Linda Ford (9 page)

Mother glanced past him. “What did you do with the boys?”

He checked the room. Saw no boys. “What do you mean?”

Mother grew pale. “I told them they could wait for you outside. Made them promise not to go past the corner.”

“I didn’t see them. The little rascals must have hidden.” He threw the door open and bellowed, “Luke, Sammy, where are you?”

Mrs. Johnson, sweeping the steps in front of the store, paused to look at him.

“Have you seen the boys?” he asked.

“Not since earlier this morning when your mother took them out for breakfast.”

“Thanks.” He called them again. Nothing. He returned inside. “They’re not out there. Maybe they’re with Hannah.” He strode into the dining room, noticing she’d removed the damaged tables and chairs and pulled the rest to one corner. The hole gaped like a cave, and he got down on his knees to look inside. No boys. “Hannah,” he called again as she wasn’t in the room. Jake continued his search.

He found her outside, stacking the chairs and tables for Mort to burn. “Are the boys with you?”

She jerked around to face him. “Haven’t seen them since they came back from breakfast with your mother. Aren’t they with her?”

“No.” He wanted to brush the soot from her cheek and finger the strand of hair curling around her ear.

She looked toward the back door. “Are they playing a game?”

“I expect so.” He hurried to the lobby, Hannah hard on his heels.

“I’ll check the kitchen,” she said.

“I’ll look outside.”

Mother sat up. “I’ll—”

Jake held up his hand. “Wait here in case they come back. Then don’t let them out of your sight.”

He and Hannah returned in a few minutes. At the shake of her head and the worry in her eyes, he knew she’d had no more success in finding the pair than he.

The three adults turned toward the stairs. Jake took them in three bounds and searched their suite thoroughly. He didn’t find his nephews.

Hannah stepped into the hall as he considered where to look next. “They aren’t in any of the rooms up here,” she said.

“They have to be hiding outside. I have to widen my search.”

Hannah reached the bottom of the steps as quickly as he. “I’ll help you look,” she said. Her hard tone made it plain she wouldn’t take no for an answer.

He chuckled. “Don’t think you’ll stop me from giving them a good bawling out.”

She grinned then jerked her gaze away as together they headed for the door.

They searched and called. An hour later, Jake’s frustration had given way to anger that dissolved into worry. “Where could they be?” He envisioned them sneaking into some little outbuilding and the door shutting on them, trapping them inside. But they’d gone up and down the alleys calling and listening and searched every conceivable hiding place.

“Maybe they’re staying one step ahead of us,” Hannah suggested. “If we split up we might catch them.”

“We’ll outsmart them. You go that way, I’ll go this, and we’ll meet back at the hotel.”

But an hour later, back at the hotel there were no little boys. And Hannah hadn’t returned.

He strode from one corner of the hotel to the other. He went outside again, jumped into the middle of the street, and glanced up and down the length. He started toward the railway tracks, stopped, and retraced his steps. He had no idea where to look for Hannah or the boys. But he couldn’t simply wait.

He headed back down the street. He stopped in every store opening and asked if anyone had seen Hannah or the boys. He even stepped into the lawyer’s office and asked. He knew Hannah wouldn’t play games. But where was she? Why hadn’t she come back? Was she hurt? Or worse? His stomach clenched into a twisted knot. How could the three of them disappear? How could he have let this happen?

❧

Hannah searched every store, checked behind each counter. She knew how mischievous the boys could be. No doubt they thought this was a fine game. But it was no longer fun. She thought of all the things that might have happened to them. Maybe a runaway horse had struck them. But the whole community would have heard about it. Maybe they had fallen somewhere and been hurt. But unless they were both unconscious they could yell loudly enough to bring help from the far corners of this little town. It was almost impossible for them to get lost.

So where were they?

She stood in front of the general store and tried to figure out what they would have done. A dray rumbled to the store and stopped. Another wagon headed west. She’d heard one earlier in the day. A big shipment must have come in on the last train. The driver jumped down and went inside.

Wagons. West. Caves. She remembered how anxious Luke had been to see the caves. Could the boys have—

She raced into the store where the wagon driver purchased a handful of candy. “Mister, can I get a ride with you?” She tried not to think how big the man was.

