Redeeming Light

by Annette O'Hare

  “Well, of course you can, honey. The more the merrier, I say.”

  Grace and Guy heard about Louise’s pregnancy, and the jubilant noises started anew.

  Sarah got up and went into Daddy’s office. She ran her finger along the framed photo of her daddy, Grace and Louise’s stepfather. The events of the past few days made her more emotional than she had been in a long, long time. “Why did you have to leave us so soon, Daddy? Things haven’t been the same since you’ve been gone.” Her chest heaved. She laid her head on her arm against the hearth. “Lord, You know I can’t live here with all these people. I have to give my room up to Louise and Melvin. And now I’ll have to share a room with Mama, and You know how she snores.”

  Rex started barking, and then four short knocks sounded at the front door.

  Sarah did her best to smooth out her skirt before answering the door. Trepidation coursed through her heart. She feared Laird Crosby had returned to wreak more havoc on her family. She peeked out. “Uncle Jeremiah!” The door swung open, and she hugged him tightly around the neck. Finally.

  “Sarah Jane, how are you, my dear?” Uncle Jeremiah barely fit through. How two people could be so different in size as her uncle and her mama and come from the same two parents was a mystery. He removed his hat and handed it to her before taking off his coat.

  “I’m so happy to see you, Uncle. You sure are a sight for sore eyes.” She hung the coat and hat on the hooks beside the door.

  A young man stood behind Uncle Jeremiah. He was tall, at least six feet, and slender, but not scrawny. Behind his wire-framed spectacles, his eyes were the deepest of green. His slightly overgrown hair was dark as freshly plowed earth. A few wayward sprigs playfully curled around his ears.

  Sarah looked away as heat rose in her cheeks.

  “Sarah Jane, I would like to introduce you to my new associate, Frederick Chessher.”

  Mr. Chessher held his hand out to Sarah. “How do you do, ma’am?”

  “Pleased to meet you, Mr. Chessher.” She gestured to the couches. “Won’t you both have a seat while I fetch the others?”

  Sarah stopped in the hall and leaned her head back against the wall. She put her hand to her chest and released the air she’d been holding in. All the problems that had overwhelmed her only moments before faded into the distance. Sisters, brothers-in-law, babies, cattle, none of it mattered right now. There was no place in her mind for such things, having just laid eyes on the most handsome man she’d ever seen in her entire life. She let his name roll off her tongue. “Frederick Chessher.”

  5

  Jeremiah Logan set his coffee mug down on the table and turned to Mama. “So, you said in your wire that Laird Crosby wasn’t very gentlemanly with you?”

  Sarah smoothed out her skirt. She was never so glad as when Louise and Melvin excused themselves to start unpacking their things—even if it was into her room. And when Mama didn’t argue with Grace and Guy when they left for the lighthouse, Sarah felt as if she’d won another victory. She wanted to get to know Mr. Chessher.

  Mama tugged at the collar of her blouse. Her voice revealed the anguish she felt. “Oh, Jeremiah, he had the manners of a boar hog. He implied that our cattle might not even belong to us since Clayton didn’t have a will. He said that Clayton’s brother, Jasper, could have as much claim to the cattle as we do. And not only did he refuse to buy from us, he tried to make a trade with me.” Color rose in her face. “He implied that if I didn’t marry him and take care of his…his needs, that I might lose the cattle, the ranch, everything. Can you believe the gall of that man?”

  “That man is a…” He didn’t finish his sentence. “Don’t worry about Jasper taking your cattle. He’s so wealthy he has no need of it, and besides, he’s not entitled to it anyway.”

  Sarah stole glances at Mr. Chessher.

  He pulled at his collar, and his cheeks were turning red.

  Is he upset like Uncle Jeremiah, or am I making him uncomfortable?

  Mr. Chessher extended a hand toward Mama. “Mrs. McKinney, if I might ask, why not simply find another buyer for the cattle? Surely there are others who would be interested in the stock if it’s as good as Mr. Logan claims it is.”

  “We’ve tried,” Sarah said. “There are only a couple hundred people on the entire peninsula, and most of them are farmers. Everyone we’ve inquired with locally has the sale of their own cattle to worry about and can’t be bothered with helping us sell ours.”

