Reuben’s eyelids drooped as he sat in the stiff-backed chair across from the sheriff. He didn’t know how many times he repeated the same answers to the same questions.
“Like I said before, I only made one deposit and one withdrawal. Check the bank records.”
The sheriff kicked back in his chair and leaned against the wall. “Mr. Woodward here says he started noticing money missing about the same time you arrived in Raider’s Crossing. And he told me about the time y’all bumped heads at the bank, money going everywhere.
“I’m sure it’s mighty tempting to a man in your position to see a month’s worth of wages going across the floor.”
Reuben curled his hands into fists at his sides. A man in your position. “Sheriff, I’m not that kind of man anymore. I’ve earned my money from hard work, not thieving.”
James stepped forward. “And you have enough to throw down for a silly supper? What, were you trying to impress her father?”
It would take but one punch to fell this dandy.
Reuben sucked in a deep breath. “I don’t recall the sheriff allowing you to ask questions. In fact, I don’t know why you’re here in the first place.” He glared at James, who shrank back to the corner. “You’ve had it in for me since the day I came here. Wouldn’t it be something else if you were the one causing all this trouble?”
James licked his lips. “Howard, tell him about the accounts.”
Mr. Woodward began. “I’ve been missing money, here and there, five to ten dollars at a time, from the subscription receipts.” He tossed a ledger onto the table. “Sheriff, start from the beginning of this year.”
“I’m not a man of numbers, Woodward.” The sheriff thumbed the pages. “What’m I looking at?”
“The missing amounts are circled, right here. Somehow between the newspaper office and the bank, the money goes missing.” Mr. Woodward pointed to the last entry. “See here? Last Tuesday, five more dollars missing.”
Reuben sat up straighter. “Mr. Woodward, I believe you’ve got a thief, and I know it’s not me. I was in Huntsville visiting my brother in prison on that date. The Jeffers family has two telegraphs I sent, on my arrival and right before I left. And the prison has a record of my visits.”
James’s face had turned the color of paste. “Wh–what?”
Mr. Woodward turned to face James. “You told me you had seen Reuben that day in town. Unless he can work some kind of trick, I don’t see as how he can be two places at once.”
James bolted for the door, but Reuben stuck out his foot and sent the man flying. Not quite a punch, but at the moment it would serve the cause of justice.
Charlotte saw Reuben leaving the sheriff ’s office before Momma and Pa did. “He’s coming out!” She picked up the hem of her skirt and ran for him. “What happened?”
He smiled at her, his green eyes alight in a way she hadn’t seen in years. “It was James all along. Seems he had a hankering for a new buggy and other things. Figured a few dollars here and there would help. When I came to town, he started getting greedier.”
“So that explains it. I wondered how he got that buggy.” She shook her head. Reuben offered her his arm, and they walked along to her parents’ wagon.
“He looked squeaky clean around me.” Reuben shrugged. “Get enough rumors flying, people will look the other way at what’s under their noses. Howard Woodward didn’t quite suspect me, though. But he had an idea something was up when Mrs. Booth mentioned me being out of town on the same day James said he saw me on the street passing by the newspaper office.”
Charlotte laughed. “Thank you, Mrs. Booth, for sharing information! I never thought I’d say that.”
Reuben’s chuckle made her go all warm inside. “Yes, and thank You, Lord.”
“What about Colt? How is he?”
“About as well as you can expect in prison. I offered him a place here with me one day, but he’s got somewhere else in mind. He showed me something, even though he didn’t want to listen about God changing him.” Reuben stopped and took Charlotte’s hands in his. “He showed me I was wrong, thinking I could earn my forgiveness. Like if I did enough good, it would cancel out the bad. It’s hard sometimes, still, thinking about what I’ve done, but I’m ready to start looking forward.”
Charlotte smiled. “Me, too. And one day I’d love to see Colt and thank him.”
“You two going to talk each other to death?” Pa’s voice carried over the wind that held the hint of early spring. “In case you didn’t know, it’s freezing out here.”
