An Undaunted Faith

by Andrea Boeshaar

  Standing to her feet, she crawled onto her bed. The room was hot and motionless. Bethany knew in her heart that God had heard her prayer, and yet she couldn’t help feeling He was as far away from her as her family and friends back home in Wisconsin. She had been struggling lately in her Bible reading but couldn’t figure out why. She loved to read. Why not God’s Word?

  Some pastor’s wife I’d make.

  Turning onto her side, Bethany watched the moonlight stream through her muslin window curtain. Certainly there’s someone else more suitable for Luke. Someone more mature and godly …

  An instant later jealousy coursed through her at the idea of Luke marrying another woman. Jealousy and something else. Regret?

  But I want to leave Silverstone. I can’t marry him—therefore courtship is out of the question!

  Suddenly Bethany knew she had to tell Luke of her plans to leave in the spring. After all, he’d paid for her to obtain her teaching certification in St. Louis, and then he sponsored her journey here. Didn’t she at least owe him the courtesy of being honest?

  However, the memory of his expressive blue eyes haunted her. Of course, the dime novel she’d been reading didn’t help matters. Neither did Sheriff Montaño’s earlier behavior. She’d never experienced a man holding her so tightly, and she imagined Luke’s arms around her, his lips close to hers.

  Bolting to a sitting position, she stopped herself. Such foolish dreams would never do. She’d never escape the Arizona Territory if she allowed herself to fall in love with Luke McCabe.

  Stretching out on her bed once more, Bethany closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep. Thoughts crowded her mind, loud and demanding. Finally, when the first pinks of dawn lit up the eastern sky, she drifted off into a fitful slumber.

  The morning sun poured relentlessly down on Annetta as she walked into the boardinghouse’s dining room. Inside, she took a seat and realized she’d come in during the middle of a conversation between the McCabes and the Winterses, although it didn’t seem private.

  “It was them. I saw them both!” Trudy declared.

  Annetta nodded at the maid, and Rosalinda poured strong-smelling coffee into her cup.

  “Gracias,” Annetta whispered.

  The sturdy, brown-skinned cook curtsied in reply then retreated to the kitchen.

  “Now, Trudy, I’m sure you were mistaken.” Mrs. Winters stared at her daughter, and Annetta thought she glimpsed a warning in the older woman’s greenish-brown eyes.

  “No mistake, Mama. I saw them with my own two eyes!”

  Across the table, Annetta saw Luke McCabe shift uncomfortably in his chair.

  “Our eyes can deceive us at times, Trudy,” Pastor Jake said, sitting beside his brother. “Are you sure that’s who you saw?”

  “Positive. It was Miss Stafford and Sheriff Montaño. They were out back last evening. I watched them from my window. He had his arms around her. Why, I’ll bet he was whispering all sorts of romantic things ’cause Miss Stafford looked like she was about to swoon!”

  “Mercy!” Mrs. Winters put her hands on each side of her plump face.

  “A shameless tryst,” Ed Winters concluded.

  Annetta couldn’t believe her ears. Miss Stafford, the schoolteacher? And Paden Montaño? The thought amused her, and she laughed under her breath…

  Until she caught Pastor Jake’s dark stare.

  “Please excuse my sense of humor. But I thought I heard Trudy just say she saw the schoolteacher in Paden Montaño’s arms.” Annetta laughed again.

  “That’s exactly who she saw, Dr. Cavanaugh.” Ed Winters puffed out his self-important chest. “This is no laughing matter.”

  Annetta wasn’t cowed. “I think you’re mistaken.”

  “Are you calling my daughter a liar, Dr. Cavanaugh?” Mrs. Winters held her chin high and defiant.

  “Of course not.” She glanced at the young lady whose fat, blonde ringlets hung alongside of her round face. Then she looked over at her father. “But I think the situation bears investigation. Whatever Trudy saw out her window couldn’t have been anything romantic—at least not on Miss Stafford’s part.”

