by Barbara Goss
“What?” Cameron couldn’t believe his ears.
“Now, before you judge me, remember that my wife ran off a few years ago, and a man gets lonely.” Joe sighed. “I swear this was just my first visit, and the woman, Ruby, invited me to visit her again the next night. She suggested that perhaps we could take a buggy ride before
we... um, got busy again, but when I got there, she poured me several drinks, and the next thing I knew it was morning. The first thing I did was to look out the window to be sure my carriage was still there, and I was relieved to see it was.” Joe looked up at Cameron. “Someone used Ruby to lure me there with my carriage and then used it for their own purposes.”
“Of course, but who would do that?” Cameron asked.
“I’ll find out. You'd better believe I will,” Joe growled.
That evening, Cameron shared Joe’s confession with Hannah.
“I think it might have been that sheriff,” she said. “I got a feeling the first time I met him.”
“He’s been known to frequent Lilah’s often, so you might be right.” Cameron changed the subject abruptly. “My speech in the town square will be tomorrow at one o’clock. The nanny will arrive by then, and I’d like you to be there.”
Hannah had invited Chloe Wilson to attend the speech with her. To her relief, no one paid attention to Chloe. She dressed like all the other women in a cotton frock and bonnet, so she blended in. They stood in the large crowd, awaiting Cameron’s speech. When he stepped up on the podium, the crowd grew quiet.
Hannah thought that Cameron had a strong voice, and he was an excellent speaker. He thanked everyone for coming and for their interest in his running for state senate. “I’m flattered,” he said, “that so many of you have signed the petition; however, what I have to say next might change your mind.”
Hannah felt her heart beat faster. Was he going to do what she hoped he would?
“I wanted the job of state senator so badly that I deceived you all.”
There was a slight stirring within the crowd.
“I was a single man, and I was told that I could never win without a family, so I sent for a bride, married her by proxy so no one would know, and then I met the orphan train in Hays, and adopted two children.”
A loud murmur went through the crowd, and Hannah began to worry they might start throwing things at her husband, but she was proud of him. His gaze from the podium met hers, and she gave him her best smile.
Cameron continued, “I’ve been dishonest, and that isn’t a good start to being your voice for the state, but I’ve come clean about it, and I’m going to remove my hat from the ring.”
An elderly man in the front row yelled out, “Heck no! We want an honest man, and you’re it.”
Several others shouted out the same. One person yelled, “You didn’t have to tell us this, but you proved your trustworthiness by confessing.”
The crowd cheered. “You have my vote,” some chanted.
Hannah could see that Cameron was speechless.
One elderly woman stepped right up to the podium and said loudly, “You and your wife took in two orphan children to raise as your own; that’s worth my vote.”
Again, the crowd cheered.
The elderly woman nudged Cameron. “Well, young fella, you gonna run or not?”
All Cameron could do was nod, and the crowd cheered. Hannah felt so proud of him she thought her chest would explode.
Cameron helped Hannah and Chloe into the carriage and drove Chloe home. Before she went into the house, Chloe said, “I felt comfortable in public today, and Charles and I would like to accept your invitation to pick us up for church on Sunday.”
Hannah wondered where Cameron was headed when he turned the carriage in the opposite direction from home, but she kept silent. Perhaps he had an errand to run. Then, she recognized her surroundings: Rainbow Falls.
Cameron helped her from the carriage, and they walked around the foliage until they were standing before the falls. Cameron turned her to face him. “I was such a fool to think I had to lie and use people to get ahead. I was selfish as well as dishonest. The crowd forgave me, but can you?”
“I already have,” she whispered. “Just like when we ask God to forgive our sins, and I can almost hear Him say, 'I already have.'”
He drew her into his arms and held her. She felt him kiss the top of her head. Strangely, she wondered what that kiss might feel like on her lips, and she was glad her head was on Cameron’s shoulder so he couldn’t see her blush.
“I don’t know how to thank you, Hannah. You’ve changed my life and made me a better person."
