“I prayed, too,” she said. “How do you want your eggs this morning?”
“Thank you, Vera, but I think I’ll just have toast today. I’m too nervous to eat.”
“I think I will, too. Do you think Jack will come in today, or has he left town already?”
“I don’t know.”
Vera returned with their toast, and they ate in silence. “Wyatt, I think I hear a horse coming down the lane.”
Wyatt bolted up and ran to the sitting-room window. “It’s Jack!”
Vera made herself comfortable on the sofa with her knitting, and Wyatt calmly opened the door for Jack. After they exchanged greetings, Vera brought Jack a cup of coffee.
“I won’t refuse it today,” Jack said. “I’ll take the cup just to warm my hands.”
Wyatt laughed but said, “You need to drink it. My wife makes the best coffee, and it will warm your insides.”
Jack sipped his coffee and said, “This really is good coffee. Thank you, Vera.”
Jack set the cup down and turned to Wyatt. “I finished filling the silo yesterday. Today, I was planning on bailing hay.”
“I plan to help you with that,” Wyatt said. “My arm needs exercise.”
“Have you given my problem any thought?” Jack asked.
“I have a plan. I’ll run it by you, but don’t say a word until I finish. I’ve known Sheriff Hollister for years. He’s a good guy. You and I will meet with him and tell him the whole story.”
Jack shook his head. “He won’t believe me.”
“I’ll go myself and tell him the story, then. If he doesn’t believe in your innocence, I won’t tell him your name. We have to try.”
Jack shrugged. “I guess it can’t hurt none.”
“Then I’ll tell him about Lucy’s plot. I think he’ll be more interested in that, don’t you?”
“I suppose. I’ll run if he doesn’t believe me.”
“Can I say something?” Vera asked. Both men looked at her and nodded.
“Jack, the law here won’t be as hard on you as the men in El Paso. Truthfulness always wins in the end. I agree with Wyatt.” Vera rose and knelt by Jack, touching his arm. “Jack, you also need to get it right with God. You can’t continue to carry this guilt around.”
Jack shook his head. “But I killed a man. God can’t undo that.”
Vera squeezed Jack’s hand. “He can forgive you. If you’re sorry, and I know you are, God will forgive you and wipe your slate clean. You won’t have to carry the guilt around anymore. It will be like it never happened.”
Wyatt could see the hope appear in Jack’s eyes.
“Really?” Jack asked. “Where do I do this confessing and get forgiven?”
“You can do it anywhere, but just to make it feel more sanctified, Wyatt can take you to see our minister. He’d be happy to listen to you and explain about how God’s forgiveness works.”
“I am truly sorry. I’ll gladly unburden myself to your minister.” Tears rolled down Jack’s face. “I need this.”
Wyatt stood. “Let’s go, then. Finish your coffee. The hay can wait.”
By the time Wyatt and Jack had left the minister’s house, Wyatt could see that the prayer had relieved Jack of his burden, as he was walking straighter, and seemed more confident.
“What now, Wyatt?”
“Now, you can go home and start on the hay. I plan to see the sheriff.”
Jack stopped walking. “I feel confident enough now to go with you and tell him everything. If they decide to punish me, so be it. God has forgiven me, and that’s good enough for me.”
“Are you sure?” Wyatt asked.
“Yes.”
“C’mon. It’s just down the street.”
Sheriff Bart Hollister looked over his desk at Jack and Wyatt. “What can I do for you?”
Wyatt began, “There’s a bounty in El Paso on my friend, Jack Haskell, for a trumped-up charge. He was playing cards with the sheriff’s son and Jack called him on his cheating. The man pulled out his gun, but Jack’s reflexes were faster, and he killed him. Bystanders put the gun back in the dead man’s holster, and the town tried to lynch Jack. He fled and has been in hiding ever since. That’s just part of the story.”
“Wait,” Hollister held up his hand. “The sheriff in El Paso was Brandon Masters. He’s no longer in office. The U.S. Marshals threw him in a federal prison for all sort of crimes. It’s a shame about his son, but the sheriff? Crooked as they come.”
“Does that mean Jack’s no longer wanted?”
Hollister shrugged. “I’ll check on that, but that’s not my biggest concern. He has another son, Beau, who's coming here to Hays, for Christmas week. He married a woman from Hays.” Hollister looked at Wyatt. “Do you remember Annabelle Lansing? He’s spending the holiday with her family. If he finds out Jack’s here, in Hays, there could be trouble. In the meantime, I’ll do some investigating.
“You said that was only part one of your story? I can’t wait to hear the rest.”
Wyatt cleared his throat. “Do you remember Lucy Ames?”
Hollister smiled. “Who could forget her?”
“She found out that Jack was in town, and she’s blackmailing him. She said she’d turn him in unless he killed her husband, Leland.”
“What? Are you serious?” Hollister asked.
“Yes, sir,” Jack spoke for the first time. “She asked me to meet her at the café, and that’s what she wants of me in exchange for her silence.”
Hollister swore and then rolled his eyes. “I need to think about this. Should we play along and see what Lucy plans for Lee, or do we ignore it and hope she changes her mind? I’m afraid that if you refuse to do it, Jack, she’ll just hire someone who will. This is mind-boggling.”
Wyatt said, “I think we should let Jack agree, hear her plan, and
