The Hope of Azure Springs

by Rachel Fordham

  “It won’t be long. You’re learning much quicker than I had expected.”

  The sun was radiant, shining down on them as they walked. Once they were out of town, Em stopped occasionally to pick a wildflower or point out a bird she saw. She knew few of their names but had a good eye for spotting them.

  “It’s been too long since I took the time to enjoy nature,” Caleb said.

  “See there?” Em asked, pointing to a muddy patch near a creek that had many little pools.

  “I see mud. You thinking of bathing in it? I don’t think that will go over well with the judge.”

  Em smacked him playfully. “No, I am not going to bathe in it. There was a spot just like this near Hollow Creek. My days were so monotonous. I’d catch frogs. I had no one to compete with but myself. I’m willing to wager I can catch more frogs than you.” Em scrunched up her nose and surveyed the mud. All she’d worried about was picking a challenge she thought she could win. Hopefully she would have time to clean up before going to the courthouse.

  Caleb rubbed his hand along his jaw. “I haven’t caught frogs in years. You sure you don’t want to just climb that giant oak? Or run a quick race?”

  “I thought of that, but with your height I think you’ll be able to go higher. I need a win, and I think I might be able to get a victory this time.” Em rolled up the sleeves on her dress. She would not back down. “Do you dare?”

  Following her lead, he rolled his sleeves and nodded. “I’ll take the challenge. What are the stakes?”

  “If I win, I get to ask you three questions.”

  “And if I win?” Caleb asked.

  Em tried to think of something she was willing to lose. Finally she shrugged. “What do you want?”

  “I still have one question, so I’ll pick something different. Don’t look so surprised. I remember, and I plan to use it.” He walked around the wet bank. “If I win, you let me pay for your ticket to Beckford.”

  “I can’t let you pay.”

  “You can if I win.” He set his hat on a log. “It’s what I want.”

  Em looked to the east, toward Beckford. “All right. Half an hour. When you catch a frog, you have to run it down to the stream so you don’t catch it again.”

  “Now I’m in real trouble. I’d hoped to catch the same frog over and over. If I’m even lucky enough to catch one.” He looked at his pocket watch. “It’s nearly eight thirty. Should we begin now?”

  “Yes.”

  Em knew where to find the slimy little critters and easily pulled a frog from the muddy bank. Holding it high, she shouted, “See here? This little one wasn’t so hard to find.”

  “Ha. I’ll find my own before long.” He bent over and pulled at the tall grass along the bank. Minutes passed and he hadn’t found a single frog. Em pulled up another. Again she smirked, enjoying her advantage.

  Ten minutes later and Em’s calves were wet, but she had pulled three frogs from the bank and Caleb was still desperately searching for his first.

  When fifteen minutes had passed, Em held up a large frog. Laughing, she threw back her head, brushed her hair from her face, and held it out for him to see. “I believe that makes four for me. I see why you like competing so well. Victory does feel g—” Down she went into the mud. Black water splashed over her. “Ooohhh!”

  Trying to wipe the mud from her face with her muddy hands only made the dilemma that much worse. “I suppose that is what I deserve for showing such confidence.”

  Caleb tried to stifle a laugh, but the sight of her sitting covered in mud was too much. He reached out a hand. “Help up?”

  “I think now that I’m down here I ought to look for more frogs. They may not even notice me coming. I blend in so well.” She scooped up a handful of mud and then watched it splash back down.

  “I hear some people pay good money to bathe in mud.”

  “I’ve always been up on the current fashions,” Em said. “I don’t know why you don’t join me. I think you would enjoy it.”

  “Very fashionable. In fact, I knew it the day I met you. I thought, there is a modern woman.” Caleb grinned. “I happen to have an appointment with a judge later today. Otherwise I’d definitely follow your lead.”

  She groaned then. The judge! “Funny, very funny. That statement would only be true if the fashion was to be thin and plain—and sadly it is not.” Wishing she hadn’t brought up his long-ago comment, she reached out and grabbed his hand. “Get me out of this mudhole. I’ve got to face the judge too.”

