by Danni Roan
“You nearly got yourself killed is what happened,” Spencer snapped. “Good thing God sent a guardian angel, who just happens to play the piano, your way tonight.”
Darwin looked up scanning the jail with blood-shot eyes as Daliah began checking the lump on his head. “Preacher, I believe I owe you my life,” the man said, shaking his auburn head. “Them fellas would have shot me down cold if you hadn’t stopped my mouth.”
“I’m glad you’re alright Darwin,” Brandon said, flinching as the man yelped.
“You’ll be fine,” Daliah said none too gently as she slathered some cream on the cut at the back of the man’s head. “I’d avoid anymore drinking for a while though if I were you.”
“I’m done with that,” Darwin snapped. “Finished. I saw the light tonight when that little pistol barked,” he continued. “I’m lookin’ for the straight and narrow from here on out,” he added, his gray eyes finding the preachers face. “I swear it,” the man nodded. “I’ll be speakin’ with you shortly, Preacher. I don’t want this life no more.”
“When you’re up to it,” Brandon nodded, “you come on over to the Hampton House, and we’ll have dinner. I believe you truly want to change your ways.”
Darwin nodded then turned to Spencer who glared at him. “You may have to wait a day or two preacher. I’m holding Mr. Hobbs for drunk and disorderly for a few days.”
“Thank you, Sheriff,” Darwin said making everyone blink. “It’ll give me time to sober up and get my head on straight.”
Chapter 23
“I’m sorry, Anderson,” Beth said, grabbing her straw hat and placing it on her head. “I don’t want to see him. Please tell Mr. Tippert that I’m not in,” she finished, hurrying out the back door and into the fields behind the house.
Anderson blew out a breath then turned back toward his front door where he had left the preacher standing on the porch.
“She doesn’t want to see you,” he said stepping outside. “I’m afraid this whole mess with Darwin has upset her terribly.”
“I know if I can just explain,” Brandon said, “I know she’ll understand.”
Anderson smiled, slapping the preacher on the shoulder. “I didn’t tell you this, but she just ran out the back door,” he grinned.
Brandon’s face lit up with delight as he thanked the Englishman then hurried down the steps and around the side of the house. He would explain everything and Beth would understand. She had to. Didn’t she know she already held his heart?
Making the turn around the large house, Brandon wondered how it could have happened so suddenly. From the moment he had opened the door of the stagecoach to the second he had seen the horror on her face at the saloon, he had fallen in love with Beth Beechen.
“Lord, I sure don’t understand what’s happening,” the preacher mused. “Life seems to have taken a turn I didn’t expect. All I know is you called me to Needful to fill the pulpit and care for those who need to hear your word. I’m trusting you to work this all out, and even if Beth can’t understand, I’ll trust you,” he finished, feeling his heart constrict at the thought of losing the pretty blonde woman with the sweet smile and bright green eyes.
Stopping at the corner of the house, Brandon gazed over the grassy space leading toward pasture lands beyond, his eyes falling on a vision that would last a lifetime.
Beth walked though the tall grass, her green dress a vibrant shade to match the growing things around her, as she headed for the shade of a wild cherry tree, its blossoms whispering in the wind like an unspoken prayer. She was beautiful, and he wanted to run to her to declare his undying love. But he knew what stood between them and struck out at a sedate pace.
Hurrying across the field before he lost his nerve, he opened his mouth. “Beth,” he called stepping up behind her where she stood gazing at the tree in bloom. “I need to talk to you.”
Beth turned, her green eyes full of sorrow and doubt. “I don’t know if I’m ready to speak to you yet,” she said, dropping her gaze as if it was too painful to look at him.
Brandon grabbed her hand and began to speak. “Darwin’s fine,” he blurted. “I didn’t hurt him. I never intended to hurt him. He was being foolish, and if I hadn’t acted, I believe that one of the other men at that table would have shot him dead. My heart isn’t in that place Beth. I promise. It belongs fully to God and then you. Please, please believe me. If you don’t want me to go back to the saloon ever again, I won’t. I don’t need the place, but it needs me, it needs someone to stand up and point others in the right direction. I know I won’t be needed there for long, and that as Needful grows, less of those men will find themselves drawn to gambling, drink, and vice. Please, just look at me. Show me you understand?”
