Redeeming Luke, page 1
part #1 of Days of Grace Series
Redeeming Luke
By
Darlene Wells
© 2014 Darlene Wells
Published by Wings of Hope Publishing Group
Established 2013
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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, incidents, and dialogues are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or people, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Cover design by Vogel Design in Hillsboro, Kansas.
CONTENTS
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Epilogue
Acknowledgements
Dedicated to
My husband, Rick.
For loving me unconditionally
and always encouraging my dreams.
“Praise be to the Lord, who this day has not left you without a Kinsman Redeemer.” Ruth 4:14
CHAPTER ONE
Petaluma, California, 1936
By the time the sun peeked over the Mayacama Mountains, casting its gilded warmth over the smaller hills and pastures of the North Bay, Luke Morgan had already snagged six steelhead trout from the Petaluma Creek. Mornings like these made all the work it took to get this land worth it. Three years working on the bridge, living in a boarding house in San Francisco, putting every spare penny toward payment for the ranch. His plan had been to stay to the end of construction. The Golden Gate Bridge was set to open one year from now. Luke sure could have used the income it would have brought if he‘d stayed. But that’s not how life had unfolded for him.
He scrubbed his hand over his face and closed the tackle box on the ground beside him. He pulled a string of trout from the water, wondering briefly how the bridge’s completion would affect the flow of the creek that Petaluma depended on to get eggs and other dairy products into San Francisco.
Normally there would still be a layer of cool, unruffled fog hovering over the ground at this time of day. Thanks to the Pacific Ocean, just a few miles west, temperatures tended to stay well within pleasant bounds in Sonoma County. But already the month of May warned of worse things to come when summer arrived next month. As if the blasted Depression wasn’t enough. He only hoped things didn’t get as bad out here as they were in The Plains.
Luke’s stomach grumbled on cue with the sunrise. He squinted through the increasing daylight and spotted Gabby twenty feet away. Her russet coat glistened and her mane lifted with the morning breeze. She swatted at a fly with her tail. Luke whistled through his teeth. The horse’s head leisurely turned in his direction. Another sharp whistle and Gabby sauntered over. Luke tossed the fish in a bucket, mounted the horse in one swift movement, tugged his hat lower over his eyes, and rode the mare back to the house. The other horses in the corrals watched them trot past. Luke observed them with a trained eye, noting that Duke seemed to favor his right leg. He made a mental note to check the horse later. As they approached the house, Ruckus, his German Shepherd met them, darting back and forth, dangerously close to the larger animal.
“Lay off, Ruckus,” Luke grumbled. Gabby shook her head and whinnied in annoyance. At three-years-old Ruckus should know to stay out from under the horse’s feet.
Luke glanced down at the dog. “Ruckus, one of these days she’s going to lose her patience with you.”
Luke guided the horse into a corral with three others, dismounted and removed the saddle. He pulled the gate shut behind him as he left, and ducked into the barn to set down the saddle. Ruckus danced and whimpered around his legs. Luke knelt down and rubbed the dog’s ears. Light glowing in the kitchen window drew his attention. Ruth was never up this early. He usually had to light a fire under her to get her out of bed in time for school.
A twinge of concern wrinkled his brow. “What’s she up to?”
Ruckus tilted his head and barked once. Luke patted the dog’s cheek and stood, walking the rest of the way to the house.
This was all still so foreign to him. What did he know about raising a child? And a female teenager at that. Not a day went by that he didn’t wonder what on God’s green earth Kate had been thinking.
Kate had sent Luke photos of his niece through the years, and written letters about her often. But it didn’t change the fact they were strangers to one another when he met her at the train station in San Francisco three months ago.
Luke struggled to recall the last time he’d seen Kate. His stomach knotted. He left so many people behind when he ran at seventeen-years-old.
He opened the door that led into the kitchen. The smell of strong coffee, burnt eggs, and charred bacon chased away the unbidden memories. Ruth stood over a waste basket, mumbling and angrily scraping food from an iron skillet. She straightened and looked at him. She shook her head and set the pan on the stove top with a loud clank, and waved her arm at the stove.
“I can’t get used to this old thing. It gets too hot, too fast, and it burns everything!” She crossed her arms, scowling at the offending appliance.
Sometimes it took Luke’s breath away how much Ruth looked like his sister. She had her mother’s auburn hair, luminous green eyes, fair complexion and expressive face.
He began to roll the fish he‘d caught in newspaper for storage in the ice box. “I know how you feel. That thing has been burning my food for years.”
Ruth looked up at him. She rolled her eyes but her mouth twitched into a smile.
“Next time try less wood, and open the damper.” Luke showed her where the lever controlling the damper was located, and how to use it. He used a towel to pick up the hot coffee pot and pour himself a cup.
“Why are you doing all this, anyway?” He took a drink of the coffee and nearly choked when the acrid taste filled his mouth. It took all the will power he possessed not to spit the mud out into the sink. He’d taught her more times than he could count, but she still couldn’t make a decent pot of coffee any better than she could fry bacon.