  “I appreciate your sticking up for Beth like that, Doctor.”

  Annetta met Luke McCabe’s blue eyes. Gratitude shown in their depths. She gave him a curt nod in reply.

  However, it appeared that Mr. Winters wasn’t about to let the matter die an easy death. “I recommend we bring Miss Stafford before the school board and make her answer to these charges.”

  “And what charges would those be?” Pastor Jake’s voice sounded a few octaves short of menacing.

  Annetta sipped her coffee and found herself admiring the man. Broad shoulders, walnut-brown hair, a pair of brown eyes to match, and a kind of personality that allowed him to preach to gunfighters as well as girls Trudy’s age. He seemed both rugged and gentle at the same time.

  And right now he seemed like an unyielding advocate for Miss Stafford. The thought she was one lucky woman flitted across Annetta’s mind. With the two McCabe brothers on her side, a woman couldn’t go wrong.

  “I’m referring to immorality charges, of course,” Mr. Winters said. “We can’t have Silverstone’s schoolteacher consorting in the dark with our sheriff!”

  Pastor Luke shot to his feet. “I’ll talk to Beth. There’s no reason to call a meeting of the school board members until I get her side of things.”

  “Won’t change what my daughter saw.”

  Annetta watched as Pastor Luke turned and gazed at Trudy, noticing the way the girl refused to meet his eye and the way her chin dropped rather guiltily. Setting down her cup of coffee, Annetta shook her head. “Mr. Winters, Trudy is a child. Sometimes children see things, but out of context. They don’t see the whole picture. Now I think you ought to let Pastor Luke talk to Miss Stafford and—”

  “Enough!” Mr. Winters slammed his meaty fist on the table, causing the porcelain cups to clatter in their saucers. “My daughter knows what she saw last night, and I believe her!”

  “Just like you believe the Indians are responsible for the cattle rustling, right?”

  The man stood. “I will thank you, Dr. Cavanaugh, to leave my premises at once and never return.”

  Annetta grinned. Until you have another one of your gallbladder attacks and need my assistance. She slowly dabbed the napkin at the corners of her mouth and then rose from her chair.

  “Oh, Ed, there’s no need to insist upon Dr. Cavanaugh leaving,” his plump wife said. “She hasn’t had her breakfast, and she’s a good paying customer.”

  “Thank you, Mrs. Winters, but I have work to do anyway.” Annetta met Mr. Winters’s angry glare and promised herself she’d stall an extra fifteen minutes next time he summoned her for help with one of his gallbladder attacks. Sliding in her chair, she strode out of the room, through the small lobby, and out of the boardinghouse.

  Outside on the dusty boardwalk the heat felt like a heavy drape. It promised to be another hot day, although it looked like rain was coming.

  As she walked toward her office, she heard someone leave the boardinghouse behind her. She glanced over her shoulder to see one of the McCabe brothers following her.

  “Dr. Cavanaugh. Hold up.”

  She paused on the plank and watched as the preacher hobbled toward her. Today he used his cane, but she’d seen him walking without it. Since her arrival in Silverstone a month ago, she’d often wondered what had happened to make him lame. Childhood fever? Accident? War injury?

  He reached her, and she avoided his ever-probing dark-brown gaze.

  “May I have a few words with you?”

  “Of course, Reverend McCabe. Would you care to speak here or in my office?”

  “Here’s fine.” He glanced around. No one else was about. The other side of the street was usually quiet this time of morning, and the row of businesses on this side had just opened for the day.

  He removed his tan, wide-brim hat. “I wanted to thank you for standing up for Be
th inside the boardinghouse just now.”

  Annetta laughed. “You don’t have to thank me. Those fools in there”—she nodded toward the boardinghouse—“should know that Paden Montaño is a womanizer. I’m sure Miss Stafford is completely innocent of Mr. Winters’s charges against her.”

  “I am too.” Concern knit his thick brown brows together. “Dr. Cavanaugh, I hope the sheriff has been respectable to you at all times.”

