Treasure Reborn, page 14
Now the silence of the plains felt deafening and not the least bit comfortable.
Penny and her girls were a “good thing”; he would even go so far as to call them blessings. Most of the time. But what if. . .what if God did have a hand in Derek’s life? What if He aimed to give Derek a family and would rather he no longer remained a lone drifter? And what if Penny and her girls were that family? They’d been thrown together by chance—or had it been more? No matter that Derek had gotten away—twice—he always found himself drawn back to her. Desired to be with her. Even now. Especially now.
He loved her.
“What have I gone and gotten myself into this time?” he muttered, but his heart confirmed his thoughts. He couldn’t imagine living the rest of his life without Penny Crawder by his side. Could he convince her to take another chance on him? Would she be willing to listen if he tried to talk to her again?
As he rode on, her teachings to her girls about God, about His desire for His children’s happiness, about so many things revolved inside Derek’s mind until he couldn’t take any more and he bowed his head, yielding to the strong tug at his heart. Despite the blazing sun, he took off his hat and held it over his chest.
“I was wrong to steal from my kin. I admit it. I think I was wrong about You, too, Lord. Ma said You forgive men, and I sure could use a dose. I’ve messed things up pretty badly. But if You’re willing to take a chance on me, I’d be grateful.”
The curious ease that filled him, like floating atop salt-water, dissolved when in the early evening he reached the last place they had camped. Only the remains of a dead fire and the ruts from wagon wheels marked that they’d ever been there. He peered over the land to the east, hoping to catch sight of her wagon in the distance. But that was too much to hope for, he supposed, since she likely left after dawn. He had assumed he would meet Penny on the journey back, but she must have turned around, now that she realized the trail was too dangerous for Christa. That meant she was headed back to the canyon and might come across those outlaws a second time.
Six guns or not, Derek didn’t rest easy at the idea of her meeting up with them again. And he had the troubling sensation that something wasn’t right.
He prodded his mare to a faster pace. “Sorry, horse, I know you’re tired.” And for the second time, he uttered a prayer. “Please, God, keep Penny and the girls safe.”
By the time he neared the canyon, nighttime had wrapped the land in a shroud of darkness. He was grateful for the moon, though he still didn’t see the wagon. Penny had covered more miles than usual, clearly eager to get home. He urged his horse forward, between hills.
At the glow of a campfire, his heart beat a little faster, and when he made out the pale canvas of the wagon’s tarpaulin, he drew a breath in relief.
A breath that died when he entered camp and saw no one there.
“Penny?” He rode closer to the back of the wagon. “You in there?”
When no answer came, he edged back the cover to peek inside.
Empty.
Alarmed, he scanned the area. Something pale and out of place caught his eye near a clump of sagebrush by the river. He rode closer and dismounted to pick up what looked like twined husks covered by a strip of calico. He turned it over.
His heart lunged as he stared down at Christa’s doll.
Thirteen
“Mama, I’m scared.”
Her arms around a wooly gray coyote pup, Christa retreated a step, almost losing balance as another pup frisked at her heels. In front and around her a coyote pack moved in, slow and dangerous. Teeth bared. Growling low in their throats. Their long bushy tails stuck out behind them in clear threat.
“Don’t move, Christa. Don’t be scared. And don’t put down that pup.”
Penny had scarcely known such terror as she did standing several yards behind the pack and watching the three ferocious beasts bear down on her tiny daughter. She sighted her shotgun on the lead dog’s head, targeting the scruffy white area behind its pointed ears. Two shots. She had two shots in the dark against three angry coyotes.
“Livvie,” she said in a hushed tone to her eldest, who stood quiet and trembling beside her, slingshot poised. “Don’t use that. Not yet. If you miss, you’ll make them angrier, and they could turn on you. As long as Christa keeps holding that pup, I think she’s safe. No mama is going to attack and risk her pups getting hurt.”
