As if reading his mind, Katie’s expression turned quite serious. “You know, Daniel never told me you were a pastor. At least not until we were on our way down here. In truth, I don’t think he knew you were here until your ma told him.”
“I can well imagine. Daniel is five years older than me. When you’re anxious to make the most out of life, you don’t worry too much about leaving a little brother at home before you up and move off to college. I’ve never told Daniel this, but I was devastated when he left. He was pretty young, but he knew he wanted to go to college. I guess he never thought about what he left behind.”
“Oh yes, I did,” Daniel said as he came through the door. “I thought about it a great deal. Sometimes I thought about it so much, I nearly left college and came home.”
“You never told me that,” David said somberly.
“I know,” Daniel replied as he came to embrace Katie. He held her against him for several minutes. “I never wanted to make you feel worse than you already did. Ma told me how hard you’d taken my leaving, and believe me, it wasn’t easy to go.”
David smiled. “But you’re here now, and we won’t be all far from each other, especially after my nephew gets here.”
Daniel laughed heartily. “So you’ve convinced him that it’s a boy,” he said as he squeezed Katie’s shoulder.
Katie looked up at her husband with wide-eyed innocence, “Who me?”
David grinned at the loving banter. “If you don’t mind, we’ve got a long, dirty ride ahead of us. Pity we can’t wait until they repair that stretch of track. I’d much prefer a three-hour train ride to six or seven hours of jostling cross-country.
“Me, too, but you heard the railroad man. There’s just no way of knowing how soon they’ll be done. I’d like to be settled for Katie’s sake,” Daniel said and turned to his wife. “Are you ready, Katie?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” she replied with a smile.
“I think I’d better go check that tarp and make sure the doc here got it tied down properly.” David interjected. Truth was, he missed Jenny more than he’d like to admit, and watching Daniel and Katie was a painful reminder of her absence.
The trip was grueling, and because of the rough terrain and deeply rutted trail, David and Daniel were forced to stop many times in order to give Katie much-needed rest from the jostling wagon. More than once, Katie chose to walk rather than suffer the bouncing on the wagon seat.
Nearly eight hours after they’d left Santa Fe, the small adobe house came into view.
The mountains rose to the north, and in the death that came with autumn, they added highlights of green pine and flaming vegetation to the desert brown and orange.
The air itself had an arid chill, although the early October sun did its best to warm the earth. As they drew closer, Katie could make out several flowering cactus plants that had been transplanted to grow along a cobblestone walk to the front door.
“Oh, it’s lovely,” Katie said as she turned to her husband. “I shall truly love living in this land.”
David tied his horse to a small hitching post at the end of the walkway and went to help Katie down from the wagon. “Just wait until you see the inside, little sister. You’re going to love it!”
“I already do!”
David opened the door and noticed Katie’s wearied expression. “You must be exhausted. Come on over here and sit,” he said as Daniel came up from behind.
“I knew this was going to be too much for you. Forget sitting. I want you in bed immediately,” he said and easily lifted Katie into his arms. “It’s a good thing David and I came out here ahead of time and got this place ready.”
David opened the door to the bedroom and stepped back. “I’ll fix some supper,” he offered as Daniel deposited Katie into bed.
“That’d be great,” Daniel called over his shoulder. “If it isn’t too much trouble, how about bringing Katie a cup of hot tea while I start unpacking the wagon?”
“You don’t need to wait on me,” Katie argued. “I’ll be fine in a few minutes.”
“It’ll be more than a few minutes before you’ll feel fine,” Daniel laughed. “Now stay put and relax.”
“That’s right, Katie,” David agreed, “I’d be happy to make tea for you.”
It wasn’t long before David made good on his offer and brought a steaming cup of tea to Katie’s bedside. He helped prop her up, then handed her the cup.
“What made you become a minister?” Katie asked.
David was so surprised that he absentmindedly sat down on the edge of the bed. “Well,” he began, “I couldn’t imagine being anything else. God’s calling to me was so strong that when I tried to ignore it, He kept finding ways to get through to me.”
“So you didn’t want to work in the church?”
“It wasn’t that,” David answered softly. “It was more a concern that folks would think me pretentious. I mean, I was always rather serious. Daniel had the reputation of being the fun-loving brother. Me, I was always off spending time alone, thinking about my life and what I wanted to accomplish with the time I’d have here on earth.”
“And what did you decide?” Katie questioned as she took a sip of the tea.
“I felt I had to show people there was more to life than working and existing day to day. I wanted them to know the emptiness in their lives wasn’t from a lack of things, but from a lack of God in their hearts. I wanted so much for them to know about Jesus and His sacrifice for us.”
