A Joyful Noise (Kansas Crossroads Book 14) Read online

  “Are you all right?” Lyle asked, glancing at Chet while he sat Jones up.

  “I’ll be okay. I’m just a little dazed.” Chet unbuttoned his shirt and pulled out the thin sheet of metal he’d tucked in there when he got dressed that morning. Tom had modified an old serving tray for Chet’s use, cutting it down just so and pounding it out thinner. It had been a beast to wear, but it had truly saved his life.

  “What’s that?” Lyle asked, motioning to the metal.

  “Just a strange idea I had yesterday. It worked rather well, but it did knock the breath out of me for a minute.” Chet cast the metal to the side. “What’s the situation in the passenger car?”

  “One of the robbers is dead, and the other had a mild flesh wound,” Fred replied. “They decided to lighten the wallets of some of the passengers, and when we accosted them, they opened fire.”

  “Anyone else hurt?”

  “No, no one. And the deputies are keeping an eye on things out there.”

  Chet nodded. “How far out are we from Kansas City?”

  “Conductor said about half an hour.”

  “We can keep everyone calm for that long with no trouble at all. In fact, it almost seems too easy.”

  “You can say that, but you haven’t gotten up off the floor yet,” Lyle commented, and Fred laughed.

  “I was hoping you wouldn’t notice that. Truth is, I’m a little weak in the knees still,” Chet replied, and the other two laughed again.

  “We can just let you stay down there if you want,” Lyle offered. “There’s nothing that says you have to get off the floor. Except your dignity, of course.”

  “No, no, I’ll get up. Just might need some help.”

  While Lyle kept an eye on Jones, Fred gave Chet a hand up, then guided him over to a chair in the corner of the car. There Chet sat for the remainder of the ride, his pistol fixed on Jones, who was tied up and glowering. All in all, it was a very satisfying outcome.

  ***

  “The difficulty now is finding out who else in the gold company might be corrupted,” Chet told Colonel Gordon. When the train arrived in Kansas City, the train robbers had been taken off, put in sturdier shackles, and prepared for the trip back while Chet and the other law enforcement officers had some good, hot dinner. They boarded the next train for Topeka, successful and ready to report. All Chet wanted was to see Georgia, but he needed to fill in the marshal on all that had taken place.

  “I imagine almost anyone can be bribed if enough money’s involved,” Colonel Gordon said. “Are you contacting the office now?”

  “Yes, I have a few telegrams to send—to the Pinkertons and to the gold company. I hope they don’t have any more traitors working for them, for their sake as well as anyone else who gets greedy.”

  “I’m grateful that none of the passengers were injured,” Colonel Gordon replied. “You men did good work.”

  “From what I’m told, your deputies were largely responsible for that,” Chet said. “My men were impressed and said to offer any of them a job if they’re interested.”

  The colonel laughed. “I do have good men, but I’d like to try to keep them here if at all possible.” He rose and held out his hand. “I’m glad we were able to help out, son. Please feel free to call on me if ever I can do you a good turn.”

  “Thank you, sir. I appreciate it.”

  Chet left the office and took a deep breath. His chest was still sore hours after the event, but he couldn’t complain too loudly because his life had been spared. Now it was time to see if he’d be spending that life alone or with Georgia.

  Chapter Twelve

  The napkins seemed more never-ending than usual. Georgia gave this particular one an extra scrub, annoyed at the blackberry juice staining it. She thought blackberry pie was a terrible idea, actually. Whoever invented it obviously wasn’t trying to run a dining room with crisp white napkins.

  She wrung out that napkin, tossed it into the basket, and then noticed Giselle, who was trying to catch her eye with a huge grin on her face. She spun around and saw Chet walking toward her from around the corner of the building.

  “You’re all right,” she said breathlessly, almost unable to force the sound from her lungs. Then she gathered more strength. “You’re all right,” she said louder. He nodded, a big grin of his own on his face.

