Sean Donovan (The Californians, Book 3) (25 page)

Two weeks later Charlie awoke to discover she was
alone in bed. She lay still and tried to calm her frantic
heart. She and Sean always got up together. Even when
one was awake first, the other lay quietly and waited for
the other to waken.

Charlie's mind was racing. It wasn't Sunday, so she
knew Sean was not feeding the stock, and the stillness of
the house told her he was not fixing breakfast.

Charlie rose from the bed and stood clutching the
front of her nightgown, not wanting to face what she had
feared from the moment Patrick left town. She walked
out to the kitchen on limbs that were stiff with dread,
limbs that came alive with action when she spotted the
note on the table.

Charlotte,

I've gone to Duncan's. Hartley has been in
touch, but he's gone now. I'll be home soon, so
stay where you are. Stay out of the livery, and
for my peace of mind, don't even answer the
door.

Sean

Charlie read the note through twice before running to
the bedroom with plans to disobey her husband's every
word.

'About what time did you hear the noise?" Duncan
asked Sean.

"It was just beginning to get light, so I guess around
4:30."

Duncan consulted his pocket watch. "It's been two
hours; there's no point in trying to track him now."

"Do you think he's hit the bank?"

"No. I'd have heard by now. You don't seem overly
surprised, Sean, that he was able to track you down."

Sean's eyes narrowed in thought for a moment. "I
guess it's because I know Hartley so well. I can't say as
I've ever felt that Charlotte and I were being watched,
but the man has eyes everywhere, if you catch my meaning."

"Connections?"

"Right."

Lora put a plateful of food in front of each man, and
Sean was opening his mouth to say he couldn't stay,
when all three heard a horse approaching at high speed.

Charlie burst into the kitchen without even knocking,
her hand going to her mouth and her eyes closing in
relief when she saw that Sean was all right. The young
husband rose from the table and took her into his arms.
They stood for a few moments in silence, unaware of the
older couple watching them, and then Sean led Charlie
to the table.

He put her in the chair next to his own and brushed a
stray curl from her cheek. He spoke tenderly and without rebuke.

"I know you read the note or you'd have never found
me. You also knew I wanted you to stay home and out of
the livery."

"Would you have stayed if I'd left you the same note?"

"No," Sean admitted without hesitation, and leaned
to press a kiss to her forehead.

Charlie still had hold of Sean's hand when she began
to calm down enough to look at the other people in the
room. She looked across the table to find Duncan grinning at her.

"Good morning, Charlie."

Charlie couldn't help but smile back. "Hi, Duncan."

A moment later she had her own plate of food, as did
Lora, and Duncan was saying grace as though having
people interrupt their breakfast was an everyday occurrence.

"Father in heaven, I thank you for this food and for
Lora's work; please bless our bodies this day. I would also
ask Your guiding hand on our plans concerning Hartley.
Protect us, Lord, in Your will, that we might glorify Your
name. In Christ's name I pray. Amen."

Charlie ate and listened in silence as the conversation
between Sean and Duncan continued. She learned that
Sean had heard a noise outside at daybreak. He had gone
out dressed in nothing more than his jeans to find Hartley standing by their well.

In the space of a few seconds Hartley told Sean that
Rico had been killed in a bank robbery in Los Angeles,
and Hartley needed to pull another job because he was
out of money. He wanted Sean's help to hit the Visalia
bank.

Before Sean could make any reply, the two men heard
noises on the street. Hartley left quickly, but told Sean
where to meet him on Sunday night, only three days away, so they could make plans.

"He fascinates me, Duncan, because he seemed genuinely shook when he told me about Rico, and then he
went on to tell me where I was to meet him, assuming I'd
be a part of his gang again."

Duncan shook his head. "He doesn't fascinate Witt.
Did you see which way Hartley headed?"

"No, he went around the house."

"But this place where he wants to meet you is only
about a 30-minute ride?"

"Right. He didn't give me a time, so I'm going to head
out when there's still plenty of light."

"You can't be serious?" Charlie said softly, but no one
acknowledged her.

"If he doesn't show, I'll leave him a note and maybe
we can still trap him. I still can't believe I went outside
without the gun. When Witt finds out he'll be furious."

"You can't be serious?" Charlie's voice, although still
an incredulous whisper, was louder this time and heard
by everyone. Sean looked at her with great compassion
and then explained softly.

"Duncan is not pushing me into this, Charlotte; I
volunteered. Hartley would have hit the bank here
whether I'd been with him or not, but the truth is, I was
with him, and now I want to do something to bring him
to the law."

Charlie was silent. She stared at Sean as though seeing
him for the first time. Without thanking Lora for breakfast or bidding anyone goodbye, she rose from the table
and walked out the door. The Duncans and Sean stayed
in their places even as they listened to her ride away.