  Mama wrung her hands together. “She’s right, Mr. Chessher. We’ve spoken to every rancher on the peninsula, and no one is willing to help us.”

  Uncle Jeremiah rose from the sofa and rested his elbow on the fireplace mantel. Rubbing his finger along the edge of a candleholder made from a deer antler, he stared at them. “I’m still trying to figure out a way to get back at that dog, Laird Crosby. But let’s put our heads together and figure this out.”

  “For the love of Pete, this is 1900.” Mr. Chessher gestured about the room. “There must be countless options for selling off this herd. How about the rail? Why not load the cattle on a train and ship them up north, or even out west? I understand buyers are paying top dollar for Texas beef.”

  Sarah stared at Mr. Chessher in complete admiration. She put her hand to her collar and sighed. His eloquent New England speech enamored her. She was embarrassed for him to hear her south Texas drawl.

  Uncle Jeremiah walked over to the sofa. He stared at Mama as if a firework had gone off. “June…I’m surprised you didn’t think of that. Your second husband’s brother, Mr. Winnie, headed up The Galveston and Interstate Rail. He’s been in on it from the beginning. Surely he’ll help you move the cattle out.”

  “That’s a good idea and all, but it doesn’t solve the problem of who’ll drive the cattle to the High Island terminal.”

  Sarah traded looks between Mama and Uncle Jeremiah. “I don’t understand what the big problem is. We don’t have to drive the cattle all the way to High Island. We can load them up right here at the Bolivar Station.”

  “No, honey, we can’t.” Mama pursed her lips. “You know our little station isn’t used to load cattle. We would have to drive the entire herd up to the High Island stock pens. That’s our only choice.”

  Mr. Chessher spoke up. “Perhaps Mr. Logan could post an advertisement for some cattle drivers who could move the herd to High Island.”

  Uncle Jeremiah and Mama exchanged looks between one another, nodding in agreement.

  Mama leaned against the arm of the chair where Sarah sat and put her arm around her shoulders. “I’m getting too old for all this.”

  “You’re getting too old for what, Mama?”

  “For all this. The land, the cattle.” Her face held a pained expression, her voice mournfully soft as she gestured toward the cattle outside grazing in the field. “This old ranch house. It’s more than we can take care of.”

  Uncle Jeremiah gave his sister a disparaging look. “Now, June, you’re acting a bit overdramatic. You and the girls have been through a lot over the years. But you’re not old, and we don’t need to worry about everything all at once.”

  Mama stood straight and tall. “I beg your pardon, Jeremiah Logan, but I’m not being dramatic. I’m nearly forty-one years old, and…and that’s too old to be running a cattle ranch. Besides, I’m not interested in raising cattle anymore. That was Clayton’s business, not mine. When this herd is sold off, I’m selling the breed stock and be done with it. I don’t want anything to get in the way of me caring for my grandbaby when it gets here. Except for maybe a small boarding house. I’ve been thinking about turning this ranch into one.”

  So now the truth comes out!

  “How could you? The cattle and this ranch are the only things we have left of Daddy, and you want to sell them off without a second thought. What about his legacy, Mama?” Sarah pointed to the hand-crafted wrought iron MK brand embellishing the stone fireplace as tears ran down her cheeks. “Don’t you even care about keeping t
he family’s brand alive? Because I do.”

  Mr. Chessher took a handkerchief from his pocket and offered it to Sarah. “Here you are, ma’am.”

  Sarah dabbed at her eyes. “Thank you, Mr. Chessher.”

  Uncle Jeremiah held his palms out. “All right ladies, let’s all calm down and talk things out. First, we need to hire a cattleman to drive the herd to…”

  “I’ll do it.” Every head in the room turned toward Sarah. She looked Mama straight in the eye. “I’ll drive the herd to High Island, and I want to continue raising the McKinney brand too. Even if you don’t, Mama!”

  Uncle Jeremiah watched in amazement.

  Mr. Chessher revealed a look of contempt.

  Women probably weren’t allowed to speak their minds where he came from. She sent a half-smile his way. Welcome to Texas!

  “I’m so sorry, Sarah Jane. I wasn’t thinking about anyone but myself. I never thought about you wanting to continue working your daddy’s ranch. It’s hard work—man’s work, but I know how much you loved him…we all did, and if you want to keep raising McKinney cattle then you should go right ahead. Can you forgive me, baby?” Mama held her arms open.

