by Bonnie Leon
© 2006 by Bonnie Leon
Published by Revell
a division of Baker Publishing Group
P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
www.revellbooks.com
Ebook edition created 2012
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the prior written permission of the publisher and copyright owners. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
eISBN 978-1-4412-3941-9
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Scripture is taken from the King James Version of the Bible.
Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
About the Author
Acknowledgments
Writing friends are a unique bunch. We’re sometimes brutally honest with each other, but we also encourage and build up one another. Thank you to my writing partners.
I’d especially like to thank Ann Shorey, one of my writing chums. You came to the rescue when my back was against the wall. I couldn’t have finished this book without you. Your creativity and encouragement were exactly what I needed.
Throughout this series I’ve sought the advice of “horse people,” and Debbie Note was one of those people. Horses are part of who you are. Your insights were a great help to me. Thanks so much. I owe you.
And again, I must thank Kelley Meyne. You are amazing. I’m grateful for your skill and your attention to detail. Having an editor who works hard and whom I can trust is a comfort to me.
Rebecca hefted a large branch onto a pile of burning debris. Using the back of her hand, she brushed hair away from her face and glanced around at the blackened earth. It was all so sad, everything lost in a matter of minutes. Memories of the hungry fire that had devoured her home rolled through her mind. She could feel the heat, smell the smoke, and taste the powerlessness. Rebecca’s heart raced, and she felt the familiar tightening in her stomach.
She tried to shut out the images, but the terror became real. Again Rebecca felt the anguish of searching for Joseph and Callie—searching and praying.
“That’s the last of it,” Daniel said. “At least for today.” He rested an arm across Rebecca’s shoulders. “I’d say we’ve made good progress.”
Rebecca blinked back tears and tried to focus on Daniel. “What? What did you say?”
“We’re done for today.”
“It’s still early.”
“Right. But I’ve got to go to town. And I don’t want you working too hard.”
“We’ve still so much left to do.” Rebecca studied a pile of rubble that had once been a cabin. “And I was hoping we could have a chat this afternoon.”
“We will. When I get back.” Daniel looked more closely at Rebecca. “You all right, luv?”
“Fine. Just tired.” She leaned against her husband. “It’s disheartening—burning what’s already been burned, things we held dear.”
“Right. But I keep thinking about Joseph and you and Mum. We could have lost so much more.” He hugged her. “I’m thankful for our lives.” His eyes scanned the charred earth where their home had stood and the wreckage that had been the barn. “God will see to us.”
“I know you’re right.” Rebecca sighed. The more work she did, the more she felt the weight of all that had been lost. Each passing day, believing and trusting became more difficult.
Willa joined the couple, Joseph in tow. “He’s right about what?”
“That God will take care of us.” Rebecca couldn’t keep from looking at the ruins of the once grand house. Her insides churned. What could God do now?
“Don’t look so forlorn, dear. It will all be put right.” Willa looked at Daniel. “Isn’t that right, son?”
“Absolutely.”
Rebecca studied Daniel. His words were optimistic, but she could see the weariness in the set of his shoulders and the worry in his eyes. And she knew that her news would only make life more difficult for him.
“Don’t have all the details worked out yet.” Daniel smiled. “But I’m going to speak to Charles Oxley about a loan. Planned on going into town today.”
“Don’t get your hopes up,” Rebecca said in a snide tone. “He may very well be the stingiest banker ever.”
“He’s careful with the bank’s money, but he’s always done right by us. I’m sure we’ll be able to work out something.” Daniel glanced at a row of tents. Their sides expanded and collapsed in the breeze as if they were breathing. “It’s time we started building a new house. And a barn too. Need to get the barn up right away. The corral will do for now, but I don’t like the horses being unprotected.
“I better be on my way.” He kissed Rebecca. “I’ll be back in time for dinner.” He glanced at Lily, who was bent over a pot suspended above a cooking fire. “Glad to have you back, Lily. Even your outdoor cooking is grand.”
Lily offered him an open smile. “Do the best I can, Mr. Thornton.”
Daniel lifted his hat and repositioned it on his head, then walked toward the corral.
Daniel scuffed the toe of his boot on the back of his pant leg, then took off his hat and walked into the Thornton Creek Bank. The small room smelled of dust and ink. A woman stood at the only clerk’s window. When she’d finished her transaction, she turned and walked toward the front door, nodding at Daniel as she moved past him.
“G’day,” he said to her and then stepped up to the window. “Morning, Mr. Oxley. Fine day, eh?”
“Right fine. What can I do for you, Daniel?” He peered out from beneath heavy eyebrows.
“Well, as you know, we’ve been hard done by with the drought and the fire. I was hoping to have a word with you about a loan.” Daniel’s heart hammered against his ribs. As Rebecca had said, Mr. Oxley hadn’t been the most generous man in Thornton Creek. In fact, he had a reputation for being tough in business.