  “Most times, yes. The other times I’ve managed just fine.” Her hand touched the place where she’d strapped her pistol beneath the waist of her skirt. Drawing a gun on Paden Montaño could have gotten her killed, but instead she’d gotten her message across to him. She wasn’t interested in his charm, good looks, and flirtatious manners. He hadn’t tried any tricks ever since.

  “May I walk you to your office?” The reverend dropped his hat back onto his head.

  “No need. It’s just two doors down.”

  “I insist.”

  Annetta shrugged before berating herself. How stupid could she be, taking a job in Silverstone, Arizona, where the men were plentiful and the women were not? She should have guessed that there would be wife-hunting going on. The last thing she wanted was a man’s attention—and a preacher of all things!

  Except this preacher, this man, had a way about him that seemed disconcerting—even threatening—and it caused Annetta to want to put as much distance between them as possible.

  “I haven’t seen you in church on Sundays since your arrival.”

  “And you’ll never see me there either.”

  He replied with a crooked grin. “Never is a mighty long time.”

  Annetta hardened her expression. “Never.”

  “Well, all right,” he drawled, sounding amused. “I won’t ask again, but you’ve got a standing invitation if you ever change your mind.”

  “Look, McCabe, unless you’re in need of medical attention, I’m not interested in you. I’m especially not interested in whatever religion you’re peddling.” Annetta pulled the office keys from her skirt’s deep pocket.

  “May I ask why?”

  She paused, thinking she might sidestep the question. But then she thought twice about it. “I lost my soul a long time ago. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have work to do.”

  With that she unlocked the door, walked in, and slammed the door on the reverend’s astonished expression.

  She leaned against it, willing the memories away. Her honest reply had somehow summoned the devil himself.

  No!

  She wouldn’t think about the past. She couldn’t! She’d worked too hard and come too far to be haunted by what happened ten years ago. She was a doctor now.

  Gazing around the sparse office, she remembered that she had an order to fill. Mr. Titus at the mercantile would put it in with his order this morning, and hopefully she’d get her needed replenishment of medical supplies in the next month or two. Annetta breathed in deeply.

  There!

  She’d successfully fought off her demons again…This time.

  FIVE

  BETHANY TRIED TO STIFLE A YAWN AS SHE ENTERED THE dining room. All eyes turned toward her. “Good morning,” she stated hesitantly. “Am I late?”

  When the stares continued, she looked down self-consciously at her brown skirt and then glanced behind her, up the stairwell. “Is there something amiss?”

  “I’ll say,” Mr. Winters groused.

  Trudy giggled.

  Luke cleared his throat and stood. “Excuse us, everyone. Beth and I are going to have a…conversation.”

  She looked at him askance. Was he angry? Luke rarely got angry.

  “Shall I hold breakfast?”

  “No, Mrs. Winters,” he said over his shoulder. “Y’all go on and enjoy your meal.” Taking Bethany by the elbow, he escorted her out of the boardinghouse.

  “What’s going on, Luke?”

  He said nothing until they reached the boardwalk. The sky looked menacing, and the smell of rain hung in the air like an imminent threat.

  “Why don’t you tell me what’s going on, Bethany Stafford?”

  “Tell you what?” Bethany saw the muscle work in Luke’s jaw, and it caused her stomach to knot. Most things rolled right off his back. He never took things to heart and stewed. “Are you angry?”

  He stopped abruptly. “Should I be?”

  She blinked. “I don’t know.”

  They resumed their stroll, and Bethany felt the tension mounting between them. This never happened before. Luke had an endless amount of patience. What had she done to displease him so?

  At the end of the boardinghouse, Luke steered her down a wheel-rutted road that Bethany hadn’t ventured on before. With each step, they left Silverstone farther behind.

