The Long Road Home Read online

  LORI WICK

  THE LONG

  ROAD

  HOME

  HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISERS

  EUGENE, OREGON

  All Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

  Except for well-established place names, all names of persons and places mentioned in this novel are fictional.

  Music and lyrics for “My Rock, Refuge and Savior” by Timothy Barsness and Lori Wick. Used by permission.

  Cover by Terry Dugan Design, Minneapolis, Minnesota

  Cover image © eStock Photo/PictureQuest

  About the Author

  LORI WICK is one of the most versatile Christian fiction writers in the market today. Her works include pioneer fiction, a series set in Victorian England, and contemporary novels. Lori’s books (more than 4 million copies in print) continue to delight readers and top the Christian bestselling fiction list. Lori and her husband, Bob, live in Wisconsin with “the three coolest kids in the world.”

  THE LONG ROAD HOME

  Copyright © 1990 by Harvest House Publishers

  Published by Harvest House Publishers

  Eugene, Oregon 97402

  www.harvesthousepublishers.com

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Wick, Lori.

  The long road home / Lori Wick.

  Sequel to: A Song for Silas.

  ISBN 0-7369-1535-4

  I.Title.

  PS3573.I237L6 1991

  813'.54—dc20

  90-20607

  CIP

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

  Printed in the United States of America

  05 06 07 08 09 10 11 / BC-MS / 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  To my own

  sweet Abigail,

  precious gift of God.

  I’m so glad He knew I wanted you.

  CAMERON FAMILY TREE—1890

  Contents

  Foreword

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Foreword

  Neillsville, Wisconsin

  October 1889

  Seated side by side in the wagon, Silas and Paul Cameron headed to town. Though neither one knew when he would see the other again, the ride was strangely silent—or maybe it was because of that fact.

  Paul knew his life would be changing radically in the next few months. Bayfield—his destination—was no quick trip home to Baxter. Baxter…having just been there, Paul wondered when he would see his family again. He said a quick prayer of thanks for being able to stop off in Neillsville, where Silas was staying. Otherwise he wouldn’t have seen him at all before going to his new job.

  A bit of excitement shot through him at the thought of going up north. He had already spent a few weeks up there preaching and talking with the congregation, and then waiting for their decision. When they called him to be their pastor, he accepted, knowing that it was not a matter to be taken lightly. He had committed himself to preaching every Sunday, and there was no predicting which days he would be called upon during the week. As he finished up his visit with Silas, Paul was glad that they had given him permission to delay his start with them. Once in the pulpit, there was no foreseeing when he would be this way again.

  “I wonder what’s going on. Everyone seems excited about something.” Silas’ voice cut through Paul’s thoughts and caused him to look around. The citizens of Neillsville did seem to be in a dither over something.

  “Hmmm, I don’t know.”

  They continued on to the station. Once there they both noticed the relative quiet of the train yard after the din of town. They spoke to no one, but comments came to them as they waited—something about a mob at the banker’s home because the bank had been robbing people.

  Paul and Silas exchanged looks a few times but said nothing. When Paul asked Silas if he wanted to go now and check into the situation, Silas declined. “I’ll go after your train leaves. Maybe things will be calmed down enough by then so I can find something out.”

  Paul’s arms went around his older brother, and the men embraced as the train vibrated to a stop. “Take care of yourself, Paul, and write. I’d like to meet Corrine.”

  “You’ll meet her. As much as I’ll miss all of you, I can’t wait to see her again.” Silas laughed with understanding as the two men embraced.

  Paul boarded the train and waved to Silas from the window. He then stowed his bag and settled into his seat. Within seconds his mind was on the woman waiting at the end of his journey, and he smiled.

  Corrine Maria Templeton. Tall and very slim, she always seemed unbelievably fragile to him. Her skin was clear and pale, accenting her blue eyes—eyes that always held just a hint of pain, Paul thought. He wished she were beside him, and then smiled at the impatient thought. They couldn’t be together soon enough for him. He’d felt that way since the first Sunday he had preached in Bayfield and met Corrine at her aunt and uncle’s.

  Just a few weeks ago Paul would have laughed at the idea of love at first sight, but something had happened that day, there was no denying that. He was sure of what he was feeling, and once in Bayfield he would only have to see Corrine to know if he had mistaken the look in her eyes.

  As the train increased in speed, Paul’s mind moved briefly to his finances. His grandmother had given him money for the train fare to Bayfield, and he had been very thankful.

