The Renegade's Redemption

by Stacy Henrie

  “Ma used to say I was a lot like him. Charismatic, optimistic, always looking for that next adventure.”

  Ravena regarded him. “In those qualities, I suppose you were like him, yes.”

  Fresh guilt and growing fear pushed the next words from his mouth. “It’s not just the good qualities, Ravena. He up and left us without saying goodbye.” Tex swallowed hard. “Same as I did.” He glanced away, afraid to see the truth of it mirrored in her expression.

  “You think you take after him in that too?”

  “Don’t I?” he countered. He hated having to point out the obvious, but he was tired of holding in his anxiety.

  He heard her soft sigh. “Tex?” He continued to glare in the direction of the road. “Tex, look at me.”

  Dread filled him as he pulled his gaze to hers. “What?”

  “You aren’t your father.”

  Why did she refuse to see it? He’d up and left her and Tate, just as his father had done with his family. He’d also been ready to leave Ravena again before deciding to stay for the plowing and planting.

  “You don’t believe me, do you?”

  He spread his hands wide in a surrendering gesture. “What can I say? I’ve always been stubborn.”

  Ravena frowned, making him wish he’d kept his mouth shut. He didn’t want to argue with her tonight. Working together to help Ginny had felt really nice and it was a feeling he wanted back.

  “How come you don’t ever sit in the rocking chair?” he asked, desperate to change the subject. She’d yet to discover his repair work on the rocker and he suddenly wanted her to know, to understand what he’d done because he cared about her.

  Her frown increased. “I know you’re changing the subject. And I don’t sit there because the rocking chair is broken.”

  “Is it?” Grinning, he hopped up and made a show of sitting in the rocker. Then he set it rocking back and forth with his bare feet.

  “It’s not broken anymore?” Rising, Ravena skirted the lamp to step closer. “How?”

  Tex stood and motioned to the chair. “Have a seat.”

  She sat and began rocking. “It works beautifully. Did you pay someone to fix it?”

  “Now why would I do that?” he said with a chuckle. “All I needed to do was repair the runner to get it working properly again.”

  “You fixed it?” Ravena stopped the rocker at once.

  He cupped the chair arms with his hands and bent close. Would she recognize that he’d done it for her? “Yes, I fixed it. I’m glad I remembered enough of your grandfather’s woodworking lessons.”

  “He taught you woodworking...” Her tone sounded thoughtful.

  Straightening, Tex went to grab the lamp. If they went inside now, maybe he could avoid a return to the earlier topic of his father and their similarities. “Ezra taught me a lot of things. And I greatly wish I’d been here to say goodbye to him.”

  He waited for Ravena to stand, but she continued to sit. “I’m going to turn in,” he said, moving toward the door. “Do you want the lamp left out here?”

  Instead of answering his question, she started rocking again. “He respected you, Tex. My grandfather.”

  “Maybe he shouldn’t have,” he murmured.

  He knew she’d heard him when the rocker stopped moving and Ravena stood. “Why? Because you still think you’re like your father?”

  He should’ve kept his thoughts to himself. “I’m beat, Ravena...”

  “Tex, just because you left here once doesn’t mean you’re going to turn out like your father.”

  Her words, which matched his fears perfectly, stilled his retreat.

  “You’re back here now, aren’t you?” She rested her hand on his sleeve, her touch every bit as imploring as her tone.

  He studied her over the lip of the lamp. Her hair gleamed ebony in the light, her dark brown eyes deep and full of feeling. A strong longing to kiss her filled him, but he fought it back with the reminder that he risked breaking her heart if he kissed her before leaving her, yet again.

  “I am back, but...” Tex didn’t think he needed to finish his sentence out loud. Ravena likely knew what he was going to say. That while he wouldn’t leave behind a wife and family, he’d inherited his father’s wanderlust.

  Ravena shook her head. “No,” she said with fervor. “You’re different from him, and I have a way you can prove it. To me, to him and to yourself.”

