A Love Against the World – Extended Epilogue

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Cassie padded into the dark kitchen. She made it a point to wake up every morning before sunrise. It was nice to get a head start on everything. She started a fire in the stove, then put on the coffee. Jack would be up any moment and they always enjoyed a hot cup of coffee together before she made breakfast and he did chores in the barn. 

“Good morning.” Jack’s deep voice behind her made her turn with a smile. He was as handsome as he had been on their wedding day two years ago, if not more. She still remembered that day fondly. She loved the fact that their relationship hadn’t faded in the least—if anything, it had grown stronger. 

“Good morning. Did you sleep well?” Cassie pulled the coffee off the stove and poured two cups. She had some milk set aside from the evening before in the dark, cool corner of the kitchen. She poured some in and added sugar. He took his cup and gave her a quick kiss on her cheek. 

“I did sleep well. I always wake up when you leave. Did you check on the boys this morning?”

Cassie nodded. “I did on my way out of the room. They are both sleeping soundly. I am sure they will be up and about before you finish the chores.” It had been a little over six months since she and Jack had adopted Ronald and Danny. The two of them were orphans. The six- and four-year-old called them ma and pa and Cassie loved them exactly like she imagined she would love her own children. After a year and a half of trying to have children, they’d decided that maybe God was calling them to have children in a different way. They had decided to open their home to children like them, who needed a home, family, and love. 

Cassie realized that not all children had family like her grandparents to take them in when they were orphaned. Having Danny and Ronald in their life had changed everything for them, in a wonderful way. 

“They sure are something, don’t you think? I don’t know what our life was like without them anymore. You know, I was thinking…” Jack paused. “I heard that there is an orphan train stopping in this area in a couple of weeks. We are the last place on their stop before they go back to the city. Perhaps a third child wouldn’t be a bad thing.” 

Cassie smiled. She had thought at one point that she might not make a great mother. She worried that she wouldn’t be good at caring for children, or looking after them. She had learned so much with Ronald and Danny. Danny was such a sweetheart. He loved hugs and he loved helping her in the kitchen. For a four-year-old, he did really well with simple tasks. 

Ronald was one who was more inclined towards outside activities and helping Jack with the chores. Cassie enjoyed both of the boys so much, she wouldn’t mind a bit taking in a third child, either a boy or a girl. God had found a way to grow their family right now, in a different way than she originally thought he would. She didn’t know if she would ever have a baby of her own, but this was working very well for them. 

“How long is your aunt staying with us?” Cassie was excited that she would finally be meeting Jack’s aunt. She had heard so much about the woman who gave Jack a home. She knew that Jack wrote back and forth to his aunt nearly every other week. The two of them had kept in close contact ever since Jasper went to jail. 

“I believe a week or two. She still has her farm to manage, so I don’t think she will stay for too long. She is very happy that she is going to be able to come and meet both you and the boys.” 

Cassie nodded. “We’re all happy she is coming. I imagine that things have been hard for her, being all on her own. Do you think she would ever consider moving closer? I have to say, I feel a bit bad that in a way I took you away from her. Without Jasper, she has to manage everything alone, and has no one close to visit or to watch out for her.” 

Jack pulled Cassie into a hug, nearly spilling the last of her coffee. “You shouldn’t think like that. Even though it might seem that way, my aunt has a lot of people back in our hometown. She was always very involved with all of her friends, and with church. I am sure that she has plenty to keep her occupied. There are people who visit her and who keep in touch with her. Of course, there is nothing quite like family, but the fact that we are far away from each other, is not your fault in the least.” 

“Do you know if she still talks with Jasper?”

“I believe she does. The truth is, we haven’t discussed Jasper much since he went away. One day, I am sure we will talk it all out, maybe when she is here. I’m still not sure how she feels about what happened with Jasper. I would imagine that she hopes he will still turn his life around someday, as do I.” 

Cassie nodded. She did hope that Jasper would get out of jail to turn his life around when he got out. From what they’d heard, he still had three or four more years to serve for the crimes he had committed. Mr. Laxley was in the same position. Cassie didn’t speak to either of them, and as far as she knew, neither did Jack. However, what happened with Jasper and Mr. Laxley was something that this town was not going to forget anytime soon. It seemed that any change that happened with them and what they were up to was always spread around town until everyone knew what happened. 

