle.

“Come on, let’s go and say congratulations to the happy couple.”

THE END

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