Whispers of Moonlight (25 page)

"Eddie's not from Boulder," Robert explained easily. "I met her on my trip east last fall." There was no disguising the elation in Robert's eyes. Whoever this girl was, she had well and truly captured the banker's heart.

"Eddie," Travis repeated the name thoughtfully. "Must be a nickname."

"Yes, but there's nothing masculine about her. Edwina Fontaine is her full name, and she's the oldest of five girls. I haven't met her family, but she's written about them in her letters."

"How did you meet?"

"Well, if I believed in accidents, then that's what I'd call it, but I simply had the wrong address."

"Why don't you believe in accidents?"

"Because I believe God is sovereign. I believe He is in control of everything, even things that seem to be inconsequential, like getting the wrong address. But then I met the woman I've been waiting for my whole life."

"Could just be good luck."

"I don't think so," Robert disagreed kindly. "Luck means things are left to chance, and I can't go along with that. There are too many verses in the Bible that say otherwise."

"Now you sound like Pastor Craig." Travis had not completely closed up, but his expression altered.

Robert frowned. "You didn't get to know Pastor Craig very well if you think we sound alike."

Travis shrugged. "You're right. I've had little contact with the man, but I wasn't impressed."

"I wasn't either." Robert paused and thought about what he'd just said. "Let
me clarify that for you, Travis. I didn't agree with all Pastor Craig's views, but I still attended church."

Travis didn't have a comment for that, but then there wasn't really a need. He
recognized the fact that he wasn't comfortable with religion. Travis saw Robert
as a religious man, but he liked him as a person. His expression became open
again, just as Lavena came to the door and told them dinner was on the table. The subjects of God and His Word were not mentioned for the rest of the day. Over their meal the conversation turned to cattle and banking, but never ranged back to the personal.

Rebecca opened the front door quietly but could immediately tell there was no need for silence; both of her sons were howling loudly from the bedroom they shared with their mother. Rebecca laid her things aside and moved for the stairs. She was met in her bedroom by Angel, who looked five years older than when Rebecca had left her.

"I don't need to ask how it's gone," Rebecca remarked as she joined Angel on the edge of
the bed. The 15-month-old twins swarmed alt over their mother. Their cries had ceased, but they clung to her as if she'd been gone for days instead of minutes,

"I was certain they were asleep when you left, but the moment the door closed downstairs, they called for you and then the tears began."

Angel, who had only grown more compassionate as the weeks had passed, now sounded a bit testy. She wasn't lacking sleep—the hour was early for her—but Rebecca caught the first note of frustration. She couldn't blame her. The boys wanted only their mother. Dan was feeling some irritation as well and hadn't been coming to
see them very often. Rebecca's friends adored the two little boys and would have enjoyed helping her, but unless the twins could
see their mother or be touching her, they were not happy.

Rebecca eyed her friend.

"It was a good idea for me to get out, Angel, and I do appreciate your offer. I'm sorry it didn't work."

Angel shrugged. Rebecca still had the impression that she was angry.

"You still need to get out more, Becky. When the boys were little you could just let them cry, but they were out of their beds before I could even get down the hall. Had the door been open, they'd have chased you."

Rebecca looked down at her sons. One was as dark as the other was light. They both had their thumbs in their mouths, and both looked sleepy. Rebecca knew, however, that if she tried to put them in
their own bed, they would cry and carry on.

"I guess they're just too young," Rebecca offered lamely. Angel, not really knowing better, agreed with her.

"Well, I'm going to go put on a pot of coffee. Come on down when you can."

"All right. Thanks, Angel."

Angel stood, bent over, and kissed the boys' foreheads in turn. Secure in their mother's arms, they both smiled around their thumbs, but made no move to embrace Angel. She left without further word, but Rebecca's heart was still troubled.

Boulder

"What do you do with things like the flood?"

"As in Genesis, with Noah and the ark?"

"Yes." Travis' voice was calm, but as usual when these weekly sessions with Robert turned to spiritual matters, he was tense. "Am I really supposed to believe that this man and his sons built a boat so large that it held two of each animal in the world?"

Robert sighed to himself. Travis was fighting so hard. His question was more than reasonable, but as usual they were diverted from the main issue, which was Jesus Christ and His work on the earth. Robert had this thought so often that he finally decided to voice it.

"Is that really what's bothering you, Travis?"

"What do you mean?"

"Only that I'm not sure you really care one way or the other about the ark. I don't think you want to believe anything God has to say."

