A Texas Promise

by Laura Conner Kestner

  Maggie struggled with an urge to bombard Eli with questions about the paragon of virtue who had captured his youthful eye.

  She glanced in the direction of Nathaniel. “He hasn’t mentioned having a wife.”

  “She died.”

  Eli didn’t seem to hear Maggie’s indrawn breath. “Oh, I’m so sorry.”

  The sound of a horse’s hooves claimed their attention.

  Eli stood, their conversation forgotten as Deputy Bliss Walker rode into view.

  “When you didn’t show up, I figured you might have trouble,” the old man drawled.

  “You figured exactly right,” Eli said. “And you got here in time to give us a hand.”

  It seemed like no time at all before the three men got the wagon ready to roll. Or drag and roll. Either way, it worked, and they were finally on their way home.

  Eli and Nathaniel were talking together in the front, and Brody was hanging over the side of the wagon telling the old deputy about the panther.

  Maggie tried to sort out her tangled emotions—disappointment over her father, worry over what to do next…and regret that she’d stopped Elijah Calhoun from kissing her.

  If he ever tried again, she wouldn’t.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Maggie shook her head as she watched Brody eat a bowl of chicken and dumplings with as much enthusiasm as he had the cake the first day she’d met him. For someone so thin, the boy sure had an appetite.

  But it wasn’t only the cooking he enjoyed—he seemed to thrive on Maggie and Peg’s attention and interest. He’d been dropping by nearly every day since their trip to Fair Haven the previous week. But every time the conversation drifted to anything personal, Brody clammed up.

  With the boy so relaxed now, Maggie was determined to discover more about his family, even if it took all afternoon. It didn’t take nearly that long.

  “Is that one of your favorite foods?” she asked.

  Mouth full, Brody merely nodded. After swallowing, he said, “Yes, ma’am. Mama used to make dumplings just like this.”

  The moment Maggie noticed he’d referred to his mother in the past tense Brody froze with the spoon halfway to his mouth. Apparently he’d realized it too.

  “What happened to your mother, Brody?”

  He placed the spoon in the bowl and pushed it all back, appetite gone. “She died.”

  “Oh, Brody, I’m so sorry. How long has it been?”

  Brody glanced away. “Don’t remember exactly.”

  “So it’s only you and your father now?”

  He looked at her then, and the depths of despair in his eyes hit her like a physical blow. “No. My father’s dead, too. It’s only me.”

  What? “You live in a house in the woods all by yourself?”

  “There is no house.”

  Maggie stared at him in confusion. “I don’t understand. Brody, where do you actually live?”

  “Nowhere.”

  “Nowhere? How can that possibly be?”

  He shrugged. “There’s plenty of places to sleep, and plenty of food to be had. I make do. There’s money to be had if you’re willing to work for it.”

  “Your parents are both dead? Why didn’t you tell anyone? How long has it been?”

  “About six months, best I can recall. Kinda hard to keep track of the days sometimes.”

  “Why didn’t you ask for help?” Maggie said. “I haven’t been in Moccasin Rock for long, but I know there are people here who would help you.”

  “That’s true,” he said. “But I wasn’t sure if I might be sent to an orphanage. I figured it was best not to tell anyone.”

  Lucinda started crying, and Maggie was glad to have something to occupy her attention as she struggled to gain control of her emotions. If she reacted the wrong way, the boy would stop talking.

  Baby in her arms, she returned to the table. “Brody, how did you come to be in Moccasin Rock? Is your family from here?”

  “No. We were living in Huntsville when Mama took sick, and then passed away. It was only me and Daddy then. He was real worried when he took the fever, too. He gave me all the money that he had, almost twenty dollars, and told me to take the train to Fort Worth and use the rest for food and what I would need. Said he had friends there. That maybe they’d help me. Daddy told me I’d have to work hard, prove that I’d be useful to have around. He went over and over with me the ways I could make myself useful. So they’d never want to let me go.”

  “Didn’t they want you?”

  “It wasn’t that. I never could find them. I found the street where they were supposed to be living, but somebody else was there. They said the other folks had moved on, and nobody knew where they’d gone.”

  “What did you do?”

  “I couldn’t go back to Huntsville. Our landlady had helped me get my ticket and pack my things. She was selling her house, and moving back east, somewhere that I’d never heard of. She told me how sorry she was that I had to go.”

  Maggie listened to the rest of his story with growing dismay. It was all as tragic as the beginning. She moved Lucinda, asleep now, back to her cradle.

  “When I couldn’t find my father’s friends, I went back to the train station,” Brody said. “I wasn’t sure where I should go. Then I decided to return to Huntsville anyway. Even if I didn’t have a place to stay, I knew the streets, and a few people. I bought a ticket, then boarded and fell asleep. When I woke up, there was a man going through my pockets. When I tried to stop him, he told me it would be better to lose my money than my life. There wasn’t much money left anyway, I didn’t figure it was worth dying for.”

  “Oh, Brody.”

  “When the train stopped here in Moccasin Rock, there was a family near the depot with a wagonload of kids, and I sorta blended in with them that day. When they moved on, I stayed here.”

