A Widow to Heal His Outlaw Soul – Extended Epilogue

One Year Later

To everybody’s surprise, Dona Esperanza was the one who insisted the whole town get together to celebrate the twins’ birthday.

“It’s one year since all the awfulness happened,” she’d said bluntly, “and it’s been too long since we all got together to celebrate something good. It’s the perfect time.”

“I can’t say I mind,” Isadora remarked, hand in hand with her husband, making their way down the path which led towards the town. “Dona Esperanza is so much better at arranging these things than me.”

Jake chuckled, squeezing her hand. “You can say that again.”

The baby in his arms, Valentina, wriggled and squealed, longing to get down and crawl around. Maria Dolores had just woken from a nap, and yawned and stretched in her mother’s arms, blinking sleepily.

“It’s hard to imagine they were once so different in sizes,” Isadora commented, leaning down to press a kiss against Maria Dolores’ forehead. “Valentina was so small, so frail, I used to worry that she wouldn’t survive.”

“And look at them now,” Jake laughed, jigging her up and down in his arms. “Hale and hearty and ready for anything. Heaven help us when they start to walk.”

Isadora snorted. “I don’t even like to imagine it.”

“Well, perhaps we should start. They’re already crawling, and Valentina looks like she can’t wait to get up and start running around.”

Chuckling, Isadora brushed her shoulder against her husband’s. She could feel the cool ridge of his wedding ring against her finger, a delightful reminder of their new life together.

We’ve come so far. We’ve got so much further to go, but I find that I can’t wait. What adventures are waiting for us?

Isadora knew better than anyone that there was no saying what life would hold for them. There was a little anxiety in that knowledge, but there was something exciting about it too. Of course, life could crumble at any given moment. Terrible things could happen without warning. Unavoidable tragedies might arrive.

But so could wonderful things. Happy things. The future might hide badness, but it might also hide goodness.

Isadora glanced up and found Jake smiling lovingly down at her. His cheeks were flushed from the cold wind, the first skeins of winter coming crawling down from the mountaintops. Winter in Frost Ridge would always be hard, but there was something satisfying about weathering it out. There was something good about sitting in a comfortable, warm house in front of a roaring fire, with a blanket over one’s knees and one’s children sleeping in a crib at the corner, watching the snow pelt the window and knowing that it couldn’t get in.

“What?” Jake asked, grinning. “You look lost in thought.”

“I was just thinking that I couldn’t wait to see through a full winter with you.”

He laughed aloud. “You’re looking forward to winter? You’re mad, Isadora.”

“I certainly am.”

He tightened his grip on her hand, pulling her close enough to press a rough, clumsy kiss on the top of her head. With Valentina in his arms and Maria Dolores in hers, they didn’t have much freedom to do much else.

They walked on in a companionable silence. Isadora could hear laughter and chatter rising on the breeze, coming from the town square below. A warmth spread through her.

My community, she thought. My family. My friends.

I’m lucky, aren’t I?

At that moment, Valentina stirred in Jake’s arms, peering up at him out of large, curious eyes.

“Pap-Pap,” she gurgled. “Pa-pa-pa-pa. Papa!”

They both stopped, frozen, staring down at the baby.

“Did she just say…” Jake began, wonder in his voice.

“Papa,” Isadora whispered, grinning. “She called you Papa.”

“I can’t believe it. I… This is wonderful, Isadora. But… But shouldn’t her first word have been Mama?”

Isadora giggled. “It should, but fortunately we have twins. Maria Dolores’ first word had better be Mama.”

They laughed together, and the babies burbled as if they found it all funny, too. The laughter faded away naturally, and they walked on together in a comfortable silence.

She glanced up at Jake again and wondered briefly if she should break her news now.

No, Isadora decided. I’ll wait.

***

The town square, when they reached it, had been well decorated. Colored paper chains hung from the trees, laced between houses, and spiraled around chair and table legs. Dona Esperanza had put together a series of tables to make one long feasting table, uneven and comically wonky. The long table was covered in mismatching cloths, strewn with garlands of evergreens. No flowers, Isadora was glad to see. No dying blooms resting sadly on the tables.

Dona Esperanza herself was flitting here and there, talking and gesturing wildly, and barely spared a smile and a wave for Isadora and Jake.

“Look at all that food,” Jake murmured, gesturing to a large table. The table was laden with fresh bread, pastries, whole roasted chickens, a turkey by the looks of it, fried pork, roast beef, stewed fruit, grits, cornbread, vegetables roasted in the meat juices, and much, much more. Isadora’s mouth watered at the delicious scents.

“She’s outdone herself, hasn’t she?” called a familiar voice. They turned to see Benito striding towards them, grinning. “What a spread. I think we’re more excited about this than any of the Holy Day feasts.”

Isadora let out a burst of laughter. “Don’t let Señora Marquez hear that.”