“There is so much to do today to get ready for your aunt’s visit. We have been looking forward to it for so long, I can’t believe she’s actually coming tomorrow.” 

Jack chuckled. “You always worry too much about visitors. Just think of her like Sabrina. Sabrina wouldn’t mind a little bit of dust and a tiny mess. She is just glad to be visiting. You don’t have to worry about what she thinks.” 

“Easy for you to say.” Cassie shook her head in indignation. Of course, Jack would never understand that everything having to do with a home would be attributed to how the wife and mother took care of the place. She knew that his aunt’s opinion didn’t matter much to Jack, but for some reason, she wanted his aunt’s approval. She wanted his aunt to see that he had found someone wonderful who loved him to spend his life with. She wanted to prove that she was doing a good job with both Jack and the children. 

“Look,” Jack put his hands on her shoulders and turned her toward him. “I love you, and that is what matters. Let’s face this visit together. Don’t worry about cleaning and tearing everything apart. You keep this cabin in wonderful shape and you make life a joy. Besides, my aunt knows that you are a schoolteacher and that most days, you are gone for half the day. I’m sure that whatever it is you are so worried about doing, she will understand. After all, she had young children at one point too.” 

Cassie nodded as Jack pressed a quick kiss on her lips. She still planned to go crazy the rest of the day cleaning, cooking and preparing. Today was Sunday, and she wouldn’t have much time the next day to prepare since she would be in the schoolhouse for the first half of the day. 

“I should get breakfast started. The boys are going to be up soon, and you know they always wake up with a huge appetite.” 

“All right. Let me run out to the barn and take care of the chores, and I’ll be back soon. If they’d like, send them out when they wake up.” 

“Okay,” Cassie gave Jack a kiss on the cheek. She had become so much braver with her affection toward Jack when they were alone in the last two years. When they were first married, she had been embarrassed to express her love physically. She watched as he hurried outside. She was certain that her grandfather would have been pleased to see the farm functioning again. After they’d gotten married, they had purchased three cows. Jack had also started planting the fields, and she had planted a small garden out by the cabin. They had chickens, and a dog, and everything that a farm was expected to have. 

Not only did their efforts save them money when buying things in town, but they were actually able to make a profit by selling eggs, chickens, milk, and their crop at the end of the year. Jack was working on growing the size of the farm little by little. He had also helped her get control of the silver mine. Martin’s brother had turned out to be a wonderful foreman, and the success of the silver mine had made it unnecessary for either of them to work, yet they still did because they enjoyed it. Cassie watched through the window as Jack disappeared into the barn. She wouldn’t be able to do any of this without Jack, nor would she want to. It was as if she were living in a dream sometimes. She smiled. The life she had with Jack and her children was everything she could have ever asked for. 

—*—

Jack pulled the wagon to a stop. 

“Is she here yet?” Ronald asked. 

“Nope, the train should be here any minute now. Just listen for the whistle.” Jack had to chuckle at the children’s excitement. “Don’t worry, we won’t miss it.” 

“What if she doesn’t like me?” Danny asked, his voice shaking a little. 

Jack shook his head vigorously. “Nonsense. She is going to love both of you. Do you know why?”

“Why?” 

“Because your ma and I love you. My aunt is going to fall in love with you just as quickly.” Jack grabbed Danny and pulled him into his lap. Ronald climbed up on the wagon seat in between them. 

“Look, I think I see the smoke from the train and…listen!” Ronald pointed. Sure enough, the huge monster of an engine was coming down the tracks. Great plumes of smoke were traveling up into the sky as a shrill whistle pierced the air. The train coming into the station, accompanied by the sun, which was just starting to set, was a beautiful sight. 

“Come on then, let’s get down from the wagon and wait for her on the train platform, proper-like.” Jack jumped down from the wagon, then helped the boys and Cassie down one at a time. 

They walked over to the train platform and waited in a little bunch, just like the family they were. It had been such a long time since Jack had seen his aunt. He never would have guessed that day when he’d come to Lake View Texas that he wouldn’t be going back home. He’d thought he would come for a couple of weeks, and then would be back to help his aunt. 

She had said in her letters that she completely understood and would expect nothing less than for him to settle down and start his life, but he still couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty. He could still remember all of the feelings and expectations he had the day that he had left his aunt’s farm. 

The train came to a halt and let out a final puff of smoke before the door opened and people started to get out and fill the train’s platform. Jack spotted his aunt right away. 

