A Fateful Encounter on the Train – Extended Epilogue

---

OFFER: A BRAND NEW SERIES AND 2 FREEBIES FOR YOU!

Grab my new series, " Faith and Love on the Frontier", and get 2 FREE novels as a gift! Have a look here!

---

Two Years Later

“There you are,” Grace said, with a satisfied sigh, at the sound of Landen coming through the front door. She’d been knitting for what felt like endless hours, still preparing for the arrival of the baby growing in her stomach. The expected nine months had passed with various degrees of excitement and discomfort, and Grace was more than ready to meet the child she’d been carrying for so long. Each hour that passed brought her an inch closer to holding her baby.

“Oh good, you’re sitting down,” Landen replied, coming to kiss her on the top of her head as had quickly become their tradition.

“I can hardly do anything else these days.”

“Are my parents here?” he asked, looking around the small but comfortable house they’d purchased a year earlier, once Landen had officially been named the Sheriff of Havenport.

“No. I think they’ve gone to help Pastor Buler with the Easter preparations.”

“That’s probably for the best.”

“For the best?” Grace asked, noticing for the first time that Landen was out of breath. He was holding a small bundle of envelopes. “Did you go to the post office?”

“Yes, and—”

“Is there something from Mrs. Green?” Grace interrupted excitedly. The only thing that rivaled her anticipation for their soon-to-arrive child was an answer from Mrs. Green about a certain proposal Grace had made her.

While Landen had found his purpose in Texas quickly, making staying there a very easy decision, Grace had taken more time to land on hers. She was perfectly at home living with Landen’s parents, keeping house, and helping to take care of Evelyn’s new baby now and then, but she had felt as though something was missing for the longest time.

As soon as she found out she was pregnant, however, the dream came to her. Havenport didn’t have an orphanage. Starting one was hardly something she could do herself, but since Evelyn and Daniel had moved to town and were as well-connected as ever, it seemed more and more possible by the day.

Even with Evelyn’s support, however, Grace needed the expertise of someone older and wiser. It didn’t take long before she started to imagine Mrs. Green being an integral part of this new enterprise. Knowing that she’d never found another placement that fit after the fire that caused Grace to leave New York in the first place, she wrote to Mrs. Green to see if she would be interested in relocating to Texas.

Two months had passed with no response, and Grace started to worry that something had happened. New York was a very long way away, but she usually could rely on their correspondence taking no longer than a few weeks. Seeing the letters in Landen’s hand made her heart jump with excitement.

“Yes, there’s one from Mrs. Green, but there’s more news that we’ve been waiting even longer for,” Landen finally replied, his voice low and serious.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s from the sheriff in Bloomfield, who said he knew your parents and could likely find out what happened to them. If he’s got any news about them, it will be right here.”

A pit dropped in Grace’s stomach. She’d found peace with the knowledge that even discovering what happened to her parents was likely out of reach. Her commitment to following the path God had laid out for her was strong, and this threatened to derail it.

She could not deny her old desire to know once and for all where her family had landed and what had become of them. The future was tumbling toward her whether she liked it or not, and if a look back is what God intended for her, then so be it. What she didn’t want, was to hear something inconclusive that might pull her back into the hunt.

“You’d better open it. Get it over with,” she ordered, waving her hand for Landen to read the sheriff’s words to her. At the very least, having her loving husband by her side would make it easier to hear. Just as he started to tear the envelope open, she felt a spring of hope well up in her chest.

“Mr. Walker, please accept my apology that it took me so long to get this to you. The Bennets are harder to track down than I thought they would be. As I already told you, I knew them when they arrived here in Bloomfield, looking to start a farm. Corn, I believe. I remember Mr. Bennet telling me that his father had been a wheat farmer back in England before they came to America,” Landen read.

The hope in Grace’s chest rose even higher. This was the first she’d ever heard of her grandparents. To know they were wheat farmers in England allowed her to sketch a history in her mind.

“Go on, go on,” she urged.

“Alright, alright. Where was I… oh, yes. As the farmland here in Bloomfield is somewhat lacking thanks to the dry conditions, they moved on to greener pastures. After asking around, I discovered that they attempted to set down roots in Keller, and even bought a farm there, under a name with a slightly different spelling: Benett. Unfortunately, I’ve learned they both fell ill with consumption after an outbreak in the town and died four years ago, within two days of each other. They left no children behind.”

Landen trailed off guiltily, but Grace reached out for his hand.

“It’s alright. It’s alright,” she said, despite the tears streaking down her cheeks. “I don’t know why I’m crying. I knew that it was more than likely that they’d passed on. I never even knew them, so there isn’t anything to mourn. They’re in God’s arms now.”

“It’s only natural to cry,” Landen replied, pulling her close to him, her large protruding stomach filling the space between them. “We’ve been waiting for news for so long. You’ve been wondering about your parents your whole life. This marks the end of that wondering.”

