Along Unfamiliar Paths Read online

  “You know?” Paul stared at her. “Geoff—?”

  Raine explained about her meeting with Geoff.

  “So that’s what happened.” Paul shook his head. “I can’t believe he’s alive! Of course I forgive him—I know he had no idea what he was getting me into. I just wish the whole mess would end now.”

  “We’ve found each other. That’s what counts. I promised Papa I’d bring you home to him.”

  Paul shook his head. “I can’t. I can’t go back to England. Why do you think I talk like an American now?”

  It was true; she had noticed that he had wiped away all traces of a British accent. She shook her head.

  “I’m not a free man, Raine.” He set his jaw. “I won’t be free until my name is cleared. I ran away to escape being hung along with those other fellows. That’s why I never told anyone when I left for Colorado. Dag had found me in Boston, and I knew I had to get away. I even had all my mail sent to Denver, just in case he is still hunting me. It’s a bit far to go to the post office, but I didn’t want to lead anyone straight to my door.”

  She wanted to weep, but she pulled herself together.

  “I hated to sneak away from Boston like that,” Paul continued, “but I had to. That big galoot of a sailor was after me again, and I had to. . .”

  Raine interrupted, “Is that who you meant when you said you were being pursued?”

  “Yes. I’m so sorry you had to go through what you did. I never dreamed he would involve you too.”

  “But what was he talking about, Paul? Why did he want those papers that you had put in the safe deposit box?”

  “Because they proved his guilt and my innocence.” Paul stared out the window. When he turned back to Raine, she was shocked at the pain revealed in his eyes. “It’s another long story, Raine. The gist of it is that I made a mess of things once again. And Christina. . .”

  He fell silent.

  “What happened, Paul?” Raine prompted gently.

  He stood up, pacing in agitation. “One of the chaps that was accused of smuggling had gotten off from lack of evidence. He showed up on Ben’s ship, as a crew member. I suspected that he was still up to no good—and he thought it was a big joke that I was still wanted for the crime for which he had escaped conviction. He kept threatening to notify the authorities in England, turn me in. But then I began to suspect that he was still up to his old tricks. While we were in port at Boston, I searched his cabin and I found papers hidden beneath his mattress. The papers were in code, but they were easy enough for me to decipher. They proved that I had never been involved in the espionage ring back in England—and they also proved Dag’s guilt. I should have gone straight to Ben with the information, but I didn’t. I wanted to be a hero. And then it was too late.”

  He sighed and fell silent for a moment before he continued. “I had spoken to an agent in New York. He promised me that if what I said was true, there would be hefty reward for my part in Dag’s capture. I already had enough evidence to convict him of his part in the spy ring back in England, but I wanted proof that he was still up to his sneaky tricks. Anyway, I was going to go on one more voyage and see what I could catch him at, then be done with it. I would collect the reward, pay off Christina’s agreement with her employer, and we’d head west together.”

  Raine nodded, totally absorbed as the pieces of the puzzle finally fell into place.

  “I was going to whisk Christina away from that miserable hole she has to work in, and the two of us would start a new life together.”

  “But?”

  “But it didn’t work out that way. I was getting pretty cocky, and I think Dag started to become suspicious of me. Anyway, someone told Ben that I was involved in something underhanded. At the same time, Dag threatened to turn me into the English authorities, and I countered by telling him that I had information that proved my innocence and his guilt. That was my biggest mistake. I should have gone to Ben instead.”

  “Oh, Paul.”

  “I could tell Ben wondered whether to trust me, but he didn’t say anything, and I thought I would wait ’til the thing was over and done with and then I’d tell him.”

  So that’s why Ben had seemed ambivalent toward Paul sometimes. “So Ben suspected the worst.”

  He shrugged. “I suppose so. After the Aramathea sank, I determined that no matter what, I would not be blamed for something I didn’t do. I decided rather than risk going through what I had gone through before, I would just run away. Like I said, I’d been planning to go out west anyway, and I figured Ben would get the locket to you, so you’d know where I was. I hoped Ben would be able to clear my name for me, and then get word to me when it was safe to come back east. And I hoped you’d find me. . .maybe follow me.”

