Sean Donovan , livre ebook

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to events or locales, is entirely coincidental.
Cover photos © Jose Luis Pelaez, Inc. / Blend Images / Getty; CampSpot / iStockphoto; Eva Serrabassa / iStockphoto
Cover by Dugan Design Group, Bloomington, Minnesota
SEAN DONOVAN
Copyright © 1993 by Lori Wick
Published by Harvest House Publishers
Eugene, Oregon 97402
www.harvesthousepublishers.com

ISBN 978-0-7369-1947-0 (pbk.) ISBN 978-0-7369-3182-3 (eBook)
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Wick, Lori.

Sean Donovan / Lori Wick,

p. cm. (The Californians: bk.3)
Sequel to: Sean Donovan

ISBN 978-1-56507-046-2
PS3573.I237S4 1993
813’.54 dc20
92-31560 CIP
All rights reserved. No part of this electronic publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any other without the prior written permission of the publisher. The authorized purchaser has been granted a nontransferable, nonexclusive, and noncommercial right to access and view this electronic publication, and purchaser agrees to do so only in accordance with the terms of use under which it was purchased or transmitted. Participation in or encouragement of piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of author’s and publisher’s rights is strictly prohibited.
Dedication
This book is dedicated to my nephews, Derek Kolstad, Angus Wick, Bob Kolstad, Billy Wick, and John Wm. Wick.
I pray that you will know God intimately, and serve Him with your whole heart.
Visalia Families 1876
Sean Donovan

Charlotte Cooper (Charlie)
Sadie Cox (Charlie’s Aunt)
Sheriff Lucas Duncan

Wife Lora
Santa Rosa Families 1876
The Marshall Riggs Family

Wife Kaitlin Donovan Riggs
Children Gretchen








Molly
Extended Family Marcail Donovan
The William Taylor Family

Wife Mable (May)
Children Gilbert
The Jeffrey Taylor Family

Wife Roberta (Bobbie)
Children Cleo








Sutton
The Nathan Taylor Family

Wife Brenda
Children William (Willy)
Contents

Dedication
Visalia and Santa Rosa Families—1876
one
two
three
four
five
six
seven
eight
nine
ten
eleven
twelve
thirteen
fourteen
fifteen
sixteen
seventeen
eighteen
nineteen
twenty
twenty-one
twenty-two
twenty-three
twenty-four
twenty-five
twenty-six
twenty-seven
twenty-eight
twenty-nine
thirty
thirty-one
thirty-two
thirty-three
thirty-four
thirty-five
thirty-six
thirty-seven
thirty-eight
thirty-nine
forty
forty-one
forty-two
forty-three
forty-four
forty-five
forty-six
forty-seven
forty-eight
forty-nine
fifty
fifty-one
Epilogue
About the Author
Books by Lori Wick
one

Santa Rosa, California
May 1874
T hat’ll be it for the night, Sean. Close up the back and head home."
The brooding young man nodded but did not speak. It was on the tip of his tongue to tell the livery owner that he would go home if and when he felt like it, but that remark would probably cost him his job, and that was something he could not afford if he was ever going to get out of this town.
Carefully hiding his anger, Sean Donovan closed the rear doors of the livery with little more than a glance in the direction of his employer. He didn’t speak or bid his boss goodnight, even as he made his way to the front door and out into the street. Dozens of other Santa Rosa residents were closing up shop and heading home. Many knew Sean by sight if not by name, but he chose to meet no one’s gaze nor even return their greetings.
His sister’s house loomed before him long before he was ready to face his family. He hesitated in the street for several minutes, hoping he could get upstairs to his bedroom without being noticed.
"Sean?" His sister called as soon as the front door opened, and Sean worked to conceal the anger he felt.
"Hi, Sean." A very pregnant Kaitlin Riggs came from the direction of the kitchen, her voice as sweet and kind as her spirit, but it was totally lost on Sean. "How was work?"
"Fine," he replied sullenly, and Katie found herself fighting to keep her own feelings from showing. All they did lately was quarrel, and Kate did not feel up to an argument tonight. She couldn’t help asking herself, however, how long was he going to stay angry? How long were she and the family going to be made to suffer for something their father had done?
"Supper is nearly ready. Why don’t you wash up?"
Sean turned to the stairs without answering her, walking straight past his younger sister, Marcail, without even acknowledging her.
Marcail and Kaitlin exchanged a look, but knew that more words wouldn’t change anything. When they entered the kitchen together a moment later, Kate’s husband was coming in the back door. Marshall Riggs, "Rigg" to everyone, pulled his wife close and kissed her. He then went to his sister-in-law to embrace her and kiss the top of her dark head.
"Where’s Gretchen?" Rigg asked after his daughter, who was not quite two years old.
"She’s playing on our bed," Katie answered him.
Rigg went in the direction of the bedroom, tossing the question over his shoulder as he went, "Did Sean get home?"
Kate answered softly, "He’s here, Rigg. I can tell he doesn’t want to be, but he’s here."

