Faith of the Heart (14 page)

             
Claire smiled a
t the image of Maxwell as a child
. 

             
“
To answer your question
, Tom
,”
she said pointedly
,
“
Gin and Richard were my aunt and uncle on my mother’s side.” Forcing the sudden lump in her throat down she continued.
“Gin was my mother’s sister. My parents both died during the war. My mother had always been fragile and she caught a bad cold a couple of winters ago. It developed into pneumonia and, well, the doctors couldn’t save her. My father simply lost his will to live. He was so distressed by the country being split apart and then with
M
other’s passing that I think he didn’t want to go on without her
.
” She paused and took a sip of water. Tom reached over and took her hand.
She continued.

             
“I am an only child. After their deaths
,
I sold their house and settled their debts.
There wasn’t much left. I kept a few mementos, a quilt, some jewelry, a pistol…”

             
“
That
, I know about
,
” he interrupted
, a wry grin on his face.

             
“
Well, yes, I suppose you do
,
” she
blushed. Turning somber again she said,
“I secured a position as a tutor for a family in Gettysburg. I’d always done well in school and in Pennsylvania if
you apply and pass an exam you can get
a teaching certificate.
I needed to keep busy because, you see, I was waiting for my fiancé to return from the war.”

             
Tom pulled his hand back.

             
“You have a fiancé?” His voice
wavered
a bit. He blinked and sat straight up in his chair.

             
“Had a fiancé,” Claire corrected. “He didn’t return from the war. I waited and waited but Caleb never returned. He’s dead
or at least I suppose he must be.
In all these years there’s been no word from him and there are no records
from a
hospital or a prison camp.
” Her hand grasped the half heart gold necklace at her throat
. Tom noticed but made no comment. He wondered if she wasn’t really over this man, this fiancé of hers. He cleared his throat.

             
“Well, I guess
I should tell you a bit about my past, too.
I’ve been
the
sheriff
for four years. During the war I was in the Union army. I was a captain under General McDowell and saw action at the First Battle of Bull
Run,
Shiloh and Vicksburg. After the war I returned home to Missouri,
since
my folks still live there, but I couldn’t stay. I guess I’d seen too much of this country, done too many things to go back and pretend it never happened.” He reached for a glass of water and drained it.

             
“So I came to Omaha. Nebraska was a territory until just a couple of years ago and I wanted to be a part of the growth. I had experience leading men in the war and I handle myself pretty well so when the mayor asked me to be sheriff
,
I agreed. And, well, it’s worked out pretty well.” He looked up from his hands clenching the water glass. Claire was listening intently
,
her
meal forgotten.

             
“You never married? Had a family?”
She glanced down at her lap wondering if the questions were too personal.

             
“No… I’ve courted a few ladies in town but they all seem
ed
so silly
, too self-involved.
I’ve never met anyone who I could see myself in front of a fire with, quietly reading and watching
the
flames. Until now, that is.”

             
He searched her face
,
looking for a reaction. He realized he was leaning forward and
forced himself to sit back in his chair
,
h
oping he hadn’t scared her by being to
o
abrupt
.
H
e tried again.

“I just mean that I feel really comfortable with you
,
Claire
.
I feel like we could become very close. You’re not like other wom
e
n
,
all fussy about their clothes and hairdos and scared of every little
insect
and
mouse.
You’re
pretty and humble
,
yet you’re strong. You got so much confidence that you don’t expect anything could happen to you.
I mean
t
his is a rough town; strangers pass through all the time. You oughta be on guard in your store. Have a man in there with you. Maybe hire a fella to help you clerk. Just think about it.”
             
             
             
             
             
             
             

Claire was silent as she tried to absorb everything he’d just said. Did he just complement her and then
turn around and
criticize her
in the same breath
? Was he saying he cared for her safety or was he just telling her how to run her business?

“
T
om, I appreciate your concern for my safety.
I just can’t afford any help right now. I have to keep making my loan payments or
the bank is
going to try to steal my business and home again. Besides, no one’s going to rob me. I’m friends with the sheriff. Close friends I hope.”

She
hoped she was reassuring
him
with her careful words. For his part, Tom
tried to push away the worries running around in his head.

             
“Alright ‘close’ friend, you
just be careful
.” Tom
replied
, “I’d like nothing better than to get to know you
better
.
Now let
’
s eat up before it
gets too cold and you can tell me more about what it’s like to be a school marm.”