“No fear,” Benito answered, winking. “She’s napping over there, at the head of the table. She’ll wake in time for the food, I think. Ah, here comes my apprentice now.”

Alonso approached, his arm tangled up with Lucia’s. They’d been married for about six months, Lucia’s belly heavy with child. She touched her belly a lot, Isadora had noticed.

“It feels as though I never see you these days,” Lucia commented with a laugh, throwing her arms around her sister.

Señora Marquez woke up with a start, levered herself out of the chair, and came shuffling over towards them.

“I’ll take one of the babies,” she announced brusquely. Chuckling, Isadora handed over Maria Dolores – she was Señora Marquez’ favorite – and Father Roman came out of nowhere, swooping up Valentina.

“How are you feeling?” Isadora asked gently, steering her sister over to the table. Benito, Alonso, and Jake stayed behind, chattering in quick, eager voices about the carpentry business.

“Tired,” Lucia confessed. “I’m so excited for my baby, really I am, but I miss riding so much.”

“It’s only for a little while. Once your baby is older, you can even take her out riding with you. Or him, it might be a boy.”

“I hope it’s a girl,” Lucia answered, smiling softly and smoothing over the curve of her belly. “I’d like our three girls to grow up together, close as sisters.”

Isadora smiled affectionately, reaching out and taking her sister’s hand. “They will. No matter what, Lucia, they will.”

“I’m afraid, too,” Lucia admitted. “I’m afraid of childbirth.”

“That’s natural. I’ll be there to take care of you, and so will Dona Esperanza and Señora Marquez. It will be fine.”

Lucia gave a nervous smile. “I know, I know. It’s not just the childbirth, though. I’m afraid of raising my child. What if I do something wrong?”

“We’re all afraid of that,” Isadora shrugged. “We just do the best we can.”

Lucia nodded, then a slow smile spread over her face.

“Fears aside,” she admitted, “I have to admit that I can’t wait. And nor can Alonso – he lies with his ear against my belly to try and hear our baby’s heartbeat. And he sings to it, too, just in case the baby can hear.”

Isadora chuckled. “I imagine that Jake would be like that.”

“I’m sure he will, if you two have your own children. Do you think you will?”

Isadora glanced away, hiding a smile. “I don’t know. Maybe.”

The meal started minutes later. Dona Esperanza carved up the meat with a flourish, and everybody dug in. Isadora leaned over to whisper to Jake.

“Sheriff Dawson’s here.”

“I know,” Jake responded with a grin. “He reassured me that Don Mateo and Esteban aren’t ever getting out of jail. We’re never going to have to see them again.”

“I know,” Isadora answered, dropping her voice further, “but he’s sitting right next to Dona Esperanza. Do you think she’s tired of being a widow?”

Jake chuckled. “I don’t know. Maybe. They seem friendly enough. Maybe the town is ready for another wedding.”

“Maybe they are. You should make a toast, you know.”

He considered it, then shook his head. “Actually, Isadora, I think it should be you. After all, you’re just about to be the village leader.”

“I am not.”

He chuckled, leaning forward to kiss her cheek. “I think that you should consider it.”

“Well, maybe I will,” Isadora relented. “But not while we’re eating. I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.”
“Oh, certainly. Our ranch might be expanding, but my work is tripling.”

“It’ll be worth it, to have a proper ranch for our children,” Isadora admitted. “You are happy here, aren’t you, Jake?”

He blinked at her, momentarily taken aback. “Happy? Isadora, I feel as though my life never really began until I arrived in Frost Ridge. It was God alone that led me to you – my own luck would never have carried me this far.”

Isadora kissed him for that, resting her forehead against his.

Now is the time, she thought, heart thumping.

“I have some news,” she murmured, meeting his eye. “Jake, I think I might be pregnant.”

His eyes widened. “Pregnant? You’re sure?”

She nodded. “With midwives like Señora Marquez around, I don’t need to travel to a doctor to confirm it. I think I’m close to four months along, and I’ll start to show soon. I… I wanted to be sure before I told you.”

Jake let out a ragged breath. Taking her hand, he pressed her knuckles to her lips.

“It’s beautiful news, Isadora,” he whispered thickly. “I’m terrified, I’m thrilled, I… I don’t know how to react. But I am happy, Isadora. So happy I could burst!”

She smiled so widely that her cheeks ached. They leaned against each other, lost in thought for a few moments.

Isadora opened her eyes first. She found herself looking away from the bustling, happy feast table, all the way across the square to were the tree line began. There, in front of the bushes, sat a little desert fox, its sandy fur fluffed out, watching her. She met its eye and held her breath.

Carefully, delicately, with all the time in the world, the fox got to its feet, shook out its tail, and went darting nimbly off into the undergrowth, disappearing from view. Swallowing past a lump in her throat, Isadora smiled.

THE END