"We'll be praying for you, Sean," Duncan finally said.
"And if you change your mind, there will be no hard
feelings. I won't talk to Witt until I hear from you."

Sean thanked both husband and wife after those
words and went back to the livery to try to reason with
his wife.

On their own once again, Lora rose from the table to
pour more coffee for Duncan. She would have returned
the pot to the stove, but he moved his chair out and
patted his knee invitingly. Lora, never needing to be
asked twice, sat in her husband's lap. It had been their
special way of cuddling since the day they had been
married.

"What were you thinking just now as you poured the
coffee?"

Lora sighed on the question.

"Don't want to tell me?" he questioned as his arms
settled around her waist.

"I guess I don't because it means admitting how faithless I am."

"Charlie," Duncan said in instant understanding.
Lora nodded.

"I know all about fears, Lucas, and if she would just
turn to God, He would comfort her," Lora said with
tender conviction.

"You don't sound very faithless to me."

"My faithlessness comes when I see the complete lack
of hope on her young face. She's not the hard person I
always believed her to be, but at times she seems so
closed to spiritual matters."

"We've got to look at how far she's come already,"
Duncan told her assuredly. "When you think how quickly
they've made their situation livable, it does make you
want to see it as the miracle of which Sean talks."

Suddenly Lora hugged him back. "Thank you, Lucas.
I needed to hear that."

Still wrapped in one another's embrace, they took a moment to pray, each thanking God for bringing the
Donovans into their world and for whatever purpose He
had in doing so.

Charlie had not touched or spoken ten words to her
husband since leaving the Duncans. Sean tried to bring
her out, but she refused to talk to him.

By Friday night Sean was at the end of his tether. He
knew Duncan was waiting for his answer, and even
though he wanted to please his wife, this was something
he had to do. If only she would talk to him.

Sean pulled the double doors in the front of the livery
shut and went to his wife, who was making an expectant
mare comfortable for the night.

"Charlotte, can we please talk?" Sean had started the
conversation just that way on many occasions, and as
before, Charlie ignored him. But Sean had had enough.
When Charlie moved away from him he reached for her,
but Charlie had second-guessed him and begun to run.
A second later she found herself tackled in a stall full of
sweet-smelling hay.

She struggled under her husband's weight, but he
held her easily. In fact, he simply captured her hands
within his own, buried his face in the side of her neck,
and waited for her to stop struggling.

It took a little time, but Sean began to feel the tenseness leave her body. The hands he held began to hold him back and Charlie angled her head so that she could
kiss her husband's forehead.

"Please don't go," she finally whispered.

"I have to."

"Then let me go with you."

"That's out of the question."

Sean heard her sigh. "Sean, I'm afraid you won't come
back alive."

"I know you are," Sean said simply.

Charlie fell silent again. "You're not afraid of death,
are you?"

"No. I've settled my eternity with God."

Charlie began to struggle this time so suddenly that
Sean let go of her. He watched in surprise as she sprang
up and faced him, her hands doubled into fists at her
sides.

"I wish someone would tell me what that means!" She
was a picture of frustration, and Sean could only gawk as
she turned and stormed from the livery.

All this time he had been expecting her to show interest in the things of the Lord, waiting for her to ask
questions, when she hadn't even understood what she
had been hearing.

Sean would have liked to have taken a few days to pray
over this new revelation, but he didn't have time. Charlie was right; he might not come back alive. He had to be
certain that Charlie understood before he left. Maybe
she wouldn't make a decision, but he had to map it out
for her. He would start by apologizing for not explaining
in the first place.

"Instead of working on your spelling words tonight,
Charlotte, I'd rather we talked."

"About Hartley." Charlie's voice was flat.

"No,-about-something more important than Hartley."

Charlie looked over at Sean from her end of the sofa,
only to find him watching her. She couldn't take her eyes
off him as-he-began to share.

"First of all I want to tell you how sorry I am that I
haven't explained my faith to you, and how sorry I am
that I took for granted you would understand. I'd like to
explain now, if you'll let me."

Sean waited for Charlie's nod and then began.

"When I was four I memorized my first two verses
from Scripture-John 3:16 and 17: 'For God so loved the
world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to
condemn the world, but that the world through him
might be saved.' I could say the words both frontward
and backward but I didn't understand that they applied
to me personally until I was six.

"When I was six I began to notice for the first time that
my sisters and I looked different from the Hawaiian
children with whom we were growing up. I remember
asking my mother about it, and she told me it was
because we were from a different background. I, of course,
wanted to know where all the other people like me were.
When she explained, I then wanted to know why we
even lived in Hawaii in the first place. When she told me
that we were there to tell people about the love of Jesus
Christ so they could believe in Him, I told her I'd never
prayed and told God I believed in his Son.