  It was his turn to frown. “How would I do that?”

  “You have to promise to stay.”

  “Ravena, I’ve done that—”

  “I mean promise to stay and finish the house my grandfather started.”

  Tex chuckled with disbelief, until he realized she was serious. “What about the rest of the planting?”

  “My foot’s fully healed, so Jacob and I can finish while you start on the house.”

  “Why?” He wasn’t sure he understood why the house or bringing more orphans to the farm was so important to her.

  Her gaze dropped to the floorboards of the porch. “Because I can’t bring those four boys here if the larger house isn’t completed. There just isn’t enough room for all of us to live in the one we have.” She lifted her chin, her determined gaze reminding him of her grandfather’s. “If I don’t finish the house, those boys will be sent farther West on the Orphan Train on the first of July, and they’ll likely be separated into different homes and even different towns along the way. It was Grandfather’s last wish to give them a home here.”

  Blowing out a breath, Tex ran his hand through his hair. “So you want me to finish the house in less than a month?” It would mean staying far longer than he’d planned.

  “Yes. I can help you, when the planting is finished, but you know woodworking as well as my grandfather did.”

  “I wouldn’t go that far...”

  She lowered her hand from his arm, but she continued to study him solemnly. “Please, Tex. I’ll even pay you what little I have saved up. I already have all the lumber and nails.”

  Tex recalled the towering pile of wood he’d seen when he was working on the rocking chair. “Like I told you before, Ravena, I don’t want your money.”

  He thought she looked relieved. “Then will you do it?”

  “Just to prove I’m not like my father?” He’d meant the question to sound more cynical, but it came out sounding curious. Was he really considering her suggestion?

  “Not just for that. Though if you do stay longer, then surely that will prove you aren’t your father. And...” She looked in the direction of the unfinished walls of the other house. “It would mean a great deal to me and to my grandfather.”

  The old urge to escape returned full force, tempting Tex to decline her request. The planting would be done in another few days and he could ride away, free of entanglements and regret. But as he peered into Ravena’s lovely face, a face he hadn’t expected to ever see again, he grappled the wanderlust into submission. She’d given him a gift with her proposal. He could prove to himself, once and for all, that he wasn’t his father, and in turn, he could finally put his conscience to rest when it came to Ravena, Ezra and the past.

  “All right. I’ll stay, until the house is completed.”

  She blinked. “You will?”

  Tex couldn’t help laughing. “Yes, Ravena.”

  Leaning close, she placed a kiss near the corner of his mouth. Tex maintained a mildly surprised expression as she eased back, though he really wanted to kiss her back. Only he wanted to kiss her squarely on the lips, not on the cheek, same as he had in the past. Back then he’d taken their sweet kisses for granted, but now, he felt certain he would treasure them always.

  Except he’d already talked himself out of kissing her. Instead of drawing her close and pressing his lips to hers,
he relished the lingering feel of her gentle touch to his face and the way she looked at him in this moment. As if he were the greatest, noblest man alive.

  “Thank you, Tex,” she said. “You won’t regret it.”

  They were the same words he’d said to her when he’d offered to stay the first time. And he felt certain he wouldn’t regret his decision just now—as long as Ravena didn’t discover the truth about him or the Texas Titan.

  Chapter Ten

  Rain fell softly against the kitchen window. Ravena sat at the table, writing a letter to Miss Morley. It wasn’t her first since Tex’s arrival, but after last night and his agreement to finish the house, she couldn’t wait to share her confidence with the woman that the four orphan brothers would be coming to live at the farm and not leaving on the Orphan Train.

  “Give it back, Luke,” Fanny whined as she circled the table after the boy. Luke waved her rag doll in the air.

  Ravena blew out a sigh of frustration. The older three had accepted Tex’s offer to learn whittling this afternoon, after she and the children had returned from church services. But Luke and Fanny hadn’t wanted to join them.

