Vengeance Gone Too Far – Extended Epilogue

“Frogs will look through ice twice,” said Winona.

Josephine furrowed her brow and held a hand to Winona’s forehead. “Are you delirious?” she asked.

Winona rolled her eyes, taking a deep breath and sitting back in her chair, so that her swollen belly did not interrupt her posture.

“No… don’t worry, Jo,” Winona said. “Something an old friend used to say.”

“Really?” 

“Means the winter’s not quite through yet, is all.” 

She gestured out to the rolling hills, still licked with frost, the sun burning the far fringe of the horizon. Josephine didn’t look. She kept her eyes down on Winona’s stomach.

Winona stifled a laugh and pulled her blanket a little further over her shoulders. The baby kicked, and she automatically pressed her hand to her belly.

“She’s chatty today,” Josephine said. “I’ll fetch you some water.”

With a desperate shuffle, she broke from her old wicker chair and slipped inside the house, a smile curling over her face.

Winona shook her head, feeling her baby kick its feet harder than ever. “She’s more worried about you than I am, little one!” she whispered.

Her belly was so large now that Winona could feel her baby ready to come at any point. She shivered and looked out into the morning light.

Back when she had first visited, the land around the ranch seemed to stretch on forever, out into the hills like an endless sea of waving grass. Now, with all the new stables she and Gabe had built, and the sturdy new fencing, they had left their mark on the land. All the way into the distance, Winona could make out the faint shapes of all kinds of animals, cows and sheep. Of course, most of what she could make out were the horses, and the best stock were close enough to see individually.

Dolly hopped over toward the fencepost, sucking water from a long tin trough.

Winona felt a pang of jealousy.

With a screech of the old springs, the back door opened, and out came Josephine with a cup of water that she thrust into Winona’s hand with such force that tiny droplets splashed across her skin.

“Whoa!” Winona said.

“Drink, my love,” Josephine ordered. “You look flushed.”

Winona smiled, sipping at the cold water. “All I need is to ride,” she said. “I feel useless lying around here like a great lump.”

She eyed Josephine, a slight smile tugging the corners of her lips.

“Maybe I could try,” she said, “if I was careful…”

“Young lady!” Josephine scolded. “Lord willin’, if it were up to me, I wouldn’t have you move if the ground beneath you gave out! You will do no such thing!”

Winona laughed and lay back in her chair.

“There they are,” Josephine said, pointing out to the horizon.

“Where?” Winona put down her cup and leaned forward, scanning out into the hills. 

Crossing past the tree line came two riders, which Winona could tell were Gabe and Alden from a thousand miles away.

A burst of happiness came through her. The best part of her day was when Gabe returned from out riding. Over the two years since they had moved onto the ranch, Gabe’s appearance had softened. The scars had faded, and he’d let his hair grow out somewhat. His posture had dropped, and as he came closer Winona remembered how he’d used to ride, pressed back, his arms stiff.

When she had first met him, he’d been weighed down, full of anger, quiet and somewhat distant. These days, Gabe seemed to be always laughing.

She couldn’t have asked for a more doting partner. During her pregnancy, he had never been overbearing, simply there by her side. When she needed something, or was after reassurance, Gabe seemed to be a mind reader and would come to her immediate aid.

Winona stood, watching as the two men and their horses roamed ever closer.

One day, she imagined the sight of a third rider with them. When their child was born, they would grow with horses, just as Winona had. She looked forward to the future. Winona knew they would raise a child not unlike both of them, free-spirited and full of joy. 

She would forget her father’s teachings. Family was to be a celebration, never a duty, and Winona had insisted to Gabe that their child would find the life that they wanted and always feel that they could love who they wanted. Gabe had, of course, agreed, and she had no doubts what a wonderful father he was to make.

Now, Winona thought, all I need to do is to have the damn thing.

She was due any day now. She was frustrated, unable to ride, but full of joy when she felt the baby inside her. Already, even in the womb, her child was restless, as though trying with all its might to break free.

“I understand,” Winona said quietly.

She knew that feeling, after all—at another time of her life.

As Gabe and Alden approached, Winona could make out the expressions on their faces and the glint in their eyes. A cold wind blow across her skin, and in the far distance, Winona swore she could see figures looming on the horizon.

She squinted, brushing her hand across her eyes.

By the edge of the property, among the trees—Winona’s blood ran cold as she spotted five horses riding fast, dust eating at their hooves.

She couldn’t see their faces, but from the speed and posture, she knew these men were horse rustlers—and they meant business. The horses back there were of good breeding stock, and she had often told Alden and Josephine that they should move them closer to the house. Now, it seemed, they had chosen to strike.

