Love Beyond Hate in the West – Extended Epilogue

---

OFFER: A BRAND NEW SERIES AND 5 FREEBIES FOR YOU!

Grab my new series, "Brides of the Untamed Frontier", and get 5 FREE novels as a gift! Have a look here!

---

Margaret stepped into the room quietly, scanning the beautiful decorations and the even more beautiful girl sitting at the dressing table. Mrs. Myers was carefully drawing barrettes and combs through Nora’s dark hair.

She walked toward them and dropped into a chair by the young woman who was about to become her sister-in-law.

In the weirdest turn of events, Nora and Jackson had fallen in love. Margaret knew from the day he set their mansion on fire, Jackson was a changed man. Over the past year, Nora had drawn Jackson out of his hate and into a depth of love even Margaret found astounding.

Nora’s sweet and gentle demeanor calmed the fire in Jackson’s soul, steadied it so he could use it for doing good, instead of trying to destroy their rival family.

With the war between their families over, Margaret and Dave enjoyed the life they had together living in a cottage near Myers Mountain until he found a ranch he wanted to buy. The cottage had several rooms, enough for the children they planned to have and to live comfortably unless they really did have the dozen children Dave wanted.

Margaret grinned, thinking about his suggestion, resting her hand on her swollen stomach. She could feel her child moving about inside her, and it touched her heart. She couldn’t wait to see the child’s face, to kiss his or her little cheeks and love her firstborn with everything she had inside her.

“Margie, thank you for coming to help,” Nora said in her quiet voice. “Ma is almost done with my hair, and I’ll need you to help me with my gown while she protects it so it doesn’t get messed up.”

Mrs. Myers turned a laughing smile to Margaret. “I think she’s more worried about her hair than anything else.”

“Well, it is beautiful,” Margaret said, giving Nora an admiring look. “I wish my hair looked like yours, Nora.”

“Don’t be silly,” Nora responded, waving one small hand in the air dismissively. “Your hair is not only as beautiful as mine, it is exactly what Dave likes, and that’s all that matters, isn’t it?”

Margaret nodded, her affection for her sister-in-law washing through her.

“I am glad to help, Nora. I am really surprised by how this all worked out. With Laura and Shawn spending time together, I think the feud between our families stemmed us all to marry each other.”

Nora laughed, tilting her head back.

“Nora, straighten your head, dear,” Mrs. Myers scolded her gently, gripping her daughter’s head steady with both hands and smiling at the young woman in the mirror. Nora smiled back at her.

“I know how much Ma wants grandchildren,” Nora said, moving her eyes to Margaret’s reflection, keeping her head pointed straight forward. She dropped her eyes to Margaret’s belly and smiled. “I don’t know if I ever will be able to have any. I’m glad you are already giving her a grandchild. Maybe she won’t breathe down my neck about it.”

“Nora! You are being exceptionally snarky today, aren’t you?” Mrs. Myers didn’t look in the least bit upset with her daughter. To Margaret, it looked like she was even happier. It didn’t really surprise Margaret. Nora was probably a completely different woman, now that she wasn’t isolating herself and feeling ill all the time.

Her trembling had all but stopped since she began seeing Jackson. It was as if he was the drug she needed to calm her sensitive nerves. She was no longer extremely pale and thin. She’d gotten a lot more sun, going out, doing things with her new beau.

Margaret remembered several months back when she and Dave had a picnic and invited everyone on both sides of the family. They all went to the biggest waterfall on Myers Mountain and enjoyed an afternoon of swimming, eating, and laughing.

While watching their brothers and sisters frolic in the water, Dave leaned back on his elbows, stretched out on the blanket he and Margaret were using.

“It’s hard to believe things turned out this way,” he had said. Margaret remembered the contemplative look on his face. When he turned his eyes to her, she felt that familiar butterfly feeling in her stomach. She loved it when he looked directly into her eyes. It felt like they created a new bond every time that happened.

“I mean, think about it. Jackson almost killed Nora and several of my employees. I shoved you in a water trough and dared you to climb a tree when you were too little to do it.” He laughed softly. “It’s really hard to believe we’re all here like this now. The only ones it makes sense with is Laura and Shawn. They never had anything against each other.”

“Well,” she’d responded. “Laura did warn Shawn to stop coming over to the ranch and destroying things.”

Dave looked back out at their siblings, nodding. “That’s true. Nora is gonna end up marrying your brother.”

Margaret remembered the look she’d given her husband. “Well, yes, that’s the obvious outcome, isn’t it?”

He looked at her again. “I guess. It’s just surprising, is all.”

“You’re going to be a beautiful bride, Nora,” Margaret said, coming back to the present when Nora stood up, still staring at herself in the mirror. The young woman gave her a smile, turning to her.

“I’m ready for this, Margie.” She turned to give her mother a soft look. “And I know you are, too, aren’t you, Ma? You didn’t think this would ever happen.”