  “Luke,” Ravena said, setting down her pen. “Please give Fanny back her doll.”

  The boy frowned, though he did stop running. “She keeps waving it in my face, Miss Ravena.”

  She supposed she ought to feel a twinge of gratitude that they weren’t too shy or afraid to speak their minds—their arguing showed they’d both adjusted to living here. At least enough to act like siblings. “Fanny, why were you waving the doll in Luke’s face?”

  Swiping her doll from Luke’s grasp, she came to stand by Ravena. “I want him to play with me.”

  “Why don’t you two find a game you both like?”

  Luke plunked down into a chair, his face despondent. “There isn’t one. I want to play outside, but it’s still raining.”

  “How about holding the kittens?” she asked Fanny.

  The girl shook her head. “They don’t want to sit in my lap anymore.”

  Ravena tapped her pen, thinking. There must be something they could do indoors, while giving her the space—and peace—to finish her letter. “I know.” She shot them each a smile. “Why don’t you play train and conductor in the parlor?”

  Luke’s eyes brightened. “Can we move the furniture?”

  “Yes.”

  Hopping out of his chair, he raced toward the door. “Come on, Fanny. You and your doll can be the passengers ’cause I’m gonna be the conductor.”

  Fanny gave a happy laugh. “Let’s go, Lucinda,” she murmured to her rag doll. “We’ll be late for our train.”

  Quiet descended over the kitchen once more, to Ravena’s relief, though she could still hear the children talking excitedly in the parlor. She felt a great sense of satisfaction as she completed her letter and set it aside to mail tomorrow. Her grandfather’s wish would soon be fulfilled. And with Tex building the house for free, she and the children would be able to keep her meager savings against... She glanced out the window and chuckled. Well, against a rainy day.

  Singing one of the hymns they’d sung at church, she rose to her feet to start preparing supper. A short time later, she realized she could no longer hear Luke and Fanny. Had they gone outside? She decided to check and see if they had left the parlor.

  She walked down the hall to find the room rearranged. The sofa had been pulled away from the wall and turned around with the armchairs flanking it. As she stepped closer, she spotted Luke and Fanny on the floor on the other side of the sofa.

  “What are you two—”

  “Look what we found, Miss Ravena,” Luke exclaimed. He held bundles of cash in each hand. Ravena could see Fanny was holding something too. One of Tex’s saddlebags lay open beside them.

  She hurried around the chair and crouched down next to the children. “These aren’t your things, children. These are Mr. Beckett’s things.”

  “How come he has so much money?”

  Ravena ignored the question. “You need to put everything back.”

  “Are you mad, Miss Ravena?” Fanny regarded her with large blue eyes.

  “It wasn’t right to go through his bag, but no, I’m not mad.” Hopefully Tex wouldn’t be either. “Now hand me those things and we’ll get this cleaned up.”

  Luke nodded and passed her the wads of cash. Thankfully it looked like he and Fanny hadn’t completely emptied the saddlebag. “We’re sorry, Miss Ravena.”

  “Thank you for that, Luke.” She stuffed the money back into the bag and reached her hand out for whatever Fanny was gripping. It appeared to be an old piece of paper.

  “That one’s a treasure map,” Luke said in an awed tone.

  Was the boy’s description true? Ravena took the paper from Fanny and unfolded it, enough to peek at the writing. Sure enough words and symbols met her gaze. Why would Tex have a treasure map? She stuffed it into the bag with the money before she noticed several envelopes scattered about the rug. “Did those come from Mr. Beckett’s bag too?”

  Luke gathered them up. “They’re just empty envelopes, nothin’ interesting. Except they have your name on them, Miss Ravena.”

  “What?” She snapped her chin up as he passed her the envelopes. Sure enough her name and the address of the farm were scrawled on the front of each. Ravena studied the envelopes, wondering why they looked familiar. And why Tex would have them. He hadn’t written her once since he’d left.