Gabe was so close that she could see the smile on his face. Winona leaned her heavy body out toward the men.

“Winona!” Josephine shouted. “What in the blazes—”

“Gabe!” Winona called, ignoring her.

He stopped, and Alden stared at her with confusion. Gabe took one look at her face and spun back toward the horizon, calling out and barking to Barley so that he would move fast.

“Go!” Winona screamed.

***

Gabe leaned his body forward as he and Barley shot toward the rustlers in the distance. The dirt below the horse’s hooves was a wild blur, and the horizon was coming ever closer. He clutched the reins between his fingers.

Winona had spotted them from a mile away, and Gabe was shocked that he hadn’t noticed them himself. The group looked like rough men, but they were young—and a guilty part of Gabe felt suddenly elated at the possibility of a chase. 

Not for one moment did he miss his old life. He felt at ease and totally at peace out in the country. Like when he was a boy, the days had become routine, and every day he felt more like he had belonged out in the fields with the animals his whole life.

Winona had a gift with the horses, and she had turned the place around almost by herself. Gabe had done most of the heavy lifting, but it was her that had made the place something new, with more and more animals every day. 

All the new animals meant more attention, and Alden had warned that rustlers would come someday—“The better things go,” he had said, “the more the wrong types will notice.”

It seemed today was the day. Gabe was relieved to see the boys were just boys, without rifles or a feeling of menace, and the closer he drew, the more he felt they were no danger. 

Still, he thought of Winona and the child she carried, and a burning courage built in his stomach.

As he and Barley sped along the path toward the back stable, the rustlers noticed them. They had only just opened the gate and several of the thoroughbred horses had burst through, like a sea of glimmering brown.

The men were whistling and rounding them up. When they saw Alden and Gabe coming closer, they bucked and began leading the herd out toward the trees at the far end of the property.

Gabe tightened his posture and got low, just as Winona had told him. He slipped his hands down to Barley’s neck and held his hand against his neck.

“Alright, boy,” Gabe called through the wind.

He felt he was at one with Barley, and he sped on toward the bucking horses. With his heart pumping in his ears and Alden just behind him, Gabe shot out at an unrelenting pace. All around him, dust spiraled up into the air, and he could make out the boys just a stone’s throw away from him.

When they saw the size of him, they buckled, and Gabe laughed aloud as he charged right toward them, the stampede of horses trailing him.

The rustlers must have been spooked; they surely wouldn’t understand why he would be leading the horses in the direction they wanted, and as he galloped on toward the tree line at a rampaging pace, they began to tentatively split their group and make off toward the woods.

They were cowards—Gabe had suspected as much.

He continued forward. Behind him, he could hear Alden shouting that he was leading them the wrong direction. The horses were charging all around, but Gabe had a plan.

When he had the group bunched up as tightly as possible, Gabe, without breaking his lighting-fast pace, swung his reins sharply to the left and Barley pivoted on his hind legs with a spray of dust.

Gabe looked toward the speeding animals, now facing them. Barley screamed and Gabe steadied him, finding ground.

When the rampaging horses saw him looking them dead in the eye, at once, they all bucked and, with the beating of a hundred hooves, they began to spin the other direction, fearfully making their way back toward the fence.

It had worked, just as Winona had instructed him those years ago, and Gabe had to laugh aloud. Alden gathered the rest of the pack and led his horse toward the fence, jumping to the ground and pulling the gate to a close.

Gabe could hear the boys riding away. He turned. The rustlers had grouped up, and now they headed on toward the horizon with a trail of dust blowing behind them.

For a moment, Gabe’s hand dove toward his belt. He took a moment. First, he reminded himself that his weapon was back at the house, then he reminded himself why—and after a moment, Gabe took a deep breath, and a warm smile crossed his face once more.

Gabe thought only of Winona and his child as he and Alden made their way back toward the house. He could feel the adrenaline surging through his body, and he couldn’t wait another moment to be back with his love.

The morning was a bright, perfect day, and the dirt beneath him was almost red in the sun. Around him, a breeze blew through the trees and the animals had begun to calm down, still lowing faintly at the noise of the horses.

When Gabe crossed back to the path, he could see Winona standing by the back door, her face bright with relief.

Although bigger, her face was still the same fierce angular shape it had always been, and her eyes glowed greener than ever. As he closed in, her gaze flashed with love and she moved slowly down the stairs, waddling slightly as she made her way to the dirt.

“Well,” Gabe said, “hello there, little lady!”

He tipped his hat and smirked as he dropped down from Barley to the dusty ground.

“Come here, cowboy!” Winona chided.

