Mona Hodgson - [Hearts Seeking Home 01] (24 page)

“I remember it well.” He bent at the creek and looked over his shoulder at her. “You were singing to the ox. A most inspiring song. ‘Give to Our God Immortal Praise,’ I believe it was.”

“Yes.” Anna stepped closer to him. “One of my favorites, but it really wasn’t for the animal’s benefit.”

“Whatever you say.” That wide grin lit his brown eyes. In the morning sun, they looked the color of her polished walnut jewelry case, where she kept her finest possessions.

Anna moistened her lips, trying to remember where she was going with her initial question about last Sunday. They both knelt at the water’s edge. “That day, I learned you came from Tennessee.”

Caleb looked out at the rocky creek, silent. If he was truly fond of her, she
needed to know what troubled him. She knew some about loss and sorrow, and maybe she could help ease his pain.

Anna drew in a deep breath. “When I asked if your parents and your sister were still in Tennessee, you said you didn’t know for sure; that you hadn’t seen them since before the war.”

His face sobered. “I haven’t.”

“If Dedrick had done that …”

His jaw tense, he dunked his bucket into the water, getting the sleeves of his shirt wet. “I’m not Dedrick.”

Tears pricked her eyes. “I know that.”

Caleb set the full bucket on the bank. “Why do you care so much about my family? About my past?”

“Because I’m fond of you too.”

He jerked to face her, his eyes wide. “
Fond
of me? You were awake. You heard what I said to your grandfather.” It was a statement, not a question.

“I didn’t mean to overhear you. But, yes, I did.”

“Then you also heard Otto say he saw trouble in my eyes.” Caleb took her empty bucket. “Anna, I’m trouble. I didn’t want to care for you, but I do. And now—”

“Now you can help me understand. You’ve been separated from your family since the war, for years. Why wouldn’t you want to see them as soon as possible?”

“It’s thorny, Anna.” He scooped up more water, splashing it over the sides of the pail. “I made mistakes. I did things I’m not proud of.”

She stared at the buckets filled with cool, clear water, all the while sorting through muddied thoughts. What could be so terrible that he’d feel set apart from hundreds of thousands of other soldiers who returned home with regrets?

“I love my family too much to go home,” he said.

She didn’t have to understand to know that fact hurt him deeply. “I’m sorry.”

“I am too.” He stood and cupped her elbow, helping her up.

“Caleb.”

He looked her in the eye.

“I’m glad you care about me.”

He rewarded her with a knee-weakening smile. “We’d better go back. Garrett will be ready for me to read soon, and he’ll wonder where I am.”

Anna smiled. It was unlikely anyone in the camp wondered where Caleb was or where he’d been the past several days. Everyone already knew.

She wasn’t about to complain. They both had past experiences too personal and painful to discuss. Just one more thing she had in common with Caleb Reger.

Garrett couldn’t help but notice the spring in Caleb’s step as he left the Gobens’ camp and headed to the chuck wagon. For a young man who started this journey so sure he was beyond marriage, he seemed to be falling hard for Anna Goben.

Garrett felt a smile tugging at one side of his mouth. Caleb wasn’t so different from him.

“Garrett?”

He jerked his attention back to Caroline’s creamy face and that red curl gracing her long neck. The Kamdens were gathered around the firepit, while he and Caroline stood on the road’s edge.

Caroline sighed, her lips pursed in a contrived reproach. “I was saying that Caleb has been a big help to Anna and her family these past few days.”

“Above and beyond duty, really.”

She raised a thin eyebrow. “Much like you coming around here more often than necessary, perhaps?”

“Who says it isn’t necessary?”

“Not I.” Her demure smile could melt a glacier. “It does my heart good to see Anna and Caleb getting along so well.”

Garrett nodded. “Yes. I suppose we weren’t the only ones who started off on the wrong foot and got over it.”

Caroline laughed. “I’m not saying Anna had as big a challenge as I did.”

He opened his mouth and dropped his chin, feigning surprise and indignation. All to hear her melodious laugh again.

“Capitano!
Mi scusi
, Capitano.” Mrs. Zanzucchi shuffled toward him with Alfonzo Jr. at her side.

Garrett removed his hat. “Mrs. Zanzucchi. Alfonzo.” He looked from one to the other.

“Good morning, Captain,” the boy said. “Mama needs to speak with you.”

As soon as Garrett nodded, Mrs. Zanzucchi started rattling in Italian. Her hand motions didn’t help him understand any better.

“Mama is very upset,” Alfonzo Jr. translated. “She keeps her silver teapot in a box in our wagon, but last night she took it out to polish it. She set it on the table and went to fetch my brothers.”

More Italian.

“Mama says we have a thief in the camp.”

“I knew it!”

They all turned toward the voice. Davonna Kamden stood at the front corner of the farm wagon.

“I tried to tell you myself, Captain,” she said. “And now it turns out I wasn’t the only one missing things.”

“Ma’am, if I remember correctly, your locket was found. Are you saying you’re missing other things?”

“I’ll have to see about that.” She looked at Mrs. Zanzucchi and shook her head. “In the meantime, what do you intend to do to find this poor woman’s possession?”

“I will conduct an investigation.” He looked at the boy. “I’ll talk to the members of the Company.”

Davonna huffed and wagged her finger at him. “And you should have that Southern man read the Ten Commandments this morning. He needs to read about the sinfulness of stealing.”