  He pulled her to her feet.

  “How much time have we left?”

  “We have eight minutes. Seems you have wasted several minutes playing in the mud,” Caleb said.

  “I fear I may lose now. How many frogs have you caught? I seem to have lost count.” Em tried to keep her face serious, but a smile threatened at the corners of her mouth.

  “I admit defeat.” He bowed low to her. “You are a far better frog catcher than I am. I concede.”

  “Victory!” She squealed and hopped around in the mud, only to fall back into it. The few places that had managed to escape the splatter of mud from her earlier fall were now covered. “Why did no catastrophes befall you when you won?”

  “I suppose it is because I am so much more humble than you.” He laughed as he pulled her again from the muddy hole.

  “I will keep that in mind and be quieter about my boasting next time.” She looked at her mud-caked dress and groaned again. “Oh, what will the judge think of me?”

  “I think he better not see you that way. The hotel offers baths. If we hurry back, he may never know that his top witness spends her mornings swimming in the mud.”

  “Are you suggesting I need a bath? I thought a gentleman was never supposed to remark on a woman’s appearance,” Em said, trying to look insulted. Unable to keep a serious face, she shrugged. “Come to think of it, I agree—a bath is just the thing I need.”

  As they walked back toward town, Em asked, “If you love the quiet country so much, why did you become a sheriff? That’s my first question.”

  “Well, my parents were so proud of my brothers for going off to war. Fighting for a cause. I guess I wanted them to be proud of me too. I was too young to join the army, but I could be a sheriff and fight for peace. That seemed a worthy cause.”

  “Are they proud?”

  “I don’t know. I like to think they are. They didn’t say much about it. When I first wrote and told them, they wrote back and simply told me to be safe.” Caleb reached over as they walked and picked a twig from her hair. “I think most of the choices I’ve made have been to make them proud. I know if my brothers had lived, my parents would be satisfied—and happy. I grew up listening to them talk about all the boys had done and were doing. When they died, that all stopped.”

  “Do you not think they sit at dinner now and talk of you and all you have done?” Em asked.

  “I don’t know.” Caleb shook his head. “I hope they do.”

  “You should ask them. That’s what Margaret would do. She would walk right up to them and ask, ‘Are you proud of me?’”

  “I’m sure she would. I don’t think I could. I wouldn’t know what to do if they said they were not. You’ll understand when you meet them.”

  “What will they think of me?” Em looked at her filthy dress.

  Caleb shrugged. “I’m sure they’ll be welcoming.”

  “Everyone is looking at me.” She ducked her head. “I wish everyone would disappear.”

  Caleb smirked at her. “They are all wondering what you’ve been doing this morning. They may gossip, but I’d be willing to wager—”

  “No more wagers!”

  “I wasn’t really going to wager. I was just going to say I doubt any of them had nearly as fun a morning as we had.” Caleb grinned and waved at a couple who were staring at them. They looked away quickly, causing him to smile broader. “Let them talk.”

  Em grabbed his arm from the air and shook her head.
“You are not the one covered in mud. Let’s just get back to the hotel.”

  Once there, he opened the door wide for her. She heard the attendant gasp when he saw her. She looked down and watched mud drip onto the marble floor.

  Caleb motioned toward her. “I was told your hotel offers baths. I would like to arrange one for my guest. I think she is due for a soak in the tub, don’t you agree?”

  “I couldn’t rightly say.” He scowled while he spoke, eyes averted. “I’ll have it drawn up right away.”

  Em went to her room to get a clean dress while Caleb went to his room to wash in the basin. He found that the mud came off easily with a good scrubbing. He went to the lobby to wait for Em—she had been gone for well over an hour. While he waited, he pictured her sitting in the mud. The image brought a smile to his face. Could she be any more unladylike?