  Raine’s heart felt as though it would break when she thought of Paul’s loneliness and pain all these years, but she forced herself to say cheerfully, “Well, I did. It just took me a little longer than you’d thought, thanks to the sea water that destroyed most of your message in the locket.”

  Paul shook his head ruefully. “I thought I was being so clever. I knew I’d lost Christy. . .but I’d always hoped I hadn’t lost you too. I made plans to head west as soon as I returned.”

  “But where does Christina fit in?”

  Paul’s eyes took on a soft light. “Ah, Christina. We were so happy. We had big plans to come out west and live happily ever after on a huge ranch.”

  “What happened, Paul?” Raine felt her brother’s pain as if it were her own. He closed his eyes. “She was so beautiful. I can still see her standing there waving to me as we left the harbor.”

  Paul turned wistfully from the railing, only to meet the blazing eyes of Dag.

  “You’re right about this being your last voyage, Oliver,” Dag had whispered ominously. “I’ll see to that.”

  Paul felt a quick chill of fear flutter through him, quickly replaced by anger. “Don’t threaten me, Dag. Go do your job.” Paul’s voice was cool, but the look in the other sailor’s eyes sent fear racing through him.

  He watched Dag closely throughout the voyage, finding himself relaxing as each uneventful day slipped by. Then, waking to the shrill sound of the warning alarms and the frantic cries of passengers that fateful night, all thoughts of Dag disappeared.

  He shook his head. “It all happened so fast, Ray. I gave the locket to Ben, with the message inside that would tell you go see Violet and then look for me in Colorado, and then we began doing what we could to make sure everyone got into a lifeboat safely. I was helping a young woman with a baby into the lifeboat, when I felt a horrible sensation crawl up my spine. I whirled around, but it was too late.”

  Raine was stunned. “He pushed you off the ship?”

  Paul nodded, his face haggard. “After he slashed my face with his dagger. I think he was aiming for my heart, but I ducked. . .anyway, while I was still reeling from the blow, he gave me a shove over the railing. I clung to him, tried to tell him it wouldn’t do any good, since the papers that proved his guilt were safe in a bank, but it was useless of course. I felt myself drop, and the floats in my life preserver caught me under the chin when I hit the water. I was lucky not to have broken my neck. When I came to, I was too far away to get aboard any of the lifeboats.” He brushed at the moisture forming in his eyes. “That was the first time I had called out to God in a long, long time.”

  Raine felt tears prick her own eyes. “How did you make it back to Boston?”

  He smiled sadly. “I guess God didn’t think it was my time to go yet. Another ship picked me up at dawn. I had pretty much decided I was going to die out there, but here I am.”

  “I can’t believe all of this, Paul.” Raine shook her head in amazement. “So then you went back to Violet’s, and she nursed you back to health. Then what? Why didn’t you let Ben know you had survived? And what about Christina? Why did you leave her?”

  Paul shrugged. “I don’t know. I was kind of confused, maybe from the blow I took on my
head.” He stared out the window again. “I was feeling some better and decided to go see Christina. She stared at me like I was a ghost when I hobbled in.”

  Paul smiled as he remembered the look on her face. “She had heard about the ship and assumed I was dead when I wa s not brought back in with the other crew members. We decided to get married as soon as I was well.

  “And, I was taking a walk a day or two later. Violet always got after me to get some fresh air.”

  Raine smiled, picturing the kindly old lady ordering her brother around.

  “Anyway, I saw him, Raine.”

  “Who, Dag?”

  “Yes. Maybe it was an accident that I ran into him, maybe he was checking to make sure I was really dead. Anyway, I knew he now knew that I had survived, and he was after me. I was sure that sooner or later he would try to kill me again. I was afraid he would even hurt Christina.” His forehead wrinkled. “Actually, there were two men following me. I have no idea who the second man was, and I never saw him at the same time I saw Dag.”

