Crew and The Goat Lady – Epilogue

Crew and The Goat Lady – Epilogue

Author’s Note: This is a short story based on a character from “Letters to Dogwood“. It is recommended that you read the book first before delving into Crew’s story. I wrote this because it was requested by a reader and it made me realize that everyone deserves someone, even if they aren’t your typical good guy or hero. Love comes in all shapes and forms, personalities and quirks. And considering that Crew has a heart of gold, he deserves someone just as interesting as he is.

-Tanya

Epilogue: Christmas and Mistletoe

Christmas at Della’s home was a cozy affair.

Her friend was there during the first half of the morning. Edna was a tiny woman with a poof of white hair, spectacles, and a no-nonsense attitude. When she walked into Della’s cabin after a cursory knock, she stopped dead in her tracks to gape at the vision of Crew and Della holding hands over coffee.

Neither released hands.

“Well, I’ll be jipped,” she’d said. “What have you been up to since I’ve been gone, girl?”

Della’s answer had been to beam, grab her friend a coffee, and sit Edna down for the whole shocking tale.

Now, Edna was gone, and Crew stroked Iris’s silky black ears while the pup chewed a bone from the butcher. He wore a new coat lined with mohair that Della had claimed was “just lying around.” He’d never received such a fine gift. Last weekend, he had been fit to be tied trying to find a gift worthy of Della. The mercantile owner, seeing the restrained panic in Crew’s sweating face, had helped him find gifts appropriate for sweethearts.

Della cooed over the several yards of dress fabric he’d given her that morning. The perfume bottle had caused more of a dilemma. He’d bought it more for the pretty crystal vial that it came in than its scent and had watched her unstopper it with a nervous eye. All his worries had been for naught; she had smelled it and closed her eyes in bliss.

“This is the best Christmas I’ve had in years,” Della sighed, folding the last yards of muslin and tucking it away. “And I haven’t had a real Christmas tree in here since Al died. I wish I could have it in here year round.”

“Don’t see why you couldn’t,” Crew reasoned, looking at the young pine sapling he’d chopped and dragged in earlier that week. Della had decorated it with festive scraps of fabric tied in bows, old painted ornaments she’d pulled out of storage in the barn, and a rag angel on top. The fire crackled merrily in the open wood-burning stove.

“Maybe it could stay, at least until the new year. What do you think, Crew?”

He would have agreed with her even if the tree had lost all its needles and had turned into a brown, twiggy fire hazard in the corner of the room. “That’s a fine idea.” Speaking of ideas… “Della, I wanted to ask you somethin’.”

“Yes?”

“Well, I know that you’re not real keen on going into town, but I thought, maybe—” He stopped, mid-stammer. Lord Almighty, but would it ever get easier learning how to be a beau? Crew took a steadying breath and tried again. “I thought you and I could go down to Dogwood and eat at this diner they have there.”

“Dogwood?” She frowned. Dogwood was further away than the town she normally frequented.

“Yeah, Mrs. Stone’s pa runs the hotel there, and the food’s the best in the whole county.” Not to mention, Lucy had badgered him about where he was going off to here lately. She had pestered him until Crew had finally admitted defeat and told her all about courting The Goat Woman. Then, the maddening thing, Lucy had insisted that he take Della to eat at the Dogwood Hotel so he could introduce them. Hands in the air as though she was aiming a firing squad at him, he had ceded to the termagant’s wishes. “And…people are real nice there.”

Della’s face softened. “In that case, I would love to come eat supper with you one evening.” Eyes twinkling, she grabbed something from the drawer in her washstand, hid it behind her back, and approached him slyly. Iris perked, lip tucked under a tooth in a snarl, and sauntered over to the door.

“Whatcha got there?” Crew asked, still sitting with his back against the table.

“Nothing,” she sing-songed, but her lips had spread into a mischievous grin. When she had limped close enough to him that her knees knocked his, she whipped her hand from behind her back and held it over their heads.

It was vine clipping, more dead than alive, and he frowned up at it. “What—”

“It’s mistletoe!” Her face loomed closer, and his throat turned to dust.

They tended to kiss each other goodnight, chaste and sweet, but it was getting harder and harder for him to stand still. His hands wanted to touch, but he was terrified of startling her.

Della leaned down, dried sprig still in hand above them, and gently touched her lips to his. All thoughts escaped and all reason disappeared. He stood up without breaking the connection and pulled her to him. Her arms wrapped tight around his neck.

Iris began barking madly just before there was a knock on the door.

Breathing hard, both pulled away, blinking at each other.

“You expectin’ anyone else?” he asked.

Cheeks bright, Della shook her head.

Crew moved between her and the door and opened it.

A man stood, hat in hand, with a boy standing similarly behind him. If he squinted hard enough, Crew could probably recognize the youth suffering from acne as one of the four that had terrorized Della a fortnight before.

“Hello, sir,” the man said, nodding respectfully at Della behind Crew’s shoulder. “Ma’am. We were just passing through, just got my boy a new horse for Christmas and was taking him for a ride when Richard told me something.”

Patting Crew’s lower back, Della slid between him and the door, facing the man in full light. She looked pretty today. Her hair was once again in that low bun at her neck, and she wore her best dress. If she had been walking down the town’s main street, Crew reckoned half the male population would have turned their heads twice to look at her. There was a smile on her face. There was also forgiveness.

“Hello, Richard,” she said, clasping her hands loosely in front of her.

Iris shot out of the door and started for the boy, who shuffled backward. Whistling between his teeth sharply, Crew called her back. Iris slunk back resentfully.

“Hello, ma’am,” Richard mumbled, not meeting either of their eyes.

The man cleared his throat. “Sorry, yeah, that’s Richard, and I’m Lloyd, his pa. He told me he and a group of his buddies came up here the other night, causing some mischief, and got themselves in a spot of trouble. Was that trouble you?” He directed the latter at Crew.

Hiding the urge to smile, Crew nodded. “Reckon it was.”

“Well, I appreciate you teaching them a lesson without getting the law involved. I’m glad he told me,” he shot a look behind him, “but I’m plumb embarrassed. Ma’am, is there anything I need to compensate you for? Was anything broken?”

Della sighed, and Crew could hear the answer in it. “No, there’s nothing—”

“A door latch,” Crew interrupted, ignoring her displeased look. “But I already replaced it. What Miss Della really needs is a helping hand. You live close by?”

“Couple miles, not too far.” Lloyd’s expression had brightened at the thought of not having to spend money. “Him comin’ up here wouldn’t be a problem. If that’s alright with you, ma’am.”

Still narrowing her eyes at an unapologetic Crew, Della begrudgingly admitted, “That would be fine.”

“How about it, son? You come and do whatever work this woman needs for as long as she needs it, without pay. That oughta set things straight.”

“Yes, sir,” Richard nodded, shoulders rounded in true contrition.

After business was discussed and goodbyes were said, the pair rode back down the hill. Della raised her eyebrows at Crew, all resentment gone. “Well, that was a surprise.”

“Sure was.” He snaked an arm around her waist and drew her against his side.

She curled around him, hands sliding up his back beneath his jacket. “How about we go inside and finish what we started?”

Crew gave one of his rare smiles. “Yes, ma’am.”

They left Iris outside to her own devices while they enjoyed all the Christmas miracles new love had to offer.

-The End-