Rocky Mountain Oasis by Lynnette Bonner

amount of $500.”
    Sky folded the letter, tucking it back into his pocket. “It’s signed by you and witnessed by Jed. There is nothing you can do about it. And,” he added meaningfully, “Jed has a copy in his safe.” His tone softened at the dejected slump of Jason’s shoulders. “Sorry, Jace. I couldn’t let you marry her.”
    Jason stared off into the trees. “You’ve always been better than me, haven’t you, Sky?”
    “Jason.” Sky sighed. “I just believe that what we were taught when we were growing up is true. Somewhere down in your heart you have to know that the way you are living is wrong. I can’t believe you could throw all Grandma Jordan’s teaching to the wind.”
    Jason stared at the ground, rubbing the back of his neck. All the fight seemed to have drained out of him.
    “I know you’re miserable, Jace. I can see it in your eyes, especially at times like this. You can’t go on living like you are. You know too much of the Word.”
    Jason scuffed an arc in the dust with the toe of his boot. Then he huffed, “Gram. She always made us memorize Scripture.”
    Sky grinned and leaned his shoulder into a post. “You always knew the verses better than me and got the first warm cookie from the oven.”
    An imperceptible smile softened Jason’s lips. “You heard from her lately?” Sky nodded, knowing how much Jason loved Grandma Jordan. She had raised him after his parents died.
    Jason had always been one of Grandma Jordan’s favorites growing up. It had hurt her to no end when Jason had turned his back on God. Though it pained her not to write him, she had decided that would be best. She wrote to Sky every month but had asked him not to share with her about Jason unless it was good news.
    “Gram is doing fine. She writes that she prays for you constantly. And that Marquis is doing well, although she misses you.” Sky watched him carefully. Were those tears in his eyes?
    Jason quickly turned away. “I won’t fight you about the girl. She’s probably gonna be more trouble than she’s worth anyway.” He started to turn toward his lathered horse.
    “Jason?”
    Jason paused and looked back over his shoulder.
    “Want some coffee?”
    Turning, Jason considered him for a beat, as if judging whether the offer was genuine. Then he shrugged. “Sure.”
    Sky had ridden away an hour later, leaving Jason sitting at his table reading all of his letters from Grandma Jordan.
    Now as he finished saddling his stallion, he prayed this would be a turning point in the life of Jason Jordan. Adding a prayer for his new wife, he headed back toward the cabin to see if she was ready.

4
    Brooke, Jack Greer, Percival, and the minister sat around the table chatting easily. The burly mountain man had gone on the night before, and the stage driver and the man who rode shotgun were outside hitching the horses to the stage in preparation for the ride back to Lewiston.
    Brooke, her back to the door, tasted her tea. What she wouldn’t give for a nice cup of strong coffee. Uncle Jackson was strictly a coffee person, but he had insisted she drink tea “like a lady.” On the wagon train west, she’d refused to drink anything but coffee and had developed a taste for it.
    “Tell me a little about your trip out west,” said Percival. “You said you came out the old-fashioned way, by wagon, right?”
    “Yes.”
    “Why? The train would have been much faster.”
    “Our wagon master brings lots of mail-order brides out west. Sometimes he comes by train. This time, wagons were cheaper because there were so many of us.”
    “I always wanted to join a wagon train just to find out what they’re like.”
    Brooke’s eyes twinkled. “There’s something you don’t know about, Percival?”
    He laughed good-naturedly. “My mother always tells me that I talk too much. So, what was the most interesting thing about your trip?”
    Brooke smiled. “Actually, I learned a lot about this area from you yesterday. It might come in