Hope (26 page)

“Wish the missus would get here with the grub,” Boris complained. “Hope she brings corn bread—I love corn bread.”

Frog sank to a bunk, closing his eyes. Big Joe kicked his foot. “What are you doin’, Judas?”

“Praying,” Frog murmured, refusing to look up.

Dan glanced at Hope and she smiled. “Didn’t I tell you he’d changed? It’s a miracle.”

“Well, we need another one,” Dan said softly. “And soon.”

She slipped her hand into his. “Thank you for rescuing me,” she said softly.

“I should have been with you. It wouldn’t have happened a second time—”

“But it did, and I’m all right. We’ll be fine. The Lord will deliver us.”

Leaning back against the wall, Dan stared at the stained ceiling. “I don’t know—I’m beginning to wonder. I’m supposed to be in charge of this, arrest the Davidson gang, and get you safely to Medford. Every day there’s a new problem.”

“Don’t blame yourself. You’ve only tried to help me.”

Pulling her to him, he whispered, “I will get you there, Hope. I give you my word.”

Hope smiled, burying her face in his chest. “I’m not worried.”

“Try to get some rest,” he said, holding her tighter. Streaks of lightning lit the cell, followed by thunderous booms. Rain pelted the sides of the jail.

“The river will be down in the morning, and the sheriff will wire Franklin. We’ll be out of here by noon.”

“Breakfast,” the sheriff called out. Unlocking the cell door, he handed Dan a tray of food. “Eat up! The missus went to a lot of trouble to cook for you.”

Joe eyed the food piteously. “Slop.”

“Eat it anyway.”

Hope was on her feet in a flash. “Is the river down enough to cross it?”

“Don’t know; ain’t checked yet. Soon as I get you fed, I’ll go have a look.”

Hope sank back to the cot.

The day dragged by. Afternoon came, and there was still no sign of the sheriff. Dan alternately paced the small cell and kept Hope company. Frog sat on a bunk, praying.

Big Joe complained about the food and the lack of room.

Boris slept.

The sun was an orange glow when Sheriff Ettes finally returned. “Evenin’, folks. Trust you’ve had a fine day?”

Dan straightened from where he leaned against the wall. “Did you contact Washington?”

“Yes, sir, shore did. God’s lookin’ after you. It’s a miracle, but last night’s rain didn’t interfere with gettin’ across the river—”

“Did you reach Franklin?”

“Yep. And you’re clear.” The sheriff pinned Joe with a stern look. “Now, Big Joe,” he began patiently, “you ought not to lie like that. You’ve caused me a whole heap of trouble.”

Big Joe sat down on his cot, a scowl on his face.

The door to Dan and Hope’s cell swung open. “Son, you and the little lady are free to go. Sorry about the mix-up, but no self-respectin’ federal man would let his credentials out of his possession.”

“There’s a story behind that, Sheriff.” Dan settled his hat on his head and reached for Hope’s hand. “I have to deliver Miss Kallahan to Medford. I’ll be back in a day.”

“Guess you been after these three a long time, huh?”

“A long time.”

Frog slipped off his cot. “Can I talk to Miss Kallahan a minute afore she leaves?”

“No you cain’t,” Big Joe growled.

“Sheriff?” Frog frowned. “It’s real important.”

Sheriff Ettes glanced at Dan. Dan shrugged.

“Well,” the sheriff said, scratching his chin, “I suppose I could let you, but not alone.”

“Frog!” Big Joe was on his feet, staring down the other prisoner. “You keep yore mouth shut!”

Frog ignored him. “That’s all right, Sheriff. I kin say what I got to say in front of ya.”

The sheriff opened the cell and motioned him out.

“What is it you want to say?” Hope asked as they walked to the desk.

“Judas!” Joe yelled. “Yellow-bellied coward!”

The outlaw cleared his throat, hanging his head. “I jest want to say thank you for talkin’ to me the other night. I’ve never felt so free, though I know I’m going to spend the next several years in jail.”

Hope smiled. “I’m happy for you. Knowing Jesus Christ is liberating. I’ll pray for you every day.”

