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  Stealing the Preacher’s Heart

  Mildred Colvin

  Historical Christian Romance

  Stealing the Preacher’s Heart

  Copyright ©2021 by Mildred Colvin

  All Rights Reserved

  Cover photo © Mildred Colvin

  Smashwords Edition

  Scripture portions are taken from the King James version of the Bible.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to events is entirely coincidental.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means without permission in writing from its author except for brief quotations in printed reviews. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  A Sneak Peek

  About the Author

  Note From the Author

  The Sweet Water Mail-Order Bride Series

  Other Historical Romances

  Chapter 1

  Lily Malone pushed the pot of beans to the back of the wood cookstove and turned toward the window. Papa and JD were late again today. She shoved the curtains aside and stared down the dirt trail leading to civilization. Why couldn’t they have normal jobs like regular folks? The way JD acted, you’d think he was Papa’s own son, but he’d been seven years old when her pa married his ma. They’d taken to each other like they were blood kin, which made Lily feel like the stepchild. But she didn’t mind, because JD had always treated her right, just the way she imagined a big brother would.

  Her gaze traveled over the knee-high, downtrodden weeds they called their yard. The late summer sun had scorched the grass to an early brown of winter until even the dandelions had all died out. Ragweed and dock grew in high clumps, choking out what might have been a nice lawn if they’d ever taken care of it. She’d tried cutting close to the house once with a pair of strong steel scissors, but hadn’t gotten far before other chores called her away. She’d never gotten back to it. Not that it mattered. No one but her would notice even if she chopped down every weed on the place. The men didn’t care as long as they had a place to sleep, and their bellies were full.

  Where were the men? She stopped to think, her finger tapping against the windowsill. This made the third day in the last month that something held them up. Papa said one of their horses became lame with a pebble in its shoe the last time. Before that, they’d gotten lost on their way home. JD said they’d taken a wrong turn, but neither of them had much of a sense of direction. What would they say was the cause this time? Just so they were all right when they got here.

  She shook her head, crossed the kitchen to the cupboard, took out three bowls, and set the table. If only they’d give up their outlaw ways and find respectable jobs. How she longed for a life of freedom from fear of her family being torn apart because of their evil doings. And in her way of thinking, robbing banks, trains, and stagecoaches was evil. Maybe she was too much like her ma to believe there was nothing wrong with stealing from other folks. Even if Pa did only go out on a job when they got down to their last penny.

  At the thought of her ma, she pushed the pot of beans to the back of the stove and went into her little lean-to room, the only addition to their small cabin. JD’s ma had made Pa build it for them to have some privacy when they married. She said Lily and JD were getting too old for them all to sleep in the same room. She was right. After she died, Lily took over the room because as a young teenaged girl she needed her own privacy too.

  She picked up her mother’s Bible and moved to the seat in front of the window, where she could watch for the men to ride in. Sitting there, the big old oak tree shaded her and the open window let in an occasional breeze. She flipped through the pages to the book of Romans where she’d left off reading the last time she had a spare moment. She held her finger under each word at the start of the fifth chapter, knowing that reading slowly often helped her to understand the truths in the word of God that seemed beyond her understanding. “Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

  It always amazed her how much one small verse could say in so few words. She thought justified meant being made right. Faith was believing what she couldn’t see. Like Jesus, because she had never seen Him, yet she believed He was just as real as her pa. She knew little about peace except that she’d love to have more of it in her life. “So, maybe this means if I want peace, I need to believe in Jesus, which I do. But it must mean more than just believe He exists. So faith is deeper somehow than just believing.” As often happened when she tried to understand, her mind seemed to whirl around as if she could almost reach the truth, but part of it stayed outside her grasp.

  Hoof beats outside brought her attention to the window. Two horses stopped, kicking up dust as JD jumped from the one in front. Where was Papa? She pushed her Bible to the side and hurried to the door and outside. “JD, what’s happened?”

  Then she saw the prone figure on the second horse. She gasped, frozen in place.

  “Help me get him in the house.” Her brother didn’t bother looking toward her, but busied himself untying the rope that held their father in place.

  She hurried to obey, fear rising and choking her. The gunshot wound to his midsection frightened her. Had it touched an organ? He groaned, but he was still breathing. Surely it wasn’t as bad as it looked. Together they carried him in and laid him in his bed. He never opened his eyes the whole time, and was pale as the sheets, as if he already hung between life and death.

  “Lord Jesus, be with us.” She whispered as she brushed his hair back from his forehead, then turned to her brother, who stood watching her with a strange look on his face. “What should I do to help him?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know if there’s anything we can do.”

  “I’ll ride for a doctor.” They lived fifteen miles from the nearest town in an area Papa always said God and civilization forgot about. It made a good place to hide out between jobs, but getting help wasn’t easy when they needed it. Such as when her ma had died of snakebite, and JD’s ma had died in childbirth. If they’d been near town, close to a doctor, maybe they’d have lived. She didn’t have time to think about the past now, though.

