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  “You asked me about Carl,” she said, returning to the previous conversation. “I might have married him once if I had never met Joseph. Carl is loyal and predictable, and I’ve known him since we were children, but I was never in love with him. Of course, out here, you don’t often get to marry for love.” Emma glanced at William before dropping her eyes to the blades of grass around her knee.

  “Then one day, Joseph rode into town. He was strong and brave and daring, and he swept me off my feet.” Her voice faded as she thought back to the day Joseph had proposed to her.

  “Oh, my, that was so much fun, but could we take a short break?” Emma asked, fanning herself. “That last dance wore me out.”

  “Of course,” Joseph said, taking her hand and leading her off the dance floor. He led the way to the hayloft where bales of hay were set up. After smoothing down the prickly pieces, Joseph laid his coat down for Emma to sit on.

  When they were seated, he grabbed her hands. “I know it’s only been a few months, Emma, but I was taken by you the first time I met you. I never thought I’d be one to stay in the same place for very long, but I can see a life with you here in Sage Creek.”

  Emma’s breath caught in her throat. Was he about to propose?

  “I’ve already asked your father, so now I’m officially asking you. Will you marry me, Emma Moore?”

  Her heart soared as she nodded. “Of course I’ll marry you.”

  The memory faded, and Emma glanced at William. “Though our marriage was short, it was full of love. When he died, I knew my prospects were slim. I suppose I could have stayed in the house Joseph built, but there were too many memories and it isn’t always safe for a woman to be alone, especially at night.

  “So, I had two choices. I could return to my father’s house or marry another. Carl proposed to me the day after we buried Joseph, but I just couldn’t do it. I may never find another marriage based on love, but I refuse to give up hope just yet.”

  A silence fell, and Emma looked at William from lowered lids. “Have you ever been married?” she asked, dropping her eyes back to the ground as the words left her lips.

  “I was,” he said. “Like your husband, she died too early.”

  He said nothing more, and Emma knew better than to push.

  “What did your husband do, if you don’t mind me asking,” William said after a long pause.

  “He was a member of the Texas Rangers,” Emma replied. “I thought at first that sounded romantic, but I spent a lot of nights alone, and when he went out on his last job after some bandit named Holden, I worried every night. I just had a feeling that something was wrong. It turned out, I was right. Are you okay?” she asked noticing William’s pale face.

  “Yes, I’m fine,” he said, turning his wide eyes from her. “I think I’m just getting a little tired. Could we continue the tour another time?”

  “Of course,” Emma said, adjusting her skirts and standing. Though he did look tired, his reaction had occurred so suddenly that Emma wondered if it were more from something she said. She replayed the conversation in her head as they walked back to the homestead, but she couldn’t for the life of her figure out why he would be affected by her husband’s death.

  Chapter 11

  William woke before the sun. He had spent the rest of the afternoon the day before and most of the night trying to decide if he should tell Emma what he knew and if so, then how. He should have put the name together when she first mentioned her husband, but he had served with so many men. Neither Joseph nor Stewart was a highly unusual name, but when Emma mentioned John Holden, the details had come flashing back.

  After Catherine’s death, William had no longer felt he could serve the town of Barefoot Glen any longer. After all, if a deputy couldn’t protect his own wife, what good was he? He had turned in his badge, packed up his horse, and headed for some place to clear his head. Where he had landed was Austin, Texas where Ben Wallace had sold him on the benefits of being a Texas Ranger.

  With nothing tying him down, William had agreed and enjoyed riding with the other men until the day he was approached by Jack Hardesty.

  “Are you Wild Bill Cook?”

  William looked up at the visitor. He had been given the nickname a few months into becoming a Ranger as his fearless attitude became known, but he didn’t recognize this man with his tan skin, dark hair, and a handlebar mustache.

  “I am. What can I do for you?”

  “Actually,” the man said with a small smile, “it’s more about what I can do for you.”

  “I don’t understand,” William said, shaking his head.

