The next Sunday at church, he sat where he could watch Gerda during the service. He always did that. He just couldn’t get enough of looking at her. At first, he feasted on her loveliness. She was dressed in a shade of blue that matched her eyes. Although he couldn’t see her eyes from where he sat, he knew that color would bring out the sparkle in them. She had her hair pulled up into a hairdo similar to the ones on those calendars that were becoming popular. The hat that rested on top of the pouf had a large, fluffy feather wound around the wide brim. Frank felt sure that feather would tickle any man who got near her. Maybe that was why she wore it.
Soon, Joseph Harrelson’s words caught his attention and held it. Frank had learned to respect this man. Many of the preachers he had known in the past were either out of touch with the realities of life or they were complete hypocrites. Not Joseph. He lived the life he preached about, and he was keenly aware of what his parishioners were going through. They could see God in Pastor Harrelson’s life. That was why the church services were always full. People loved Joseph, and they trusted him.
Frank leaned forward in his seat and hung onto every word the man spoke. Words of comfort for the grieving. Words of hope for those who were in despair. Then Joseph began telling about his own life.
“Before I came to know the Lord, I was a young, hotheaded gunman with a chip on my shoulder.”
His words surprised Frank. He would have never guessed this about the man.
“I thought I was going to conquer the West with my lightning-fast guns. All I did was dig a deeper hole for my soul to sink into.”
The preacher’s words called out to Frank. He understood that kind of hole.
“I killed innocent men and misused women.”
It seemed to Frank as if Joseph was talking about a stranger he once knew.
“I was finally arrested, convicted, and sent to prison. I thought it was the end of my life, but it was only the beginning. While I was there, a pastor visited me every day. He led me to the Lord and discipled me.”
Frank wondered what that meant.
“Eventually, because of the change that had come about in my heart, God arranged for me to be set free from my life sentence. Only God could have accomplished that feat. After that, I couldn’t do anything but preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. For the last five years, I’ve done that, and I’ve been in Litchfield for the last couple of years.”
Frank was so engrossed in the sermon that he hadn’t realized it was time for the service to be over. He was so deep in thought about what he’d heard that everyone had left the room without his knowing it, leaving him sitting on the pew. When Frank finally looked around, he was all alone in the house of God, wondering if maybe what Joseph had talked about could also happen to a man like himself. A man who had done more than his fair share of hard living. A man who had made his living with a gun—but on the right side of the law. A man who was ready for a change in his heart and life.
“God, I need some answers.” He spoke the words aloud, not expecting an audible answer.
“Can we help?” The voice sounded familiar.
Frank turned to see Gustaf standing in the doorway with August right behind him.
“We wondered why you didn’t come out of the building when everyone else did. We told the pastor that we’d check on you, so the Jensons wouldn’t have to wait for Joseph to get to their house to start eating lunch.” Gustaf dropped on the back pew beside Frank. “August and I sent our wives and family home together. We didn’t want to leave you here alone if you needed us.”
August stood behind his brother with one hand leaning on the end of pew. “We’re here if you want to talk.”
Frank was flabbergasted. In all of his adult life, he’d never had any friends like these two men. It was still hard for him to understand this kind of friendship. He rubbed his palms down his thighs while deciding what to say to them.
“I’ve been listening to the sermons and wondering what it’s all about. I found my mother’s Bible in the things I received last week, and I’ve been reading it.” Frank wanted to stand up and pace, but he decided not to. “After the message today, I have a lot of questions.”
August moved to the pew in front of where Frank and Gustaf sat. He dropped onto the seat but turned sideways in it so he could face Frank. “I’m not sure we’ll know the answers, but you could ask us anyway. Maybe we can be of some help.”
Now Frank couldn’t stay seated. He stood and walked around the other end of the pew and along behind it. He leaned his hands on the back of the bench near where he had been sitting. There was something about this place that made him want to open his thoughts and heart to these friends.
“I’ve been hearing about Jesus and what He did to save people from their sins. I just have a hard time believing that all my sins can be forgiven.” He straightened and rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. “It’s only recently that I understood I needed this kind of thing.”
Gustaf stood and faced him. “Everyone needs salvation.”
August looked up at Frank. “A verse that comes to my mind is John 3:16 and the words that follow.” He lifted an open Bible toward Frank. “They have been very important to me all my adult life. I’ve read them so many times, I can recite them. They’re right there on that page if you want to follow along. ‘For God so loved the world, that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.’ You know, I believe that ‘whosoever’ means me. And it means you, too.”
Gustaf added, “I’ve put my own name into that verse many times. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that when Gustaf believes in Him, he shall not perish, but have everlasting life. It gives you a different perspective on it.”
Frank could understand that. He read from the page before him. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that when Frank Daggett believes in Him, he shall not perish, but have everlasting life. I like the sound of that. But is it hard to live out?”
Gustaf gave a deep hearty laugh. “Life doesn’t stop having problems just because you receive salvation from your sins. Life goes on, and you have to meet it head-on.”