Mrs. Myers put one arm around her daughter’s shoulders, pulled her close, and kissed her on the side of her head. Then she scoffed at herself for taking a chance at messing up the hair she’d just taken a half hour to fix. She patted the place where she’d kissed and looked down at her daughter.

“I love you, Nora. I must say I did not think it would happen. But I’m so very glad it did.”

“And to my brother.” Margaret smiled, shaking her head. “Dave was saying a few months ago how odd it is that all of us are together now. Poor Drew and Sammy. They don’t get to marry Myers women.”

The three of them laughed together. Margaret followed Nora to the large closet. The young woman pulled open the doors and walked in, staring at the dress on the mannequin in the middle of the closet.

Margaret’s eyes opened wide. It was the first time she’d seen the dress. It had been fitted to Nora so it would look perfect on her. She was short and petite, so the dress wasn’t very big. It was white satin with pearls dotted on the surface and lace around the trims. The back was slightly longer than the front, but the veil that Nora would be wearing was on the head of the mannequin, and it fell down to the ground and would stretch out a few feet behind her as she walked.

Margaret stepped to the side and watched as Mrs. Myers carefully removed the dress from the mannequin and the three women left the closet.

For the next fifteen minutes, Margaret helped her sister-in-law and mother-in-law prepare Nora for the wedding. They were well in time and weren’t in a rush, which proved to be much easier on all of them.

When she was ready and waiting for the hour to come, Margaret excused herself from them and went to find her husband.

She didn’t see Dave anywhere, but she did run into Sammy and Jackson, sitting in the front foyer with drinks in their hands. Jackson looked tense.

She sat down at the table they were at and moved her eyes between her brothers.

“Well, look who’s here. You look a little ill, Jackson. You all right?”

Jackson nodded, resting his eyes on her. He was much calmer than he’d been the year before. Margaret could tell something was bothering him, though.

She tilted her head to the side and gave him an inquisitive look. “You look troubled. What’s wrong? Just jitters from getting married?”

Jackson shook his head, dropping his eyes to the surface of the table, tapping two fingers on it as he spoke. “No, I’ve been ready to marry Nora for a long time now. It’s just … well, this wedding is so close to the anniversary, the day I …”

The three of them were silent, Sammy and Margaret staring intently at Jackson. Margaret thought it would be best if Jackson didn’t torture himself about what he’d done, but Sammy once said it showed Jackson had a conscience, and he should be given time to heal and forgive himself. It didn’t matter how long it took for him to do that, Sammy said, they all just needed to encourage and support him. Let him know they weren’t through with him for what he’d done.

Sammy couldn’t say much anyway. He’d known what Jackson was going to do and hadn’t stopped him. He was almost as responsible and had admitted it to Margaret.

“You need to think about how much things have changed, Jack,” Margaret said softly. “You aren’t the same person anymore. You are a better man, a good man. That’s why Nora is marrying you. You can’t keep putting yourself down for what you did before. Everyone else has forgiven you. You need to forgive yourself.”

Jackson looked like he was brooding on that comment for a moment, sliding his eyes around the open room. A breeze came through the room, and Margaret looked at the door, which was standing open on the other side of the room. The sun outside was so bright and the blue sky inviting. It was going to be a beautiful day for an outdoor wedding.

“I hope I can soon,” he said in a pained voice. Margaret felt sorry for him. It would be a year since the fire in only two weeks. Why Nora and Jackson decided to get married so close to it was beyond Margaret’s comprehension. The only reason she could tell herself was that they wanted to bring something good to celebrate close to the anniversary of a tragedy. It would overshadow the sorrow. Nora and Jackson would be on their honeymoon when the day came around. Margaret hoped they would be able to forget what day it was because they were having so much fun.

“I do, too.”

“Yeah, you’re going to have a good time on your honeymoon,” Sammy said, leaning forward and giving his brother a direct look. “You’re gonna forget all about last year. Nora will make sure of that.”

Margaret nodded her agreement. “She definitely will. And as for you dwelling on it today, when you see her in her gown as she’s walking up the aisle toward you, you won’t be thinking about it, I promise. She looks beautiful.”

Jackson lifted his eyes to his sister’s face. “I’m sure she does,” he replied with a smile. “I can’t wait to see her. I just …”

Margaret shook her head, prompting him to stop speaking and stare at her. “No more talk of that, Jack. You are getting married today, and the only worries you should have is that the wedding goes off without a hitch.”

“Yeah, you need to hope and pray she doesn’t run out screaming at the last minute,” Sammy said, smiling so his brother would know he was teasing.

“She ain’t gonna do that,” Jackson said, sneering good-heartedly at his brother. Margaret watched them teasing each other with happiness in her heart. They weren’t the same as they used to be. Sammy had completely backed off from telling her what to do. That was to be expected now that she was married. She reckoned he thought Dave was the one bossing her around now.