  “Your reputation has preceded you, and I think you would make a great bounty hunter. I’m here to offer you a job.”

  “I already have a job,” William said, dropping his gaze back to the desk.

  “Yes, but I doubt it can pay like this.” The man slid a paper across the desk and into William’s gaze.

  William had no real need for more money as he had no family to support and the Ranger pay was more than enough to cover his needs. But there was something about seeing all those zeros that grabbed his attention. His eyes widened as he read the information. “Four thousand dollars?”

  The man nodded. “And that’s just your cut; because this job is so big, a few of us are being called in. Normally you’d work alone and earn at least double that.”

  “What do you need me to do?” William asked, meeting the man’s eyes again.

  “You’ll need to round up some good Rangers. We’re wanting at least twenty men on this take down. John Holden is not one to underestimate.”

  And that was how Joseph Stewart had become involved. William had rounded up a few men from Austin and then sent out telegrams to surrounding areas. Joseph Stewart had been one of many who had thrown their hats in the ring.

  The men knew going after outlaws was dangerous, but even William had had no idea how dangerous this one was. William wondered now why Stewart had joined. If the man had recently married why had he been willing to take on a job that might be dangerous? Had he needed the money? Being a Ranger didn’t pay as well as bounty hunting, but it would have been a nice sum anyway. Perhaps it had been for the money or perhaps just the sense of duty.

  William tightened his grip on the reins with one hand while the other sat on the hilt of his revolver. A glance around revealed the other men in a similar position. They had been tracking the infamous John Holden for days, and finally their undercover operative had told them Holden was on a train headed for Dallas.

  That train now sat in front of them, stopped on the tracks by the deputies on board. Jack Hardesty, the leader of this roundup, had managed to get a few deputies on the train at the last station. Now the group outside was simply waiting for the sign that Holden had been apprehended.

  A shot rang out in the air, and the men sprang into action. Several men dismounted and headed for the main door of the train with their guns drawn. A door towards the back of the train slid open, and a man jumped out.

  “It’s Horace Gilbert,” one of the men shouted out. “Don’t let him get away.” Gilbert was Holden’s right-hand man and just as bad as Holden.

  William turned his horse that direction and motioned his Rangers to follow him. Gilbert had gotten a head start on them, but they were faster on horses and quickly saw him ducking through the tall sage grass.

  Holding his arm as steady as he could, William fired off a shot. It missed but must have been close as Gilbert quickly shifted direction. A few more shots went off around William as the other men aimed and fired. None of them hit the mark either, but it was much harder to hit a running, zigzagging target.

  Taking a deep breath, William focused his eyes on the suspect and fired another shot. This time Gilbert went down. By the time William reached the area, another Ranger was hauling him to his feet. His shot had hit Gilbert’s shoulder, but it appeared to be just a flesh wound.

  “Nice work, Cook,” one of his Rangers said as he secured G
ilbert’s hands behind his back.

  William nodded and tapped his hat. All in a day’s work. He had always been a decent shot but had rarely used it until Catherine’s death when a drunken brawl poured out into the streets. The bullet had hit her as she exited the mercantile, and William had watched as she fell, and the contents of her bag spilled into the street.

  He turned his horse around and headed back to the train to make sure Holden had also been apprehended. William was almost to the train when he heard the gunfire behind him. Turning quickly, he saw Gilbert had managed to get a hand free and had grabbed the gun of one of the nearby Rangers. A bullet took Gilbert down, but not before William saw two of his men fall.

  William raced back to the scene. Three of his men lay on the ground along with Gilbert, who had been shot in the chest.

  “Sorry, boss,” Henry, one of the Rangers he worked closely with in Austin said, “he managed to grab Joseph’s gun and had him, Harry, and Arthur shot before we knew what happened.”

  William cursed his stupidity as he dismounted. He should have stayed to make sure Gilbert was secure before checking in on Holden. Harry Givens moaned on the ground. He’d taken a shot to the arm but would probably be okay. Arthur Jones and Joseph Stewart lay still. As they were both men from other cities who had answered his call for help, William knew nothing about them.