  She completely forgot herself and ran toward him. He opened his arms, and she all but fell into them.

  “I can’t believe it,” she said as he picked her up and spun her around. “You’re really here. You’re alive.”

  He set her down and looked in her eyes. “I told you I’d come back.”

  “Well, yes, but how was I to know that wasn’t just wishful thinking?”

  He smiled and took her hand. “Come for a walk with me out to our favorite bench.”

  By now, Georgia knew she was allowed to go and that she shouldn’t feel guilty—the other girls had been cheering for this romance, and they would take up the slack. Then goose bumps ran down her arms at the word “romance.” Yes, that’s what this was, as crazy as it all seemed. A real, genuine romance for a girl who thought she would never have such a thing—who would want a wife who couldn’t hear?

  Chet led her over to the bench, sitting beside her once she was comfortable. “How was your day?” he asked.

  What an odd way to begin a proposal, if that was for sure what this was. Maybe his experiences had made him decide to change his mind. Looking down the barrel of a gun would make you reevaluate your priorities a bit.

  “My day was perfectly awful. I spent it worrying about you, and I had to wash napkins. Do you have any idea how badly I hate washing napkins?”

  “You were worried about me, were you?”

  “Of course. And the napkins. I absolutely detest napkins.”

  “Should we do away with them altogether in our house?” Chet asked, a smile lurking around the corners of his lips.

  She pretended to think about that, even though her heart was going a million miles an hour and it was so hard not to leap up and begin dancing or something else just as embarrassing. “I like having napkins. I just don’t like washing them.”

  “Then we’ll send them out, and take care of both problems.”

  “I think that’s agreeable,” she said. “How was your day?”

  He took her hand in his. “Oh, it was all right. Caught some train robbers, thought about you—have I mentioned how annoying train robbers are? There you are, you have a train, and they rob it. It’s so inconsiderate.”

  “Is it?”

  “It really is.” He scooted a little closer, and his eyes flicked to her mouth. Suddenly she wanted him to kiss her more than anything she’d ever wanted before. He obliged, drawing her closer.

  It was absolutely wonderful.

  When he let her go, she smiled up into his eyes. “I’m glad you came back.”

  “You know, I’m rather glad I did too. I have some unfinished business here, you know.” He straightened and took her hand again. “I realize this might take some time, but I’m willing to invest whatever time you need. I—”

  “Yes.”

  “I will travel out this way as often as I can, and we can correspond through letters, although that won’t be quite as good as seeing each other in person, but we’ll do the best we can.”

  She laughed. “Didn’t you hear me? I said yes.”

  He seemed startled. “Yes? Do you mean . . . yes, you’ll marry me?”

  “Yes, I’ll marry you, and I’ll do it this very day if we can arrange it.”

  “But . . .” He shook his head. “I don’t understand. I thought you’d want time to get to know me, for us to court.”

  “I did at first, but I realized just this afternoon that none of that is necessary. My heart knows your heart, even if I have no idea where you were born or what your parents are like or even if you’re already married with twelve children. I do happen to know that you snore already, but since I won’t be able to h
ear it that well, I don’t think that will be an issue.”

  His cheeks turned pink. “I snore?”

  She laughed again. “You do snore. Let’s see—Carrie described it as sounding like a kitten with a cold.”

  “Oh, no. I’m so sorry—I had no idea.”

  He looked so chagrined, she felt sorry for him. “This seals it, I believe. I’m the only woman you can marry now because I’m the one who won’t be bothered by it.”

  “I think you’re right. And do you mean it? You’ll marry me right now?”

  She lifted one shoulder. “If being apart from you for one day is going to turn me into a worried mess, we’d better just tie the knot and take me with you, don’t you think? It would be better for my emotional health.”

  He slid his arm around her waist again and brought her closer. “Do you know, I think it might be best for my emotional health too.”