But he didn’t. He rarely told her what to do and was often asking her advice on things. He’d told her once she was the smartest person he knew and reiterated that he said “person” and not “woman”, meaning he didn’t know any men smarter than her.

While Margaret knew that was a little fib, it was a nice compliment, and Dave got a big kiss for saying it.

“Nah, she won’t,” Sammy replied. “I’m just teasin’. Probably shouldn’t considering you’ve got …” He pulled his pocket watch out and clicked open the cover. “About forty minutes till you’re a married man and you have to do whatever Nora tells you to do.”

Margaret laughed, happy to see a smile on Jackson’s face. Despite the worried look he was carrying, his body was incredibly relaxed. He was sitting in his tuxedo, his long legs stretched out under the table, making it impossible for either of his siblings to put theirs underneath. He was sitting against the back of the chair in such a way that his jacket was slightly rumpled. He was obviously slumping in the seat. One hand rested on his leg while the other was out on the table above. He tapped his fingers when he was nervous, so the constant tapping on the table could be heard through the room.

Margaret looked at Sammy. “Sammy, do you think all women tell their husbands what to do? Is that why you haven’t yet found a woman you want to marry and have a family with?”

Sammy shrugged and responded in a nonchalant voice, “Eh. I guess so. I don’t really think about it. I attended your wedding; I’m attending yours.” He moved his eyes between his siblings. “Next, it will be Laura’s. Maybe by then, I’ll have a woman on my arm. I’m not real concerned about it, yet. Bein’ in the middle, I don’t have to provide the grandchildren or anything. Why, I could be a bachelor all my life if I wanted to be.”

“That’s not really what you want, though, is it?” Margaret gave him a questioning look.

He shrugged again. “I don’t know. Maybe.”

Jackson snorted. Margaret looked at him as he chided his brother. “That’s not true, and you know it, brother. You like the ladies, and sooner or later, one of them will like you back enough to stick around for a while.”

Margaret couldn’t help laughing and was glad when Sammy did, too.

“I am glad I don’t have to worry about any of it for a while. I’m perfectly content fishing and swimming and doing all the things I do on my own, by myself.”

“Maybe for now. But that woman comes along, and you’ll be singing a different tune.”

Margaret shifted in her seat when the baby in her belly suddenly turned over and seemed to push off to the other side inside her. She looked down and saw the impression of what could only be the baby’s head pushing up against her skin. The child made an abrupt jumping movement, and two impressions right next to each other appeared near her belly button. She could feel them through her dress.

She giggled. It was the baby’s feet. It had to be.

“I wish you boys could see the baby moving. I think he’s going to be running all over the place.”

“Gonna have a rambunctious kid, are ya?” Sammy said with a grin. “You think it’s gonna be a boy?”

Margaret nodded. In her sewing, book, and fashion clubs, she’d had many of the ladies perform what they liked to call “baby sex texts” to tell the gender of the child ahead of time.

“The ladies all seem to think so,” she said. “They’ve done about every test they can do!”

The three of them laughed.

“Don’t you go having that baby while I’m gone,” Jackson warned her with a smile. “I want to be around to make sure you’re okay.”

“Dave will make sure everything is okay,” Margaret responded, feeling compassion and love for her brother wash through her. “But that’s awfully sweet of you. Please don’t cut your honeymoon short because of me. I won’t let anyone write you if it happens.”

“You better!” Jackson quipped. “I want to know. Don’t you keep that from me. I’ll be with Nora the rest of my life. Cutting a honeymoon short for something important would be the right thing to do. I don’t think Nora would ever let me hear the end of it if I didn’t care about you.”

Margaret loved her brothers. She leaned forward as much as she could with her large belly in the way and rested one of her hands on his, stopping his tapping fingers.

“I love you, Jack. And you, Sammy. I’m so glad it’s all turned out the way it has. Everyone is happy. That’s the most important thing.”

Jackson nodded. “We’re all going to be happy, Margie. I know it.”

Sammy, not to be left out of the warmth and love, also put his hand out, covering both his brother’s and his sister’s.

“Ma and Pa are proud of you two,” he said, his voice more serious than usual. He moved his eyes solemnly from Jackson to Margaret. “I pray every day, and I know they do, too, that you two will be happy and healthy for a very, very long time. Years. Years and years.”

Margaret could tell he was slipping back into his typical joking behavior. She waited for the punch line that never came.

“You’re both real special to me,” he continued. “As far as I’m concerned, my family doubled in size the day of the fire. I may not have found love out of it like the three of you, but it makes my heart sing to see my brother and sisters so happy. My time will come. But for now, just know that me, Ma, Pa and all them in the Myers clan love you all and pray for your happiness every single day.”

Margaret and Jackson smiled at each other. There was nothing better than a strong family bond to bring peace to the heart.

Readers who read this book also liked

---

OFFER: A BRAND NEW SERIES AND 5 FREEBIES FOR YOU!

Grab my new series, "Brides of the Untamed Frontier", and get 5 FREE novels as a gift! Have a look here!

---