  “Load them all up,” William ordered. “We can at least send their bodies home.” He turned away before the emotion displayed on his face. This was his fault.

  The door to the room banged open, shattering his walk down memory lane. Jennie raced into the room.

  “You’re not up yet?” she asked. “You have to get up. It’s church day.”

  “Oh, I don’t usually go to church,” William said.

  “Why not?” the little girl asked, her face scrunching in confusion.

  “Well because God took something I loved,” he replied.

  Jennie stared at him. “So, you haven’t felt like worshipping Him since?”

  “That’s right, I haven’t,” he said.

  “I know how that feels,” she said, dropping her eyes and twisting her foot into the floor. “Pastor Lewis always says that we might not choose or understand the things God allows, but we should trust His plan and continue to follow Him.”

  William stared at the doll-faced girl. Her blue eyes were innocent and childlike, so in contrast to the profound words that had just escaped her mouth. “How did you get so knowledgeable?” he asked.

  “I had to talk with Pastor Lewis a lot when I realized Mommy died giving me life. That’s a lot for a six-year-old to carry, you know?”

  William bit his lip to keep from smiling at the girl. Her words were heartbreaking and not funny, but the seriousness in which she said them created a funny image in his head. “Yes, I can see how that would be a lot to carry,” he said.

  “Who did God take from you?” she asked.

  He paused. Did he really want to re-open this wound? However, she had been brave enough to share about her mother, and she was only six, so he couldn’t see the harm. “My wife. God took my wife from me.”

  “Come to church with me. You can sit beside me, and I’ll ask God to give you the comfort He’s given me.”

  Though William still had no desire to step into a church, he couldn’t say no to the endearing face before him. “Okay, skedaddle out of here for a minute, so I can get cleaned up and I’ll meet you outside.”

  A wide smile broke out on Jennie’s face. “I’ll tell Emma,” she cried, “she’ll be so pleased.”

  Before he could ask what she meant by that, Jennie had spun and raced out of the room as quickly as she entered. Still a little stiff, William walked slowly to his saddle bag and reached inside for a new change of clothes. The ones he was currently wearing were beginning to become ripe. He would have loved a bath as well, but there was no time for that. With new clothes on, he headed into the kitchen.

  Chapter 12

  Emma looked up in surprise when William entered. He hadn’t seemed the church-going type and even though Jennie had said she had convinced him to come, Emma still hadn’t believed it would happen. Plus, he was still healing. “Good morning.”

  “Morning,” he said. “I guess I’m attending church with you if that’s all right.”

  “Of course. Everyone is welcome in the house of the Lord. Would you like some breakfast? Carrie made some eggs and bacon.”

  “Sure, and I’ll take some coffee if you have some.”

  Emma smiled as she loaded up a plate for him. “I’m not much of a partaker myself, but Samuel brews some every morning before feeding the animals.” They didn’t have a large farm, but a few chickens to supply their eggs, some hogs for ham, and of course horses. “There should be some left,” she said, nodding at the carafe on the stove.

  “I’ll have some then. Is that where your siblings are now?” William asked looking around the room as he pulled out a chair and sat at the table.

  Emma placed the plate in front of him before returning to the stove. “Yes, Samuel and Benjamin are finishing up their chores and Carrie is getting ready in our room.” She poured the black liquid into a cup. “Do you take milk or sugar?”

  “A dash of milk would be fine,” William said.

  Emma added it and returned to the table placing the steaming cup in front of William.

  “Thank you,” he said, catching her eye.

  He held her gaze a moment longer than necessary and Emma felt her cheeks begin to burn. “That was nice of you to agree to attend church for Jennie’s sake,” she said, turning away to hide the effect he was having on her.

  “Did she tell you why?” he asked as he lifted the cup to his lips.

  Emma shook her head. “No, she simply said you agreed to come.” William’s eyebrow arched on his head as if he didn’t believe her. “She may be only six, but she had to grow up quickly when she learned about Ma. In some ways, she’s a lot older than she seems.”

