The Shepherd's Heart Series: A Boxed Set Book Bundle Collection Volumes 1-4

by Lynnette Bonner

  She added two pairs of woolen stockings to the growing pile in her basket.

  Julia Nickerson and Rocky! Really!

  8

  Rocky clomped down the boardwalk. A misty drizzle had settled over the valley and all of Shilo had headed indoors, it appeared. Good. That meant it would be quiet at the jail today. He adjusted his hat as he pondered Hannah’s advice. Fine. So he had to court Victoria to convince her that he really did care. He could do that. Couldn’t he?

  Just ahead of him Julia Nickerson emerged from the mercantile.

  Great. He spun on his heel and started for the alley between the store and the bank. The last thing he wanted was to talk to Julia, right now.

  “Rocky!” she yoo-hooed, her boots clicking rapidly on the boardwalk as she ran to catch up to him.

  Groaning inwardly, he eyed the path of his intended escape with longing. He refused to turn around, and scowled at her when she scuttled up next to him. He settled one hand on the butt of his pistol, hoping she would get the picture.

  She batted her eyelashes. “Why isn’t it just a coincidence, us running into each other, like this?”

  “Julia.” He tipped his hat. The least he could do was greet the oblivious woman politely. “Are you home for awhile then? I thought you would be off to New York for another run of the orphan trains.”

  “Oh, I’m home for good. One trip was more than enough. I think I’ve done my good deeds for the next ten years all in that one trip.” She giggled and sidled much too close for propriety, even if he weren’t now a married man.

  He tried to step back, but she slithered one arm around his and coiled it as tightly as any snake ever could.

  “Why you are looking positively glum. You poor dear. We both know Victoria isn’t the woman for you.” She pressed herself even closer and stood on her tip-toes tapping the end of his nose with her fan. “Why don’t you just put an end to this pretense of a marriage? You know it isn’t making you happy.”

  Rocky dared not look down. Her face was so close to his that if he did…. Well… A shudder coursed through him. He didn’t even want to think of what she might do. “Julia,” again he tried to step away, but she was stuck to his arm like glue, “I’m quite happy, really.” He lifted his chin and leaned away from her.

  “Oh, posh! It’s plain as day that you aren’t happy right now.” She squeezed his arm and flipped open the frippery of bamboo and lace, flashing it back and forth before her face so rapidly that a feather came loose from her hat and floated toward the ground.

  Rocky begrudged it its freedom.

  “You should just put her aside quietly. You know no one would blame you. Annulments happen all the time. Everyone will understand that you only married her to save those dear children.”

  Rocky suppressed the growl building in his chest. “Julia you are right, I’m not happy right now. But—”

  A gasp directly behind him sent dread spiraling down his torso like an unplugged drain ebbing the life from him. He turned slowly, Julia still clinging to his arm.

  The children stood on the boardwalk, Victoria just behind them, her face pale as fresh-laid snow. She was so white he thought sure she was going to faint then and there. And the pain in her expression stole the breath right out of his lungs. She glanced back and forth from him to Julia still wrapped around his arm. Slowly she drew her shoulders back. Her jaw jutted off to one side and her brows lowered. Then her cheeks flamed hot red and fire lit her beautiful blue eyes.

  “Children come on, we’ve got to get to the school so you can meet your teacher.” She would have bowled him over and tromped across his chest with her tiny booted heels, but Julia pulled him out of the way. Victoria pushed by followed by the children. The girls glanced up as they passed. Bewildered frowns on their faces, they looked from him to Julia and back.

  Oblivious to the whole affair, Jimmy tromped by at the tail end of the line. He didn’t even spare Rocky a glance. “Aw, Miss Victoria, do we hafta go to school?”

  “Yes! And I don’t want to hear another word about it!”

  Rocky closed his eyes, his shoulders slumping. Great.

  Julia sniffed. “There, you see? She doesn’t even care enough about you to stay and fight for you. Any girl who loved a man would have stayed to fight for him, Rocky. I would have.”

