A Penny Shines (Cutter's Creek Book 5) Read online

  Cutter’s Creek Series:

  That Healing Touch

  The Strong One

  New Beginnings

  A Lily Blooms

  A Penny Shines

  Kari’s Other Novels:

  Western Vows Series

  Forsaking All Others

  To Honor and Cherish

  For Richer or Poorer

  Author Bio:

  Kari Trumbo is a writer of Christian Historical Romance and a stay-at-home mom to four vibrant children. She does freelance developmental editing and blogging. When she isn't writing or editing, she homeschools her children and pretends to keep up with them. Kari loves reading, listening to contemporary Christian music, singing with the worship team, and curling up near the wood stove when winter hits. She makes her home in central Minnesota with her husband of eighteen years, two daughters, two sons, and three cats.

  A Penny Shines

  A Cutter’s Creek Romance

  Kari Trumbo

  Copyright© 2016 Kari Trumbo

  Published by Kari Trumbo

  All rights reserved. Except for small portions used in reviews, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, without the prior written consent of the author. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.

  Scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible

  Author’s note: This is a work of fiction. All locations, characters, names, and actions are a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance, however subtle, to living persons or actual places and events are coincidental and all are fictitious.

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter sixteen

  Chapter seventeen

  Chapter eighteen

  Chapter nineteen

  Chapter twenty

  Chapter twenty-one

  Chapter twenty-two

  Chapter twenty-three

  Chapter twenty-four

  Chapter One

  Cutter’s Creek, Montana 1892

  Penny straightened her dull white apron and looked again at the silver timepiece around her slender neck, twirling the pearl ring on her finger nervously. Josiah was late. He’d been acting strangely lately, and this was just another new occurrence to add to the growing list of odd behavior. Mable approached her from behind.

  “It’s getting late. Why don’t you walk on home before it gets too dark?” She took a rag from under the counter and wiped it down. “That boy doesn’t usually leave you to walk home alone. I’ll give him a piece of my mind when I see him.”

  Penny laughed, tossing her long, dark braid behind her back. “You’re so sweet. I’ll be just fine. Nothing ever happens in Cutter’s Creek. Don’t you want me to stay and help you close up?” Penny picked up the ceramic cups they usually left turned upside down on every table, stacked them, and placed them back under the counter.

  “No, my dear. If that Josiah of yours doesn’t show up in the next minute or so to walk you home, it will be past dark and I’ll have to do it. You know I promised your mama not to let you out of my sight.”

  “She is protective because she had no one to care for her when she was my age.” Penny avoided obeying the order and went over to the first small table, collecting the clean cups there and repeating the process.

  “While that might be true, I still don’t have time tonight to walk you home. I have other business that needs attending to. You’d best be off now.”

  The door opened softly and both women halted to look at the newcomer. Penny knew exactly who it was before she even looked up from her task. She could feel Josiah close to her, as if the missing part of her heart had walked through the door.

  She met his gaze and a look of unease crossed Josiah’s face. He looked back behind him and then shut the door, turning back to the two women and showering her with a get-out-her-fan smile.

  Penny put her hands to her hips, but she wasn’t angry. It was all a show. Josiah was dusty from the trail. His job as an oxcart driver kept him busy and dirty more often than she’d like, but it also meant he was a self-sufficient man, something her father and mother insisted on.

  “Well, figures you’d show up now. Mable was just sending me home because I had no one to walk with me. Now I’ll have to stay until the whole place is cleaned up.” She exchanged a glance with Mable, and then laughed at his frown. Penny hefted the stack of ceramic cups she’d collected back to the cupboard behind the counter before moving to the next table.

  “Well, I’m right sorry. I didn’t mean to be late to get you, Penny. You forgive me, doncha?”

  Penny couldn’t withhold a smile from him and he returned it, the dust leaving dark shadows where his long dimples indented his cheeks. Oh, how she wanted to kiss both of them, but that could wait. He needed to wash first anyway. Only a few more months until they could be wed. He’d asked her to wait for December, because by then he wouldn’t be able to deliver anything with his cart. The snow would be too deep and he could focus on her. That suited her just fine.

  Mable slapped a wet cloth on the main counter and rubbed it down. “Josiah, I think that girl would forgive you about anything you asked for right now. Be good and have a seat. Penny and I’ll be done in just a few minutes.”

  Mable drew a pan of hot water from the wood stove and washed the coffee pot and the rest of the dirty cups from that afternoon’s guests. Penny dried them and put them away, making quick work of the stack. Penny came out from behind the counter to hang her apron on the peg.

  The door slammed open and Mable ducked behind her counter. Penny looked over her shoulder at a strange man covered in dust and his face contorted in rage.

  “Josiah. You will pay for what you done!”

  Mable screamed as the man pointed his gun at where she crouched behind the counter. Every move and sound seemed to take much longer than it should. Penny remained frozen as did Josiah, a look of wide-eyed shock on his face.

