LITMIR.BIZ

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brothers didn’t understand. They had all been so pleased, and not a little surprised, to find that their little brother had become a minister. They remembered the scrapes he’d gotten into as a youth—stealing Ma’s blackberry pie off the window ledge where it had been set to cool and claiming a bear had lumbered by. Trying to show his oldest brother Drew he was strong enough to master an ax and bringing down a tree so close to the house it shaved off a corner of the back porch. Attempting to prove himself a man by gambling himself into a debt so deep his entire family had had to chip in to raise him out of it.

      The last thoughtless act still made him shudder. He’d worked on Drew’s logging crew for months to pay everyone back. And then he and Scout had heard about the gold strike in the British Territories and run off to make their fortunes.

      “You’ll see,” Levi had promised his friend. “We’ll come home rich. They’ll have to respect us.”

      Respect had seemed all important then. He was the youngest of his family, Scout the only son of a father who couldn’t have cared less. They had wanted something to call their own, a way to make people look at them with pride. Filling their pockets with gold had sounded easy.

      Their adventures had not only failed to find them gold but lost Levi his respect for himself. And no one except Scout, Thaddeus and God knew how far Levi had fallen. It would be a long time before he felt himself worthy of respect again.

      The best he could do now was help the Murphy family. He glanced at Callie sitting beside him. She wore a slouch hat that hid her hair and shadowed her face as she gazed down at the baby in her arms. The movement of the wagon must have lulled little Mica to sleep, for thick black lashes swept across her pearly cheeks.

      He couldn’t forget the feel of the child in his arms—so tiny, so fragile. Her big blue eyes had gazed at him so trustingly. She was too young to know the things he’d seen, the things he’d done.

      Thank You, Lord, for this opportunity to make amends and help a friend.

      Peace brushed him like the wings of a dove, reminding him of why he had started down this path. God had never abandoned him, no matter how far Levi had run. He’d been waiting with open arms for Levi to come home. It was a blessing to return the favor with the Murphys.

      “How far do we got to go?” one of her brothers asked behind him. The belligerent tone likely belonged to Frisco.

      “Will it take much longer?” Sutter whined.

      Levi smiled. He’d been the same way once, eager for things to start now. “Have you ridden to Seattle before?”

      “’Course we have,” Frisco said, tone now aggrieved.

      “Well, it’s that much again to Wallin Landing,” Levi told him.

      He glanced back in time to see Frisco slide deeper into the pile of quilts. “That could be hours.”

      “Days,” Sutter moaned.

      “Maybe we could stop in Seattle,” Callie suggested. “Stretch our legs.”

      “Get a sarsaparilla,” Levi offered.

      Sutter perked up. Frisco pushed himself closer to the bench. “You got money, preacher?”

      Callie scowled at her brother. “I got money, the last of what Adam sent us a few months ago. There’s no call to bother the preacher.”

      “It’s no problem,” Levi assured her. “I said I’d provide for you all.”

      Frisco leaned up between them, arms braced on the back of the bench. “That’s real nice of you, preacher. And maybe we could get something to eat at one of them fancy hotels.”

      “San Francisco Murphy,” Callie said, her voice a low rumble, like a thunderstorm heading their way.

      Her brother’s eyes widened, and he ducked back into the wagon bed. “It was just an idea. A fellow can’t live on pumpkin and pinecones.”

      “I never fed you pinecones,” Callie complained. “But maybe I should.” She shot Levi a glance. Behind that stern look, he thought he saw a twinkle in her blue-gray eyes. “You got pinecones up your way, preacher?”

      “Plenty of them,” Levi assured her. “My brother chops down a lot of trees. I’m sure he could find a few cones, maybe some sawdust.”

      “There you go,” Callie said, facing front. “Everything a growing boy needs.”

      “You’re no fun,” Frisco grumbled.

      “I’d eat pinecones,” Sutter told him. “If I had to.”

      “Would not!”

      “Would, too!”

      Before Levi could move, the two were rolling around in the bed of the wagon, pushing and pummeling each other. With a jolt, he realized their movements were shoving the packs toward the rear of the open wagon.

      Callie must have seen the problem as well. “That’s enough!” she cried. “You’ll cost us our things.”

      Neither brother paid her the least heed. Face turning red, she reached back a hand, but, holding the baby, she couldn’t seem to catch hold of either boy.

      “Hang on,” Levi told her.

      She cast him a glance, then resolutely grabbed the side of the bench.

      Levi slapped down on the reins, and the horses lunged forward. The movement sent both boys flying into the quilts. Levi reined in, allowing the horses to draw the wagon to the side of the road and stop. Then he turned and gazed down at two scowling faces. Somehow, he thought he’d looked at Drew with just that amount of defiance when his older brother had taken over leadership of the family after Pa had died.

      “You wanted to get to Seattle as fast as possible,” he reminded them. “Every time you act up, I’m stopping this wagon. I’ve slept out under the stars before, in colder weather than this. If you want to take a week to go five miles, I’m your man.”

      They didn’t so much as exchange glances this time.

      “No,” they chorused.

      “Good,” Levi said. “Then pull those packs up closer to the bench and get comfortable.”

      The two scurried to comply.

      “By the way,” Levi continued with a wink to Callie, “I hear there are bandits in these parts. Keep your eyes peeled, and sing out if you spot one.”

      The twins’ heads jerked up, and they nodded eagerly.

      As soon as they’d settled themselves back among the quilts, Levi faced front and called to the horses.

      “Bandits,” Callie said, skepticism in her voice. Even Mica, who must have been awakened by the sudden movements, was frowning at him.

      Levi shrugged. “My brother and his wife were set upon out this way.”

      Callie’s eyes widened.

      He felt a tug of guilt and leaned closer, speaking low for her ears alone. “Eight years ago. I haven’t heard of any trouble recently.”

      “Are those bandits?” Sutter called.

      A chill ran up him. They were rolling around a bend, so Levi could easily spare a look back. Callie turned as well, shoulder brushing his. Two riders were coming along the road. The pair was far enough behind that Levi couldn’t make out their faces under their broad-brimmed hats. He forced himself to focus on guiding the horses around the curve.

      “Do you know them?” Callie murmured beside him.

      “I don’t think so,” Levi told her. “You?”

      Her cheeks were pale. “We had visitors last night. Might be them. Horses look right.”

      “There’s another bend coming up,” Levi said. “We’ll check then.”

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