Carsten burst into the house to blurt out his news to Ma but instead found her with his three friends. “Um. Hi, everybody.”
“I want to apologize,” Edmund said. “What I said was wrong, and I never should have—”
“I know,” Carsten interrupted. “My reaction was wrong, too. It had been a difficult day not being able to work, and I wasn’t willing to listen to you.”
“Can you forgive me?” Edmund asked.
“I already have,” Carsten said. He gave Edmund a light punch to the shoulder. “Is that why all of you are here?”
“That, and because your Ma told us everyone’s arrested,” Amos said.
Ma shrugged with a sheepish smile. “I figured they would want to know, and I knew you needed to forgive them right away.”
“Thanks, Ma,” Carsten said, crossing the room to give her a hug. “Can we eat? I’ve actually got something to tell you all while we eat.”
“There’s more?” Kit asked.
“Yes, but I need food first,” Carsten said.
Carsten and his friends helped Ma get the food on the table and then sat down. Carsten gave a hearty thanks for the day and the food. They all took a few bites, and then Carsten couldn’t wait any longer to share what was going on. He first told them about how he had found and ridden Stardust and the guilt he’d lived with since.
“Carsten,” Ma said. “Why did you never tell me?”
“I was too guilty. I didn’t dare tell you, or I would have had to turn myself in. I couldn’t do that. Not with Pa gone.”
Kit nudged Carsten. “So what happened? Why are you suddenly so… happy?”
Carsten grinned. “Well, I asked Lonzo, one of the Rangers, to look into it for me.” He paused to take another bite.
“And?” Amos asked.
“The man died in his sleep and gave me his horse.”
Jaws dropped to the floor all around the table, and Carsten chuckled.
“He gave you his horse? By name?” Kit asked.
“No, by identification. As ‘the boy who took excellent care of my horse.’ All I need to do is get Stardust from the doctor’s stable, and I’ll be the proud owner of a beautiful palomino horse.”
Ma rested a hand on his arm. “God is taking good care of you, son.”
Carsten’s eyes were wet, and he blinked a few times to keep the tears away. “Yes, He is.”
Later that night, after they helped Ma clean up supper and after his friends left, Carsten sat down with Ma. She did some sewing, while he stared into the fire.
“The last few years without Pa have been hard.”
“Yes, they have,” Ma stated. “But you have been a young man of integrity the whole time, and I’m proud of you for that.”
“Thanks, Ma. It’s been hard believing I could be the one to break the chain of criminal behavior.”
“Your pa never did believe me when I told him either. He always said it was a birthright. Something his grandfather and father instilled in all their children.” She sighed. “I always wonder if that’s why you’re the only child who survived infancy.”
“God helped us break it. Even when I didn’t put my trust in Him all the time, He still kept me safe in His arms.”
“He’s good at that,” Ma said with a smile.
* * *
Carsten couldn’t wait to get Stardust. The next morning, he woke up, ate a quick breakfast, and practically ran to town.
“Carsten!” Dr. Close exclaimed as Carsten approached the doctor’s office. “You’re here early.”
“I came to pick up Stardust.”
Dr. Close chuckled. “Anxious to see her after so long?”
“Yes, sir. Thank you for keeping her.”
“Happy to. She’s a good horse and easy to care for.”
“Do you want anything to pay for her care?”
Dr. Close shook his head. “Certainly not. Every little bit I spent was worth it. She came with the saddle that’s in the barn and the halter she’s wearing. You are welcome to both. I need to go check on Mrs. Bailey. She’s getting close with baby number six.”
Carsten smiled. “Thank you again, Doc.” He waited for the doctor to leave before he headed out behind the office to the barn and went inside the corral. Stardust stood there as if waiting for him. He rubbed her nose and took hold of her halter.
“You’re mine now, Stardust,” Carsten whispered. “I get to take you home with me.” He led her out of the corral to the barn, where the doctor put the saddle on, tightened it, and helped him mount up. He rode out of Dr. Close’s yard and down the street.
Lonzo was outside the marshal’s office and waved.
Carsten waved back, holding the reins loosely in his left arm, which was still in the sling, so it made riding a horse a little tricky. No one tried to stop him, and when he got past the last houses in town, he kneed Stardust into a trot. The trot didn’t last long. It jarred his shoulder too much. Even at a walk, his trip home was twice as fast as normal. Horses could definitely go faster than humans. It would save a lot of time to have a horse he could consistently ride. Their workhorse was getting old, and Carsten needed her for helping in the fields, so he rarely rode her.
Ma was in the garden when he arrived. She looked up and stared. “Is that Stardust?”
He dismounted and led Stardust closer. “Yes.”