The banker stared at Daniel, then glanced at the door as if hoping someone would walk in. No one did. “Right, then. Well, why don’t you come in ’ere and we’ll talk.” He opened a waist-high swinging door that led to the back half of the room. Sitting at a cherrywood desk, he motioned for Daniel to sit in a wooden chair.
Daniel settled on the chair. He felt awkward and didn’t know what to do with his hands or his feet. He’d never been in a situation like this before.
“Might as well get right to it, then. Like I said, with times the way they are, and with the fire, I’m in need of funds. There’s a lot of rebuilding to do.”
“You lost everything?” Mr. Oxley picked up a pen and took a piece of paper out of a tray on his desk.
“Right. Pretty much.”
“Including the house and the main barn?”
“Right.”
Mr. Oxley dipped the pen in ink and scratched a note on the pa
per. “And what about the servants’ quarters? Did they go as well?”
“Right.” Inwardly Daniel squirmed. He had very few assets.
“What about the stock? How many head do you have?”
“Well, can’t say for sure,” Daniel hedged. “Before the fire, drought and sickness took a good number of them.”
“So you’d say the herd is quite depleted?”
Daniel nodded.
Mr. Oxley added more notes. Setting down the pen, he turned his chair so he faced Daniel. “So what do you have in the way of assets?”
Daniel thought. He’d been trying to come up with something, but there just wasn’t much left. “Well, we’ve the cattle, of course. As I said, they’re a bit down—not much feed to be had. But they’ll come back, given time. And we’ve several horses, a fine stallion and some good solid mares.” Daniel studied his knuckles. They were red and rough. “I’ve got the land. It’s worth a fair bit.” He held out his hands. “And I’ve a strong back and hands that know how to work.”
Mr. Oxley glanced at what he’d jotted down. He rested his elbow on the desk and rubbed his forehead before looking up and meeting Daniel’s eyes. “I’d like to help you, Daniel, but with things the way they are, I just can’t make deals willy-nilly. I’ll need some good solid collateral, and the land’s not enough. Not without water.”
“You know it’ll come. Droughts begin and they end. This one will too.”
“Some have been known to stay a good long while though.” Mr. Oxley’s eyebrows peaked. “I just can’t do it, lad. Sorry.” He stood abruptly and held out his hand to shake Daniel’s. “I wish you luck.”
Daniel withheld his hand. “Just like that? You cast me aside with no thought? I’ve been ’ere my whole life, and my father before me. It was my grandfather who settled and built Douloo, and part of the town too. We’ve given this bank a lot over the years.”
“I know that. And it pains me to turn you down.” A man stepped through the door. Mr. Oxley tipped his head at the customer. “I’d like to help you, Daniel, but it’s not possible.”
Daniel pushed his hat onto his head. “Didn’t figure you’d fail me. My father did business ’ere a good many years.”
“True, but your father would have been the first to tell me how important it is to be a good businessman first and then a friend. The heart’s important, but too much heart and a man will be out of business.” He glanced at the customer. “I’ll be right with you.”
Lowering his voice, Mr. Oxley said, “I know of a man in Brisbane who . . . assists folks from time to time. Name’s Robert Marshal. He’s from America and runs an import business. Over the years he’s built up a pile of money, and sometimes he helps people out of sticky situations.” He grabbed the pen and a piece of paper and wrote down the man’s name and address. Handing it to Daniel, he whispered, “Keep this to yourself.”
Daniel stared at the paper.
“He might be able to lend a hand.”
Daniel knew Marshal probably wasn’t the type of man he’d normally do business with. “Will you vouch for him?”
Mr. Oxley didn’t respond for a long moment. Then, his voice tight, he said, “No.” He grabbed the paper he’d handed Daniel. “Never mind. Sorry I said anything.” He crumpled the note and tossed it into the wastebasket.
Daniel’s eyes followed it to the basket.
“’Ey, I ’aven’t got all day,” the man standing at the counter said.
“Right. Coming.” Mr. Oxley hurried to the clerk’s window.
Daniel studied the crumpled paper lying amid the trash. It most likely belonged there. On impulse he grabbed it and shoved it into his front pocket. Without another word he strode out of the bank.
When Daniel arrived home, he immediately went to the tent that had been a house to him and Rebecca since the fire. He took out the paper with the name and address, set it on a table, and smoothed out the wrinkles. Staring at the name, he said, “Robert Marshal.” It sounded familiar. He set the note in the bottom box of a stack of boxes.
The door flap was pushed aside, and Rebecca walked in. She mopped her neck with a handkerchief. “My, it’s hot. I thought March meant cooler temperatures.”
Daniel felt as if he’d been caught in wrongdoing, but he managed a smile. “You know the weather has a mind of its own, luv.”
Rebecca sat on a straight-backed chair loaned to her by Cambria’s mother. She pressed her hands together in her lap. “I was just hoping it would be cool. Oh, I miss the shade of the veranda.” She looked at Daniel. “Did Mr. Oxley give you a loan?”
Daniel straightened a pile of papers lying on the boxes. “No,” he said without looking up.
