To kick off
the New Year, I decided to do something different. For those who have read or
are reading my Weston Family Series, I always wondered why Emily Weston drastically
changed from loving mother to disowning her children. There had to be more to
her story than just a pampered socialite from Boston, and who better to know
the truth than Leon Weston, patriarch of the Weston clan. Today at Cowboy
Kisses step back in time and discover some of Leon and Emily’s secrets in Leon’s Story, Part One. Part Two will be
released in February.
Wooded Acres Ranch, CO
Christmas
Eve Morning 1876
The
wind howled from the north, nearly robbing Leon Weston of breath as he trudged
through the heavy snow, his old bones groaning in protest. In his younger days,
he’d made the short trek from the house to the family cemetery without
complaint. This morning the walk felt akin to ten, long miles. Even the hinges
on the wrought iron squeaked in complaint as he pushed open the gate and
stepped toward the lone headstone.
Removing
his Stetson and bowing his head, Leon inwardly recited the Lord’s Prayer then
returned his hat to his head, pulled his scarf tighter around his neck. Opening
his eyes, he noted the several inches of snow coating the top of the marble and
the frost covering the inscription.
“Good
morning, Emily,” he crooned to the stone representing his wife who’d passed
twenty three ago. “Merry Christmas Eve to you.”
He
shoved his gloved hands deep into his coat pockets, looked around for a place
to sit. What he’d come to say to Emily today would take a while, but the bench
he’d positioned near the towering pine was hidden beneath the snow, and
hunkering down or squatting in the knee-deep powder caused his bones to shiver.
So he stood, his fingers grasping the lining of his pockets.
“Cade
brought home a bride last Christmas. The Christmas before Tess married James.”
He spoke of his grandchildren. “I like that James. He’s a hard worker and takes
good care of Tess. Lucas wouldn’t have allowed his daughter to marry some lazy
riff-raff.” Leon smiled fondly in remembrance of the ill expression on his eldest son’s face when he’d
given Tess away in marriage, which was probably why Lucas spent a lot of time
at Tess’ homestead, that is, when he wasn’t pestering his sister-in-law, Racy,
for a sweet treat.
A
gust of wind pelted Leon’s back and he sobered as the face of his second son
flashed across his mind. “Don’t think Royce will walk quietly alongside Tabitha
and hand her over to another man like Lucas did with Tess.” Leon cleared his
throat with a cough. “Then again, Royce has a few years before our other granddaughter
sets her sights on someone. Now, Creel,” he paused and turned his gaze in the
direction of the snow clouds shrouding the mountains.
“Creel’s
our baby, Emily.” He returned his attention to the gravestone. “His wife is near
a babe herself. Racy told me she wants a passel of children. Her first one’s
due to come into this world next month. Creel doesn’t care if it’s a boy or a
girl, so long as Racy and the babe are healthy. And Rachael’s little girl turns
two tonight.”
A
shiver moved through Leon’s weathered body, not so much from the cold as from
his prattling. He was stalling, revealing tidbits he’d already told Emily while
trying to find the words he’d come to say. The words he’d come to ask. The words
he couldn’t bring himself to voice until now.
Emily
had died in a riding accident. She’d been galloping across the meadow when her
mare had spooked and thrown her across a log. A sharp branch jutting out from
the wood had pierced her chest.
“Why?”
he croaked painfully. “Why did you leave home that day? Why didn’t you stay at
the house? I told you nothing good would come if you went back to Boston, no
matter how much you willed it. Why didn’t you believe me?”
Unbidden,
heated arguments from the past filled his ears. Spats from behind the barn,
squabbles from behind closed doors; their children had overheard him and Emily
feuding and had suffered greatly. Rachael had run away, and had stayed away for
twenty-two years. Royce had distrusted women for several years before his wife
set him straight. The same had held true for Lucas. Creel had been young when
Emily had passed. He didn’t cotton to his brothers’ and sister’s speculations
over Emily’s hunger for Boston until years later. Sadly, the four believed their
ma had favored the comforts and riches of the big city over them. Truth be told
his children were wrong…
The
series begins with Royce in Luck of the Draw.
Lucas follows with Lady Luck.
Available at:
www.amazon.com/author/julielence
3 comments:
Excellent! Love it, Julie.
So fun, Julie! Thank you for sharing your talents with us! Happy New Year!
Thank you Kristy and Shanna! Glad you both enjoyed Leon's story.
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