Let There Be Light (38 page)

A coldness settled over her. “Mm-hmm. But then, hypocrites are like that.”

She studied his face again. “I agree, Dan. You are quite good-looking.” A frown creased her brow. “You’ll be a good-looking corpse, won’t you?”

The next day, Jenny went to the railroad station and made reservations on the trains and stagecoaches that would carry her to the man she would shoot, and bought her tickets with his money.

That evening, she wrote her acceptance letter, giving Dan the time she would arrive in Mogollon on the Wells Fargo stagecoach. It would be at four o’clock on Tuesday afternoon, September 5.

The next morning, a sense of deep satisfaction enveloped Jenny when she handed the letter to the postmaster. Yet, when she walked out of the post office, a mental picture of Dan’s smiling face came to her mind. A strange, unexplainable feeling washed over her. She shook it off and hurried on down the street.

Though it was her day off, she would now go to the general store and give the Hendersons a false reason why she had to be gone for an indefinite period of time on a trip out west.

As she walked toward the store, she told herself once again that she would have to wait till she was in Mogollon to make her plans on how to shoot her father’s murderer and get away with it. She might exact her justice before they married. On the other hand, though Dan worked the ranch for this widow woman, maybe he
had some money in the bank. If that was the case, she would shoot him after they got married, make it look like someone else did it, and as his widow, she would collect whatever money was his.

Either way, Dan Tyler didn’t know it but he had only a short time to live.

Jenny arrived at the store, and the Hendersons accepted the reason she gave for needing to take a trip out west. Zack assured her that her job would be waiting for her.

When she arrived home, she went next door to the Bowden home, gave the same reason for the trip west to John and Dorothy, and left her house in their care. They volunteered to take her to the railroad station the next morning.

Sleep was very elusive for Jenny that night. As she lay in her bed, she let her mind have free rein, and it transported her back to her childhood. She thought of the days when she was a happy, carefree little girl with parents who doted on their only child. One pleasant scene melted into another as the years passed by in her mind.

Finally, in her memory, she was watching her beloved father walk out the door to fight in a war from which he would never return, then found herself standing over her mother’s open coffin, with tears streaming down her face.

Lying in her dark room, Jenny let her mind run to the good-looking hypocrite who had murdered her father. She could almost feel the grip of the revolver in her hand, and pretending it was aimed at Dan Tyler’s heart, pulled her finger back as if she was squeezing the trigger.

“I know it won’t bring Papa and Mama back,” she breathed, “but that bloody killer has to pay for what he did!”

After only a few hours sleep, Jenny rose wearily from bed the next morning. A fevered excitement filled her as she prepared a hasty breakfast.

Downing the last drop of coffee, she quickly rinsed the few dishes and glanced around the kitchen to make sure that all was in order. She then moved from room to room, and once again, her mind was filled with memories. This house had been her home all
of her life, and now she was the only member of her family left.

Frustrated with the tears that filmed her eyes, she quickly wiped them away.

Returning to her bedroom, Jenny let her gaze linger on her own things. Suddenly she became aware of the time. She tied her bonnet on with the ribbon under her chin, then picked up her purse from the dresser and opened it to check on the revolver. It was there, and seemed to say, “I’m here, Jenny, and I’m ready to be your weapon!”

On the dresser, next to her purse, was the small Bible Laura Denton had given her. Since she was supposed to be a believer, she knew she would have to carry a Bible to church in Mogollon. She placed it in the purse alongside the revolver that was to end Dan Tyler’s life. She picked up the satchel she had packed the night before and went through the bedroom door without looking back.

Once again, Jenny went to the kitchen, made sure the fire was out in the stove, then headed up the hall toward the front door. She paused for a moment at the parlor door and set her gaze on her mother’s rocking chair by the big window. Fresh tears threatened to spill. She swallowed hard, rushed to the rocking chair, set the satchel down, and ran her hand over the arms of the chair. Blinking at her tears, she said in a low voice, “Mama, I’m sure you wouldn’t approve of what I’m about to do, but I know for me to have any sense of peace, I must see that the man responsible for your death and Papa’s pays for it. I have to do it. I love you.”

