“That’s right, Reverend. We’ll see you Sunday!” Prudence confirmed.
Caleb opened his mouth to decline the invitation, but he couldn’t come up with a single excuse.
Patience waved and Prudence nodded, and before he could even think, they were walking through the front gate.
What would Rachel have to say about this?
Chapter 10
A grim-faced Lee greeted Caleb the next day when he entered the sheriff’s office. Lee was one fellow who always seemed to be in a pleasant mood. It was unusual to barely get a greeting out of him, as was true just now.
“Hey, Lee. What’s got you so down in the mouth?” Caleb asked, trying to shake Lee’s mood.
Lee shuffled the papers on his desk and sighed. “I just got a report of a stage robbery, and this time a man was shot. It’s the second time this month this has happened, and frankly, it’s got me worried.”
Caleb frowned and sat in the chair facing Lee’s desk. “Who are they?”
Lee shrugged and reached up to rub his neck. “That’s just it, Preacher. Nobody knows who they are. We don’t think they’re from around here. Other than that, we have nothing; we don’t even know what they look like. They all wear hats and cover their faces.”
Caleb pondered what Lee had just told him, and already he could feel his own instincts kicking in. “What about horses? Do any of them have distinguishing marks? And have any strangers been seen hanging around together?”
Lee did smile then. “Are you sure you didn’t miss your calling, Preacher? Maybe a career in detective work?” he teased.
Caleb cringed on the inside and hoped it didn’t show on his face. The last thing he wanted people to know was that he used to hunt down outlaws for a living. He wasn’t ready for folks to know. Not yet. He wanted to live a normal life for a while.
“No, that kind of life isn’t for me,” he commented casually. “Just hate to see good folks get hurt.”
Lee nodded. “You an’ me both.” He looked at the report in his hand. “It’s just so strange, you know? Whoever has been setting up these robberies has to know something of the area and the routes the stages run. This particular one was a gold shipment headed to Dallas. It took a route different from what it normally would travel.” He let out a frustrated breath. “I wonder if this gang really is local boys? I mean, they would almost have to know the area to find the spot where they ambushed the coach.”
Caleb ran a finger across his chin. “Either that or they recruited a local to help them. Has anyone, maybe someone who’s been in trouble before, been missing or maybe disappeared for long periods of time?”
“I don’t know, but that’s a good place to start looking. I’ll send a message out to Billy Aaron and see if he can help me with this.” Lee stood and gave his friend a shrewd look. “Are you sure you aren’t after my job?”
Caleb looked at him with a horrified expression and held his hands out in front of him. “Not me! I’m just a country preacher,” he declared. “I think I’ll stick to that occupation for a while.”
Lee laughed. “Well, that’s good. Maybe if you can get everyone saved around these parts, I won’t have so much work to do.”
Caleb got up from his chair and grinned at the sheriff. “Ah … but work is good for you!”
“I don’t know about that,” he replied as he stood and walked Caleb to the door. “Work is one thing, dealing with this gang of outlaws is another. Just be praying that we find out who they are soon. Otherwise, folks are going to be running scared around here.”
“Will do,” he answered and gave Lee a friendly slap on the arm.
As Caleb walked down the street in the opposite direction from that which Lee had taken, he couldn’t help being bothered by what Lee had said.
Stagecoach robbers. He’d been acquainted with quite a few of them years ago. He’d even shot a few. But he couldn’t help thinking of one gang of outlaws in particular who stood out from all the rest, one he was never likely to forget.
The Jenkins gang.
Early the next morning, Rachel stood at the parsonage door trying to draw up the courage to knock. Her knees were shaking, her hands were sweating, and her lip was bruised from chewing on it. She was a wreck!
But she was so excited about being with Caleb, and all day long!
She knocked once and the door flew open. There stood Caleb, looking about as frazzled as a man could get.
“I didn’t think you’d ever get here!” he told her in exasperation.
She glanced at the watch pinned to her blouse. “I’m five minutes early!”
“They woke up an hour ago!”
She laughed and pushed him back into the house, closing the door behind them. “You poor thing. And kids are such fearsome creatures, too.” She laughed again.
Caleb frowned as she found humor at his expense. “But Jessie refuses to get ready for school, saying he won’t leave his sister. And Emmy won’t talk to me at all. She just sticks her thumb in her mouth and refuses to get out of bed.” He plopped down on the sofa and laid his head back to stare at the ceiling. “I’m not sure I can do this, Rachel. I haven’t been around kids since I was one!”
Rachel propped her hands on her hips and stared down at the helpless man. “Caleb, honestly! They are children who need a lot of love and attention. They’re scared and worried about where they’ll wind up next. It will just take a little time for you all to get to know one another.”
He raised his head and looked at her skeptically. “Easy for you to say—you’re used to kids.” He looked around him. “Hey! Where is the little darlin’, anyway?”
“Addie’s watching her this morning. I’ll go get her later,” she explained. “Now, I’m going to start breakfast, and you need to pull yourself together and get the kids to wash up and come to the table!” With that, she whirled around and headed for the kitchen.