  “He wasn’t out to harm you, Paul.” Raine smiled at his startled look. “Papa had a man trailing you.”

  Paul stared at his sister incredulously. “Why?”

  “He still loves you, Paul. He is longing for your forgiveness.”

  Paul opened his mouth to speak, then snapped it shut, shaking his head in disbelief.

  “Anyway, so you left Boston in the middle of the night to escape from Dag. Why didn’t you take Christina with you?” Raine changed the subject tactfully, sensing that Paul was not yet ready to talk about their father.

  “I panicked, Ray. I knew by then that Dag was serious about killing me, since he had already tried once. I left that night, intending to either sneak back to get Christina in a few days or send for her to come to me.”

  Raine winced at the pain written across her brother’s face.

  “By the time I arrived in Colorado, I had myself convinced that I was worthless. My name was muddied, my father accused me of something that he was guilty of, my sister hated me, and a man was trying to kill me. On top of all that, I was a liar and a drunk who had turned his back on God. I couldn’t ask someone like Christina to share life with me.”

  Paul stared at his sister wistfully. “All these years, I’ve been hating myself for leaving her, hating myself for making such a mess of my life, trying to get up enough courage to contact her again and see if she still loves me. Finally, I decided that by now she has found someone else.”

  Raine dropped her gaze, feeling like an intruder as she witnessed the raw agony in her brother’s eyes. “Do you remember the time I told you that Christina would wait for you until the end of the world?”

  He raised his head to stare at his sister.

  She smiled. “She’s still waiting, Paul.”

  twelve

  Raine lay awake for hours, reliving the reunion with Paul. She had to smile as she recalled the look on his face when she had handed him the small package from Christina. He had not opened it, but held it in his hands lovingly. She guessed he would open it in private, and she didn’t begrudge him that at all.

  She sighed. There were still so many unanswered questions. Was Dag still tracking Paul? She was loathe to mention her suspicions to her brother, but she could not forget the whispered conversation she had heard on the train, nor the chill of fear it still sent down her spine whenever she thought of it. True, she had seen no sign of the red-haired sailor in the weeks she had been in Colorado, but. . .

  Father, thank You for finally leading me to Paul! You are so good to me. Please show me how to minister to him, Lord. His soul is still so wounded. Give me wisdom, Father, and protect us from this evil man Dag. And Father, please bring Ben back to me!

  Despite her joy of finding Paul, lonely tears escaped down Raine’s cheeks as she ached for Ben’s strong arms around her. Please come back to me, my love. . .

  ❧

  “Crooked P Ranch sure is a busy place these days, I’ll say.” Jackson said when Ben asked him to drive him out to the ranch.

  “Why do you say that, Jackson?” Ben asked absently, his mind on other matters.

  “Well, first I took that pretty little schoolmarm out there a couple of days ago. Then just this morning I took a big ol’ feller out there. Said he was an old friend of Tom’s. Didn’t look very friendly to me, but I reckon that’s none of my business.”

  Ben glanced at Jackson. Something made him ask, “What did the man look like?”

  “Big ol’ feller, like I said. Hair as orange as carrots and a big tattoo on his hand.”

  Dag again. Ben found it hard to believe that the man would trail Raine all the way from London, but it had to be him. He blew out his breath.

  “Jackson, I think we’re going to run into some trouble at the Crooked P. Are you still game to drive me out there?”

  The old rancher’s eyes sparkled. He patted his hip. “Got my trusty pistol right here, Mr. Ben. Let’s go.”

  Ben perched tensely on the edge of the wagon seat, thinking back over the past few weeks. Raine’s aunt and uncle had received a letter from Raine the same day Violet had received one from Paul. Violet had smiled through her tears. “He finally wrote! Paul is alive!”

  Ben had read Paul’s and Raine’s letters, filled with joy, wishing only that there had been a letter for him. . . A jolt of the wagon brought Ben back to the present.

