“The Youngbloods. He put up a barbed wired fence so he’d keep his cattle out of the MacPhersons’ crops. Most folks would split the cost, but Mr. Youngblood paid for it. He said that arrangement was only fair since it made the kids take a longer route.”
“Seems mighty generous.”
“Unh-huh. Sometimes he comes off as standoffish or gruff, but he’s also done some kind things—like apologizing to Peter and sending a couple of workmen.”
“Careful. Log’s rotten.” Matt turned loose of her hand and lifted her over the log.
“This isn’t the way I came in.” Her gaze darted around.
“The MacPherson kids aren’t the only ones who like shortcuts.” He kept a light tone, but Matt wanted Kate out of those woods as fast as possible. The path wasn’t overgrown as it ought to have been after a few years of neglect. Someone was using it regularly, and he aimed to find out who.
❧
Matt silently entered the cabin and sneaked back into bed. He wouldn’t be able to sleep, but he could use the time to formulate a plan.
“You wanna tell us where you’ve been?” Peter lit a lantern. His father and uncles all glowered at him.
Sitting up slowly, Matt realized he didn’t have time to concoct a plan. He stared at the MacPherson men. “I’ve been in the woods.”
“Ain’t the onliest place you’ve been. Ever’ night you’ve been here, you’ve snuck out.” Peter raised his chin. “I might be plainspoken, but I ain’t dumb.”
“No one could ever mistake you for being dumb. Yes, I’ve gone out every night.”
Obie’s eyes narrowed, and he leaned forward. “You ain’t meetin’ a gal, are you?”
“No.” Matt decided these men were honest. He’d have to trust them. Even warn them. “Someone’s been making bootleg whiskey.”
Mike nodded. “Yup. That’d be the Youngbloods.”
“You knew?” Matt gawked at him.
Mike’s brothers sat on either side of him. Their heads cranked toward him, and they said in unison, “How come you didn’t tell us?”
“Tempy.”
Matt reeled from that reply. “Your wife is involved?”
“Course not!” Mike shook his head. “Tempy’s real name—’tis Temperance on account of her ma namin’ all her daughters after the fruits of the Spirit. But her ma skipped a few names and stuck my beloved with that handle as a message to her man. Old man Linden had a still. I didn’t want nobody upsettin’ Tempy by rakin’ up sommat painful in her past.”
“You coulda told us. We woulda put a stop to it!”
“Hezzie, you and Obie couldn’t keep a secret if your lives depended on it.” Mike tapped his boot on the floor.
“So yore the excise man,” Hezzie said.
“Not exactly. I’ve been working as a deputy in San Francisco. Moonshine’s been a huge problem, and we’ve had folks die or go blind from bad batches. I was assigned to locate and shut down the still.”
“Niver knowed a deputy who could down trees worth a hoot,” Peter’s father mumbled.
“You niver knowed a deputy at all,” Obie shot back.
Peter ignored them. He stared at Matt. “We’re going to put an end to that still. Once we do, you’re going to have to reckon with us.”
“The Chances, too.” Hezzie shook his grizzled head. “I seen their lil’ Kate a-lookin’ up at you like you done hung the moon. They ain’t gonna be happy one bit ’bout how you’ve played them false.”
Matt stood. “Keep Kate out of this.”
“Cain’t.” Obie rose. “We’s a-gonna holp you shut down Youngblood’s moonshine still, but we ain’t a-gonna stand for you breakin’ her heart. That gal’s like a daughter to us.”
❧
Between the MacPherson men and the Chance men, Matt had more than enough help to take Youngblood into custody and dismantle the still. The men all worked together well, carrying the mission with grim determination and near silence. By morning, however, there was no jubilation over their success. Tobias made the discovery that Lucinda was just as deeply involved as her father. That alone was enough to leave the men subdued—but Matt knew the problem ran even deeper than that.
“We don’t have a jail. I’ll go send a telegram,” Caleb said.
“Send it to Sheriff Laumeister in San Francisco.” Matt scanned the men. “I’ve worked alongside you, but it was under false pretenses. When I came here, we didn’t know who was involved.”