“Well, I need to clear my conscience,” he said, lifting his eyes to meet hers.

“About what?”

“You want to know where the money is,” Frog said softly, glancing at Joe.

“Turncoat!”

Dan straightened. “The army payrolls? Can you tell me?”

“There’s a cave not far from the cabin.”

“Frog!” Joe bellowed.

Dan frowned. “Three miles or so, off to the right?”

“Yes.”

“Dan, that’s where we stayed the first—” Dan stopped Hope.

“The money is buried toward the back. Big Joe and me hid it there.”

“We were right on top of it!” Hope exclaimed.

“You were there?” Frog asked.

“The night Dan took me from the cabin. I was sick, and we took refuge in the cave.”

They ignored Big Joe’s rantings from the other cell.

A roguish smile played about Frog’s mouth. “Big Joe don’t like it, but I don’t care. That’s where the money is, almost all of it. Spent a few dollars on grub, but the rest is there.”

Dan stuck out his hand. “Thank you.”

“Ain’t nothin’. Miss Kallahan said I had to turn my sins over to God, and I figure I might as well turn Joe’s over too, ’cause there’s not much chance he ever will. The good Lord’s forgiven me, but I still got things to settle. This is the first one.”

“God bless you,” Dan murmured.

Tears swelled to the outlaw’s eyes. “He has already.”

The sheriff shoved his hat to the back of his head. “Well, Frog, guess you’re gettin’ a little cramped in that cell?”

“It’s tighter than Grannie’s corset in here!” Big Joe shouted. “Move me to the empty one! Git me away from that dirty, low-down double-crosser!”

“Nope, the empty cell goes to this gentleman.” Sheriff winked at Frog. “Liars never win.”

Chapter Sixteen

Sheriff Ettes insisted that Hope and Dan stay the night. He rounded up new clothes and arranged for hot baths and two rooms at the hotel.

“Can’t meet your new husband looking like that!” the old law officer teased.

Hope stared at her image in the mirror over the washstand. She hardly recognized herself anymore. Gone was the young, naive girl who got on the stage in Michigan. The likeness she saw reflected was a woman’s—a woman who had survived adversity and a crisis of faith. She’d changed inside, a good change, a change more to her liking.

Leading Frog to an acceptance of Jesus Christ as his Savior had brought a renewal of her own commitment and a revelation of what she needed to do to deepen her own spirituality. It would require a great deal more Bible study and prayer, but she was ready now. Ready to rely on her own faith, not Papa’s.

And somewhere along the way to her spiritual awakening, she’d fallen in love. She sank onto the edge of the bed she’d recently vacated.

Dan Sullivan.

Hope sighed. They’d been through so much together, and she couldn’t imagine life without him. They’d overcome fear and misfortune, put up with a temperamental goat, a vile-smelling pig, a hungry cougar, inept outlaws, and a sweet, helpless old woman, managing to laugh in spite of it all.

Oddly enough, the times they’d been drawn together by danger or illness had been the best. Times when there had been no one to depend upon but God and themselves.

Hope smiled. Dan Sullivan was a man to be reckoned with. He’d gone from a dangerous outlaw to a dear friend tenderly protective of her. He’d literally snatched her from the jaws of death, not once but twice. Three times, if she counted this last kidnapping.

Dan. From outlaw to tough undercover government agent. A rugged man with protective instincts, a man who respected her commitment to another man but whose kiss evoked such a myriad of feelings and emotions that it made her head spin.

But their time together was coming to an end. In a few moments she would be on her way to Medford to become wife to John Jacobs. The certainty of it caused an ache in her heart.

A knock on the door roused Hope from her reflections. When she opened the door, she found Dan, freshly shaved and dressed in clean clothes that fit his sturdy frame. Love overflowed in her heart.

“Hungry?”

“Famished,” she said, tossing her hairbrush on the bed.