Caleb stared after her in amazement. He realized that his shy little Rachel had transformed before his eyes into a confident woman and mother who knew what she was about. She’s in her element, he thought with wonder. She would make a man a perfect wife.
As he went after the children, Caleb decided that he was going to be that man.
Jessie was still adamant about staying in his bedclothes so that he wouldn’t have to go to school, and Emmy finally had to be picked up and carried to the table. But at least they were there.
As Rachel put the food on the table, she thought she’d never seen a more disgruntled group!
“Why, good morning, Emmy and Jessie. I’ll bet you two are hungry! We all have a busy day ahead of us, so you better eat up,” she chattered, despite the fact that they weren’t responding to her. “There’s chores to be done and duties that we all need to work out. First we’ll go through all the clothes we’ve been given and see what fits and what won’t.”
“I ain’t goin’ to school,” Jessie announced suddenly, his chin tipped up defiantly.
“No, not today. But tomorrow you’ll have to go before you get too far behind in your schooling,” she said without so much as blinking an eye. She just kept spooning up eggs and putting them on their plates.
“I ain’t going tomorrow, either. I ain’t leavin’ Emmy!”
She did look at him then. “Jessie, you are not going to do Emmy any good if you stay here with her and neglect your learning. I imagine you’d love to get a job one day and take care of her, wouldn’t you?” she asked nonchalantly.
He nodded. “It’s my duty to care for her!”
She smiled at him. “All right, then! You go and learn how to read and write and work arithmetic so you can make yourself a living, and I’ll teach Emmy all she needs to know about how to be the perfect lady,” she said as if the matter had been settled.
Jessie wore a questioning expression on his face, but he didn’t say anything. Emmy had taken her thumb out of her mouth and was actually smiling at Rachel.
Caleb was amazed. Everyone seemed happy and content at the mo
ment, and all were eating their breakfast with gusto. He shook his head as if trying to clear it and took a bite of a biscuit.
And the woman could cook, too. Was there anything she couldn’t do?
The rest of the morning, they made quick work of getting clothes sorted and their room set up. Since the parsonage only had one bedroom, all three of them would have to share it until the other room was built.
As the day wore on, Rachel went after Caitlin, and she watched Emmy open up when the little girl came into the room. Caitlin had brought her dolls, and for the rest of the afternoon the two girls played contentedly in the parlor.
Jessie, anxious to prove how grown-up he was, pitched in and helped Caleb move furniture around and do some minor yard work.
They’d all worked so hard that they were exhausted by the time supper was on the table.
Rachel blotted her mouth on her napkin and finally began to tell Caleb about a decision that she’d made.
“Caleb?” she started out softly. He looked at her, and she nearly lost her nerve.
“What is it, Rachel?”
She took a deep breath and plunged ahead. “I’ve decided to attend church this Sunday.”
Pure joy broke out on Caleb’s face. “Rachel! Why, that’s wonderful! When did you decide this?”
She shrugged. “Oh, I’ve been thinking about it awhile, and I believe I’m ready.”
Caleb, happier than he had been in a long time, tossed back his head and gave a triumphant shout. He then jumped up and pulled Rachel up with him.
The kids cheered as he twirled her around. They finally stopped, and Rachel giggled. “You’re still spinning!”
He hugged her to him. “That’s how you make me feel all the time, Rachel.” They stared at each other for a wonder-filled moment. Suddenly they were kissing and putting into that kiss all the things that they couldn’t put into words.
“Oh, yuk! They’re kissing!” Jessie exclaimed in disgust.
The sound of his voice had the effect of a bucket of cold water thrown on them. They sprang apart and stared at each other as if seeing one another for the first time.
Rachel put her hand over her tender lips. “Oh my goodness,” was all she could say.
Caleb took a deep breath and grimaced. “I’m sorry, Rachel. I …” He stopped when he noticed that all three pairs of eyes were staring at them with great interest. Even little Caitlin was holding her hand over her mouth and giggling like she’d observed something naughty.
He took Rachel’s arm and pulled her toward the door. “Sit still,” he ordered the kids. “We’ll be right back.”
On the way to the parlor, he racked his brain about what he would say to her. He’d worked so hard to get her to trust him. All he needed was for her to pull away from him now.
He directed her to sit and sat beside her. “Rachel, I—”
“Oh Caleb. Will you just be quiet? If you say you’re sorry one more time, I’m going to be insulted.”
He opened his mouth, shut it, then opened it again. “You’re not … mad at me?” he asked hesitantly.
She smiled at him. “I’m not angry with you. If anything, I’m more convinced of my feelings for you. You make me happy, Caleb. Before you came along, I was resigned to living life without a man. I had accepted my fate. But when you came to town, I began to hope and dream.” She scooted closer to him and put her hand against his rough cheek. “I don’t ever want to go back to my old life. I want you in my life, Caleb.”
He nearly stopped breathing. “Rachel,” he whispered hoarsely as he reached up to grip the hand touching his face. “Are you saying that you love me?”
Rachel’s eyes filled with tears and she nodded her head.
Tears sprang to his own eyes, but he didn’t care. He folded her in his arms and pressed his mouth against her ear. “I love you, Rachel,” he told her fervently, his voice breaking. They stayed in each other’s arms for a minute more, soaking up the warmth of the feelings that flowed between them.