  As she turned from the bed, JD stopped her. “I’ll go, but I don’t think it’ll do any good. Unless maybe the doc can tell us how to care for him, make him comfortable.”

  His voice sounded matter-of-fact, but the brightness in his eyes belied the tough image he tried to show. He cared, and she loved him for it.

  “Thank you.” She poured beans in a bowl and handed it to him. “You’ll need food.”

  “I’ll need a fresh horse, too. Can I take Sissy?” He took the bowl, crumbled a piece of cornbread in, and wolfed it down.

  “You know you can. She’ll welcome a good run.”

  His bark of a laugh held little humor. “She’s as contrary as you are, and may dump me beside the road, but she’s all we have. Our horses need a rest.”

  “I’ll take care of them while you’re gone.” Sissy could be contrary to anyone except her. Surely she’d be good today and get the help they needed.

  He set the empty bow
l on the table, grabbed another piece of bread, and went out the back way to saddle her horse.

  She turned to her father, but he lay still, his face so pale and his chest scarcely rising with each breath. Surely the bullet had missed everything, and he’d get well. She couldn’t look for the exit wound without moving him, and JD hadn’t said, so she assumed it was still inside. After taking off his boots and covering him with a light quilt, she went outside to care for the horses. JD rode Sissy past before she reached the barn. He waved, then galloped away.

  “Please, Lord, go with him. Keep him safe and give him speed to bring help. Calm Sissy’s nerves so she doesn’t give him trouble.”

  ~*~

  Lily hated her pa’s outlawing ways with a passion, more now than ever. The doctor had already gone, saying he’d done all he could. It was just a matter of time, and digging for the bullet would only shorten what little time he had left. She’d made a broth to feed him, but for now he was sleeping.

  JD sat by the window going through the mailbag, which was the only thing they got from the stagecoach before the guard started shooting. He pulled some greenbacks from an envelope and stuffed them in his pocket, then tossed the accompanying letter aside.

  Lily stopped beside him. “Doesn’t look worthwhile to me.”

  He reached for another letter without looking at her. “I’ve just started. You never know what you’ll find tucked in an envelope.”

  “Maybe you should see if any of that’s important so you can send it on.” She folded her arms across her chest. Interfering in other people’s lives didn’t set with her any better than taking their money did. He pulled some bills from the second letter, too.

  Something must’ve caught his attention. He didn’t bother answering as he read the one-page letter in his hand. When he looked up, she didn’t like the gleam in his eyes. “Now, this here is interesting.”

  He shoved it into her hands. “Read it and see what you think.”

  “I don’t want to read someone else’s letter.” She protested even as her fingers closed around the paper.

  “Go ahead. It might change your life.” His grin was short-lived, but stayed long enough to stir her curiosity. “Go on. Reading it won’t hurt anyone.”

  Drawn against her will, her eyes took in the words.

  Dear Elliott,

  I hope my letter finds you well, and willing to read what I have to say. I fear I acted in haste when I agreed to marry you. Since then I’ve felt a burden. A warning from God or simply the fear of committing my life to a man I’ve never met? I don’t know. Perhaps it was the thought of what people expect of a pastor’s wife. Although my Christian beliefs remain the same, I realize I’m simply not cut out to stand beside a man such as yourself and help pastor the flock you’ve described so well. While everyone sounds wonderful, I’m the one who is lacking.

  And your dear daughter, Grace. The letter of welcome she penned touched my heart. She must be an exceptional young lady, but I’m not the mother she needs. I know you will find someone else more suited for a girl who will soon be a woman, and pray she will appear quickly for your sake and for Grace’s.

  I wish you well. I’m returning the money you sent for a train ticket and travel expenses. May God bless you abundantly.

  Sincerely,

  (Lily)

  Rebecca Lily Stevens

  Lily looked up, her brows drawn together. “Why should I read this? Because her name is Lily?”

  “That’s part of it. From the way she signed her name, she goes by Lily. And she never met the man she agreed to marry.” He glanced to the bed where their father lay so quietly. “Pa won’t make it, Lily. You could marry this preacher and have a good life. Maybe pass on some of the wealth once in a while.”

  Shock that he’d suggest such a thing made her pause. She couldn’t marry a preacher, of all things. “No, that’s wrong. He wouldn’t want me, anyway. What if he’s old?”

  “With a daughter in her teens? He’s likely less than forty. Couldn’t be much older than you. You’re creeping up toward thirty, yourself.”

