Lone Star Romance Collection Read online

  Lee nodded. “I have no doubt that you’ll do just fine.”

  During breakfast, Caleb felt that he’d made a friend. And as a man who’d always been a loner, that was a new—but welcome—experience.

  They parted company, and Caleb made his way to the general store. He’d gone to bed thinking about Rachel Branigan; and upon waking this morning, he began counting down the minutes until he would be able to see her again.

  He had almost reached the store when Rachel walked out and began sweeping the boardwalk.

  “Good morning, Miss Branigan!” he called. His heart was pounding so hard, he feared it could be seen visibly pulsing beneath his shirt.

  She wasn’t dressed any special way. She wore a simple blue skirt and white blouse. But her beautiful, shiny black hair was swept back on the side and tied with a blue ribbon, from which it cascaded down her back. He wondered if it was as soft as it looked.

  She turned her vivid blue eyes in his direction and smiled when she saw that it was him.

  Rachel looked over to find the new preacher coming up the boardwalk. Just the sight of him nearly took her breath away. He was smiling at her, and she guessed he probably hadn’t yet heard about her past. He wouldn’t be smiling if he had, she was certain of that.

  Hadn’t it been that way with the other young men in town?

  “Hello, Reverend Stone. Come on in and I’ll help you pick out your things,” she said, turning to open the door.

  He rushed up and reached for the door before she could. “I’ll get that, and please, just call me Brother Caleb. I start looking around for someone else when people call me Reverend!”

  She laughed and agreed that she would do as he asked.

  Addie looked up as Rachel and Caleb walked through the door. Rachel smiled at her, but Addie just stared thoughtfully at the two of them. Addie always seemed to have the ability to look at Rachel and know what was going on inside her mind. Could she read Rachel’s attraction for the preacher? If she did, she obviously didn’t approve.

  Rachel knew that if that were true, it was only because Addie worried that Rachel might be hurt.

  “Howdy, Miz Hayes!” Caleb spoke up, diverting Addie’s attention from Rachel. “I sure did enjoy the fine meal you ladies prepared for me last night. Hadn’t eaten like that since I left Santa Fe!”

  Addie smiled at him; but before she started helping him with his shopping, she gave Rachel a warning look.

  An hour had passed, and Caleb had just about everything he needed for his house. He purchased supplies ranging from soap to lamp oil, and from linens to a garden rake. He should have been thrilled about getting all of his shopping out of the way, but the fact is, he wasn’t.

  For one thing, he was frustrated, though he was careful not to show it. He had talked to Rachel for an hour and still was no closer to knowing her than when he had walked into the store. She was polite and nice to him, but distant; it was almost like she was a little bit afraid of him. Now, he would understand her being afraid of what he used to be, but a preacher? It made no sense.

  Impatience was another thing eating at him. He wanted to court her, but she wasn’t acting like she wanted to be courted!

  He sighed quietly. He wasn’t sure he was going about this courting business right. Maybe he should ask Lee Cutler’s advice. There must be some kind of special technique that he didn’t know about.

  “It looks like we’re going to need one more box,” Addie said as she packed all of Caleb’s purchases.

  “I’ll get a box,” Rachel said and headed off to the storeroom.

  When she was well out of sight, she leaned against the wall, pressed her hand over her beating heart, and let out a long breath.

  How could she continue to pretend she wasn’t interested in him? He was so charming, and she could tell he was very interested in her.

  She wished … well, it would do no good to dwell on what could never be. Her life was what it was; and unless she moved away from Springton, it would always be this way.

  Being with Caleb Stone made her heart ache for things that every girl dreams of: a husband and family. She had Caitlin and was very thankful for her sweet little girl, but she wished there was a man with whom she could share her precious daughter’s life.

  She looked over at Caitlin where she slept on a pallet on the floor. It wasn’t fair that Caitlin was growing up without a man in her life. There was no way that Rachel would ever want Caitlin to be involved with her real father, but she wished there was someone.

  Someone just like … Caleb Stone.

  Rachel had only been gone a minute or two when Prudence Primrose came breezing through the mercantile door. Her dull gray dress was buttoned up so far that it went beyond being modest, bordering on prudish. Her brown hair was tucked tightly in a bun at her nape, not a stray hair in evidence anywhere. And as always, her nondescript features were pinched into a disapproving frown. (Mrs. Primrose made it her business to disapprove of nearly everything other people did.)

  “Mrs. Hayes,” she acknowledged in her haughty, condescending way.

  “Mrs. Primrose.”

  In the storeroom, Rachel froze. Prudence Primrose was here? Rachel slumped against the door frame. Would Prudence tell Caleb about her?

  Carefully she peeked around the corner and looked at the threesome.

  Rachel thought that Prudence Primrose couldn’t have picked a worse time to shop in the store. She prayed that Addie could take care of the woman’s needs and usher her out the door before anything was said about Rachel.

  She saw Prudence’s speculative gaze fall on the preacher. She obviously hadn’t been introduced. “Mrs. Primrose,” Addie began, “I don’t reckon you’ve met our new minister, Reverend Caleb Stone. Reverend, this is Prudence Primrose.”