“Don’t bother,” Kate’s father ground out. “You had a job to do, and you did it. That much, we understand. You messed with my little girl, though.”
“I didn’t plan on falling in love.” He stared her father in the eye. “I didn’t mess with Kate’s heart. She’s a special woman, and as soon as I get this matter wrapped up, I aim to come back and court her.”
“No, you’re not.” Her father’s declaration would have been easier to take if he’d roared it. Instead, he’d said the words in a low growl.
“Thinking you’ve found the person God has for you, then discovering they’re not what they seem—” Tobias broke off and shook his head. “No. There’s no fixing that. You stay away from my sister.”
Eighteen
“I don’t know what to say to her,” April said to Peter as they walked along the stream. “Kate’s barely talking to any of us. When we came home the night of the cabin raising, she was so excited. Matt had confessed he cared for her.”
“For what it’s worth, I thank he was tellin’ her the truth. When her pa and brother tole Matt to stay ’way from Kate, Matt looked lower’n a snake’s belly in a wagon rut.”
“You know how much I love you.”
“Sure do, honey pie.”
“It’s hard, though, for Johnna and me to work on our wedding dresses right there in the cabin under Kate’s nose. She tries to paste on a smile and even helped baste the skirts, but she’s hurting.”
“That’s gotta be tough. Johnna said Kate’s taken it hard. Tobias don’t look any better. Him breakin’ thangs off with Lucinda—’twasn’t an easy decision. But findin’ out she was up to her eyebrows in brewin’ whiskey—that shook him bad.”
“Aunt Lovejoy! It’s so nice to see you out here.”
“’Tis always a joy to bask in God’s sunshine. Makes a body feel all warm and right inside and out.” Lovejoy’s gaze went from April to Peter and back. “But I look at the both of you, and neither one of you’s wearin’ a smile.”
April sat next to her aunt on the bench Uncle Dan built for Lovejoy back when he was courting her. “I don’t know what to do about Kate,” April confessed.
“I reckoned this would come up. A wound niver heals when it’s left to fester. Ever’body’s tippytoin’ ’round and pretendin’ nothin’s amiss. That’s gotta come to an end. Ain’t no reason she’ cain’t have herself a good stormy cry, jist like there’s no call for the both of you to be robbed of the joy you ought to be sharin’ in yore sweetheart days.”
Peter nodded.
“Peter, fetch me a little rock from the crick.” He did as she bade, and Lovejoy held the wet pebble and rubbed her thumb over it. Pressing it into April’s hand, she said, “That rock weren’t smooth a long time back. It had rough edges. God put that rock in the path of water, and that water wore down the sharp spots ’til it turned into a right purdy lil’ pebble.
“We cain’t say why God sent Matt here. The memory of him’s like water, rushing over Kate and wearing her down. Don’t know iff’n the dear Lord plans a different man for her—or any man atall, for that matter. Certain as we sit here, God’s niver gonna let His children suffer for naught. Someday down the line, we’ll look back and see how He directed the currents of life. We all love Kate and wanna protect her from the pain, but if we take her outta the river, then we remove her from where God intended her to be. Iff’n ’twas her life or limb that were at risk, then we’d hop right to it, but when it comes to matters of the heart—well, interfering ain’t right. Best thang we cain do is stand ’longside her.
Kate’s got to trust God that whate’er betides her’ll turn out aright as long as she lives in the center of His will.”
“That’s not just true for Kate.” Peter accepted the pebble April handed to him. “It’s true for all of us.”
“Yup. There ain’t no doubt our lovin’ heavenly Father wants the both of you to leave and cleave. Don’t be so worried o’er something else that you forget what’s important: aside from yore relationship with Him, you each gotta be concerned more for one another than anybody else.”
“April comes first,” Peter declared.
The rapidity and certainty in his response thrilled April. “I feel that way about you, too.”
“And God’s gonna bless you abundantly. Now go on and moon o’er one another as you finish yore stroll. I aim to be talkin’ to the Lord as I sit out here.”
