Blue Moon Promise (4 page)

She nodded and took his hand. As they walked back to the house, he thought he heard something rustling in the bushes. “Who’s there?” When there was no answer, he rushed Eileen to the back door and pushed her inside.

It might be one of his friends who dared him to lift Mr. Stanton’s wallet. He sidled to the shrubs. “Joe?” he whispered.

But a hand much larger than Joe’s grabbed his arm. “Where are the dollars?” a harsh voice growled.

“I don’t have any dollars.” In trying to tug his arm away, Jed fell against the fellow, and the tight grip loosened enough that he was able to tug free and run for the house. He stumbled inside, then jumped up and threw the dead bolt.

The acrid taste of fear clung to his tongue. If only Dad were still alive. He’d know what to do with the danger that drew closer every minute. Jed wanted to go to his cot and cover his head, but he wasn’t a little kid anymore. Lucy and Eileen needed him to figure out what to do.

He turned back toward the window. Something moved at the edge of the outhouse, but he couldn’t see in the gloom. And it didn’t matter. Nothing on earth would make him go out there again.

THREE
 
 

T
he policeman took out his notebook. “Did you recognize the man?” he asked.

Details came back that Lucy hadn’t consciously noted. “No. He was maybe five-eleven and burly. No beard. Big nose. Blond hair.”

“Sounds like the same fellow,” the policeman muttered, jotting it down in his book.

“What fellow?”

Consternation crossed the man’s face. “Uh, we’ve been watching your place, miss, ever since your father died.”

“I don’t understand.”

“We’re not sure his death was accidental. We suspect whoever robbed the pawn shop that night had something to do with it. We think your father saw something or had something they wanted.”

Lucy couldn’t think about it. Not yet. “What could he possibly have had that was worth killing him for?”

The man shrugged. “Maybe stolen goods that had been pawned and would have led us to the thief. We’re not sure yet. We’d hoped no one would bother you and your brother and sister, but now that they’ve found you, you’ll need to be careful.” The policeman glanced around. “I hate to worry you, but this is a bad part of town. You need to be somewhere safer. Is there anyone you can stay with?”

She shook her head. “We have no one. My mother’s brother lives in Texas, but I have no way to get there.”

“I’d suggest you find a way.” He put his notebook away. “We’ll have a man watching, but that’s no guarantee, as you saw tonight.”

“This place is being sold anyway. We are all being evicted this week.”

His eyes were sympathetic. “I see. Well, good luck to you, Miss Marsh. I wish I could be of more help.”

Lucy shut the door behind him and leaned her forehead against the cool wood. What was she going to do? She had a way to get to Texas, but it meant selling herself. Was it worth it? Her gaze went to Eileen sleeping in Lucy’s cot. She’d been frightened by the commotion and had insisted on crawling into Lucy’s bed. She and Jed were everything to Lucy. If she could get to Texas, maybe she could find her uncle. Maybe he would take pity on Jed and Eileen and see to their future.

And Catherine could show up anytime. Lucy knelt beside the bed and pleaded with God for a way out of the mess she was in. She sensed no permission from the Lord to turn down this offer. If she said no to this man, what would become of her and her siblings? God had promised that he would provide. What if this
was
his provision? God was in the business of bringing blessings out of unexpected circumstances, but Lucy didn’t
want
this twist to her life. The very thought of marrying a man she didn’t know seemed ridiculous, but didn’t God ask the seemingly impossible at times? And if it assured the future for Jed and Eileen . . .

She finally sat up and put her head in her hands. “Okay, Lord. Whatever you tell me.” She lit a candle and took her Bible in hand. If she remembered correctly, the story of Abraham was in Genesis 12.

Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: and I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing.

The words imprinted on her heart as though God had spoken them to her.
A blessing
. She could be a blessing. Warmth that had nothing to do with the pitiful bit of coal in the fireplace enveloped her. God was behind this. It had to be so. Marriage was an honorable thing. And this had come at a time when she saw no way to support the children and herself. Marriage was something God had ordained, and Mr. Stanton said his son was a Christian. She closed her Bible.

Holding the lantern aloft, she went down the rickety basement stairs. They creaked under her bare feet. The leather-strapped trunk was shoved under the stairwell. She set the lantern on the floor and tugged the trunk out. Jed would have to help her carry it up. Picking up the lantern again, she glanced around the space to see if there was anything down here she needed to bring with her. A rough wooden shelf held empty canning jars and the canner. She picked one up, then realized a rancher would own such equipment.

She turned back to the trunk and opened it. All it contained was a blue dress. According to her father, her mother had been married in this dress. Lucy ran her fingers across the silky material. It was much fancier and more lavish than anything Lucy owned. She wished her mother were here to instruct her on what to do. How was she to be a wife when she had no role model? She’d been an infant when her mother died. She clasped the locket again. What would her mother have advised?

She lifted the dress into the light and examined it. It had a high collar and voluminous skirt. The sleeves were ruffled. It was heavy too. Draping it over her arm, she took up the lantern and mounted the steps. She would wear the dress when she met Nate. It would give her courage to face whatever the future brought.

NATE LEANED BACK in the saddle and surveyed the ramshackle house that stood on a barren hillside swept by the north Texas wind. He heard a horse whinny from inside the barn, so he knew someone was here. Larson only had one horse, an old paint he’d ridden into town two years before. Nate dismounted and tied the reins to the hitching post before stepping onto the rickety porch. The wind drowned out the sound of his boots on the old boards.