The light touch of his hand in the center of her back was like a brand, his brand, on her heart. She savored every moment of his company as if it were the last, because soon it would be, and she didn’t want to waste a single minute. One day, when she was an old woman, she would tell her grandchildren about her great adventure on her way to marry their grandfather, and she would tell them about Dan Sullivan, a man she had deeply and irrevocably loved with all of her heart.

No, she couldn’t tell them about Dan, but she would tell them about how important it was to follow the heart in matters of love. But she couldn’t follow her heart; she must fulfill a promise, a covenant to marry a man she didn’t even know.

When Dan and Hope arrived in the hotel dining room, the other guests looked up in expectation. Judging by the curiosity on their faces, they’d heard about the kidnapping, the rescue, the arrest, and the Davidson gang now securely locked away in Sheriff Ettes’s jail.

Hope wasn’t inclined to share what had actually happened, and Dan couldn’t reveal any facts. Once the gang was transported to Washington, Dan would still have an obligation to fulfill. Big Joe, Frog, and Boris would be held for trial, and Dan would be called to testify, so any inquiries were now passed over with polite apologies.

Hope realized they lingered over breakfast far longer than was fashionable. Neither seemed eager to leave. The accidental touches and the lingering conversation only prolonged the inevitable.

“I should have wired John,” Hope said, as Dan saddled their horse. “Let him know I’ll be arriving today.”

“Ettes tells me that someone will have to take the wire across the river and deliver it to John. By the time he gets it, you’ll be there.”

“Yes . . . I suppose.” She sighed. “What if he doesn’t want me?” She’d never considered that possibility. She brightened. What if after all this trouble to get there, he’d changed his mind? Her hopes rocketed. She would be free to marry anyone she chose!

Dan’s hands paused on the cinch. “He’s figured out you’ve run into problems getting there. Maybe he’s been in touch with your aunt, sent her a telegram.”

She frowned. “Oh, I hope not. Aunt Thalia would be worried sick if she were to learn that I hadn’t reached Medford. She must be fretting as it is, wondering why I haven’t written.”

“You can write her a long letter when you reach Medford and tell her all about your trials and your new husband.”

“Yes. She’ll enjoy that.” Aunt Thalia might enjoy it, but Hope sure didn’t relish the prospect.

All the way to Medford, Hope wished that things were different. But she could wish all she wanted, and nothing would change.

Why, oh why, God, did I answer that ad?

Dan would buy that piece of land in Virginia he loved. She liked Virginia—well, she’d never actually been there, but she knew she could love it. She’d love anywhere Dan resided.

They rode in silence, Medford drawing ever closer. Should she be telling Dan the things that were in her heart? It would only make their parting more difficult.

Did he have anything he wanted to tell her?

God, if he does, let him find the courage to speak.

When Dan finally drew the horse to a halt on a small rise, she was so deep in her thoughts she didn’t realize the journey was over.

“Why have you stopped?”

“There’s the Basin River. Medford’s on the other side. It looks as if there’s a ferry to take you across.”

“Yes, I see it.”

Her heart ached. How could she say good-bye to the man she loved so much it hurt? Should she beg him not to leave, throw herself on his mercy?

She’d die. There was no doubt about it; she was going to expire if she had to leave him.

“Ready?” he asked quietly.

“Ready.”

He urged the horse down the slope and hailed the boatman. Hope waited as the two men talked, her heart heavy as Dan negotiated their passage.

“He’ll take us,” Dan said when he returned.

She couldn’t look at him. “You don’t have to come with me. I can make it on my own now.”

“I want to go with you, Hope.”

She lifted her head. Their eyes held, unspoken words clouding their gazes.

“I want to speak to John, explain what’s happened.”

“No, that won’t be necessary.” She would explain and trust that he understood. If he didn’t, then she couldn’t marry him. Marriage was built on trust and respect. Anything less was unacceptable.

He helped her off the horse, and Hope, Dan, and the boatman stepped onto the small flatboat a short while later.

“So you’re going to Medford,” the boatman said.

“Yes.” Hope smiled, trying to get a glimpse of her new home. She spotted a few buildings and a hotel sign. The town looked small.

“Nice place. Nice people.”