and asked where they were bound or where they’d been.
Surely she could hide from all those who wanted her dead.
*****
Morgan dusted off the sides of his jeans and stomped the miles of dirt from his boots. He’d been to Arizona and New Mexico, and now he was back in Texas. He’d searched for Casey and Jenkins since May, and here it was July. He still limped after a long day in the saddle, and the comforts of home sounded good. The hotel near the livery in Houston advertised a good meal, a bed, and a bath. He sorely needed all three. Come tomorrow evening, he planned to ride toward his ranch and see how he could help his mother and family. Leaving her to run his place was another one of those things that needed to change. She’d sold the ranch to him some years back, but he’d wanted her to stay, along with his younger brother and sister. Now she ran the place like a man because he was out chasing Jenkins. What a good son he’d turned out to be.
Bone-tired, Morgan reflected on the days since leaving Vernal, sleeping little and pondering, always wondering what to do. How to end the vendetta? How to go on with his life? How to forget Casey? The answers lay in returning to the Lord, but he rode on in search of another way, his own way.
At times he prayed. At times he cursed the God who gave him life. Sometimes he wept. It just came more easily to ride mile after mile, to run away from the demons hot on his trail. When sleep refused to ease his pain, he stared up at the sky and remembered the full moon and the many stars the night he led Casey down from the snow-covered mountain. Then the torment began again. He barely knew this woman. He should hate her.
Anxious for an end to it all, Morgan considered putting a bullet in his head. But he feared facing God as much as he feared the moment-by-moment nightmares.
I’m a coward. Don’t even have the guts to finish it.
All of his anguish had brought him to Houston. A part of him said his mother deserved a son who didn’t look like he’d driven cattle for weeks on end. He’d clean up and ride on north to see her. Maybe talk, really talk about his past.
Morgan knew this city had a preacher on the west side of town—a man who had a reputation for having answers. Perhaps if this man explained why God had allowed things to happen, Morgan could go on. He could step over the line and be a man again. He might even find his faith in God.
After checking his horse at the livery and taking a bath, he made his way to a white board church. The door opened easily, as though inviting him inside. A twinge of guilt whispered to him that he wasn’t worthy to step inside. And logic agreed.
Raised stained-glass windows and a nice cross-breeze made it pleasant. He removed his hat and walked down front. His boots creaked across the wooden floor, as though telling him he might have waited too long. A Bible rested on the pulpit, and he picked it up. Not certain where to turn, he held it in his hands. Some folks believed just holding the Good Book cured them of diseases and problems. He didn’t believe that, but he did know the power of God’s Word.
“Need some help?”
Morgan lifted his gaze to a tall man standing in the doorway. The sun illuminated his figure. Morgan nearly spooked.
“Are you the preacher?” He wasn’t the man Morgan expected.
“Yes, sir. Do you have need of me?”
“I might.” The preacher made his way toward him. He didn’t have the years of wisdom Morgan craved. A white-haired preacher like the one from home suited him better.
“No man steps inside an empty church unless he has a heart to match.”
“You don’t know anything about it.”
“We could talk.” The preacher walked closer. “You look mighty troubled.”
“Do you always call it like you see it?”
“Yes, sir, I do. Straight to the point.”
Morgan hesitated. Already he’d abandoned the reason he came here in the first place. “I’ll just head on out.”
“I can leave,” the preacher said. His lanky frame reminded Morgan of a cowhand. His light brown hair hung to his shoulders.
“That’s not necessary. Got a few things to do.” Morgan placed the Bible back in its place and stepped away from