A Cattle Drive to Mend Two Hearts – Extended Epilogue

One year later

As Addie and Cole rode into the town of Stone Ridge, she was looking forward to seeing young Samuel again. Cole was excited too.

He had left Marcus in charge, instructing him to lead the cattle drive the rest of the way home to the Bar A. The dogs would continue traveling with the men, too. Meanwhile, the two of them would take a day or two and visit with the injured boy.

Doc Jake greeted them in his office, jovial as ever. “Good to see you folks again! How did the rest of your drive go?”

She and Cole glanced at each other. “All’s well that ends well, Doc,” he replied.

“Yes, indeed. Life always has its challenges, doesn’t it? 

“Truer words have never been spoken,” Addie added wryly.

“Well, I’m guessing you’re not just here to see me, but you’d like to see our friend Samuel?”

She smiled. “Yes, sir. How is he doing?”

“Glad to report he’s healing up very well. Very well, indeed. But I’m afraid the authorities have been unable to locate any living relatives.” His face grew somber. “Which means once Sam’s recovery is complete, he’ll be assigned to an orphanage somewhere in the Territory.”

Addie’s heart went out to the child. “Does he know what happened to his parents?”

Doctor Jacobson nodded. “Yes. The boy took it very hard at first—as one would expect—but he seems to be doing somewhat better now.”

When they entered the recovery room Samuel was sitting in bed, reading. He looked up and smiled when he recognized them. “Hello Miss Addie! Hi, Cole.”

“Howdy, partner,” Cole replied. “Good to see ya!”

“How are you, Sam?” Addie asked.

He shrugged, his gaze falling downward. “Okay, I guess.” Then he brightened again. “How was the cattle drive? Did you sell your big herd?”

“Yes, we did, and got a very good price for the cattle, too. Thanks to Cole’s help.”

Samuel glanced at him. “Good work, trail boss!”

Cole chuckled. “Thank you very much.”

“Remember you said I can go on a cattle-drive someday, Addie. Right?”

Her heart leaped to her throat. “I won’t forget, Sam… I promise.”

“Good. Hey look: I can walk with a bit of help now.” He swung his legs to the edge of the bed, grabbed the pair of crutches nearby and stood up.

Addie knelt down on her haunches about six feet away, held her arms out toward him. “Can you walk to me, Sam?”

“Sure.” He wobbled slowly over to her, stood there with a triumphant grin. She wrapped her arms around him in a hug.

“Well done, brave little man!”

“Good job, Sam,” Cole added, giving him a pat on the back.

“Thanks.” He beamed at them both.

After their visit, Addie and Cole sat together on the leather-upholstered couch in the waiting room of the clinic, watching the occasional buggy or horse clop by on the street. Doc Jake was out on a house call, and the place was quiet. 

She sighed happily. “That was a great visit, wasn’t it? What a resilient little boy.”

He nodded. “Yeah. He really is. It’s tough that he has to go live in an orphanage, though. It was tough for me living with only one parent, I can’t imagine having none at all.”

She wondered where he was going with this. “Do you have something in mind, Cole?”

He cleared his throat. “Well… you know, Addie, the Doc was telling me that folks who are married in Wyoming Territory can adopt a child.”

Her heart rate quickened. “Uh-huh.” 

Cole looked at her intently. “What do you say we get hitched?”

“When?”

“Soon.”

Addie chuckled. This was certainly a surprise—a good kind of surprise. “Right here in Stone Ridge?”

“Why not? I love you, you love me… and that boy needs a family.”

It wasn’t the most romantic of proposals, but she loved it.

“Get married in Stone Ridge… and adopt Sam. If he’ll have us, of course.” she reminded him.

“Yep.”

“What about the ranch?”

“It’s your ranch, Addie. Keep it in your name.”

“I don’t know, Cole… this is all so sudden.”

“Sudden can be good,” he suggested playfully. 

“But I’d need a dress, and a bridesmaid and—”

Cole shook his head. “For now, all we’d have to do is sign our names. We could have a big celebration later in Redstone, if you like.”

She stared at him, nervous but excited at the same time. 

This could work.

“I was talking to Doc,” Cole went on, “he’d be glad to officiate if we want to get hitched.”

“Is that legal?”

He nodded. “The doc’s got a Justice of the Peace license. There’s no ministers in town, but I reckon God will join the party all the same.”

“You’ve got this all worked out, haven’t you?” she teased.

“I’m not afraid to love you anymore, Addie. I was like that way too long. Now, I’m ready to get busy loving and living with you. What do you say?”

All of a sudden, before she could even reply, he was down on one knee, holding her hands in his. Addie’s eyes began to mist with tears. “What if Samuel doesn’t want us?”

“I still want us to be together, no matter what happens. Will you marry me, Adelaide?”

She found herself completely, happily out of objections. “Yes … Yes I will, Colton.” 

He leaned forward and they shared the best kiss yet.

***

They got separate rooms at The Ridge Hotel that night. The next day, bright and early, the went to visit Samuel at the clinic.  

Miss Keane said the doctor was out for his morning stroll. Sam was having his breakfast and she invited them in. 

Addie and Cole followed her to the dining room, where Sam was at the table, eating a bowl of porridge. “Sammy, you have visitors this morning,” her musical voice rang out as they entered the room. “And they have something to ask you.”

His face lit up when he saw Cole and Addie. “Come on in.” 

They took a seat at the table across from him. Keane brought them coffee then discreetly left, saying she had some paperwork to do in the office. Addie appreciated the woman’s sensitivity in giving them privacy for the conversation.    

“Sam,” she began, “Cole and I will need to go back to the ranch soon.”

“Today?” he asked, a disappointed expression on his face.

