Whispers of Moonlight (36 page)

Rebecca unfolded it and painful, harsh memories assailed her. It was her letter
to Aunt Hannah, the one accusing the older woman of everything. Rebecca read it
over twice, one sentence in particular leaping out at her:
I was forced to marry my father's foreman and all because you're a selfish, sick old woman.

Rebecca had not remembered until that moment how upset she had been. Her father was dead; she'd only had him for such a short time; and she had no idea how to reach out to her new husband or help him reach out to her. Her frame shook with the magnitude of her emotions. For so long she had pushed such thoughts aside, but now they were moving in with an intensity that rocked her.

Without bothering to remove her dress, Rebecca picked up the lantern and turned to the boys' room. She felt dirty and hungry, but her weariness and disappointment were greater. The boys were sleeping as usual, nearly lying on top of each other, so there was plenty of room to climb in beside them. Rebecca knew she wouldn't sleep. She was back in Boulder in her father's house, but her husband slept down the hall. Maybe this was why it felt good to be so near her sons. Not restful, but comforting. She put her glasses on the nightstand, blew the lantern out, and lay looking into the darkness, sleep feeling miles away. It was certain to be a long night.

Travis had removed his boots, so moving quietly back down the hall was not a problem. He wanted to check on Rebecca but knew that such an action would not be welcome. He could not think of a reason, however, that she might object to his checking on the boys. His lantern was turned low, and he moved with quiet precision into the room. He stopped in his tracks when he recognized Rebecca's form under the quilt. There was no movement, so Travis softly approached. She was sleeping as soundly as the boys. Travis had come with the intention of checking his sons, but minutes passed before he looked at them.

It didn't even look as if Rebecca had removed her dress. Her hair was still up, and she'd put only her glasses on the bedside table. Travis looked down at her, and his heart clenched in agony. How did a man fall in love with a woman whom he hadn't been near in over five-and-a-half years? Travis knew that it had to be Christ and the way He had worked in his heart. There was no other explanation. All he knew was that when Rebecca came out from her laundry area, her eyes locking with his, he'd never been so in love. He hadn't loved her when they first met or married. There had been desire and deep caring, but not love.

She doesn't know, Lord,
Travis prayed in his heart.
She doesn't know that I would give her anything: my time, my attention, the run of the house and ranch. Anything she wants. I know she doesn't know You, but that doesn't change the way I feel. She's my wife. It doesn't make sense that I would feel this way
—
we only lived together for a week
—
but I do.

Travis' eyes went to the boys now, and he prayed for them. One of Garrett's little feet had pushed out from under the covers. Travis wanted to push it back in for warmth, but he feared disturbing the threesome. However, the sight of that little foot proved to be too much for him. He turned from the room and moved as swiftly as he dared back to his own. By the time he sat down on the edge of the bed, tears were coming down his face.

I
have children, Lord,
his heart cried.
I have two boys. I can hardly take it in, Father. Sons. I
have sons.
Travis gave up at that point. The last week crowded in upon him, and all he could do was cry. He mourned not having been there when they were born, but he also praised God that his family had been restored to him.

I
don't take this for granted,
he finally managed to pray before he fell
asleep.
I don't think Rebecca will be sealed here at all, but Lord, please don't take them away from me again. Please work in
her heart. Robert prayed that my wife would be restored to me, but I can tell she's here only in body. Please don't let them leave me again.

By the time Travis managed these final thoughts he was too spent to think anymore. He slipped beneath the covers of his bed and slept instantly.

30

Travis began the next morning with more prayer, but this time he started by
confessing.
I
panicked last night, Father, and told You what to do, but I can see now that I need to trust You. You've brought Rebecca and the boys back into my life for a reason, and no matter how brief the
time, I am thankful

Travis also took a long time to read in his Bible. It was the first time he'd had a chance in many days, and his eye continually caught references to fathers and children: God the Father and His children, and children and obedience. Finally he turned to Job. He thought about what it would be like to lose ten children in an instant. Travis had only two, and he'd only known about them for a week, but the thought of losing them was not an easy one. Already he was very emotionally involved where those little boys were concerned.

If I'm not careful. Lord, my mind will run wild, and I'll be fearful over things that may never happen. If You lake my boys for any reason, I know You'll give me the strength to carry on. You've proved Yourself to me over and over. Help me not to doubt now.