“Sort of,” Grace agreed. There was still so much she didn’t know, but she was used to that. What were their personalities like, where did they meet, and what did her father’s family think of him moving to America? What circumstances led them to leave her at the orphanage, and why did they never have another child?

She would never know the answers to any of those questions, but now, she could make a story of her own, and make sure her children’s children had a history they could look back on. On the other hand, she had the chance to give love to other young people who were like her and help them see that a lack of family didn’t have to mean a lack of love. The world was full of wonderful people looking to share their warmth, and God left no children behind.

“What about the one from Mrs. Green? What does she say?” Grace asked, wiping the tears from her cheeks, and bracing herself for more bad news. Mrs. Green was not a young woman. There was a good chance she neither wanted, nor was capable of, starting over.

“Dear Grace,” Landen started to read, clearing the emotion out of his voice. “Thank you so much for your letter. I adore hearing about the new life you’re carving out for yourself. I’ve been thinking quite a bit about your proposal. I’m so proud of you for the plan you’ve put together, and so glad to hear that you’ve grown into the kind of woman who cares so much about others. I wasn’t sure if I could justify leaving the children I’ve been working with here. There’s so much need in New York. More children without guidance come to our orphanages every day.”

Grace took a deep breath, trying to keep her mind clear of thoughts and desires. Whatever would be, would be, and whatever came to pass, it would be God’s will.

“However,” Landen continued, his voice lightening, “I think I’ve done what I can here. As you say, Havenport is a growing town without the same support that there is for orphans in New York. More than that, you are very much the daughter I never had. I also have no family here, and nothing tying me to this place besides my work. So, if you’ll still have me, I’d like to unstick myself from my old ways, and come to see you in Texas.”

Grace leaped from her seat, dropping the knitting she’d forgotten was in her lap to the ground. She clapped a gleeful hand over her mouth and squealed for joy.

“There’s more, but you can read it later. It’s all good news!” Landen exclaimed, standing to join Grace in her rejoicing.

“Oh, I’ve never felt so much at once! My heart is heavy with happiness, guilt, joy, and nostalgia all at once. Hope! There’s hope in there too. Oh, what a strange feeling. What a…” she trailed off, her conflicting emotions tangling up with a very physical sensation as well. Her gut clenched in a sudden ache of pain like her stomach muscles were fighting for attention all at once.

A gush of warm liquid exploding out of her made her almost fall over with surprise.

“Grace, are you—”

“Send someone to get the doctor, Landen. I’m about to have a baby,” she half-yelled and half-moaned.

The next twelve hours passed by in a confusing blur. Grace felt her mind sweep in and out of the present, as dizziness made her feel as though she was under water, immune to the passage of time, then viscerally aware the second another contraction hit.

The doctor arrived soon enough, but Landen’s parents returned first, and the presence of Mrs. Walker was a great relief to Grace. Landen paced about the parlor as Grace pushed deep into the night, screaming for God’s blessing, and soaking through the sheets with the sweat of her pushing.

As the sun cracked above the horizon early the next morning, the sound of a baby crying broke the groans of pain, the doctor finally filled Grace’s arms with the fruits of her labor. Blinking the tears from her eyes, Grace looked at the tiny creature in her arms, stunned by not only what she and Landen had created, but by what the Lord had seen fit to give them.

“She’s perfect,” Landen said, suddenly appearing by Grace’s side in the bed.

“When did you get here?” Grace asked, still only vaguely aware of her surroundings, but deeply attentive to the sweet babe in her arms.

“Just now. It doesn’t matter. I love you so much. Look at her,” Landen replied in wonder.

“She’s not just her. She’s…” Grace wasn’t exactly sure what she was trying to say. For weeks, she and Landen had gone back and forth about what to name their child, without even an ounce of agreement. They weren’t the type to argue, but the subject had become a tense one. None of the names that had become traditional in his family meant anything to her, but she had very few ideas to offer in return. All she could do was refuse Landen’s suggestions.

“She’s what?”

“She’s…” Grace continued, trying to find the name on the tip of her tongue. “She’s Sophia.”

“Sophia? Sophia Walker. Sophia… Evelyn Walker?” Landen asked tentatively.

Grace smiled. Evelyn Grant would be so pleased, and she’d make the perfect godmother. The name Sophia, meanwhile, would give their daughter the chance to make her own mark in the world. It belonged to no one they knew who had come before and yet was tinged with a possibility that knew no bounds.

“It’s perfect.”

Readers who read this book also liked

---

OFFER: A BRAND NEW SERIES AND 2 FREEBIES FOR YOU!

Grab my new series, " Faith and Love on the Frontier", and get 2 FREE novels as a gift! Have a look here!

---