Such a statement would normally have made Travis angry, but not this time. "Maybe you're right," he admitted, "but I'm not certain I want to get into that right now."

"I can appreciate that," Robert told him, and carefully shifted the topic off God and Bible-related issues.

Some time later, Robert saw Travis to the door of his small apartment. They parted on friendly terms, but Robert felt a vague sense of dissatisfaction. The Lord was swift to remind him that Travis hadn't been meeting with him for very many weeks; things would take place in His perfect time and not before. For the rest of the evening, Robert worked at committing Travis to the Lord.

Travis rode straight home from Robert's, but as he moved down the main street of town, he couldn't help but hear the sound of feminine laughter as it floated from one of the saloons. His mind had been on the evening's conversation with Robert, but suddenly all he could see was Rebecca. It wasn't as easy to envision her face these days, but the sound of her laughter lingered in his mind. And always the questions began. Where was she and why did she leave?

If he consulted Robert, that man would say that all things were ordered by God. But Travis wasn't buying it. What kind of God would let Rebecca leave him? What kind of God would order that type of pain? He'd been given no choice but to give up looking for her; it was obviously fruitless and caused too much pain, but his heart still thought of the possibilities. She could be dead for all he knew, or maybe she needed him but had no way to get home. Travis had to push the painful thoughts from his mind.

As the horse's hooves moved Travis farther out of town, he slowly shook his head. Robert also wanted him to believe the Bible, which taught things too fantastic to be real, such as God coming to earth as a man in order to save a sin-sick world—one that didn't want Him in me first place. Travis' doubts were so strong that he wouldn't even consider the possibility.

The stable, yard, and house were quiet as he made his way inside. There was a light under
Lavena's door off the kitchen, but all else was black. The house had become a near extension of himself, and he needed no lantern to find his way to his room. As he often did, he hesitated on the threshold and let his eyes stray down the hall. At times he would visit Rebecca's room, but tonight he wasn't up to it. He didn't feel up to anything but sleep at the moment. With an effort he pushed both Robert and his wife from his mind and took himself off to bed.

The letter began "Dear Robert," as it usually did, and although letters from Eddie were always wonderful, it only took a few sentences for Robert to see that something was very different.

"I have some incredible news for you," she began. "We're moving to Colorado. I can hardly believe it. My Uncle Mitch was just in touch with my father for the first time in many years, and he asked my father to join him in business. I nearly fainted when Father told me the business was in Georgetown, Colorado Territory."

Robert wanted to keep reading, but his hand was shaking too much. She was coming! Eddie was coming. She would not be on the East Coast, but right here in his area, accessible and hopefully wanting to see him as much as he wanted to see her. Robert's eyes slid shut with a prayer of thanksgiving before he eagerly read on.

"Father wrote Mitch that we'd be with him this summer. Mother has already begun making lists and informing friends and neighbors. Father has talked to a man about buying our house. We've lived many places, but never that far west. We're all very excited, but a little nervous too."

Again Robert had to stop. It was too wonderful to be true. He was in his office at the bank and would have sat for hours just dreaming about the possibilities when a knock sounded at the door. He called a carefree welcome from his desk, but his jubilant mood was quickly snuffed out when he saw Travis' pale features.

"What is it, Travis?" Robert rose and asked immediately. "What's happened?"

"My new man, Morgan, is dead," he told him, his voice low. "He must have been drinking, fell off his horse, and landed against a rock when he tried to come in last night. The boys found him this morning."

Robert opened his mouth to speak, but Travis cut him oil, his voice low with fury.

"Is this the way your God does things, Robert?"

Robert said nothing, but even if he had, Travis was in such a cold rage he would never have heard.

"He was only 18. What's the point of a young man like that dying? He left his family in the East to come here and make a life for himself. He planned to send for his mother and sister when he was settled, and now they'll never see him again."

Robert's eyes flicked to the clock. It was just past 1:00, and he wasn't done until 3:00. He was certain, however, that his teller would be able to handle the afternoon customers.

"Why don't we head up to my apartment, Travis? We can be more private mere."

"No," Travis replied coldly. "I don't want to hear anything you have to say. You'll only offer excuses that I'm not foolish enough to buy."

Robert stood very still as Travis walked back out the door. He could chase after him and try to reason with him, but the timing was all wrong. Travis wasn't ready to listen. Robert was beginning to think he never would be. A customer's request called him out of the office not five minutes later. He was forced to put Travis into the back of his mind. He determined, however, that whenever Morgan's services were held, he would be there. Maybe that would be a better time to try to talk with his friend.