  Her throat tight, Maggie struggled with what to do or say. She wanted to wrap her arms around the boy, but she knew it would embarrass him. She contented herself with patting his hand.

  “I fell asleep that night behind the train depot,” he said. “When I woke up, I tried to remember everything Daddy had said about making myself useful. I offered to carry things for people, I ran errands. I worked hard. Some folks would give me a few coins, some didn’t.”

  Maggie had a sudden vision of Brody eating the cake she’d offered that first day. He hadn’t been hungry for sweets. He’d been plain hungry. “So what happened when you didn’t have money?”

  “A few times I stole some food, and then when I started making friends it got better. My friend Jamie Wilson shared with me. And the Sheriff did, too.”

  Maggie and Brody both turned when Eli stepped through the door. How long had he been standing there? Long enough.

  Her heart twisted at the look on Brody’s face as he stared at Eli. Sadness. Dismay. His hero now knew the truth about him.

  Color flooded the boy’s face, and his hands shook. “Sheriff, I paid folks back as best I could,” he blurted. “Sometimes it wasn’t the same food I’d taken, but I’ve always left something in return, or worked for them and wouldn’t take money.”

  Eli shook his head. “Brody, I’m so sorry,” he said softly.

  The boy’s eyes widened. “Why are you sorry? Everyone here has been so nice to me, but especially you. In fact, other people started being nicer to me when you did.”

  “But I should have known.”

  Maggie suspected that the shock and sorrow in Eli’s eyes was a mirror of her own.

  “Why?” Brody asked. “I did my best to make sure you didn’t know. I’m the one who should be sorry.”

  “So you have no home, no relatives, at all?” The bewilderment in Eli’s voice made Maggie’s eyes sting.

  Brody dropped his gaze. “No, but I’ve made do.”

  “What about schooling?”

  “I can read and write,” Brody said. “I’ve had plenty.”

  He sounded so much like a typical boy that Maggie wanted t
o smile.

  “There may still be some things you could benefit from knowing,” Eli said. “I could talk to the new school teacher, and see about getting you caught up.”

  Brody didn’t seem thrilled by the thought, but he nodded.

  “What about church?” Maggie added.

  Brody shrugged. “I go sometimes.”

  “I don’t remember seeing you there,” Eli said. “Although to be honest, I only recently started going.”

  “Sometimes I stand outside and listen,” Brody admitted. “I figured someone would catch on if I was by myself every Sunday. Even if I can’t hear everything, it reminds me of my folks. Especially the hymns.”

  Maggie couldn’t take it anymore. Standing, she walked around to Brody’s side of the table, leaned down and wrapped her arms around the boy.

  Obviously startled, Brody relaxed after a moment and returned the hug, shoulders shaking as he began to cry. How long had it been since anyone had hugged him?

  Maggie struggled with her own tears as she watched Eli looking at the boy.

  The sheriff opened his mouth several times before speaking. Maggie could see him choosing his words carefully, trying, she suspected, not to hurt Brody’s pride. “You’re welcome to come home with me. To stay. If you want to, I mean. I’m not going to force you.”

  Brody turned eager eyes to Eli, but his tone sounded uncertain. “I don’t want to put you out none.”

  “You won’t be putting me out, at all. I don’t have much, I live in an old cabin for now. I’m building a house, though. What I have is yours, from this moment on.”

  The boy smiled, but he still seemed uncertain what to say. The sheriff didn’t appear to be doing much better. When an awkward silence descended on the room, Maggie got another bowl from the cupboard and dished up some chicken and dumplings for Eli. Maybe things would be easier if they could visit over a bite to eat.

  It worked. Within a few minutes, the two of them were behaving like they normally did, talking about everything from fishing to the plans for the new courthouse. Eventually though, the meal was done.

  “I promised Silas I would help him this afternoon,” Brody said, smiling at Eli in a way that broke Maggie’s heart all over again. Eager and hopeful, but wary.

  “You go on and do what you need to do,” Eli said. “A man should always keep his word. We’ll talk later.”

  As the boy headed to the door, Eli added, “Brody, find me before nightfall. I don’t want you sleeping outside.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  After he’d gone, Maggie said, “I think he wants to live with you. He’s worried about being a burden.”

  “Yeah,” Eli said, “but it’s more than that. I went through the exact same thing. That’s why I can’t believe I didn’t catch on to what was happening right in front of my eyes.”

  “Why do you think he’s hesitating?”

  “You learn not to get your hopes up. There are good-hearted, kind people of all walks of life. And there are cruel people just looking for someone to hurt or something to destroy. The faster you learn to sort them out, the better chance you have of surviving.”

  In Maggie’s opinion Eli’s concern bordered on cynicism, but then he’d lived a completely different life than she had. He’d been even younger than Brody when he’d lost his parents, and had been alone far longer. It had left a mark on him.

  “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with going in to a situation hoping for the best, believing the best of people,” Eli said. “But when you’ve been knocked down over and over again, it does make it harder to trust folks.”

  “I understand,” Maggie said softly. “I think Brody trusts you, though.”