Reuben tied a knot in his necktie. He could never get used to feeling gussied up, but when a fellow proposed marriage, he couldn’t take a chance at appearing in less than his best. Sam had told him to make sure he joined them for supper. Maybe he was a tad overdressed for a Wednesday night supper, but he figured he wouldn’t be comfortable even in his everyday work clothes.
He crossed the yard to the main house where the scent of supper drifted from the kitchen door. Charlotte’s and her ma’s laughter joined the smells that made his stomach growl louder. After a week of jerky and stale bread, a supper of beef and potatoes would go down well. Thank You, Lord, for true freedom.
“There you are!” Charlotte stood in the doorway and drew him inside with her hand. Her smile made him feel warm to his toes. She squeezed his hand, and he raised her hand to his lips. The blush that swept over her face reminded him of the days in summer when they’d tear around on horseback and she’d leave her sunbonnet at home.
Sam entered the kitchen and surveyed the table laden with food. “Son, I almost feel like sending you away again so we can eat like this every night.”
“Now, Sam,” his wife chided. But she beamed, as well, when he tugged on her apron strings.
Sam asked the blessing once they were all seated around the table. “Lord, thank You for this food. Bless it to our bodies and our lives for Your service. We thank You for delivering Reuben from the snare of the wicked today. Thank You, as well, for bringing him home again. Amen.” At that Reuben tightened his grip around Charlotte’s hand.
“Sir,” he ventured once they filled their plates, “I must talk to you about something important, before I lose my nerve and before I eat and lose my supper at the idea of speaking to you.”
Charlotte’s father set his fork down next to his plate. “Well, if it’s all that important, I’d like to hear it before I eat.”
“Two things.” Reuben tugged at his necktie. “First, I love your daughter. I always have, and I always will.” He could feel her face glowing from where she sat opposite him. “I haven’t been a Christian man for many years, but I’m learning. Once I can provide for her properly, I want to marry her, and I’d like your blessing.” His throat hurt after the long speech.
Sam nodded. “I appreciate you asking me first. I see Charlotte’s answer on her face.”
Reuben reached for Charlotte’s hand. “I love you, Charlie Jeffers, till the stars die. I was stupid and selfish many years ago, but I promise you I’ll never leave our love behind again. We were only children, but even then I knew…”
“I did, too.” A tear slid down Charlotte’s cheek, and she grinned as she dashed it away with her free hand.
“Now.” Sam punctuated his sentence by slamming his palm on the table so hard his coffee cup jumped. “How do you propose to provide for my daughter?”
Reuben cleared his throat. “That’s the second thing I’d like to talk to you about. I want to buy back the land my family used to own. I don’t have enough money yet to make you a good offer, but I’m working on that.”
Sam picked up his fork and stabbed a bite of meat on his plate. He swirled it in some gravy and popped it in his mouth. Reuben could almost see the man’s mind working as he ate.
Reuben followed Sam’s lead and popped a piece of meat into his mouth although his appetite had fled. He swallowed it without even noticing that it was so tender it melted in his mouth. Then he paused and smiled at Charlotte. They had so many things to talk about.
At last Sam broke the silence. “I can’t sell you that land.”
Reuben felt his shoulders sag, but he refused to let Sam see the dreams crumbling inside him. “I…I see.”
“I’m going to give it to you.”
“Sir—” Reuben’s throat tied itself in a knot to match his necktie.
Sam raised his hand. “No. Cut that out. I know what you’re goin’ to say. You don’t deserve that. Maybe not. But this is what we’ll do.” He took another bite.
“What’s that?”
“I’m going to give you the pick of the spring calves this year, seein’ as how you’re going to help me with the calving. You raise those and add to the small herd I know you can buy.” Sam sipped his coffee. “Then, for the next three years, all the female calves your herd bears will be mine.”
The room seemed to spin around him. “You’d do that?”
“We both want the same thing. I want my little girl cared for. I want you and Charlotte to work that parcel…together.”
“Oh, Pa. It’s a dream come true.” Charlotte squeezed Reuben’s hand.
Sam smiled, a rare sight Reuben hadn’t recalled since working for the man. “That it is.”