Finally a Bride (5 page)

Noah’s stomach tightened. Jack could have easily broken her neck. “Is she all right?”

“She will be. She has a concussion, a twisted ankle, and she wrenched her knee. I dare say it won’t slow her down for long. I fear my Abby is going to be just like her.”

“I’ll pray for her swift recovery.” And to gain some common sense—although the Jack he knew rarely exercised that particular character trait. She was ruled by her heart, by impulse, more than her head.

“Thank you.” She moseyed toward the stairs, then turned back. “I forgot to tell you, but the washroom is that door at the end of the hall. We recently installed indoor plumbing.” She smiled, as if proud of that fact. “Please let me know if you need anything.”

He nodded, relieved that she hadn’t recognized him. “I will. Thanks.” He watched her carefully make her way downstairs; then he strode back into his room and shut the door. The grin he’d been holding back broke loose. Jack had been on a roof. It sounded as if she hadn’t changed all that much. He shook his head, but inside, he was delighted that she hadn’t lost her spunk.

Noah crossed to the bedroom and looked around. This place was nice. Even better than Pete’s cabin. He dropped onto the bed and laid back with his hands behind his head, remembering how Jack had stared into his eyes earlier. Had she recognized him as one of her old schoolmates?

No. There’d been curiosity in her gaze but not recognition. Besides, he was no longer the chubby youth he’d been when he lived in Lookout. He heaved a sigh. How was he going to face her every day at every meal? Pastor Taylor had offered him the use of the parsonage while they were gone, and that’s where he had expected to stay, but the mayor thought he’d be more comfortable at the boardinghouse with his meals prepared each day.

Mayor Burke had no idea how difficult it would be. If Noah had known he’d be staying here, he just might not have come.

He stared up at the ceiling. No, that wasn’t true. God had made it clear that Lookout was where He wanted him.

He rolled onto his side and heaved a heavy breath. Lookout, Texas, was the last place he’d ever expected to be again. Nothing good had ever happened to him here.

Jack hobbled around her room, testing out the crutches Luke had borrowed from the doctor. They pinched her underarms, even through the fabric of her dress, but they meant mobility and a chance to leave her room. Luke leaned against the doorframe, watching her. A hammering resonated in her head like Dan Howard pounding a horseshoe on his anvil, but she shoved away the pain. If Luke knew about it, she’d be back in bed before she could bat an eyelash.

She forced a smile. “Well, what do you think?”

Luke grunted and watched her. “I think you should still be in bed, but I doubt you want to hear that.”

She grinned at his candidness. “Oh, c’mon, Papa. I’m going loco stuck in this room.”

“I kind of thought you might like hiding up here.”

She frowned. “Why?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because you and Billy Morgan are headlining the newspaper this week.”

Her mouth suddenly went dry. “It’s all a horrible mistake.”

“You’re saying you’re not marrying him?”

She gasped. “Eww! No! You should know I’d never marry that hooligan. He reminds me too much of Butch Laird, and well, you know how I feel about him.”

“You don’t know how glad I am to hear that, Half Bit. I was worried you’d taken leave of your senses.” Luke forked his fingers through his hair and blew out a loud breath. “Morgan isn’t the kind of man I want you associating with, much less marrying, even if his sister is one of your good friends.”

“Have no fear. Jenny took advantage of something Billy said when I was on that roof, but there’s no backbone to it. He never actually asked me to marry him, and I would never agree if he did. I don’t care what Tessa says about him.”

Luke relaxed. “Good. God has a special man out there for you. It’s worth waiting until he comes along.”

Jack snorted a laugh. “I’ll probably be an old spinster by then.”

“I didn’t realize you were in a hurry to wed.”

“I’m not, really. I just see how happy you and Ma are, and part of me hopes I can find that for myself. But the other part fears getting close to a man. What if he turns out like my first father?”

Luke pursed his lips and glanced at the ceiling. “There are good men and bad in this world; you know that. Trust God to bring you the man He has for you when the time is right. And pray about it.”

“I will, but don’t think this talk of marriage is going to make me forget what I really want to know. Will you talk Ma into letting me come down for supper?”

He narrowed his eyes. “Are you sure you’re not just wanting to eat downstairs because the new minister will be there?”

All manner of thoughts dashed through her mind. The memory of that brief connection she felt when their gazes had locked buzzed in her mind. He was so tall and good looking. So young. She’d expected an older man to replace Reverend Taylor, not someone just a few years older than she. How could he have enough life experience to be a decent pastor?

Luke’s brows lifted when she didn’t respond to his questions. A knowing smirk twisted his lips.

She leaned heavily on her crutches, her knee ranting at her for being on her feet, and lifted a hand. “It’s not what you’re thinking. Tessa has already claimed him, and Penny is besotted, although I don’t see how they both can have the same man. We might have to have another bride contest.” She grinned, hoping the reminder of Luke’s mail-order bride fiasco before he married her mother would lighten him up.

“Now who’s changing the subject?” Luke’s penetrating brown eyes stared into hers. He pushed away from the door and crossed his arms over his chest. “I was a soldier for a decade, and I’ve been a marshal and your stepfather for another ten years. You can’t pull the wool over my eyes. What are you up to, Half Bit?”

She resisted the urge to squirm and instead focused her attention on backing up and sitting down. Her leg was beginning to throb. There was no point in trying to fool her perceptive pa. She exhaled loudly. “Jenny Evans came to visit this afternoon. She knows I’m chafing at the bit to get back to work and suggested that I do a story on the new minister, being as how he’s staying here and all.”