  “I do, too. But when you’ve been in a situation like he’s in, it makes you cautious. Even good people have a way of dying, or disappearing on you. When I was a kid, I got to where I’d hold something back, didn’t get too close. To tell you the truth, I’m still that way.” He suddenly clammed up.

  What had he been about to say?

  “Brody needs some time,” Eli said. “I’ll be waiting when he comes around.”

  Maggie walked over and hugged him. “You’re a good man, Elijah Calhoun.”

  She turned away and started toward the stove. Eli grabbed her by the apron strings, tugged and twirled her into his arms.

  Heart skipping, Maggie stared into those brown eyes. She recognized that look. Eli wanted to kiss her. And this time she wasn’t stopping him.

  They both froze at the sound of hurried footsteps. When the knob on the back door turned, Maggie stepped away.

  Eli gave her a rueful smile when Brody burst inside, then turned his attention to the boy.

  “Something wrong?”

  “You said to tell you if I saw any strangers nosing around.”

  Eli sobered instantly. “Yes?”

  “When I stepped around the side of the house, there was a man near the front. He had a hat on so I didn’t get a good look at his face, but I don’t ever remember seeing him before. Not even in that group out by the river.”

  “I’ll be back,” Eli told Maggie. “Lock the door behind me.”

  She did, and had cleared the table, washed the dishes, and swept the floor before he returned.

  “I searched the area near the house,” Eli said, “and a good ways into the woods at the back. Didn’t see anyone. I’m going to have a look around town now. I also want to check out those tents down by the river. There are so many strangers around that it’s making this more difficult than it normally would be. I’ll let you know if I find anybody.”

  After he left again, Maggie resumed her work, yet she couldn’t help worrying about Eli and Brody.

  She hadn’t known either of them a few weeks ago, and yet they’d both become very dear to her. How strange it was to think she might return home soon and never see them again.

  The thought of that made her eyes sting again.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Eli spent more than an hour talking to everyone camped out down by the river.

  Even though some of them seemed secretive and standoffish, from what he could tell it was the usual reaction that some folks had to a badge.

  He didn’t take it personal, and he didn’t assume that everyone who reacted that way was a criminal. Some folks just wanted to mind their own business and wanted other folks to do the same. Unless they broke the law, Eli had no problem with that.

  Back in town he made the rounds, talking to every business owner and even citizens on the street.

  The only one with anything unusual to report was Eagan Smith at the livery stable. “A fellow came in earlier, asking about my horses.”

  “That seems reasonable,” Eli said, “unless you’ve suddenly switched to renting out camels or something.”

  Eagan laughed heartily, black eyes flashing. The man was one of Eli’s favorite people in Moccasin Rock. He knew horses and guns—two things that were vital to Eli’s way of life—and he was quick to offer advice about either one.

  “No camels,” Eagan said. “The reason I found it strange is that this man asked exactly how many horses and mules I had available, and then asked about every wagon, buggy, and even cart. Then he wanted to know how much it would cost to rent everything I had.”

  That was different. “What did he look like?”

  Eagan described a man that didn’t sound familiar at all—stocky, red complexion, with a gap between his front teeth.

  At Nathaniel’s office, Eli discovered he’d also had a stranger stop by. “A man came in wanting to know if anyone seeking medical attention had come in lately.”

  “What did you tell him?”

  Nathaniel grinned. “I told him that most everybody that came in here was seeking medical attention.”

  “Good point.”

  “He never asked specifically about Maggie, but he kept asking questions, including if I’d treated anyone for burns lately. Several times he looked down the hall, like he was trying to see if
anybody else was here.”

  The questioning of Eagan was strange, but nothing alarming. The questions posed to Nathaniel, on the other hand, put Eli on edge.

  “How did you answer that?”

  “I told him no burns,” Nathaniel said. “I said there’d been a lot of people in and out of Moccasin Rock lately, and a good many found their way into my office. No one stood out in my mind.”

  “Good. What did this man look like?”

  “Hefty, ruddy skin tone.” Nathaniel didn’t remember if the man had a gap in his front teeth, but he did recall a scar on his chin. “Looks like he’d been stitched up at some point.”

  Were Nathaniel and Eagan describing the same man?

  “Let me know if he shows up again,” Eli said. “And try to get some information about him this time. Even a name would help.”

  “Sure thing.”

  Troubled, Eli searched the town again, but he also took the time to berate himself along the way.

  He was losing control of his life, and he didn’t like it one bit. His worry over Maggie and Lucinda went beyond his normal concern for folks in trouble.

  Getting this involved in someone else’s life was dangerous. It was something he’d vowed years ago to never let happen again. And now he couldn’t keep them out of his mind.

  So many other questions kept gnawing at him, but there were no easy answers.

  How could he not have known what was going on with Brody? How fast could he get his house finished? What had possessed him to tell Maggie Radford so much about his past?

  Eli had talked more since he’d met Maggie than he had in his whole life. He cringed thinking about their trip back from Fair Haven. Had he let her get a word in edgewise? Good grief, he was turning into Bliss! Hopefully he at least talked faster than the old man.