Kneeling on the hardwood floor as Reverend Mann had said a man ought to pray, Reuben began.
“Lord, I’ve been trying to do what’s right in Your eyes, but I still”—he drew in a shuddering breath—“I still feel like I’m not good enough. I know I’ve done all those things Colt said, but the idea that You’ve forgiven me just doesn’t add up.”
Charlotte’s words at the box social chased Colt’s words around Reuben’s mind.
“Now, Lord, I’m not saying what Jesus did for me wasn’t enough. It was plenty for one thief on the cross. And I have a feeling he and I aren’t much different.”
Reuben paused and heard only the sounds of the traffic outside and hotel noises below. He touched his face, and it was wet with tears.
“Remember me.”
The weight on Reuben’s shoulders nearly suffocated him as he remained on his knees, his head bowed. Colt was right. He’d worn the past like his old coat and dragged it along behind him like a string of chains when it got too heavy. The bitter realization made a flood of tears burst from inside, tears he’d never let himself shed since that day in Denmark.
“Please release me from this, Lord.” Now he was blubbering like a five-year-old. “I’m not sorry about getting caught. I know what I’ve done was wrong.”
A quiet breeze drifted in the window, and it held a hint of early Texas spring.
I make all things new.
The silent words wrapped around Reuben and swallowed up the weight that covered him. He felt as if he’d dropped a heavy load.
Reuben imagined he was out riding Checkers and had cast a burden on the trail. He could picture himself looking back at the heap lying in the dust. Sure, he’d owned up to it, but he wouldn’t carry it any longer. Then another rider came up on a horse that glowed brighter than fresh cotton. This rider took up Reuben’s load and slung it over his shoulder. His smile hit Reuben like the sun’s glow.
Let’s ride together.
Reuben opened his eyes to see the blanket on his bed in the hotel. It was time to go home.
Charlotte flung back the covers and rolled out of bed. The new dress with its sprigs of flowers hung on the dress form in her room. She and Momma had worked to finish the dress before Reuben returned home—today!
The simple telegraph lay on the washstand, and Charlotte had dreamed of the message the whole night:
“Returning. Arriving Wednesday on stage. RW.” She hoped and prayed that Reuben’s errand was successful.
She hurried through her simple chores and helped Momma make breakfast but didn’t change into the new dress until it was time for them to leave for town.
Why had she doubted? For an instant, Charlotte wondered what dark thing lay in store for them.
“Sorry, Lord. I didn’t mean to borrow trouble. Go before us today and guide our steps. Watch over Reuben on his journey.” She stood before the looking glass that hung on the wall over the washstand and pinched her cheeks. Color sprang into them.
“You ready?” Pa called at her door. “Don’t know exactly when that stage will arrive, but I’d like to be there. The team’s waitin’ outside.”
“I’ll be right there, Pa.” Charlotte paused and glanced back into her bedroom. A spinster’s bedroom. The room of a woman who waited for a broken promise to be fulfilled. No, not quite broken. Just delayed. She regretted the lost years she had spent, not in idleness certainly, but in waiting. But some things, some people were worth waiting for.
Momma was fastening the bow under her chin when Charlotte entered the kitchen. “Sam, I don’t see why you’re going, too.”
“Etta, the other boys have things in hand around here till we get back. Besides, I need to speak with Reuben.” Pa showed them a folded piece of paper money. “He asked me to keep this while he was gone—says he doesn’t know how it came to be inside his coat pocket and didn’t want to be caught holding this money.”
Charlotte eyed the money. “You think someone might be trying to make it look like he’s stealing again?” No, not Reuben. But all that money at the social and him at the bank—the idea made her blood boil.
Pa nodded slowly. “If Reuben’s in trouble, he needs all the friends he can get right now.”
She looked at Pa. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Didn’t want you to spend your time worryin’ while Reuben was gone.”
Charlotte grabbed her shawl and followed them into the late winter chill. Borrowing trouble? She suddenly felt as if they’d bought a whole pile of it.