Slowly, he pulled back and wiped his eyes. She smiled at him and touched his face. “You missed one,” she teased as he blushed.
Together they walked back into the kitchen and acted like nothing had happened between them. But in their hearts, they knew something had happened and that nothing would ever be the same again.
Chapter 11
The next couple of days were blissful. Rachel’s being with Caleb each day enabled the two of them to get to know each other much better.
Rachel still worried about what people were saying, of course. The townspeople were far from being willing to accept her. She knew there was widespread talk about her being Caleb’s housekeeper. She wondered if there would ever come a day when people would stop looking down their noses at her and start treating her like one of them. She tried to have faith, but it didn’t come easily to her.
Now it was Sunday, and her faith would be put to the test. She looked at the door of the white clapboard church and remembered a time when scornful eyes had judged her and found her guilty.
She knew that if it were not for Caleb, she would never be able to go through with this. But she’d promised, so here she was.
Rachel had purposely arrived late. She figured that she and Caitlin would just slip in after the singing started and find a quiet, inconspicuous seat in the back row. That way she could make a quick departure afterward.
She knew it was cowardly. And it wouldn’t make any headway into what she and Caleb had wanted to accomplish, either. Next Sunday, she promised herself, she would work her way up to the next to the last row.
Maybe.
When she pushed the door open and stepped inside, her heart promptly sank. It was apparent that more folks attended Sunday morning services now than they had three years ago; there wasn’t a seat to be had anywhere.
With the exception of the front row.
Her first thought was to jerk the door open and slip back outside—nobody had noticed her yet. The piano was cranking out “What a Friend We Have in Jesus,” and all in the congregation were singing like they meant it.
But no sooner had her hand reached for the handle than Addie (who just happened to be sitting on the front row next to that empty seat) looked back and saw her. In her usual forthright way, she motioned wildly with her hand for Rachel and Caitlin to join her.
Frantically she shook her head and tried again to escape. But folks had already started glancing back toward her with curious eyes, thanks to Addie; and Rachel realized that she hadn’t been as ready for this as she’d thought. Not really.
That’s when the song came to an end and Caleb stood up in the pulpit he’d been sitting behind. That’s also when he saw her.
She was trapped, her escape thwarted. Her heart seemed to sink right through the floorboards of the building.
Caleb smiled like a man who’d just seen daylight after thirty years of darkness. “Miss Branigan,” he stated, to her eternal mortification. “Come on in. We’re glad to have you!”
Maybe he was, but the rest of the congregation clearly didn’t share his opinion. They stared at her as if she were a pesky insect that should be swatted or at least shooed away. She wasn’t encouraged by their response.
Caleb Stone was going to get an earful after the service!
Like a prisoner walking to the gallows, Rachel started the trek down the narrow aisle. It required tremendous effort not to compare this church experience with her last time, years earlier. Caleb’s kind face and understanding eyes made it all easier, of course. But she was determined that he was still going to be in trouble!
After what seemed like a thousand years, she made it to her destination and quickly sat down, hauling Caitlin up in her lap.
She would get through this. She would!
Caleb preached his sermon, and the service was about to come to a close. One of the deacons was saying a closing prayer when Rachel realized with surprise that, sometime during the service, she had relaxed.
It had been
the sermon. Caleb had preached about the crucifixion of Christ, about how the Lord’s own people had turned against Him. Then Caleb explained how Christ’s disciples and close friends betrayed Him and denied knowing Him. How, despite knowing the truth deep in their hearts, they rejected Him and went along with the crowd.
Then he’d told this story:
“There once lived a man and his wife in a little village near Tucson. The man was respected in the town, a blacksmith. His wife was expecting their first child, and life seemed to be treating the man just fine. People liked him. He was fair and honest in his dealings; and because of that, his business thrived.
“One day a stranger came to town so that the blacksmith could shoe his horse. The blacksmith did that, but his customer wasn’t satisfied with the work and refused to pay the man for the job.
“The blacksmith was outraged, of course. He knew that the work he’d done for the stranger was excellent and that the man was trying to cheat him out of his payment.
“There were a lot of people on the street that day, and they heard the loud, angry voices of the two men. As the customer mounted his horse, still refusing to pay, the blacksmith shouted out that if he ever came back to his shop again, he’d be sorry.
“The next morning, a loud knock sounded on the blacksmith’s door. The sheriff was waiting when he pulled it open and asked him where he had been the previous evening. The blacksmith explained that he’d gone fishing, alone. The sheriff told him that a man was found in the back of his shop, dead from a gunshot wound to his chest. It was the man that the blacksmith had argued with the day before.
“The evidence against him was convincing. He was arrested and a trial was held. In the end, he was found guilty. All the people turned their backs on him, even his wife. No one believed that he was innocent.
“They hung him. The town thought justice had been done.
“About a week later, a young man who was known in the town for being a little rowdy and reckless walked into the sheriff’s office. He looked bad. His eyes were bloodshot, and he didn’t look like he’d eaten anything in a while. He confessed to the sheriff that he was the one who had killed the man.
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