Love Finds a Home (Anthologies) (8 page)

“I appreciate your being willing to marry me,” she murmured. “I know it wasn’t in your plans, but I’m very grateful.”

“I think we need to talk,” David repeated.

She nodded mutely and allowed him to take her hand. He led her over to the bed, and they both took a seat. “I realize seeing your father today was quite a shock,” he said softly.

“I never thought he could survive such a fall,” she admitted.

“Glenna, I—”

“He abandoned me on that train,” she said, cutting him off. “Now Daddy thinks I should abandon you.”

“And would you?”

Unwanted tears rolled down her cheeks. “Daddy doesn’t care about me anymore.” She sniffed deeply. “And I care nothing for him.”

David’s fingers clasped her own, and warmth spread quickly up her arms as she savored the feel of his gentle touch. She relished the feeling of safety she had with David and was confident she could trust him never to abandon her the way Daddy had.

“You must forgive your father, Glenna,” David said.

She shrugged. The motion was all she could manage, given the circumstances. Talking about her father was too painful right now. Besides, she didn’t want to forgive Daddy. She was angry with him. Could it be that she was staying with David only to get even with Daddy?

David draped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. He bent his head slightly, and she was sure he was about to kiss her. To her disappointment, he pulled away suddenly and stood up. “We’d best settle down for the night and get some sleep.” His words trailed off in a yawn. “You can have the bed, and I’ll sleep on the floor.” He dipped his head, refusing to make eye contact with her. “Good night, Glenna.”

Glenna awoke the following morning feeling as though her head had been stuffed with a wad of cotton. Last night had been her wedding night, and she hadn’t slept well. Visions of Daddy and David had danced through her head like storm clouds. Did either of them love her at all? Did anyone love her? David said God loved her, but God was a spirit. How could He ever meet all her needs?

She was thankful when they went down to breakfast and found that Daddy was nowhere around. Since David obviously didn’t love her, she’d actually been having some thoughts about staying in Granger with Daddy. If she saw him again, she might weaken. Glenna knew in her heart that a marriage without love would be preferable to her previous life as a gambler’s daughter. She’d made up her mind. As difficult as it would be to board that train, she was going to Idaho City with her husband!

A short time later, she and David were seated on a wooden bench in front of the train station. Glenna glanced about, tugging nervously on the strings of her handbag.
I’m doing the right thing
, she kept telling herself.
I am a new creature in Christ now. I can never go back to my old way of life, no matter how much I might miss Daddy
.

“You look pale. Are you all right?” David asked, eyeing her with a look of concern.

She gave a slight nod and kept her voice strong. “I’ll be fine once we board the train.”

Gazing down at the open Bible in his lap, David offered a half smile. “I hope so.”

When a familiar voice called out her name, Glenna jerked her head up. Daddy was heading their way. She jumped to her feet, clenching her fists in anticipation for what he might say or do.

“Glenna, I’m so glad I caught you before the train left,” Daddy panted. “I have something to give you.”

David was at her side now, and she felt his hand at the small of her back. “We have no need of tainted money, Mr. Moore,” he said evenly.

Her father laughed, shaking his head and reaching into his jacket pocket. “It’s not money I wish to give. I want my daughter to have her mother’s wedding ring.” He held up a delicate gold band and handed it to Glenna.

She stood there, mouth hanging open and eyes filled with tears. “This was Mama’s ring?”

His head bobbed up and down. “I’ve been holding it until you got married. Please take the ring, Glenna. Your mother would have wanted you to have it.”

Glenna glanced briefly at David. His brows were furrowed, and his lips were set in a fine line. “I had no ring to give you on our wedding day,” he mentioned. “I think it would be a good thing if you wore your mother’s ring, don’t you?”

She accepted the gift then, letting her father slip it on the ring finger of her left hand. The fact that Daddy had sought her out, offering such a fine present and not making a scene about her being married or going to Idaho City made Glenna feel guilty for her bitter feelings. She swallowed past the lump in her throat. “Thank you, Daddy. I’ll cherish this ring for the rest of my life.”

Daddy’s eyes filled with tears. She’d never seen him cry before and was taken by surprise. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but the words never came. With no warning whatsoever, an ear-piercing shot rang out. Daddy dropped like a sack of grain at Glenna’s feet.

CHAPTER 8

G
lenna screamed, then collapsed to the ground beside her father’s body. Daddy wasn’t breathing. Dark blood oozed from a bullet wound that had obviously penetrated his back and gone clear through to his chest.

