Sounds of the Prairie

Epilogue Colorado

I stayed standing on the front porch leaning against a beam that was holding up the cover keeping the summer sun off of my already sunburnt skin I watched Essie running around the yard with a couple of the towns kids chasing at her heals. When they almost got her she would dodge left and then back again yelling, "Catch me if you can!" with her skirts twirling back and forth around her ankles. Her smile could have rivaled the sun itself and her laugh sounded like music being caught on the wave of the wind. It had been a couple months of being home and we had settled in well to life on the ranch. I kept busy helping Pa while learning to take over as sheriff at the same time training Joe and Tucker to be deputies, I wasn't sure which venture was harder. If I was honest probably the latter. Never the less my everyday was entertaining. Essie had began teaching kids to read in the early mornings on top of everything she did for our home. I keep telling her she doesn't have to but if I had to guess she likes being busy and having people around her. Even if they were screaming children who were chasing her like wild banshees through our yard trying to take her down in the most serious game of tag I have ever witnessed. Taking me out of my thoughts was her running up the few steps to stand behind me with her breath tickling my ear as she whispered, "Protect me." I couldn't help but laugh and say always, spreading my arms out wide and catching the kids as they came up, scooping them up and gently shaking them until they were all fits of giggles. Once my wife had caught her breath she told the kids that was it for the day and to make their way home for lunch and she would see them on Monday. Giving moans of disappointment they all disbursed out the front gate and left us to go inside of our home. I followed Essie into the kitchen but stopped short when she started gagging and ran to the wash bucket, heaved over and face flushed. I ran to her side and pulled back her hair, "What's wrong? Should I call for the Doctor?" 

She gave a strong shake of her head and said that she was fine but clearly she wasn't. This wasn't the first time she randomly started puking either and I was done not knowing what was wrong. "I am gonna go get him, just stay here I will be back." 

Her hand grabbed my arm and I watched her take a deep breath, tears welling in her eyes and a smile coming to her face, "This isn't how I was gonna go about telling you."

"Telling me what woman?" She gave me a face of annoyance before going back to smiling and I still didn't understand why she was smiling like that while I still was standing here feeling like an idiot. "Essie come on, if your sick we need to get you looked at." 

She grabbed my hand and gently put it to lay over her stomach and I raised an eyebrow, "Colorado you dunce, I am not sick. I am pregnant." 

Everything seemed to click slowly but surely and I glanced between her and her stomach over and over. The sickness, her sleeping all the time, and all of the smiles that I thought she was giving me because she loved me I now realized it was just because she was actually overwhelmingly happy. I fell back a few steps to sit at the table still staring at her stomach that I realized had started to develop a little bump. "Pregnant?
 

"I know they say that prairie boys are slow but I didn't think this--" I didn't let her finish as I pulled her down to my lap and swallowed her words in a kiss, "Does this mean your happy?" 

I just nodded. Not for the first time since I met her was I left without words again. She had that affect on me. I was able to say one thing though and that was we had to go tell everyone. First stop being the Gearrings. When we got there I helped her out of our wagon and ran up their front steps taking two at a time, "Anyone home?!" I yelled, moving to peek into the windows but the front door creaked open and Mrs. Gearring poked her head out, "We are here, there is no need to yell now Colorado. Is everything alright?"

I ran up and hugged her but it didn't take much to know she was giving her adopted daughter an odd look over my shoulder and trying not to make me aware. I knew these two too well. "Everything is fine, he is just excited." 

Mrs. Gearring kept hugging me and gently patting my back, "Would you mind including me so I can also be excited?" 

"We are pregnant." Mrs. Gearrings hand stopped moving and her arms fell by her side, head gently resting on my shoulder. "Pregnant you said?" 

Essie gave a nod of her head and it took no time at all for Mrs. Gearring to let go of me and run to my wife wrapping her in the strongest hug I think that women could give someone. Next thing you knew Mr. Gearring came out and joined the party, us being all smiles. "A grandchild Richard!" Mrs. Gearring clapped and he just smiled at her. Before you knew it, we had circled the whole town, leaving behind hoots and hollers before going back home. Essie looked more then exhausted when I helped her down from the wagon so I picked her up in my arms and carried her up into the house, resting her down on the rocking chair that was tucked into the corner of the front room. "You doin' okay?" I asked as I laid a crocheted blanket over her lap and tucked it around her. 

"I would be lyin' if I said I wasn't a little tired." She gave me a weak smile and let her head fall back as her foot pushed her back and forth in a small rock. "Promise me you are happy Colorado?" My head perked up at her since she didn't usually call me by my first name. "I couldn't be more happy or more in love if I tried." I sat back on the wooden table that sat in the room and just watched her slowly rock herself to sleep and pictured her with our baby, having her eyes and nose, resting in her arms as she was rocking and it caused a tightness in my chest. If someone had sat here with me a year ago and told me that this is what my life would be now? I would have laughed at them, said I never even thought of that, maybe even said my life was too busy. I wouldn't have been more wrong. We had a home, we were going to have a child, and our lives couldn't be anymore blessed. I sent up a prayer to God, thanking him for everything that I have and for my wife and I added another prayer to ma, "Thank you, I know you watched over us, heck maybe you even brought Essie to me, maybe you knew what I needed. I'll just ask one more thing of you, watch over this child. Never let them out of your sight and I will never ask you for another thing. I love you ma." I stood up, kissed my wife on the forehead before blowing out the oil lamp and scooping her back up to take her to bed. Everything else could wait another day. We would have plenty more.