  She glared at her brother, who’d turned thirty last fall. Neither of them had much experience with courting because of the life they lived. The only women JD might meet, he’d find in a saloon. But Pa wasn’t much for drinking and had passed what he called his code of honor on to his stepson. One thing he refused to do was visit saloons, and he drank nothing alcoholic. That was something she could be thankful for. If only he’d listened to her years ago when she asked him to stop living on other folk’s money. As far as she knew, they’d harmed no one who didn’t get in their way. Even then, they shot to wound and never to kill. Pa made it clear he’d never take a life unless it was to protect her or JD. But that hadn’t stopped the bullet that now rested inside his body, draining the life from him.

  “So I’m twenty-eight. What of it?” She lifted her chin. “That doesn’t mean I want to get married, and especially to a man I don’t know. Maybe he’s mean, did you think about that?”

  JD lifted an eyebrow and gave her his look that said she was crazy. “He’s a preacher. You’d fit right in with him.” He pointed to her Bible still lying on the side table. “Been reading the Good Book again, I see. You’re always wanting us to go honest. You pray and talk about God’s will all the time. Shoot, you could probably take over his job of preaching. I think he’d like you just fine.”

  “No, JD, it isn’t a good idea at all.” Just thinking about it was twisting her insides something fierce. “He’d know right off I’m not the right Lily. Besides, my name isn’t Rebecca Lily, it’s Lily Rose. And I can’t legally marry using a false name.”

  “Nope, but you can tell him your real name before you get married.” The gleam in his eyes flared up as if he was enjoying himself. “Say you’d been afraid to use the right name until the two of you met and you were really sure you wanted to marry. He’ll understand that.”

  Oh! He had an answer for everything. She felt her resolve waver. One day, she might like to get married. Have a special man all her own. And she wouldn’t mind the daughter. It’d be like having a good friend, which was something she’d never had before. Only when she went to school did she associate with girls her age, but she could never go to their houses or invite them to hers. They’d been nice, but she’d felt as if she walked on the outside edge of their friendship. And she hadn’t seen or heard about any of them since her schooling ended.

  But marry a preacher? “I don’t think so, JD.”

  “We’ll use the money to buy you new clothes. You’ll only need a stagecoach ticket, so there’ll be plenty for whatever you need.” He continued making plans as if she’d said yes.

  “No! JD, I can’t.”

  A stirring in Pa’s bed brought their attention to him. “Yes, you can.”

  His voice was weak, but clear enough she heard and still didn’t believe it. Was he out of his head? She hurried to his side, and JD followed.

  He looked up at them with clarity in his eyes that hadn’t been there before. “I’m dying. Marry the preacher. He’ll treat you right. Take care of you.”

  He’d struggled with each sentence, but the message was clear. Still, Lily couldn’t believe it. “Pa, do you know what you’re saying?”

  A slight nod confirmed it. “Sorry for the outlawing. Promise you’ll marry the preacher.”

  At that moment, she’d agree to anything he asked. She nodded. “All right, Pa. I’ll do my best.”

  His next words surprised her. “Forgive me. Pray for me.”

  “Oh, Pa!” Her anguished cry did more to convince her of his impending death than his appearance had. She’d known, but until he asked her to pray, she’d refused to believe. Tears filled her eyes and burned their way down her cheeks as she bowed her head and took his hand between both of hers and spoke in soft tones. “Father God, please hear our prayer. You don’t have to listen to us, but we ask for mercy. Forgive our sins. Pa wants Your forgiveness. Your word says You will give if
we ask, and we’re asking now. Please forgive my Pa.”

  Still, a burden sat heavy on her heart. She’d read enough of the Bible to know she couldn’t ask forgiveness for her father. He had to be the one who asked. “Pa, Jesus is listening, but He wants you to tell Him you’re sorry. Just ask Him to forgive you, and He will. Believe He will. He loves you so much He died for you. He will forgive you.”

  Pa’s face twisted as it had when he’d grieved for JD’s ma. Then, in a trembling voice, he whispered. “I’m not worthy, Jesus, but my women believed. They were right. I’m sorry for all the wrong, the lying, cheating, and stealing. Please, forgive me.”

  His prayer was brief, but Lily sensed it was heartfelt. Why had it taken something so horrible as his own death to understand what he needed? Sobs shook her body, but she made no sound as the tears of her grief made their escape. Then Pa’s hand twitched in hers and stilled again. When she looked into his face, it had smoothed, and he looked ten years younger. She had never seen him so relaxed.

  “Pa.” She called his name but knew he wouldn’t answer. “Tell Mama I love her.”

  She whispered her request before kneeling beside him as the sobs of grief took over. Only the weight of her brother’s arm across her shoulders comforted her.

  But he couldn’t take away the fear that ate at her when she thought of the preacher she’d promised her pa she’d marry.

  Oh, Lord Jesus, what am I to do?

  Chapter 2

  “What will you do now?” Lily stood beside her stepbrother at her father’s grave. She’d scratched Pa’s name on a board from the barn and added his birth date and today’s for a headstone. Then JD had attached it to a stick and driven it into the ground. It’d have to do until they could afford better.