  William opened his mouth to respond, but before he could, the two boys clomped into the house.

  “The animals are fed,” Benjamin said.

  “No thanks to you,” Samuel said, shooting his brother a look. “He almost fell in the mud trying to feed the hogs before I was ready.”

  “But I didn’t,” Benjamin said, pulling back his shoulders and puffing out his little chest.

  “Alright boys,” Emma said. “Enough arguing. Clean up. We’ll be heading to church in a minute.”

  The next few minutes were a flurry of activity as Carrie and Jennie emerged from the girl’s room, Emma put the left-out dishes in the sink to be washed upon their return, and the boys reappeared with combed hair and clean shirts.

  “Okay, let’s go,” Emma said, ushering the crew outside. “Don’t get dirty,” she shouted to Jennie and Benjamin as they raced ahead.

  “What kind of preacher is Pastor Lewis?” William asked, falling into step beside Emma. His face appeared pinched and anxious.

  She glanced at him, wondering what the meaning behind the question really was. “He’s young but seems very knowledgeable. He speaks often on the love of God and having a true relationship with Him. I think you’ll like him.”

  “Oh good,” he said, visibly relaxing. “I was afraid he might be one of those fire and brimstone types and I wasn’t sure I could handle it.”

  Emma laughed. “No, we haven’t had one like that in a long time, and I’m glad. I think having a relationship with God is more important than trying to scare people into believing.”

  They arrived at the church and joined the other townspeople filing in. Emma waved at Sarah Miller as she sat next to Kate and Deputy Jennings. She caught the eye of a few of the other women in the town as she walked up the row to her family’s pew. Unfortunately, she also managed to catch the eye of Carl, who glared at her when he caught sight of William behind her. Emma sighed softly. Would she never convince him he held no claim on her?

  Emma sat down with Jennie
on her left and William on her right. She wasn’t sure who was the bigger wiggler. Jennie had the normal six-year-old wiggles, but William kept shifting in his seat, crossing and then uncrossing his leg, leaning forward and then leaning back. At least he finally seemed to relax when Pastor Lewis started speaking.

  “I came this morning with a message prepared,” Pastor Lewis began, “but I feel God telling me that someone here needs a different message. Maybe many of you. So, I hope you’ll bear with me as I let God lead this message where He wants it to go.” He paused for a moment as if gathering his thoughts.

  “I had someone ask me this week,” he continued, “if Heaven was as beautiful as you could imagine, if there was no sickness or physical ailments there, if you could rest and be reunited with loved ones, would you want to go?”

  Of course, Emma thought to herself. That is the point to Heaven, isn’t it?

  “What if you could have all those things, but Jesus wasn’t there?” Pastor Lewis continued. “What if you had to choose? You could have the perfect place of Heaven or you could follow Jesus. Would you still choose Jesus?”

  A feeling of conviction settled on Emma. Though she knew the Bible said you got both, she had to wonder if she would choose Jesus if forced to make a choice. Heaven to her had always meant seeing her mother again and recently seeing Joseph again while Jesus had been the byproduct. Now, she realized she had her priorities backwards. She ought to be looking forward to seeing Jesus in Heaven and everything else should be a byproduct.

  “I know you all love Jesus,” Pastor Lewis continued, “or you probably wouldn’t be here, but do you love Jesus for who he is? Or do you love Him for what you hope He will grant you? Are you tithing because God said we should or because you hope by tithing that God will increase your wealth? We all have moments of selfishness, just like James and John did in Mark chapter ten when they asked to sit at Jesus’ right and left hands, but we must work through those moments and keep our vision on God.

  “I have no doubt that when we get to Heaven, it will be beautiful and amazing and pain free, but I don’t believe that will be because it’s Heaven. I believe it will be that way because God will be there, and we will stand in awe of Him and wonder how we could have second guessed Him or put our faith in anything but Him.”