A Moment in Time (10 page)

“Yes,” Marty replied. “I’m going to miss him.”

Alice narrowed her gaze in a look of curiosity. “What do you mean?”

“I mean when we go, when we leave here.”

“And are you planning to do so?” Alice came further into the room and took a seat in one of the other rockers. “Have you decided to join Jake in Texas?”

“Yes. I told Mr. Brentwood today.”

Alice hadn’t expected this news. “And what did he say?”

Marty pushed back a curl on the boy’s forehead. “You were right. He has feelings for me. Feelings much deeper than he should. He wanted—begged me to stay. Promised he would never compromise my reputation. I told him about the baby, and even that didn’t seem a deterrent.”

“I’m sorry, Marty. Sorry that it happened and sorry to have been right. I had hoped that perhaps my thoughts were skewed by my own romantic notions.” Alice smiled. “I can be quite the dreamer.”

“No, you saw quite clearly and now I must go, even if I hadn’t already decided it was the thing to do.”

“And when did you decide that?”

Marty shrugged ever so slightly. “I suppose I’ve known it all along. I’ve simply delayed acceptance.” She smiled. “I’m terrified, but I’m also deeply in love with my husband. I hate that we are separated. I never thought I could feel that way about any man but Thomas, and now here I am hopelessly devoted to another.”

“But that’s good,” Alice replied. “I know he feels the same way about you.”

“I hope he still does.”

Alice laughed lightly. “Of course he does, silly. He wouldn’t be working to send you money for train tickets if he didn’t.”

For several minutes nothing more was said. Finally Alice glanced over her shoulder and then back to Marty. “Did you tell Mr. Brentwood about me?”

Marty nodded. “I did. I hope you don’t mind. I felt we owed him some sort of explanation about yesterday.” She frowned. “Did Mr. Smith come to see you today?”

Alice nodded and smiled. “I told Joe and Mr. Bellows that he was giving me a hard time and I feared him. They both acted as my protectors.” She giggled. “When Mr. Smith came in, I told Mr. Bellows who he was, and he immediately intercepted the man. I took to the kitchen and told Joe what was going on. He wasn’t about to let Mr. Bellows have all the honor. He quickly joined him and then I followed suit. Because no one else was around, I told Mr. Smith quite plainly that I visited my old home and there was nothing to be found.”

“You didn’t tell him about the box that had been sent to your mother?”

“No. Nor will I. That would only encourage the man further. I did lie to him and I feel rather guilty for it.”

“What did you say?”

Alice gazed toward the ceiling. “I told him that everything had been sold or destroyed—burned. I told him that the woman did remember there being some personal papers, but that they had been gotten rid of, as well.”

“And what did he say?”

“It’s more what he did,” Alice countered, lowering her gaze. “He threw a table across the room. I was glad no one else was in the diner. Joe and Mr. Bellows demanded he leave, and Mr. Bellows drove me home tonight. I thanked him and told him I wouldn’t be back.”

Marty nodded. “It would seem we are committed to leaving for Texas as soon as possible.”

“It would seem that way.”

“I can see why Marty is so fond of you,” Hannah told Jake. She served him an extra portion of flapjacks and then took her seat opposite him at the table. “You have certainly brightened our days with your stories.”

Jake smiled. “I loved my life on the ranch, and the stories are all that keep me going sometimes. I’ve always known I would one day return to Texas and to ranching. I want to say how much I appreciate that you folks would take me in and give me work.”

“You’re definitely earning your keep,” Will told him. “I could use a dozen men like you.”

“It’s true,” Robert added. “I know you’ve lightened my workload considerably. Especially since Pa is insistent on overseein’ the building of the new hay barn.”

“Not just overseein’,” Will corrected. “I’m doin’ plenty of the buildin’.”

“Well, I’m glad to oblige.” Jake looked up at the family—his family. Marty’s sister and brother-in-law were easy
to talk to and work for. He poured a generous amount of syrup over his flapjacks. “You’ve got a pretty amazing spread here. I have to say it’s exactly as I’d have a place.”

“We’ve definitely put a lot of hard work into it,” Will replied. “I know your pa put a lot of work into your family’s ranch. From what you told me about the location, I figure it to be the ranch owned by the Andersons.”

Jake nodded. “Yes, that was their names. I couldn’t remember it until you mentioned them. Anderson was a fairly young man. Made a lot of money after the war. Seemed he was from down Houston way.”

“Well, I’m sure you could make your way over and meet them if you were of a mind to do so.”

He considered it for a moment. “I suppose in time I will. I’d like to know if there’s a chance of buying the place back. Not that I’m in any position to do that right now. But maybe one day.”

“I know that would mean a lot to you,” Hannah said, smiling. “I’ll commit it to prayer.”

“As will I,” Will said before taking a long swallow of coffee.

