A Long Way to Love – Extended Epilogue

Elise handed Ronan another bundle of items. “This is it, I promise.” 

Ronan chuckled. “It’s fine. There is still some room for at least one or two of us in the wagon.” 

Elise groaned out loud. Ronan loved to tease her. 

“Are you sure that visiting Las Cruces is a good idea?” Mrs. Winters said from behind Elise. 

Elise spun around. 

“Mrs. Winters! You came!” Elise squealed. She wrapped her arms around the frail older woman. 

Soon after they’d arrived in California, Elise and Ronan had found Mrs. Winters by traveling to where the wagon train ended. Mrs. Winters was overjoyed to see them again and had moved closer, just a short distance away from Elise’s aunt’s home. 

“It is a good idea to visit.” Elise smiled. “It’s been three years since we’ve taken a real trip. And Jorge is getting married, so if that isn’t a reason to go back, I don’t know what is.” 

Mrs. Winters shook her head as if she were scolding them. “You know that I will just miss you all. That is it.” 

Elise nodded. “We know, and we are very appreciative that you will be staying in the house while we are gone.” 

Mrs. Winters smiled. “You know that I am happy to do it. I only wish you were leaving my dear Lena behind.” Mrs. Winters scooped up Elise’s two-year-old daughter, who laughed in delight. 

Elise watched the interaction with happiness and a twinge of sadness. Her aunt had passed away a year ago. Elise thought of her often. It was sad that neither her father nor her aunt got to have much of a relationship with her baby. But Mrs. Winters was more than happy to try and make up the absence that was left behind by Elise’s family. 

Elise sighed. She wished that she could go back in time and bring back those people she loved so much. 

“All right, you had better get a move on. You will never make it back to Las Cruces by staying around here. You are going to be gone for a long while, but the sooner you get going, the sooner you get back.” 

Elise laughed. “I suppose it is that way. We’ll be back sooner than you know it.” Elise leaned in for another hug. 

“You had better be. I don’t want to hear that you’ve been kidnapped by Indians or gotten by any angry criminals.” 

“We won’t be.” Elise and Ronan had told Mrs. Winters the entire story of their journey and their travels. 

“All right then, everyone in the wagon,” Ronan called out, situating himself first in the front. 

Elise passed him Lena and then got up beside both of them. As the wagon pulled away from the ranch, Elise waved to Mrs. Winters until she was a tiny dot in the distance. 

Elise felt bad about leaving her there. She wished that Mrs. Winters had agreed to come with them back to Las Cruces. But Mrs. Winters was adamant that she was too old for that sort of a trip and that she would wait for them to return instead of galivanting around the country. 

“She’ll be okay,” Ronan said, pulling Elise back to the present. 

“I know, it’s just … I can’t help worrying about her. I’ve lost so many people I care about.” 

Ronan nodded in understanding. “You’ve also gained many people, like me.” 

Elise smiled. “Yes, I have.” 

Elise thought back to the two years they’d spent living with her aunt. Her aunt loved having them there. The three of them had made a wonderful family. When Elise became pregnant with Lena, then there were four of them. But then her aunt had fallen ill, and there was nothing that could be done. 

Her aunt had left them the ranch, insisting that they needed it and that she was glad she could help them with their future journey, even if she weren’t around to see it. 

Elise wished that she would have been around. Elise still missed her every single day. 

“Are you excited about going back to see Jorge, Anita, and Meg? You write them so often; I have no idea what you all will talk about while we visit.” 

Elise giggled. She had plenty to talk about with her friends in Las Cruces. They just had to get there first. 

The trip went easier with Lena along with them. She’d thought that it would be harder or more complicated, especially with a small child. But having Lena as a distraction, to show new things to and to laugh with made the travel light. Elise still found herself looking over her shoulder and making sure they weren’t being followed and that they weren’t going to be caught by surprise by anything. 

The days slipped away, one by one. The nights were filled with campfires, songs, and food by the fire. Ronan had taken over most of the cooking because while Elise’s food had improved over the years, it still had a lot to be desired. 

Elise felt like it had only been a few days when she saw the first outline of the town of Las Cruces. She felt excitement rushing through her. She couldn’t wait to see how everyone had changed in the past several years. More than that, she couldn’t wait to introduce Lena to Meg. 

Elise noticed that small things had changed since the last time they were in Las Cruces. There were more buildings and more people. The place had grown even bigger than the last time they were there. The sheriff’s office looked about the same as the previous one, but the diner and the hotel were much bigger, as if they’d had parts built on over the years. 

The road up to Jorge and Anita’s ranch was pretty much the same. There were two new ranches on the way and Elise was hit by a wave of nostalgia, remembering how it was before there were any ranches on that road. 

When they pulled up to the ranch, Elise couldn’t contain her excitement. It seemed that Anita had seen them through the cabin window. Anita came running out. She looked so happy as her face stretched into the biggest smile. 