Gabe rushed forward and took her into his arms, holding her tight. After two years, he still felt electrified whenever he touched her, and he took in the scent of her hair and the warmth of her cheek on his neck with pleasure.

Suddenly, Winona groaned, and Gabe felt her arms slip from his shoulders.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

He looked down at her face, and his stomach dropped.

Winona had arched back, pressing her hands to her belly, her face contorted in pain. She groaned again, this time even louder.

“Winona?” Gabe asked.

“It hurts!” she said.

“Oh, my,” Gabe said under his breath.

Winona groaned even louder, and Gabe braced himself beside her. Alden ran toward the pair from the stables and suddenly, the back door flew open and Josephine marched out to the backyard, her face flushed.

“Gabriel!” she shrieked. “You bring her here, quick smart!”

Gabe felt his heart beating in his ears. He was floating, unable to speak properly, every inch of him full of excitement and fear.

“Do—” he began. “Do you think she could—?”

Winona groaned again, breathless as she and Gabe walked toward the stairs. Josephine took her from Gabe’s grasp with a brash insistence.

“Give her here, Gabriel!” she shouted. “You boys have no idea what you’re doin’…”

Winona turned to Gabe, meeting his eyes and squeezing his hand as Josephine tugged her on toward the room. “I love you,” she said.

Gabe’s jaw had dropped. He couldn’t believe what was happening.

“I love you, too!” he called frantically.

He felt frozen in place. Winona stepped toward the door, and she and Josephine made their way into the house.

“I love you.” Gabe began to snap into the moment. “I love you with all my heart, Winona!”

He threw his hat from his head, and a smile erupted across his face. When he turned, Alden was standing on the patch nearby, laughing to himself, his face alive with happiness.

“I’m going to be a daddy, Alden!” Gabe cheered. “Can you believe it?”

Alden shook his head, and Gabe looked up to the sky and whooped up as he took his place on the stairs, laughing with all his heart.

“Get the doctor!” came Josephine’s voice from inside.

Alden sprung to action, slipping back into the saddle.

Gabe sat on the porch, feeling the air on his skin. He smiled from ear to ear, for he knew he had never been so excited in his entire life.

***

Winona lay in total bliss. Her body was burning, and she had never felt so exhausted, and never been so covered in sweat. Yet, as she lay in the comfort of her bed, she was beyond elated—for in her arms, she held her child.

Her daughter was of a healthy size, chatty and gurgling. Winona looked down in total ecstasy, staring into her daughter’s wide brown eyes.

She hadn’t stopped laughing since she had first held her, and the baby was warm and soft and nestled perfectly in the crook of her arms. The world around her did not exist, she was alone—just her, her child, and the footsteps climbing up the stairs that she knew belonged to Gabe.

When the door creaked open, Gabe’s brown eyes sparkled with delight and he came toward her with his jaw hanging open, his attention fixed on the baby in her arms.

“Meet your daughter, Gabe,” Winona said with a smile.

“My daughter…” Gabe said breathlessly. “My daughter!”

He approached the bed, planting a warm kiss on Winona’s head, and took the baby in his arms with ease.

“You know how to hold her?” Winona asked.

Before he could answer, Gabe took a seat beside her, already holding their child with such security that Winona’s heart swam with love. He looked at her, brimming with so much tenderness that she felt he might burst into tears.

He smiled and put a free hand up to her hair. “Winona,” he said, “this is the happiest day of my life.”

“Mine, too,” she said. “Or it will be, after a bath.”

She laughed, but Gabe’s face remained still.

“You have never looked more beautiful,” he assured her.

Winona smiled and wrapped her hand around his. Together for a moment, the two remained still, listening to the sound of their child gurgling and looking down at her with affection.

“What should we name her?” Gabe asked.

“I wanted to name her after my mother,” Winona said, a sadness in her voice. “If you don’t mind?”

Gabe shook his head. “Of course.” 

He looked down at his daughter and a serious look flittered past his eyes. He took Winona’s hand close to his chest, inhaling a deep breath.

“I promise,” Gabe began, “I will do everything to keep this family safe.”

He looked at her, his brown eyes sparkling in the sun from the open window. Winona smiled.

“No matter what,” Gabe said. “You two are everything to me. That’s a vow.”

Winona smiled and nodded her head.

She didn’t doubt him for a second. From the moment she had lay with him all those years ago when Simeon was taken away, she knew he would do anything for her—and her for him.

Winona let her body slip back onto her pillow, and she took a moment to lap in the sunlight as she sat in silence.

This moment, this quiet moment sitting together on the bed, was one of complete peace. Now that her new family was together for the first time, her life had truly begun.

Winona smiled. She couldn’t wait.

THE END

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