Consider the Lilies (Wyldhaven Book 4) Read online

  THE WYLDHAVEN SERIES

  by Lynnette Bonner

  Not a Sparrow Falls - BOOK ONE

  On Eagles’ Wings - BOOK TWO

  Beauty from Ashes - BOOK THREE

  Consider the Lilies - BOOK FOUR

  Novellas Releasing During the 2019 Holiday Season

  Sheriff Reagan’s Christmas Boots - BOOK FIVE (Novella)

  Doc Griffin’s Christmas Sleigh - BOOK SIX (Novella)

  Deputy Joe’s Christmas Saddle - BOOK SEVEN (Novella)

  Marshal Zane’s Christmas Horse - BOOK EIGHT (Novella)

  Washington Nolan’s Christmas Watch - BOOK NINE (Novella)

  Parson Clay’s Christmas Pup - BOOK TEN (Novella)

  Kin Davis’ Christmas Send-Off - BOOK ELEVEN (Novella)

  Songs in the Night - BOOK TWELVE

  Coming Soon!

  OTHER BOOKS BY LYNNETTE BONNER

  THE SHEPHERD’S HEART SERIES

  Historical

  Rocky Mountain Oasis - BOOK ONE

  High Desert Haven - BOOK TWO

  Fair Valley Refuge - BOOK THREE

  Spring Meadow Sanctuary - BOOK FOUR

  SONNETS OF THE SPICE ISLE SERIES

  Historical

  On the Wings of a Whisper - EPISODE ONE

  Lay Down Your Heart - EPISODE TWO

  Made Perfect in Weakness - EPISODE THREE

  A Walk through the Waters - EPISODE FOUR

  The Trail of Chains - EPISODE FIVE

  The Joy of the Morning - EPISODE SIX

  Find all other books by Lynnette Bonner at:

  www.lynnettebonner.com

  Consider the Lilies

  WYLDHAVEN, Book 4

  Published by Serene Lake Publishing

  Copyright © 2019 by Lynnette Bonner. All rights reserved.

  Cover design by Lynnette Bonner of Indie Cover Design, images ©

  www.depositphotos.com, File: # 151222162

  www.depositphotos.com, File: # 148003883

  www.istockphoto.com, File: # 499778671

  Book interior design by Jon Stewart of Stewart Design

  Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

  Paperback ISBN: 978-1-942982-13-5

  Consider the Lilies is a work of fiction. References to real people, events, establishments, organizations, or locales are intended only to provide a sense of authenticity and are used fictitiously. All other characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination.

  To Those Prone to Worry:

  Worry can sneak up on the best of us.

  A lost job, lost child, lost marriage, lost friendship,

  and suddenly worry becomes a constant companion,

  robbing tranquility, contentment, and rest.

  God longs to take the worry and give peace in its place.

  But we have to let go of the tendency to try and fix everything,

  and learn to trust that God sees all, knows all, is all.

  Do you know Him?

  If not, but you would like to know more

  please visit:

  www.peacewithgod.net

  Luke 12:27

  “Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.”

  CHAPTER ONE

  Jacinda Callahan stood next to Marshal Zane Holloway on the train depot platform with a smile fixed on her face as she waved goodbye to her son, Reagan, and his wife Charlotte. Their train had been late. But it hadn’t dampened their enthusiasm. They had boarded only a few minutes ago and were even now grinning at her from behind the grimy window of their boxcar.

  “Goodbye! Have a lovely time! Don’t worry about a thing!” Jacinda blew a few kisses their way, truly hoping Reagan would be able to leave the pressures and concerns of his job as sheriff behind.

  Charlotte flapped her hanky in response and literally bounced up and down from what Jacinda could see through the dingy glass.

  Jacinda saw Reagan say something to Charlotte and they both laughed, then leaned close to relish in a lingering kiss.

  Jacinda kept her smile in place, but as the train belched a column of steam and chuffed a slow exit, she couldn’t keep up pretenses any longer.

  Her shoulders slumped as she watched the train shrink into a small speck on the horizon.

  Lord, keep them safe. Bring them back to me all in one piece.

  Something tightened in her chest. What would she do if something happened to them? And there were certainly any number of things that could happen!

  There were outlaws and gangsters and train robbers. Murderers and thieves.

  And that was just the beginning of the list!

  Not to mention that Reagan and Charlotte were headed right into the heart of godless San Francisco. Oh, why had she ever agreed with them that this trip was a good idea?

  When they’d gotten married late last year, they’d planned to take a wedding trip within a couple weeks of the ceremony—after Charlotte’s parents returned to Boston. However, one delay had led to another and now here it was early March and they were just setting off.

  Jacinda would have preferred if they’d never gotten around to the trip.

  Beside her, Zane cleared his throat. “Ready to head back? Or shall we stand here staring at the tracks until they return next month?”

  Jacinda gave him a deprecating look. She’d almost forgotten that he was beside her. Almost. But not quite. Because it was nearly impossible to forget about the handsome Zane Holloway, even if he was only a friend.

