Forever by Your Side (Willamette Brides #3) - Tracie Peterson Page 0,88

as well as the hotel’s Mr. Browning?” Connie murmured. “Maybe he used both names.”

“What do you know about God listening to prayers?” Tom asked as he and Isaac slipped through the forested lands. They were making their way to a secret meeting of the Indian Legislature at James Menard’s house. Few knew about the meeting, and that was the way Tom wanted to keep it. The last thing he needed was the army finding out and storming the place.

“What do you mean?”

Tom thought back to what he’d read in the Bible. “There’s a passage in the ninth chapter of John. Jesus healed a blind man, and the Pharisees were all up in arms about it because He did it on a Sunday and that was against the law. I can’t remember why, but at one point someone said that God doesn’t hear the prayers of sinners, but that if a man is a worshiper of God and does His will, then God will hear him.”

Isaac paused to catch his breath. “Well, the Pharisees had all sorts of rules and regulations for how a man could be a good person. They followed the law, but Jesus was all about grace and forgiveness. He offered people a way for God to hear their prayers by coming through Him.”

“Your father said something about that. What was the way?”

“To put their faith in Him. In Romans, it says that if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead—you will be saved. Pa always said it isn’t nearly as hard as some men like to make it.”

A noise disturbed the otherwise silent woods. Isaac put a finger to his lips, and he and Tom crouched down. A doe crossed the path directly ahead of them. She caught their scent and darted off through the trees.

“Come on,” Isaac said. “We’re going to be late. I sure wish you would have let us ride the horses.”

“We couldn’t risk being seen. You know that.”

“I guess so. My feet think otherwise.”

A half hour later, Tom and Isaac stood before the Indian Legislature. Tom had just explained that Adam Browning had been arrested. Apparently Clint had said nothing to the Indians about what had happened.

“Adam told me that we should come to you. He told me this before the army took him and his family away from the reservation. Adam told me you are all good men whom I could trust. I realize you don’t know me, but Isaac Browning stands here as a witness to my character, and you know what kind of man he is.”

“Go on,” the eldest of the bunch said.

Tom drew a deep breath. “I need your help before disaster strikes.”

“What is it you want from us?” another man asked.

“There are plans for an uprising. Your young men have been deceived by someone. This person has convinced them that if they rise up and kill the white men and soldiers, the government will have no choice but to set the Indians free. That simply isn’t true. If you doubt me, think of what has happened to your brothers who have fought against the government in the past. None have won. They might have a momentary victory, but in the end they are captured and jailed—sometimes even put to death.

“We must stop the attack before it starts, but I need your help. You have power over your people. They respect you and look up to you. We must convince them to remain in their homes and not join the uprising.”

“It won’t be easy,” an older man declared. “My son has been helping, and he is convinced this is the only way. He would rather die fighting for his freedom. I told him it was foolishness, but he said Agent Singleton had promised he would be victorious.”

Tom’s eyes widened, and a jolt shot through him. “Agent Singleton promised him this?”

The older man nodded. “He has guns for them and plans to poison the soldiers. Agent Singleton told him.” He looked to the Legislature. “He promised that if we rose up together and killed the white settlers and soldiers, the government would set us free.”

“Nothing could be further from the truth.” Tom chose his words with care. The idea that Clint was behind this war was something he couldn’t fully grasp. He’d had his suspicions about Clint, but it was still hard to believe. What was in it for Singleton? “Fighting against the law—the government of