             
T
hey dug into their suppers of beef steak, roasted potatoes, and string beans. The
couple
topped off their meal with thick slabs of apple pie and more of the hot fragrant coffee. Both kept the conversation light, but there was a strong undercurrent of

chemistry; any slight brush of hands drew sparks
,
and Claire felt hot spots of color
on her cheeks.
After supper
,
they walked through the town as dusk crept in. Tom smiled and nodded at passing citizens,
and
Claire noticed how alert and focused he was as he monitored
the
community. She felt safe
, and content by
his side
.
Omaha had become her home and she was a part of something young, raw, and exciting.

She’d overcome some trials: Gin’s unexpected death, suddenly having to own and run a new business and home by herself, and an attempt to cheat her
out
of her new livelihood. She’d done okay
so far and had made some good friends in Connie
Rose
and
Tom
Maxwell. And she had plans.
A lot
of plans. She stole a look at the handsome sheriff walking beside her. Her pulse quickened and her tummy fluttered. He glanced down and gently tucked her arm into his. She felt as though she could go on walking with him  forever.

             
“Claire, I’ve been thinking
¼
”

Before he could finish his sentence, Deputy Simons
on
came galloping over on his bay mare, clearly alarmed. He looked relieved to have found Maxwell.
“Sheriff, finally I found ya,
w
e got trouble over at the saloon again
. Some idiot
cowboys are goin’ at each other. The sal
o
on owner sure
is
peeved.
”
Tom
gave
Claire
an apologetic frown.
“I’ve
got to go, I’m sorry.”

             
“
Don’t worry
, I can find my way home.”
She patted his arm and smiled reassuringly. Suddenly the pleasant evening took an ominous turn and a chill ran down her spine.
Would it always be like this,
courting
a law man?

             
He nodded and took off running down the street, Simons
on
galloping ahead of him. Claire turned the corner
and hurried home
,
let
ting
herself in through
the
back entrance.
Mindful of their earlier conversation she was careful to bolt the door.
S
he fastened the windows and doubled checked the lock on the heavy front doors
of the store.
Satisfied she returned to the cozy kitchen.

I wonder what he was going to say
, she mused.
Well, it’ll just have to wait. Maybe a cup of tea would help settle my nerves.

She lit the kindling in the cook stove and put the kettle on to boil. The
rooms
seemed chilly
,
so she lit a fire in the parlor as well. She looked around and a sudden sense of loneliness overcame her.
It is so very quiet here. Perhaps I should get a pet for company. A cat would be nice. A good mouser would be handy for the store
,
too
.

I haven’t felt this way in such a long time
.
It must be
because the evening ended so quick
.
             
             
The
shrill
whistle
from the tea kettle
interrupted her thoughts and she shook off
her
gloom.
She curled up on the sofa with the fragrant brew and a piece of needlepoint. She stitched on a table runner and was calmed by the tea and the relaxing
stitches
. The vibrant red, gold, and green yarns that slipped through the cloth
came
to life in the shapes of leaves and berries. Claire had decided to fix up the shabby bedroom and the runner would be lovely on Gin’s old dresser.
Her first home was beginning to show her tastes and personality.
Claire was putting down roots.

             
At 10:00 she rose
,
yawning
, banked the fire,
and went to bed.
She wondered
where Tom was and prayed for his safety.
Hoping this was an isolated incident and that the town wasn’t getting more dangerous and
unlawful
,
she
wound her father’s watch and placed it on the side table. After
punching her pillows and tossing and turning
, for what felt like hours,
she finally drifted off to
sleep
.

CHAPTER
TEN

Omaha, Nebraska, May 1868

             
Maxwell and Simons
on
quickly squelched the barroom brawl. A couple of rowdy cowboys had gotten their tempers up and
started taking
swings at one another. The two lawmen threw them into jail cells to sober up and cool off. Come morning
,
the drunks would be best friends again. Tom sent the deputy home and stretched out on his chair, his long legs sprawled
out on
the beat-up desk.
It looked like a
nother night of prisoner watch. Percy would spell him in the morning and he
could
catch a couple of hours of rest in his own bed.

             
Maxwell owned a mortgaged ranch on the outskirts of town. In just a few years the property would be paid off, something Maxwell
was
look
ing
forward to. The town was growing and someday it
would
catch up to his place. They were already building a road, Center Street, and when it was complete it would make his place all the more valuable. It was a nice piece of ground, with gentle hills and
the
wide Saddle
C
reek
stream
running through it. Tom had built a comfortable home there in his spare time.