“Schooling will help,” Camri said, passing a plate of bread to her brother. “So many of these women could acquire better jobs with even a minimal amount of training. Kenzie and Judith helped me see that we could teach skills along with book learning. We plan to employ a very talented woman from England whom I met at a lecture some months ago. She has trained up women to work in some of the finest homes in America. I think she’ll be quite an asset.”
“I would imagine so,” her mother agreed.
And so the conversation went until the final cups of coffee were served with thick slices of cassata cake—a sweet, cheesy confection for which the restaurant was famous. Soaked in a maraschino liqueur and filled with a sweet cream and ricotta concoction, the cake was topped with candied fruits and marzipan shapes. The delightful flavor was unlike anything Kenzie had ever eaten, but she quickly decided she would have it again—hopefully often.
“It’s such a joy to see you children so perfectly matched with God-fearing mates,” Mrs. Coulter said, looking around the table. “I had begun to fear I might not live to see it.”
Both Mr. and Mrs. Coulter had grown gravely ill when their son had disappeared the year before. Kenzie knew it was nothing short of a miracle that both had recovered their health so completely.
“It did seem to take an inordinate amount of time,” Camri’s father replied.
“And we both want more grandchildren to spoil,” Camri’s mother added.
Kenzie could see by the surprised expression on Camri’s face that she hadn’t anticipated this comment. A quick glance at her own mother, however, confirmed she felt the same.
“We’ve longed for grandchildren.” Kenzie’s mother smiled and looked at her husband. “Haven’t we?”
“We had to wait until our Kenzie had the right fellow,” Kenzie’s father offered. “And I am very thankful for the man He sent to her.”
Micah smiled. “She didn’t make it easy on me.” He winked, causing Kenzie to flush all the more.
“That just makes the victory even sweeter,” Caleb threw out, and everyone laughed.
“My only regret is that Arthur Morgan is a free man,” Micah said, shaking his head. “I suppose he’ll go on being a thorn in our side until he and his father get what they want.”
“They already have it,” Kenzie’s father declared. Everyone stopped eating and looked at him. He shrugged. “I sold them every piece of land I owned.”
“What?” Kenzie couldn’t hide her surprise. “Why would you ever do that? Arthur couldn’t really hurt us anymore—could he?”
Her father shook his head. “I didn’t do it out of fear. Your mother helped me realize that my previous decisions were based on pride. I had wrapped my decision in a justification of wanting to preserve the family heritage, but it was never really about that. The past is gone. The focus of our lives should be the future. You have no desire to live in Missouri, do you?” he asked Kenzie.
She shook her head. “None.”
“And it turns out that neither do we. Mother and I talked it over and realized that we want to be close to you ... and our new son.”
“So you sold your land to the Morgans?” Kenzie could hardly believe it.
“Yes. You see, that was their sole ambition. They would do whatever they had to in order to have it. I decided to work it to my advantage. I sent Hiram Morgan a letter via my lawyer. I named a price ten times what he had proposed and told him the offer was good only for twenty-four hours. The lawyer returned that afternoon with the signed documents accepting my terms and a bank draft.”
“That must have set back the Morgan ledgers quite a bit,” Caleb said with a grin. “That’s the best place to hurt a man like Hiram Morgan.”
“He’ll easily make it back once the incorporation is complete and his new locomotive shops are in place. Never worry for the likes of Hiram Morgan or his sons.”
“What do you plan to do, Mr. Gifford? Will you purchase a house here in San Francisco or perhaps rebuild on one of the abandoned sites?” Judith asked.
“We do plan to purchase a house here, though it might suit us better to build one or remake one that is already in existence. We shall rely on all of you to help us with that choice,” Mr. Gifford said. “However, most of the money from Morgan will be given to Micah and Kenzie as a wedding gift.” He looked at Kenzie’s mother, who nodded. He turned back to Kenzie and Micah. “We are more than a little proud of all that you want to accomplish, and we want to be a part of that as well. I intend to invest in this charity hospital of yours.”
“That’s wonderful!” Micah said, shaking his head. “We have been blessed by so many, and to have your help as well ... it makes everything complete. I hope you’ll consider being on the hospital board. We’ll need sound thinking men like you and my father to help guide the future.”
“I’d be honored.” Her father’s expression made it clear that he was deeply touched.
Unable to stop smiling, Kenzie eased back in her chair. A year ago, she had been prepared to embark on an entirely different journey—a journey that she thought would make her happy. But it would have been a life without attention to God and His direction. It would have been a marriage based on a lie—nothing more than a scheme for land and power.
How odd that out of such rejection and pain, all her dreams were coming true.
CHAPTER
26
