The Homecoming

by Christine Sterling

  The Homecoming

  Belles of Wyoming #6

  Christine Sterling

  Table of Contents

  License Note

  Get Free Books

  Acknowledgements

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Epilogue

  Leave a Review

  The Belles of Wyoming

  Sneak Peek

  About Christine

  Read all of Christine’s Books

  License Note

  This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  -- Christine Sterling

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  Acknowledgements

  I am more amazed by my heavenly Father who has allowed to make a living doing something I love. I am eternally grateful for all your blessings and I know I’m unworthy. Thank you for loving me.

  My husband Daniel, who consistently asks me if I’ve achieved my daily word count. You are one of the blessings I say thanks for, every day. I love you more than you will ever know.

  My beautiful daughters, Rebecca, Nora and Elizabeth, you provide me with such hope. I love you very much.

  To the Belles of Wyoming authors, thank you for making the best series possible. These stories have been so much fun to write with you!

  #Editorsrock – I am so grateful that I have a team that has my back. Carolyn and Amy, I appreciate your comments and candor so much! Here’s to many more books together.

  To my reader family, your words and notes of encouragement mean so much to this writer! I appreciate your support.

  Second chances are not given to make things right. But are given to prove that we could do better even after we fall. - Anon.

  Chapter 1

  Spring 1866, Belle, Wyoming

  Clementine Beck lifted her face to the sun. It was an unusually warm day for early April. She was excited because her best friend was back in town and they were going to meet this afternoon by the side of the lake. His family had been gone for four weeks and Clementine felt lost without him.

  She picked several small wild flowers that were growing in the lush grass. She twirled them around before adding them to the growing pile at her feet. She’d take them back to Momma when she headed back to their small cabin on the outskirts of Belle.

  Clementine had lived in Belle her whole life. She didn’t think there was anywhere more beautiful in the world. Although her world only consisted of Glenda or Ft. Laramie, and Belle.

  She would ride with her father when he and Mr. Johnson traveled to those towns for supplies. They were responsible for meeting the trains when they were due to come in and offload the supplies the town needed.

  Mr. Johnson owned the horse farm where Clementine and her family lived, as well as the livery in town. Her father helped Mr. Johnson raise horses, many of which were sold to the Army at Ft. Bridger.

  Since Belle didn’t have a train station, all deliveries were carried into Belle by wagon. Clementine picked up another handful of flowers and separated the blades of grass from the stems.

  She looked around, wondering where Hank was. The sun was high in the sky, which meant it was somewhere around noon. Clementine knew she was early. She could see her father in the distance, training the horses in the pen. She gave a wave and he returned it before slapping the horses to keep moving.

  She had been so distracted that morning, that her mother finally had enough when Clementine pulled out, three times, the stitching she had done. She couldn’t concentrate, she told Momma.

  Momma told her to get out of the kitchen and go meet Hank. She didn’t want Clementine to mess up something else. Clementine was a dutiful daughter in every way. Only ten years old, she woke up early each day to help her mother with all the chores around the house.

  Every morning, she helped her mother cook breakfast. On Mondays, she helped wash and hem the family’s clothes. Tuesdays, she washed the floors. Wednesdays, she made butter from the cream that rose to the top of the milk pail. Thursdays and Fridays were for helping to mend the clothes that always seemed to have holes in them.

  On top of that, she assisted tending the small vegetable garden that fed their family all winter. She was silent in her work and never complained once. However, today was unlike any other day. She vibrated with electricity from the moment she woke up. Her thoughts were consumed about when she would see Hank.

  She had known the Lucas family for all her life; their family lived on the farm north of theirs, with their aunt and uncle. Her earliest memories were about Hank and his older brother, Seth.

  Momma said she and Hank were attached at the hip since they could walk. They learned to skip rocks, climb trees, and even read and write together.

  But the turning point was last summer, when she went to visit the Lucas house with her Momma. Mrs. Lucas and Momma were putting up pints of blackberry jam. Clementine’s hands were stained with juice from picking the sweet fruit. She returned with a full pail of plump berries. Hank’s bucket was nearly empty. He ate as many as he saved.

  “I’m headed to the creek to wash my hands,” Clementine said. “Bet I can beat you!”

  Hank and Seth took off towards the creek. Seth’s long legs covering twice the ground as Hank’s shorter ones.

  “Hey look, Clemmie,” Hank said, holding up a handful of tadpoles, “the spring peppers are hatching.”

  Clementine lifted her skirt and sloshed over to where Hank and Seth were lifting out the tadpoles and counting them before releasing them back into the water. The tadpoles tickled her toes as she watched them wriggle back and forth.

  Hank and Seth moved to a deeper part of the creek, and Clementine followed. Seth and Hank build a pool with rocks to contain the tadpoles they found. But as they put the tadpoles in the rock pool, they would swim right back out again and disappear into the murky water.

