A Tormented Bride for the Courageous Cowboy Bonus Scene

Grace, Four Months Later

Grace stood on the porch looking out at all that had become of their small ranch. The crops were growing larger than ever and so were the calves. The chickens had gained in number and there were so many eggs that they had begun to sell them in town.

The day was beautiful, though the heat was a little blistering. Grace worried about Mathew out in the field where he was preparing the crops for the harvest. She had insisted upon helping him but he had refused mercilessly.

Every so often she could see his head bobbing up above the crops whenever he stood at his full height to take a rest. She was relieved to see him drink several times.

Todd and his boys were also somewhere in the field, along with several new farmhands they had taken on to help with the extra work.

Life is good, Grace finally accepted the knowledge that everything was settled. They hadn't seen hide nor hair of Mr. Pendennis or his henchman since that fateful day when Mathew had threatened to shoot them both.

The last that Grace had heard of the pair was that Sheriff Stone was having them sent back to Boston to face justice there. From his implications, she had gathered that they would not be seeing the light of day for a while.

It was both a blessing and a curse, for without anything to worry about, Grace often found herself with nothing to do.

The sound of hooves coming down the lane made Grace look up. For a brief moment, she imagined Mr. Pendennis's carriage careening towards her. She could still hear the sound of the shackles being clamped down onto his wrists on the afternoon breeze.

Just as quickly, the image was gone and Grace smiled at the messenger who arrived on horseback.

"Good morning, Thomas," she greeted him with a friendly wave as she always did. "I was not expecting you back so soon."

The boy had only arrived three days ago with post for Mathew and Rose.

"A letter has come for you," Thomas explained as he swung down from his horse and hurried up the steps to place the letter in her hand.

Grace's heart stopped. The last time she had received a letter it had been a warning from her best friend. She tried not to hold her breath when she looked down at the handwriting on the front of the envelope.

It was writing she barely recognized but there was something familiar about it.

"Thank you, Thomas," Grace forced a smile. "Can I get you a drink and something to eat?"

She hated for the young man to travel so far out of town and not receive any nourishment while he was there. The last thing she wanted was for him to collapse on his way back to town.

"Thank you, but I am very busy today," Thomas said the same words he always did. "I have my lunch with me though."

It was always a relief to know that he had come prepared.

"I won't keep you then," Grace told him.

"Good day to you," Thomas tipped his hat to her and returned to his horse.

Grace watched him hurry off down the lane before she sat on the porch swing to open the letter.

Dearest Daughter,

After much persuasion, Fiona has finally given me your whereabouts and I find I am very pleased to hear that you are safe. Your presence is sorely missed both by myself and many people around town.

I have not seen Mr. Pendennis or his man for many months now and I believe that it may well be safe for you to return home to Boston if you so wished.

I wholeheartedly apologize for the problems that I have caused throughout your life. Losing your mother played a horrible trick on me. That the Lord saw fit to take her from us killed me inside and I took you for granted.

I can only hope that you will forgive me for this and any other wrongs that I have done to you over the years.

I would very much like to see you again and believe that you will find me a changed man if you permit me to do so.

I wish you all the love and happiness in the world.

All My Love,

Your Father

Henry Mathers

Tears streamed down Grace's face. It had been so long since her time in Boston but not a day had passed that she did not think about her father.

"Grace? Is something the matter?" Mathew's voice startled her and she looked up to see him walking across the yard towards her. "What was Thomas doing here?"

"He brought me a letter from Boston," Grace lifted the letter and handed it to him.

"Are you sure?" he asked and when she nodded, he began to read.

He was quiet for some time until his eyes came to the end. "Well, I never thought you would receive this but I am glad that you did."

It was not the response Grace had expected but it relieved her.

"What are you going to do?" Mathew asked.

"I can't travel to Boston," Grace shook her head. "It is much too far in my condition."

Mathew's eyebrow raised in confusion. "Your condition?"

Grace pushed herself up from the porch swing and joined him by the railing. "Husband, I am with child."

Mathew's eyes lit with such fire that Grace could feel its heat. The letter dropped from his hand, fluttering to the ground as he whipped her up into his arms and spun her with great excitement.

"Oh, Grace! This is wonderful news!" he exclaimed when he placed her feet back on the ground. His lips pressed to her forehead and then her lips, and she melted into his kiss.

"You are happy then?" Grace asked. She had been anxious to share her news with her husband of almost four months but she had not known what to expect. A part of her had worried that he might be displeased.

"Happy? I am over the moon," Mathew gripped her hands. "You have made me the happiest man in the entire world."

He kissed both of her hands, one after the other, and gazed deeply into her eyes.

"What is all the commotion out here?" Rose's voice hit Grace's ears, and she looked around to see the woman push out of the screen door.

It was a relief to see her up and about, and Grace couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face seeing her moving without her walking stick. At first, she and Mathew had both been apprehensive, but a month earlier, Rose had soon shown them that she didn't need it anymore.