It was the closest Hannah had ever been to a man. It sent shivers through her whole body, and she felt as if she should do something, but what? Her hands were still at her sides, but instinct brought them up and wrapped them around Cameron’s neck. “I’ve gained from our relationship, too. I’m a mother.” She pulled away just enough to see his face. “I was so proud of you for telling the truth this afternoon.”
Cameron kissed her nose. “I couldn’t have chosen a better wife.” He pulled her closer and brought her head to his chest. “I love my family... including you, Hannah.”
Hannah wondered if Cameron could hear the pounding of her heart when she realized she loved him as well. She pulled away and looked into his dark eyes. “I wasn’t sure of my feelings until this afternoon. I love my whole family, too, especially you.”
Cameron smiled and touched her lips lightly. “I’m not sure now if I want to become a senator or not. I’ll hate having to leave you and the children when I have to be at the state house in Topeka.”
Without thinking, Hannah smoothed out Cameron’s lapel and said, “We have time to figure that out.”
Cameron picked Hannah up and swung her around. “She loves me back… she loves me back.” He laughed as they twirled.
On Sunday, Cameron and Hannah stopped to pick up Charles and Chloe for church, and the four of them walked proudly into the barn. They felt shocked eyes on them, but they continued to their seats.
“Just look straight ahead,” Hannah told Chloe. She prayed harder than she ever had before that no one would say anything to Chloe or Charles, and her prayers were answered.
Reverend Hollister had finished his Commandment sermons, and he began picking random Bible stories for discussion. To Hannah’s delight, that day's sermon was based on the story of the adulteress. A group of men had brought the woman before Him for punishment of adultery. The usual punishment was to be stoned. Hollister’s voice boomed as he gave Jesus’ reply: 'Let him who is without sin cast the first stone!'”
Hannah squeezed Chloe’s hand.
Hollister continued, “Jesus told her to go and sin no more. He forgave her without her even asking. Jesus knew that she was repentant in her heart. Hollister went on to explain how the story applied to all mankind. “You can’t judge the town drunk, the saloon women, or the person you found out was gossiping about you… unless you are sinless, of course.
“In the Commandments, God tells us what he forbids us to do, but he never said we couldn’t be forgiven if we broke one of them. Every story and parable in the Bible is a lesson for us to learn and apply to our lives today. That’s why He included them in the Holy Book.”
Hollister closed his Bible. “So, go out of the service today and let your hearts be filled with compassion and love for your fellow man, even those who are sinners. Let your life be an example for them to follow. Invite them to a service. Perhaps all they need is to learn about God and forgiveness. Jesus tells us to look at our own sins before judging someone else. The Bible tells us to confront others’ sins with truth and love with respect. And remember—God is the final judge. Do I hear an amen?”
“Amen,” the congregation replied.
As Hannah, Chloe, Cameron, and Charles walked toward the door, several people came up, smiled, and shook their hands. One lady thanked Chloe for coming and hoped she’d come back each week.
Chapter Eighteen
Cameron smiled all the way home, which he could tell made Hannah suspicious. “You seem happier than usual,” she said.
“I am,” he said with a wink.
“Things worked out so well today with the Wilsons at church,” she said, “and you were so worried.”
His answer was another smile, though he battled with himself on the inside. Should he tell her what he’d done or let her think she was right? He’d promised himself to always be honest with her, so finally he said, “I had a little chat with Reverend Hollister yesterday.”
“You did? What did you say?”
“You’re right. I was worried about the Wilsons’ reception at the service, so I asked him for a special sermon. He readily agreed and came up with a better message than I’d imagined.”
Rather than become angry with him, she moved closer and put her head on his shoulder.
They ate a sandwich dinner. Since no one worked on Sunday, the whole family went outdoors. The children played on the swings. Georgie couldn’t push himself, so Annabelle would give him a good, high push before jumping on her own swing.
Hannah and Cameron sat in rocking chairs on the porch, sipping lemonade. Their talk about the lovely day was interrupted by a horse galloping down their lane. It came to an abrupt stop in front of their porch.
