Rescuing the Kidnapped Heiress – Extended Epilogue

---

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

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

---

One Year Later

“If anyone needs anything else, please don’t hesitate to ask,” the cook said as she looked around the table with a smile on her face. “I don’t want anyone to walk away from the table unless they’re fully satisfied.” 

“Thank you, Martha,” Isaac said, looking around the spreads across the table. “It’s very much appreciated.” 

Martha gave him a nod of appreciation, then motioned for her help to put the carts away. 

Hazel looked around the table herself, making sure Isaac and Raymond both had everything they needed to be comfortable, then she turned her attention to her own plate. Ever since taking on the role of Mrs. Hopkins, she had taken special care to see to the needs of those in the household. 

While the hired help were the ones who carried out the things needing done, Hazel was attentive to anything that might have been overlooked, or maybe offered to make someone more comfortable. 

The food looked and smelled amazing. But then, Martha was such a good cook, it really didn’t come as any surprise to Hazel that dinner would be delicious. Isaac had been happy to hire a new cook when he’d taken charge of the ranch a couple months before, and ever since then, things had been going better than Hazel could have asked for. 

Raymond had given her and Isaac the ranch for their own the day of their wedding. His plan had been to move to town, but Hazel had insisted that he stay. She’d even refused to let him move out of the house and instead insisted that he take her old bedroom as she and Isaac moved into the main bedroom of the place. 

Though Raymond had his reservations on doing that at first, she’d managed to convince him. But, without the need to run the ranch himself anymore, Raymond had taken over ownership and managing the saloon in town. 

He was a far better owner than Warren ever was, and the employees who worked for him were treated well. None of them were afraid for their wellbeing, and he made sure the services that were offered were entirely upstanding. 

They had just started enjoying the meal when suddenly Hanes appeared. Hazel had been elated when their butler had chosen to stay on, as he had been something of a father to her as she grew up. But, his presence also meant there was someone at the door, and that worried her. 

“You’ve a visitor, ma’am,” he said to her directly. 

Her heart sank. She didn’t know who it could be, but memories of what Warren used to do were still fresh in her mind, and she was often filled with residual apprehension when a visitor was announced. 

But then, he asked, “Should I show her in?” 

“Her?” Hazel inquired. 

“It’s your friend, Ms. Mollie Hancomb.” 

“Oh! Show her in! Yes!” Hazel cried, clapping her hands together. She hadn’t seen her best friend since the wedding, and while the two of them had exchanged letters over the past year, letters weren’t nearly the same as seeing each other. 

Hanes disappeared to retrieve Mollie, and Hazel rose from her chair. She was on her way to the door when Mollie appeared in the doorway, and the two women embraced. 

“I had no idea you were even coming!” Hazel cried. 

Mollie laughed, holding her tightly for a moment before releasing and looking into Hazel’s face. Isaac, too, stood to give Mollie a hug before he returned to his seat at the head of the table. 

Raymond gave her a nod with his greeting, though in his old age he didn’t rise from his chair. Mollie wouldn’t mind, of course, so Hazel didn’t say anything of it. Instead, Mollie quickly struck up a conversation with her, clearly having plenty to say after the time they’d spent apart from each other. 

“I know this is a surprise; I did that on purpose because I wanted to surprise you,” she explained. “I got your letter about the baby, and I simply had to come congratulate you both in person!” 

Hazel smiled and put her hand on her stomach. “I know! I’ve been so excited since I found out! You were the first person to know who doesn’t live here.” 

“I can’t wait to be an aunt,” she beamed. “And look at you! You look so happy. All of you.” 

“As do you,” Isaac said, cutting into the conversation. “How are things going out at the ranch?” 

“Very well,” she said. Mollie had taken over the ranch after things were sorted out with Warren’s men, and Raymond had given her a large sum of money to get the place back up and running. She’d tried to turn him down at first, but he’d insisted as she was practically family as far as Hazel was concerned. 

“We’ve built a barn, and I have five ranch hands all working for me,” she explained. “I’ve a small herd of cattle right now, but if things continue the way I plan, then I’ll more than triple the herd by the end of next summer.” 

“That’s incredible,” Hazel said as she grinned from ear to ear. “Who would have thought you had such a knack for it?” 

“I know!” Mollie beamed. She sat down at the table as Hazel steered her in that direction, though she continued with the conversation along the way. “And the same to you both. And you, Mr. Spencer. I hear that the saloon in town is quite a pleasant place to be these days, and that’s all thanks to you.” 

“It’s thanks to everything that happened,” Raymond replied. “What with Warren gone, there’s not even the need for a deputy in town anymore, giving Isaac here the chance to really settle into ranch life and not have to worry about being a lawman.” 

“How wonderful,” Mollie said. 

Martha appeared with another plate of food, having been told by Hanes to prepare one, Hazel was sure. Mollie thanked the older woman for her kindness, and Isaac continued the conversation. 

“It is,” Isaac agreed. “I never thought the day would come when I wanted to be out of gunslinging, but I must say, I quite enjoy this new direction my life has taken.” 

“I imagine you do,” Mollie said. 

“It gives Isaac the chance to be here with his family in a way he never got to have with his brother,” Hazel explained. “And it gives me and Grandfather a new family, too, after all these years.” 

“I can’t say how wonderful this all is,” Mollie smiled. “And you know, you aren’t the only one who’s getting a new family out of all this.” 

“What’s this then?” Hazel asked, her eyes growing wide, and Mollie laughed. 

“I’ve started courting a young man whose ranch isn’t too far from my own,” she explained. “It’s just started, so I can’t say that we’re going to be married anytime soon, but I really like him, and he feels the same for me, and well, if we do wind up getting hitched, our ranches are close enough we could well combine the land and make the most of the space together.” 

“Isn’t that just the perfect situation?” Hazel asked, unable to hide a giggle. “I knew things were going to work out for us in the end, Mollie. I told you they would.” 

“I know you did,” Mollie said as she reached over and put her hand on Hazel’s. “And after the baby is born and grown some, you must come back out to see how the place has changed. It’s not at all like it was when you were there before.” 

“I’m glad for that,” Hazel said. “And I think that sounds lovely. We’ll all come.” 

“Excellent,” Mollie said. 

Hazel smiled as she sat back in her seat. She had never before imagined she could be so happy in her life, and the thought that Mollie, too, was doing just as well made her ecstatic. 

For the first time in her life, she felt that everything was perfect. She was married to the love of her life, and they were expecting their first child. Her grandfather was alive and well, and happy doing what he was doing with the saloon. 

And she had confirmation that her best friend was also happy in her life and moving forward in the things she herself had wanted to do. Hazel couldn’t have put together a more perfect life for herself and her family if she’d been the one controlling everything. 

She knew there would still be times of hardship, but she also had confidence they’d pull through. 

As long as they all had each other, they could get through anything. The miles between them didn’t matter. The stages of life they were in didn’t change things, either. They were all there for each other, one big family brought together by fate. 

She was truly happy at last. 

Readers who read this book also liked

---

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

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

---