  “Mrs. Primrose,” Caleb greeted politely.

  She nodded coolly as she looked over his appearance. “Well, your hair is mighty long. How does your wife put up with it?” she asked in her usual direct manner.

  Addie lifted a brow as if knowing what Prudence was fishing for. “Reverend Stone is a single man. I believe you were out of town when we learned about him in church.”

  Rachel cringed at the smile that spread across Prudence’s face. Prudence had a daughter who was seeing the other side of twenty and still had had no offers for her hand. Prudence no doubt thought that Patience could do far worse than to be a minister’s wife.

  “Can I help you, Prudence?” Addie asked, obviously breaking into the other woman’s thoughts.

  Prudence dragged her eyes from the preacher and answered, “I need a bag of sugar and two bags of flour, Adelaide.”

  That meant Addie would be coming back to the storeroom. It also meant that Prudence would be alone with Caleb.

  Addie had just walked a couple of steps when Prudence spoke. “I don’t suppose you’ve met that woman Adelaide lets work here at the store, have you?”

  The question came out of nowhere, and at first Caleb didn’t respond—he merely stared at the woman. “I’m sorry, ma’am, but are you talking about Miss Branigan?”

  Prudence looked very smug at being the one to enlighten the preacher. “Yes, of course. Have you seen her daughter, too, Reverend Stone?” she asked pointedly.

  Caleb’s whole body froze. Daughter? Was Rachel married? He felt like someone had just pulled the rug out from under his feet. “Uh, no, ma’am,” he answered lamely. He didn’t know what to say.

  Prudence nodded sternly. “She’s not married, of course. Never has been. In fact, she created a huge scandal by claiming …”

  “STOP IT! Why can’t you mind your own business, Mrs. Primrose? You have no right to do this to me. No right!” With tears clouding her eyes, Rachel turned and ran from the store. She never once looked at Caleb.

  Caleb’s head was spinning with everything that just happened. Confusion warred within his heart and his head. He didn’t know what to make of what Prudence had told him and Rachel’s reaction to it.

 
; The only thing that stood out clearly was Rachel’s tears.

  “Please excuse me,” he said, walking off in the direction Rachel had fled.

  He ignored Prudence Primrose’s gaping mouth and Addie’s concerned frown and went to find Rachel.

  He found her sitting on the ground by the small stream that flowed near the store. Her face was buried in her knees, which were pulled up to her chest.

  He sat down beside her.

  Rachel knew it was Caleb Stone next to her, but she didn’t care. He was a preacher; and now that he knew the gossip about her, he’d start spouting Bible verses at her about the wages of sin and then he’d never come around her again. It was so stupid of her to hope for something that could never be.

  “Rachel?” he asked hesitantly, bringing his hand up and patting her on the back. “Please don’t cry. I’m sure Mrs. Primrose didn’t mean …”

  Her head flew up and raging wet eyes glared at him so fiercely that he was startled. He immediately removed his hand from her back.

  “Go on, Preacher. Tell me what a big sinner I am. Tell me that I should have told you all about it before I allowed you to associate with the likes of me!”

  He shook his head with a frown. “Miss Branigan, I don’t know what you’re talking about! I don’t even understand what Mrs. Primrose was saying. And please don’t put words in my mouth!” he answered. “I make up my own mind about things, and I have never called anyone a big sinner, nor will I ever do so. That’s for God to judge, not me.”

  She studied him a moment more, then looked away, a cynical look on her face. “Everyone judges, Reverend Stone. Why should you be any different? Three years ago, I became pregnant after my stepcousin raped me. This town practically tarred and feathered me because they thought I’d gotten into this predicament because I was an ‘unprincipled woman.’ So don’t tell me you don’t judge, Preacher. I saw the look on your face when you heard I had a daughter.”

  Caleb felt every bitter word that rolled off her tongue. Rachel had been raped? It made him angry to think of it—angry that someone had so badly hurt this precious woman. And he could only be truthful with her about his reason for his look of shock at hearing about her daughter.

  “I thought she meant that you were married, Rachel. That’s why I was shocked. I had been trying all morning to get around to telling you that I’d like to come calling on you.”

  Chapter 5

  You what?” she asked, disbelief clearly evident in her face.

  He smiled gently. “I said I want to court you, and I couldn’t do that if you were already married, now could I?”

  She looked at him and absently wiped her tears with the back of her hand. “Oh. Well, I guess you know it would be impossible for that to happen now.” She was aware that she sounded disappointed, but she couldn’t even attempt to hide it. Just the thought of him having wanted to court her was so unbelievable.

  If only she were just a normal girl with an ordinary life …

  He didn’t answer for a moment. He ran his gaze over her face and hair. And then, with a curious gleam in his eyes, he reached out and took a strand of her hair between his thumb and forefinger.

  “No, Rachel, I don’t know that,” he finally answered. “I still want to come calling on you. I just realize now that it will be a little more difficult to court you than I’d anticipated.” He gently laid her hair back on her shoulder.

  “Oh, Brother Caleb, you just don’t understand. No one in this town, except for Addie, believed me when I told them about the rape. I was brought in front of the church and told never to come back because I would not admit to the sin of fornication!”