  Sarah went into her embrace. “I forgive you, Mama.”

  Uncle Jeremiah clapped his large hands. “Well, then, that settles it. Sarah Jane will drive the cattle to High Island. With an escort, I might add, and then continue raising the McKinney brand.”

  “Yes, sir. I promise I’ll have a proper escort. And Mama, I don’t know how to say this in a nice way, but I’m not staying here to help you run a boarding house. Maybe you and Louise and Melvin can do that. I need my own place with people who know what they’re doing.”

  “I don’t know what you expect me to do about it, young lady. I’m not kicking my daughter and her husband out while she’s pregnant with my grandbaby. And Grace and Guy don’t plan on staying here but a few months after they get married.”

  “Of course they don’t plan on it, but you know how things like that usually go. A couple months can turn into who knows how long.”

  “All right, now let’s think about this a moment.” Uncle Jeremiah looked at Sarah. “You want to raise your daddy’s cattle, but not as long as you have to put up with your sisters and their husbands.”

  Sarah bowed her head and traced a pattern on the carpet with her foot, embarrassed. “Well, they’re not really that bad—they just don’t know anything about raising cattle.”

  “And you don’t want anyone leaving the roost, especially not Louise and that grandbaby.” Uncle Jeremiah looked at Mama for confirmation.

  “No, not really. Of course I want to be close to my grandbaby… I want to be close to all my children. That’s why I wanted to start a boarding house. But I suppose not everyone is favorable to that idea.” Mama’s words were curt.

  “I think I have an idea.” Uncle Jeremiah extended his hand to Sarah. “Why don’t we make plans to ship your father’s breed stock to my ranch up in Houston? After you drive the cattle to High Island, of course. It won’t be too much of a burden on my people, and you’ll have time to plan what you’ll do next.”

  Mr. Chessher put his hands together. “Wonderful. It sounds as if you’ve come up with a plan that will please everyone.”

  “Then it’s settled. I’ll start making the arrangements tomorrow.” Sarah was grateful.

  Uncle Jeremiah retrieved his coffee mug. “You have any more of that coffee, June?”

  Mama headed toward the kitchen with her brother close behind.

  Sarah was left alone with Uncle Jeremiah’s handsome young associate. “Would you like some coffee, Mr. Chessher?”

  He seemed caught off guard. “Um…certainly. Miss McKinney, I realize I don’t know much of anything about cattle, but I would like to offer you my assistance if there’s anything I can do to help you.”

  Sarah touched the lace on her bodice. “Well, thank you kindly, Mr. Chessher. I just might take you up on your offer.” His smile made her knees weak, and it felt as if someone had poured warm caramel down her back. She walked to the kitchen before they gave way completely. Mr. Chessher probably had no knowledge of how to raise cattle, but she would gladly take on the challenge of teaching him everything she knew.

  6

  Sarah picked up the heavy bale of hay and hefted it onto the wagon. She wiped her forehead with the back of her arm and let out a long puff of air. Thank goodness Daddy never bought hay bales any heavier than these.

  Grace, the petite one of her two sisters, scooped a small patty of horse dung onto a shovel, grunting and groaning all the while.

  Sarah rolled her eyes and turned just in time to jump out of the way of a bale of hay crashing down beside her.

  “Is that enough, Sarah?” Melvin hollered from the hayloft.

  “Yes, that will be quite enough.”

  “Good, that’s hard work.” Melvin climbed down the ladder and stretched.

  Sarah loaded the last bale onto the wagon and dipped a cup into the water pail.

  Melvin picked up the pen and paper he’d brought out, and Grace scooped up some water for herself.

  “Hey, whatever happened to the money your daddy set aside for you to go to Bible College in Indiana?”

  Grace smiled over the top of her water cup. Her soft eyes revealed the happiness in her heart. “We’ve decided to save it so we can buy a house when we get to Tennessee. Guy wants to start a family right away.” Her cheeks colored red, and she changed the subject. “Look at Melvin over there. What do you think he’s writing?”

  “Hey, Melvin, what are you writing there?” Sarah called out to him.