“Ride to where, ma’am?”

“You’re headed west, aren’t you?” At his nod, she asked, “Are there caves out there?”

“Heard there was. Never seen ’em, though. I’m headed to Fall River. Little settlement.”

“That will do. Do you mind a passenger?”

He studied her hard, openly. But thankfully, he didn’t leer. “You running away?”

“No sir. But I think two little boys might have stolen a ride on the last wagon. I have to find them.”

“Sure thing. You come along with me. We’ll find Frank and ask him if he seen the lads.” He held out a hand as big as a mitt. “I’m Jud.”

She gave her name, let him take her hand, and then quickly pulled away before he could squeeze the life out of it. “I need to write a note to Jake.” The storekeeper slid a piece of paper and pencil toward her. She quickly wrote a note telling her plans. “Can you see that he gets it?” She handed it back to the man behind the counter.

He nodded. “I’ll take care of it.”

❧

The wagon proved rough and slow enough to make Hannah grind her teeth. And Jud was talkative. She soon discovered he pretty much carried the conversation on his own, which left her to her thoughts.

She prayed she wasn’t on a foolish chase. She prayed the boys were safe. She prayed Jake would find her. If he didn’t come, she and the boys—if she found them—would be stranded in Fall River.

“How long will this trip take?” she asked Jud.

“Two hours on a good day.”

Hannah gasped. Two hours of rattling around on this hard wooden seat? Would the boys have stayed on the wagon that long? She couldn’t imagine they would. Had they even hitched a ride on the other wagon? Somehow convinced they had, she strained to see any sign of little boot tracks in the trail. She scanned the surrounding landscape.
Please, God, if they’re out here somewhere, help me find them.

She thought of how frightened they must be by now. If they were here and not back at the hotel, laughing at the joke they’d played on everyone. In which case, she was on a silly chase. But either way, Jake would come and get her. She could count on his sense of responsibility. As soon as the storeowner delivered the note, she knew Jake would set out.

Two hours later, two relentless hours of having every bone in her body jarred continuously, Jud pointed toward a little cluster of buildings. “Fall River. Hopeful little settlement. Everybody hoping to find gold or free land or maybe just freedom. And you be hoping to find two little boys. Sorry we saw no sign of them along the trail.” Jud had soon realized she
kept her eyes open for them and had grown as attentive as she
to any indication the boys had been this way.

Her bones continued to rattle even after the horses stopped moving. Hannah felt certain she’d rattle for days. She wanted to jump down as easily as Jud had but discovered her limbs didn’t share the same idea as her head.

Jud lifted her to the ground. “Frank’s wagon’s over by the saloon. You want me to go ask him?”

“Would you, please?” She didn’t relish trying to get a man out of the saloon so she could talk to him. She followed Jud but waited several feet away while he went in to find Frank. Jud returned with a man as tall and thick as he was.

After introductions, Hannah asked, “Have you seen two little boys who might have been looking for some caves? Is there any chance they hitched a ride on your wagon?”

Frank scratched his head. “You know, it crossed my mind the boxes at the back had been shifted. I put it down to the trail, but now that you mention it, it could have been two boys. Thought I heard a strange noise a time or two.” He roared with laughter. “Don’t that beat all? Tough little tykes to head off on their own.”

“But did you actually see them? Would you know where they might be now?”

Frank shook his head like a big bull. “Can’t say’s I do. You say they was looking for caves?” At Hannah’s nod, he pointed toward the hills. “Guess I’d be looking over there.” He pointed out a trail.

Hannah thanked both men, paused to get a long, cold drink at the pump, and then followed the trail. She shivered as a cool wind tugged at her hair. The sky darkened with a threatening storm.
God, help me find the boys.

She bent to examine a print in the dust. The wind had obliterated much of it, but it seemed to be the right size for one of the boys. She stood, looked around, and saw nothing but trees and black clouds. “Luke, Sammy, are you there? Can you hear me?”

Eight

Jake paced the sidewalk for fifteen minutes. It felt like three hours. With a muffled groan, he strode back into the hotel. “You’re sure they didn’t come back?”

