Extended Epilogue

Cody, Wyoming, 1903

The supper bell rang out in the warm summer evening. Cordelia Armstaff stood for a moment after ringing the bell to see if she could spot movement down by the sheep barns. She took a deep breath and sighed with contentment. The choice to move to Wyoming from Ohio to help the Breen’s with their growing family was probably the best decision of her life.

She loved taking care of baby Robby, named for Amelia’s father. He was a sweet toddler with a sunny disposition. She also enjoyed cooking for the family. It gave her a much-needed sense of purpose, and she sure didn’t miss the crowds and dirty air of the city.

The new baby, Delilah, nicknamed Daisy, was the apple of Sebastian’s eye. Cordelia knew he’d never be able to deny that sweet baby who had his blue eyes, anything in the world.

Cordelia was proud of these her girls, as she thought of them. Both Amelia and Bianca had turned their tragedy into joy.

Two years ago, Bianca had sent her a letter telling her all about what had happened to them, the dramatic rescue and another surprising tidbit. She had met a man and they were courting.

It was soon after that Cordelia was invited to Bianca and Charles’ wedding, and with a postscript from Amelia and Sebastian, invited her to remain in Cody after the ceremony as a valued member of their household. Cordelia had thought long and hard about it but had replied in the affirmative with her reply to the wedding invitation.

The criminals who had abducted the sisters had faced trial in Wyoming, and as expected, Wilbur Bucher had been extradited to Ohio where he now languished in prison for life.

Mont Gultery was also imprisoned with a life sentence. Dayton, with Sebastian’s occasional assistance, had rounded up and arrested the rest of his gang of thugs, and they too, had been brought to justice.

Dayton won accolades for his campaign to take down the Gultery syndicate of criminals. He also won a raise in pay and was able to upgrade to the purchase of a larger property with a five-bedroom home that would be able to accommodate his growing family.

He had asked Sebastian to take a job policing, but Sebastian declined. As he put it, “I’ve got enough to do running the ranch and breeding sheep.”

Dayton only pressed him half-heartedly, “I think we’re such a great team, Sebastian. Come on, you know you’d like to wear the star!”

Dayton chuckled, teasing his friend who had always operated just a little outside the law in his bounty hunting days.

“Nope,” Sebastian replied adamantly. “My fugitive hunting days are over. You know my wife’s rich, right?” he joked. The men broke up laughing. Amelia hadn’t changed one iota since inheriting the fortune. With the single exception of hiring Mrs. Armstaff, their lives went on just as they had before Amelia inherited.

The Ridell fortune, a handsome sum of money, had been lawfully bestowed upon the Ridell sisters. They decided they would rent out the family home in Cleveland, Ohio, and had found a fine and genteel family to occupy it. Neither of the girls wanted to move back to the city, but they still felt sentimental about their family home and were not ready to give it up completely.

With the men heading in from the barn, Cordelia went back into the kitchen. There would be seven for dinner including herself in that number. She was a part of the family and took many of her meals with them.

Seline and Dayton, Bianca and Charles and their children would be joining them for dinner. The women were laying the table and tending their children as Cordelia entered the house.

Seline appeared in the kitchen doorway with her three-month-old boy in her arms.

“I’ll go lay him down and be back to help,” she informed Bianca, who was feeding her toddler son in a highchair in the kitchen.

“This little one is going to need a bath after dinner. He’s wearing more than he’s eating tonight, aren’t you my little piggy?” Bianca stood and stretched, her obviously pregnant belly protruding. She sighed and smiled as her boy made gurgling and laughing noises through his mouthful of food.

The men entered from the back porch, Dayton, Charles, and Sebastian deep in discussions about shearing sheep and the price of wool. Sebastian had taken young Charles, Bianca’s husband, into the sheep business with him. With his education in finance and business, he was proving to be a valued asset to the ranch, as well as to the family.

Sebastian had been as watchful as any older brother when Charles had begun to court Bianca. She soon fell head over heels for the handsome son of an immigrant family from Scotland.

Charles was a steadfast and hard-working young man who had soon shown the kind of husband he would be to Bianca. Both Sebastian and Amelia heartily approved of the match.

Bianca had gotten the wish that she’d voiced at Amelia and Sebastian’s wedding that she would order a custom-made bridal gown from Paris and be an exceptionally beautiful bride. The couple took a wedding trip to Europe then returned to Wyoming to set up housekeeping in a modest three-bedroom house in Cody.

Bianca found a love for gardening and won prizes every year for her outstanding flowers and vegetables. She also became involved with several charitable organizations.

She and Amelia vowed that they would use their good fortune and wealth to help others in honor of their mother, who had done the same. They spent a good deal of time administering these charitable causes, mostly for orphans and destitute children. The sisters used a portion of their vast fortune to endow an orphanage in Cleveland, Ohio; a city where there were many poor families and hungry children.

“Where’s Amelia?” Sebastian looked around for his wife as he came into the kitchen. He went to find her as Charles gave Bianca a peck on the cheek.

“Why don’t you go sit down, and I’ll clean up the baby?” Charles suggested. Bianca groaned, and nodded. She was ready to be off her feet for a while.

“The baby is kicking!” she told Charles. “Here, feel.” Charles put his hands on either side of Bianca’s belly and gasped as he felt the movement. The two shared a sweet kiss and embrace.

“Dinner will be ready soon. Here, darling,” Cordelia handed Bianca a glass of cold lemonade as she went out of the kitchen.

“Thank you, Nini.” Bianca and the rest of the family had taken to calling Cordelia the children’s pet name for her.

Amelia emerged from the bedroom, sleepy-eyed with her daughter in her arms as Sebastian went to check on her.

He planted a kiss on both their cheeks asking, “Did you have a nice nap?” Baby Daisy grabbed for her daddy’s ear and he made a mock crying face, “Ow!” He laughed. Daisy cooed at her father and waved her chubby arms.

“It was a little loud with all these babies!” Amelia joked, “We did get a little sleep.”

She sat down in her favorite chair and tucked the baby girl into her breast, covering them modestly with a light blanket.

Charles brought their newly washed toddler, Phillip, into Bianca and soon another boy ran in calling, “Daddy! I found a frog!” Robby Breen’s little hands were full of mud and frog, and he couldn’t wait to show his father.

Sebastian admired the frog as Nini caught up to Robby and gently guided him back out the door to release his quarry.

Sebastian felt an overwhelming sense of his good fortune as he looked over the room filled with happy growing families. It was a sight he’d never expected to see in his home. He felt that Daisy and his wife’s parents both would be pleased to know how well everything had turned out for them.

Crouching down onto the footstool in front of Amelia’s chair, he looked at his wife, feeding their daughter, filled with awe and love.

“You look smug,” she noticed. “Like the cat who swallowed the canary. What’s on your mind?”

Sebastian took Amelia’s hand and kissed it, whispering, “I’m just happy.”

Amelia smiled her response. “I am, too.”

“Thank you, Amelia for all of this. It’s all because of you.” Sebastian’s voice was husky with emotion.

“Husband,” Amelia answered, “this is only the beginning. It will only get better from here.”

Two years ago, Sebastian would have argued with her, or found cause to be contrary, even skeptical; but sitting there now, in the face of so much love and joy, he knew that she was absolutely right.

With Amelia as his wife, things would only ever get better.