The Piper: The Eleventh Day by Amanda McIntyre

Author:Amanda McIntyre [McIntyre, Amanda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-12-11T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter 8

Zeke’s eyes rose to meet the pastor’s concerned gaze.

“I don’t know where your mind took you just now, son. I suspect nowhere good. Thing you need to know is that your brother’s death wasn’t your fault. It was an accident. Nothing more.” The preacher offered a quiet smile. “That cemetery out there is full of men who had the same dream as your brother. I suppose when you think about it, they made the ultimate sacrifice in trying to find their place in this world. The folks here in Noelle, they’re no different. But it’s those men to whom we owe a great debt. It’s our job to carry on and create that dream they sought and do so in their memory. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Zeke understood clearly now what was the purpose of their plan. He sighed, his soul feeling purged of the guilt he’d been carrying around. It hurt still—it hurt like hell. But he no longer felt alone. He only had to ask himself if he loved Noelle as much as his brother had. Did he have the courage to carry on his brother’s dream and help create the town Clem would have been proud to call home? Zeke glanced at Pastor Hammond. This was Clem’s home now—it would be forever. Zeke owed him that much. But there was still the matter of Genevieve Walters. She had no idea of his identity. She too had moved on—perhaps even had someone back in Denver waiting for her. “What about the matchmaker?” Zeke asked.

Pastor Hammond tossed him a perplexed look.

“What does she stand to gain from all of this?”

“Ah,” the pastor said with a nod. He stood and slipped his hat off the crude hat rack nailed to the wall. “As I am to understand, there were not many who believed Mrs. Walters had the capability to follow through with these marriages. Or, rather, see them to a successful completion. I imagine that marrying off these women would be a feather in her cap back at the Benevolent Society of Lost Souls.” He chuckled. “I haven’t seen the men in this town so productive and enthusiastic since I’ve been here. We’re hoping of course, their enthusiasm will spread to the other single men in town and if all goes well, we hope to employ Mrs. Walters help again.” He shook his head. “I’ve never seen a woman with such dedication to her work.” He looked at Zeke. “She’s a widow, you know. Never married again. Devoted her life to helping others find happiness. She told me she still carries her husband’s letters from the war. They were given to her by a young soldier--apparently one of her husband’s officers who’d brought them to her along with the news of his passing.” Pastor Hammond tapped his hat on his head, then fished out a coin and tossed it to Butch. “I’ve had to write many a letter informing family of the death of a loved one, and that in itself is a difficult task.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.