  ***

  Pastor Osborne had gotten used to performing marriages at a moment’s notice. As soon as it could be arranged, he stood in front of the two of them in the dining room at the hotel, everyone gathered in one place. He’d offered them the church, but Nora wanted to attend, and Dr. Wayment would only allow her to come that far.

  Georgia wore a simple traveling dress, as they would be getting on the train right after the ceremony. The Pinkertons had another case for Chet and weren’t giving him much time to report. She held a bouquet of flowers that Carrie had picked for her, and she felt full of light and hope. Her parents hadn’t been able to make it out because of the limited time constraints, but Chet would be taking her to see them after this next case was resolved.

  “Congratulations to the happy couple, and my condolences to the Brodys,” Pastor Osbourne began. “It’s a wonderful thing to join two lives into one, but rather an inconvenience when it means that once again, we’ll be short a waitress.”

  Everyone laughed. “I already had an ad in the paper when this happened,” Mr. Brody called out, and everyone laughed again. It was true that they changed out waitresses almost as often as they changed out tablecloths.

  The rest of the ceremony was a little more solemn as Chet and Georgia pledged to love each other for the rest of their lives, no matter what trials would come their way. The pastor spoke to them about the importance of trusting each other and being absolutely worthy of that trust, and then he said the words Georgia had been longing to hear and pronounced them man and wife.

  She turned to Chet, knowing her cheeks were wet with tears, and he caught her up in a hug and another one of those wonderful kisses. Then she went around the room, hugging all her friends and saying her goodbyes. Oh, it was so hard to leave these people she’d come to care about so deeply.

  “You write me when this baby is born and tell me all about it,” she whispered in Nora’s ear, and Nora said she would.

  With a deep breath, Georgia turned to her new husband and told him she was ready to go. He took her in his arms, gave her another kiss, and said, “I love you, Mrs. Larsen.”

  Much to her surprise, she heard that perfectly fine.

  “I love you too,” she replied, and he whisked her off to the train that would take them on their next adventure.

  The End

  About Amelia C. Adams

  Amelia C. Adams is a wife, a mother, an eater of chocolate, and a taker of naps. She spends her days thinking up stories and her nights writing them down. Her biggest hero is her husband, and you just might see bits and pieces of him as you read her novels.

  You can reach her at [email protected].

  Please join Amelia on her website to learn more about her, sign up for her newsletter, stay on top of news and upcoming releases, and follow her on Facebook.

  And if you’ve enjoyed any of her novels, please consider leaving a review on Amazon. It’s much appreciated!

  The Kansas Crossroads Series:

  A New Beginning (free!)

  A Free Heart

  The Dark and the Dawn

  A Clean Slate

  A Clear Hope

  The Whisper of Morning

  A Careless Wind

  A Narrow Road

  The Bitter and the Sweet

  The Calm of Night

  A Begrudging Bride

  A Broken Wing (A Kansas Crossroads novella)

  A Twisted Fate

  An Unspoken Dream

  The Nurses of New York series:

  Sea of Strangers (free!)

  Cause of Conflict

  Touch of Tenderness

  Heart of Hearts

  Test of Time

  The American Mail-Order Brides series:

  Hope: Bride of New Jersey

  Tabitha: Bride of Missouri

  The Hearts of Nashville series:

  Whiskey and Women

  Records and Rebels

  As part of the Brides of Beckham series by Kirsten Osbourne:

  Mail Order Molly

  As part of the River’s End Ranch series:

  Accidental Agent

  Rugged Rockclimber

  Welcome Wagon

  Santa’s Shopkeeper

  Delivering Destiny

  Lucky Lifeguard

  As part of the Grandma’s Wedding Quilts series:

  Meredith’s Mistake

  As part of the Magnolias and Moonshine series:

  Sweet Georgia Peach

  As part of the Burnt River series:

  Ashley’s Hope

  As part of the Rocky Mountain Romances series:

  Utah Sunrise

  As part of the Mail Order Mounties series:

  Bride for Joel

  Bride for Jonathan