“Have you told Nate the real reason you want him to quit?”
“No. He’d think I’m featherbrained.”
“He might think you love him and are worried about him.”
“Maybe. But it’s not the only reason. It does bother me for him to be selling beer and whiskey. Ever since I started going to church and reading the Bible and learning how we’re supposed to live, I’ve felt differently about it.” She threw up her hands. “I don’t know how to explain it. It just feels wrong.”
“Could that be because church people frown on it so much?”
“It’s part of it. I’ve thought about it a lot. What they think of him or me isn’t all of it. You know as well as I do the sorry state some men leave in. They go home drunk and beat up their wives. Or get robbed because they’re too drunk to stop it. Or they get to where they can’t live without it.” Fresh tears filled Bonnie’s eyes. “I’m ashamed of Nate and what he does for a living, and I don’t want to be. I love him so much.”
“How does him going to church fit in?”
“I thought if he went with me, he’d realize it was wrong, too.” She wiped her eyes again and grimaced. “But even if he went, it would probably take a lightning bolt to get anything through his thick skull.”
Until they’d moved to Willow Grove, Bonnie hadn’t attended church. She’d never mentioned even being interested in it. “Why did you start going to church?” asked Camille.
“I was lonesome. Here, just about all the women go to church. The girls down in the district don’t, of course. There are a few others who don’t have any use for it. For some, it’s strictly a social thing. That’s what it was for me when I started. Then I bought a Bible so I could follow along when the preacher read the scripture during the service. I started reading it in the evenings when Nate was gone. I had a great big hole inside, an emptiness that nothing I seemed to do could fill.
“Then one night I realized that Jesus loves me. Me. Not just those women at church who went because they had a tender heart for God. He loved me. All of a sudden I didn’t feel so empty, so alone anymore. I can’t explain it very well. I guess it’s something you have to find out for yourself.”
Camille knew all about loneliness, emptiness. Though she certainly hadn’t been as lonely since she met Ty. Could he fill that hollowness in her soul? Or did it take God to do that? “I’d like to go to church with you tomorrow.”
“You would?” Bonnie stared at her.
Camille nodded. “And it’s not just because Ty will be there.”
“But you’ll look for him anyway,” said Bonnie with a smile.
“Of course. Perhaps if Nate sees that I can go to church with you and not become a fanatic overnight, he won’t be so afraid to try it.”
“You’re a good friend.”
“So are you and Nate. I don’t like to see you two at odds.” Camille picked up her purse and the decorations from the supper box. “I’ll see you in the morning. What time?”
“Church starts at eleven. I’ll come by the hotel about fifteen minutes earlier and we can go together. Oh, dear! I’m sure Nate forgot about escorting you back tonight.”
“I’ll be fine. I often walked home alone in New Orleans or San Antonio.”
Bonnie followed her to the door. “I’ll pray for your safety, ask God to send His angels to watch over you.”
“Thanks.” True angels to watch over a false one. It was an interesting thought. Camille gave Bonnie a hug. “Make peace with your husband.”
“I will, as soon as he comes home. You be careful.”
“Always am.”
Even though Camille kept a watchful eye on her surroundings, she felt an unusual peace all the way back downtown. As she turned the corner at Pine Street, she met Sheriff Starr.
“Miss Dupree, did McKinnon abandon you?”
“No, he left me with my friends, Nate and Bonnie Flynn. Nate was supposed to walk me back to the hotel, but he had to go down to the saloon for a while.” She shrugged lightly. “I didn’t want to wait for him.”
“Then I’ll go with you the rest of the way. Some of the boys get a mite wild on occasion.” He walked with her, escorting her past three saloons along the way and numerous men milling about the street.
Without his presence, she very well might have run into trouble. “This morning I heard the shooting. It didn’t take you long to calm things down.”
“That one didn’t know the rules. I expect his amigos didn’t bother to tell him so they could have a little fun at his expense. Happens pretty often when somebody new hires on at one of the ranches, unless the rancher fills him in.”
He stopped in front of the Barton. “Here you go.”
“Thank you, Sheriff.”
“Good thing there was a little scuffle down at the Dugout. Otherwise I would have been on the other end of town making my regular rounds.”
“I’m grateful you weren’t there or hauling someone off to jail.”
“The two fellows who were about to shoot each other decided they were the best of friends by the time I got there. Reckon they decided they didn’t want to spend the night in the calaboose.” He studied her for a second, then glanced upward at the stars. “Or maybe the Almighty figured you needed some help.” With a slight nod, he touched the brim of his hat. “Good night, ma’am.”
“Good night.”
A few heads turned as she walked across the lobby, but the men merely nodded. No one followed her up to her room. She supposed she had Ty to thank for that.
Closing and locking the door behind her, she set her things on the table and went over to the window. Starr had crossed the street and was strolling toward the other end of town. Had God answered Bonnie’s prayer in the form of a handsome sheriff?
Shaking her head at the thought, she turned away from the window. Why would God care about protecting someone like her?