“See you later.” April gave her aunt a kiss, then placed her hand in Peter’s as they started to walk off.
Uncle Daniel came stomping out. “Lovejoy? We’ve got a problem.”
“What’s a-wrong?”
“Matthew Salter just took over the Youngblood place and applied to be Reliable’s sheriff.”
❧
Matt accepted the dipper and gulped down the cool well water. “Thanks, Miss Jenny. How’re things looking up at the house?”
“I’m going a room at a time. The two bedrooms were in fine shape, and so were the parlor and kitchen. I can’t for the life of me imagine how they allowed the rest of the house to fall into such disrepair!”
“Don’t work too hard. We’ve got nothing but time. Let me know if there’s anything else you need.” He lifted the pad of paper and started scribbling on it again.
“Salter.”
Matt looked up. “Tobias.”
“What’re you doing here?” Kate’s brother didn’t bother to dismount.
“I’m setting down roots because I aim to spend my life here.”
“Any place else’ll do. We don’t want you here.”
Matt rested his hands on his hips. “I’m not in the least bit surprised.”
“Good. Then get—”
“Son.” Titus Chance’s voice cut through the air. He rode up slowly. In a matter of minutes, so did Kate’s uncles, Caleb, and four of the MacPherson men.
Matt stood his ground and said nothing. The verse he’d read that morning in the first chapter of Joshua ran through his mind: Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
Obie MacPherson called over, “Titus, Kate’s yore daughter. Whaddya wanna do ’bout this?”
Kate’s dad stared down at him. “Every man’s entitled to have a say. You’ve got one minute, Salter.”
“That’s more than fair. I did hide my original purpose in coming to Reliable. It’s plain to see that gave you cause to distrust me. That’s understandable, but you need to know I never told a lie about who I am or how I feel.
“I’m a brother in Christ. Character and integrity matter to me, and that’s one of the reasons I became a lawman—to protect the innocent. I appreciate your motive is to protect Kate. I fell in love with her. I make no apologies for any of that, and I’d never knowingly hurt her.
“You told me to keep away from her. I know that’s what you want; I don’t know if that’s what she wants. Kate’s an exceptional woman, and God will have to heal the rift between us, but I believe He can. She’s worth waiting for.
“I’ve prayed long and hard. As a result, I’m putting down roots because I’m acting on faith. I want to rear our children here where they’ll have grandparents and uncles and aunts and cousins. I’d far rather we all live in harmony.”
Silence hovered thick in the air.
“Mr. Salter?” a soft voice called from over by the house.
Obie MacPherson’s eyes bulged. “You brung a woman with you!”
Matt elbowed his way past the circle of horses. “Yes, Miss Jenny?”
“You told me to mention anything I need. I can’t seem to find a stepladder, and one of the windows in the kitchen is cracked.”
“I’ll see to those things. Thank you, Miss Jenny.”
She began to wring her hands. “I’m sorry I don’t have any refreshments ready to offer your friends. If you give me a little time—”
“The gentlemen didn’t plan to stay long. Don’t worry about that.”
Matt watched her until she went back into the house, then he turned back around.
Obie muttered, “I seen buzzards what’d look purdy compared to her.”
“Miss Jenny is beautiful on the inside.”
“She yore kin?” Hezzie surmised.
“No. She’s going to be my housekeeper. I’ll definitely hire a cook.” Matt gave them a wry look. “You men should thank me for sparing you from eating her food.”
“We’re taking a vote,” Daniel Chance said.
“Us MacPhersons is gonna be in on this here vote,” Obie declared.
“The women will have a fit if they find out we didn’t include them,” one of Kate’s uncles said.
“Then we jist won’t tell ’em.” Peter grinned.
Gideon looked around at the men. “Anyone want to weigh in on the matter before discussion is closed?”
“Yep.” Peter pulled a pebble from his pocket. “Dan, yore wife jist gave this to April and me. She’s a wise woman.”
The men bobbed their heads in silent agreement.
