Love Finds a Home (Anthologies) (4 page)

“I saw you come out here,” he explained. “When you tarried, I became concerned.”

Glenna’s stomach reeled with nervousness. “It’s kind of you to worry about me, Reverend Green, but—”

“David. Please, call me David.”

“I needed some fresh air, and I’m thirsty as a hound dog.” She moistened her lips one more time. “Other than that, I’m perfectly fine.”

He chuckled, and there was a distinctive twinkle in his emerald eyes.
He really is a charming man. Why would Daddy object to me speaking with someone as kind as David?

“Have you anything to drink?”

Glenna shook her head. “Daddy and I were in such a hurry to leave Central City, neither of us thought to fill a canteen.” She sighed deeply. “I don’t think clearly when I’m under pressure, and Daddy wasn’t in any condition to think at all.”

David’s twinkle was gone now. In its place was obvious compassion. “I have a listening ear, if you’d care to talk about anything.”

She swallowed hard and sucked in her lower lip to keep from blurting out her frustrations. This man seemed honest and genuinely concerned for her welfare. Maybe she should swallow her pride and open up to him about some of her troubles.
He might even be able to help somehow. After all, he is a preacher, and men of God are supposed to have words of wisdom to offer, aren’t they?

Glenna was on the verge of telling David why she and Daddy were on this particular train when the door of their coach flew open. Her father, red-faced and sweating profusely, lumbered onto the platform.

“Daddy, what is it? You look upset,” Glenna declared. Was he angry with her for coming out here alone? Or were his labored breathing and crimson face due to the rage he felt at seeing her and David together?

With a sense of urgency, Daddy grabbed Glenna’s arm. His face was pinched, as though he were in pain. “I love you, Glenna. No matter what happens, please remember that.”

Before she could respond, Daddy gave her a quick hug, threw one leg over the metal railing, and plunged off the train.

CHAPTER 4

G
lenna let out a scream that echoed in her ears.
“Daddy!”
She leaned over the iron railing, her eyes scanning the ground below for any sign of her father. The train was moving too fast. She could see nothing but the blur of trees and thick dust swirling through the air. There was no sign of Daddy anywhere. Had he fallen under the train? Was he lying wounded in the dirt somewhere? Was he … dead?

David grabbed Glenna by one arm and pulled her away from the railing. She buried her face in his chest and sobbed. “Daddy! Daddy! Oh, why would he jump from the train like that?”

David patted her gently on the back. “I have no idea, but—”

His comforting words were halted when two burly-looking men came running onto the platform. One of them was dressed in a dark suit with a plaid vest. The other wore a Stetson and a tooled leather belt.

“Where is he? Where is that scum? I oughta lay him out like a side of beef!” the taller man bellowed.

“He came through this door!” the other one shouted. “Now where’s he hiding, anyways?”

When she noticed the guns nestled at both men’s hips, Glenna’s heart began to pound. Unable to answer, she merely swallowed and hung her head.

The shorter man’s fingers danced in a nervous gesture over the trigger of his weapon. “I’ll bet that low-down snake ran into the next car. He’s probably lurkin’ behind some poor old lady’s skirts, thinkin’ she’ll save his sorry hide.” The man squinted his beady, dark eyes. “I’ll blow the hair off anyone’s head who’s dumb enough to protect the likes of Garret Moore!”

Glenna pulled back from David and thrust her chin out defiantly, but it quivered nonetheless. “You needn’t bother looking in the next coach. My father is gone.”

“Gone? What do ya mean ‘gone’?” the taller man asked.

“He jumped off the train,” David explained.

The shorter man peered over the railing, as if he expected to see something more than the passing scenery. “You’d better be tellin’ the truth about this.”

“Why would we lie about something so awful?” Glenna’s voice shook with raw emotion, and she covered her mouth with the palm of her hand.

David reached out to clasp her hand. “Miss Moore is right. We have no reason to hide anything from you.”

The taller man shrugged. “If that simple-minded sidewinder jumped off a train goin’ at this speed, then he got his just reward.”

Glenna shuddered. This was her father they were talking about. Daddy had more than his share of faults—even cheated at the card tables from time to time—but he was no simple-minded sidewinder!

“You take that back!” she cried, jerking her hand free from David’s. She began to buffet the shorter man’s chest with her small fists. “My daddy loved me! He’d never have jumped unless he’d been forced into doing such a terrible thing.”

“Ha! He was forced, all right!” the big man blustered. “He either had to give our money back or take a bullet in the head.”

Glenna trembled, realizing her father’s choices had been limited—either die at the hand of another gambler or jump to his death from a moving train. Of course, he could have given the men their money. Better yet, Daddy should have resigned his unsavory lifestyle and gotten a decent, law-abiding job years ago.
He could have given up drinking, too
, she thought bitterly. His addiction to the bottle had only brought them untold grief.

The shorter man snorted. “Guess there ain’t no use hangin’ out here, Sam. The girl’s daddy is gone, and so’s our hard-earned cash.”

Glenna’s heart was thumping with fury now. “Hard-earned?” she shrieked. “If you two make a living the same way my father did, there was nothing
hard-earned
about the money you lost!”

Sam sneered at her. “You’re pretty feisty for a little slip of a gal.” He moved aggressively toward her. “Why, I oughta—”

David stepped quickly between Glenna and the gambler. “I’m sure the lady meant no disrespect.”