  Sudden understanding drew a soft gasp from her lips. These envelopes were an exact match to the ones she’d received through the years with no note and some money inside. But if Tex had the envelopes, then that meant... She shook her head in disbelief. Tate hadn’t been the one to send her the money; it had been Tex all along.

  Surprise, gratitude and sadness battled for dominance inside her. Tex hadn’t stopped thinking or caring about her after leaving so long ago. And yet, she would have valued a short note from him above any amount of money. Some word that he was still out there and hadn’t forgotten her.

  “I’m going to ask Mr. Beckett about this,” she said, placing all but one envelope back inside Tex’s saddlebag. The remaining one she tucked into her apron pocket. Then she stood and hefted both satchels in her arms. “You two, finish straightening up the parlor. I’ll be back.”

  She stepped out the front door and onto the porch, her mind racing at her discovery. Tex would need to find a new place to stow his saddlebags, especially given how much money he had inside them. Money that she now believed she knew how he’d earned. But she’d need to confirm it with Tex first.

  Darting into the rain, she moved with purpose toward the barn.

  * * *

  “That looks great, Ginny,” Tex said, nodding at the girl and her small carving of a house. Out of the three children, she’d taken to the whittling lesson the best.

  Mark frowned at his piece of wood. “What about mine, Mr. Beckett?”

  Tex fought a smile at the irregular-shaped box. It reminded him of his first attempts. “You’re getting the hang of it, Mark. Keep carving.”

  “This is kind of fun,” Jacob conceded.

  “And relaxing.” Tex smiled with contentment and cut another groove into the bird he was making.

  He’d felt bad turning down another request from Fanny for him to attend church services. The rain had limited what he could do outdoors while they were gone, so he’d opted for some time in the barn, carving. But he missed having the children around. When they’d returned, he’d offered to teach anyone who wanted to learn how to whittle. Mark, Ginny and Jacob had all volunteered.

  A sound at the barn door made him lift his head. Ravena ducked inside, clutching something in her arms, her long hair damp from the rain. Tex felt his smile deepen. Having her join them would make the whittling
lesson even more enjoyable.

  “How are things going in here?” she asked as she walked to where they sat at the back of the barn.

  Tex gestured to the three children. “They’re doing well.”

  Ravena exclaimed over each of their carvings, then turned her attention to him. “What is that you’re making?”

  He held up the bird, though he didn’t want to tell her yet that it was a raven. Even after leaving Idaho, he’d thought of her every time he’d spotted a raven. The bird’s glossy black coat reminded him of Ravena’s dark hair and eyes. And the one story he could vividly recall from his mother reading the Bible to him and Tate was the one about the ravens bringing food to the prophet Elijah. To him, Ravena had always embodied a similar spirit of compassion and loyalty.

  “That’s beautiful, Tex.”

  Her compliment warmed him more than the barn, until he saw that she was carrying his saddlebags. A prick of alarm shot through him. “You sendin’ me on my way?” he half teased.

  The three children looked horrified at his question. Mark even cried out, “No, you can’t, Miss Ravena.”

  She shook her head. “I thought it might be best if you stowed these somewhere else besides the parlor.” She bent toward him to whisper, “Luke and Fanny found them.”

  He felt relieved. “If you set them here, I’ll put them away when we’re done.”

  “Actually, I wanted to speak with you.”

  “Oh?” he hedged, watching her closely as she set down his saddlebags. She didn’t appear angry or upset. If anything he thought she looked resigned. But was she feeling resigned in a good way or a bad way?

  Ravena straightened, her hand moving to her apron pocket. He saw the edge of what appeared to be an envelope sticking out. Maybe she’d received some bad news. “Children, will you excuse me and Mr. Beckett, please?”

  Mark and Jacob huffed. Even Ginny looked disappointed.

  “We’ll only be a few minutes,” she said, her face full of understanding at their reluctance. Tex had a sudden desire to go with them. “You can keep carving your things on the porch.”