  “Oh, it’s a sonnet for Louise. She hasn’t been feeling well with the pregnancy, and I’m hoping this will cheer her up. Besides, I must keep my writing skills honed for when I get another job.”

  Grace sat down beside Melvin, and they began discussing writing instruments.

  Sarah tuned out. There was a cattle drive to plan and breed stock that needed to be shipped to Houston. And she needed her own place if she was to continue raising the McKinney beef stock. She threw her cup into the water pail with a splash. “Melvin, we’re done for today. But tomorrow I need you to work with Pedro while I’m gone.”

  “But, but I need to start working on…”

  “No buts. If you and Louise are living here, then you have to help out.”

  “All right, fine. You’re right, I suppose.”

  “Just do whatever Pedro tells you. He’s a good man, and he knows what needs to be done.”

  “And just where do you think you’re going tomorrow?” Grace asked.

  “I’m going to Galveston. I’m leaving tonight.”

  “If you think Mama will let you go to Galveston by yourself then you’ve lost your mind, baby sister.”

  Sarah walked to the house without answering her sister. She dumped her muddy work boots near the door. After she’d washed up and changed her clothes, she threw a few things into her travel bag. She brushed out her hair and tied it back before putting on a green hat that matched her skirt. After buttoning up her black boots, she slid her money purse into a pocket sewn inside her skirt. She rummaged in her bedside drawer, found her derringer, and rubbed the shiny silver scrollwork on the barrel of the small gun Daddy had given her when she’d turned fifteen. The pearl handle fit perfectly in her hand. She dropped it inside a reticule with a handful of bullets and snapped it shut.

  A few minutes later, her hand was on the front door, ready to make her escape. The smell of fried chicken wafted through the house. Oh, how she hated to leave on fried chicken night, especially when her stomach was empty. “Mama, I’m leaving now. I’ll be home tomorrow evening.” She pulled the door open.

  Mama rushed into the room, her eyes full of questions. “Where are you going? What do you mean you’ll be home tomorrow evening? You didn’t ask me if you could go anywhere.”

  “I’m headed to Galveston to talk to Uncle Jeremiah about the cattle drive. I’m hoping he c
an help me find a few riders.”

  Louise, who’d followed Mama, put a hand on her belly. “You could ask Melvin to help you move the cattle. He knows how to ride a horse.”

  “Oh, that’s all right, Louise. Melvin needs to stay here and watch over all of you. Besides, it’ll take someone with experience to move the herd.”

  “I suppose you’re right.” Louise rubbed her middle. “But Sarah, you don’t have any experience moving cows, either.”

  “Yes, but I know how it’s done. So…I guess I’ll be going now.”

  “I don’t think so, young lady.” Mama was firm. “You will not be going to Galveston without someone to chaperone you.”

  “Mama…if I don’t hurry, I’ll miss the ferry.”

  “Grace or Melvin…pick one.” Mama’s arms were crossed. She meant it.

  Sarah huffed out a loud breath. “Grace.”

  The ferry waited at the dock.

  Sarah and Grace made it with time to spare.

  Grace was none too happy when told she had to clean up and pack a bag so she could escort her sister to Galveston, and now she complained of being sweaty from their dash to the boat. Her hair had fallen, and she fussed as she put it to rights.

  Mama had packed a basket of fried chicken with other goodies, which made Grace stop huffing as they delved into it.

  Sarah’s mind drifted to one Mr. Frederick Chessher. She wished he had reason to take his spectacles off so she could get a better look at those green eyes. They were brilliant, even behind the thick glass. And someone needed to give his hair a good trim. It was so out of control, the way it playfully twisted around his ears. She sucked in a deep breath and cleared her mind of the tawdry thoughts that tried creeping in. I wonder if Grace ever has thoughts like that about Guy Claiborne? Oh, Sarah Jane McKinney, what’s come over you?

  She pulled a hanky from a puffy shirtsleeve and dabbed at her misty forehead. It was time she got her mind off Mr. Chessher and concentrated on her mission. The ferry had left the dock and was well on its way to Galveston Island. The ride wouldn’t give her near the amount of time needed to make up a good reason for her visit to Uncle Jeremiah’s firm. And with Grace chattering on about wedding dresses, flower bouquets and such, she had even less time.