“She said God smooths us with the currents of life. We all love Kate and wanna protect her, but Lovejoy says it ain’t right to interfere when ’tis a matter of the heart. We oughtn’t to remove Kate from where God intended her to be. Whate’er betides, Kate’ll turn out aright as long as she lives in the center of His will. Our place is to stand by her and pray.”
“Anyone else?”
Silence.
“Caleb and Tobias are old enough to vote. Peter—”
“If he’s old enough to marry my daughter,” Gideon said, “he’s entitled to vote.”
Hezzie scratched his head. “’Zactly what’re we votin’ on?”
“Cain’t make him move.” Mike MacPherson mused. “I reckon whether we’re gonna let him be near Kate.”
“It’s not a voting issue. Kate is my daughter.” Titus Chance stared down at Matt. “You said some things that bear consideration. In the end, I want my daughter to be happy. Before Peter spoke, I wanted you as far away from my Katie Louise as possible. But that’s probably the worst thing that could happen. She has to work through this for herself. I don’t want you to go to her, and I’m asking you to give your word that you won’t approach her. If she seeks you out, that’s her decision.”
A wave of relief washed over Matt.
Kate’s father continued. “You’re on a mighty short rope, Salter. Never thought I’d see the day that one little rock would sway my intent.”
“Sir, it’s not the size of the rock. We’re standing on the Solid Rock together. I wouldn’t want to base my life any other way.”
Nineteen
No matter where she turned, Kate couldn’t escape the pain. She went to church, but Matt Salter attended, too. She went to town, and he was walking down the boardwalk, wearing the sheriff’s badge. He doffed his hat to her, but then he turned and went the other direction. She wanted to duck into her cabin and be alone, but April and Johnna were there, sewing wedding gowns.
Craving privacy, she went into her workshop. Laying out a tanned skin, she tried to occupy her mind on how best to use the leather.
“Kate?”
“Oh. Hi, Mama.”
Her mother pulled out a stool and perched on it. “I’ve wanted to have some time alone with you. It seems as if everyone’s hovering over and crowding you.”
“I can hardly breathe.”
Mama nodded. “I’ve tried to give you some time to think matters through. You’ve always been like that—you need a chance to let everyt
hing settle before you make a decision. What are you making?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t settled on what’s the most important thing. I always decide on that before I cut anything out.” A rueful laugh bubbled out of her. “At least I’m predictable.”
“Matthew Salter has to hold very strong feelings for you, or he wouldn’t have come back.”
“But how can I trust him? He lied to me.”
“Did he lie? From what Caleb and Tobias say, they hired him to do a fair day’s work, and he did more than any hand we’ve ever had.”
“But he deceived me. He acted like he was an ordinary citizen. How can I ever trust that he won’t mislead me again?”
“I don’t have an answer to that. Have you been praying?”
Kate sniffled and nodded. “I don’t have an answer. I keep begging God to show me the way, but He’s silent.”
“That’s a hard place to live. You know we’re all praying for you.”
“Thank you, Mama.”
Mama leaned forward and ran her hand over the leather. “Your Daddy’s Bible is about worn through, but he loves it so much, he says he won’t use another. Do you think you could make a new cover for it?”
“Sure.”
“I thought I heard you in here.” Aunt Delilah came in. “I’ve run out of clothespins, Kate. Do you have more in the basket for me?”
“Yes.” Kate went up on tiptoe to reach the pail.
“Good. Laurel sent some pictures for me to take to the gallery. Between her pieces and mine, we’ll have enough for a big show.”
“Here.” Kate set down the bucket.
Aunt Delilah’s eyes widened. “I never imagined! With the rest of us gone in Yosemite, I thought the boys would be too busy to whittle much.”
Kate leaned over and pretended to examine a spot on the leather.
“Honey,” Mama asked, “how did we end up with so many?”
Kate didn’t want to answer. She cleared her throat to buy time, but it didn’t help. In a tight voice she said, “Matt made a lot of them.”
“That was nice of him. I’ll have to thank him.”
“You don’t need to, Aunt Delilah. We didn’t tell him about you painting them and giving them away as a thanks to people who sponsor the older orphans’ education.”
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