At least she hoped not. Again a fervent prayer for divine protection rose to her lips. She silently issued the brief plea and kept the shotgun ready in her hands now slick with sweat.
“Livvie, hurry back to camp and fetch a branch from the fire!”
Penny jerked her head around, shocked to hear Derek’s whisper behind her. She’d been so focused on her daughter and the growling beasts she hadn’t heard his approach.
Sitting on horseback, his eyes on Christa, he raised his pistol into the air and shot. At the explosions that echoed off the canyon walls, the coyotes jumped in their looming semicircle, clearly startled, but didn’t scatter. The two biggest dogs turned halfway around and snarled at Derek.
Penny watched as Olivia came running back with a torch and handed it up to him. He rode closer to Christa, thrusting the fire at the nearest coyote. Penny’s heart nearly stopped to see how close his hand came to the beast’s sharp teeth. Growling and barking, the pack backed away from both Derek and Christa. One of the dogs suddenly jerked and yipped as a rock hit its long snout. Penny swung her gaze to Olivia, who stood poised with her slingshot. The coyote ran off.
“Christa, put the pup down, slowly,” Penny called. While her tiny daughter did as instructed, Penny followed Derek’s lead and fired a shot into the air. The female coyote grabbed her pup by the scruff and raced away. The second pup scampered after her at a slower pace and disappeared from sight. The remaining coyote, which Penny assumed was the male lead dog, glared at Penny and growled. Its eyes glowed a menacing yellow in the fire from Derek’s torch. Penny backed up and stumbled. The huge, lean beast moved her way.
Olivia let loose with a volley of rocks and another shot exploded from Derek’s gun. The lead dog yipped and Penny saw dark blotch its gray coat as it turned, racing after its pack.
❧
The coyotes gone, Derek threw his torch to the ground and grabbed Christa, swinging her atop his horse. He had struggled to control his mare and was shocked his beast hadn’t shied as he fought off the coyote pack. Penny ran and met him halfway, holding her arms up for her daughter. Derek gently lowered Christa into her embrace, and watched Penny hug her child close.
“How many times have I told you not to wander off?” she chided, kissing the top of her head.
“I’m sorry, Mama.” Christa’s voice trembled. “I had to go tend nature’s call, and I saw the pups and followed them. They wanted to play. Then them big ole mean dogs came.”
“Promise me you’ll never do something so foolish again, Christa.”
She nodded, solemn. “I promise.”
“Thank you,” Penny mouthed to Derek, and he gave a short nod.
“We should head back to camp and put more distance between us and them,” he said quietly, his heart tugging at the picture they made. “Their den must be near. Them pups are too young to go far from it, and where you camped is too close for my peace of mind.”
Penny nodded, asking no questions. In the shock of all that had happened, she seemed to take his return to them for granted.
Once back at the campsite, she gave quiet orders for Christa to get inside the wagon and stay there and for Olivia to help hitch up the team. Instead of joining her, however, Penny only stared into the fire, hugging herself as if in a stupor.
“I told the girls, just this morning, that we can’t escape from troubles,” she said, “that they always have a way of finding us. But I had no idea I’d be fightin’ a pack of angry coyotes to top off the day.” Her shoulders trembled as she took a deep breath. “I bedded down early and awoke to find Christa gone. I was terrified to find her with that pup and the pack closing in.”
Derek moved to stand beside her and laid his hand on her shoulder. He understood. His own heart had chilled at the sight. And later, his fear had soared when he’d seen the lead dog stalk Penny.
“I’m all right,” she assured, but her smile faltered, her eyes still holding a hint of the terrible panic she must have suffered.
“No. You’re not pulling away this time,” he whispered and drew her to him before she could resist. “Lean on me, Penny. I’m here. And I’m not going anywhere.”
Once his arms closed around her trembling body, she melted against him, soft and warm. He held her for some time, his hand smoothing her silken hair, while around them, insects buzzed, and nearby, the fire crackled low. The night again grew still and at peace.