  “Miss Nickerson.” Rocky jerked away from her so forcefully that she gasped and stumbled a couple steps to catch herself. Anger surged and he trembled all over. “I’ll thank you to keep your meddling nose out of our affairs. I’m married to Victoria and I plan to stay married to her. As I recall, you were the one that insisted we could only have the children if we were married. But I asked her because I wanted to. Not because you forced me to. I’d planned to do it at some point anyhow. It was just a matter of time.” He took two steps before spinning on his heel and leveling her with a glare. “And I certainly wouldn’t want to have the likes of you fighting for me!”

  Julia’s jaw dropped and she set her fan into rapid motion, her wrist flipping back and forth so fast there was nothing but a blur before her red face.

  Presenting her his back once more he stormed down the boardwalk towards the sheriff’s office. He needed to talk to Pa about taking a few days off.

  He sure hadn’t kicked off his new plan to prove his love with too grand a start.

  The stage pulled to a stop with a shouted, “Whoa!” from the driver and the jangle of trace chains. A thin mist grayed the day and chilled Simon Saunders to his bones. He lumbered down the step and hurried over to the awning in front of the bakery. Stuffing his hands into his armpits, he scanned the street of Shilo, shoulders hunched.

  Bank. Good. A bank always came in useful for something.

  Mercantile. He’d need a warmer coat. His other one was too scruffy for the charade he would pull this time.

  School house. He sniffed. School was a waste of everybody’s time.

  Sheriff’s office. He swallowed.

  “Hurry up with my bag, would you?” Blasted stage driver was moving slower than spring thaw after a long winter.

  “You shore are all fired ill tempered for a man of the cloth.” The stage driver spat a stream of tobacco down onto the street and glared at him.

  Simon grimaced. Maybe he wouldn’t be able to pull off the role of parson. Then he shook himself. He could do this. He smiled thinly. How many cons had he pulled in his time? This one would prove easy enough.

  “Sorry friend.” He held his hands up, palms out. “You’re right, of course. It’s just been a long trip out here. But that gives me no call to get irritable. Forgive an old sinner who is still learning to curb impatience?”

  No telling where the goon lived. The driver might be a resident of this exact little town and if he didn’t keep up the act, he’d soon be found out. Word traveled fast in the West.

  “No hard feelings, Parson. None at all.” The man tossed Simon’s satchel to the ground and then spat a stream of brown sludge onto it. “Oh. I’m right sorry. I didn’t mean to hit your bag.”

  Simon suppressed a growl, smiling tightly instead. “No harm done, friend.” He snatched a hanky from his back pocket and wiped the mess from his bag. There was no way this had been an accident. If he didn’t need this con so bad he’d pull out the pistol stashed in the top of his bag and at least give the driver a good scare. Cussed Idiot!

  Grabbing up the bag by its handles he hurried down the boardwalk waving over his shoulder. “Thanks, now.” You can bet I’ll be remembering your face.

  A jacket from the mercantile and a place to stay for a month or two and his plan could begin. His pace increased as he neared the Sheriff’s office and he nearly collided with a young man coming out the door.

  “Pardon me, Parson.” The man stepped back and reached out a hand to steady him. “You alright?”

  Simon ran a finger under the suddenly too-tight clerical collar as he eyed the silver star the young man was shoving into his breast pocket. You’re a parson, man. And you’ve
put on fifty pounds. No one is going to recognize you.

  “Oh, yes, I’m fine.” He forced himself to meet the young man’s gaze. With sudden clarity he recognized the man before him. He was the one from the paper; the one in the wedding picture with Victoria.

  Her new husband was a deputy. A deputy! The smile had been on his face too long. The young man eyed him quizzically. Shaking himself out of the frozen stupor Simon stretched out his hand. “Sorry, just a bit distracted. The name’s Baxter. Baxter Cane.”

  “Rocky Jordan.” The young man took his hand. “Welcome to our town, Reverend. Can I direct you to anywhere in particular? To Reverend Hollybough’s house perhaps?”