Shrugging, Ruth answered almost inaudibly, “I thought you might be hungry.”
Luke nodded, setting the coffee on the counter. “Well, you were right. I’m starving.” He leaned over the stove, inspecting the charred, bitter smelling food. “Were any eggs or bacon spared in this attack?”
“No.”
“Hmm.” Luke scratched his temple. “Well, go get dressed for school. We’ll leave early and have breakfast at Nella‘s.”
Ruth brightened and stood up on her tippy toes to kiss his cheek. “Okay. Give me five minutes.” She started out of the kitchen, then paused to face him again. “I feel like a real sap leaving this mess for you.”
Luke raised a brow at her.
Ruth bit her lower lip. “I mean … I’ll clean it up when I get home?”
He nodded once. “I’ll meet you in the truck.”
The ten minute drive to Nella Jackson’s diner passed by mostly in silence, with intermittent mutterings about the heat. The chug-chug of the truck’s engine, and a persistent rattle made worse by old dirt roads, made conversation difficult.
As they drove by Bailey Turner’s chicken farm, Luke raised his voice over all the noise, “I hope this heat doesn’t do harm to the hatcheries.”
Ruth stared out her window.
“You know, Petaluma is called The Egg Basket of the World.” He pointed to the creek that flowed perpendicular with the road they traveled. “The eggs get shipped down the Petaluma Creek there, into the San Francisco Bay. Then, out to the rest of the country.”
She offered a polite smile.
Luke adjusted his hat. “You probably already know that, huh?”
“It’s nearly all anyone talks about around here. Chickens and eggs, cows and milk and butter.”
At her bored tone, Luke decided it best to leave the girl to stare out her window in peace. He certainly wasn’t going to come up with anything more exciting than chickens and eggs, cows, milk and butter.
Downtown Petaluma came into view at last, and Luke turned on Main Street, finding a parking space in front of the Chicken Pharmacy next door to Nella’s. Ruth got out of the truck first.
She turned to Luke, her brow pinc
Luke set his hands on his waist and stared up at the sign on the building. “It opened in twenty-three. Farmers go there to get vaccines, medication to delouse their chickens and such.”
Ruth looked back at the pharmacy sign. “Huh.”
She walked ahead of Luke to Nella’s. Just like her mom. Always confident. Always in charge. By the time he caught up to her, she was already engulfed in Nella’s ample, brown arms.
“Look how pretty you are this morning! What a lovely dress. It’s exactly the color of the wisteria in my back yard,” Nella gushed. “And there’s your handsome uncle.”
It didn’t matter how bad things seemed around her, Nella oozed joy. Her small mouth fixed in a perpetual smile, set on a round, cocoa colored face elicited a smile from Luke. She patted her gray hair pulled back in a bun, and her dark eyes danced with mischief.
“How are you this morning, Luke?”
Luke touched the rim of his hat. “I’m doing all right. How about yourself?”
“Oh, I’m fine, just fine. Have yourselves a seat and I’ll get you some milk.”
Luke considered the amount of money in his pocket and held up a hand. “I’ll have water.”
Nella scowled and snapped a finger at him. “You’ll have milk. You’ve got a growing young woman there and you need your strength to keep up with her.” She winked at Ruth. “It will be on the house. Now, scoot. Go sit down.”
Luke followed Ruth, nodding at familiar faces until they found an open table. He picked up a menu from the red and white checked tablecloth.
Ruth twisted around in her booth and watched Nella walk back to the kitchen. “Has Nella ever been married?”
“Nope.” Maybe he’d have pancakes today.
Ruth turned back around to face him. “How long has she lived in Petaluma?”
“I‘m not sure. A long time.” He glanced up at the sign displaying the day’s handwritten special. Eggs, bacon and pancakes, ten cents. Perfect.
“Have you ever been to her house?”
“Several times.” Luke set the menu aside.
Ruth leaned forward. “What’s it like? I mean, is it real fancy, or plain? She acts like it would be simple, but I get this feeling it’s not.”
Luke rubbed his chin. “It’s nice, but I wouldn’t call it fancy.”
“That doesn’t answer my question.”
“It’s an answer. How is it not an answer?”
Ruth leaned in and spoke in a conspiratorial tone. “Does she have any relatives at all? Anyone to live with her, to keep her company?”
Luke leaned in. Ruth’s eyes sparked with anticipation.
He matched her whispered tone. “No. She doesn’t.”
Ruth’s shoulders slumped. Her upper lip curled in dissatisfaction.
What was it with women and all their details? Sitting back in his seat, Luke tried to decipher why he felt he’d let her down. For some reason he wanted to make it up to her. He raised a brow. “She’s got three cats. Abraham, Isaac and Goliath.”
Ruth tilted her head. “Shouldn’t that be Abraham, Isaac and Jacob?”