  She looked down and fiddled with the lace at her cuffs, willing herself not to give in to the tears that suddenly begged for release. “Yes. I suppose we should get going. It will already be near dark by the time we arrive back in Wyldhaven. I wouldn’t want us to be caught out on the road after dark, especially since that new gang of outlaws has been raising such a ruckus in the area.” Her heart rate increased merely at the thought. “I’m just not certain it’s a good time for Reagan to be away. On the other hand, maybe it’s the best time for him to be away—for his own protection. With the new bank being built in town…”

  Zane settled a hand at her back and gave her a nudge down the platform. At the same time, he gave her a sympathetic look that was almost her undoing.

  The look told her to buck up, but it also said she could confide in him.

  Was there any other man who could say so much without speaking a word? She felt thankful that he’d come with her, because he was such a good listener and she really needed someone to spill her concerns to.

  Jacinda stepped out at a smart pace. “Of course, I’m not doubting that you and Joe can protect Wyldhaven, you understand? But do you think the outlaws might try something?”

  Zane’s only answer was a bit of a squint around his eyes and the uptick of one corner of his mouth.

  Jacinda released a huff. “I know what you’re going to say. You’re going to say that I shouldn’t worry. That I should trust that the good Lord has good plans for everyone. Even better plans than I could ever hope for.”

  She glanced over her shoulder.

  Zane said not a word, but there was a glint of humor in his blue-gray eyes as he followed in her wake.

  “The problem is—”

  “Mind the steps,” Zane said.

  Jacinda faced forward, lifted her skirts and took the stairs down to the flat area. Then she turned to look at him again. There was something comforting about the man’s soulful eyes. “The problem is that one can never know if God is done with a person on this earth. I understand
that—”

  “Look out for the wagon.”

  Jacinda spun just in time to avoid crashing into the tailgate of a farm wagon.

  With that hurdle cleared, she twisted to face Zane again, but before she could resume her speech, he lifted a hand.

  “I think things will be safer if you come here.” He reached out and wrapped the warmth of his fingers around her own, then tucked her hand into the crook of his arm. He glanced down at her with a smile. “Now…you were saying?”

  But the impact of that smile, combined with the knee-weakening assault of his long-lashed blue eyes, knocked Jacinda’s thoughts six ways from Sunday.

  She pressed her lips together. Tore her attention to the path before them. “It doesn’t matter, I suppose.”

  Zane rubbed the back of her hand where it rested on his arm. “Matters to me.”

  She swallowed. And how well she knew it. His affection for her was part of her current barrage of worry. Always in the past, she’d been able to put off his attentions with excuses of being busy helping Charlotte or Reagan with this or that. But now that they were going to be out of town for a month, what excuse was she going to offer?

  She gave a flap of her free hand and then settled it over the crimp in her middle. “I know it does. And I appreciate that. You’ve been a good friend, Zane.” She layered a little extra emphasis onto the word “friend,” hoping he would hear it.

  Needing him to hear it. Because, heaven help her, the man was a temptation. She’d known from the moment he walked into her dining room just over two years ago now, asking for information about a couple of murderers he was tracking, that if ever there was a man who could make her forget her promise never to love again, it would be Zane Holloway.

  After she’d lost Wade to that outlaw’s bullet, she never wanted to go through the pain of something like that again! It was better not to love at all, and certainly loving another lawman was out of the question! So far out of the question that it shouldn’t even be a consideration.

  The last time Parson Clay had preached about worry, he’d said it was a sin because it was a lack of trust in God.

  Jacinda would be the first to agree with that. But how did one get back to a place of trusting a Being who’d had the power to save the man she loved, but had chosen not to do so?

  She only realized they had reached their wagon when Zane stopped next to it. “Oh, and here we are.” She forced a smile and made to climb aboard, but Zane’s hand on her arm stopped her.

  “You know you don’t have to pretend to be strong with me, right?”

  Jacinda blinked at him. Something inside her curled up a little.

  “Pretend?” Did he think she was weak?

  Zane grimaced. “I didn’t mean it like that. Trust me, Jac, you are one of the strongest women I know. I just meant…you don’t have to hide your real feelings and struggles from me.”

  Jac. Everything in her stilled. Zane had never called her that before. But “Jac” had been Wade’s affectionate name for her. And Zane had said it with a hard C just as Wade always had. If she didn’t know better, she would swear the two men were conspiring against her. But Zane had never had the opportunity to meet Wade. Nor had Jacinda been afforded the opportunity to meet Zane’s first wife, who had died in childbirth when he was just a young man.

  Jacinda hoisted herself up onto the wagon seat without even waiting for Zane’s help. “I don’t have anything I need to confide. We’d best get going if we’re to beat the dark.”

  Zane pressed his lips together, traversed the back of the wagon, and swung up onto the driver’s seat. With a click of his tongue and a snap of the reins, he set the team to trotting down the road.

  He’d been patient with Jacinda Callahan for several years. Especially since he’d been attracted to her from the moment he’d first laid eyes on her in her dining room all those months ago.

  At first, he’d flirted with her a little, but it had been clear from the start that she wasn’t interested in jumping into a courtship with an old codger like him. He’d thought maybe she had another beau in the wings, because surely a single woman as attractive as her would have men buzzing around like bees to clover. And a few had tried. But Jacinda had always put them firmly in their place—which was anywhere other than in her life.

