City Girl Read online

  father's eyes dart across the room before the older man

  shifted his gaze to his coffee cup and took a drink.

  Cash turned to see his mother had come in and let the

  door swing shut behind her. Cash watched her as she came

  to the table.

  '"You're talking about God, aren't you?"

  Charles looked a bit sheepish, but Virginia sat down, her

  face open.

  "If s all right, Charles," she shocked him by saying. "I've

  been doing some thinking of my own."

  "On what exactly?"

  City Girl 33

  56

  Virginia turned and looked at Cash-"I've

  been patting

  myself on the back about this wedding." She smiled a little

  wryly. "I'm not sure why--Clarissa Wingate did all the

  work--but for some reason it's given me great pride that

  two of my boys have found wives. But in the midst of those

  thoughts, you came to mind. If s not that you're not married,

  Cash; if s what you believe. I was just short of taking

  bows over Dakota and Darvi's marriage, and then I

  thought you wouldn't feel that way. You would thank God

  for putting them together."

  Cash only looked at her, still too surprised to speak.

  "You would, wouldn't you, Cash?"

  "Yes, Mother," he said gently. "I would."

  Virginia sighed a little, her gaze going upward. "I just

  don't know if He wants me. I know Charles is interested,

  and I want to be, but I feel as though God is hiding."

  "The God I believe in, the God of the Bible, doesn't play

  hide-and-seek with anyone. He's not capricious. Deuteronomy

  57

  4:29 tells us God can be found if we search for Him

  with all our heart and soul."

  "Where does it say that?" Charles asked, standing as he

  spoke and moving to the small desk in the kitchen where

  he'd been keeping the Bible. When he came back, Cash

  opened the book and showed him the verse. Virginia

  pressed in to see as well.

  For the next few minutes Cash took them to passages

  that spoke of God and His expectations of the people He

  created. Both Virginia and Charles were very attentive.

  Cash didn't press his parents, and after just a short time, he

  sat back and was quiet

  Virginia was the first to speak. "Charles, would you

  mind terribly if we didn't leave for Europe this month?"

  "No, I wouldn't, but why wait?"

  "I just want to hear more of what Pastor Cooper has to

  say. I want to go this morning and next week too. If we're

  leaving soon, I might be distracted."

  34 lori wick

  58

  Charles took her hand, and for a long time they looked

  at each other.

  "I'm a stubborn old man," he said, having forgotten

  Cash's presence.

  "You're in good company then/' Virginia said, her eyes

  still on his. "You're married to a stubborn old woman."

  Charles raised Virginia's hand and kissed it, but they

  weren't distracted with each other for very long. This subject

  was too urgent in their minds. Only seconds passed

  before they had more questions for their oldest son.

  *3r

  "What are you doing?" Liberty asked her husband when

  she found him poised outside the dosed kitchen door. She

  was ready for the service long before she needed to be, and

  because she'd already had some juice, she was hungry.

  "Cash is talking to the folks about spiritual issues,"

  Slater responded, his voice low. "I don't want to interrupt."

  Liberty nodded. She couldn't really hear what was being

  59

  said, but she was quiet with her husband. They stood for a

  moment longer until Slater glanced at his wife's face. As

  usual she looked a little pale in the morning. He knew it

  would help if she could eat.

  "How about," he started, "I take you out to breakfast?"

  "All right. Do I need a sweater?"

  "I'll keep you warm."

  Liberty smiled in delight as he took her hand and led her

  to the front door. An impulsive outing was always fun in

  her mind, and she loved having time with her spouse, but

  even as they left, both husband and wife remembered to

  pray for the people in the kitchen.

  "YOUR father gave me the longest hug he's given me in

  years," Gretchen Rawlings told Cash, Slater, and Liberty

  after the train pulled out of the St. Louis station. "I don't

  know when I've seen him so tender."

  The older woman's eyes misted over, and her three

  grandchildren let silence fall, but they understood just

  what she meant. The questions and discussions they'd had

  60

  in the last few days and the interest they saw in Charles

  and Virginia had given them all renewed hope that

  someday they might set their faith, their future, in Christ.

  It was five days after the wedding and time for all of

  them to head home. Before catching their own train back to

  spend a week on the gulf, Darvi and Dakota had spent a

  few days on their own and then come back to the Rawlngses'

  house to open gifts. Now these other four would

  ride together as far as Dallas before Slater and Liberty

  would connect to one train and Cash and his grandmother

  to another.

  Everyone was on the quiet side. It had been a tiring

  time--fun, but draining both physically and emotionally.

  The family was weary. And Liberty was not just tired--she

  was hungry. She had not felt up to eating before they left,

  so it wasn't surprising that she was ready for food not too

  many miles down the tracks. The young couple asked the

  rw

  61

  36 lori wick

  others to join them in the dining car, but both Cash and

  Grandma Rawlings declined.

