LAND OF STARS: The Texas Wyllie Brothers (Wilderness Dawning Series Book 2) Read online

  Love for him overflowed from her heart, and she let it out on an exuberant hug. How she loved this man!

  And how she loved Steve! Every day, she loved him more. And after today, she would spend the rest of her life loving him.

  Father stepped back, gripped her shoulders, and gazed directly into her eyes. “I am so honored to be your father my beautiful daughter. And to share your joy on this special day. You will live another life now. One that blends your life with Steve’s. And you will know happiness beyond anything you’ve ever experienced. But when difficult times come, and they will, Steve will be by your side. And know that when you need me, I will also always be there for you.”

  “Father, you’ve given me nineteen years of unbroken kindness and love. No matter how old I get, or you get, I will always be there for you and mother too.”

  “Then let’s go get you married,” he said with warmth brightening his ever kind face. “Your carriage is waiting.”

  Smiling so much her mouth hurt, she took her father’s hand. There was something about her father’s strong hand. Just touching it was comforting in a way that nothing else was. Her first memory was of her father reaching down to take her small hand into his and walking her to the barn to see the horses. His hand made her feel protected and loved. When they reached the barn, he had smiled down at her. And she had smiled up at him, knowing that there was only one thing in the world important to him at that moment—her.

  When she gazed into her father’s eyes now, she felt the same. There was only one important thing to him. Her happiness.

  In her other hand, she held the bouquet of wildflowers that Steve had picked for her the day before. Some of them were white and matched the string of pearls she wore at her neck and her satin gown. The fabric glowed like fresh snow glistening in the morning sun. It was the most beautiful dress she’d ever worn. “How do I look, Father?”

  “Like you just came down from heaven,” he said. “Only God could create someone as beautiful as you.”

  Rebecca smiled and glanced up. Only a few clouds drifted across the sun lightened sky, and she knew for a certainty that beyond them, in the depths of heaven, there were stars beyond counting.

  Her heart beat excitedly as they climbed into the gleaming black carriage drawn by two matching white horses. The carriage and the gown made her feel like a princess about to wed her prince.

  “I don’t have to ask if you’re happy. You are positively glowing,” her father said, as he sat down opposite her on the leather upholstered seat. “But are you nervous?”

  “More like excited. I am about to marry the man of my dreams. How could I not be excited?” she asked as she adjusted her gown around her. “As you so wisely said, when you were playing cupid, that man was made for me.”

  He smiled thinking about it. “Indeed. I knew it from the moment I first met him.” Father turned to their driver. “Take us to the wedding, Taynay!”

  Mr. Watson had just bought an especially fine, brand new New Orleans carriage and had volunteered it and Taynay to drive them to the wedding. Taynay wore a new shirt and trousers. He had told her father that he had purchased the clothing with his first week’s salary as an employee of Watson. Taynay and his son were now living in a boarding house with Watson, but they came most evenings to eat at the sugar mill with Taynay’s mother and the other former slaves.

  Amos, also sporting new clothing, sat beside his father. Since she’d first met the boy at the Wyllie’s camp, he had gained weight and appeared to be far healthier and was now quite talkative.

  Father and son both turned toward them with identical wide smiles on their faces.

  As Amos stared wide-eyed at her, he asked his father, “Is that what angels look like?”

  “Yes, Son and Mr. Steve is going to be jumping in his boots when he catches sight of Miss Tyler,” Taynay said.

  “Thank you, Amos and Taynay. You both look stylish in your new clothing as well,” Rebecca said.

  “And I got shoes!” little Amos said, holding up a foot for her to see.

  “Good for you!” she said. “How’s your foot Taynay?”

  “It’s healin’ up good since I ride in this here carriage now whenever Mr. Watson goes ‘bout his business.”

  She ran her white-gloved hand over the green leather upholstery. “This is such a fine carriage. Thank you for driving it, and please thank Mr. Watson for allowing us to use it this morning.”

  Taynay nodded. “I’ll tell him, Miss.”

  “After you get wedded, Miss Rebecca, will you make us some more buttermilk donuts?” Amos asked. His eyes widened with hope.