“No?” She sighed. “I’m not surprised. He never has been the sympathetic type.”
“He’s a businessman. And he’s got to think about himself. If he handed out money to every bloke who came by, he’d be out of business in no time.”
“That may be so, but there are situations that call for more consideration. Where would he be without the Thorntons? Your family has contributed so much to this town and to the bank.”
“That’s what I told him.” Daniel sat on a cot, and pressing his elbows against his thighs, he put his face in his hands.
“What are we going to do?”
Letting out a slow breath, Daniel looked up. “He gave me the name of a man in Brisbane. I’m thinking about contacting him.”
“Brisbane? Why all the way to Brisbane?”
“There’s not a lot of money in these parts, and Brisbane’s a big city. Plus, the weather is more moderate there, and I’m sure it’s holding up better in this drought than we are.”
“What do you know about the man? What’s his name?”
“Robert Marshal. He’s an American.”
“Really? That’s good, right?”
“Right.” Daniel stood and walked to the doorway. Gazing out, his heart felt heavy. He ought to be grateful for all God had already done, but fear of what could happen had laid hold of him. He needed money. He glanced at Rebecca, guilt intensifying. He wasn’t being honest with her.
“Is Mr. Marshal a banker?”
“No. He owns an import company. Think he supplies goods to all of Queensland.”
“If he’s not a bank, why would he loan money to people he doesn’t know?”
“As an investment. He charges interest on the loans and makes a bit for his trouble. The wealthy have to find something to do with their money.”
“I suppose.” Rebecca thought a moment. “I’d feel better if you went to a bank.”
“Me too, but I don’t think a bank will give us a loan. We’re in a bad spot right now, and the weather’s not getting any better. Don’t figure the money supply will loosen up until after the drought breaks. And we didn’t just lose buildings to the fire; we lost just about everything—supplies, livestock, equipment.”
Rebecca nodded. “You must do as you see fit. But I don’t feel good about borrowing from someone we don’t know.”
“I haven’t made up my mind yet. I’m still praying on it.”
Rebecca folded her hands in her lap and sat quietly for a few moments. When she looked up, she was smiling in such a way that Daniel knew she had something important to say. “I’ve been waiting for you to get home. I have something to tell you.”
Daniel waited. When Rebecca didn’t say anything, he asked, “What is it, luv?”
She pressed the palms of her hands together. “We’re going to have another baby.”
Energy pulsed through Daniel. “A baby? Really? When?”
“I think possibly in September. I haven’t seen the doctor yet.” She smiled. “Chavive is due to foal the middle of September. How exceptional; we’ll both be having little ones at nearly the same time.”
Daniel wasn’t sure he felt good about a baby. The timing was bad. But he knew Rebecca needed him to be pleased. “That’s wonderful news,” he said, crossing to Rebecca and kneeling in front of her. He took her
hands in his and kissed the tops of them. “I thought you looked a bit tired. You’re working too hard.”
“I’m fine, really. And there’s so much to be done.”
“Yes, well, you’ve got to think of the baby now.”
“I know this doesn’t seem like a good time for a baby, but maybe that’s just what we need. A new life to think about.”
“Right,” Daniel said, his need for financing becoming even more urgent. He knew he had to speak to Marshal. Without a loan, he could lose Douloo.
Rebecca grasped Daniel’s hands. “It will be wonderful having another child. Do you think the house will be finished by September?”
“Yes. Maybe even before then. I’ll hire a crew. We’ll get it up straightaway.” He sounded confident, but inside he was afraid. He needed money if he wanted to hire workers. And materials for a house weren’t free. He’d have to get a loan. Daniel stood. “I’m going to speak to Mr. Marshal. Figure the sooner the better. I’ll pack and be off to Brisbane tomorrow.”
Rebecca pushed out of the chair. Resting a hand on Daniel’s arm, she said, “Do be careful. And don’t make any hasty decisions.”
Unable to meet Rebecca’s eyes, Daniel said, “No worries, luv. Mr. Oxley recommended Robert Marshal.”
Willa hugged Daniel. “I had Lily make you some sandwiches to eat on the stage. I think she put in a treat or two as well.” She smiled, her blue eyes warming as she gazed at her son.
“Thanks, Mum. I’m sure it’ll be better than what I can get at the coach stops. Course, the Sullivans usually serve up a fine meal.”
“By the time you make their station, the food will be gone.”
Rebecca held young Joseph in her arms. Daniel took his son and hefted him into the air above his head, and the youngster laughed and grabbed at his father’s nose. “You be a good lad. Don’t give your mum any trouble, now.”
“Good.” Joseph grinned.
“He’s a sweet boy.” Willa smoothed the youngster’s blond hair. “Course, he’s a Thornton, so now and again there’s some vinegar in him.” She grinned. “But he’s a lamb most of the time.”
Daniel planted a kiss on the boy’s cheek and set him on the ground. Turning to Rebecca, he said, “I s’pose I ought to be off, then.”