  He shook his head in disbelief. “They expelled you? From the church? But Rachel, why didn’t you explain what happened?”

  Rachel laughed bitterly. “I tried to explain, but no one would believe me. Especially Reverend Parker! I haven’t been back since!”

  “Well, then you must come back now,” he declared, as if it were a simple matter. “We’ll show them that I believe you should be in church. Some of them may even change their opinions of you.”

  “They won’t change their minds, Caleb. You don’t know these people, what they’re capable of. All the sermons in the world won’t change their minds.” She waved her hand above her head in a gesture of futility.

  He reached out and took her hand in his. “I know that, Rachel. But God can!” He held her hand tightly. “I want to do this for you, Rachel. God changed my life around, and I believe He may have sent me here to help change yours, too.”

  Rachel marveled at the fervor and belief in his voice and eyes. She wanted to believe as he did. For so long, she’d prayed that God would give her another chance at life. Sometimes she felt as though He’d forgotten her; but maybe, just maybe, He’d been waiting for the right moment to act in her behalf.

  It was foolish to hope. Foolish to want to believe.

  But somehow, she did.

  She nodded her head. “Maybe you have been sent from God. I hope so, Brother Caleb; but I don’t want you to lose favor in this town because of your association with me.”

  He jumped up, pulling her up with him. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it, all right?” He brought her hand up to his chest. “Will you come this Sunday?”

  She looked down. “I don’t know. Please … please give me time to think about it….”

  “Of course,” he said in a low voice. She brought her eyes back to his. “I can wait, Rachel. However long it takes, I’ll wait. Do you understand?”

  She smiled at him shyly and nodded.

  “Good!” he declared and let go of her hand. “Now, let me walk you back to the store, and you can tell me about this daughter of yours.” They started walking, and he said before she could speak, “And by the way, I liked it when you called me just Caleb.”

  She looked at him in dismay. “I didn’t!”

  He winked at her. “You did.”

  They both laughed, and she started talking about Caitlin as they made their way to the store.

  Sunday morning, the sun shone brightly upon the congregation of the First Church of Springton as people made their way into the building. Caleb stood at the door and greeted them as they entered.

  He finished shaking a hand and then smoothed his lapels for the fourth time since he’d arrived that morning. He hoped he looked all right. The truth was, he was so nervous, he could hardly stand still. What if he wasn’t what they’d expected? What if he said or did the wrong thing?

  But, no. God chose him for this job. He would help Caleb get through the morning.

  One question plagued him, though. Would Rachel come to church?

  As Rachel sat at her window and watched folks enter the little church building at the end of the lane, she knew she wasn’t ready to attend church herself. Maybe she’d never be ready.

  Caleb’s words kept playing in her mind. She wanted to believe that he could help change things for her. She wanted to let herself hope that he’d be able to call on her as he’d said he would.

  But this was his day. To go into the church today would take all the attention away from him and his carefully prepared sermon and put it all on her.

  She promised herself that she would go … someday.

  Just not today.

  Harold Ray stood behind the huge wooden pulpit and nervously cleared his throat. It was well known that there was nothing he hated more than standing in front of a crowd and making a speech. He cleared his throat again and ran a hand over his already-slicked-back hair.

  The congregation had quieted down and sat looking at him, willing him to get on with things.

  Addie gave a quiet snort and leaned over to Mattie Mae. “Look at how his Adam’s apple keeps jiggling up and down. Maybe he should have brought his old blind mule up there with him for comfort!”

  “Oh hush up, Addie. Quit being so mean and listen!” she scolded, while trying not to laugh.

  “I would, uh, like to, uh, introd
uce everyone, uh, to our new … preacher. We’re, uh, proud to, uh, have him here with us!” He let out a relieved breath, glad to have that over. “Reverend Stone,” he added, waving his hand toward where Caleb stood on the tiny dais.

  Two little girls who sat in front of Addie and Mattie Mae put their heads together and giggled. One of them rolled her eyes and said, “Uh, uh, uh …,” and was immediately scolded by their mother.

  By now, tears of laughter were gathering in Addie’s eyes. Caleb shook Harold Ray’s sweat-drenched hand and stepped behind the pulpit. A feeling that this was right swept over him as he placed his hands on the smooth wooden surface. If he hadn’t been sure before, he was now.

  This was God’s plan for his life.

  “Thank you, Harold Ray,” he said with a nod and a smile, then looked over the congregation with a broad sweep that took in every face. A warm light shone in his green eyes, and there was an open friendliness to his face that immediately put everyone at ease.

  “The Bible speaks of the followers of Christ being brothers and sisters in Him. In a sense we are to be a family, to look after one another like a family is supposed to do. To love one another like a family loves its members.” He paused and watched as the congregation gave nods of approval and uttered hearty amens.

  “That’s what I want everyone in this church building today to think of when they think of the First Church of Springton—that we’re family.

  “I also want to thank you for allowing me to fill your pulpit. I have to admit that I may be different from the kind of preacher you are used to. I’m not a fancy person. On the weekdays you’ll probably catch me dressed in overalls and riding a horse. And I don’t mind being addressed as Brother Caleb.”