  “Maybe,” he thought to himself, “I should have told her how little money I have.” Almost as soon as the thought entered Paul’s mind, he dismissed it. He had enough to get where he was going. Once in town he had a home with Corrine’s uncle and aunt, Lloyd and May Templeton. They would take no money for his room and board, so Paul really had no pressing financial needs. He was especially thankful for not having to take work outside the church like so many pastors of small congregations.

  The trip was a long one, and Paul changed trains more than once. Paul’s bag held his Bible and, when he wasn’t dozing or visiting with some of the other train passengers, he read. The train moved rapidly past scenery that was breathtakingly beautiful: rolling hills and valleys, grassy areas with little more than a few flowers, or dense areas of forest where trees, towering far into the sky, cast long shadows over the
land.

  By the time the train rolled into Bayfield, Paul’s long legs felt cramped. He was glad the Templetons lived uphill from the depot; he needed the exercise.

  As he walked a sense of well-being overcame him, and he praised God from the depths of his soul. This was his town now. God would use him to reach out to this bay-side village and show them the way to Jesus Christ. He pictured Corrine by his side and felt as though God had placed the world at his feet.

  “Oh yes,” Paul thought, as he walked up the steps of the home in which he lived, “Corrine and I are going to win Bayfield for God.”

  1

  Bayfield, Wisconsin

  A few weeks later Paul sat thinking on his sermon of that morning. It had gone well. The congregation had been warm and receptive. He felt he was off to a fine beginning in his new church.

  But soon his thoughts turned elsewhere and he grew anxious. Where was she? He began to whistle tunelessly and bounce his heel on the floor in quick rhythm. His eyes caught those of his hostess, and he quickly stopped.

  Paul’s stillness lasted only seconds before he had to restrain himself from pacing the floor of the elegant front parlor. The Templetons, aware and greatly amused over the young pastor’s plight as they sat across from him, wisely kept still. They knew that as soon as their niece arrived, the anxious look on his face would disappear, to be replaced by a look of rapt attention for Corrine alone.

  Amid Paul’s impatient vigil, the front door opened and in walked the love of his life. He was vaguely disappointed to see she was followed by her parents. He had somehow hoped she would come alone. But just looking at her as she crossed the room to take a chair near him banished all other thoughts from his mind.

  Paul looked at her closely as she took her seat. He knew she had been in poor health lately. Paul had known great frustration at not seeing more of her, sure that he could be a comfort. She was pale but as lovely as ever in his eyes. Paul’s attention then turned to watch her father, Hugh Templeton, settle his weight in a delicate chair and look about the room in his usual disagreeable fashion. Paul wished he could march right over to the man and tell him of the love he bore for Corrine and ask for her hand in marriage.

  But Hugh Templeton was an unapproachable man, and his expression was constantly stern. Paul learned in a hurry that if Hugh hadn’t liked something about the sermon on any given Sunday, he wasted no time in telling Paul. Paul also realized, on the other hand, that if Hugh enjoyed the sermon, he said not a word.

  Attempting to talk to Corrine beneath the scowling regard of her father was more than Paul could take, and he despaired of being able to say two words to her.

  He finally gathered courage and leaned forward, intending to tell Corrine how pretty she looked in her gown of pale yellow, when Mr. Templeton’s voice broke through rudely.

  “Well, Corrine nearly dragged us from the house to come here. As if I have nothing better to do with my Sunday evening than sit around May’s fancy parlor.”

  His tone and words were lost on Paul as he watched Corrine blush becomingly, telling him how much she had wanted to come. Paul and Corrine would have sat for unknown hours and stared at one another if Corrine’s uncle had not broken in.

  “Corrie, why don’t you and Paul head out and ask Matty for something to drink?” Lloyd could feel his older brother scowling, but he ignored him.

  He believed Paul Cameron to be a fine young man and, unlike his brother, didn’t believe Corrine, as sweet as she was, to be too good for any man.

  The two young people nearly stumbled in their haste to exit the room. Paul reached for Corrine’s hand the second they were out of view and didn’t release it until they entered the kitchen at the back of the house.

  Corrine greeted her aunt’s part-time cook, Matty, and told her of their request for refreshments. Matty was old, but not so old that she would mistake a couple in love. She told the young people in her stern way, “I can’t possibly take a tray into that parlor without some fresh flowers sitting on it. Now you two get outside and bring me what you find in bloom.”

  Grinning like fools, they turned without a word and raced to do her bidding. “And don’t you rush the job, either,” she called after them. “If I don’t like what you pick, I’ll send you right back out.”

  They ran down the back steps like small children running from a mischievous act. Paul waited only until they were out of view before he pulled Corrine into his arms and kissed her for the first time.