Her shaking subsided, and she pulled away to look into his eyes. “I never thought I’d see you again. Why did you return, Derek? Did you read your pa’s map wrong and lose your way?”
He deserved that. Her gentle words held no bite; still they stung. “I came to tell you I was wrong. And to ask that you come back with me to Silverton.”
“Come back with you?”
He nodded, unsure now how she would respond to his next request. “While I was heading back here, I made my peace with God. And I want to try and set things right with my family if it’s not too late.”
“Family?” Her eyes had begun to sparkle, her smile growing throughout his explanation. She raised her brow, urging him to speak the words.
“Yeah, family. My brother. And my sister.”
“I can’t tell you how pleased I am with your decision,” she said, her words cautious. “And I feel so wretched for the shameful way I acted earlier. I was wrong, too, to lash out the way I did.”
“Don’t give it another thought. Fact is, your words helped set me on this course.”
“Then I’m glad, though I still wish I would have dealt with the matter differently. It’s the right thing to do, Derek, no matter how difficult. I’m not sure how I can help, being nothing but a stranger to them, but aye, I’ll come with you. After all you’ve done for me and mine, how can I refuse?”
A bit nervous, he pulled his lips into a pucker and rolled his tongue along the inside of his cheek. “Well, it’s more than that really. Fact is, my heart hasn’t been quite right since I met you.”
She paused. “Maybe I can find a cure for you among my cuttings.”
“Well, no. That’s not exactly what I meant, either.”
“Then tell me, Derek. What is on your mind?” She thought she knew but wanted him to say it.
“I love you,” he said simply. “I’m tired of being a loner, and I want you to spend the rest of your days with me.”
Even though she’d hoped for it, his straightforward answer nearly took her breath away.
“Marry me, Penny.” His hands gently clasped her arms. “Come back with me to Silverton. There must be someone there who can tell us where to find a man of the cloth to perform the ceremony.”
“Aye, Derek.”
His brow shot up at her swift answer. “You’ll marry me?”
“Of course.”
“You don’t need time to think it over?” From what little he’d heard from an old acquaintance, women always asked for time to reach that decision.
“I’ve thought of little else. I’ve hoped for this almost since the day I met you. Could you not be tellin’? ’Tis not any drifter I allow the favor of a kiss.”
Baffled, he shook his head at her teasing words and returned her smile. “You’ve known that long?”
“Aye.”
“So you’re telling me I never had a chance?”
She laughed. “Of course you had a chance. We must make our own choices, Derek. I just hoped you would come to see that marrying me was the right one for you.”
He chuckled at her logic. How he longed to pull her into his arms and kiss her! But he held back as Olivia walked into view, and he recalled their need to break camp. He doubted the coyote pack would return to their den soon, if they returned at all, but he didn’t want to take that chance.
Unable to resist Penny’s appeal, he did kiss her smooth brow. “We won’t go far, just enough to put some distance between us and them coyotes.” He glanced at Olivia, who brought the horses around. “Should we tell the girls about us?”
“Maybe it’s best to wait till morning. I don’t want them whooping and hollerin’ and alerting every wild beast in the area to our presence.”
“Coyotes tend to shy from loud noises. I’ve had a run-in with their kind before.”
She grinned. “Well then, maybe we should tell the girls now, so as to keep the coyotes away.”
He laughed; she had the gift for bringing that out in him. “Are you sure Olivia or Christa won’t mind having me for a pa?”
“Judgin’ by how miserable they behaved after you left, I think they’ll be so excited they won’t sleep for days.”
He drew her to his side. “Thank God you’re safe, Penny, and that I got here in time.”
“Aye. I have a great deal for which I need to be thankin’ Him.” She looked up at Derek, a light in her eyes he’d never before seen. “I had thought that to take my girls and find a better life in Carson City was God’s will, as well as my own, even though I faltered with misgivings. Now I realize what must have been His true intent—that I find and become acquainted with you. And I feel peace in that knowledge, that this has been His will from the start. Where we live doesn’t matter as long as I’m with you, Derek. I love you, too. I think I must have for some time.”
