Love Finds a Home (Anthologies)
Read Love Finds a Home (Anthologies) Online
Authors: Wanda E. Brunstetter
Tags: #Widowers, #Widows, #Christian, #Clergy, #Gamblers, #Fiction, #Romance, #Teachers, #Historical, #Young Women, #General, #Religious, #Love Stories
© 2011 by Wanda E. Brunstetter
Print ISBN 978-1-61626-455-0
eBook Editions:
Adobe Digital Edition (.epub) 978-1-60742-536-6
Kindle and MobiPocket Edition (.prc) 978-1-60742-537-3
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted for commercial purposes, except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without written permission of the publisher.
All scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any similarity to actual people, organizations, and/or events is purely coincidental.
For more information about Wanda E. Brunstetter, please access the author’s website at the following Internet address:
www.wandabrunstetter.com
Cover design: Faceout Studio,
www.faceoutstudio.com
Cover photography: Steve Gardner, Pixelworks Studios
Published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 719, Uhrichsville, OH 44683,
www.barbourbooks.com
Our mission is to publish and distribute inspirational products offering exceptional value and biblical encouragement to the masses
.
Printed in the United States of America.
Table of Contents
DADDY’S
GIRL
DEDICATION
To my husband, Richard …
Thanks for your interest in history.
I appreciate your love and support.
CHAPTER 1
August 1879
A
ll aboard!” The conductor’s booming cry pulled Glenna Moore to her feet. She glanced down at her father, slouched on the wooden bench outside the train station in Central City, Nebraska. His head was supported only by the unyielding plank wall, and his mouth hung slightly open.
Glenna bent down and gave his shoulder a good shake. “Wake up, Daddy. The train’s here, and we’ve got to go now.”
Her father groaned and swiped one hand across his unruly goatee. “Leave me alone, girl. I wanna sleep.”
Glenna dropped back onto the bench with a heavy sigh, making no effort to conceal her disgust. “You can sleep all you want once we’re on the train.” She poked him in the ribs with a bony elbow. “You don’t want to be thrown in jail, do you?”
Glenna’s harsh reminder of their dire circumstances seemed to be enough motivation for Daddy. He opened one eye, then the other, yawning widely as he attempted to stand up. His equilibrium was not what it should have been, however, and he was forced to grab hold of Glenna’s arm in order to keep from falling over.
Allowing Daddy to lean on her small frame, Glenna complained, “If you just hadn’t been so determined to finish that bottle of whiskey, you might not be in such a state right now!”
The empty bottle was lying on the floor by their bench, and she sneered at it as though it were her worst enemy.
“Needed it,” her father mumbled. “Was dealt a raw hand.”
No, Daddy
, Glenna lamented silently,
it was you who dealt the bad hand
. Ever since Mama died in childbirth, along with her little brother, Glenna had been Daddy’s girl. She needed him as much as he needed her, so she would make every effort to bridle her tongue where his problem was concerned.
“If we don’t get on board that train heading west, it’s going to leave without us.” Glenna shuddered. “And if we stay here, the law will either put you in jail or some sidewinder’s bound to shoot you.”
Her father snorted and gave the empty whiskey bottle a hefty kick with the toe of his sable-colored boot. “Humph! Can I help it if I’m better at poker than most of those snakes in the grass?”
In all her eighteen years, Glenna could never remember her daddy admitting he was wrong about anything—not even cheating at the card tables. She was well aware of Daddy’s special vest, with a single strip of elastic sewn inside. She’d seen those marked cards he kept hidden there, too. Glenna had no right to complain or judge her father though. After all, he protected her and took care of her needs. Well, most of them anyway.
Glenna glanced down at her dark-green, cotton day dress with its formfitting bodice and tight, short sleeves. The lower part of the gown consisted of both an underskirt and an over-skirt, pulled slightly up in the back, giving it a somewhat bustled look. While it had cost a tidy sum when she’d purchased it a few years back, it was now quite out-of-date. Daddy hadn’t done too well at his trade recently, and new dresses weren’t a priority—at least not to his way of thinking.
Smoke and cinders belched from the diamond-shaped stack on top of the Union Pacific’s mighty engine. The imperious screech of the locomotive whistle and another “All aboard!” drove Glenna’s troubled thoughts to the back of her mind. “We’ve got to board that train, Daddy.”
Her father bent down and grabbed his well-worn suitcase, and Glenna followed suit. Due to their rapid departure, they were traveling light. Since they had no additional luggage, there wasn’t a need for anything to be placed in the baggage car.
Gripping Daddy’s arm, Glenna guided him toward the conductor.
“Tickets, please!” the gray-haired gentleman barked, thrusting out his hand.
Glenna set her suitcase down and fumbled in her handbag. She retrieved the tickets and handed them to the conductor, just in time to grab her father’s arm before he toppled over.
“Too bad you’re not in a private Pullman car,” the conductor said with a sympathetic look. “Granger, Wyoming, is a ways off. It appears as though your traveling companion could do with a bit of privacy.”
Glenna gritted her teeth and offered the man a curt nod as he helped her board the train. No one wished more for a private car than she. Funds were low just now, and spending what little they did have on something so unnecessary was not a good idea. Until they got settled in the town of Granger, their money must be spent wisely. That meant riding in a dismal, overcrowded emigrants’ coach for third-class passengers who soon would become a congregation of aching spines and flaring tempers.
Visions of more affluent times flashed into Glenna’s mind. Just thinking about their present situation sent a chord of defiance through her soul. She hoped things wouldn’t always be like this. Daddy kept assuring her that someday he would hit it really big. Then he’d build a house they could call their own, buy lots of fancy clothes, and give Glenna a horse and buggy fit for a princess. It would probably never happen, but dreaming of better days was all that kept her going.
Her father had already stumbled up the steps and was slouched against one wall when Glenna joined him moments later. “We must find a bench,” she said in a voice laced with frustration. If Daddy kept standing there like a disfigured statue, they’d not only have trouble securing a seat, but they would probably be the laughingstock of the entire coach!
With another one of his pathetic groans, Daddy pulled away from the wall. Grabbing Glenna’s free arm, he began shuffling down the aisle.
Glenna felt, rather than saw, the curious stares from the other passengers as they awkwardly made their way toward a vacant wooden bench. She kept her eyes focused on her goal so she wouldn’t have to view the pity or disgust from those nearby. Why couldn’t Daddy have stayed sober today? Why must
she
suffer the humiliation of his actions?
She drew in a deep breath, then blew it out with such force she felt the tiny curls across her forehead bounce. As far back as she could remember, things had been this way where Daddy was concerned. She hated to admit it, but barring some unforeseen miracle, she knew things would probably never be any different.
Daddy dropped his suitcase and gave it a good kick under their seat. Then he flopped onto the hard bench. Glenna placed her own piece of luggage next to his and slid in beside him, thankful they would no longer be viewed by the entire car. Maybe now she could find a few moments of peace.