Luke lifted his chin, and she knew then he believed her. “That’s not a half-bad idea, just so long as you don’t push yourself too hard. A concussion is something to take seriously, not to mention your knee injury. With all the antics you’ve pulled over the years, I can’t believe you’ve never broken a bone.” He shook his head. “And I hope you learned your lesson.” His chin went down again as he stared at her. “No more rooftops.”

“I’ve already decided that. I know what I did was stupid, but I was desperate, and it was the only way I could think to listen in on the mayor’s meeting.”

“And why was that so important? All he and the town leaders ever talk about from what I hear is town stuff.”

Jack shrugged. “Jenny seemed to think Mayor Burke is up to something. Besides, he was talking to two well-dressed strangers, not the town board.”

Luke leaned back against the wall. “I saw those men and wondered why they weren’t staying at the boardinghouse. I know Burke’s been trying to bring more businesses to town, but that’s no secret.”

“Jenny said something about a gambling hall.”

“Has she got evidence?” Luke straightened. “That’s not anything we want in Lookout. It’s bad enough having the saloon. Maybe I need to have a talk with Mayor Burke.”

Jack toyed with the crutch’s wooden hand rest. “No evidence that I know of, but there is something else. Jenny’s received unofficial word that the railroad may be adding a spur out this way.”

Luke’s countenance brightened. “That’s great news. Sure would cut down on my being away when I have a prisoner to take to Dallas. I’m surprised I haven’t heard anything about that.”

“It’s in the very early stages of development—if it’s true at all. I was hoping the mayor would mention something about that in his meeting.”

“Ah, now I understand why you’d risk your neck. That would be some story if you could get proof and be the first to write about it.”

Jack nodded. “Yeah, but I don’t guess that’s going to happen with me laid up like I am.”

Luke crossed the room and took the crutches from her. “Well, don’t be so down in the dumps. This week of bed rest will be over before you know it. And I’ll talk to your ma and see if she’ll let you come to dinner tonight, since it’s our first family meal with the new minister. If she agrees, I can carry you downstairs.”

“I’d appreciate that, Papa.” She nibbled her lower lip, not wanting to voice her other thought. Still, if Luke hadn’t thought of it yet, he soon would. “What will happen to Garrett’s business if the railroad comes here? I mean, he can still deliver freight from the depot out to area ranches, but it seems it would cut his business sharply since he would no longer be needed to pick up deliveries in Dallas. It would be much quicker for them to come by train.”

“Hmm, I hadn’t thought of that. I’ll talk to him about that. He’s been thinking of making some changes anyway. Might be a good time.”

Jack leaned forward. “What kind of changes?”

“Ah, no you don’t.” Luke grinned and tweaked the end of her nose. “I’m not one of those ogling, loose-lipped sources you can bat your long lashes at and get to spill the beans. If and when Garrett decides to make a change, you’ll find out like everyone else.”

She lifted her wrapped leg onto the bed, scooted up against her pillows, and faked a glare. “No fair. Why’d you say anything if you weren’t going to tell all? You know how curious I am.”

“That I do.” He placed the crutches in the corner behind the door. “Maybe hiding those there will keep your sisters from messing with them.”

“I doubt it.”

Luke chuckled. “Me too. I’d better get back to work. See you later.”

“Don’t forget to talk to Ma about supper.”

Luke waved. “I won’t.”

She leaned her head back and closed her eyes. Having Luke become her papa was one of the best things that had ever happened to her. He was easier to talk to at times than her ma, who worried too much.

Shifting her thoughts to the minister, she wondered what his name was. A man that large had to have a strong name like Sam or Duke, but then Duke hardly sounded like a pastor’s name. Max would have been perfect, but that had been the name of her and Luke’s dog. The old mutt had been dead more than two years, and she still missed him.

On second thought, she hoped that wasn’t the preacher’s name. He’d have to be very special to deserve the same name as her beloved dog.

Fragrant aromas emanating from the kitchen two stories below his room pulled Noah away from his studies. His stomach growled, reminding him that he hadn’t eaten since breakfast. He stood and stretched then strode to the bedroom window that gave him a bird’s-eye view of Main Street.

Lookout had certainly grown since he was last here. The town had been shaped like a capital E before, but now it spread out almost clear to the Addams River. If he had to guess, his best estimate was that it had tripled in size. Pretty unusual for a town so far away from the nearest train depot. But folks in Texas tended to congregate wherever the water was, and Lookout had the river on two sides.

Feminine squeals burst into his thoughts, and he glanced down, his gaze landing on the porch roof. Jack’s room was directly below his. He could hear high-pitched laughter emanating from her open window and wondered what she and her friends found so amusing. He didn’t like the thought of her hobbled to a bed. She was like a butterfly that needed to be free—free to flit from flower to flower, brightening the world with her beauty.

“Mercy!” He sounded like a poet or something. He’d best stay focused and remember that Jack had done her fair share to get him in trouble more than once. He’d tried to be her friend, but as a young girl, she’d lied, connived, and partnered with those two male friends of hers to pull tricks on him. He ran his hand through his hair and paced into the parlor. Hadn’t he given all those bad memories to God? Hadn’t he forgiven Jack?

If just the briefest glance had him warring with his thoughts again, what would happen if he ever talked to her? How could he minister to the townsfolk when half his thoughts centered on Jack?