“Jorge! Come see who it is! Anita called. 

Jorge came out of the barn, and his face had a similar reaction to them as Anita’s. 

“You made it! We were starting to worry the Indians had you again.” Jorge hurried up to the wagon. “Amigo, how have you been?” He reached out and shook Ronan’s hand before Ronan could even get down from the wagon.  

“I’ve been good, better than good, as you can see, we have a new addition. Though your mother probably already told you about her.” 

“Yes, she did. Hello, little amiga.” Jorge reached out and waved to Lena, who enthusiastically tried to copy the gesture.

“Come in, come in. You must be starving after your long trip. Come in, and we will find something for you to eat.” Anita motioned for everyone to follow her.

Elise handed Lena down to Ronan and then jumped down and followed. She smiled as she recognized a couple of Spanish words that Ronan taught her. She couldn’t stop smiling. It felt natural to visit here. She still missed their home in California, but being here, it felt right. 

Anita led them into the kitchen and got them something to eat. Elise could hardly pay attention to everything with how fast everyone was talking. 

“Have you been to visit Meg yet? She is so excited about you all visiting. She can’t wait to introduce her new baby to you.” 

Elise felt another rush of excitement. She had a hard time not rushing down and finding Meg right then and there. She was so excited about possibly seeing her friend again. 

“Well, for now, you need to get your rest; there will be plenty of time to visit tomorrow.” 

Ronan nodded. “That’s right. We do need some rest. I didn’t mind the sleeping arrangements too much on the way here, but sleeping in a proper bed in a house is more comfortable and easier to sleep in.” 

For the next hour or so, they shared trips about their journey, how they’d found Mrs. Winters, and other things that had happened back in California. While the others talked, Elise let herself back to the first time she’d come to Jorge and Anita’s ranch. It seemed like such a long time ago. But now that she was back, it felt like it was a simple few days ago. The biggest difference was Lena, sitting between Ronan and her, symbolizing all of the time that passed. 

A knock on the door made all of them stop eating. “Who do you think it is?” Ronan asked. 

“I don’t know, but I would have to guess it is for one of you both.” Elise watched as Jorge crossed the room and opened the door. 

There on the doorstep was Meg with two small children. She recognized the older one who looked around four years old; the younger was only around two years old, about Lena’s age. 

Of course, he wasn’t a new baby anymore, but everyone probably thought of it that way since he hadn’t been born when Elise and Ronan were there before. 

“Meg! You came!” Elise jumped from her chair, certain that she’d startled Lena and pretty much everyone around the table. 

She hurried across the room and threw her arms around her friend. She took a few moments, savoring the moment of being reunited. 

“Elise! I am so glad you are back. How long are you staying for? You never mentioned how many weeks in your letters.” 

“I don’t know … a few weeks. We can’t stay long because of how long it will take us to get back to California.” 

Meg nodded in understanding. “I am just glad that you came. You know, things haven’t been the same without you. I miss you at the diner.” 

“Are you still working there?” Elise asked, slightly surprised. 

“No. There is a small surprise that I haven’t told you about in my letters.”

“Really?” Elise was surprised already. She thought that they’d shared pretty much everything in her letters. “What is it?”

“I own my own diner now.” Meg was squeezing her hands together. 

“Really? My goodness, for real? I know that was always your dream. I’m so happy for you.” 

“Well, it isn’t the same without you. I’ve hired several people, but none of them are close friends like you managed to become almost overnight.” 

Elise felt her eyes filling with tears. “You are too sweet.” 

Meg pulled her in for another hug. “I’ve missed you,” she whispered. 

Elise giggled softly. She couldn’t have asked for a warmer welcome. 

—*—

 Ronan headed out to the barn to help Jorge with the chores; he was determined to pull his weight around the ranch while they were visiting. Of course, Jorge and Anita always tried to do everything, but Ronan knew it was the polite thing to do to help. More than that, he wanted a moment to talk with Jorge. 

“So, when do we get to meet the lucky lady?” Ronan asked. 

Jorge almost appeared to blush. “Amie will be here tomorrow. She is very excited about meeting both of you. I think I talk about you a little too much.” 

“Really? I’m glad you found someone. Do you love her?”

“Of course I love her. I wouldn’t be marrying her if I didn’t.” Jorge shook his head as if he couldn’t believe that Ronan had just asked that question. 

“I’m glad. It’s hard to find someone that you truly love.” 

“You truly love Elise, don’t you?” Jorge asked. 

“Yes. I do. I never had that with anyone else; maybe that was how I knew that I needed to marry her.” 

Jorge nodded. “You two make a great couple and good parents.” 

“Thank you. I wanted to ask you about something else too, while we have a moment.” 

“Of course.” Jorge grabbed a milking pail and a stool and then situated himself beside a cow. Ronan did the same, close enough so that he could continue talking with Jorge. 