  “Oh, no, no, no.” The town already has a Parson. Of course they did. Think. “I’m just on a little sabbatical, so to speak.” He put on an appropriately somber expression. “Lost my wife of 20 years about a month back and I’m, well, I needed a little break from my congregation and routine. So I headed out west here for some time away. Time to myself.”

  The sobriety must have worked because Jordan’s face softened. “I’m sorry to hear that, Reverend. Where are you from?”

  “Boston.”

  “Are you just passing through, then? Or will you be staying here awhile.”

  Simon smoothed a hand down his chest and scanned the street as though deep in thought. “I think I’m hearing the Good Lord say I’ll be staying here awhile, Son.”

  “Well, then let me direct you to the boarding house. I can walk you there, if you like?”

  “Oh, no, no, no.” The last thing he wanted was to spend more time in the presence of this deputy just yet. He would have to later of course, but for now he’d given just enough information to start things rolling in his favor. “I need to stop into the mercantile and then I can find my way to the boarding house on my own if you’ll just point me in the right direction.”

  “The only boarding house in town is on Second Street, right behind the bank.”

  Simon held out his hand. “Much obliged.” He gave what he hoped was a friendly smile.

  “Sure.” Jordan took his hand. “Welcome to Shilo.”

  With a sigh, Simon hurried down the walk. That could have gone better. But he’d done some pretty quick thinking on his feet. He smiled. Yes sir, this con was going to be fun.

  Victoria had dinner nearly ready when Rocky arrived later that evening. He came in the kitchen door carrying a valise. She watched over the top of the sideboard that separated the kitchen from the dining table as he walked through the dining room and disappeared into the living room. He reappeared a moment later without the bag and she realized he hadn’t met her gaze since he came in.

  She swallowed.

  Even after his betrayal this afternoon, her heart still climbed into her throat at his presence. All afternoon she’d been trying to decide what had actually been going on between he and Julia, but now, the fact that he didn’t look her way confirmed what she feared. He really was unhappy here.

  She shook away her ponderings and stalked to the stove stabbing the roast with the fork. The juices ran clear. Thank heavens. They could get dinner over with quickly.

  Across the sideboard, she watched as Rocky approached ChristyAnne who was setting the table. He ruffled her hair and hooked his hat over the back of a chair. “Hey, how was your day today?” His voice was soft and cajoling, as though he might be sorry for the scene the young girl had witnessed today.

  Victoria huffed. He ought to be!

  ChristyAnne looked up at him and Victoria recognized the vulnerable look on the young girl’s face. She felt an echo of it in her own heart.

  “Fine, I suppose,” ChristyAnne answered.

  Victoria poured the hot water off the potatoes.

  “Just fine, huh?” Rocky loosened his gun belt and hung the contraption on a hook by the front door.

  “Yessir.”

  Victoria pressed her lips together. She hadn’t been very good company this afternoon.

  When she’d stopped by the school to introduce the children, Sharyah had mentioned the Rackler family. They lived just east of town and had recently lost two of their girls to a fever. They had heard about the children and had asked Sharyah to mention that they wanted to adopt the girls. That news on top of the scene between Rocky and Julia had her stomach in knots.

  Probably her tension had shone through loud and clear to the children. The girls had played quietly with her old dolls all afternoon. Jimmy was outside whittling with his new pocket knife.

  “Where are Damera and Jimmy?” Rocky asked.

  ChristyAnne set another plate on the table. “Mera’s in our room playing and Jimmy’s outside.” She paused then turned to face him. “I really want to thank you for keeping Mera and I together. I know things ain’t, ahhh haven’t, been easy for you on account of you having to get married and all, but you have no idea how hard I prayed that God would somehow keep us together.” She shrugged her little shoulders as Victoria blinked back tears. “Just wanted to say thanks. Again.”

  Rocky glanced up then and caught Victoria looking at him. She jerked her gaze back to the potatoes and set to mashing them with a fury. Why, oh why, did I let myself get so attracted to him? And what are we going to do now? She spun the pot and mashed a different section. The heat of his scrutiny warmed her neck but she refused to look up.