  The man stood just inside the doorway and cast his glare over the whole room, stopping on Penny. He smiled slowly and shifted his stance. “Now, that’s just what I was looking for.”

  Penny gasped and backed against the wall. Josiah leaped to his feet. The man raised his gun and an explosion of heat, light, and a tormenting ringing coursed through Penny. She felt herself sliding down the wall, but also felt as if she looked down on herself lying on the floor. She heard the sound of a scuffle and yelling. She blinked and everything stayed black.

  Josiah’s voice hovered above her head. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it close to his chest. “Don’t leave me Penny. I can’t live without you. I’m so sorry.”

  “What are you talking about?” Penny tried to open her eyes against the strange heavy feeling spreading over her chest. “Who?”

  “He’s gone.”

  Chapter Two

  Penny felt someone rub her hand and say her name in conversation, as if the person were talking to her.

  “Mable? When did Lillian get here?” Penny’s voice rasped as she reached out through the fog clouding all her senses.

  Someone held her hand. “It’s going to be alright. It’s Lillian and I’m here with you at the doctor’s house, Penny. Can you hear me? Can you open your eyes?�
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  Penny concentrated on moving her eyelids. They felt as if sand had been poured in them. When she managed to open them, slits of bright light burned her eyes. It was too much. Pain ripped across her head. She gasped.

  “It’s okay, Penny. Take it slow. The doctor wasn’t sure how you would feel when…or if you ever woke up.” Penny heard Lillian get up and felt the room get darker, more soothing.

  What is Lillian talking about? Penny tried again and this time managed to open one eye in the shaded room. The world around her appeared blurry and her eyes felt as if pebbles had taken residence where tears would normally be. Her closest friend Lillian sat back in her chair heavily, as if she’d been sitting in that chair for a lifetime. Her hair lay limp around her face and her solemn eyes warmed. A tear ran down her cheek.

  “Oh, praise the Lord. We’ve prayed over you for days. We were beginning to think you might not survive.”

  Dr. Pierce walked in and stood behind Lillian, and then pulled up a stool next to her. “She isn’t out of the woods yet, I’m afraid.” He leaned over the bed and peered into Penny’s eyes, gently pulling down the skin under each eye and examining it. “You’ve been unconscious for about a week, Penny Hanover. You haven’t eaten anything, and we’ve only been able to get a little fluid in you. You need to drink, and soon. Not much, to avoid shocking your system, but you are very dehydrated. Do you have the energy? Can you sit up?”

  Lillian moved to the edge of the bed and helped pull her, and she managed to push herself to a seated position. Her whole body protested the movement but none more than her right shoulder. It was then she noticed the wrap around her upper body, holding her right arm down. She was wearing a plain white cotton sleeping gown that she couldn’t remember putting on, nor did it look familiar. She wasn’t in her room. Panic started in her stomach and raced to her heart.

  “Where am I and where are my parents?” Penny clung to Lillian’s hand.

  “They are resting at home, because they’ve been here for days and were exhausted. They only agreed to go if I would stay here with you.” Lillian rubbed Penny’s left hand which seemed out of place. She should be sitting on the right. Lillian went on. “This is the doctor’s room above his office. He uses it for…occasions like this.”

  Penny looked all around her and accepted the cup of water Lily placed in her hand, wrapping her shaking fingers securely around it. She took a tentative sip and realized how scratchy and dry her throat felt. Each trickle of water left a trail of irritation as it ran down her throat. She coughed and a searing pain ripped through her right shoulder. Penny dug her fingers and tore at the bandage to see what could be causing so much pain.

  Lillian grasped her arm. “You don’t remember, do you? Tell me the last thing you remember?”

  Penny stopped her fight and blinked to remember. Her eyes felt heavy from the fatigue of sitting up. “I was helping Mable clean up the shop for closing.”

  “And?” Lily sat in the chair again and looked expectantly in her face.

  “And…nothing. I woke up here.” Penny wanted to cry, but her body would not waste the precious liquid. “Is that how I got hurt? Walking myself home?” Penny searched Lillian’s face for answers.

  “No.” Lillian licked her lips and looked at the doctor then slowly back to Penny’s face. “You were shot…by Josiah.”

  Chapter Three

  “I don’t know who Josiah is, nor do I remember when I got this ring…or who gave it to me.” She couldn’t take Penny looked from Lillian to the doctor, certain she should know who Josiah was, but as hard her brain tried to remember, it wouldn’t come. The more she thought, her head pounded back at her in equal measure. She reached for Lillian’s hand again and her throat caught at the glint from her finger. When had that happened? She held the hand in front of her and looked at it.her eyes off the soft pearl with the gold setting around it.

  Lillian leaned forward in her chair and moved the stray tendril of hair that kept falling in her eyes. “Josiah gave you that ring just a month or so ago. Just before James began calling on me. Josiah’s in the jailhouse right now. Mable says someone came in the shop threatening Josiah, but no one else saw anyone strange. Josiah won’t talk, and he was the only one with a gun in the shop when the sheriff arrived.”