Beth lifted her eyes slowly, her head spinning at the words she had just heard as her eyes met Brandon’s. He was so sincere, so earnest that her heart seemed to press toward him. Could he truly mean what he was saying? Would he stop going to the saloon on Saturday night? Fear battled with hope in her heart, and she closed her eyes against the pain the struggle invoked.
“I don’t know,” she finally whispered. “After my Pa, how am I supposed to believe you?”
Brandon took a step closer, placing a finger under her chin and tipping her face up so that she was looking at him once more. “You don’t need to believe me,” he said. “Believe God. Beth, you and I were both brought to Needful for a reason. You know it. You can feel it, and I love you. I want you to be my wife and spend nights worried about me when I have to visit someone far from town.” He grinned, trying to lighten the mood as her green eyes searched his.
“You love me?” Beth asked, “enough to stop going to the saloon?”
“Enough to stop, if that is what you want. But that doesn’t mean God won’t call me to do other things that might be frightening to you. I never dreamed that what happened last night would occur, but it seems to have done some good. Darwin swears he’s changing his ways, and I’ll be meeting him tonight at the jail to pray with him.”
Beth felt the weight she had carried lifted and the brush of wind on her face seemed to sweep her worries away, like the breath of God.
“Why are you smiling?” Brandon asked, his heart pounding in his chest as he waited for Beth to tell him everything would be alright.
“There’s a little bluebird sitting on the fence right behind you,” Beth said. “Every time I see a bluebird I think of my mother.” She turned looking at him, studying his face as she spoke words she had never whispered to anyone before. “My mother and I watched two blue birds build their nest in a tree this year. As Mama grew weaker, we loved seeing them work together and lay their eggs. I think I will always associate blue birds with my mother’s spirit,” she continued. “It’s as if this is a sign from heaven that everything will be alright.”
Brandon tried to turn to see the bird Beth was speaking off, but it flitted away into the trees to trill a cheerful song from the branches above.
“Does that mean you believe me?” he asked his voice thick with doubt.
“Yes,” Beth breathed. “I believe you. I can spend my life in fear worrying about what will happen next, or I can embrace life and love with both hands. I love you, too, Brandon Tippert, and I know that, God willing, I’ll only love you more through the years.”
Brandon let out a breath then pulled Beth into his arms dropping his lips to hers in a heartfelt kiss. She was everything he never knew he needed, and he wanted to come home to her every day for the rest of his life. She was the helpmate God had for him and nothing in this world could convince him otherwise.
Releasing the woman he loved, Brandon dropped his hand to hers and turned toward the house. “Shall we share the good news?” he asked his face shining with joy.
“I think together we’ll be sharing the good news for many years,” Beth teased feeling a joy and peace overflow in her soul.
Chapter 25
Prim invited Brandon in for pie and coffee, grinning as he and
Beth told the family the good news. Mrs. Perkins, rocking in her bent wood chair by the wood stove laughed with joy before humming a few bars of the wedding march.
A sense of joy and relief filled the kitchen as Anderson congratulated the preacher on his good fortune. “Why don’t you make the big announcement at the rodeo in two weeks? We can talk to the council this weekend and get things started for a new home.”
“That’s sounds like a good plan,” Brandon agreed, turning to Beth. “Would that be alright with you? We can take our time if you’d rather.”
Beth shook her head. “No, I don’t want to wait,” she said. “I’m tired of waiting for something to happen. We can make the announcement in two weeks, and as soon as the house is ready we’ll move in.”
Brandon reached over squeezing her hand. “I’d better go,” he offered with a grin. “I’m going to talk to Mayor Dan on the way home, then see what comes next.”