“You never know how God might provide,” Robert added with a grin. “I’ve seen some miracles around here that had to be His hand.”

“Robert’s right,” Will agreed. “There have been some stretches when we wondered if we’d get through the hard times, but God has always provided a way.”

“And He always will,” Hannah said.

Jake liked the positive spirit of Marty’s older sister. They looked a great deal alike with their blond hair and blue eyes, although Hannah’s hair showed definite signs of gray. Being with Hannah made Jake miss Marty all the more. He feared at times he might never see his wife again, but Hannah assured
him that Marty would never make light of her marriage vows. Jake said very little in response. He wasn’t sure exactly what Marty had told her sister about their marriage. Did Hannah and Will realize Marty had answered his ad in the paper? Did they know she had thrown caution to the wind to marry a stranger—a stranger she didn’t love?

“Well, as soon as I can, I plan to send Marty and Alice train tickets to join us here,” Jake said between bites. “I appreciate that you would open your home to us . . . and to Alice, too. She’s young but very capable. Life’s not been any too kind to her.”

“You said she was alone in the world,” Hannah said, passing Jake a platter of crisp bacon. He took the plate as she continued. “We would never allow for her to be left to the whims of that madman you said was tormenting her.”

“I know Marty wouldn’t leave her behind, either,” Will said. “Between her and Robert, we were always takin’ in strays and wounded animals. They both have a heart for helping mend the broken.” Will took a sip of coffee. “Besides, my little sister-in-law is even more stubborn than my wife.” He motioned toward Hannah, adding, “And I didn’t think that was possible.”

“Oh, it’s true enough,” Jake said, laughing. “Marty is more stubborn than a longhorn momma tryin’ to get to her calf. I can’t say that I’ve ever met anyone quite as headstrong.”

Robert chuckled. “Aunt Marty says it’s just a matter of her stickin’ to her guns. She thinks if more people would stick to what they say, the world would be a better place.”

“I can just hear her sayin’ that,” Jake agreed.

“I wish she would have come with you to Texas. I hate that she’s unprotected in a city like Denver,” Hannah interjected.

Jake remembered Marty standing with her shotgun in
hand. Then a flash of memory came back regarding her entry into Denver. “Did Marty ever tell you about holding off bandits on her stage trip into Denver? In fact, she had to drive the stage partway to the next stop because the driver and shotgun had been wounded.”

Hannah’s eyes widened. “She what?”

Jake laughed. “Well, I could have guessed she didn’t share all the details.”

“I remember her saying there had been some problems that delayed her trip into Denver,” Hannah said, looking to her husband.

Will and Robert both looked more than a little interested and encouraged Jake to continue with his story.

“As I recall, Marty was on a special stagecoach for women only, so the only men around were the driver and his shotgun rider. When they were still a ways out of Denver, some bandits attacked and started firing at them. Well, Marty pulled a revolver from her handbag and started firing back. The shotgun said they probably wouldn’t have made it if not for her good shootin’.”

Robert laughed. “She can put a hole through a silver dollar at a distance farther than any man I know.”

“Well, when the bandits fled and the shotgun got the stage stopped, Marty got out to check on everyone. That’s when she found out the driver was unconscious and the shotgun was pert near the same. She hoisted herself up into the driver’s seat and drove the team of six on into the next stage stop. She was a heroine, and the papers wrote it all up for everyone to read.”

“Sounds like our Marty.” Will grinned. Hannah looked less than happy about the news, but said nothing.

Jake shrugged. “I knew then and there I’d found me a proper Lone Star bride.”

“But I thought you two had never met before Marty got to Denver,” Hannah said, looking at him oddly.

Will laughed. “Sometimes a fellow can take one look at a gal and know he’s gonna marry her. I felt that way about you.”

Hannah eyed him with a look that suggested he was crazy. “You hated me when we first met.”

“Nope, you hated me,” Will declared. “You thought I was gonna kick you and your family off the ranch.”

Jake was glad for the turn the conversation had taken. He hadn’t meant to give away any of Marty’s secrets. He’d have to be careful what he said in the future. As talk turned back to Marty and her abilities, Jake decided to refocus the conversation.

“That woman can do just about anything, so I wasn’t afraid to leave her behind while I figured things out down here. Besides, she wasn’t exactly eager to return. She has a bad taste in her mouth when it comes to Texas.”

“She made that clear enough in her letters,” Hannah said. “I don’t know why she holds such contempt for Texas. The state has been good to all of us.”

Shaking his head, Jake considered the matter for a moment. “I know she figures ranchin’ to be too dangerous. She doesn’t want to lose another husband—she told me that much.”

“But fighting off stage robbers isn’t exactly safe,” Robert said. “Marty doesn’t always think about things like that. Life’s full of trials and hardships, and they aren’t limited to Texas.”