With those words, her resolve took control. She hurried into the hall and out the front door. She closed it, locked it, and headed for the porch steps. At the curb, John and Dorothy were waiting in their buggy to take her to the railroad station.

Just as she reached the steps, an ugly thought struck her, and she stopped. What if the authorities would catch her after she killed Dan Tyler, in spite of the care she took to kill him without being detected?

She bit her lower lip.
If they were to learn that I had done it and arrested me, I would never be able to come home again. I would spend the rest of my life in prison. Am I prepared for this?

The unexpected thought gripped her for a moment; then again the horrendous thought of her father’s murderer getting away with it
and being free to live out his life overtook her mind.

Jenny drew a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and descended the porch steps. She smiled at the Bowdens as she hurried toward their buggy, satchel and purse in hand.

O
N
F
RIDAY MORNING
, S
EPTEMBER
1, Clay Holden and Joel Stevens were busy in their blacksmith shop. Clay was putting shoes he had forged the day before on a draft horse from a nearby ranch, while Joel was working the bellows, preparing to forge four more for a customer’s horse that was waiting in the stable.

Clay nailed the first shoe on the hoof of the horse’s right foreleg. As he bent down to pick up another shoe, he saw movement at the wide double doors from the corner of his eye, and turned to see the form of Dan Tyler coming in with a wide grin on his face. Dan’s eyes were sparkling. There was an envelope in his hand.

Clay straightened up. “Hey, Joel. We’ve got a happy man here.”

Joel stopped working the bellows and turned to look at the man who was walking toward them. “Yeah, he sure does look happy. I’d say that letter in his hand is probably from that cute little blue-eyed blonde in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.”

Dan used a thumb to push his hat back a little on his head. “Well, Joel, ol’ pal, you are dead on center.” He lifted the envelope up so both could get a good look at it. “I just stopped at the post office, and here was this letter from Jenny in Harrisburg. She’s coming to be my mail order bride! She’ll arrive in Mogollon on the four o’clock stage on Tuesday, September 5!”

Both men laughed happily.

“That’s great, ol’ pal!” said Clay. “Congratulations!”

Joel popped his palms together. “Yeah! Congratulations!”

Clay rubbed his jaw thoughtfully. “Too bad she couldn’t have come in time to attend the wedding tomorrow.”

Joel nodded. “Yeah. Too bad. It would have been nice to have her here to see Dan perform as best man for this double wedding. It’s going to help prepare him to be a groom. Jenny would probably like to see how he functions in a wedding atmosphere.”

Dan chuckled. “Well, I’d like to have her here for your wedding, gentlemen, but even more important—she’ll be here for ours!”

Clay and Joel laughed.

Dan snapped his fingers. “Hey, I just thought of something!”

“What’s that?” asked Joel.

“Well, since I get to be best man for both of you guys, maybe we can work it so both of you can be best man at my wedding.”

Clay moaned and shook his head. “No, Dan. Two guys can’t be best
man
. It would have to be best
men
, but that would be impossible, because I’m better than Joel! I’d be the best
man
. He’d only be second best.”

Joel gave him a mock scowl. “Oh, yeah? You’ve got that backwards, ol’ pal!”

Dan laughed. “Okay, okay, sorry I even brought it up. When it’s time for my wedding, we’ll flip a coin to see which one of you will be best man.”

“Hey, flipping a coin won’t change anything!” said Joel. “Even if I lost in the coin toss, I’d still be the best man at your wedding.”

Clay cuffed Joe playfully on the chin. “Hah! That’s a matter of opinion. If all the people who know both of us got to express their opinions as to which one of us is the best man, they’d vote for yours truly!”

Grinning, Dan said, “Sorry, boys. I didn’t mean to start a fight. I’ll get out of here so you can make peace and get back to work.”

Clay snorted. “You mean you’re not going to let us read that letter in your hand?” said Clay.

“Not on your life! What that cute blue-eyed blonde said in here is just between her and me!”

Joel nodded. “Of course. Seriously, Dan, we’re both very happy for you. We’ll tell Martha and Mary about it this evening when we eat supper at the Denisons.”

“Thanks, but you won’t need to. I’ll be going to the parsonage with this good news before I head back to the ranch for lunch.”

“Well, they’re going to be as happy for you as we are. Our father-in-law and mother-in-law to be will be happy for you too.”