With a sudden, terrible intensity, Travis wanted to see Robert. It was early yet and he hadn't heard anyone else rise, but maybe this was the best time. Dressing swiftly and quietly, he went out through the kitchen.
Lavena was just beginning to stir, and he told her he'd be back soon. It had snowed some in the night, but Diamond, after trailing a wagon all the way home from Pine Grove, was ready for a run. It wasn't long before he was tying the beautiful buckskin in front of Robert and Eddie's. He knocked softly on the door, knowing Robert would be readying for work but not wishing to disturb Eddie if she did not rise with him. It took a moment before the door opened.

"Travis!" Robert cried with delighted pleasure.

"Am I too early?"

"Get in here," Robert said with mock severity and put an arm around his friend once he was inside.

"You're back!"

"Yes, just last night."

"Come in," he urged him forward. "I have coffee on."

The men moved toward the back of the house and into the kitchen, and it wasn't long before they were sitting across the small table from each other, steaming cups of coffee in their hands.

"How are you?" Robert asked sincerely.

"I'm all right."

"Did you find Rebecca?"

"Yes, she's at the house."

"She came back with you?" Robert was surprised and pleased at the same time.

Travis nodded. "I didn't think it was going to work out. I had to convince her to come, but she's here."

"Do you think she'll stay?" Robert asked with his usual insight.

"I don't know, but Robert, there's more." Travis hesitated, and his friend watched him. Travis struggled with the words.

"I have sons," he whispered. "I have twin boys."

"Travis," Robert just breathed the word. "I had no idea."

"That makes two of us," Travis told him, and they both laughed a little.

They were silent for a moment, both busy with their thoughts.

"What are their names?"

"Wyatt and Garrett. They're five."

Robert shook his head, a smile now stretching his mouth. "What do they look like?"

"Wyatt is fair like Rebecca, and Garrett favors me. I think they might be a handful, but they did well on the trip."

"But you're not certain Rebecca will stay?"

Pain crossed Travis' features. "I decided we needed to be together, especially after I saw the boys. Rebecca wrote to me only because she got sick and almost died. When she recovered, she found out that no one would take the boys if anything happened to her. I made a decision to stay and live with her in Pine Grove if she wouldn't come back with me, and when I told her that, she agreed to come. I don't know what the next days and weeks will bring."

"How Does she seem?"

Travis could only shrug. "I don't know her anymore. She's lived in a different world than I have. I think she worked all the time. I wasn't in a position to ask too many questions, but her closest female friend lives with the man she's seeing." Travis' voice sounded regretful. "Rebecca didn't seem to have any problem with it." He paused before going on.

"When I think of the way we were married; I mean, she did everything her father told her to do without question. I was never in the habit of ordering her around, but when I made a few demands in Pine Grove, I found out in a hurry that she's changed."

"But so have you, Travis," Robert reminded him. "I think if she stays around at all, that will become very clear to her."

Travis could only nod. It was amazing. They had ridden all the way from Pine Grove in the same wagon, but conversation had not been warm and open. Rebecca didn't know him at all. Indeed, if his actions in Pine Grove were all she had to go by, she probably found him as commanding as her father had been.

Travis had a sudden thought. What was it like for her to come back to the house her father died in? It had taken ages to piece all the parts together, but Travis now realized that Rebecca had barely begun to know her father when he came into her life, and then Andrew had died so soon after the wedding.

"I'd better get back," Travis said suddenly, and Robert, already feeling like he'd lost him, didn't argue.

"I'll walk you to the door."

Eddie was just coming down the stairs and gave Travis a quick hug as he left. The men agreed to meet later.

"His wife actually came back with him?" Eddie questioned her husband when he explained. "That's wonderful! We'll have them to dinner right away."

Robert slipped his arms around Eddie and laid his check on the top of her head.

"I think that's a good idea, but let's put it off a few weeks. I would guess that they need some time to settle in."

Robert went on to tell Eddie about the twins, and he watched as she put a hand to her own expanding waistline.

"Don't even think about it, Eddie," he told her sternly, but couldn't keep the laughter from his eyes. Eddie only smiled up at him and got herself kissed again.

Rebecca stood on the threshold of her father's room, her heart beating almost painfully in her chest. It didn't look exactly the same, but the changes were minor. The quilt was different, and there was a pair of boots in the corner that would have been too large for her father. The sight of them made her wonder what they'd done with Andrew Wagner's things. It was no longer her place, but Rebecca walked to the closet. Inside were Travis' belongings. He wasn't a clotheshorse or anything quite so dramatic, but it still rankled her a little that he was so completely ensconced in the room.