  "I'm rather glad we're on our own for a moment, Cash,"

  Gretchen turned from the window to say.

  "Why is that?"

  'I've been meaning to tell you that you need to get married."

  Cash looked at her, hardly able to believe his ears.

  "You're the fourth person to tell me that in a week," he

  admitted quietly and found his grandmother's eyes

  widening in surprise.

  His face was so serious that she put a hand on his arm.

  "I'm sorry, Cash. Truly I am. That was very insensitive of

  me."

  And that was all. No "buts," no explanation of good

  intentions or having only his happiness and well-being in

  mind--just an apology.

  62

  Cash smiled at her and she smiled in return, and

  although they shared no other words, Cash's heart was

  very thoughtful.

  It zoos never my intention to lie the last one, but it's not as if

  I'd planned it. I couldn't be happier for my brothers, but seeing

  them get married doesn't change anything in my life. Cash let

  his heart be quiet for a moment, and then he spoke to the

  Lord. You don't have this for me yet. I don't need to even ask

  about it. I can see it with my awn eyes. I feel I'm ready to be married,

  but You know me best.

  Cash could see that this was all
he could say to God. He

  could thank God and trust Him for the future, but he

  couldn't expect God to act on something just because he

  felt the time was right in his human mind.

  Cash's own sense of weariness suddenly intensified. He

  was so glad for the time he'd had with the family, but right

  now he was tired. A glance at his grandmother, whose

  stamina always amazed him, told him she was settling in

  for sleep too. Cash had no problem joining her. Even

  63

  knowing he would have to move when Slater and Liberty

  City Girl 37

  came back, he stretched his long legs toward the seat across

  from him and let his body slouch down into comfort so he

  could sleep.

  %r -Sinkade,

  Texas

  There weren't too many trains into Kinkade each day,

  but Reagan had taken an early one. She had a name,

  William Harmond, and an address, and in her mind that

  was enough. She wasn't as fresh as she would like to have

  been for a first meeting with her new employer but felt sure

  he would understand.

  The platform cleared swiftly, and Reagan was glad to

  have a moment to look around. She liked what she could

  see of Kinkade. It looked to be on the quiet side and

  64

  nowhere near as large as her neighborhood in New York;

  she could tell that it was a town just her size.

  "Excuse me," Reagan said when a man in uniform

  passed by. "May I ask you a question?"

  "Certainly, miss. What can I do for you?"

  "I'm looking for a Mr. William Harmond. Could you

  possibly tell me where he lives?"

  "Yes, ma'am, it just so happens he lives next to my aunt

  You go to the middle of town, and then a block to the north,

  turn left, and he's the third house on the right."

  Reagan beamed at him. She never dreamed she would

  hear such clear directions.

  "Thank you, sir."

  The man watched her walk away, a small smile on his

  face as he shook his head a little. She had smiled at him as

  though he'd given her a sack of gold.

  Reagan did not look back. She moved toward downtown,

  a woman with a mission, her eyes swiftly scanning

  the storefronts. She watched the door of the general store

  just being opened, reminded again of the early hour. It was

  65

  38 lori wick

  a brisk day, but not at all cold like New York. Reagan had

  everything she could do not to smile and greet everyone

  she saw.

  A bit of preoccupation over one advertisement in the

  barber shop window almost made her miss her turn, but

  with just a few maneuvers, she was on her way again. It

  didn't take long to find that the instructions had been perfect

  Doing exactly as she'd been told, she stood in front of

  a large, well-kept home and saw the name Harmond on the

  porch. Thinking there was no time like the present, Reagan

  started up the walk.

  A brisk knock on the wide wood door produced a

  woman. She didn't look like a servant, and Reagan could

  only hope he hadn't hired someone else.

  "May I help you?" the woman asked.

  "Yes, please. I'm Reagan Sullivan. I'm looking for Mr.

  William Harmond."

  The woman nodded, and Reagan thought she looked at

  66

  her oddly.

  "I'll get him for you" was all she said before leaving

  Reagan on the front porch.

  "Well, at least she didn't shut the door completely," the

  nanny muttered, wondering what to think of what had just

  happened. She wasn't given much time. Within seconds

  the door opened wide and a man stood there.

  "Miss Sullivan?"

  "Yes. Are you Mr. Harmond?"

  "I am. Won't you please come in?"

  "Thank you."

  Her heart surging with excitement, seeing now that it

  was all going to work out fine, Reagan stepped across the

  threshold.

  "You didn't get my letter," Mr. Harmond began before

  Reagan could even set down her bag.

  "Yes, I did," she said plainly. "I wouldn't be here otherwise."