  Clementine spied a big rock that would be perfect for blocking the entrance to the mini pool they created. She misjudged the depth of the water and end up falling face first into creek.

  She had stepped where the creek dropped off into the Belle River. Clementine screamed, her arms thrashing in the air. She didn’t know how to swim.

  How could she be so stupid? Her father would tan her hide if he found out. He told her time and again, not to go past the fallen tree and today, she didn’t listen.

  Her head went under the water, the weight of her dress dragging her down. She tried to breathe, and she tasted the murky water filling her mouth and nose. She was going to die.

  Just when she thought her lungs would burst, a bright light appeared and a hand reached down, pulling her to the shore.

  Hank rolled her over on her belly. “Spit it out, Clemmie,” he said slapping her back.

  Clementine coughed, spitting river water on the sand.

  “Golly, Clemmie, you almost drowned,” Seth said.

  “Why don’t you tell us something we don’t know,” Hank
said, hitting his brother in the shin. Seth cried and hopped around on one foot. “You alright, Clemmie?” Hank said, pushing her hair back.

  Clementine nodded. “I don’t want to tell Pa what happened.” Hank nodded. She loved her father dearly, but he wouldn’t think twice about having her go pick her own switch from the tree out front.

  “We won’t tell him, Clementine. I promise.” They led Clementine back to the house where her mother panicked, seeing her drenching from the river. Hank lied, saying he fell and ended up pulling Clementine with him.

  Clementine could still remember the next day when Hank couldn’t sit still at church. He wouldn’t meet her eyes and she knew he had taken a thrashing for her.

  He was her hero. He rescued her and made sure she wasn’t punished. There was no one like Hank, Clementine thought. And there never will be. She was going to marry him some day.

  Lately, though, when they were together, she felt a strange sensation overtake her. It was like little butterflies were fluttering around in her stomach. She caught herself staring him and hurriedly looking away when he would notice.

  She had goosebumps crawl up her arms when he would touch her. She had tried to ask her mother what the feelings were, to which her mother laughed and said that she was too young to get such a feeling. In a few years’ time, she would be glad to explain to her what this all meant. But what did her age have anything to do with it?

  She looked over and saw Hank walking up to their spot on the hill. She waved at him, and saw he waved back. He smiled, his lips spreading across his face in a wide grin. He pushed his shaggy brown hair behind his ear as he sat down next to her. He was so tall, even at 10 years old.

  “How was the trip?” she asked, as he scooted closer to her. Clementine could smell his father’s bay rum on him. Hank must have taken a splash before coming to meet her. She warmed at the thought of him wanting to smell nice for her.

  “It was fun. I’ve never been on a train before. They have small rooms with beds in it. It’s like being in a house that moves! And there is just so much land out there. Santa Fe is nothing like here.”

  “What’s so different?” she asked. Clementine had only been to the train depots and the town of Belle. Her world was so small, she couldn’t even imagine how different it was past the train tracks.

  “Well, they don’t have these,” he said, as he picked up the wild flowers by her feet. “They have these green plants with thorns. They are kind of like roses, only they don’t have petals. Though they do have these little fruits on them. They are called cactus. You can also eat them; though I don’t know why people would. They aren’t really tasty.”

  “And then the people are really different down there. They are always moving. They seemed friendly enough though.”

  “But if they don’t have wild flowers, what is there to look at?” Clementine asked honestly.

  Hank looked over at Clementine and laughed. It was deep and rich, unlike any laugh that Clementine had heard. It was comforting.

  “Rocks. Lots of rocks.”

  “Like the ones in the creek?”

  “No. These big rocks and lots of sand. Pa called it a desert.”

  “Dessert? Like cake?”

  “No, a desert.”

  Clementine scooted a little closer and put her head on his shoulder. He was half a head taller than her, but when they were sitting, he was the perfect height for her to rest her head.

  Hank put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.

  “I’m glad you are home. I missed you terribly,” she said.

  “I missed you too.” He shifted positions so he could look at her. “I have to tell you something, Clemmie.”

  Clementine looked at the sadness which appeared on his face. She wondered why his demeanor change so quickly. Maybe he didn’t feel the same about her?

  Not wanting to be embarrassed, she quickly changed the subject. “You didn’t miss much here,” she said. “Lottie had her baby though, so maybe you did miss something.” Lottie was one of the horses in the stable.

  “Clemmie, listen to me. This is important,” he said softly. “I have to tell you something.”

  “What is it?” Clementine asked, though she was scared at what he was going to tell her. His actions reminded her of when her father had to tell her that the Johnson’s dog Rover had died.

  “We’re only back for a short time.”

  “What does that mean? Are you going on another trip?”

  Hank shook his head. His brown hair falling in his eyes. “We are moving.”