“Joe!” Cameron called. “What the blazes are you doing here on a Sunday?”
“Come and sit with us,” Hannah said, pointing to another rocking chair.
Joe accepted her invitation, and Cameron prepared himself for bad news. He’d known Joe long enough to know his mood.
“I’ve a story to tell,” Joe began. “Be prepared for a shock.”
“Go on,” Cameron said after taking his wife’s hand in his.
“I was prepared to confront Sheriff Stafford about the theft of my carriage. I wanted whoever did it to be caught, yet something told me to wait. I decided to visit Mrs. Monroe and ask her who had visited her the night her husband died. We know Chloe Wilson said she'd been asleep, and I believe her. If my carriage had gone down that road, it had to have stopped at the Monroe place.
So, I rode out that way, but my horse threw a shoe. I was three-quarters of the way there, so I walked my horse. As I approached from a distance, I saw the sheriff kissing Myra Monroe in the doorway.”
“What?” Cameron and Hannah said in unison.
“Yes.” Joe continued, “So putting together the pieces, here’s what I think happened: Myra Monroe and Sheriff Stafford were having an affair. Either Silas Monroe found out about it, or one of them killed him to get him out of the way. If the sheriff worked with Ruby to get me to bring my carriage to Lilah’s, then this was premeditated murder. They stole my carriage and transferred the body to the Wilsons’ home, since the sheriff knew Charles was out of town but expected back that evening.
“So,” Joe said, slowing as if to make sure he had their undivided attention, “they quietly dumped a body with the ax still in its head in Chloe’s bedroom, knowing that Charles was due home and would be the number one suspect—very cleverly planned, I might add.
"So, I decided that going to the sheriff would be dangerous, and I wired the federal. marshal’s headquarters. I think we should let them handle it.”
“I agree.” Cameron looked at Hannah. “What do you think?”
“Yes, I also agree. Poor Silas Monroe.”
“It seems the sheriff had been seeing Myra regularly at Lilah’s, and he was… I don’t know... in love or infatuated, but Myra chose Silas because he had a prosperous farm, and we all know the sheriff’s pay is low. Even though she married Silas, the two of them were still carrying on behind his back.”
Cameron shook his head. “And now the sheriff and Myra have it all—the ranch, his money, and an open affair.”
Joe stood. “I have to get back to my office. I’m expecting a federal marshal to arrive at any time now. I’ll tell him what I told you and let him handle it.”
“Let us know,” Hannah said as he mounted his horse.
Joe waved and rode toward town.
While Hannah and Cameron were waving goodbye to Joe they heard a screech that caused them to turn toward the side yard.
“Papa, Mama!” Annabelle yelled. “Georgie’s hurt.”
Cameron reached Georgie first to find him face down on the ground. Hannah followed and grabbed Annabelle to hold her back so Cameron could check for injuries.
Cameron picked Georgie up and Hannah gasped when she saw his face. He was bleeding profusely and bawling his eyes out. “Take him to a doctor,” she cried.
“We have no doctor here,” Cameron said, trying to soothe Georgie, “I’ll take him to the barber.”
“Please hurry,” Hannah cried.
Cameron thanked God the carriage was still hitched in front of the house—he’d planned a romantic evening ride with Hannah. “I’ll need your help. Someone needs to hold Georgie while I drive.”
Hannah grabbed Annabelle and put her in the rear seat, and she sat beside Cameron cradling a frightened and crying Georgie.
Hannah had never seen Cameron’s face so tense and worried. He really did love the children. His knuckles on the reins were white, and he kept looking over at Georgie. Hannah was worried, too, but being a teacher, she’d seen many playground accidents, and this one didn’t look serious...unless he had a concussion. That worried her.
When they reached the barber’s shop, Cameron hit his head with his palm. “Of course, the shop is closed. It’s Sunday.” Cameron sighed before saying to Hannah, “We need to pray.”