  City Girl 39

  William Harmond hesitated, his mind scrambling for

  67

  words.

  In that instant, Reagan knew something was wrong, and

  it wasn't hard to figure that the woman at the door had

  something to do with it. Nevertheless she was going to

  wait for this man to admit it

  "How is it you got my letter if you're just now arriving?

  I mailed it two weeks ago."

  Reagan smiled. "I left early and took a little time to see

  the country."

  Mr. Harmond nodded. He had hoped to avoid this, but

  now he had no choice.

  "I must tell you, Miss Sullivan, that since I contacted you

  the first time, I've taken a wife."

  "Have you now?" she asked calmly.

  "Yes."

  "And that would have been mentioned in this letter that

  I missed?"

  "Yes. I'm sorry you've had to come all this way."

  Reagan eyed him for a moment and then let her gaze

  take in the foyer. It would have been a nice place to work.

  68

  "Well, I guess thaf s the end of it," she said, not with a

  stinging tone but one that spoke of regret.

  "I'm sorry."

  Reagan smiled at him and started toward the door. Mr.

  Harmond was there ahead of her, his gaze anxious as he

  watched her. For this reason he saw the exact moment she

  stopped. He froze when she turned to him, not at all sure

  what she might do or say.

  "Who did you marry?"

  Nearly flabbergasted at the question, the man still managed,

  "Beth Barton."

  "Where did she work?"

  "She was a cook at the hotel."

  Mr. Harmond was awarded one of the smiles that drew

  people to Reagan.

  40 lori wick

  "I'll have to head there then, won't I? "They'll be needing

  a cook."

  69

  William Harmond couldn't stop his shoulders from

  shaking. He'd never encountered anyone with such charm

  and pluck.

  "Good day," Reagan said as she moved out the door,

  across the porch, and down the steps. She was halfway

  down the walk when he called her name. Reagan turned to

  see him approaching.

  "This is for you," he said, his hand outstretched to offer

  money to her. "I only sent half your train fare because I

  didn't know if you'd really come, but this should be

  enough to get you home if the hotel has already hired

  someone."

  Reagan took the money without hesitation.

  "I thank you, Mr. Harmond. As I don't even know

  where I'm sleeping tonight, I thank you indeed."

  They parted company then, Reagan back to the main

  street of town and Mr. Harmond back to his wife. Mr. Harmond

  was not sorry he'd married; indeed, he was quite

  content, and Reagan, although sorry the job didn't pan out,

  70

  felt it was early enough in the day to still land on her feet.

  "3r Sr

  Russell Bennett, a
mountain of a man, wiped the sweat

  from his brow, put down his hammer and tongs, and

  stepped away from the forge in his blacksmith's shop. He

  needed a drink and a rest from the fire. Business was brisk,

  and this was his day to work in the shop. He wouldn't

  make calls to the ranches until Monday. Not only taking a

  drink but pouring some on his neck as well, Russell had

  only just set the water jug aside when he spotted her.

  Standing in the middle of the double doorway, right

  where the horses came and went, was a small, dark-haired

  atydrl 41

  woman. She stood erect, a single bag grasped by both

  hands and held in front of her.

  "Can I help you?"

  71

  "I don't know, but I was wondering what I need to rent

  one of your stalls for a time."

  "You need a horse."

  Reagan nodded.

  "Would you say a horse is a pretty expensive item,

  something a person would want watched with care?"

  Trying not to smile, Russell said, "I would agree with

  that, yes."

  "Well, that being the case, would it be possible to leave

  my bag in a stall for a time? I've got business here in

  Kinkade, and the bag's heavy enough to add inches to my

  arms."

  Russell did smile then. He also pointed toward a stall.

  "No one will disturb your bag if you leave it right

  there."

  "Right here?" Reagan asked, setting the bag down so

  that it couldn't be seen from the door.

  "That's the place."

  Regan brought up the small purse that hung from her

  wrist to look for a coin.

  72

  "You don't need to pay me."

  Reagan eyed him.

  "Are you going to rent that stall and let some animal

  step on my things?"

  Russell laughed at this, a booming sound that made

  Reagan smile.

  "No," he told her, still chuckling. "I close down at five.

  Just be back before then so you can get your things."

  "I thank you, sir."

  "What's your business?" he asked her as she began to

  walk away.

  Reagan answered with only a glance over her shoulder.

  "I'm job hunting."

  That said, she continued on her way.

  42 lori wick

  Russell stood still for a moment, a smile on his face. His

  own dear Holly would have to meet this one. Unless he

  missed his guess, she was too independent by half and just

  might need a friend in Kinkade.

  73

  $r

  "I need to see the manager," Reagan said for the second

  time.

  "What about?" the little man at the rear of the dining