Mother twisted her hankie into a rope. “Jake, don’t you think I’d notice? I’m as worried about them as you. I never should have let those two out of my sight. But I thought, how much trouble could they get into in such a short time?”

Jake snorted. “A whole heap. And now Hannah seems to be missing. It’s like there’s a hole in the middle of the street swallowing them up.” Thinking of a hole, he strode into the dining room and looked over the blackened edges. But no one lay on the dirt below. He returned to the lobby.

“I’m sure Hannah’s fine,” Mother said, her voice thin with worry. “She’s a resourceful young woman used to managing on her own.”

His mother’s words did nothing to make him feel better. He stared out the window, ground around, crossed the dining room, and opened cupboards in the kitchen as if Hannah and the boys hid among the jars and dishes. He strode to Hannah’s bedroom door but hesitated. He had no right to intrude into her privacy. But he had to assure himself the room was empty, so he pushed open the door.

He saw a room as neat and tidy as Hannah. A silver-handled brush and mirror lay on a white cloth on the tall dresser, a Bible on the little stand. A patchwork quilt covered the bed. He could feel the memory of Hannah’s presence in the room, but neither Hannah nor the boys were there.

He checked the backyard again, called their names, and discouraged, returned to the hotel. “Mother, I can’t wait here. If any of them show up, keep them here, even if you have to hog-tie them.”

He plunked his hat on and hurried back out. He stood in the middle of the street and tried to think where to look that he hadn’t already looked two or three times. His gaze touched the church at the far end of the street, and he hurried that direction. He quietly pulled the door open, stepped inside to the quiet, made his way to the front, and knelt at the prayer rail.

“God,” he whispered, “I need help in finding Luke and Sammy and Hannah. You see them. Show me where they are. Protect them.” He leaned his head against his forearms and let his heart open before God. How would he forgive himself if something happened to the little boys who were his responsibility?

And if he couldn’t find Hannah? He’d known her such a short time, and yet he couldn’t imagine life without her. He tried to think what that meant. Why was Hannah so important to him? It wasn’t as if she wanted him to care. But his heart was too troubled to be able to sort out his feelings. He knew only that it was his responsibility to find the three of them and make sure nothing bad happened to them. Again he prayed for God’s help.

He heard the door open and scrambled to his feet. But it was only a young boy waving a slip of paper. “Mr. Sperling, my father saw you go into the church and sent me to give you this.”

Jake reached the boy in six long strides and snatched the paper and read:

Jake
,

I think I know where the boys are. Remember how Luke wanted to see the caves. There are two wagons headed west today. I think they got on the first and I am getting on the second. I’ll find them if they’re out there, and we’ll wait for you to come for us.

Hannah

Jake scrunched the paper and jammed it in his pocket. At the door he remembered his manners and called, “Thanks.”

He ran all the way to the hotel to tell his mother where he was headed and then ran all the way to the corrals to saddle his horse and race through town. He’d gone half a mile when he realized he’d have to settle into a pace meant to last awhile.

Riding gave him time to think about what he’d do when he found Hannah. Once he made sure she was in one piece, he’d scold her for doing something so foolish. Then he’d kiss her and make her promise to give up the hotel and come out to the ranch where he could keep an eye on her and make sure she was safe.

A cold wind bit through his jacket. The sky twisted and churned like a mad bull. It seemed to take forever to get to Fall River. He jumped off his horse and hurried into the low-roofed store. “I’m looking for a woman and two little boys,” he called. He didn’t realize how loud his voice was until the other two people in the store stared at him, expressions startled. He lowered his voice. “They came in on the supply wagons.”

A reed of a man nodded. “Woman came in. Asked about two boys. Seen her headed thatta way.” He pointed to a trail.

“How long ago?” Jake demanded.

The man cocked his head as if looking for the answer
someplace just above Jake’s right ear. “Can’t rightly say. Been busy unloading the wagon. But if I had to guess, I’d say an hour. Maybe two. You ask me, it’s not a good day for a woman and young ’uns to be adventuring alone. Storm’s a-brewin’.”