“That’s for sure. I saw just as many threats in California. Denver wasn’t exactly minus hard times, either. Alice’s situation was proof of that. I reminded Marty that Alice’s father had been killed just carrying papers for the bank, so injury and death wasn’t limited to ranch work.”

“Oh, and she knows that full well,” Hannah said. “My
little sister has always been given to exaggerating. She’ll endure something and build it up to be ten times bigger than it actually is. As a child she often told lies—sometimes just for the fun of it. I liked to never broke her of it.”

“She did confess that much,” Jake admitted. “We had a few go-rounds because of it, but I know she’s a good woman and she’s trying to start fresh. I won’t hold the past against her.”

“Nor will I,” Hannah agreed. “I just hope she won’t hold it against Texas.”

“I guess we’ll know soon enough,” Will said, putting a stack of bills on the table. “I want you to take this money, Jake. You and Robert ride into town and purchase train tickets and get them mailed off to Marty.”

Jake looked at the money. “I . . . won’t . . . won’t take charity. I mean to pay this back in work.”

“Nonsense,” Hannah declared. “She’s my little sister, and I want her here as much as you do. Let this be our gift—to Alice, too. Now finish up your breakfast. Robert, I want you to pick up some things for me while you’re in town, so you might as well take the wagon.”

The matter was settled and Jake knew there’d be no chance of changing Hannah’s mind. He hid his smile and finished off his flapjacks. She was just as stubborn as Marty.

“And Ruth told her mother-in-law that she would follow her wherever she went—that her people would be Ruth’s people and her God would be Ruth’s God,” the minister declared from the pulpit.

For Marty, the words seemed to hit particularly close to her heart. Jake wanted her to share in his love of Texas, to follow him wherever he went. He was now with her people,
and it was all the more important that she join him. They needed to be a family.

She thought of her expanding abdomen. Few knew of her condition, and she intended to keep it that way. Sam snuggled close to her on one side, and Wyatt edged closer on the other, while four-year-old Benjamin had claimed her lap. Marty couldn’t help but wish she could take them with her. When the time came for her to leave, it would be especially hard to leave her three little shadows. The boys were bonded to her, and she to them. She couldn’t help but wonder what Jake would do if she showed up in Texas with three additional family members.

A week later, the pastor spoke from the book of Genesis and told of Jacob’s leaving his uncle’s land to head back to his home. He was afraid of what he would face. He had duped Esau, his brother, out of his birthright and blessing. Now he wanted to return home to be with his family—God wanted him to return home.

Just as you apparently
want me to return home.

Marty thought of the train tickets they had received only two days earlier. She and Alice were set to leave for Texas on the morrow, yet Marty still felt apprehensive.

Jacob, in Genesis, wanted to return home and feared the consequences. Marty wanted to be returned to Jake—her Jacob.

Why does this have to
be so hard?

Images of Thomas’s lifeless body came to mind. He had died with Marty at his side, clinging to his hand, begging him to stay. Marty closed her eyes and other tragedies clouded her thoughts. There had been times when Andy had gotten hurt, when Will had nearly died from pneumonia after riding for days on end in an icy rain. Hannah had known her share of
problems, too. She’d nearly died when her youngest daughter had been born breach. There was always a chance of death and dying in life, and Marty knew there was no avoiding it. Not by staying in Colorado. Not by avoiding the ranch.

I’m so afraid, Lord. So
afraid. I know trials and problems are everywhere. I look
at Alice and I know it could just as easily
have been Jake and me getting held up. I don’
t want to let fear steal my joy, Lord, but . . .
well . . . it is, and I don’t know how to
change it.

“Sometimes God’s directions to us seem impossible. Think of Abraham being told to leave his country and his people for an unknown land. Think of Noah being given the order to build an ark—a protection against something no one had ever seen or experienced. Throughout the Bible there are examples of God calling His children to difficult and arduous tasks with seemingly impossible odds. But with God . . . all things are possible.”

It seemed with every word the minister spoke, confirmation was at hand that Marty and Alice were doing the right thing.

“Let me say that again,” the minister asserted, emphasizing his words. Marty opened her eyes to find him looking directly at her. “With God . . . all things are possible.”

She smiled.
Even Texas?

After the service she and Alice gathered the children around the dinner table, and Mr. Brentwood offered a blessing on the meal. Once everyone was seated, Marty took that moment to make her announcement.

“You heard the story this morning about Jacob returning to his homeland,” she began. The children nodded and she smiled. “My husband’s name is Jacob and he, too, returned to his homeland—my homeland in Texas.”

“Texas is far away,” Wyatt declared.

Marty nodded. “It’s quite a ways.” She paused and looked at Mr. Brentwood. She could see the sorrow in his eyes. Soon she would have to endure the sadness of the children, as well. She steadied herself. “Well, just like Jacob, I need to return to my homeland. My husband has sent train tickets for me and for Miss Alice. We will leave tomorrow.”