  “I’d like to hear your version of what took place last night,” Luke finally said. They came to the end of the road where a steep, craggy bluff plunged downward into an equally rocky valley. Taking a seat on one of the large, red, flat stones on the ridge, but well away from the edge of the cliff, he motioned for Bethany to sit on the ledge across from him.

  “Last night?” She wondered if the sheriff had spoken to him about her “eavesdropping.” However, she wasn’t about to incriminate herself and suggest it.

  Luke got right to the point. “Trudy Winters said she saw you and Sheriff Montaño last night engaged in a…well, let’s call it an intimate discussion.”

  Bethany’s hand flew to her mouth, but she wasn’t successful in stopping the horrified gasp. “She saw us?”

  “Aw, Beth…” Luke winced. “So it’s true?”

  “Sort of.”

  Luke leaned forward, his hands resting over his knees. “Beth, I asked if you were interested in someone yesterday when we spoke in the schoolhouse, remember? Why couldn’t you be honest with me?”

  “But I’m not interested in Sheriff Montaño.”

  “Trudy said he had his arms around you.”

  “Yes, but…” She stood, shaking her head vigorously. “Luke, this isn’t what you think. Please let me explain.”

  He inclined his head.

  “Last evening, after you left me at the door, I walked into the boardinghouse in time to hear some men talk about taking their revenge out on the Indians. I left to tell the sheriff, but he’d been listening to them plot and pulled me around back so I’d escape injury when the men left to saddle their horses.” She hoped Luke believed her. “He quietly berated me for eavesdropping, but I explained that I hadn’t done such a thing. I merely walked in on the conversation.”

  Luke didn’t seem pacified. “He had his arms around you?”

  Bethany swallowed hard. “In a protective manner, yes.” She shifted, knowing the sheriff had been quite flirtatious about it.

  He shook his head. “I think it’s a whole lot more on his part.”

  She swallowed hard. “Luke, you know how the sheriff is. He’s charming to every woman in Silverstone. That’s all—”

  He raised a hand, preventing further explanation. “I believe you, Beth.” He inhaled deeply then expelled a long, slow breath. “Except I don’t know if everyone else will see it that way. Mr. Winters is talking about bringing you up in front of the school board. Many of its members might find Trudy Winters’s version more…interesting, and that’s not good. The Christians in this town wanted a schoolteacher above reproach.”

  “I meet those qualifications, Luke. It’s not as if I allowed it or met the sheriff secretly in the back of the boardinghouse. God forbid I should ever do any such thing!”

  Luke stared at her for a long moment then sighed again. “Aw, I know it’s not your fault, Beth.” He stood and kicked a stone over the cliff’s edge.

  “Are you sure? You seem doubtful.”

  “I believe you.” He stared across the valley. “I just got stirred up, is all.”

  “Then let Mr. Winters bring me in front of the school board if it’ll make him happy. Perhaps Sheriff Montaño will agree to testify on my behalf.�
��

  “Perhaps.” Luke looked at her. “Unfortunately, he’s not sheriff of this town on account of his impeccable character. He’s a fast draw and communicates with the Indians. He’s also unafraid to deal with outlaws.”

  “You once told me he’s a fair man. Surely everyone in town agrees.”

  “For the most part. But is that enough to save your reputation from the town gossips?”

  She rolled a shoulder, feeling guilty for disappointing Luke this way. He and Jake had worked hard to gain the trust of the people in Silverstone. They were seen as men who grew their congregation by leading others to the Lord, not by making false promises or accepting bribes. Folks respected the McCabe brothers. However, this scandal was sure to disgrace them, Luke especially.

  “You could send me back to Jericho Junction.” Hope suddenly soared within her. “If you arrange it today, I might catch the last wagon train out of Santa Fe.”

  “What?” Luke brought his chin back, looking stunned.

  “It’s just a suggestion.” Bethany tried to take back some of her enthusiasm. “I mean, sending me away would satisfy both the gossips and the school board.”

  “Send you away…” The rest of the words died in his throat. He narrowed his blue eyes in a way that made Bethany avert her gaze.