Frank moved back around the pew and sat beside Gustaf. “So tell me about your big problems.”
“It’s a long story, but I’ll try to make it short.” Gustaf leaned forward and dangled his hands between his knees. “When Olina came to the United States from Sweden, she was coming to marry our brother, Lars.”
“I haven’t met him, have I?” Frank leaned his arm along the back of the pew.
“No, he lives in Denver, and he doesn’t come here very often.”
Frank chuckled. “What terrible thing did he do to cause Olina to marry you instead?”
“He married another woman before she got here. Olina was devastated, and I didn’t make it any better by not telling her right away when I met her at the docks in New York City. I really hadn’t wanted to go meet her, but my parents asked me to. It was my plan to put her right back on a boat heading for Sweden. I didn’t know that she’d gone against her father’s wishes when she came here and she couldn’t go back. It took awhile for it all to work out, but eventually we realized that it was God’s plan for her to come here, and it wasn’t to marry Lars. It was to marry me. God’s thoughts and plans are often different from our own, but His way is always best.” Gustaf leaned back in the pew and looked across at Frank. “When you have the Lord in your life, it’s always easier to face major problems.”
Then August turned toward Frank. “And if there is an area of your life that you haven’t yielded to Him, it can cause you extreme difficulties. I resented Gustaf a lot of my younger life. I was jealous of him, and becaus
e of that jealousy, I almost missed the woman God intended for me to marry.”
Frank squinted his eyes. “If I look confused, it’s because I am. What are you talking about?”
Gustaf laughed. “I guess it’s a lot to tell you all at once. I was keeping company with Anna before Olina came. After she arrived, I knew that because my thoughts were so often on Olina, I didn’t love Anna the way she should be loved by a man who wanted to marry her. When I told her that we weren’t right for each other, it broke her heart.”
August took up the narrative. “I didn’t want my brother’s castoff. That’s how I thought about Anna. It didn’t matter that I had been interested in her long before my brother was but was too shy to say anything to her. After he was with her, I didn’t want her, even though I did. Does that make any sense?”
Frank tried not to laugh. “I’m glad I’m not the only person who has had a mixed-up life.”
“I waited around too long, and Olaf Johanson starting seeing Anna. They were engaged to be married.”
This was getting interesting, almost like one of those dime novels Frank had read in the past. “So how did you get her away from him?”
August hung his head a minute before he raised it and continued. “Olaf was killed on a hunting trip right before the wedding. Anna was devastated. The funeral was on the day that was supposed to be their wedding. A lot happened, but eventually all of us listened to the Lord speaking to us, and Anna and I were married. But not until I had faced the jealousy that had consumed my life. The Lord helped Gustaf and me find the root of that jealousy and dig it out of my heart. Just think. If we hadn’t listened to the Lord. . .or if we hadn’t had Him in our lives, things might not have turned out they way they did.”
Frank looked toward the one stained glass window behind the pulpit. The sun shining through the colored pieces of glass painted the room in a warm, multicolor glow. “I can see the need for having Him in my life. What do I do now?”
Gustaf stood and moved into the aisle between the pews. “We could go down to the altar at the front of the church. We’ll kneel with you while you tell the Lord that you want Him to be a part of your life.”
That sounded better than anything else he had heard that day. He wanted this salvation. He wanted what all the people he knew in Litchfield had in their lives, but he was afraid he wouldn’t do it right. These friends could help him say the right thing.
August must have read his thoughts. “When you get down there, just tell Jesus that you know you’re a sinner. You’re sorry for all you’ve done, and you want Him to come into your life and change it.”
That sounded simple enough. Frank hoped it would work with him. They knelt at the altar and he started speaking, hesitantly at first. Then the words poured out of him. Later, he wasn’t sure exactly what all he’d said, but he did remember asking for forgiveness for his sins and telling Jesus that he wanted Him in his life from that point on. Tears were streaming down his face, and he didn’t care that these two men were seeing them.
When the three men finally stood, Frank couldn’t explain how he felt. It was as though he were a new man. One who hadn’t done all the things that had affected his life. His heart was a clean slate, ready to receive whatever the Lord wanted to give him. And he felt lighter, as if a large burden had lifted from his mind and from his soul.
He looked at Gustaf. There was a hint of moisture around his eyes. He glanced at August, who had wet trails down his cheeks. These two friends had shed tears for him, and he loved them more than he had loved any other men he had ever known. A prayer of thanks for their friendship went up from his heart, and he knew that God heard every word of it.
When Frank arrived at home that afternoon, he started to change out of his good clothes. He opened the top drawer of his bureau. There, carelessly thrown aside, were his cigars and matches. He stared at them for a minute. He couldn’t remember the last time he had lit one of the smelly things. None of his new friends smoked, and he hadn’t wanted to do it around them. Now all desire for partaking in the use of tobacco had left him. Without hesitating, he picked up the cheroots and went downstairs to throw them away. He knew he would never smoke again.
Thirteen
Soon after Gerda opened the Dress Emporium on Monday, Anna rushed through the door, carrying a basket over her arm.