  She chuckled. “Of course, Amos. The first batch will be all yours.”

  “Mine! Not Mr. Steve’s?”

  “Well, we might want to give him one,” she said with a wink.

  Father gave a hand signal to go. “Her jumping in his boots groom is waiting. Take us away, Taynay!”

  Steve stood waiting for Rebecca under the spreading branches of a two-hundred-year-old post oak. The massive tree had served as an outdoor protestant church and meeting area for many years. The tree was somewhat removed from the settlement, but nearby it had good spring water. The oak would undoubtedly become a witness to future sermons delivered by Baldy. The frontier town had readily accepted the unconventional preacher, flaws and all. As Baldy was fond of saying, and as he told some of them, “A preacher can be a man of God without being a zealot about everything.”

  Now in the muted light of its shade, the tree would witness the most important event in Steve’s life.

  In front of him, benches made of tree stumps and long logs made about a dozen rows of seating. And behind the benches, two fiddle players sat on chairs they must have brought with them. They would provide the music for dancing later on. And the Tyler cooks had loaded the tables with food, a grand pile of donuts made from Rebecca’s recipe, and an assortment of beverages.

  Father, Samuel, and Thomas stood beside Steve. The most casual observer could tell that they were all kin. All four of them had the same height, broad shoulders, and dark hair coloring. But to Steve, the most important traits they shared were the love of family and an unwillingness to let anything or anyone threaten that family. It made him proud to have them stand beside him.

  Baldy waited in the middle. And Melly, Adam, and Caddo were on Baldy’s right side. Sitting there, with his alert eyes and floppy-ears cocked forward, the dog seemed to know that something important was about to happen. Abigail had tied a blue ribbon and bow around his neck for the occasion.

  He wasn’t sure who was smiling the most among them, probably Melly. Even though she wasn’t his real mother, her love made him feel like she was. And he knew she would one day become a loving grandmother to his children.

  And someday, Mrs. Tyler would become the other grandmother in their family. After making sure she brought her heart medicine, Adam had driven her to the wedding in the Tyler carriage. Although she looked a little pale, she no longer looked careworn. She was smiling from ear to ear as she sat in the front row with Louisa, the baby, and Abigail. Little Stephen seemed to be enjoying the affair and was fascinated by the rattle Steve bought for him at the general store. When his nephew was old enough, he would buy him a toy rocking horse.

  Widow Jones and Mr. Mabbitt sat in the second row. Based on their smiles at one another, Steve suspected there might be another wedding coming up in the near future. Watson sat next to them, beside two of Rebecca’s girlfriends. Behind them, three of Mrs. Tyler’s closest friends were seated with the older teacher Rebecca had told him about.

  The fourth row consisted of a few single men who had been friends of Rebecca’s brothers. Couples who were close friends of Mr. and Mrs. Tyler, including Alcalde Navarro and his wife, filled a couple of rows.

  Hollis, Zack, Nate, Jack, Ray, Hunter, and Shane all sat together, smiling and bantering among each other. Now and then, one of them would toss a good-natured insult out and point toward Samuel or Steve, causing t
he others to chuckle and snicker. They acted like family because they were.

  Several of Samuel’s cowhands had helped to tie the horses of the guests and to park their carriages for them. Since the herd now contentedly grazed on the grass-covered pastures of the Tyler land, Hollis and all but two hands were able to attend as well. Hollis had ordered Billy and Pete to remain with the herd so that, in case there was trouble, one could ride to the wedding to get them.

  Yesterday, in the presence of their parents, Navarro had executed the marriage by bond for Rebecca and Steve. Although legally binding, neither of them considered themselves married until Baldy performed the ceremony. In the eyes of God, their marriage would be morally joined. And those vows would be deeper, stronger, and more spiritually binding.

  Then Rebecca would truly be his, tonight and forevermore. For their wedding night, he had secured the largest room at the inn in town, The Goings. After a sizeable tip, the inn manager agreed to supply the room with fresh linens, flowers, and a bottle of wine. He couldn’t wait to share their first night together, and he kept looking down the road for a sign of her. Finally, he spotted the open carriage driven by Taynay in the distance.