  “Where?” Clementine asked, but she already knew the answer.

  “Santa Fe.”

  Clementine’s eyes widened. She shot up on her knees and turned, grasping Hank’s forearm. “Don’t you lie to me, Hank Lucas. You said you were only going on a trip with your family.”

  Hank looked at the grass. “It was just a trip, Clemmie. Honest it was. But Father found work in the railroad down there. Work that would pay him more than what he would be making here,” he said, as he grasped the grass around his feet and created a pile next to Clementine’s wild flowers.

  “I thought your family liked it here?”

  “We do, but this is just an opportunity that Pa couldn’t pass up.” He turned and looked into her eyes. She could see the sadness in them, as if he was pleading with her to understand. “This isn’t my choice; I want you to know that. If I could stay, I would.”

  “Why can’t you stay? You can stay with us! You could be the son my father always wanted!” she told him. It bothered her slightly to think of him as her brother, but if it meant he could stay…

  “I tried, Clemmie. I don’t want to move. I even asked if I could stay as an apprentice to Paps. I’ve always wanted to work with the horses.”

  Clementine nodded her head. She knew how much Hank loved tending to the horses in the livery. Sometimes after school they would run down to see the horses and pet them. If they were lucky, Paps would have an apple that they could give the horses.

  “When I mentioned it to Mother and Father though, they didn’t think it would be a good idea. They said that my place should be with my family; maybe when I’m older I can think about becoming a horse apprentice.”

  Clementine felt her chest grow heavy. She wasn’t going to cry. “When are you leaving?” she asked hesitantly, dreading the answer.

  “Tomorrow morning. Pa and I only came back to pack our things. Mother and Seth are still down there. I was supposed to stay with them, but I couldn’t. I begged to come back so I could say goodbye to you.”

  Clementine felt her heart squeeze. He had come back to say goodbye to her; that had to mean something. She squeezed her eyes shut and grasped at the grass next to her thighs. “I don’t know what I am going to do without you,” she whispered.

  “Neither do I,” he answered back.

  “You’ll probably forget me as soon as you leave,” she said, as her lips trembled.

  Hank scoffed. “I could never forget you, not even if I tried.”

  “Really?” she asked hopefully.

  “Really,” he said affirmatively. “I promise you, Clementine Beck, that you are the most important girl to me. And no matter how far we are apart, you will always be on my mind.” He grasped her hands in his. “Do you promise me?”

  “Promise you what?” she asked, though she was willing to promise him anything.

  “Do you promise to never forget me? Do you promise to wait for me?”

  She didn’t hesitate. “Yes, Hank Lucas. I promise that I will never forget you for as long as I live. I promise that I will wait for you, for you to come back to me.”

  “And I promise that I will come back to you, no matter how long it takes. Because we are meant to be together,” he said, as he kissed her forehead.

  Clementine closed her eyes and reveled in his lips being so closed to her. She wasn’t sure the feelings she had, but she knew in that moment she would probably never feel this way with any other
boy. Though she wouldn’t admit it to him, she knew that Hank Lucas had taken the only thing she wasn’t sure she could give: her heart.

  Chapter 2

  Spring 1881, Belle, Wyoming

  Hank stepped off the train, wiping off the sweat on his forehead and staring at the area around him. It looked so familiar and yet felt so strange, like he was in a dream. The last time he was at the station in Glenda he was leaving the place he called home and the one girl that never left his mind.

  Hard to believe it was fifteen years ago, but it seemed like it was only yesterday.

  He knew in his heart that coming back to Belle, Wyoming was the best decision for him, and Abby, but he couldn’t help but concentrate on the fear settling into his stomach as he stood on that platform. He searched the bustling people around him for a familiar face.

  He was searching for one face in particular, but he scolded himself for searching for her. She probably didn’t even know he was returning. He had sent word to his aunt.

  He had no right to look for her; he had all but disappeared from her life. He wouldn’t even know what to say to her when he saw her and he hated himself for secretly wishing she was here, waiting for him. He didn’t even know if she was in Belle. His aunt never said, and he never asked.

  She was probably married with a house full of children. That thought hurt his heart and he rubbed his chest, wishing it would go away.

  He felt a tug on his sleeve, and he looked down at the little girl standing next to him. Her small face turned up to him, her sparkling hazel eyes widening. She was nervously biting her lip as she tugged his jacket again.

  A wave of sadness passed through him as he put his hand on her curly blonde hair. She looked so much like his brother it made his heart ache. “Are we at our new home?” she asked, her eyes turning to their surroundings.

  He smiled sadly at her. “We will be soon, Dewdrop. We have a wagon ride first.” He held his hand out to her and she clutched it with her tiny fingers. They walked down the platform on the dirt road next to the train station. Before them, the buildings stretched before him.