  And then there she was before him. Clean and dressed in a lavender frock that he’d never seen before. Her hair was loose and wet against her shoulders. She looked lovely.

  Had he just thought that about Em? About plain Em?

  But he had thought it and he thought it still as he looked at her. Her thin frame and freckled face had once held no appeal. Today he saw her differently.

  “No more mud?” he asked.

  “I thought of leaving a little on but wasn’t sure the judge would want to have to clean it from the courtroom.”

  “You look fine with or without the mud. I’m sure the judge will just be happy you’re here,” Caleb said.

  “I’m glad I look good enough for the judge. Do we have time to dine before we go to the court?” Her eyes lost just a little of their sparkle.

  He wished he were brave enough to call her lovely, or even beautiful. Were those words she’d ever heard before? Someone should tell her. But he could not. Those were not words he could say, not unless they were something more than friends.

  “We have plenty of time. Come along,” he said while leading her to the hotel dining room. Once there, he pulled out her chair and then sat across from her.

  During their meal they spoke of the trial and what to expect. Em confessed she was feeling nervous about seeing Alroy’s men again. He assured her he was there and that many other lawmen would be too.

  “I’m not so much scared for myself. It’s just that seeing them brings the past back, and I am glad it’s over. Being in Azure Springs has been a new life for me.”

  “They can’t take that from you. The Howells, Margaret, me. We are all real and not going anywhere.”

  “Sometimes I fear it’s all a dream and I am still the girl who lives in the loft of a barn.” Em folded her arms across her chest. “If it is a dream, I hope I never wake.”

  Caleb poked her cheek. “You feel real to me. And very little of that other girl exists. Her strength remains, but you don’t even look the same. You were nothing but bones when I met you.”

  “You say strength, but I feel shakier now than I have before.” Em wiped the corners of her mouth with her napkin, then stood.

  “You’ll do perfectly.” Caleb stood and took her arm. “Let’s head over now. Soon this will all be behind you. No more George. No more rats for dinner.” He would make sure of it. Somehow he would.

  The courthouse was a stately stone building. It boasted a dome ceiling and marble staircase. Murals covered some of the walls and a statue of a man in chains stood in the front atrium. But Em was too preoccupied to appreciate it.

  The court proceeding was not nearly as intimidating as she had imagined. Judge McConnel was kind and familiar with the case. He greeted Caleb like an old friend and her like a new one. Her time on the stand was brief. She recounted the details of George’s murder and the injuries she’d suffered. Then she told about Alroy capturing her and the stories he’d confessed to her. Not once did she look at his men, Bill and Morris, while she sat on the stand. Instead, she looked to Caleb and spoke as though she were talking to him and him alone.

  “Thank you for your testimony. You may be dismissed,” Judge McConnel said. And just like that it was over. She left the stand and returned to her seat.

  Caleb leaned over to her. “You did well,” he whispered. “I never would have guessed you were nervous.”

  “I was. My knees were knocking together the whole time. I’m glad it’s over.”

  Caleb slid closer. “Do you want to stay here and find out the judgment?”

  “No. You stay and tell me. I don’t think I care to listen.” Em tiptoed from the room and made her way back to her hotel room.

  Caleb rapped on her door not long after.

  “It’s over, Em. The men are going to hang.” He grabbed her hand and held it as he spoke. “I know that’s not a pleasant thought, but they won’t bother you ever again. It was the judge’s decision, not yours. You just told what happened.”

  Em pulled her lips into a straight line. “Thank you for telling me. I am glad they will never hurt anyone, but I don’t want to think about the gallows.”

  “We won’t speak of it again. But I must tell you something else that happened in the courtroom.” Caleb waited.

  When he did not tell her right away, she asked, “Am I to guess it?”

  “No. But you could use a question.”

  “All right, I will! I can tell by the look on your face that it’s a good surprise. My second question is, What else happened in the courtroom?”

  “That was easy. I would have told you without using a question. I was only toying with you. Too late now.” His grin never left his face.