  As the carriage carrying Rebecca drew closer, Steve thought he must have already died and gone to heaven. An angel was seated in the carriage’s back seat. All she lacked was a halo. In its place, a white lace veil covered her beautiful black hair. A ray of sun, breaking through heaven’s window, fell directly on her.

  “Oh my,” he said under his breath.

  Samuel whistled.

  Thomas whispered, “You are one lucky man, brother.”

  Steve wasn’t certain it was luck. Luck left life to chance. And, as he saw it, God didn’t leave anything this important to chance. He’d planned all along for Rebecca to be Steve’s wife. She was his destiny. She was the reason he was here in Nacogdoches. The good Lord had done mighty fine work putting the two of them together. And for that, he was grateful beyond words.

  Despite everything they’d both lost, their lives were now richly blessed. And happy. And they could all now move forward into the future. He and Rebecca would raise and train quality horses. Samuel and Louisa, with the help of Thomas and Abigail, would raise cattle and sell beef. Baldy, Melly, and Adam would create a place to restore people’s health. Father and Mr. and Mrs. Tyler would dote on all their grandchildren. And Taynay, Amos, and the rest of his former slaves would help Watson create and run the new inn the town so desperately needed.

  “Here she comes!” Hollis suddenly shouted, and stood along with everyone else.

  The grandest carriage of all now approached. Not because it was all shiny brand new and the latest style, but because it held the woman he loved. And she was smiling at him. He could hardly believe his good fortune. He knew now that Rebecca was his true fortune—not land, wealth, or success. She was his treasure.

  Her father proudly held her hand as she disembarked.

  As Rebecca came forward, she held fast to her father’s hand.

  While he watched her approach, Steve’s heart swelled inside his chest. Pride, joy, and love made his eyes water.

  He wasn’t the only one whose eyes moistened. He heard sniffles coming from Mrs. Tyler, Louisa, and Abigail.

  Rebecca’s lustrous satin gown also made her look angelic. Perhaps she actually was an angel sent to him from heaven. Her face glowed with goodness and happiness. He stared hard at her, wanting to memorize this exact moment and the way she looked—so gorgeous, so lovely, and so very exquisite.

  He had found the one his heart loved.

  As she drew near, their souls embraced. Her loving gaze caressed his moist eyes, and her smile hugged his pounding heart.

  Soon they would be joined as one. Only to be parted by death. And even then, Steve was confident their souls would always be one. And through all the stages of their lives, she would always be his love, his sweetheart, his cherished companion.

  Rebecca paused to find her mother’s happy face. The two exchanged smiles that reflected the strong, loving bond between the mother and her daughter.

  Afterward, Rebecca placed a kiss on her smiling father’s cheek and squeezed his hand before slowly letting go of him.

  Then she reached out and clasped Steve’s hand in hers. He understood what that simple gesture meant. Her life was no longer the responsibility of her father. It was now his duty. To protect. To treasure. To love.

  How fast life could change. He was about to become a married man, and that would mean many more changes—learning together how to make love to one another, how to raise a child, how to let him or her go when it was time for them to live their own lives. That might be the hardest lesson of all.

  Steve glanced at Rebecca’s father and nodded when their eyes met, appreciating the significance of what it meant for a father to hand over his daughter. With gratitude in his eyes, he said, “I shall never fail her.”

  “Thank you,” Mr. Tyler told him and then took a seat beside his wife.

  Eloquently and movingly, Baldy led them in their vows and they pledged their love and lives to one another. When it was time to kiss his wife, he gave her a long, sweet kiss to the cheers of their family and friends. The sounds of happiness and love resounded deep into the ancient forest surrounding them.

  And the ancient land in which they married waited for them. As husband and wife, they would seek a place of permanence and stability in Texas, a world in transition. It would not be easy. The world they would live in—the noble West—would be volatile, dangerous, and uncertain.

  But their love would always be stable, safe, and certain. Of that, he was assured.