Ma came over and patted Stardust’s shoulder. “She’s beautiful.”
He sighed. “I would spend all day with her, but I need to get some other work done.”
Ma smiled. “Go to it. I’ll be in the garden, if you need anything.”
“Thanks, Ma.” Carsten led Stardust to the corral, took the saddle off, and brushed her down. Then he went out to the fields to check on the alfalfa. Amos, Edmund, and Kit were already out there, arguing and hoeing the weeds away for him. Carsten smiled. They were the best friends a man could have.
* * *
After an uneventful week, Carsten was ready for something new. He also wanted to spend more time with Luella. Now that he knew he wouldn’t be arrested for anything, he wanted to move their relationship forward.
“Ma, I’m going to town to talk to Luella for a while.”
“Okay, be back for lunch, please. Bring her with you if she’s available.”
Carsten grinned. “Yes, ma’am!”
He headed out the door. When he got to the road, he stopped. Someone was coming toward him riding sidesaddle. Very few women in this town actually rode sidesaddle, saying it was too uncomfortable.
This rider had to be Luella.
He waited for her to come closer, then greeted her with a smile.
“Where are you going, Carsten?” Luella asked.
“To come see you. We must have had the same idea, but you had it sooner than me.”
Luella giggled. “It’s been a week since Papa’s arrest, and I needed someone to talk to.”
“Would you want to take a ride around the farm?”
“Yes, please.”
“I should tell Ma about my change of plans.”
Luella dismounted. “I’ll tell her while you saddle your horse.”
“Thank you.”
“I want to talk to her anyway, so I have ulterior motives.”
Carsten chuckled. “See you out by the barn soon.” He took the reins from Luella and led her horse back to the house and around to the barn. By the time Luella joined him, he had saddled Stardust.
They rode around the edge of the alfalfa field.
“I know it’s mostly green, but alfalfa always seems prettier than other crops,” Luella said.
“I’ve always thought so, too, but assumed it was my prejudice.”
“How does it feel to not have a jail sentence awaiting you?”
Carsten looked at her. “Freeing. I can think about the future again.”
“You hadn’t before?”
Carsten shrugged. “I had, but I only turned eighteen a few months ago so hadn’t really put anything into action yet. I wanted to be stabler first.”
“What kinds of things did you want to take action on? If you don’t mind my asking.”
They approached the back of the alfalfa field. “I don’t mind. See that thin line of blue out there?”
Luella nodded.
“That’s the edge of the property. Pa never did anything with this back five acres. I want to expand and maybe even start a new type of crop.”
“Any ideas on the crop?”
“Not yet. I’m thinking wheat if my arm heals fast enough that I can till the land by May. I’d need to talk to someone first, though. With Mr. Baumgartner arrested, I might make the trip to Galveston sometime to talk to the Feed and Seed owner who would know more about the most profitable crops.”
“That’s a good idea. And something you can do with a bum arm.”
Carsten smirked. “You’re funny. That’s one of the things I like about you, actually.”
“Aww, thanks.”
“Would you want to go see the creek skirting my property?”
“Yes, please. I didn’t know you had a creek at all.”
Carsten clicked to Stardust, and they moved forward, with Luella and her mount keeping pace. “When Pa got this land, he and the owner across the creek made a deal to share the water. Legally, our property only goes to the middle of the creek.”
“That was nice of the man.”
“So far, we’ve never had trouble with him. I rarely see him, actually.”
“He’s a hermit?”
“Not exactly, just not very social.”
“I can be that way sometimes,” Luella said. “I didn’t really want to go to church Sunday. I was afraid everyone would treat me the way they’ve treated you.”
“I didn’t see any shunning. Was there?”
“No. I almost wish there was.”
They reached the creek, and Carsten dismounted. “Why?” He helped Luella down.
“Then you wouldn’t be alone. But then I noticed that people actually started talking to you this time.”
Carsten grinned. “It was a nice change. I think being part of catching the counterfeiters helped. And for you, the fact that you were never part of it was an asset to you.”
“I suppose.” Luella walked to the edge of the creek. “This water is so clear. Are there any fish in it?”
Carsten looked down. “I don’t know. I’ve never seen any, but I can’t say I’ve looked long or hard either.”
They watched the creek trickle past for a while.
“There’s something else I’ve been thinking about for the future,” Carsten said. “Us.”
Luella looked at him, her forehead wrinkling. “What about us?”
“We’ve been good friends for years. I talked to your ma, and she said I could ask you.” He knelt in front of Luella. “Can I come calling?”
Luella’s confusion turned into a grin. “Yes.”
Relief flooded him. Life had gone from the worst possible to the best in only a few days.