“You talk about God like you would about Daniel or me,” Katie said, rather surprised. “I can’t imagine feeling that way. I believe in God, but not like you do. God is important and powerful, and if you don’t do what He wants, He punishes you, then you die.”
David felt the need to share his heart, and in spite of his concern that he might alienate his sister-in-law, he plunged ahead.
“God is important and powerful,” he began, “and if you die without repenting of your sins and accepting His Son, Jesus, as your Savior, you will be punished. But there is so much He offers us. So many good and enjoyable things, not the least of which is eternal life.”
“I’ve heard people talk about living forever in heaven,” Katie admitted.
“It’s more than that, Katie,” David tried to explain. “Eternity with God starts with your acceptance of Jesus as your Savior. You don’t have to wait until you’re dead to enjoy the benefits and peace that come from being a child of God.”
“I’m not sure I understand,” Katie said softly.
“Nor me,” Daniel’s voice called from the door. “I guess I’ve wanted to ask you some questions since we first arrived, but the time never seemed right.”
David felt ill at ease. It seemed strange to be leading his older brother to an understanding of God. The thought of being his brother’s keeper came to mind.
“Life can deal you some painful moments,” David explained. “You won’t escape those even as a Christian, but you can escape the worry and concern when those moments are upon you. It’s a matter of faith. Faith in God to trust Him for the answers even when things are so muddled there seem to be no answers.”
“Faith?” Katie questioned. “Faith in something you can’t see or put your hand on? That’s a lot to ask.”
“It wouldn’t be faith if it didn’t require some sacrifice on your part,” David said thoughtfully. “You sacrifice your control and worry. God’s part is to do everything else.”
“Seems unnaturally simple,” Daniel replied.
“Not at all,” David said with sudden revelation. “When somebody comes into your office with a broken arm, you know what needs to be done and you do it. You wouldn’t allow the patient to dictate how you should fix the arm, would you?”
Daniel grinned and Katie laughed. “There’s no way Daniel
would allow anyone—especially his patients—to tell him how to care for his patients,” Katie added before Daniel could answer.
“Why is that?” David questioned.
“Because I’m the doctor,” Daniel stated firmly.
“But what about the fact they know better about their own pain?”
“That’s sometimes the problem. Because of the intensity of their pain, they often don’t realize what’s necessary to get them past it,” Daniel said, and it suddenly became clear where David was leading the conversation.
“And because of our pain, we don’t always know where God is leading us. We can’t know everything, but we don’t have to. When we belong to God, He takes care of that just like you take care of doctoring your patients.”
“But how can we be sure He’ll listen?” Katie questioned.
“Jesus said, ‘Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you,’ ” David said, quoting Matthew 7:7.
“God wants to give His children good things, but He wants most of all to give them eternal life. In that same chapter of the Bible, Jesus said, ‘Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask Him?’ ”
“The key is to ask. God is only too happy to accept you into His family.”
“I think I’m beginning to understand,” Katie said as she nodded her head. “We can’t expect God to help us if we don’t let Him.”
“Just like being a doctor,” Daniel admitted, “If people don’t come through my office door, I can’t offer them my help.”
“Exactly,” David said with great relief. He’d thought it would be much more difficult to explain, but as Pastor Ed had often reminded him, he never worked alone. God was with him.
“So how do you get saved?” Katie asked. “Do you have to do something special for God?”
“God’s gift of eternal life is free,” David replied. “We could never do anything good enough or great enough to equal the gift God offers. There’s only one way we can have eternal salvation and that is to ask for it.”
“That’s all?” Daniel questioned in disbelief.
“Basically,” David answered. “You must repent of your sins and seek to change your old lifestyle and ways. You must be willing to give yourself over to God and accept His help to start a new life.”
“And if you do this,” Katie started, “if you really try to change and you honestly want to lead a new life, what happens if you stray or make a mistake?”
“Then you ask God to forgive you and you try again. God’s grace knows no limits. Of course, you don’t go out of your way to sin just so God can offer you grace and forgiveness.”
“I’m not sure I can buy that,” Daniel said thoughtfully. “I mean, how can God keep forgiving me? Won’t He ever throw up His hands and give up on me?”
David chuckled despite the seriousness of the question. “You and Katie are going to have your own child soon. Say you tell your son or daughter they must stay away from rattlesnakes because they are deadly poisonous. And say you have an obstinate child who thinks he knows best and doesn’t listen. If your child gets snake bit, will you take care of his wounds?”
“Of course,” Daniel answered.
“What if he gets bit more than once?”
“I’d care for him as many times as it took. Of course, I’d sure be explaining the need for obeying the rules in the meantime.”
David couldn’t suppress a laugh. “We’re no different, Daniel. God explains the need for obeying the rules by giving us His Holy Bible. But He also cares for us as many times as it takes and forgives us no matter how many times we mess up. His love is unconditional and unlimited.”