Beth walked Brandon to the door accepting his chaste kiss on the cheek before bidding him goodbye. Life was moving forward and that was all she could hope.
***
“Congratulations!” Dan Gaines said as he shook hands with Brandon that afternoon, grinning. Brandon had happened on the Mayor of Needful as he stepped out of the jail house after his visit with Darwin. “It seems there’s been a rash of weddings in these parts recently,” he added with a chuckle, his blue eyes flashing with joy. “I guess one more won’t do any harm as long as I’m not the one standing at the end of the aisle.”
Brandon chuckled at the friendly ribbing from the town’s mayor. “So you’re alright if we announce it at the barn raising and rodeo next weekend?”
“I think that’s a wonderful idea,” the rancher agreed. “It will be a time of celebration for all of us. Most folks are coming out on Friday for the barn raising, and once we get the frame up, we’ll turn to the rodeo on Saturday, and my hands will do the finish work on the barn over the next few weeks.”
“It should be a fun day,” Brandon grinned.
“Yes, and I’m determined we’ll show Anderson up in the roping and riding.”
“Are you two still competing?” Brandon asked with a shake of his head.
“All in good fun,” Dan said, slapping the preacher on the shoulder. “Now you’d better get on over to speak to Olive before we both get an ear full.”
Brandon nodded, heading along the sidewalk toward the Hampton House. He wasn’t sure what the other men of the town would think about the announcement, but he knew Olive would be happy. Even Darwin had been happy for the preacher when he had visited the jail. The other man seemed to be doing some serious thinking and felt a good deal of remorse for his recent behavior.
“Lord, it has been an interesting day,” Brandon said as he pushed open the door at the Hampton House. “I trust you’ll keep smiling down on this little town and help us through our growing pains.”
Chapter 26
“I can’t believe the amount of work they finished yesterday?” Beth said as she and Brandon walked across the Big G ranch on Saturday morning. “It’s all but finished.”
Brandon laughed, patting her hand on his arm as he looked at the work sight. The whole town had turned out on Friday to put the barn together and it was a sight to behold.
“Today will be a great day to relax and enjoy the show,” Brandon mused. “After so much work, it should be fun watching the riders compete for the prizes.”
“I guess Orville is one of the judges,” Beth said looking up and smiling at her intended. “I’m not sure what he knows about rodeos, but I’m sure he’ll make it fun.”
Brandon chuckled, wondering when the town’s people would start on his own humble home. He had met with the town council asking about building a small house near the church, and no one had dissented on his wish. Instead, they had all cheered at his news and promised to get started as soon as the big barn raising was done, assuring him that his small down payment would be enough for what he and Beth needed.
“I think they’re getting ready to start,” Brandon spoke, hurrying Beth toward a set of benches that had been placed around a large corral. “It looks like calf roping is up first.”
Together the couple watched the events, cheering, laughing, or sighing as riders did their best to show off skills honed over time.
When the bronco-riding event came up Beth sat up straighter, surprised to see both Anderson and Dan Gaines preparing to step into the saddle of a blindfolded horses. This event was especially exciting as nearly a dozen cowboys were all given an unbroken horse to try to stay aboard. The winner would be the rider who could stay in the saddle and have his horse moving in a straight line at the end of the ride.
“Isn’t this dangerous?” Beth asked worried about her friends.
“I suppose it is, but these men do this sort of thing all the time. They’re in good shape and, barring the unforeseen, it’s all in fun.”
Beth held tightly to Brandon’s arm scanning the crowd for Prim who sat with Peri and her mother, looking worried as well.
Spotting Spencer and Daliah Gaines nearby, she noted that they looked confident in Dan’s ability to win.
“I don’t care who wins,” Beth whispered. “I just don’t want anyone to get hurt.”
Brandon smiled, touched by Beth’s warm heart. Every day he fell a little more in love with her, and he couldn’t wait until they could be married. He wanted to start a life with the beautiful woman at his side, and he knew that together they would be stronger than they each were separately. Perhaps he would do a service on the three-strand thread next Sunday.