“Aunt Thelma!” Jack waved his arms above his head. “We’re over here.” His aunt’s face lit up as she headed toward them. When she approached she set down two medium sized suitcases.

“Well, look at the lot of you! I am so happy to finally be here.” 

Jack imagined she was. The train had just started stopping through his old hometown a couple of weeks ago, suddenly making it much easier for his aunt to visit. 

“Aunt Thelma, this is Cassie, my wife, and my two boys, Ronald and Danny.” Jack noticed how Ronald and Danny stood up a little straighter and pride showed on their faces when he referred to them as his boys. He was proud to call them his sons, and he was more than honored to have them be a part of his life. 

His aunt leaned in and gave Cassie a tight hug. He could tell that the gesture surprised Cassie. She then knelt down so she was at the boys’ level and gave each of them a small hug. 

“It’s wonderful to meet all of you. I am only sorry that we didn’t meet sooner.” Her kind words seemed to vanish any doubts that the boys had about her. They immediately started to ask her lots of questions about how her trip was, what it was like to ride the train, and if she’d liked it. They started telling her about their own trip from the city on the train with all the other children, and how they’d met Jack and Cassie. Hearing the story of how their family was put together from the mouths of his sons made his heart swell with happiness. 

“Come, let’s get in the wagon and get you home. Cassie has prepared a wonderful dinner for all of us.” Jack’s stomach rumbled at the memory of the smell of the delicious roast and vegetables that Cassie had made for their supper. 

“That sounds like a wonderful plan.” His aunt followed them back to the wagon. On the way home, they all took turns pointing things out and making a big deal of all the things they considered special. The saloon had been changed into a large boarding house. Jack still had no idea how the woman who owned it now had convinced Jasper to give it up. The good thing was that it was no longer a building that spewed loud music and offered heavy drinks. It was a respected building in town, and had been a huge help in the town growing. 

The town had nearly doubled in size since Jasper had been arrested, and Jack had to credit at least some of that to the fact that people enjoyed living in a place where there was no saloon. The nearest saloon was almost two hours away on horseback. It certainly made it so that those who wanted to go and get something to drink, had to think it through once or twice. 

Dinner was a joyous affair. Whenever Jack thought the boys would run out of things to talk about, they would come up with a new topic. 

When Jack was finally sitting on the porch in the quiet evening with his aunt while Cassie put the boys to bed, he was finally able to reflect on the day. 

“It’s a nice town, Jack,” his aunt said at last. 

“It is. We really enjoy it here. Perhaps you would, too. If you ever would like to consider moving, I am sure we could figure out something so we could all be close.” 

His aunt shook her head. “I don’t know. I am not looking to move right now, but you never know in the future.” His aunt’s gaze was far away for a moment. “I received a letter from Jasper a couple of weeks ago.” 

“You did? I have written him a couple of times, but he never writes back.” 

Aunt Thelma nodded. “I know. He has a long way to come before I would say that he is ready to rejoin the world. That was the first letter I received from him since before you came to check on him.” 

Jack sighed. He had expected to have this conversation with his aunt, and it was time to put his guilt and his feelings out there. “I wanted to do so much more for Jasper. I never intended for things to end up the way they did. I would have liked to change Jasper’s mind about so many things. I would have liked to help him put his life on the right track.” 

Aunt Thelma reached out and patted his arm. “I know, Jack. I know that you had every good intention. What you did, it was the right thing. You came all the way out here, and you did your best. Sometimes, things just aren’t meant to be. If I would have seen a long time ago that Jasper needed to learn his lessons the hard way, perhaps he wouldn’t be in jail today. I just want you to know that I don’t blame you for what happened. Jasper made his own decisions, and right now he is paying for those decisions.” 

Jack felt a wave of relief. He’d always suspected that his aunt would think that way, but it was good to hear it. 

“I hope that one day, he will get out and he will find a way to turn everything around.” 

“Me, too, but you don’t need to worry about it, Jack. Jasper is no longer your responsibility. You have a lovely home, a wonderful wife, two beautiful children, and a good life. You have done well for yourself, and I know that you will continue to do good things. I am very proud and very happy for you. Take care of what you have.” 

“You can bet that I will.” Jack meant every word. He did have everything that he ever wanted, and he had so much more than he ever thought he deserved. He would never let that slip from his grasp, no matter what happened.

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