Glenna’s lower lip began to twitch. “I can speak for myself, thank you very much.”

Sam snorted again and turned to face his buddy. “Come on, Rufus. Let’s get back to our game. I’m sure we can recoup some of our losses if we find a few more saps to play the next hand.” He glared at Glenna. “This little filly ain’t worth us wastin’ no more time on.”

Rufus nodded. Then, brushing past them, his elbow bumped David in the back as he sauntered into the coach. Sam was right on his heels.

David drew in a deep breath. “Whew, that was close.”

“Close? What do you mean, ‘close’?”

“Those men had guns, Glenna. If your father hadn’t jumped off the train, they would have shot him.” David looked her straight in the eye. “And if I hadn’t stepped in and softened them up a bit, they might have shot you.”

Glenna’s mouth dropped open like a broken hinge. She’d been so upset about Daddy jumping from the train that she hadn’t realized her own life might be in danger. She chewed her bottom lip and winced when she tasted blood. “What does it matter? Without Daddy, I have no life.”

David followed Glenna back to their dreary coach, wondering what he might say or do to help ease her pain. He’d been preaching and counseling folks for a few years now, so he should know how to help her. The only problem was, most of those he’d helped weren’t as appealing as young Glenna Moore. At least none had conjured up the protective feelings he was experiencing right now. Was there more to this than just concern for her unfortunate circumstances?

Glenna reached her seat and stopped short. Her whole body began to shake as she bent down to pick up a deck of playing cards, lying on the bench. David figured either her father had dropped them there before his great escape or one of the other gamblers had decided to return them. Either way, the last thing Glenna needed right now was a reminder of her father’s folly.

He watched her study the cards as tears welled up in her eyes. Her chin began to quiver, and like a tightly coiled spring, she suddenly released her fury. “These cards are evil! They’ve brought us nothing but bad luck!” With a piercing scream, Glenna dashed the cards to the floor and fell in a heap beside them.

David looked around helplessly, wondering how Glenna’s display of unbridled emotions was affecting those nearby. He prayed fervently for the right words to offer in comfort. To his surprise he noticed that Alexander was still asleep, as were several other passengers. A woman and her husband, who sat two seats away, were openly staring. An elderly gentleman shrugged as though he couldn’t understand what all the fuss was about. David glanced toward the back of the coach. The men who’d confronted them a few moments ago were already absorbed in another round of poker, uncaring or unaware of the hysterical young woman on the floor.

David dropped to his knees beside Glenna, then scooped up the deck of cards. “The cards in themselves are not bad,” he said softly. “It’s the way they’re often used which causes folks to sin.”

Glenna hiccupped loudly as she looked up at him, her dark eyes brimming with tears. “Those cards are the reason my daddy jumped from this train.”

David stuffed the cards into his jacket pocket and gave Glenna his hand. Once she was on her feet, he offered her a drink from the canteen he’d taken out from under his bench. When she calmed down some, he helped her into her own seat and sat down beside her.

She sniffed deeply as he handed her the handkerchief he’d pulled from another one of his pockets. “Thank you. You’re very kind.”

He smiled in response. “You know, Glenna, the deck of cards can have a double meaning.”

“It c–can?”

He nodded and pulled the cards back out of his pocket. “I’ve been thinking about using cards such as these for one of my upcoming sermons. It might help some who are more familiar with worldly ways to better understand the Bible.”

Glenna’s interest was obviously piqued, for she tipped her head slightly to study the cards.

David fanned the deck and retrieved the ace. “This stands for
one
and reminds me of one God, who loves us all.” When she made no response, he continued. “Now the two makes me think about the fact that the Bible is divided into two parts—the Old and New Testament.” David withdrew the three of hearts. “When I see the three, I’m reminded of the Triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.”

“And the four?” Glenna asked, touching a fingertip to the four of clubs.

“Four stands for the four evangelists—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.” He held up the five of spades next. “Five makes me think of the five wise virgins who trimmed the lamp.”

Glenna’s forehead wrinkled. She obviously knew little or nothing about the Bible.

“The six of hearts is a reminder that God created the world in six days,” David said. “On the seventh day, God rested.” He tapped the seven of diamonds with his thumb.

“And the eight? What does it stand for?” she asked, leaning closer to David. In fact, she was so close that he could smell the faint aroma of her rosewater cologne.

David drew back slightly, afraid he would lose track of his thoughts if he didn’t put a safe distance between them. “Eight represents the eight righteous persons God saved during the great flood. There was Noah, his wife, their three sons, and their wives.”

Glenna nodded. “Mrs. Olsen, a woman who ran the boardinghouse where Daddy and I once stayed, often told Bible stories. I wasn’t that interested then, but I do remember her telling about Mr. Noah and the big boat.”

David chuckled. “Guess that’s about right, though I’ve never heard it put quite that way before.” He tapped the nine of spades with one finger. “This one makes me think of lepers. There were ten of them, and when Jesus healed them all, only one of the ten bothered to even thank Him. The other nine neglected to do so.”

Glenna frowned. “Jesus healed men with leprosy?”

“Yes, and He made many others well, too.”

“What does the ten stand for?”

“The ten represents the Ten Commandments, which were God’s law. He gave the laws to the children of Israel through His servant Moses.” David picked up the king of hearts. “This one reminds me of one special King … the One who died for each of us so we could have the gift of salvation and forgiveness from our sins.”