Jake spun around and headed the direction the man pointed, aware the sky had grown even more ominous in the few minutes he’d been inside.

“Hannah, Sammy, Luke,” he roared. The wind tore the words from his mouth.

❧

Hannah shivered against the cold and called the boys again. She didn’t look at the sky. She already knew what she didn’t want to acknowledge—they were in for a drenching. She pushed into the wind as she staggered up a hill. Her constant prayer had been reduced to a few words repeated over and over.
Help me find them. Help me find them.

The wind increased. It moaned through the trees and screamed down the hills. The scream had a familiar sound. She stopped and stood motionless, listening hard. Could it be the boys?

She yelled at the top of her voice but knew they’d never hear her if they were yelling, too. She ducked her head into the wind, trying to determine what direction the screams came from. She shifted toward the right, shook her head, shifted left, and then continued another step and another. Were the voices getting clearer or did she only hope for it?

She shivered and took another step toward the sound.
Please, God guide me to them.
The wind shifted, paused, and then renewed itself. But not before Hannah heard the screams. She knew for certain it was the boys and pinpointed the direction. She climbed a knoll and saw them a hundred feet away huddled in a hollow. She lifted her skirts and ran toward them.

Luke saw her first. “Hannah.”

Sammy burst into tears.

Hannah reached them, fell on her knees, and pulled them both into her arms. “Thank God you’re safe.” They clung so tightly she could hardly breathe, but she wasn’t about to complain.

Luke pulled away first. “It’s my fault,” he whispered. “I knew we shouldn’t go away, but we wanted to see the caves before we went home.”

Hannah backed into the almost-cave until she pressed against the cool earthen wall and pulled the boys to her lap. They were out of the wind and safe.

Sammy snuggled close. “We found this cave. Then we got scared ’cause we didn’t know how we’d get home. And then we got cold.”

Luke held his little brother’s hand. “I prayed just like Mommy said I should. I asked God to forgive me and send Uncle Jake to get us. ’Stead He sent you. I’m glad. Uncle Jake would be mad.”

Hannah chuckled. “Uncle Jake is coming to get us.”

Luke sat up. His bottom lip trembled. “He’ll be mad at us.”

“He’s worried about you. So is Grandma. I was, too. We couldn’t imagine what happened to you. You must promise never to do such a thing again.”

“We won’t,” they chorused.

No doubt they’d learned their lesson. She couldn’t imagine how frightened they were when they realized the significance of their little adventure. She held them close, enjoying the warmth of their little bodies.

In an effort to ease their worry about Uncle Jake’s reaction, she told them stories of her own childhood. Living in town provided a stark contrast to their lives. She told about games she played with the neighborhood children—Auntie I Over, Kick the Can, and Cops and Robbers. “I loved running down the alleys, trying to keep out of sight of the others.” Her father had built her a tall swing in the backyard and given her use of a little shed where she played house with her friends.

“I’m going to ask Daddy to build me a swing,” Luke said.

Hannah watched the clouds grow darker and saw the first drops of rain. Where was Jake?

She felt neither fear nor worry. Jake would come. He would never let a person down. His conscience would not allow it. She just had to sit tight, out of the rain and wind, sheltered, and although not comfortably warm, at least not more than slightly cold.

Sammy’s eyes drooped, and Luke seemed content to cuddle against her. She shifted to a more comfortable position. Jake might have taken shelter until the storm blew over.

She leaned her head back. It was nice to know she could count on Jake. In the few days she’d known him she’d been impressed with his strength of character and his sense of responsibility. She’d allowed herself to think it once before—she could love this man. She smiled widely. Who was she fooling? Not herself for sure. She’d fallen top over teakettle, flat out in love with him. She would even consider giving up the hotel if he asked her to marry him. The thought stunned her.

“Hannah?” Her name came to her on the wind. She heard it again and realized it wasn’t just her gentle thoughts but a voice from outside in the rain.

She edged Sammy to the rocky ground, left Luke at his side, and scrambled to the opening. “Jake. We’re here.”

He rode into sight, waved, and galloped toward them. He reined in and jumped to the ground. “Hannah,” he pulled her into his arms, pressing her cheek against his wet jacket. “Thank God you’re safe. All of you.” He released her and stepped back. “And here I am getting you all wet.”

