She closed her eyes and prayed fervently,thank you Lord for your divine protection.Ruth was reminded of her father’s words and when he read from Proverbs 11:21, ‘Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished: but the seed of the righteous shall be delivered.’
Epilogue
The courthouse on West 19th Street was abuzz and swarming from Ferguson Street to Eddy Street with people of Cheyenne and from neighboring towns. Wherever Daniel went he heard only about the discovery of the poisoning of Dr. Alexander Grant by his partner, Dr. Alistair Nagle and the news spread like wildfire throughout Wyoming. He knew it would become the Wyoming scandal of the year. The story had already gone to print, having been sent across all the states from west to east.
Daniel could not keep up with all the questions and had been relieved to escape into the courthouse with Elizabeth, Jimmy, Ruth, Matthew, and Mary and Tom Bloomer.
Daniel would remember this day for the rest of his life. He shot a quick glance at Ruth and smiled. Without her bravery, Alistair would never have been caught and his devious plot against his family never discovered.
It seemed Alistair had not been comfortable in being tried in public eyes. The court proceedings took place quickly. The testimonies from Daniel, Ruth, and Miss Todd, in addition to the evidence from the mercury order and delivery documents, were enough to convict him.
“I always knew there was nothing right about him,” Jimmy frowned as he shook his head. “I only wish Dr. Alexander could be here to see it all.”
Elizabeth agreed, “Justice has been served right,” she looked over at Ruth, who was blinking her eyes humorously at Matthew; he suddenly became curious and tried to poke his little fingers into her eyes. “It’s all thanks to Ruth that Daniel is safe and Matthew will grow up with his father.”
“No,” Ruth’s cheeks went pink, “I believe that it was the Lord’s guidance. I would never have found anything if I did not need to clear out that room with all the books.”
“Elizabeth is right, Ruth,” Daniel’s smile was happy, and he felt as if a storm cloud had lifted whenever he looked at her. “It was you who fit all the pieces together. None of this would have happened if you hadn’t come to Cheyenne. I think God knew you would bring justice for my father.”
Everyone just stared at him, and he laughed. “What’s wrong? Has a bird dropped something on my hat?” he quipped and took off his hat and pretended to inspect it so everyone could stop gawking at him. He knew what they thought, and he knew he had changed—for the better. He glanced at Ruth and their eyes locked, as though a bolt of lightning had hit him from head to toe and everything around him slowed down. He knew he was truly blessed.
He felt a nudge to his side and looked at Jimmy who said, “I think it’s time we go now that Alistair has his one-way ticket to prison,” he gave a lopsided grin. “But I’d sure like to see him in those black and white stripes.”
“Yes, you’re right,” Daniel chuckled and patted him on the shoulder. “I’m sure he’ll enjoy those fancy meals of bread and water.”
“I wonder,” Jimmy added with an arched brow, his eyes gleaming. “Think they’ll put him in a ball and chain?”
“I certainly would,” Elizabeth laughed. “To see him pounding rocks—well, that would certainly be a spectacle.”
Once everyone was seated comfortably in carriages, they set out for the Grant ranch.
***
Daniel decided to take a walk while Ruth was busy with Matthew. Mary and Elizabeth were in fervent conversation, and Jimmy had work to be done, with Tom help him.
Alone with his thoughts, Daniel walked toward the pond and marveled at the rocky mountainous plains, the rolling hills and basins complemented by multi-layered forests of trees scattered along the horizon. He had been oblivious to the wonder of his own land for so long. How had he missed out on such beauty he’d never know. He thought of Ruth and how anxious he had been for her safety with Alistair that long night. He knew deep in his heart that something had changed; his life had changed, and he began to feel emotions other than anger and loneliness.
For too long he had been consumed by anger and rage seeking an answer for something that he could no longer recollect, and for the first time he began to understand what it meant to let go of the pain and anger he cosseted for so long.
Daniel stopped on an incline near a crown of pine trees and sat on the surface of a small grassy rock formation surrounded by shrubs, overlooking the pond.
He lowered his head with his hands resting on his lap. He closed his eyes as tears spurred by deep emotion gathered. His chest heaved as he took in the events over the past few days. He was overwhelmed by emotion, and he could feel the ache in his heart begin to subside. It had been easy to blame God for everything—easy to bear no fault or take in the consequences of his actions.
So, what made him think he was worthy to receive Ruth’s love? It was her faith that showed him there was hope. Daniel knew it was not coincidence. It had been God’s plan all along. He remembered a verse he learned when he first gave his life to serve the Lord Jesus found in the Bible in the Book of 1 John 1:9 ‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’
“Lord Jesus,” Daniel prayed aloud and felt a gentle breeze brush through his hair. “I have been rebellious and everything that a man shouldn’t be, I have turned my heart against you and I beg your forgiveness,” he paused and said in a whisper, “please, forgive me. I will become a better man and serve you with my whole heart.”
Daniel opened and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and enjoyed the gentle breeze, feeling he’d been relieved of a heavy burden. He felt calm, free of anguish and filled with peace.
With a broad smile and a heart full of joy he admired the horizon before he stood and headed back to the ranch.
Daniel found Jimmy and Tom in the corral, and he could hear Jimmy’s instructions as he showed Tom how to manage the horses in the corral.
“I’m so glad you hired Tom to help Jimmy around the ranch,” Daniel heard Ruth as she came up next to him with a bright smile. He had been too caught up in watching Jimmy, Tom, and the horses to hear Ruth walk up to him.
“I am, too. I just thought that since Richard is gone now and Tom is still so young, he has much to learn and might need some guidance. It seemed a good idea for him to spend some time with Jimmy. I’m sure he misses his father.” Daniel shrugged, “I can already see that Jimmy enjoys having him around.”
“And ranch repairs can finally begin,” Ruth said with the dimpled smile he was so fond of, and Daniel thought he could stare at her all day. Her smile warmed him from a place deep within that he could not put into words.
