by Regina Scott
His partner was close behind, pack grasped in each hand.
Callie frowned. “What happened to your horses?”
Zachariah shifted from foot to foot as Willard joined them. “Well, we were running out of money...”
So they’d sold the poor things. Small wonder they hadn’t made it south. And now winter was closing in.
Just then, the schoolhouse door burst open, and children flowed out into the clearing. Frisco and Sutter ran to Callie’s side.
“We have dress rehearsal tomorrow,” Frisco announced, heedless of their visitors.
“That’s the last practice,” Sutter informed her. “We don’t really have to wear dresses.”
“Except Davy,” Frisco confided. “He plays an angel.”
Sutter shushed him. “You’re not supposed to tell!”
As Frisco looked daggers at him, the prospectors laughed.
“Sounds like you two are fitting in just fine,” Zachariah said.
Sutter blinked, then elbowed his brother. “Look, Frisco. It’s Mr. Turnpeth and Mr. Young.”
Zachariah smiled at the boys, though Willard was too busy rubbing his arms as if trying to stave off the cold.
“Good to see you, boys,” Zachariah said. “And your sister and little Mica, too. Any plans to go panning when the weather turns?”
Frisco and Sutter’s eyes lit.
“No,” Callie said, as much to answer the man as to silence her brother’s hopes. “And we’ll have to ask about you staying the night. We’re living with friends.”
“Uncle Levi will say yes,” Frisco predicted.
“He’s a minister,” Sutter explained. “He has to be nice to folks. God told him.”
Callie wasn’t so sure about that. And she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.
“I’d like to meet this uncle of yours,” Zachariah said, reaching for his pack. “Can you give me his direction?”
Sutter pointed up the hill. “Here he comes now.”
* * *
Strangers were rare enough at Wallin Landing, even with James’s store, that Levi lengthened his stride when he spotted Callie and the boys with two men he didn’t recognize. Their packs said they were travelers. Where could they be heading with winter closing in?
Sutter ran to meet him. “Prospectors came by,” he reported, falling in next to Levi and scurrying to keep up. “They knew our pa.”
As he drew abreast of the men, he could see the pan affixed to each pack. He aligned himself next to Callie. She took a step closer as if needing his support.
“Friends of yours?” he asked.
She shrugged as if she wasn’t sure. “They came by the claim the day you arrived. They say they knew Pa and Adam.”
The closest man stuck out his hand and introduced himself and his partner. “We were hoping to beg a room for the night.”
Sutter perked up. “Like Mary and Joseph. Only we got room at the inn.”
Levi smiled at him before turning to the two men and shaking Zachariah’s hand. “Levi Wallin. I’m the pastor of the church. You’re welcome to stay in the hall tonight, and Callie and I can cook you dinner and then breakfast in the morning.”
“Much obliged,” Zachariah said as he drew back his hand. “And I’m glad to see Fred’s children and Adam’s little girl in such a nice place. You’ve done Adam proud. He was a good man.”
“Smart, too,” his partner said. “Smarter than us.”
He almost made it sound like a complaint. Zachariah must have thought so as well, for he stepped in front of his friend as if to keep him from saying more.
“We’re glad to accept your offer, pastor. Mighty cold in these woods the last few nights. If you could show us the hall?”
Levi led them up the hill, while Callie and Mica headed for the parsonage. Frisco and Sutter peppered the prospectors with questions as their visitors laid their packs down with a clatter and clank. Levi sent the boys for firewood for the hearth.
“Looks like you’re fixing to have a party,” Zachariah said, glancing around at the chains and cones Beth and Callie had made.
“A Christmas dance,” Levi explained. “Do you two have somewhere to be for Christmas?”
The two men exchanged glances, reminding him of Frisco and Sutter.
“We have business in the area,” Zachariah said. “I’m hoping to have it resolved by Christmas. But thank you for your concern, Pastor.”
* * *
Callie had her back up again that night as Zachariah and Willard ate dinner with them. Frisco and Sutter had arranged themselves on either side of the prospectors, sharing stories about gold rush camps they’d known.
“Adam was going to strike it rich,” Frisco bragged as they finished the stew Levi had made. “He had a place all picked out.”
Both men perked up at that.
“And he never sent back any money to show for it,” Callie countered, rising from the table.
Levi rose, as well. His look to Frisco and Sutter had them on their feet, too. Mica crowed as if she was proud of them.
Zachariah scrambled up and nudged his partner.
“What’s the to-do?” Willard grumbled, shoving back from the table.
“Didn’t your ma teach you any manners?” Zachariah demanded. “You stand up when a lady stands.”
“What lady?” Willard asked with a perplexed frown.
“That’s what I said,” Frisco told him. “It’s just Callie.”
Callie headed for the stove, but not before Levi saw that her cheeks were pinking.
“Your sister deserves the same respect as any other lady,” Levi informed her brothers.
“Are we gonna have to stand when Mica does, too?” Frisco challenged.
“When she’s old enough to be called a lady,” Levi said with a smile to the baby.
“Oh, sit down,” Callie said, bringing the pan to the table.
They all obeyed.
She served the apple pandowdy around, to the praise of the prospectors.