Jack and Lorna Sparks were behind the counter at the hardware store when they saw Dan come in with the same wide grin and sparkle in his eyes. There were no customers in the store at the moment.

Lorna elbowed her husband. “I think we’re about to be told that a certain happy cowboy has received a letter from a certain girl in Pennsylvania.”

“You’ve got that exactly right, Lorna,” said Dan, drawing up to the counter and flashing the envelope. “Jenny’s going to be here on the Wells Fargo stage at four o’clock next Tuesday.”

“Wonderful!” exclaimed Jack. “I just know it’s going to work out beautifully between you and Jenny.”

Lorna nodded. “Has to. The Lord is bringing them together without a doubt.”

“Yes. Praise His name!”

“Just like He did us, sweetheart,” Jack said, putting an arm around her. “When God’s in it, everything goes right. I’m really glad for you, Dan.”

Lorna smiled. “Me too. And you be sure we get to meet her as soon as possible.”

“I’ll do that, you can bank on it. Well, I’ve got to let Pastor Denison, Clara, and their daughters know. Then I’m riding to the ranch so I can tell Suzanne she’s about to have a lovely houseguest.”

When Dan arrived at the parsonage, the pastor, Clara, Mary, and Martha rejoiced at the good news. Clara told him she would prepare a nice meal for next Tuesday evening. The newlyweds would be invited, as well as Suzanne Brady. Together they would give Jenny a royal welcome.

Dan was pleased at this gesture and thanked Clara for her kindness. Then, as happy as the proverbial lark, Dan mounted the bay gelding and rode for the ranch.

Suzanne Brady was in the kitchen preparing lunch while wondering what was keeping Dan. She had expected him back by about eleven o’clock. It was now ten minutes till noon.

She pushed the pans and the coffeepot partially off the hot part of the stove, wanting to keep them warm.

When she stepped away from the stove, she stopped, closed her eyes, and put a hand to her forehead. She opened the cupboard and took out an envelope of salicylic acid powders. She measured the dosage into a cup with a teaspoon, then went to the water bucket at the end of the cupboard, filled the cup with the dipper, and stirred it with the spoon.

She was just finishing the last of the mixture when she heard rapid hoofbeats pounding past the side of the house. She swallowed it quickly and used a little more water from the bucket to rinse out the cup.

Footsteps were heard on the back porch and Suzanne turned around when the door came open.

Dan stepped in, a crooked grin on his mouth. “Am I in trouble for being late for lunch?”

Suzanne gave him a loving look. “Not if you have a good reason.”

Dan lifted up the envelope. “How about a letter from Jenny saying she’s coming to be my mail order bride? I had to share the news with Clay and Joel, Jack and Lorna, and the pastor and his family. Is that a good reason?”

Suzanne’s eyes widened. “Really? Is she really coming?”

“Sure is! She’ll be here next Tuesday on the four o’clock stage.”

“Oh, Danny boy! That’s wonderful. Praise the Lord!”

The next morning, Dan Tyler awakened in his cabin to a beautiful sunrise. His first thoughts were of Jenny, then his mind went to the wedding that would take place at the church that afternoon at three
o’clock. He wondered if his two pals had gotten any sleep at all.

He got out of bed, washed, shaved, and combed this hair, then put on Levi’s, a shirt, and socks. He slipped into his high-heeled western boots, then sat down at his small table, read his Bible, and had his prayer time. When he was finished, he put on his wide-brimmed cowboy hat, left the cabin, and headed for the barn and corral to do his chores.

A half hour later, Dan was approaching the ranch house when he noticed that there was no smoke rising from the chimney above the kitchen. Something was wrong. Suzanne always had breakfast ready when he came in after doing his chores.

He hastened his pace, and hopped the steps of the back porch in one bound. When he opened the door, his heart skipped a beat. Suzanne was lying on the floor in front of the cupboard. Her eyes were closed and she wasn’t moving.

He dashed to her, knelt down, and touched her face. It was warm and she was breathing. Taking hold of her chubby hands, he squeezed them. “Suzanne! Suzanne! Can you hear me?”

There was no response.

While he ran toward the barn and corral, Dan said, “Oh, dear Lord. Help me to get her to the doctor in time.”