  Zane had proceeded with caution after that, never wanting to make her take enough offense that she might put him out on his ear also. But in the past few months since Reagan had married, Zane had found his patience with the whole tiptoeing around their feelings growing thin. He wasn’t getting any younger, and neither was she.

  And there were times when he could sense that she was attracted to him.

  There would be a softening of the cornflower blue of her eyes. Or a little release of breath which reminded him of the way that Daniella used to respond when he took her hand. But then Jacinda would give herself a little shake and in a blink, it was as though she had dropped a mask back into place and reconstructed a wall between them.

  Zane canted her a look. He shouldn’t have let that endearment slip out. But Reagan had mentioned it to him not long ago—how his father had always called her “my Jac”—and ever since then he’d not been able to think of her as anything else. It was diminutive, just like her, but also implied the strength that embodied her.

  Even now he could tell from the pinched pucker of her lips that she was fretting about something, but he knew she wouldn’t say anything. She would battle through her fears alone and with a smile and a word of dismissal for anyone who questioned if she was all right.

  So he simply wouldn’t ask. “The trains are quite well protected these days. I’m sure Reagan and Charlotte will be fine.”

  She straightened and dusted at her skirt. “Yes. I know. I’m certain you are right.”

  “And that gang of outlaws has been quiet for several weeks. Joe and I think they must have moved on to a more lucrative area. The bank will be fine.”

  He swallowed. Had she heard the hesitation in his voice? Because the truth was more like hoped. Hoped they had moved on. Hoped the bank would be fine. They shouldn’t have any trouble there for a while anyhow, because it was still being built and had no money or even a vault yet.

  She fidgeted and glanced toward the rapidly setting sun. “That’s good.”

  He felt her worry as palpably as if she had screamed it aloud. And if he was honest, the concern echoed in his own heart. It was why he’d urged her back to the wagon so quickly after the delayed departure of the train.

  It would be dark inside five minutes, and they still had a good thirty minutes till they arrived back in town.

  Maybe he could take both their minds off it with conversation. “So, what do you plan to do with your time while Reagan and Charlotte are away?”

  Jacinda smiled at him and he knew she had immediately perceived what he was up to. “Charlotte’s material that she ordered for their drapes arrived just the other day. I suppose some of my time will be spent in getting those sewn up for them.”

  “And how are they settling in at old man Jonas’s place?”

  She tipped her head. “Well, I think. His son was relieved to sell it to someone who would care for it after Mr. Jonas’s funeral.”

  “I’m sure your house seems empty now that they’ve moved out?”

  Jacinda cleared her throat. “Yes. But I don’t mind being alone so much.”

  Ah, yes. He’d wandered too close to the taboo. “I suppose it is easier to keep everyone at arm’s length when you can keep your distance from them.”

  He jutted his jaw to one side. He hadn’t meant to say that.

  Her mouth dropped open. “Zane Holloway! Whatever you might—”

  A puff of gray dust kicked up in the roadbed before them. The horse neighed and reared. The echoing sound of a rifle shot bounced along the steep hills on both sides of the road.

  Someone was shooting at them!

  “Jac! Get down!” Zane grabbed her arm and urged her to the floorb
oards at his feet all while trying to maintain his grip on the reins and get the horse back in line. They were going to have to make a run for it!

  But just as the horse’s hooves hit the road once more, another bullet slammed into the ground.

  “Whoa!” Zane tried to keep his voice steady to calm the panicked horse.

  Jacinda cowered next to his leg, but when he glanced down, he did a double take. She had a pistol held at the ready in her hand and was searching the surrounding hills with a practiced eye.

  “Don’t move!” A voice called out of the darkness on the hillside to their right.

  Jacinda pointed her gun in that direction and Zane reached down to slowly cover her hand.

  She looked up.

  He shook his head.

  They couldn’t just go shooting at voices in the dark until they learned more.

  She gave him a nod of understanding.

  “We don’t want any trouble!” Zane called.

  “Well ain’t that just dandy? ’Cause we don’t want no trouble neither…just your money!”

  Several voices laughed, each coming from a different direction.

  Zane swallowed. They were surrounded.

  “Zane?” Jacinda whispered. “What are we going to do?”

  CHAPTER TWO

  Zoe Kastain hurried along the rapidly darkening road with a bit of trepidation. Ma was going to be so worried until she got back home, but how were they to have known this morning when Ma sent her in to Wyldhaven to fetch Pa some more medicine that Doc had ridden out to Camp Sixty-Five today to attend to a birthing? Zoe had walked the miles to the camp as quickly as she could, but it had taken her some time to find Doc, and then she’d needed to wait for him to mix Pa’s powders. Since the baby he was waiting on still hadn’t arrived, Doc had tried to get her to delay and travel back with him, but Zoe had been too concerned over Pa by that time to take him up on the offer. Now, with darkness coming on, she was second guessing her choice to hurry home on her own. She still had a good ways to go.

  She kept her focus on the rocky roadbed so she wouldn’t turn an ankle and be in an even worse fix.