"Do you wish to tell her or should I?" Mathew asked. The excitement in his eyes told Grace that he hoped to do it.

"I am sure it would make your mother very happy if you were to tell her, my love," Grace placed a hand on his chest.

"Mother," Mathew turned to his mother, placed a hand at the small of Grace's back and the other on her stomach, and announced, "we are going to be giving you your first grandchild."

Rose's eyes practically burst right out of her head. "Oh, my Lord! I never thought this day would come!"

Grace was about to open her mouth to speak when Rose continued, "I knew you were pregnant. I had a feeling, and I am sure that I dreamt about it only last night!"

Grace and Mathew rolled their eyes at each other.

"Nothing escapes your notice, does it, Mother?" Mathew laughed.

"No, it doesn't!" Rose insisted. "Grace, you must begin drinking raspberry leaf and ginger tea! It is marvelous for the nausea."

She rushed forwards and embraced them both before they had the chance to protest.

"Steady on, or you'll squeeze us half to death," Mathew mocked.

It was an amazing feeling to see her mother-in-law so happy. After losing her own mother, she had not believed that she would ever get the chance to share this moment with another woman. Rose had been so kind and generous that it was hard not to see her as a mother figure.

"Are you beginning to show?" Rose practically whipped her around to examine her stomach. "Not yet, but I imagine you have been feeling movements by now."

Grace grinned when Rose pressed her hand to her stomach, feeling for any movement.

"I do believe that they are sleeping right now," Grace accommodated the woman's hopes.

"No doubt they are hiding from their over-excited grandmother," Mathew mocked, and Rose gave him a darkened look.

"I will have you know that they will love me for my excitement when their father is being much too strict," Rose insisted. A light crossed Mathew's face as if her words had reminded him of something.

"Grace, in light of this news, I think we should invite your father to come and visit us here." Mathew's words shocked Grace beyond measure. It was something she had never considered before, but the moment that she did, she felt hopeful.

"Are you serious?" she asked. She searched his face for any sign that he might be joking, but she could not understand why he would do such a thing to her.

"Yes, it is about time I met my father-in-law, and it would be wonderful to share our news with him in person," Mathew nodded. "It is time you stopped running from your life in Boston."

That was a frightening thought that made Grace pause. "I am not sure that I am ready."

"Well, when you are, you may send word to your father and Fiona, if you'd like," Mathew looked firm in his decision. Grace wasn't aware that he had caught on to her best friend's name, but she had spoken of her so often that it was only logical.

"I think it is a wonderful idea," Rose announced. "We must have a party, for there is so much to be thankful for."

"Let's not overdo it, Mother," Mathew warned, but the look on Rose's face told Grace that she was going to have none of it.

"Nonsense," Rose shook her head. "I have been unwell for so long I had forgotten to have fun, but this is just what we all need."

"Your mother is right," Grace nodded. "We do have a lot to be grateful for."

It was not so long ago that Grace feared Rose was not long for this world. She had sat beside her bed, day and night, waiting for the terrible moment when she breathed her last breath.

Rose had made a miraculous recovery after the wedding. It was as though the relief of seeing her son married and cared for had cured her of all ailment.

"Only if you are sure?" Mathew looked concerned. "It won't be too much for you?"

He stroked Grace's stomach gently, and it was clear he was already thinking of the safety of his unborn child.

"I am pregnant, not dying," Grace assured him.

"That is settled then," Rose practically jumped with glee. "I shall begin writing the invitations immediately."

Before either of them could say another word, she turned and made her way back into the house.

Mathew rolled his eyes but said nothing. He gripped hold of both Grace's hands and kissed them again before he announced, "I love you, Mrs. Tucker."

"I love you too, Mr. Tucker."

"You have truly made me the happiest man alive," Mathew repeated the words that he had said multiple times since they had met at the altar.

Mathew's kiss was passionate but gentle as he wrapped his arms around her. When he broke away again, there was a light in his eyes like none Grace had seen before. It was a light she felt reflected in her own gaze. This must be what happiness feels like.

Grace reminisced for a moment on the first time he had kissed her in that way. They had stood at the altar in the church filled with wildflowers, and the whole town had witnessed him do just the same thing. It had not been awkward or uncomfortable. In fact, it had been the happiest moment of her life.

Now I can add this moment to that list.

They had said the words 'I love you' so often since the wedding, but Grace was sure she would never get used to them. The butterflies they caused in her stomach always left her with a smile.

I am safe, she thought to herself, I am home.

"I am going to keep you and this baby safe," Mathew vowed. It was almost as though he had plucked the idea right out of her own head. "You will never want or need for anything ever again."

"I have everything I could ever want or need right here," Grace wrapped her arms tighter around Mathew's neck and held him there. She never wanted to let him go, and now she knew that she didn't have to.

"I am all yours, Grace," he announced.

"And I am yours, Mathew."

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