  “Just one of them prairie dog holes,” Jackson mumbled.

  Ben stared at the rolling plains, praying for wisdom. “All right, this is our plan, Jackson. When we get about a mile away from the ranch house, we’re going to have to abandon the wagon and go the rest of the way on foot.”

  Ben related the rest of the plan, fear threatening to cloud his good sense as he realized what they might be stepping into. He took a deep breath. “If you’re a praying man, now’s the time to pray, Jackson,” he said grimly.

  Grasping his pistol tightly, Ben closed his eyes for a moment, taking deep breaths. Abruptly, his eyes flew open. I will never leave you, nor forsake you. The words of Scripture came from nowhere, flooding through him like great calming waves. “Thank You, God,” he whispered.

  Jackson jerked the wagon to a halt behind a small rise. “Ranch house is just over that hill,” he whispered. “Are you ready?”

  Ben nodded. “This is it.” The two men swung silently to the ground. Ben helped the older man tether the team, praying that the horses wouldn’t whinny and give away their presence. The men parted ways with a grim handshake. “Remember, if we can just make it inside the house, we’ll be able to pull this off. God go with you, Jackson.”

  Crawling quietly through the tall prairie grass, Ben’s heart was pounding crazily. He and Jackson had decided to take separate routes to the ranch house in hopes that if one was seen, the other would still have a chance. Please, Father, don’t let us be too late. He shook his head, refusing to imagine what was happening behind the closed door of the ranch house.

  ❧

  Raine sat motionless, tears flowing steadily down her cheeks and soaking into the rag that was gagging her. She longed to cover her ears, but could not get her hands loose from the tightly-tied knots. She winced as another cry sounded from the bedroom. Father, please don’t let him kill Paul! Please deliver us somehow!

  It had all happened in a flash. Raine awoke to Dag standing over her, a knife at her throat. He had forced her into the kitchen where Paul already sat, ashen-faced. Dag bound Raine to a chair, then gleefully waved the dog-eared photo of Raine in front of his captives. “I always knew this would lead me to you, Oliver. You thought everything was lost in the shipwreck, didn’t you?”

  Paul blanched.

  “Well, it just so happens that your precious captain left this behind in his hurry to do his duty. All I had to do was wait until he led me to the beautiful lady in this photograph.” Dag sneered at Raine. “And sure enough, she led me straight to you. It took awhile, but that doesn’t really matter much anymore, d
oes it?”

  Raine stared at the man’s twisted face. His eyes blazed, and she realized then that it was madness she saw gleaming in his eyes. He had yielded so long to his obsession of hatred and revenge that he had become insane. Why else would he have pursued her and Paul so long and so far?

  Whirling suddenly, Dag untied Paul without another word and led him into the bedroom. For twenty minutes now there had been curses and blows intermingled with unspeakable cries as Dag struck Paul repeatedly. She stared out the window helplessly, not even knowing how to pray. Surely God wouldn’t let them die at the hands of this man, after bringing them this far.

  She watched the midmorning sun shimmering on the plains. Watched as the ranch hands poured out of the bunk-house and headed in the direction of the corrals, too far away to hear the commotion going on in the ranch house. How odd that everything seemed to be going on as normal, except inside this house. Her thoughts drifted as she tried not to think of what might happen next.

  What was that? Raine’s eye had caught a flash of movement just above the window sill. She watched the spot intently, finally rewarded as she saw another swift flutter of. . .what was it? Cautiously thumping her feet once on the floor, she kept her eyes glued on the window.

  ❧

  Ben knelt beneath the window, his blood pounding in his temples. Taking a deep breath, he started to rise when he heard a small thump.

  Just do it, Thackeray, he commanded himself. Springing up, he started as he met Raine’s frightened gaze. He collapsed under the window. She’s still alive! Thank You, God! Even in his quick glance into the room, he knew that she was alone, at least for the moment. Standing up cautiously, he mouthed the words. “Where is he?”

  Raine jerked her head toward the bedroom, her eyes now aglow with hope.