“What happened to Hank, Edward, and Benjamin? I never wanted to ask Elise to write about it. I just felt like she was close to it all.” 

“That was probably a good idea. Though you could have written a few letters yourself.” Jorge gave him a quick and playful scowl. “To answer your question, they all tried to blame the others.” 

“Did it work?” Ronan asked. 

“No. It didn’t. They all were sent to jail for the foreseeable future. I don’t know all the details, but I don’t think they will be getting out in this lifetime.” 

“They deserve that.” Ronan remembered the anger and hatred that Hank had treated him with and the way he had threatened Elise. 

“You’re right; they do deserve it. I am glad that justice was served.”

“Have you heard anything about the Indians? We didn’t have any incidents on the way here, but I have to admit, I am always a little worried we will run into that tribe of Indians again.” 

“I haven’t heard much, just that most of the Indians are moving further away from the white settlements. Too many disagreements.” 

“I see, what else is new?”

“Not much.” Jorge shrugged. “You know, I am actually nervous about getting married. Remember when I used to tell you that you needed to tell Elise how you felt?”

Ronan nodded, “I do.” 

“Well, I kind of feel like that. I love Amie. She knows that I love her. But I don’t know if I am ready for getting married. I know I should trust myself and accept that it is what I am ready for, but I don’t know. It is probably silly.” 

“It’s not silly. It’s a valid feeling. Ask yourself this question. Would you be happy never seeing Amie again?”

“No! Of course not. My life would feel … terrible.” 

“Then you are ready to marry her so that you will never be away from her again.” 

Jorge nodded. “Thank you, amigo.” 

Ronan grinned. “I hope you didn’t make us come all this way just to back out of a wedding.”

“Of course not. There will be a wedding, regardless of how I feel about it.” 

Ronan threw his head back in laughter along with Jorge. It felt good to be back. 

“There’s something I wanted to talk to you about too,” Ronan started. Now that he was there with Ronan, he wanted to talk about something he had hardly even talked to Elise about. 

“Really? What is that?” 

“Back home, the sheriff in our town had to quit. He was older, and he couldn’t keep up with the job. He is officially done with his job in around eight weeks.” 

“So what does that have to do with you?” Jorge set a pail of milk down and swapped it for an empty one before going to the next cow. 

“When I ran into the mayor in town a week before we left, he said that I should apply to become the next sheriff and that I had good chances of getting the job.” 

“You, a sheriff?” Jorge said the words carefully. It wasn’t necessarily in a doubting way, but more like curiosity. 

“Yes. Me. I have always enjoyed bounty hunting, and being a sheriff would essentially be the same thing. I think that I would do good at it. I just haven’t mentioned it seriously to Elise. What do you think? Do you think I would make a good sheriff?”

“The honest to goodness truth, you would make a great sheriff.” Jorge gave him a grin, and Ronan felt peace settle over him. For some reason, hearing it from Jorge made him feel like it was true. 

“You know what? I am going to talk with Elise, and I might try to get the job.” 

Jorge nodded. “You should. Now, we need to get to bed.” 

Ronan chuckled. “Yes, we should.” Ronan followed Jorge back to the house with his mind stuck on the idea of being a sheriff. He could still put criminals behind bars. He could even go after the men in the wanted posters. But more than that, he could create a safer town and a safer place for his daughter to grow up in. The more Ronan thought about it, the more he liked the idea. He hoped that Elise would like it. He had been happy farming, but he missed the old days, and there were certain elements of being a bounty hunter he was okay never having back. But being a sheriff would bring him close to what he had before, and that would be more than enough. 

—*—

“Look at them,” Elise said, a soft and beautiful expression on her face. 

Ronan nodded. “They do make a good couple.” 

They were standing outside the little chapel in Las Cruces, watching as Jorge and Amie walked in between all of the people gathered to see their union. 

“I’m glad we came,” Elise said. 

“I am too. You know, I’ve missed traveling.” 

“I know. If you want, we can …” 

Ronan held his hand up to stop Elise. 

“No, actually, I thought of something to solve that problem.” 

“Really?”

“Yes.” Ronan felt the grin spreading over his face. “Remember the job available to be town sheriff?”

“Yes.” Elise looked up at him curiously. 

“I think I want to pursue it.” 

“You want to be sheriff?” Similar to Jorge, Elise seemed curious rather than shocked or unsupportive.

“I think I do.” 

“I think it is a wonderful idea,” Elise gripped his hand, squeezing it. 

Ronan squeezed her hand back, and then he turned his gaze back to Jorge and his new wife. He was happy. He’d found his forever family with Elise and Lena. But he’d realized something else. The whole time he searched for his forever family, he’d had one. It was a network of friends like Jorge and Anita who he could depend on and who he could always go back to and pick up his life with. 

Those friends were a special family of their own, and he would never fail to see them again.

THE END

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