  Finally, he cleared his throat and spoke to ChristyAnne once more. “I would do it all again, if it came down to it. Why don’t you go get Damera and have her wash up? I’ll go find Jimmy, alright?”

  “Yessir.” ChristyAnne skipped down the hallway.

  Rocky came into the kitchen and stopped. Victoria ignored him and channeled her frustration toward the potatoes.

  He stepped toward her. “Ria, I—”

  The outer kitchen door crashed open and Jimmy burst into the room.

  Victoria gasped and jumped so high that Rocky put one hand on her back to steady her.

  “Jimmy!” Her tone was more caustic than it needed to be. And it hardly had anything to do with the fact that Jimmy’d just about sent her heart through the ceiling.

  Jimmy looked chagrinned. “Sorry. But look!” He held up a carved bear the size of an egg.

  Victoria pulled in a breath of astonishment. “Jimmy! That’s really good.” She took the bear from him, angling it this way and that before she handed it to Rocky. She was amazed at the intricacy of it. The bear’s fur was carved in small sure strokes and there was even a tiny fish dangling from its mouth.

  “This is really good, Son.” Rocky punched Jimmy in the arm. “That’s quite a talent you’ve got there.”

  Jimmy scuffed a toe across the floor in an aw-shucks manner but the glow on his face could have lit up a ball room.

  Victoria smiled at the boy’s delight.

  “Get washed up for dinner, alright?” Rocky handed the bear back.

  Jimmy’s shoulders slumped slightly and he turned away.

  “Jimmy,” Victoria stopped him before he could shove the bear into his pocket, “I’d love to have that carving on my windowsill to look at while I’m here in the kitchen. Would you mind letting me have it?”

  “Sure.” Jimmy shrugged as though it wasn’t a big deal, but joy twinkled in his eyes.

  The girls bustled in just then and, even though she’d repeatedly asked them to wash up outside, all three headed straight for the kitchen pump. Victoria didn’t chastise them. She wasn’t about to send them all out and stay in here alone with Rocky.

  Rocky made small talk with the children throughout the meal, while Victoria picked at her meat and potatoes listlessly and tried to block out the image of Julia Nickerson pressing herself up against him. While it had been obvious that Rocky wasn’t too pleased to have Julia clinging to him, he had said that he wasn’t happy here with her and the children. She sighed. She didn’t want him staying out of a sense of obligation and living an unhappy life. What kind of a person would she be if she expected that of him?

  On top of tha
t, when the Racklers adopted the girls she wouldn’t really need Rocky to stay around anymore. She’d stopped by to talk to Hannah after hearing the news from Sharyah, and Hannah had said she could make room for Jimmy at the orphanage. So they wouldn’t have to worry about Julia’s threat to make sure they were taking good care of the children. Yes, once they found the children good homes, she would grant him an annulment and move on.

  Victoria glanced at each child in turn. She swallowed away sadness at the thought of them leaving and knew she wasn’t quite ready to give them up yet. They were just getting settled. Surely they deserved a few more days to get accustomed to the area before they were passed along to another new situation. But would that only make the inevitable parting all the harder?

  Rocky unabashedly studied her. She could feel the prickle of his attentive gaze, even though she carefully kept her focus elsewhere.

  She suppressed a groan and chomped down on a piece of roast. Why oh why had she let herself fall in love with him? Nothing but tragedy came from giving too much of your heart to anyone – well, anyone but children. Best she try and keep her distance from him. The less she spoke to him, the less entangled her heart would become.

  Finally the torturous meal wound down. She rose and poured Rocky a final cup of coffee.

  He leaned back in his chair and crossed one ankle over the opposite knee. “Got school tomorrow. So I want all of you into bed early. Head for your rooms and get into your night clothes, then you can play for a little and Ri— ah, Victoria – and I will be in to say goodnight after a bit. We’ve got a couple things to talk about, until then.” He pinned her with a look.

  Jaw clenched, she set to clearing the table, dishes clanking. The last thing she wanted to do was discuss the scene on the boardwalk today. I do need to tell him the news about the Racklers.