David spun around and raced off toward the gunman. There was chaos everywhere. Some nearby folks screeched in terror, others ran about calling for help, and a few stayed to offer comfort to a very distraught Glenna.

It was inconceivable, but in the short span of a few days, she’d lost her father twice. First when he’d jumped from the moving train and now from a bullet in the back!

“How could this have happened?” she sobbed. “How could God be so cruel?” She observed the faces staring down at her with apparent pity. They were all faces of strangers. Where was David? Had he abandoned her, too?

Glenna sat in her seat, ramrod stiff, barely aware of the irritating sway of the train and not noticing any of her surroundings. She felt cold and empty inside. Even the warm hand placed upon her own did nothing to console her anguished soul. Everything was so final. Daddy was gone, and there had been no chance to make amends or even say a proper good-bye. There hadn’t been any possibility for her to witness about God’s redeeming love either. She’d failed Daddy, and God had failed her. She would probably let David down as well. How could she possibly go to Idaho City and be a pastor’s wife when she felt so dead inside? Why had she ever agreed to this marriage of convenience in the first place? She’d been foolish to get caught up in the silly notion that her life could be better. Her hopes and dreams for the future had been buried, right along with Daddy’s lifeless body. The words Pastor Hunter said at the grave site this morning had done little to comfort Glenna’s aching heart.

She glanced down at the golden band on her left hand. It was all she had left of her mother, and giving it to her had been the last good thing Daddy had ever done. Maybe it was the
only
good thing he’d ever done.

Glenna’s thoughts swept her painfully back to yesterday. She could still see Daddy racing eagerly toward her. In her mind’s eye, she saw his apologetic smile, heard the words of love, and felt his warm hand as he slipped Mama’s ring onto her finger. Glenna tried to stop what came next, but it was to no avail. She could hear that fatal gunshot echoing in her head as though it were happening again. The image of Daddy’s pale face and blood-soaked shirt would be inscribed in her brain for as long as she lived. She had known he was gone, even before the doctor came along and pronounced him dead.

There had been no train trip that afternoon. Instead, she and David spent the next several hours in the sheriff’s office, giving him the sketchy details of the unexpected shooting. David had seen the murderer, and he’d even chased after him. The gunman had vanished as quickly as he’d appeared. Quite possibly her father’s killer would never be caught or punished.

David had sent a telegram to one of his church members, letting him know they were going to be detained another day and, Lord willing, would leave for Idaho City the following afternoon. Reverend Hunter agreed to do the graveside service for Daddy the next morning, and they would be spending another night in the Granger Hotel.

Glenna swallowed against the lump in her throat. Their second night had been even worse than the first. David slept on the floor again, and she’d refused to even look at him or say a single word. There was a part of her that blamed David for all this. Had he not suggested they get married, she would have simply gotten off the train in Granger, gone looking for a job, and sooner or later would have run into Daddy. If she hadn’t married David, Daddy might still be alive.

As frustration and exhaustion closed in like a shroud, Glenna shut her eyes. Leaning her head against the window, she let much-needed sleep claim her weary body.

David watched the rhythmic rise and fall of Glenna’s steady breathing. He was glad she’d finally given in to sleep. She had been too distraught to sleep much of the night before and had withdrawn into a cocoon of silence. His heart ached for her, yet he had no idea how to draw Glenna out. It would probably be most appropriate to leave her alone for now, letting grief run its course in whatever way she chose. During his ministerial training, David had been taught about the various stages of bereavement a person went through when losing a loved one. The first was shock. Later came denial or a great sense of loss, often accompanied by depression. Glenna appeared to be in the first stage right now, which was no doubt for the best. David needed time to read the scriptures and pray, asking for God’s wisdom in helping her through this grieving process.

It was interesting, he noted, that she hadn’t been nearly as despondent when her father jumped off the train and she thought he’d been killed. Perhaps this “second death” was more traumatic since Garret had been murdered in cold blood, right in front of her. His death was final. No more wondering if he might have survived, and no more anger because he’d taken his own life. This time he’d been killed by an assassin, plain and simple. Who the man was, why he’d fired the fateful shot, and where he had gone was still a mystery which might never be solved. David’s job as Glenna’s husband was to help her through this difficult time, no matter how long it took. He owed her that much.

David ran his fingers through his sweat-soaked hair, as troubled thoughts took him back to the last two nights spent at the Hotel Granger. It had been a difficult decision, but he’d chosen to sleep on the floor, not wanting to rush his new bride into something she might not be ready for yet. Perhaps it had been a mistake to do so, but it was in the past and couldn’t be changed.