“What’s your hurry?” Gerda asked her. “You don’t have to be here at a certain time. Actually, you don’t have to come to work if you don’t want to.”
Anna set the basket down. The warm scent of cinnamon and fruit pastries quickly filled the workroom. “I brought you some apple fritters. I know how much you like them, and I’m sure you don’t often take time to cook a good breakfast just for yourself.”
Gerda knew her sheepish smile revealed the truth of that statement. “At least before I came down, I made a pot of tea to drink while I read my Bible this morning.” She moved over to peer under the checkered napkin that covered the goodies. When she lifted the corner, steam escaped, bringing even more spicy fragrance with it. She took a deep breath of the heavenly scent and her stomach growled in a most unladylike manner. “I think I’ll try one of these right now.”
She went to the small cabinet that August had built into one corner of the workroom where she and Anna kept a supply of dishes and silverware on one shelf. She set a small plate on the table and lifted a warm fritter from the basket with a fork. She put it on the plate and cut a bite.
“Mmm, this is good.” Gerda took her time enjoying the flavor. “Is my well-being the only reason you’re here so early?”
Anna busied herself with one of the dresses they were working on. “August suggested that I might want to get here early today.” She ducked her head and concentrated hard on the skirt she was hemming.
Gerda put her fork down. “Now why would he do that?”
“I’m not sure, but he was in a good mood when he finally came home from church yesterday. That’s all I know.”
“Didn’t he go home when you did?” Gerda sat in the chair by the window and took another bite. It tasted even better than the first one. If she ate like this every day, she would soon be unable to wear any of her clothes.
“No.” Anna looked up. “I rode home with Olina and the children. August and Gustaf stayed to see about something. August came home after awhile with a twinkle in his eyes and a big smile on his face. I think he was even whistling a cheery tune. He doesn’t often do that.”
Soon the bell over the door in the front room jingled. Since Anna had her lap full with the skirt she was working on, Gerda went through the curtains separating the two rooms. Frank Daggett stood in the middle of the room, holding a large bouquet of flowers. It should have seemed incongruous for the masculine sheriff to have something so beautiful in his hands, but to Gerda, he looked wonderful. She wondered why he was there. And why he was carrying those fresh blossoms.
“Good morning, Gerda.” His voice was soft as he said her name. It sounded like a caress.
“Sheriff.” Gerda gave a slight nod, not able to take her eyes off him standing tall and regal. Just looking at him made her insides turn to jelly.
Something looked different about him this morning, but Gerda couldn’t figure out what it was. He wasn’t wearing his Stetson and his hands were full of flowers, but that shouldn’t have made that much difference. As usual when he wasn’t wearing a hat, curls fell across his forehead. Not for the first time, Gerda felt a strong desire to run her fingers through those dark locks. She took a deep breath. The expression in his blue eyes was warmer than she had ever seen it, but that wasn’t enough to give her the feeling that something was drastically different. She just couldn’t put her finger on what it was.
“Call me Frank, Gerda. I’m not wearing the star today.” Then, as if he had just now realized what he was holding, he stepped closer to her and thrust the bouquet in her direction. “These are for you.” He concentrated his attention on her face, almost as if he were trying to memorize ever
y inch of it.
As she reached out to gather the flowers in her arms, Gerda felt a blush stain her cheeks. “Thank you. . .Frank.” She buried her nose in the petals, savoring the scent of a summer meadow. “Let’s go into the workroom. I have a vase we can put these in.”
Frank pulled the curtains back for her then followed her into the next room.
When they entered, Anna looked up and smiled. “Why, Sheriff Daggett, it’s good to see you this morning.”
Gerda glanced back at Frank. He reached up as if to tip his hat, then dropped his hand back to his side because his hat wasn’t there as it usually was. What was he doing here, and why did he bring her flowers? Gerda didn’t get an answer to her question. Frank stayed for a few minutes and shared small talk with the two women, but he didn’t say anything about his reason for being there.
Before he left, Gerda was once again captured by his gaze. Everything around them faded away. She allowed herself to get lost in the moment, but soon, he glanced toward the window.
“I need to get over to the office and relieve the deputy.” Frank looked back toward Gerda. “I’ll be seeing you soon. Gerda. . .Anna.” He nodded at each woman before he exited the room.
Gerda stood where she was, lost in thought.
“Wasn’t that nice of the sheriff to bring flowers?” Anna’s words broke into Gerda’s thoughts. “We should have offered him some of the fritters.”
She looked toward Anna and gave her a distracted nod.
❧
Frank pinned on his star, then pushed the hair off his forehead and settled his Stetson on his head. He walked up one side of Main Street and down the other, then he crossed the tracks and strode toward the livery. Although it was late June, the temperature felt more like late spring than summer. A soft breeze blew through the trees, rustling the leaves. Birds chirped from among the branches, but he couldn’t see any. He wondered just how many nests he would find if he were to climb some of those trees and search among the branches as he had done when he was a boy on the farm. The thought of a sheriff doing that brought a smile to his lips.
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