laughed out loud. If this wasn’t the Lord’s leading, he didn’t know what was. Now he could get married. Whatever Joel said in his letter, Micah would answer right away. To his shock, Joel’s letter announced that he and his sister would arrive in Esperanza the first week in December. Displeased with the failure of Reconstruction, they were leaving the South in hopes of finding a more peaceful life in Colorado. Joel also said his sister, Miss Electra Sutton, had recently graduated from finishing school, and she hoped to find an upstanding Christian husband who held on to none of the bitterness many felt over the war.
Micah laughed again. “Lord, You never cease to amaze me. You put the thoughts in my mind even as You were laying out Your plan. Are You bringing a bride right to my doorstep?”
As a finishing school graduate, Miss Sutton would be a great asset to his ministry. Further, with the sale of his book, he would be able to support her without asking the church for a raise in salary, something he knew they couldn’t afford to give him. Micah recalled that the newly married Rosamond Northam Wakefield, also a finishing school graduate, always wore the latest fashions. Miss Sutton would no doubt be fashionable, as well, and he would have to support her wardrobe choices.
What would she think of him? Of his far from fashionable and somewhat threadbare clothes? Only one solution came to mind. He would take some of his earnings from the sale of the book and change his entire wardrobe, beginning with his old broad-brimmed Stetson. One of those handsome new bowler hats would be more fitting for a minister.
He’d go over to the haberdasher’s right now and make that purchase. After that, he would visit the tailor next door. Joel and Miss Sutton would be here in December. That should give him enough time to have new clothes made.
He laughed aloud again. In a few short hours, the Lord had certainly shaken the very foundations of his simple bachelor life. And Micah couldn’t be happier about it.
* * *
After leaving the Rev, Grace headed back to the sheriff’s office just north of the bank. She found Sheriff Lawson seated at his desk shuffling through wanted posters. He looked up at her with a scowl.
“Bad news, Grace. Those varmints who tried to rob the bank in ’81 have escaped from Cañon City State Penitentiary with the help of their old gang.”
Her blood turned cold, and her heart seemed to stop. She drew in a slow breath to calm herself and hide her alarm. “That a fact?”
“Just got a letter from the prison warden. Hardison’s gang helped him and Smith break away from a work crew bustin’ up rocks in a quarry near the prison.” He snorted in disgust. “Turns out I put three of his gang in a Kansas prison five years ago.” He shuffled the posters again. “I’m looking through these to see if I can find pictures of Hardison and Smith. Not counting the newcomers in the past three years, I’m probably the only person around here who doesn’t know what they look like.”
Even though the crime had taken place over two years before Lawson came to town, he knew all about their robbery attempt and how Grace, two of her sisters and two of the Northam brothers had kept them from succeeding.
“Word from other inmates is that they vowed revenge on the people who stopped them.” The sheriff held up a poster briefly before continuing his search. “Said they’d ‘finish the job,’ just like their gang said to me when they were sentenced.”
Grace snorted, doing her best to sound unconcerned. “Just let them try.” Brave words, but bravado wouldn’t keep her friends from harm.
All things work together for the good of those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
The verse she and the Rev had briefly discussed came to mind. Right now it didn’t seem to her that these “things” were working together for good. But at least Beryl and Laurie would be safe from the two varmints, as would Tolley Northam, who’d gone to law school in Boston just over a year ago. If Hardison’s gang was set on revenge, the folks who’d especially need to be on the lookout were Rand and Marybeth Northam. And Grace, of course.
On her way home this afternoon, she would make it her business to inform the whole Northam family about the breakout. And her own ma and pa would also need to keep their eyes peeled and their guns handy. Grace’s family never went anyplace without weapons because of snakes and coyotes in these parts, but now they’d have to be even more careful of the two-legged kind of danger. At least Georgia hadn’t been involved in stopping the robbery, so the outlaws wouldn’t be after her. Unless they decided to—
She shook off her forebodings. In spite of the threats, she had other matters to attend to.
“Mrs. Winsted tells me she had some things stolen from her mercantile.” Grace wouldn’t wait for Lawson to get around to telling her about the thefts. Sometimes he forgot to mention important stuff and yet expected her to know it. Maybe it was because his wife anticipated all of his thoughts. Grace never made any claim to being a mind reader. If she ever married, which she wouldn’t, she’d let her man know from the start that he needed to speak out.
“Yep.” The sheriff combed a hand through his thick, graying hair. “I figure it’s some local boys just getting into mischief.”
“If we catch ’em and put ’em behind bars for a few days, that’ll give ’em a scare they won’t soon forget.” Grace checked the coffeepot sitting on the potbellied stove. A slow fire kept the brew simmering, and even this early in the day, it had already turned to sludge. She settled for a drink of water from the cold crock Mrs. Lawson kept on the side cabinet.
“Maybe get them into Sunday school classes.” The sheriff accepted the tin cup Grace offered him. “Nate and Rand Northam have turned around several boys with their good teaching.”
Grace nodded, although she still thought a few days in jail would be a good place for wayward boys to start. “Just have to find the troublemakers.”
They tossed around several ideas, not the least of which was asking other merchants in town whether they’d noticed small items missing from their stores. They’d also need to inform folks about the outlaws.
“I’ll go over to the hotel.” Grace adjusted the hang of her gun belt on her hips. “The shops over there might be easy targets with all the comings and goings of unfamiliar folks.”
“Yep. You do that.” Lawson continued to pore over the posters like he was digging for gold. “I’ll check the other end of town.”
“Yessir.” Grace ambled out of the office and strode down Main Street toward the Esperanza Arms. She’d never understand why Rosamond and her new dandy husband, Garrick, had chosen that name. Maybe Garrick’s uncle, the Earl of something or other, had planted that English-sounding name on the hotel. Maybe they’d named it for the wing currently being added to the north end of the building and the wing they planned to build to the west. Grace reckoned they couldn’t exactly call it the Esperanza Wings. She laughed out loud at the thought.
“What’s funny?” The Rev fell into step with Grace as she continued down the dusty street.
“You following me, Rev?” She kept on laughing, even as her heart did a stupid little hop.
“Not on purpose.” He chuckled. “We just always seem to be going in the same direction.”
A bothersome shiver, not at all unpleasant, swept down Grace’s spine. She had to stop these