They bowed their heads and each of them prayed for help. They hadn’t finished praying before someone called out, “If yer lookin’ fer the barber, he lives upstairs.” To Hannah, the man looked as if he’d spent the night sleeping in the street. His clothing was soiled and wrinkled, and he had an unruly beard and a whiskey bottle in his hand. Nevertheless, he was their answer to prayers.
Cameron jumped from the wagon, thanked the man, and took Georgie from Hannah’s arms. “Can you tie the horse?” he asked as he ran with Georgie.
Hannah watched him go into a side door that most likely led to the upstairs flat. She got out of the carriage, secured the horse, took Annabelle by the hand, and followed Cameron.
When she reached the top landing, the door to the apartment was wide open, so they walked inside. The barber had Georgie lying on the kitchen table while his wife was digging into his bag of medical supplies.
Georgie was not only still crying, but he was being uncooperative, so she helped to hold him still while the barber cleaned off his face to see the damage.
“It doesn’t look too bad,” the barber said, “but I keep urging the town council to get us a proper doctor.”
As the barber worked on Georgie, a thought occurred to Hannah: her brother was studying to become a doctor—wouldn’t it be wonderful if he could come to Hunter’s Grove? She let the thought drop from her mind. After an education abroad, surely he would not want to work in a small town like Hunter’s Grove. For the first time, she realized why Joe had wanted the railroad to come through Hunter’s Grove.
Georgie calmed down when the barber’s wife gave him a cookie.
Hannah walked over to her fretting husband and put her arm around his waist. “He’ll be fine, Cam, relax.”
She felt Cameron’s tense body relax a bit. He turned and smiled at her. “I was so scared. We were so wrapped up listening to Joe we failed to keep our eyes on the children. I feel to blame.”
Hannah turned to Annabelle, “What happened?”
“The rope broke,” she said. “It wasn’t my fault.”
“Of course, it wasn’t.” Hannah hugged her. “Things like this just happen, and they aren’t anyone’s fault. Your brother will be fine.”
The barber put some type of lotion on Georgie’s face and pronounced him well enough to go home. “His wounds are little more than brush burns, and he hasn’t a concussion. Children are muc
h tougher than adults. He’ll be fine.”
Hannah heard Cameron breathe a loud sigh of relief. “There was so much blood—”
“Yes,” the barber answered, “but the bleeding has stopped, and I put some camphor on his sores. He’ll be good as new tomorrow.”
“How much do I owe you?” Cameron asked, reaching into his pocket.
“Just fifty cents to cover the cost of the camphor.”
Cameron paid the barber—whose name they still didn't know—thanked him, picked up Georgie, and hugged him. Hannah didn’t need any further convincing; Cameron loved their children as much as she did.
Chapter Nineteen
The following evening, after a delightful dinner with Charles and Chloe Wilson, Cameron asked Hannah if she’d like to take a walk since it was such a gorgeous evening.
As they strolled hand in hand along the narrow lane that met the main road, Cameron said, “You called me Cam the other day. I liked that.”
“I did?”
“You did. It means we’ve grown somewhat closer.”
“Then, I shall call you Cam from now on.”
She smiled up at him, and Cameron noticed her eyes sparkled. He took it to mean that she felt as happy and comfortable as he did. “I had a wonderful evening. I wasn’t sure I’d like being friends with a former client, but Charles and I get along great. I think we could become good friends.”
“Really?” Cameron felt her squeeze his hand. “Because Chloe is my best friend already.”
“I hear they are to become parents in six months—what do you think about that, Hannah?”
“It’s wonderful.”
“You enjoy being a mother, don’t you?” he asked.
“Very much so. I never thought I’d ever be a mother at my age.”
“You’re a lovely woman—why has some young man in Chicago not swept you up by now?”
“My father and mother were extremely religious and wouldn’t allow me to date until I was eighteen. They sent me to a female college to become a teacher. After I graduated, I got a job in a small school system in Chicago. They were very strict. Not only was I not allowed to date, I couldn’t be seen in a buggy with a man unless it was my father or brother. Any spare time I had, they said should be spent reading the Bible or some other approved book. So, you see, I never had an opportunity to meet any men or be courted.”