She smiled gently. “Not today, but in a day or two.”

“Oh. I see.” He put down his porridge spoon. “What do you want to ask me about?”

Addie glanced at Cole. 

“Sam,” he began, “Doc Jacobson told us that you’ll be needing a new family to live with now.”

He nodded. She saw the boy’s bottom lip tremble with emotion, and her heart went out to him.

“Addie and me were wondering if you’d like to come and live with us at the ranch.”

“Like, to be a cowboy?” he asked, face brightening.

Cole grinned. “If that’s what you want to do, you can sure give it a try once you’re a little bit older—a fella has to be pretty big before he wrangles a steer.”

Sam nodded. “I understand.”

“But we do have horses you can learn to ride,” Addie said. “And there’s livestock to learn how to care for. Things like that.”

“I can do chores,” he said eagerly. “I always did chores at home.”

Her heart felt like it was going to burst. But she knew this wasn’t a good time in the conversation to start crying, so she tamped it down.

“Chores are an important part of living on a ranch,” Cole said. “So that’s great to hear, Sam. Do you want to come and live with us? If you do—but only if you want to—we’d be glad to adopt you as our son.”

Samuel’s eyes began to glisten, and Addie had to hold back tears. “Sure. Okay,” he said with a nod. She got up, went around the table to give him a hug.

Cole stretched out a hand. “It’s a deal then, partner.”

They shook hands, then Addie hugged him, letting the tears flow. She already loved this orphaned boy who now would be a part of their family.

That afternoon, flush with a pocketful of recovered cash from the cattle sale, Addie took Sam on a shopping trip. The boy had expressed interest in attending the wedding ceremony, so she bought him some new clothes. Then a wedding dress for herself.

She would wear it for the celebration at home, too.

At five o’clock, they gathered together on Doctor Jacobson’s lawn. He had his Justice of the Peace hat on that day, not his physician’s hat, and was looking dapper in a black suit and bowtie.

Jacobson would be Cole’s witness for the marriage; Miss Keane witnessing for Addie. 

A warm early-June breeze ruffled the grass in the backyard, making sun-dappled shadows of an elm tree dance on the table where they would have their wedding dinner.

Addie and the Doctor Jacobson stood near the back door, side by side, preparing to walk down the grassy ‘aisle’. A smaller table was set up in the center of the yard. There, she and Cole would say their vows then ‘sign their names’, as Cole had described it. 

“How are you doing, Adelaide?” Jacobson asked.

She felt a bit nervous, but mostly excited at the prospect of a new life with Cole. It was a source of wonder to her how they had been brought together again through such remarkable circumstances. Smiling, she tried to sum it up for the justice: “Any better and I couldn’t stand it.”

He nodded, offered her his arm. “Ready to walk the walk?”

“Yes, sir.” She held his arm and they started forward.

The wedding party was gathered in front of the small table: Cole standing in the middle, wearing a sky-blue shirt and tie he’d bought that afternoon; Samuel stood to his left—handsome in the dark blue shirt and tie she’d bought him; and Miss Keane was over to the right in a bright yellow dress, gleaming in the sunshine.

Cole broke into a smile as he watched her approaching. Sam was beaming too, one hand shading his eyes while he watched her slowly moving forward in a white wedding dress.

Reaching them, the doctor left Addie beside Cole and walked around the table to become Justice of the Peace and officiate.

“Dearly loved and beloved,” he began, looking at each of them in turn, “we are gathered here on this beautiful June day to celebrate the joining of Colton Hargrove and Adelaide Prescott in holy matrimony …”

Addie glanced at her soon-to-be husband. There were small beads of sweat on his forehead. She hoped it was only from the hot sunshine, not regret. 

Cole turned and smiled, took her hand, squeezed it reassuringly. 

She thought of the first time they had held hands… on a bench in front of the hotel just a couple blocks away.

So much has happened since then.

Dangerous challenges. Life-affirming successes.

All of it had brought them to that moment, in ways no one could have predicted. Yet there they were and so was Samuel. Addie felt grateful.

The ceremony was short and poetic. Justice Jacobson, as with everything else he did, put his unique style into it. 

At the conclusion, she and Cole kissed to seal the deal. The wedding party broke into applause, and Sam cheered happily. This day marked a new life for him, too. Addie hugged Cole, then she hugged their boy. 

Soon they would make it official. After the marriage documents were signed, she and her husband would sign the adoption papers. They would be a family. 

“Congratulations!” Justice Jacobson said with a handshake. 

“God bless you in your new life,” Miss Keane said. “You’re a great couple.” She lowered her voice, adding with a smile, “And that’s one lucky little boy.” 

“Thanks,” Cole said humbly. “He wants to be a cowboy, so I reckon he got adopted by the right family after all.”

After signing all the documents, the party took their seats at the shaded dinner table.

Cole, as always, pulled back a chair for her. He was so handsome in his new shirt; hair-combed back so it wouldn’t go wild in the breeze.

You were right, Pa. He’s a good and trustworthy man. I love him.

“Cole tells me you’ll be having a wedding celebration back in Redstone Bluff as well,” Doc Jake said to Addie during dinner. “Your friends and family must be very excited.”

She chuckled. “They surely will be.”

“Oh?”

“It all happened so fast, Doc,” Cole explained, “we haven’t got a chance to let anybody know yet. But it’ll be a good surprise when we get back.”

“Yes, indeed it will,” he replied. “Wonderful!”

“We thought about sending a letter,” she added, “but I think everybody back at the ranch is due for a good, old-fashioned surprise party. Don’t you think, honey?”

“Yep,” Cole agreed. “What do you think, Samuel?”

He threw his arms straight up in the air. “Yaay! I like the good surprises.”

THE END