“I don’t mind.” She would ride through the storm if it meant being with him.

He ducked into the “cave.” “Boys,” he yelled, “what do you think you’re doing running off like that?”

“Jake, they’ve learned their lesson.”

“I’m sorry, Uncle Jake,” Luke said at the same time.

And Sammy, startled awake, began to bawl at the top of his voice.

Jake took a step backward and scrubbed his hand over his wet face. “I kind of turned the peace upside down.”

“Yes, you did.”

“Aww. Luke, Sammy, I was so worried about you.” He shrugged out of his wet jacket and held out his arms to the boys. They threw themselves into his embrace and hung on. Not releasing them, he scooted around and settled down. “We might as well sit this storm out. Room for you here.” He tipped his head to one side. “We’ll keep warm and dry together.”

Hannah settled in beside him and took Sammy on her lap.

Jake spoke softly. “I was worried when I couldn’t find you.”

Hannah knew he meant her, and she smiled all the way to the bottom of her heart. “The wagon wouldn’t wait. I felt I had to take advantage of the ride.”

“Of course it never crossed your mind to come to me and ask for help.”

She blinked. “I sent you a message. I knew you’d come.” Her voice grew round with love for this man. He’d admitted his concern. But did it go any further?

“I would have preferred for you to come and inform me and let me be the one to go into the wilds to find them.” He kept his voice soft because of the sleeping boys, but there was no disguising the iron behind his words.

“I did what I thought best. Surely you understand.” She silently pleaded with him to see that she did what she had to. “I had to make a decision, and I did.”

Luke’s head tipped forward, and he snored softly. Jake shifted the child so his head rested on Jake’s arm.

“You’re far too independent.”

She didn’t know how to respond. Did he mean it as a compliment or a criticism? She hoped the former, but it was hard to tell as he kept his voice soft for the sake of the boys.

He shifted. “The rain is letting up. As soon as it quits, we’ll walk back to Fall River. I’ll see if I can borrow a wagon or buggy to get us back to Quinten. After I turn this pair over to my mother, you and I will have a talk.”

That sounded just fine to her. There were so many things she wanted to tell him. Not that she planned to blurt out the truth about falling in love with him. But she was certainly open to any suggestion on his part. She sighed. Courtship and marriage sounded mighty appealing.

The rain stopped and the sun came out. Moisture sparkled on every surface. They wakened the boys. Jake put them on the horse, and he and Hannah led the way back to Fall River.

Hannah waited with the boys in the little store, gratefully accepting the offer of tea and sandwiches as Jake went to find a conveyance back. She hoped it wouldn’t be one of the freight wagons. But in the end, that’s exactly what they rode as Jud gave them a ride back to town. Jake sat on the hard seat beside Jud and listened to the man’s stories while Hannah sat in the back with the boys.

❧

Dark filled the sky long before they returned to the hotel. Hannah watched Mrs. Sperling break into tears as she saw them all safe. “I’ve been beside myself with worry,” she said.

Jake led his mother inside and settled her on the sofa. The little boys trailed in and climbed up on either side of her, and she held them close, tears filling her eyes. “Thank you.” She included Hannah in her look.

“I’m going to find something for us to eat.” Jake hurried out the door.

Hannah sat and listened to the boys retelling their adventure. Luke again promised he would never be so naughty in the future.

Mrs. Sperling hugged the boys. “What you did was wrong, but I’m just glad you’re both safe. And you, too, Hannah.”

Jake returned bearing plates of food. A young man who worked in one of the restaurants carried more plates, and they settled in for a good feast.

Hannah didn’t expect to be able to eat. Her insides felt jittery as she waited for the chance to talk to Jake alone. Yet her appetite took over. Even the little boys, so tired they could barely keep their faces out of their plates, ate with gusto.

Sammy finally caved in, and Jake pulled his plate away before the child’s face hit the table. “I’ll help you get them into bed,” he told his mother. He scooped Sammy up and carried him up the stairs while Mrs. Sperling followed, half dragging Luke.