Before his fist could fall on the door, it opened and Larson’s form filled the doorway. Nate dropped his hand to his side. “I need to talk to you.”

“I got nothing to say.” The man started to shut the door.

Nate put his boot against the doorjamb and glanced at Larson’s belt. No gun. “Well, I do.” Past Larson’s shoulders he could see the one-room cabin. It appeared to be empty. “Where’s your henchman?”

Larson’s eyes narrowed. “What henchman?”

“The man you hired to burn down my barn.”

Larson smirked. “You have a mishap, son?”

“I’m not your son. I tracked the guy, you know. I saw you meet him.”

Larson brushed past Nate to stand on the porch. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Nate turned to face him. “I saw you, Larson.” He jabbed his forefinger against the man’s red-checked shirt. “I’m here to warn you to let it go. My pa didn’t do anything wrong.”

Red rose up Larson’s neck and lodged in his face. “He took advantage of my father. He’s got no right to my land.”

Nate was tired of the old argument. “Where’d you get the money to hire that guy?”

Larson took a step back. “You can’t prove I hired him.”

“The sheriff will be keeping his eye on him. You might as well send him packing.”

“It’s your word against mine.”

Nate managed to keep his rising temper in check. “I
saw
you with that guy, Larson.”

Larson shrugged and turned to his still-open door. “It’s not against the law to talk to a fellow. Sounds to me like you got an enemy, Stanton.”

“I’m going to see that those men are run out of town. The money you paid them is going to be lost.”

Larson faced Nate. “You think you own this town, but you don’t. Larson blood built this county. My ma was killed by a Comanche arrow.”

Something inside responded to the pain in the man’s words. “I’m sorry about your ma, Larson. But this argument is going nowhere.”

Larson flashed him a glare, then turned and stomped through the door. It slammed behind him, and Nate made no move to go after him. Maybe the sheriff would listen. He mounted his horse and rode to town.

DELICIOUS AROMAS FILLED the air as Lucy sat in the dining car. The train vibrated along the track, but the experience of seeing the train station fade in the distance exhilarated her. The white linen tablecloth was finer than anything she’d ever seen. She took a spoonful of consommé and the flavor brightened her spirits. The children had already eaten and were tucked into their cots in the luxurious accommodations Mr. Stanton had purchased for all of them.

She smiled at the woman across from her, Mr. Stanton’s cousin, whom he had brought along as a chaperone. Mrs. Walker was in her fifties yet still trim. Her blond hair held a few strands of gray but was lustrous and thick.

Lucy took another spoonful. “It’s quite delicious, Mrs. Walker. Thank you for choosing for me.”

“You’re quite welcome, my dear. Are you feeling better?”

The woman had discovered Lucy weeping in her berth and had been quick to comfort her. Lucy managed a smile. “Much better, thank you. At least until I meet Nate.” She stared down at the simple gold band on her left hand. Standing in front of a justice of the peace with her husband’s father hadn’t been the way she’d dreamed of marrying. “What if he’s cruel or physically repulsive?”

Mrs. Walker smiled. “Oh, my dear, you have no need to worry. Nate is quite handsome. All the young ladies in town would give anything for him to pay attention to them.”

“Why was he unable to find a woman on his own, then?”

“Nate only has one goal in mind—to make the Stars Above Ranch known in all of Texas. He works much too hard and is too exhausted to spark any young lady. He seldom attends church socials or town dances.” The woman’s eyes were gray but not as shrewd and determined as her brother’s.

“Stars Above Ranch? I like that.”

“Nate’s mother, God rest her soul, named it when Henry brought her to the original cabin. They arrived at night and she said she’d never seen so many stars.”

It sounded so romantic. The name alone eased Lucy’s fears. “Did your cousin tell you h-how we met?”

Mrs. Walker inclined her head. “He did.”

Lucy put down her spoon. “I’m encumbered with the responsibility of raising my brother and sister. That’s quite a challenge for a new husband when Mr. Stanton could have found a carefree young woman.”

“Henry prides himself on being a good judge of people. He believed he’d found his Rebekah for Nate.”

Lucy liked the sound of that. “I desire to belong somewhere.”

“What happened to your parents, dear girl?”

“My mother died when I was an infant. Father was killed in an accident three months ago.”

“What did your father do?”

“He owned a pawn shop.”

The woman’s eyes were kind. “And there was nothing of value left for you to use to raise your siblings?”

Lucy hesitated, then shook her head. “Father’s shop was broken into just before he died, and his most valuable merchandise was stolen. We were fine, though, because I had a good position as a seamstress. Then my employer was forced to let me go yesterday.”

“So Henry said. He has sung your praises since he met you.” Mrs. Walker reached across the pristine tablecloth to pat Lucy’s hand. “And I quite concur. You’ll make our Nate a superb wife.” Her gray eyes studied Lucy’s face. “I haven’t known you long, but I can see you are the sort of person who quickly takes charge of things. While I heartily endorse such courage, you can fall into the trap of thinking you are in control. Do not forget that God does with us as he wills.”

“Of course I know that,” Lucy said quickly.

The woman smiled. “You’re a God-fearing young woman. But in Texas you will need more than courage—you’ll need wisdom. Listen to God, Lucy.”