With a shout, the men holding the horses whipped off blindfolds as the competitors sprang into the saddle and the corral erupted in bucking horses, shouting cowboys, and flying dust.
“Look at Mr. Gaines,” Beth said, noting the way the man rocked back and forth with the motion of the horse as he fought for control of the hackamore the animal wore over its nose. “He seems to be doing well.”
“Oh! There goes another one,” Brandon chuckled as a cowboy dropped from his pitching horse and raced away from the pounding feet while riders raced to catch the bronco.
“That’s three down already,” Beth spoke her eyes darting between Anderson and Mr. Gaines.
“Five now,” Brandon corrected pointing at two more cowboys who had hit the dirt.
“Anderson is doing better than I expected,” Beth smiled in surprise. “I would think he wasn’t used to such things as bronco riding.”
“I guess old Jacks taught that Englishman a thing or two.”
Beth laughed as Anderson pulled his horse’s head around, lining the heavy bay out into an easy run, then down to a trot before turning it back around for another lap of the corral.
In the other corner of the pen, Dan Gaines’ mount gave a tremendous leap landing stiff legged on the ground in a bone jarring stop that swayed the cowboy who teetered in the saddle for a moment, as the horse dodged sideways dumping a disgruntled Dan in the dirt.
The crowd roared as the owner of the Big G climbed to his feet dusting himself and reaching for his hat.
“I guess that’s that,” Brandon grinned. “I can’t say I expected Anderson to win though.”
Beth nodded. It was a shock that the well-bred Englishman had out ridden the other rancher, but based on the way he pulled his horse to a stop, leapt from the saddle, and offered Dan his hand, everyone knew that all was well.
“I think this next event is the last,” Brandon said. “Then we’ll eat.”
“You do love your food,” Beth giggled feeling a light joy fill her. Her tall, skinny Brandon made her heart sing and that was all she needed to know.
The assembly was cheerful as the town’s folk and the riders made their way to long tables spread out on the grass then turned to Brandon expectantly as they waited for a blessing on the day and the food.
Squeezing Beth’s hand Brandon removed his hat and bowed his head.
“Dear Lord, thank you for this d
ay. Thank you for a time to spend with friends, family, and new arrivals. We are grateful here in Needful for your bounty and ask your blessing on this food today. Let us be mindful of all we have, and all you have planned for us. Amen.”
“Amen!” the word echoed over the crowd from the back of the group and everyone turned to see Darwin Hobbs’ face flame red. “Well,” he said shuffling his boot in the grass. “I’m thankful.”
Everyone laughed as they made two lines along the long tables laden with food. It was a good day in Needful and they all knew it.
Chapter 27
“Are you nervous?” Peri said as she helped Beth dress. It had been nearly a month since the big announcement at the rodeo, and she was thrilled to be standing with her friend. “I wasn’t nervous at all,” she teased as they prepared for the ceremony in a few minutes time.
“I think I’m more excited,” Beth admitted. “Once I let go of my fear and worry, I found a peace I didn’t know I could have. I know Brandon loves God and me, so that is enough.”
“You haven’t known him very long,” Prim said arranging the small bouquet and handing them to Beth.
“She’ll have the rest of her life to get to know him,” Peri snipped.
Prim laughed. “I feel like I learn something new about Anderson all the time,” she grinned. “He certainly surprised me at the rodeo the other day.”
Peri chuckled. “I think he surprised everyone.”
Beth turned, fastening her mother’s broach to her collar then hugging both women to her. “I’m glad I came to Needful,” she said. “I’ve gained so many friends, and my heart is full of joy. I still wish my mother could have been here for this day, but I know she would be happy for me.”
Peri and Prim hugged Beth tight then hurried her toward the door. “Who’s doing the ceremony?” Peri asked as they reached the back of the church. “After all, our preacher is getting hitched.”
Beth smiled, her green eyes sparkling. “Brandon made Orville a temporary minister for the day.”