“That’s what I thought. I started to ask her once why she had two named after Bible heroes, father and son, and then the third one after a bad guy.” He cupped his hands over the table. “I was here in the diner, eating a tuna fish sandwich. And right when I started to ask her, this fat, gray and white striped cat pounced from out of nowhere. He snatched my sandwich and took off.”
Ruth laughed. “I guess you got your answer!”
“I’ve never seen a cat that size move that fast.”
Nella appeared with their milk. “Well now, what’s so funny? “
Ruth accepted her glass from Nella. “Luke was just telling me about your cats.”
Nella’s laugh jiggled her neck and cheeks. “I suppose he told you about Goliath. That cat has been on the wrong side of the Good Book since the day he was born. So tell me, what‘s new with the two of you?”
Luke sat back in the booth. Folks didn’t come to Nella’s just to eat. They came to Nella’s to be loved on and showered with attention. And perhaps, on occasion, for the diversion of local gossip. Luke wasn’t normally one for idle chatter, but his reverence for the woman made her the exception. Nella knew more about him than anyone else in town, besides J.D. Hudgins. She never meant to harm anyone with her stories, and would be crushed if she were to learn that she had.
“Luke‘s thinking about taking on another horse,” Ruth offered. “He‘d have to build a new corral though.”
“Oh,” Nella gushed. “I’m sure it’d be a fine one too, what with being built with such sturdy hands.” She winked at Luke. “You know, speaking of corrals,” Nella lowered her voice to a whisper and squeezed herself into the booth next to Ruth. “I heard yesterday that cranky old Silas Holden was caught driving moonshine up to Santa Rosa two nights ago.” She tsk’d once and added, “I’d say it’s about high time. Everyone round these parts knows Silas has been bootlegging since his sweet, saint of a mama died in nineteen twenty-four.” Nella slapped the table. “So, I guess he’s going to be corralled for a long while himself!”
Ruth giggled until Nella’s brow lowered again. “And, you know Eileen Broadmore, over on Washington Avenue? She was coming out of Payne’s Mercantile last week when a young man bumped into her. Well, he acted terrible sorry and helped pick up her groceries and all. It wasn’t until Eileen got home she realized her wallet was gone! That boy bumped into her on purpose so he could take her money. Can you believe it? A grifter! Right here in Petaluma!”
Eyes wide, Ruth gasped. “Did she call Sheriff Calvert?”
Nodding, Nella glanced around before continuing. Luke held his hand to his mouth to hide his smile.
Nella leaned in closer to Ruth. “She went to the station, and took Connie Smith with her, because, apparently, Connie saw the whole thing. Well, they go to the Sherriff and Eileen tells him what happened. Then he asked Connie what she saw. And what do you guess she said to him?” Nella’s gaze bore into Luke.
Luke set his chin in the palm of his hand. “I haven’t a clue.”
“Well, Connie told Sherriff Calvert that the boy who took Eileen’s wallet looked just like Kim Samson’s grandson, Ethan. He’s been staying with Kim, what with his mama and daddy not being able to afford to feed him out there in Kansas. Well, Kim was fit to be tied when she found out! So she showed up at the Sherriff’s office with Marjie McKenna, who told the Sherriff that it couldn’t have been Ethan because Ethan had been at her house all day, replacing rotten boards in her front porch.”
Nella slapped the table top again and sat back in her seat. Luke and Ruth exchanged a glance.
“Oh!” Nella abruptly stood. “Where is my mind? You have school to get to, young lady. You don’t have time to be sitting here listening to an old woman flap her gums! What would you like, dear?”
Ruth licked her lips. “I’d like one egg, scrambled, a piece of bacon and toast with strawberry preserves.
“Okay. And how about you, Handsome?”
“I’ll have the special.”
“Coming right up,” Nella chirped.
When she had left, Ruth grinned. “I like her. She reminds me of our next door neighbor in Montana, Mrs. Fulbright.”
“Well if she’s anything like Nella, Fulbright is a name that suits her.”
“When Mom got sick Mrs. Fulbright brought dinner over for me every night. Her son and his wife lived with her, and their two boys. So she said fixing one more plate of food was no trouble.”
“I’m sure it wasn’t.” The familiar sting of guilt pierced Luke. “She sounds like a great lady.”
Ruth stared at her glass of milk, tracing the rim with her finger. Every once in a while she offered these glimpses into what life was like with his sister. Sometimes he got a peek of happy times through Ruth’s eyes, other times a reminder of how much Kate needed him and he wasn’t there.
They sat in silence until Nella returned with their plates. He wouldn’t have time to stop and eat any time soon if he wanted to finish sinking the rest of the posts for the corral. Ruth ate a few bites, but mostly just pushed the food around on her plate. It seemed the memory of her mother’s illness stole her appetite. Luke tried not to think about the ten cents being wasted. But ten cents would go a long way in helping to pay for a new pair of work gloves.