  Paul broke the kiss to find Corrine blushing furiously. She moved away from him and began to pull wildflowers from a small patch. Paul knelt beside her, and they worked for a time in silence. The last time they were together they had had so much to say, sharing from their hearts all their hopes and dreams, but now—Paul wondered if he should apologize for kissing her.

  “I’m sorry, Corrine, if I was presumptuous just now, but the truth is, I missed you very much and thought about you the whole time I was away.”

  They were standing now, and Corrine turned to face Paul, her expression tender with love. “I missed you too,” she admitted quietly.

  Paul needed no further encouragement, and in the next instant Corrine was back in his embrace. “Marry me, Corrine,” Paul said and heard her gasp. “Oh Paul,” was all she was able to say before he kissed her again.

  “I love you, Corrine,” Paul said finally, thrilled beyond reason at being able to tell her.

  “And I love you, Paul Cameron,” Corrine stated simply. Their hearts overflowed with joy, unable to believe they could ever be happier. The flowers were forgotten as they held hands and made plans.

  “I’ll talk with your father and we’ll be married right away.” Paul’s voice was breathless with excitement, and Corrine clung to him for a final embrace. They walked back to the house, the flowers they had picked left on the ground, both completely unaware of anything but each other.

  The next days flew by in a flurry of anticipation and nerves as Paul tried to gain courage to approach Corrine’s father. He saw Mr. Templeton more than once, but each time Paul’s fear of the man overcame him, and he said nothing.

  He was busy with his work at the church and had to fight resentment at being called upon to do his job at times when he wanted to be with Corrine. He knew without a doubt that his feelings were wrong, but at times he was unable to control himself.

  Paul spent more time in the Word and prayed for strength. He still believed God wanted him and Corrine together, but it would have to be His timing and not Paul’s. When Paul settled into this mind-set, his entire outlook changed, and a wonderful peace settled over him as he was used of God in his small church.

  The church had not had a full-time pastor in years, and Paul rose to the challenge to see his small congregation reach their full potential. Paul spent extra hours on his sermon and spoke to two women about singing solos.

  He even baby-sat one afternoon for a few hours when a young mother took sick. Paul gained a new appreciation, as he and his four-and five-year-old charges walked all over town, for the job a mother has in raising young children. Paul believed the joy of a pastor was far more than standing in the pulpit on Sunday. It was also getting involved with the people and becoming a part of their lives, so for him it was all part of the joy and another opportunity to serve God.

  And always at the back of Paul’s mind was Corrine and the life they would have together, and praise to God for giving them each other. But as victorious as Paul had been over his willfulness and the joy he was experiencing in his work, he was not prepared for the confrontation with Mr. Templeton the next Sunday after church.

  When he saw Corrine and her mother making their way to their buggy and Mr. Templeton hanging back, he assumed he was going to hear how bad his sermon had been. Paul had him figured out now. The man did not like to hear that all men were sinners and needed Christ. This fact surprised Paul because he knew Corrine and her mother to be believers. It made him wonder why Mr. Templeton continued to attend.

>   The last of the congregation had descended the steps, and Mr. Templeton stood before him. Paul was taller than the man, but Hugh still intimidated him to the point that he felt like a small boy in trouble. Knowing the Scriptures he was going to use this time, he waited patiently for the man to speak.

  “Corrine has never been as robust as her older sisters.” Paul stared incredulously at the man, wondering what in the world he could be talking about.

  “She’s not sick, mind you,” Mr. Templeton hastened to add. “Just not as strong as some girls—never has been. Now I think you’re an alright man for a preacher, but you’re not for my Corrine.

  “She’s young yet, and when the time comes that I think she should find a man, well, it’ll have to be one who can keep her in the fine things she’s been used to all her life. There’s no reason for you to take this personally, but I’m her father and I know what’s best.” Without another word, Mr. Templeton turned and walked away.

  2

  If there was anything worse than being kept from the woman you love, Paul couldn’t imagine what it could be. Corrine was in the same miserable state as Paul and looked so down the first few Sundays after Paul had been warned off that he feared Mr. Templeton had told her some awful lie about his not wanting to see her.

  But his fear didn’t last long as he saw Mrs. Templeton, seemingly standing against her husband in that she made sure Corrine stayed in line to shake the pastor’s hand, as was the custom of their small congregation.

  It was during those times that Paul was able to tell Corrine by the touch of his hand and the look in his eyes that none of his feelings had changed.

  Paul continued to pray, seeking God’s guidance in this painful matter of the heart. Still confident he and Corrine were to be together, he was sure of it after Corrine had missed two Sundays in a row and a note arrived, asking him to come to the house.