  “Well, tell me already.”

  “I had to turn the bank money over to Judge McConnel. He was responsible for its return. I did, and then he handed me an envelope back. I was surprised and asked what it was. He said the bank had issued a reward for the capture of the men or the return of their stolen goods.” Caleb reached into his pocket and pulled out the envelope. “It’s yours, Em. Two hundred dollars.”

  Em leaned hard against the wall. She felt weak in the knees. “It’s mine?”

  “All yours. George’s land is yours too. I brought the papers with me and the judge agreed that you are considered the nearest kin. He signed it into your name.”

  The reality of his news struck her. The land meant nothing, but the money meant everything. “Lucy! I can go to Lucy. I don’t have to wait. I can go to her now.”

  In between sobs of relief, she threw her arms around Caleb. “Lucy,” she whispered again into his shoulder.

  He patted her back. When her breathing returned to normal, he pulled away. “Will you come to my parents’ first? I wired ahead and let them know I was bringing a guest. It’s your choice, but I’d like the company. Then I’ll help you get a ticket to Beckford.”

  “You want me to go to your parents’ home?”

  “I do. I want to show you the tree I climbed as a boy and the rocking chairs my parents sit in. I would like you to meet them.” His voice had been so serious. He lightened it. “If you want to come.”

  Em thought a moment. “I would like to come. I’d like to climb your tree and meet your parents very much.”

  “We have rooms here tonight, but tomorrow we will rent a buggy and go to visit them. They are hoping we stay at least a night or two.”

  “After that, what will you do?”

  “I’d planned to return with you to Azure Springs. I suppose I’ll return alone and take up being the sheriff again. I’m sure my deputy will be glad to have me back.”

  “I’m so close to Lucy. I need to go there.” Em thought of her dream. The one she had so often. Riding the big horse with a prince behind her, going to get Lucy together. “Could you come to Beckford with me? Meet Lucy?”

  Biting her lip, she waited for his response. Hoping she was not too forward.

  At last he nodded and said, “I’ll telegraph Alvin and see how things are in Azure Springs. If there is any way I can, I will. I’d like nothing better.”

  Throwing her arms around him again, she kissed his ch
eek and squealed. “We are going to find Lucy!”

  Seventeen

  And I thought the train was bumpy,” Em said as they set off in the rented buggy. “This is going to wear sores clear through my backside.”

  “Maybe you ought to put a little more meat on your backside. Mine seems to be holding up just fine.”

  “I ate two desserts last night.” Em smiled at the memory. They’d dined together in a little restaurant on the main street in Brigley. Caleb had treated her just the way she imagined he would have treated Eliza or Olivia. He’d had the finest manners and been so kind and attentive. The meal had been delicious. Even knowing she had money now, he insisted he pay. After eating they’d walked together in the perfect summer air. In many ways the trip felt like a dream, like her very own fairy tale.

  “You did seem to enjoy your custard.” Caleb snickered.

  “I’ve never had anything so fancy. You kept insisting I eat whatever I wanted. I had no idea you were going to taunt me about it later.”

  “Whoa there. I wasn’t jesting. I was glad to see you eating and enjoying yourself. I figure you have years of sweets to catch up on. Maybe when you’re all caught up, your backside won’t hurt so much when you ride in a buggy.”

  “What was your favorite dessert as a child?” she asked.

  “My mama made a pie out of blackberries. It’s the kind I got in trouble for stealing. I can’t eat a slice of it without feeling like a boy again. Best pie you ever tasted. What was your favorite?” Caleb snapped the reins, encouraging the horses through a puddle.

  Em thought a moment. “We didn’t have sweets much. But once my ma brought home a cream puff. The kitchen had made too many for a party. There were extras and the maids were able to bring them home. We all sat around looking at it before we finally bit into it. It was every bit as light and fluffy as it looked. I’ve always wanted to taste one again. I wonder if it would taste as good as I remember.”