  “You’re saying the man I’m pledged to marry…shot me?” Penny blinked slowly, each movement of her lids scratching its way down then back up again.

  Lillian closed her eyes. Her face pinched. “It appears that way.”

  Penny gasped. Her glass tumbled down her front and onto the bed. Embarrassment and hurt suffused her face.

  “Josiah’s sister, Carol, has stopped by twice to see you. Your parents have kept her away. I don’t know what she would want to say to you. Be careful if she does make it in. She…” Lillian looked away. “…can have a rather loose tongue.” She picked up the cup and went to the pitcher by the door for more water.

  “The name Carol has a familiarity to is, as if I’ve met her once in my life, but I can’t see her face. If I can recall her even a little, why not Josiah?” Penny held her head in her palms and closed her eyes tight against the pain pounding at her temples.

  The doctor stepped forward and placed his hand on the back of her head. “Take it slowly, child. I have no doubt that you will remember bits and pieces over time and the things you don’t remember outright will be put back to order by your friends. Lillian here will be able to help you much in the next weeks. I know you are in a lot of pain right now, but I can’t be sure how much medication would be too much until we get more water in you. Just that might make some of the pain go away. Drink as much as you can and rest. As soon as your body can take it, I’ll get you some pain medicine for that shoulder.”

  Penny pressed her hand gently against the throbbing area just below the bone of her collar. “But Lillian has a new beau to worry about. She can’t spend that much time with me.” Penny looked to Lillian and lifted her lips in an attempt at a smile.

  “Penny, I’ve sat here for days. James wants me to be here for you. He works all day, and the only other things I must do are to help Pastor Bligh and to watch James’s son, David, when his mother needs to run errands. James and I are taking it slowly. We both have things to heal from before we can let this get too serious. If we marry, it won’t be until next fall.”

  “Don’t wait too long, Lily. I may not remember much, but I remember the look James had for you.” Penny smiled and rested her head on the head board. It felt as if it weighed twice what it should.

  The doctor handed Lillian a towel to dry the water spill and took a last look at Penny’s shoulder. Lillian handed the full cup to her. It felt cool in her hand and she raised her head to put the cup to her lips. Penny took a tentative sip, afraid of the tickle and the pain another cough would cause. It slid down her throat just as rough as the first time.

  “I think I’ve been talking too much. I’m tired right now. I’d like to finish my cup of water and take another nap.” She looked at Lillian. “I’m fine. Please let my parents know I’ve been awake, and go rest yourself.” Penny took the ring off her finger and handed it to Lillian. “Please give that to my mama for safekeeping. I don’t feel right wearing it just now.”

  Lillian collected the ring and put it in her reticule. She squeezed Penny’s hand. “We’ll work through this. I know you’ll remember everything. I always thought Josiah was such a good man. I never saw this coming. I’m so sorry, Penny.”

  “I wish I could feel something, anything, related to his name. It’s like you’re speaking of a stranger.” Penny sighed. “I don’t know what I think about this. I don’t feel frightened or loved. I feel nothing, and that somehow scares me more than the fact that someone shot at me.”

  “I’m sure you will remember soon, and we will get this all sorted out. You are the only one who knows what happened that night.” Lillian stood and nodded to the doctor who left the room. She turned and looked over her shoulder. “I’ll let your moth
er know and give her the ring. I’m sure she will be by soon to see you for herself. I hope you’re able to rest in the meantime.” She secured her hat and left.

  Penny looked at her now naked left hand. “Why don’t I remember you, Josiah?” she whispered. “What did you do to me that I would forget you altogether? Were you a good man, or did you really shoot me?” Penny drank the water faster than she should, forgetting her throat. The water sputtered all the way to her stomach and she clamped her hand over her mouth to stop the cough from erupting.

  A tiny blonde woman looking more like she was headed to a tea party than a sick bed burst into the room. “Penny! It’s so good to see you! The doctor let me up. How are you feeling?” Her words came in a rush like a wind before a storm.

  Penny wished she knew who the woman was standing in front of her. She guessed they were similar in age, where Penny was darker in eyes, skin and hair, this woman was lighter. She stood poised as a statue by the bed.

  “Um, have a seat.” Penny directed her to the chair by the bed. “I’m having a little trouble remembering…things. Your name was?”

  “Oh, my heavens!” She tittered into her hands. “I’m Carol, your soon-to-be sister! Josiah has been waiting for you to wake up and tell everyone that he’s innocent. Poor man. He’s been in that jail cell for a week! No matter how much we tell the sheriff that they have no reason to keep him, they were waiting until you woke up to set the story straight.” She clasped her hands at her waist and waited, as if Penny would declare something right there.

  Penny shook her head. The name Carol was familiar and left her with familiar feelings, but this woman was completely unknown to her. She frowned in frustration. “What about Mable? She was there. I’m sure she must have been if it happened at the shop. Mable is there all the time.” Penny tried to shift her weight and pain ripped up her side and into her arm. She sucked in a huge breath and held it until the pain lost some of its sting.