  As sure as the stars in the Texas sky.

  THE END

  FACTS AND INSPIRATIONS

  BEHIND THE STORY

  River flooding, among the most powerful and terrifying forces of Mother Nature, has led to countless disasters throughout history. But I wanted to confirm that the hypothetical disastrous storm that occurred in this novel could have happened. According to our local CBS Chief Meteorologist, Bill Taylor it could, “A cold front that time of year would more than likely stall out right across the Red River Valley. With an abundant moisture source from the south from a tropical storm, heavy rain would develop along the front and without moving, that front serves as a continuous trigger for convection, aka heavy thunderstorms. We call that a ‘training effect’ when thunderstorms multiply over the same area over and over.” Thank you, Bill Taylor, for corroborating my fictional storm.

  Historically, the area around Pecan Point has had hundreds of thousands of acres flooded catastrophically. To view a startling video of actual flooding on the Red River at Pecan Point, see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cg5DHb9ZTXU

  I have often watched the news in dismay as I’ve seen major flooding in Texas and elsewhere in the U.S. We’ve sheltered my son and his college friends when a hurricane hit Houston. We’ve had friends whose beloved homes were flooded or destroyed both in Houston and along the Guadalupe River. And as I write this, tropical system, Imelda brought 22” of rain to a community east of Houston.

  In some of these catastrophic flood events, human error, neglect, or miscalculation contributed to the scale of the disaster. The thirty worst floods in American history have tragically resulted in nearly 25,000 fatalities. Often, people refuse to accept that floods can quickly become, as Stephen said in Chapter 4, the enemy.

  One of the worst river floods to hit Texas occurred in July 1869, when the Colorado River exceeded 55 feet due to a week-long rainfall that swelled streams across the state, according to the USGS. Heading south, the Colorado’s angry waters submerged the small towns of Bastrop and La Grange, both southeast of Austin.

  Animals are impacted by floods too. In 1791, moving ashore along the southern Texas coastline, hurricane floods killed about 50,000 cattle.

  Of course, early settlers had no warning of major weather events and were left guessing as to the severity and duration of storms. Now, the
use of advanced forecasting and tracking storms by satellite can provide early alerts and warnings. And evacuations ahead of flooding can help to save lives.

  Part Two of this novel was inspired by the first-wave settlers of Texas. Not only did they face the wrath of Mother Nature and hostile Indian tribes, but they also dealt with serious political, legal, and economic challenges.

  For one thing, entrance into Mexican Texas was extremely regulated by Mexico. In light of the current controversy over Mexican immigration at the Texas border, it is quite ironic that, according to the Texas State Library and Archives, “Foreigners arriving in the state of Coahuila y Texas had to ‘prove, by certificate from the authorities of the place from whence they came, that they are Christians, and also the morality and propriety of their conduct.’ To become a citizen, the foreign settler had to go before the municipal authorities and swear to ‘abide by and obey the general Constitution (Mexican), and that of the State; to observe the religion as stipulated by the former; and in a book (the register of foreigners) which shall be kept for that purpose, his name and those of the members of his family, if he has any, shall be set down; noting the country from whence he comes, whether married or single, his employment; and he having taken the requisite oath, shall be considered thenceforward, and not before that time, a fellow-citizen.’”

  Of course, another challenge they faced was how early on they came to Texas. The year 2018 was the 200th anniversary of the real-life Stephen, and his sons, arrivals in Texas in 1818. That arrival date is documented by noted historian Rex Strickland who cites sources verifying that Samuel’s father Stephen Wiley (current spelling of the last name) and four sons were indeed settled on the south side of the Red River in 1818, well before Stephen F. Austin brought settlers to the Province of Texas in 1824.

  The Samuel in this novel was my husband’s third great-grandfather. In real life, Samuel led a heroic life. He fought at the first Goliad battle and at the Battle of San Jacinto, the battle that brought victory against the Mexican Army and gained Texas. And later he served for a period of time as a Texas Ranger against an Indian threat. He died in Wilson County, Texas at the age of ninety and is buried very close to our ranch.