“Haven’t had anything so good since your brother left camp,” Zachariah declared. “He was one dedicated prospector. Takes a strong man to keep panning when the color won’t come.” He turned to Levi. “What about you, Pastor? Didn’t I hear you used to follow the creek?”
How did he know? Nothing about Levi’s clothes or demeanor showed he’d once held gold more precious than family or friends. Still, he refused to lie now.
“My partner and I had a claim at Vital Creek,” he told him, reaching to move his cup out of the way of Mica’s inquisitive fingers. “Didn’t amount to much, I’m sad to say.”
“Never too late to try again,” Zachariah commiserated.
Callie held up her spoon. “Anyone want another helping?”
Willard ignored her offer, leaning forward to meet Levi’s gaze. “I reckon you must have some idea where you’d want to try next.”
Was he looking for divine guidance? If God was going to give him a message, it wouldn’t be about where to start panning for gold. “Sorry, gents,” Levi told them. “I don’t think much about striking it rich anymore. You might say I pan for men now.”
They both frowned. So did Frisco and Sutter.
“How do you pan for men?” Sutter wanted to know.
“It’s like that story he read us from the Bible,” Callie put in, returning to her seat. “Jesus started asking men to follow Him. He told some fishermen they’d be fishers of men.”
Why was it she always understood what was in his heart? “That’s it exactly. Whatever gifts I had in life, I use them for God now.”
Willard puffed out a sigh as if highly disappointed.
“That’s real noble,” Zachariah hurried to assure Levi. “But it seems to
me that if you know the best place to pan, Pastor, and aren’t going to use it, you’re honor-bound to share.”
They were both watching him, more eager than most of his congregation during a particularly uplifting sermon.
What do I tell them, Lord? Their souls are worth so much more than the gold they seek.
A verse came immediately to mind.
“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, yet lose his own soul?” Levi quoted.
Willard’s face turned red. He shoved back from the table, making Mica squeak in surprise. “Thanks for the food and room for the night. At least that’s something.”
Zachariah rose. “That’s a great deal, you oaf.” He nodded to Levi and Callie. “Pastor, Miss Callie. Don’t worry about us in the morning. We’ll pack up and get out of your way.”
Feeling heavy, Levi walked them to the door.
“I didn’t mean to imply there was anything wrong with prospecting,” he told them. “But when the search for gold becomes everything to you, it’s time to stop.”
Zachariah nodded, but Willard leaned closer, eyes narrowed.
“Easy for you to say,” he hissed. “You got a nice house, a job that don’t take much work. You don’t deserve it. You might fool Callie and her brothers, but you don’t fool me. I heard what you did at Vital Creek. Callie and the boys wouldn’t look at you so sweetly if they knew you was nothing but a low-down claim jumper.”
Chapter Sixteen
Frisco and Sutter were bickering again, but Callie paid them only half a mind. She was watching Levi and the prospectors at the door. Having the pair extol the glories of panning to her brothers was bad enough. She wasn’t about to have them awaken the hunger in Levi.
She saw Willard’s sneer before Levi blanched. They hadn’t much liked his remark that faith was more important than gold. Very likely Willard had lashed out. She rose to intervene.
“Mighty cold out tonight,” she said as she approached the trio. “You need extra quilts?”
Willard clamped his mouth around whatever else he had been going to say.
“We’ll be fine, ma’am,” his partner said, grabbing Willard’s arm and tugging him out the door. “Thank you again for your hospitality.” They disappeared into the night.
Levi shut out the blast of cold.
“I don’t like them,” Callie said. “They better be gone in the morning and nothing missing. Frisco, Sutter, go find the hatchets and bring them inside.”
“Ah, Callie,” Frisco said, slipping off the bench. “They ain’t gonna steal nothing.”
“They aren’t going to steal anything,” Sutter corrected him. “Remember what Mrs. Wallin said? Ain’t ain’t a word.”
“Sure it’s a word,” Frisco protested. “It’s just not a word she likes.”
“Git!” Callie ordered them.
They shoved their arms into their coats and went.
“I suppose you’re going to tell me they’re fine fellows, too,” she said to Levi, going to set the wash pan on the sideboard.
“I don’t think they’ll steal,” he allowed. He walked toward her slowly, stiffly, as if he’d aged in the last few minutes. Fear curled like smoke around her.
“Do you miss it?” she asked, straightening from the sideboard. “The excitement of the camps?”
“Sometimes I miss the camaraderie,” he admitted, going to gather the pots from the stove. “Nothing like sitting around a fire with a dozen friends, celebrating, commiserating.”
Callie sighed. “There were some good times. You’ve helped me see that. But for every nugget found, there’s a life lost, days wasted, people left behind. That cost is too high.”
“Agreed.” The single word held so much pain that she crossed to his side.
“I won’t regret you never struck it rich,” she told him, fighting the need to smooth those curls off his brow. “If you had, you wouldn’t have come for me and Frisco, Sutter and Mica. You wouldn’t be the man you are today.”
“That’s true enough.” He glanced toward the door. “But why does it take a tragedy to get through to people? I’d like to spare Zachariah and Willard that.”