Days spent on the stage left Reuben with a short scruff of beard and a weary heart. He hadn’t expected his brother to rush to him with open arms. He hadn’t expected his faith to be shaken to its crumbly foundations, either.
The buildings of Raider’s Crossing loomed ahead. Home. For good or ill, Reuben would stay. He squinted from his place on top of the stage. Better on the outside freezing than inside below with a screaming baby and folks smelling of travel.
Reuben caught sight of the Jeffers’ wagon, and his heart leapt when he saw Charlotte. The first thing he wanted to do, after getting a bath and shave, of course, then speaking with her pa, was take her in his arms.
Then he saw the fear on Charlotte’s face.
Another sight made his heart fall. There stood the sheriff, Mr. Woodward, the newspaper man, and James Johansson.
Be my shield, Lord. I have no defense but the truth.
Reuben waited until the stage rolled to a stop. He climbed down, his heart pounding a drumbeat. Charlotte ran to him and wrapped him in a strong hug.
“I don’t believe it. They’re wrong,” she whispered in his ear. “You should have told me about the money.”
“I didn’t want to worry you,” he whispered back.
Fresh tears came from her eyes. “You sound like Pa.”
“I consider that to be a compliment.”
“Miz Jeffers,” came the sheriff ’s no-nonsense voice, “you need to step aside.”
She did so slowly, her hands curled into fists. “You’ve got no proof.”
“Have I done something wrong, Sheriff?” Reuben looked him in the eye.
“That remains to be seen, Wilson.” The sheriff nodded in the direction of Mr. Woodward and James. “You need to come down to my office and answer some questions. Mr. Woodward is asking that robbery charges be lodged against you.”
Chapter 9
Reuben’s eyelids drooped as he sat in the stiff-backed chair across from the sheriff. He didn’t know how many times he repeated the same answers to the same questions.
“Like I said before, I only made one deposit and one withdrawal. Check the bank records.”
The sheriff kicked back in his chair and leaned against the wall. “Mr. Woodward here says he started noticing money missing about the same time you arrived in Raider’s Crossing. And he told me about the time y’all bumped heads at the bank, money going everywhere.
“I’m sure it’s mighty tempting to a man in your position to see a month’s worth of wages going across the floor.”
Reuben curled his hands into fists at his sides. A man in your position. “Sheriff, I’m not that kind of man anymore. I’ve earned my money from hard work, not thieving.”
James stepped forward. “And you have enough to throw down for a silly supper? What, were you trying to impress her father?”
It would take but one punch to fell this dandy.
Reuben sucked in a deep breath. “I don’t recall the sheriff allowing you to ask questions. In fact, I don’t know why you’re here in the first place.” He glared at James, who shrank back to the corner. “You’ve had it in for me since the day I came here. Wouldn’t it be something else if you were the one causing all this trouble?”
James licked his lips. “Howard, tell him about the accounts.”
Mr. Woodward began. “I’ve been missing money, here and there, five to ten dollars at a time, from the subscription receipts.” He tossed a ledger onto the table. “Sheriff, start from th
e beginning of this year.”
“I’m not a man of numbers, Woodward.” The sheriff thumbed the pages. “What’m I looking at?”
“The missing amounts are circled, right here. Somehow between the newspaper office and the bank, the money goes missing.” Mr. Woodward pointed to the last entry. “See here? Last Tuesday, five more dollars missing.”
Reuben sat up straighter. “Mr. Woodward, I believe you’ve got a thief, and I know it’s not me. I was in Huntsville visiting my brother in prison on that date. The Jeffers family has two telegraphs I sent, on my arrival and right before I left. And the prison has a record of my visits.”
James’s face had turned the color of paste. “Wh–what?”
Mr. Woodward turned to face James. “You told me you had seen Reuben that day in town. Unless he can work some kind of trick, I don’t see as how he can be two places at once.”
James bolted for the door, but Reuben stuck out his foot and sent the man flying. Not quite a punch, but at the moment it would serve the cause of justice.
