Dwight was so relieved, he sat back in his chair and let out a huge sigh, realizing he hadn’t been able to relax since the moment he’d heard his wife exclaim her brother’s name.
After all of these months, the man in the saloon had even forgotten the name of the fellow originally charged with the crime. There had been a trial and the manager had been sentenced to ten years in prison, and was already serving his sentence at the Nebraska State Penitentiary—a large two-story structure surrounded by a tall stone wall that they had passed on their way to town.
So, in other words, Hank was completely cleared of the theft.
Dwight couldn’t wait to get home and tell Mary…and of course, the man in question.
“And then, I hid out for about a month at an abandoned cabin on the backside of that hill behind the lake,” Hank was saying as he related his story to the people eating at Doc’s large dining room table, but especially to Mary. She was watching him fondly, unable to take her eyes away from her long-lost sibling.
Since being released from jail, he had gotten a shave and a haircut at Finn’s barbershop, had new clothes purchased for him at the mercantile by his sister and brother-in-law, and even secured a job—at least for the short term. Jay Swigert had agreed to allow Hank to work off the debt he owed for unintentionally being the cause of the man’s injuries, by working the farm until Jay could get back on his feet. Mrs. Swigert had already fixed up a sleeping quarter of sorts out in the barn loft—ironically the same place that started the trouble. It seemed fitting.
“Then I snuck back in town and made it out to our cabin, but someone else was livin’ there.”
“Yes, the new fireman for the City of Lincoln.” Mary answered, the memory still rankled, but she pushed it away and concentrated on the here and now.
Glancing over at Dwight, she exchanged yet another grateful smile with him for all he had done to make sure Hank was a free man. Just then, as if feeling its mother’s emotions, the baby kicked happily and she rubbed a hand over the spot. She was feeling blessed, indeed.
Hank nodded, reaching to pick up his cup of coffee. “I couldn’t figure out where you and Pa were. I looked everywhere—but I had to be careful that no one saw me. Or…at least I thought I needed to be careful,” he glanced at Dwight and Tobias and shook his head. “Such a stupid mess. Here, I didn’t even know I’d been cleared. I disguised myself and visited a few of the seedy dives down at the waterfront, and that’s when I chanced to overhear two deckhands from the City of Lincoln talkin’ about what happened to Pa. That’s how I found out he was dead…and you had been forced out of town.” He shook his head again, fighting the sadness that had consumed him at the time.
Then, he met Mary’s eyes and smiled. “Been searching for you ever since.”
Mary had told him how she had stowed away on several steamboats before being caught on the J. Houston and had ended up in Brownville, but she had left out several details.
He forked a piece of Wanda Mae’s delicious apple pie and lifted it to his mouth, obviously savoring the flavor. Looking around at all the friendly people surrounding him, he laughed. “I don’t mind admitting, I ain’t had anything that tastes this good in months. Got tired of cookin’ over campfires and eatin’ beans and hardtack, lemme tell you.”
“It sounds like the plot of a book I’ve been reading! Only, in that book, the man had been guilty of his crime. Glad that’s not the case here!” Olivia piped up, after having been uncharacteristically silent through most of dinner.
Everyone chuckled.
Washing down the bite of pie with another sip of coffee, he looked again at his sister. “I’m glad you ended up here, Mary. So glad you’ve got friends…and a husband now. It does my heart good to see you happy.”
For Mary, her life felt complete. She couldn’t believe she actually had her brother back in her life. Praise God.
Now…if You’ll give me the desires of my heart, Lord…Dwight will stay with me forever…
Chapter 14
T hanksgiving had come and gone, and it had been a wonderful holiday celebration—especially for Mary, and so vastly different from any she had ever experienced before.
Thinking of the contrast between how she had celebrated the holiday in the past and now, Mary knew she wanted life to stay just the way it was, with these people and this home. Could it? Now, her days were filled with laughter and good food…holidays were crowned with joy and thanks to the Lord for their blessings throughout the year—it was all more than Mary had ever hoped or dreamed. Compared to now, her life before the tragedy had been drudgery, containing precious little merriment.
As she and Dwight had sat down together for the Thanksgiving meal with his family—as well as Hank, Doc, and Wanda Mae—Mary marveled that she had never been a part of a group so warm and welcoming.
Wanda Mae had allowed the ladies to help with the meal, baking delicious pastries or helping with the more involved culinary dishes she was cooking in Doc’s large, equipped kitchen. What a spirit of camaraderie and fun! Since it was difficult for Mary to stand for very long, they found tasks she could do while sitting down, and everyone treated her like an adored member of the family.
Several times during that busy morning as they prepared and cooked what would be their grand feast, she would hear the men’s voices from the parlor
