“I want us to talk to them,” he said. “You and I are in this together. In the days to come, we’re going to face more problems than you can imagine. Some may be legal. Some may be threats from Jenkins, and others may be misunderstandings from the past, but we must be committed to seeing this through.”
He took the comb from her hand and smiled. “I won’t always behave as though God is holding my hand. With me, He needs to seal my mouth. But God hasn’t brought us this far to abandon us in the middle of a fight. I know He’s with us, and I know He’s for us.”
She nodded, her mind a haze of fog. Oh, how she wanted to believe him.
Morgan continued. “Before we go downstairs and discuss our plans with our family, I’d like to ask God for guidance and protection.”
She bowed her head, and again her tears flowed. Morgan’s words strengthened her resolve to no longer let the past rule her every action. But one thing she knew for sure: only God could work out the future, because she was fresh out of ideas.
Chapter 22
Morgan and Casey descended the stairs to the kitchen. They stood amid the shadows of evening and fears of the unknown to face whatever lay ahead. Morgan’s body craved rest just like the day he’d talked with the preacher about Jenkins and made his peace with God. Odd, how the mental and spiritual aspects of life were more demanding than the physical.
The tantalizing smells of supper greeted him. He’d long since forgotten the hour. “I’m suddenly starved.” He hoped his words lightened the heaviness threatening to strangle them.
Casey offered a shaky smile as they made their way toward his mother.
“There you are.” His mother lifted a pan of corn bread from the cookstove to the table. He smelled the jalapeños and beans, and his stomach growled.
“Supper’s ready. I hope you’re hungry,” she said.
“Mama, we need to talk to all of you.” He clutched Casey’s hand firmly. He sensed she needed strength as much as he did.
Mama waved her hand as though nothing could be of importance, but he saw her watery eyes. “Why don’t we eat supper first?”
“I know Grant told you what happened.”
She faced both of them with a strong determination ever present in all of her dealings. “Yes, he has, Son. I know the truth. All of it.”
“I’m so sorry.” Casey’s words nearly broke.
“You forget I consider you one of my own.” She reached for Casey and hugged her close. Morgan held firmly to her hand as much for himself as for her.
“You always knew something wasn’t right.” Casey dabbed at her eyes. “The way you looked at me when I stumbled over why I’d come to Kahlerville.”
“You tried many times to tell us. I never imagined . . . I never thought it could be this.” Her eyes held the pain of past remembrances. “This is hard, but we can work through it. My dear girl, the burdens you’ve carried.” She turned to Morgan. “Once, when you and I were talking, you called her Casey. I wondered then if she was linked to Jenkins. Perhaps the same person. Except the woman I read about in the newspapers was not who I saw in Shawne.”
“I’m sorry for the deceit.” Casey hesitated. “I told the reverend and Sarah. No one else in Kahlerville.”
Not a hint of condemnation creased his mother’s features. “We’ll find a way to make this right. God always has a plan.”
Casey blinked several times and touched the wetness under her nose. She must have left her handkerchief in the bedroom. Morgan reached into his pocket for a clean one and saw Bonnie standing in the doorway. Her face was mottled red. Morgan knew the truth had been quite a shock for his frail sister.
“What about you, Bonnie?” he said. “I know you’re shaken, and I hate to think we caused those tears.”
Bonnie lowered her head, as though denying her emotions. “I don’t know what to say.” She paused, and he knew she was trying desperately not to cry.
“I haven’t forgotten that you saw Kathleen right after it happened and that you’re still suffering from it,” said Morgan.
“When Grant told us, I wanted to believe Shawne could not possibly be Casey O’Hare. The outlaw.” Bonnie’s lips quivered. “I want to say the right things and be forgiving, but I feel as though Kathleen’s grave has just been opened, and it hurts all