Charlotte saw Reuben leaving the sheriff ’s office before Momma and Pa did. “He’s coming out!” She picked up the hem of her skirt and ran for him. “What happened?”
He smiled at her, his green eyes alight in a way she hadn’t seen in years. “It was James all along. Seems he had a hankering for a new buggy and other things. Figured a few dollars here and there would help. When I came to town, he started getting greedier.”
“So that explains it. I wondered how he got that buggy.” She shook her head. Reuben offered her his arm, and they walked along to her parents’ wagon.
“He looked squeaky clean around me.” Reuben shrugged. “Get enough rumors flying, people will look the other way at what’s under their noses. Howard Woodward didn’t quite suspect me, though. But he had an idea something was up when Mrs. Booth mentioned me being out of town on the same day James said he saw me on the street passing by the newspaper office.”
Charlotte laughed. “Thank you, Mrs. Booth, for sharing information! I never thought I’d say that.”
Reuben’s chuckle made her go all warm inside. “Yes, and thank You, Lord.”
“What about Colt? How is he?”
“About as well as you can expect in prison. I offered him a place here with me one day, but he’s got somewhere else in mind. He showed me something, even though he didn’t want to listen about God changing him.” Reuben stopped and took Charlotte’s hands in his. “He showed me I was wrong, thinking I could earn my forgiveness. Like if I did enough good, it would cancel out the bad. It’s hard sometimes, still, thinking about what I’ve done, but I’m ready to start looking forward.”
Charlotte smiled. “Me, too. And one day I’d love to see Colt and thank him.”
“You two going to talk each other to death?” Pa’s voice carried over the wind that held the hint of early spring. “In case you didn’t know, it’s freezing out here.”
Reuben tied a knot in his necktie. He could never get used to feeling gussied up, but when a fellow proposed marriage, he couldn’t take a chance at appearing in less than his best. Sam had told him to make sure he joined them for supper. Maybe he was a tad overdressed for a Wednesday night supper, but he figured he wouldn’t be comfortable even in his everyday work clothes.
He crossed the yard to the main house where the scent of supper drifted from the kitchen door. Charlotte’s and her ma’s laughter joined the smells that made his stomach growl louder. After a week of jerky and stale bread, a supper of beef and potatoes would go down well. Thank You, Lord, for true freedom.
“There you are!” Charlotte stood in the doorway and drew him inside with her hand. Her smile made him feel warm to his toes. She squeezed his hand, and he raised her hand to his lips. The blush that swept over her face reminded him of the days in summer when they’d tear around on horseback and she’d leave her sunbonnet at home.
Sam entered the kitchen and surveyed the table laden with food. “Son, I almost feel like sending you away again so we can eat like this every night.”
“Now, Sam,” his wife chided. But she beamed, as well, when he tugged on her apron strings.
Sam asked the blessing once they were all seated around the table. “Lord, thank You for this food. Bless it to our bodies and our lives for Your service. We thank You for delivering Reuben from the snare of the wicked today. Thank You, as well, for bringing him home again. Amen.” At that Reuben tightened his grip around Charlotte’s hand.
“Sir,” he ventured once they filled their plates, “I must talk to you about something important, before I lose my nerve and before I eat and lose my supper at the idea of speaking to you.”
Charlotte’s father set his fork down next to his plate. “Well, if it’s all that important, I’d like to hear it before I eat.”
“Two things.” Reuben tugged at his necktie. “First, I love your daughter. I always have, and I always will.” He could feel her face glowing from where she sat opposite him. “I haven’t been a Christian man for many years, but I’m learning. Once I can provide for her properly, I want to marry her, and I’d like your blessing.” His throat hurt after the long speech.
Sam nodded. “I appreciate you asking me first. I see Charlotte’s answer on her face.”
Reuben reached for Charlotte’s hand. “I love you, Charlie Jeffers, till the stars die. I was stupid and selfish many years ago, but I promise you I’ll never leave our love behind again. We were only children, but even then I knew…”
“I did, too.” A tear slid down Charlotte’s cheek, and she grinned as she dashed it away with her free hand.