This time, he didn’t resist as he leaned down and touched his lips to her soft ones in a slow, tender kiss; one she returned in full.
Afterward, they both noticed Olivia had broken from her task of hitching the harness to the team and stared at them, her mouth agape. Her lips turned up until they stretched into a jubilant smile. Christa also peeked from behind the canvas at the back of the wagon, grinning wide, then covered her mouth and giggled when Derek caught sight of her.
“Well, if they didn’t know before, they know now,” he whispered, and Penny laughed.
“Olivia, Christa,” she said, “before we leave here, we have something to tell you. . . .”
Derek and Penny shared a glance and a smile, before he took her hand in his and they walked closer to share their news with her girls. . .soon to be his girls, too.
Penny had been right. Their whoops and hollers filled the canyon, enough to scare any coyote away.
Fourteen
Both eager and anxious, Penny once more donned her mother’s native wedding dress and necklace of glass beads. She had been given the room Derek’s half sister, Linda, once used, and which she and her girls now shared. Upon their arrival to Silverton more than a week before, they had learned that Linda vanished the morning after Derek left, without a word to anyone. Only the man at the livery remembered her hitching a ride on a miner’s wagon leaving town, and Penny had seen both regret and concern in Derek’s eyes when he heard the news.
“We’ll find her, if that’s what you’re wantin’,” she’d assured him softly.
“I’m not sure I have the right or even that she’ll welcome my concern. Clay sure hasn’t forgiven me.”
Regardless, Derek searched, but found no trace of his half sister.
Penny mused over her initial meeting with her soon-to-be brother-in-law, Clayton, who favored Derek and possessed the same lean strength, and quiet, often brooding manner. He’d treated news of their engagement with shock, and addressed Penny with a shy, almost boyish respect. To her surprise, others in the small town had been polite to her as well, though she received suspicious, even bitter looks from some. With Derek near and her own experience using a gun, Penny felt assured she and her girls would be safe.
Yet while Clay had been kind to her and her girls, he barely spoke to his brother. That first day he’d accepted his portion of the map from Derek, but not the apology, leaving the small parlor area before Derek could finish.
Penny sighed. So much hurt. So many wounds to heal.
All week, she had played mediator between brothers, trying to exhibit both patience and understanding as her da and grandfather had done when they acted as go-betweens for the settlers and natives. This war between brothers was far different, and she hoped less brutal. At least she witnessed Derek make the effort to offer peace on more than one occasion. Gently, she’d advised him not to stir up more strife and to let God work with Clay, and Derek agreed.
She ran her fingertips over the yellow and blue border she’d stitched in the deerskin over her heart, using the last of her precious glass beads to symbolize the sun and the Son, who’d led Penny and Derek through the wilderness. God had played such an important part in their tattered lives, and she knew that He would always be at the core of their marriage. He had brought them together and ordered their steps. When their foolishness had torn them apart, His Spirit whispered to both their hearts, mending each with bright love and mercy and bringing them together once more, soon to be as one.
They had talked over their future, and decided to live in her beautiful valley but not in the shanty Oliver had built. Instead, Derek would build them a home on the other side, at the end of the stream. He planned to start a ranch with his share of the profits from the silver, and when he’d told her what their future would involve, she felt eager to begin life as a cattle rancher’s wife. “But first,” he’d told her gently, “we have to find the mine.”
She didn’t mind. As long as she was with him, anywhere was home.
“Penny, are you in there?”
Clay’s voice coming from beyond the muslin that covered the entrance jarred her thoughts to the present. She moved forward to pull the weighted cloth back.
He’d shaven off his thick growth of whiskers, and his shoulder-length curls still hung damp. “You look nice,” he said, seeming uncomfortable. “You sure you want to go through with this?”