Chapter Seven
Camille tried to quell her nervousness as she and Bonnie walked into the church building Sunday morning. It was foolish to think that simply by being there, people would look at her and know all about her. She had dressed carefully and was relieved to see that her attire fell somewhere in between the elaborate silk dress of the banker’s wife and the simple calico worn by the schoolteacher.
They arrived a couple of minutes before the service began and took seats three rows from the back. There was no one behind them, which suited Camille fine. Maybe that way, only the people on either side of them would notice that she didn’t know what to do. She quickly spotted Ty sitting with Cade and Jessie and their children near the front.
A man walked up the two steps to the pulpit.
“That’s Reverend Brownfield,” whispered Bonnie.
The preacher greeted everyone, then told them to turn to page twenty in the hymnal.
Bonnie picked up the book from the pew beside her and glanced at Camille. “We stand up to sing,” she whispered.
Camille nodded, wondering how she could fake it since she didn’t know any of the tunes. She vaguely remembered the congregation singing when she was a little girl, but she’d never paid much attention to it. Church had been a time to look at pictures in a book, make faces at her friend, Jimmy, or watch an ant crawl along the windowsill. The singing and preaching had only been adult noise.
Bonnie opened the hymnal to the correct page, holding it so Camille could see, too. Camille gripped the edge of the book and took a deep breath as Bonnie and the others began to sing.
O for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer’s praise,
The glories of my God and King, the triumphs of His grace.
After the first verse, she quit trying to mouth the words and simply listened. It seemed that Bonnie’s lovely singing voice was even more beautiful than it had been in years past. Slanting a glance at her friend, she noted the happiness on her face. Surreptitiously looking around, she saw some with the same joyful expression. Others frowned in concentration and a few seemed to be singin
g merely out of duty. She wished she could see Ty’s face instead of the back of his head.
Jesus the name that charms our fears…
The words brought her gaze back to the hymn book, but she didn’t find where they were until the beginning of the next verse.
He breaks the pow’r of canceled sin, He sets the pris’ner free;
His blood can make the foulest clean, His blood avails for me.
How can sin be canceled? And His blood make someone clean?
“You’re all in fine voice this morning,” the preacher praised his flock.
Camille thought he must not have been able to hear the man across the aisle from them. Though he couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket, he made up for it with enthusiasm. Maybe that counted.
“Page one hundred one, ‘I Love to Tell the Story.’”
Camille released her side of the hymnal so Bonnie could turn the pages.
“Let’s sing it out so everyone in town can hear it,” proclaimed the minister.
I love to tell the story of unseen things above,
Of Jesus and His glory, of Jesus and His love;
I love to tell the story because I know ’tis true;
It satisfies my longings as nothing else can do.
Camille again watched those around her. They sang louder this time. Especially Mr. Off-key. He was an attractive man, probably in his early forties. He obviously doted on the younger woman next to him, and she on him. When he hit a particularly sour note and winced, she merely beamed him a loving smile.
Camille’s mind drifted back to the song. How did the ones who seemed to truly believe what they were singing reach that point? How did they know it was true and not just some grand deception someone had made up centuries ago?
I love to tell the story, for some have never heard
The message of salvation from God’s own holy word.
The Bible. Bonnie had said that she realized Jesus loved her when she had read the scripture. But it was only a book. How could mere words convince someone of that?
“Wonderful singing. Please be seated.” The reverend paused a few seconds, checking something on the lectern in front of him. “John Woods hurt his back yesterday and is laid up. So we need to remember him in prayer.” He scanned the room. “I’m sure he and Mrs. Woods would appreciate it if you ladies took some meals over to them this week. She’s already mighty busy with her little ones. Tending to John puts an extra load on her. My wife will coordinate it if y’all want to help out. We wouldn’t want to take everything over there on the same day.”
He nodded to a young lady in the front row. “Kathy Perkins will play for us while we take the offering.”
Miss Perkins nervously stepped to the front, tucking a violin beneath her chin as people began to fish in their pockets and purses. When she began to play, Ty and another man stood, each carrying a small basket. They started at the front row, handing the baskets to the people next to the aisle. Ty took the side Camille and Bonnie were sitting on. The baskets were passed down the row to the end, then handed over the pew to the people behind them. When they reached the aisle again, Ty and the other man took them and gave them to the next in line. She noted that Ty always had a smile or a kind word when he passed on the basket.
She barely heard the sweet violin music. Her heart began to pound. How would he react to seeing her there? If he seemed too shocked, people would wonder why. Please God, don’t let him drop the basket. Why did I come? Why am I pretending to be something I’m not?
He was three rows ahead of them when he spotted her. Surprise flashed across his face, but it was quickly replaced by a smile. A very pleased smile.
It warmed her clear to her toes. Camille was certain that the thoughts racing through her head weren’t even close to what she should be contemplating during church. He looked away, speaking to someone else. She caught her breath and dug a dollar from her purse. Keeping her face forward, she watched him out of the corner of her eye.
When he reached their row, she took the basket carefully, making sure her fingers didn’t brush against his. She dropped her money into it and handed it to Bonnie who held it over to the man next to her. Only then did Camille look up at Ty, her heart melting at the tenderness in his eyes.