Callie put a hand on his arm. “That’s real kind of you, but some folks need a tree to fall on them before they pay any mind to the important things in life.”
“Yes, they do.” His gaze returned to her, shadowed. “Callie, there’s something you should know...”
Frisco and Sutter bumped through the side door just then, lugging the hatchets. Her brothers’ heads were white, making them look like little old miners.
Frisco shook off the snow with a shudder. “Coming down hard.”
Sutter dropped his hatchet on the floor. “Snow’s not hard, silly. It’s soft as a feather.”
“It will be hard enough when I make a snowball and hit you in the head,” Frisco threatened.
“Boys!” Callie went to fetch a towel. “Wipe yourselves off before you get water all over the floor.” She tossed them the towel and returned to Levi’s side. “I’m sorry. What were you saying?”
“Nothing,” he said, watching the boys. “It’s old news that has no bearing on my life today. Let’s get this cleaned up.”
* * *
Zachariah and Willard were gone the next morning. Callie checked the hall, including the pantry, but nothing seemed to be missing. Still, she watched Levi and her brothers the next few days, ready to fight any sign of gold fever. Levi seemed quieter than usual, but he went about his duties, worked with her on her reading and helped with the Christmas preparations readily enough. She even found time to slip down to the store and purchase the harmonica for him, though his brother also tried to interest her in something more romantic. As for Frisco and Sutter, preparing for the school play consumed all their time, until it was the night of the big event.
Beth had warned her everyone came dressed as if they were going to a fancy theatre, so Callie donned her mother’s gown and put a bow in Mica’s hair. The baby kept reaching up to finger the long end of the ribbon, beaming as if she knew she was even prettier than usual.
Frisco and Sutter had gone ahead to the hall to get ready, so Levi was the only one in the house when Callie and Mica came out of the bedroom. He was wearing his Sunday suit, the dark blue fabric matching his eyes. She dropped her gaze before he could notice her admiring the way it called attention to the breadth of his shoulders.
He offered her his arm. “May I have the honor of escorting you, Miss Murphy?”
So formal. As if she was a grand lady. Callie put her nose in the air, and Mica copied her. “You may, Mr. Wallin.”
He led her to the wall, then helped her into her coat. Even the worn buckskin couldn’t make her feel less like a lady tonight.
The hall did not disappoint. Lanterns here and there cast an amber light, leaving corners mysteriously shadowed. The raised platform at the top of the room held a manger filled with hay, and the wall behind it had been draped with dark fabric on which tiny sequins glittered like stars in the light. Benches had been brought from the various houses to allow seating for the parents and other family members of each child, as well as for neighbors who’d come to see the spectacle. Callie was so used to sitting at the front of the church that she was a little surprised when Levi took her and Mica to a bench a few rows back. She was just glad she could see around the people in front of her.
She recognized Nora and Simon, Dottie and John, Catherine and Drew, Beth and James as they came in and found seats for themselves and the younger Wallin children.
“That’s why you wanted us to sit back,” she murmured to Levi. “So the little ones could see their brothers and sisters.”
“And cousins. Some of the neighbors have children, too. I thought Mica might be a little young to care what she could see.”
>
He was right. Mica spent most of her time cooing at the people nearest them, all of whom looked back with fond smiles.
Just then Rina stepped to the front of the hall, purple dress splendid in the simple surroundings. Voices quieted, people leaned forward to hear her speak.
“Thank you all for coming,” she said, voice carrying. “Our students have worked hard on this theatrical. I hope you will give them your full attention. Now, without further ado, we bring you The Gift of Christmas.”
She backed against the side wall to polite applause. Mica was the last one to stop clapping.
As the hall quieted once more, from the left side of the stage, Sutter appeared with Victoria. Both wore robes belted with rope, towels draping their heads. The little girl was carrying Peter, who was fully half her size. She helped him climb into the manger where he stared at the crowd solemnly. Mica waved at him.
Callie was more interested in her brother, pale in his costume.
“We have traveled far from Nazareth,” Sutter said, gaze on the baby. “But there was no room at the inn.”
“What a gift that we could rest in this stable,” Victoria said. She knelt beside Peter and patted him. He wiggled as if the manger was too tight.
Five children came in from the right, all dressed in long white tunics with fir garlands on their heads and pasteboard wings at their backs. She recognized Mary, Drew’s daughter, and her brother Davy among them.
“Our gift to the newborn king is praise,” Drew’s daughter said.
“We come to proclaim His birth and peace to all on whom His favor rests,” Davy added.
“We have told the shepherds the Good News,” another child said. “They will be here soon.”
“I was supposed to talk first!” the fourth complained.
The other girl hung her head. “Sorry.”
“Say it,” Davy hissed.
The little girl drew herself up. “Glory to God in the highest.” She spread her tunic and curtsied.
“Let us all sing,” Davy said. “Angels from the realms of glory, wing your way through all the earth.”
The song echoed through the hall, voices joining on all sides, underscored by Drew’s deep bass. This was what a host of heaven must have sounded like—pure, clean, filled with awe and hope. Callie met Levi’s gaze, and the warmth of his smile made gooseflesh pimple her arms. She hugged Mica closer.