Garrett pressed his fingers to his temple, hoping to ward off the headache forming there. “Ma’am, we’ll put that off for another time. I’d prefer to conduct my investigation quietly.”

“Good idea. That way you can surprise the thief … sneak up on her.” Davonna gave Caroline a sideways glance, her eyebrows lifted. “Or him, if it turns out that way.”

Caroline’s crooked smile told him she, too, had doubts about it being a quiet inquiry.

Caleb carried his supper plate to the far side of the campfire and sat on the empty stool between Isaac and Frank.

“I saw you all making the rounds today. Thanks.” Garrett stretched his legs out in front of him, holding his plate at his chest. “Let’s hear what you found out, if anything.”

That morning, he’d told them about Mrs. Zanzucchi’s visit and her missing teapot. He’d given them each a couple of families to talk to, and asked Caleb to make inquiries with the Brenners and the Renglers about missing anything or noticing anyone near the Zanzucchis’ camp Friday evening.

“I’ll start.” Tiny stabbed a bite of ham with his fork. “I talked to both of the Beck couples. None of them reported anything missing. Didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary at the Zanzucchis’ camp last night.” He shook his head. “That doesn’t mean Emery didn’t have plenty to say about everything else.”

Garrett nodded. “Anything I should know about?”

“He doesn’t approve of the way Mama Zanzucchi lets her boys
run wild
.” A slow smile bunched Tiny’s full cheeks. “Oh, and one of Le Doc’s horses has a case of the scours and left a surprise on the road in front of his camp.”

“Ha!” Boney slapped his pant leg, sending dust up to mingle with the smoke. “What goes around comes around.”

Caleb nodded, hoping that wasn’t entirely true. Unless it pertained to only his most recent actions. Anna Goben had a way of bringing out the best in him.

“Nothing about anything missing or having seen anything,” Boney said. “I did get an earful from Tom Brenner about his disdain for being forced to listen to the Bible every morning.”

Garrett nodded. “Yeah, he hit me up with that same complaint.”

Caleb took a biscuit from his plate. “Sally Rengler suggested I search her brother-in-law’s things.”

“Oliver? She thinks he may have taken Mrs. Zanzucchi’s teapot?” Garrett sighed. “What did you tell her?”

“I asked what made her think of Oliver, and she didn’t have any credible reason. Only that he was slow minded and bound to do something like that.” Caleb bristled, remembering the way her nose went into the air every time she spoke Oliver’s name. “I said I’d talk to him, which I did. He didn’t know
anything about it either, and said he felt real bad for Mama Zanzucchi and that she was a really nice lady and made the best noodles.”

“Hey, Boss.” Frank Marble raked his dusty blond hair. “You asked me to talk to the Gobens about things gettin’ pilfered, and I found out somethin’ really interesting.”

“Oh? Let’s hear it.”

“It seems someone might have stolen Miss Anna Goben’s …”

Caleb’s shoulders tensed.

“Heart.” Frank cackled and pinned Caleb with wide eyes, and his mouth puckered for a fanciful kiss. “You know anything about that, Ca-leb? When I asked ol’ Otto if there was anything I could do to help out, his granddaughter was all too anxious to pipe up and sing your praises.”

“Now, you’ve gone and given me indigestion.” Boney reared back and belched. “Not sure it’s good to talk about such things over food.”

Garrett cleared this throat. “Doesn’t sound like any of you heard any reports of anything else missing.”

Isaac shook his head. “The Le Beaus and the Pembertons were all fine. No complaints.”

“Good. I hate this sort of stuff. Becomes easy to get sidetracked and distracted from what’s most important.”

Isaac added a log to the firepit. “Seein’ to the safety and well-bein’ of all these folks has got to be rough.”

“Exactly right, Isaac.” Garrett drained his coffee cup. “I’ll go talk to the Zanzucchi family after supper. I’ll tell them we’ll keep our ears and eyes open, but that for now we’ve not received any other reports, nor found the pot in question.” Garrett rubbed the back of his neck. “You all let me know if you hear anything new.”

Caleb nodded, his thoughts centered on how to get back at Frank for his ruthless teasing. Maybe a surprise in his cornbread ingredients the next time it was his turn to cook.

C
aleb perched on a log, watching the sun sink through the last of the Missouri trees. Warming his hands on the tin cup, he gulped fresh coffee. He and Isaac had left the Company after breakfast. While it was true the number of westbound overlanders had dwindled considerably in the past ten years, Independence was still the main jumping-off point. The end of April through the beginning of May was the prime time of year for starting west, and enough camp space and grazing would be hard to come by. Garrett had sent him and Isaac ahead of the wagons to scout for their arrival tomorrow.

One of the farmers he and Isaac talked to near Lake City had sent them this direction—a nice wide spot along the Little Blue River. A company smaller than the Boone’s Lick group camped up the road, but the river was close and the grasses plentiful enough for a two-night encampment.

When the last ribbons of color faded, Caleb returned his attention to the campfire, where Isaac roasted the rabbit he’d snared. His trail mate sang while he cooked. Sang or hummed or whistled while he did most anything. Despite the scars down the left side of his face and neck and despite the savage way in which his wife was taken from him, Isaac was a cheerful soul who said he found his peace and rest in the goodness of the Lord.