He leaned over to take the basket as Bonnie handed it back to him. “Wait for me after church?” he whispered.
Camille nodded. When did the day turn so warm? They really should open the windows. A quick peek told her the windows were partially open. She’d have to remember to bring a fan with her. Oh, dear, I’m getting as bad as Mrs. Watson.
The man across the aisle must have seen their exchange. When Ty turned to go back down to the front, he gave him a big grin.
She had a difficult time paying attention to the sermon. Judging by the minister’s soft voice, she expected he was a kindly man. Though perhaps livelier oration would have kept her gaze, and her mind, from drifting to Ty McKinnon.
Had she noticed his broad shoulders before? They weren’t as wide as his brother Cade’s, but she liked Ty’s better. He might not be able to carry quite as heavy a load as Cade, but he could pull his weight. There was plenty of room for a lady to rest her head if she were so inclined. He had a nice neck, too, strong and straight. And those pretty waves in his hair. Her fingers positively itched to touch them. She definitely would have to bring a fan if she sat behind him again.
She felt guilty for not listening more closely to the preacher. A lot of what she heard didn’t make sense anyway. Phrases like washed in the blood, the Lamb of God, and the Alpha and Omega. She supposed she needed to buy a Bible and do some reading, as Bonnie had done. Maybe things would be clearer then.
The minister finished his sermon and everyone stood for the final hymn. On the last verse, Reverend Brownfield moved to the back of the church by the door.
When the song ended, Camille stepped out of the pew. The man across from her did the same, waiting for the woman with him. Camille noticed that she wore a wedding ring.
“You must be Miss Dupree.” The young woman smiled at her, and the man nodded with a friendly grin. “I’m Lydia Noble and this is my husband, Asa. We live out at the McKinnon Ranch. Asa is Ty and Cade’s wagon boss.”
“It’s nice to meet you.”
“You, too. I hope we see you out at the ranch soon.” Mrs. Noble glanced behind her. “But I guess we’d better not clog up the aisle.”
Bonnie and Camille followed them to the door, where Bonnie introduced her to the minister. “It’s a pleasure to have you with us, Miss Dupree. Are you visiting for a while?” He glanced somewhere behind her, speculation in his eyes. “Or do you plan to make Willow Grove your home?”
“I’m just visiting at the moment. But it seems like a nice town. I might decide to stay.”
“Good. I hope you’re here long enough to come have dinner with the wife and me.”
They moved on down the church steps and out of the way. Several of Bonnie’s friends came over to meet Camille, but she’d barely made the introductions before Ty was by her side.
“Good morning, ladies.” His smile briefly covered them all before his gaze settled on Camille.
She almost laughed at the chorus of greetings, hers included. The man did have a way of charming the ladies, even with a simple good morning.
“Wasn’t the sermon excellent?” asked one of the women. Camille couldn’t remember her name.
“Yes, it was, as usual,” said Ty. “How is Sam, Mrs. Tucker?”
“He’s almost over his cold. Would have been better days ago if he hadn’t insisted on going to the feed store every day.”
“It’s not easy to stay home when you have a business to run. Give him my best.”
“I will. I suppose I’d better get on home and make certain he’s resting right and proper. It’s nice to meet you, Miss Dupree.”
“And you, Mrs. Tucker.” Camille silently thanked Ty for calling the woman by name.
The others all decided they neede
d to go, too. Bonnie spied someone she needed to speak to, leaving Ty and Camille standing there alone.
He grinned at her. “Thought they’d never leave.”
She laughed quietly. “So, was it an excellent sermon?”
“Couldn’t prove it by me. I barely heard a word once I spotted you. But he usually does a good job. What did you think of it?”
Camille felt her cheeks grow lightly warm. “I had trouble concentrating, too. I didn’t understand much of what I heard.” How did this man prompt such honesty from her? She doubted she would ever have admitted such a thing to anyone else, except Bonnie.
His expression softened. “I remember when I first started going to church, it seemed like the preacher and everybody else talked another language.”
“How did you figure it out?”
“I started reading the Bible. That helped.” He hesitated for a heartbeat. “Amanda explained what I couldn’t sort out on my own.”
“So she’s the one who got you to attend church?”
“Yes.”
“You were trying to impress her.” Camille put a teasing lilt to the statement, hoping that he would realize that she understood his love for his wife. She also wondered if she wasn’t trying to impress him, at least a little bit.
“Yes, ma’am.” He brushed one side of his jacket back and tucked his thumb into his pants pocket. “Even went out and bought my first Sunday-go-to-meetin’ suit the week before.”
“And now you wear a suit all the time.”
He slipped one finger beneath his collar, tugging on it. “Which isn’t necessarily a good thing. When I go out to the ranch I don’t usually wear one. Unfortunately, I don’t get out there often enough.”
Bonnie joined them again. “Would you like to come to dinner, Mr. McKinnon? We’re having pot roast.”
“I wish I could, but I promised Miss Nola I’d take her out to eat and for a buggy ride.”
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