Sean lay on his bed waiting for his sister’s call to supper. He didn’t care to join the family any earlier than necessary. In fact, if Kate would let him, he’d eat alone in his room. No one in this house understood him. He hated school and he hated work. Their answer for everything was "trust in God." Well, he’d tried trusting in God, at least trusting Him to give the things he wanted most, but it never brought him anything more than pain and confusion.
With these restless thoughts, Sean stayed on the bed for only a few moments. Rolling to the edge of the mattress and standing in one move, he went straight to the dresser, opened the top drawer, and removed a wooden box. He counted the money within, knowing the exact amount but somehow hoping it had increased from when he had counted it the night before.
"Still not enough," Sean whispered, rage boiling within him as he replaced the box. "Still not enough to get away from here." Again his voice was whisper soft, but this time it held a hint of desperation.
He stood for some time trying to calm down, knowing that if Kate called now he would be too angry to join the family for supper and they would want to know why. Suddenly the door opened. Sean turned with a furious word for the intruder, but what he was going to say died in his throat at the sight of his niece Gretchen. She stood on the threshold, an adorable smile lighting her face.
For the first time that day, some of Sean’s fury drained away. He held his arms out toward the beloved little girl and smiled as she threw herself at him. With her small arms circling his neck, she chatted up into his face. Sean, very much enamored with this child, gave her his full attention. They were still talking when Rigg’s voice sounded from the bottom of the stairs.
"Gretchen, did you tell Uncle Sean that supper is ready?"
Gretchen, with a little hand to her surprised mouth, delivered the forgotten message, and the two of them made their way downstairs. Sean’s face, all smiles for Gretchen, was now shuttered as the family gathered around the table. He did not close his eyes or even bow his head for the prayer.
Everyone save Sean talked with familiar ease throughout the meal. In the past Sean’s silence had been oppressive and even intimidated the family, but now they had learned to live around it. Rigg, never intimidated by anyone, talked to his young brother-in-law as though nothing was out of the ordinary, including telling him to help with the dishes at the end of the meal. Rigg ignored the black scowl Sean sent in his direction.
"Do you want to wash or dry?" Rigg asked casually when the girls had emptied out of the room.
"I don’t want to do either. Why can’t Marc do "
"That’s enough, Sean," Rigg said easily. "She takes your turn more often than she should. And," Rigg spoke quickly when Sean opened his mouth yet again, "if you dare suggest that Kate come back in here, I’ll flatten you. She could have the baby any time now and I don’t "
"Any time?" Sean’s voice was incredulous. "I thought she was due in June."
"Sean," Rigg’s voice was long-suffering. "There are only three days left in May. The doctor told Katie yesterday that it could be any time." Rigg wanted to add that if Sean would get his head out of his angry cloud and think about someone else for a change, he might have noticed how large and uncomfortable his sister had become.
Rigg would have been surprised to know that such words were unnecessary. Sean was giving himself the same speech. Unfortunately, he didn’t believe his attitude to be his own fault; his father was to blame. If his father had kept just one of his promises, Sean believed he’d feel differently, but it was easier to blame his father than himself, and easier still to hide his pain behind a mask of fury.

The next evening, just after supper, Kate announced that they had received a letter from Father. Patrick Donovan, father to Kaitlin, Sean, and Marcail, was a missionary in the Hawaiian Islands. He’d been away and promising to come and see them for several years. Katie and Marcail had both suffered with his absence, but not to the same degree as Sean. When their mother had died just before Patrick left, Marcail and Kaitlin had clung to each other. But Sean, try as he might to fit in, had felt completely on his own.
"H