“Now.” Sam punctuated his sentence by slamming his palm on the table so hard his coffee cup jumped. “How do you propose to provide for my daughter?”
Reuben cleared his throat. “That’s the second thing I’d like to talk to you about. I want to buy back the land my family used to own. I don’t have enough money yet to make you a good offer, but I’m working on that.”
Sam picked up his fork and stabbed a bite of meat on his plate. He swirled it in some gravy and popped it in his mouth. Reuben could almost see the man’s mind working as he ate.
Reuben followed Sam’s lead and popped a piece of meat into his mouth although his appetite had fled. He swallowed it without even noticing that it was so tender it melted in his mouth. Then he paused and smiled at Charlotte. They had so many things to talk about.
At last Sam broke the silence. “I can’t sell you that land.”
Reuben felt his shoulders sag, but he refused to let Sam see the dreams crumbling inside him. “I…I see.”
“I’m going to give it to you.”
“Sir—” Reuben’s throat tied itself in a knot to match his necktie.
Sam raised his hand. “No. Cut that out. I know what you’re goin’ to say. You don’t deserve that. Maybe not. But this is what we’ll do.” He took another bite.
“What’s that?”
“I’m going to give you the pick of the spring calves this year, seein’ as how you’re going to help me with the calving. You raise those and add to the small herd I know you can buy.” Sam sipped his coffee. “Then, for the next three years, all the female calves your herd bears will be mine.”
The room seemed to spin around him. “You’d do that?”
“We both want the same thing. I want my little girl cared for. I want you and Charlotte to work that parcel…together.”
“Oh, Pa. It’s a dream come true.” Charlotte squeezed Reuben’s hand.
Sam smiled, a rare sight Reuben hadn’t recalled since working for the man. “That it is.”
Epilogue
Charlotte and Reuben rode out to their future home. The March breeze spoke of living things and new chances. The Wilsons’ soddy would be snug until Reuben had completed repairs on the main wood-frame house, abandoned for years. Charlotte could hardly wait to make the place their own.
“Think we’ll be courting for long?”
“I do
n’t know,” Reuben replied. “I think your pa knows we spent many years apart. I think a summer wedding is fine. Except I’d marry you tomorrow if I could.”
“My dress isn’t finished.” Charlotte studied his expression. “I know you’re wanting a short walk to the altar, but I’m not getting married in my Sunday dress. I’ve waited too long for you to take shortcuts now.”
“I know.” He smiled that Wilson smile she loved so well.
They halted the horses, and Charlotte swung off her horse. Reuben did the same, and Checkers and Belle strolled on long reins as they munched the new grass.
Reuben took Charlotte’s hand. “I need to be getting back soon, but I wanted to have a few minutes of quiet. Promise me one thing?”
“Of course.”
“Help me keep looking for Caleb and Benjamin.”
“You can count on me.” She would sprout wings and scout the land for the two men if she could.
“It doesn’t matter if they don’t want to come home. I want to know they’re safe and well, and if they need help, I want them to know I’m here.” Reuben blinked, and Charlotte thought she saw a few unshed tears.
“We’ll find them together.” She squeezed his hand tighter.
“That’s how I always want it to be.” He pulled her into his arms. “You and me, together.”
“Till the stars die,” Charlotte whispered just before Reuben kissed her.
THE PEACEMAKER
by DiAnn Mills
Chapter 1
Texas 1880
When Anne Langley became a widow, she vowed her children would know Jesus and never go hungry. She’d accomplished those things and more. Standing on the back porch of her white-stone home that faced east, she sipped from a mug of strong coffee and watched the sun slowly expand the horizon in shades of purple, orange, and pink. She inhaled the beauty around her—the kind of beauty that only God could paint. Morning had come to life with color and promise for the day. Heaven’s beams gently illuminated the hundreds of acres Anne called the Double L.
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