“I want that,” Katie said with a glow warming her face. “I want to have an eternity with a God like that.”
Daniel turned to face his wife. “Me, too,” he said with a sheepish grin.
David felt tears form in his eyes and felt no shame as they fell upon his cheeks. It was a moment so holy he could nearly hear the angels singing in heaven.
Taking hold of his brother’s and sister-in-law’s hands, David led them in a prayer of repentance. When they’d finished, all bore tears upon their faces and an afterglow of peace.
u
The next morning, Katie’s strength had returned. She puttered around the house putting things in their place, not knowing how long this would be her home.
“You certainly have a way with things,” David said as he came upon her in the kitchen.
“I love to have my things around me,” Katie admitted. “The long preparation for coming here and for finding a place to stay has left me separated from my memory pieces far too long.”
David fell silent as he wondered to himself how Jenny might set up a home.
“You miss her a lot, don’t you?” Katie observed as she joined David at the table.
“What?”
“Jenny,” Katie said softly. “You really miss her.”
“Yes,” David confessed. “I guess I didn’t know it showed so much.”
“Well, it does. Daniel and I have even discussed it.”
“It’s just her life is so bad, and she’s so young. I wish I had an easy answer for the situation, but I don’t,” David said rather dejectedly.
“How does Jenny feel about you?” Katie asked as she eased her body onto a chair.
“I’m not really sure,” David answered. “I think she enjoys my company, but I don’t know if she feels more than friendship for me.”
“Do you want her to?”
“More than I can say,” David answered quickly. “I never realized until now, how much I want her to care. I love her, Katie. I love her, and I don’t know what to do about it.”
“Why don’t you tell her?” Katie questioned.
“Do you really think I should? She’s only sixteen, and she’s not had a chance to meet many men or to court. I wouldn’t want to rush her into something she might later regret.”
“If you want my opinion, some folks are plenty ready at sixteen. Look at me. When I met your brother, I hadn’t courted any other men, but I knew he was the right one for me.
“You certainly made a good choice,” David admitted.
“Why don’t you pray about it?” Katie asked with a grin. “That is what you’d tell one of us to do, isn’t it?”
David laughed. “You’re right, of course. I need to commit this to God. After all, if Jenny does feel the same way and marriage becomes a possibility for our future, I would want God’s guiding hand upon us.”
“I knew you’d figure it all out. And,” Katie added, “if my opinion counts for anything, I think Jenny has already lost her heart to you. In fact, I think when you get back to Santa Fe, she’ll probably bring up the subject before you get a chance to.”
David had never felt such hopefulness. “I pray you’re right, Katie. I pray you’re right.”
Chapter 7
Jenny was quick to realize things had changed between Natty and herself. Natty had begun to watch her with discomfort and mistrust. More than once, Natty had questioned her about young Pastor Monroe. Jenny was furious with Natty for her constant haranguing and endless tirades, but there was nothing she could do to stop them. She resented being plagued about her feelings for David, which grew stronger and deeper every day.
Jenny struggled to make it through the days and weeks that passed. From the first morning’s light, she put her mind and body to work. She heated outdoor caldrons of water and watched in thoughtful silence as the steam hit the cold morning air. It had been over a month since she’d seen David.
Jenny was startled back into reality by heavy knocking on the kitchen door. Wiping soapsuds from her hands, she made her way from the courtyard and through the house.
Opening the door, she was surprised to find David. Any thoughts of what to say were wiped from her mind when she noticed the grave expression on his face.
“It’s Katie,” David said in a breathless voice. “Daniel sent word by train. She’s having the baby and not doing well.”
Jenny’s forehead furrowed in worry. “What can we do?”
“I don’t know too may people yet, and Pastor Ed is out making calls in the country. He’s not due back until Saturday. I thought maybe you’d be able to go on the train with me to Daniel and Katie’s.”
“Me?” Jenny questioned.
“Yes,” David said frantically, “Katie knows you, and it might comfort her to have your company. I know it would be a comfort to me, and I hoped you might agree to come along.”
“Of course,” Jenny said as she tried to keep from shouting for joy. In such a grave situation, she didn’t want to appear unfeeling. “I’ll just get a few things.”
“Daniel will have all the birthing things,” David said as he wondered what Jenny could possibly think necessary to take.
“I know that,” Jenny replied softly. “I thought we might need something to eat on the way. How far is it?”
“It’ll be at least three hours by train,” David said in a worried tone that caused Jenny to pick up her pace. “We’ll take the spur from town and join the main line of the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe about eighteen miles to the south. From there, it’s another two hours north.”
Jenny nodded as she pulled her heavy woolen shawl over her head and shoulders. “I’m ready,” she said, handing David the bag she’d packed.
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