The Colonel said, “I am happy that you found someone.”
“I feel fortunate to find her. Something stirred in me the first time I saw her, but with time the feeling grew, and finally, I understood what I was feeling. Then I was not sure she felt the same. I knew we were about to separate, and I did not want the fear of telling her how I felt to keep me from knowing if she loved me. As you can tell, she did love me too.”
“Thanks for sharing that with me and once again you made the right decision at the right time.”
“Thanks, by the way, when do you expect the first snow?”
“We normally get the first snow toward the end of September, but it is usually the middle of October before the snow starts to really accumulate and travel becomes more difficult.”
“If we get any snow at all in my area of Texas, it will be in January or February. Some years we may get a heavy snow, but most years it is just light snow that can be gone in a few days.”
“I think I will get another cup of coffee and take it to my room. Do you want another cup?”
“Yes, I will take another cup.”
They went into the kitchen, and Dan refilled the Colonel's cup, then his and then he sat the pot on the counter. They went back into the dining room, and the Colonel said, “I think I will take this cup upstairs with me.”
He said, “I will sit here and finish my coffee, and I will see you in the morning.”
“Then I will say goodnight.”
“Goodnight.”
The Colonel left, and he sat down at the table. He set the coffee cup down and stared into the coffee. As he looked into the cup, his thoughts turned to tomorrow, the Judge leaving and his talk with Will. He felt like nothing could move forward until after that meeting. He heard a noise at the open door and looked up to see Alice looking in.
She entered and said, “I was hoping that I would find you.”
Dan rose and said, “Do you want some coffee?”
“No, but lets’ go into the kitchen, so we can talk.”
Dan opened the kitchen door for Alice and followed her into the kitchen. Then he said, “What did your father say?”
Alice said, “He is okay with it” and kissed him.
After the kiss, Dan said, “Was he just okay or was he happy for you?”
“He was happy for me, but I could tell he was disappointed that I wasn’t going to be at home with him. I told him that I would be there until the wedding in about four weeks and that we were going to return to Colorado every summer for four or five weeks. That made him happier. I told him that you would talk to him tomorrow.”
Dan kissed Alice again and said, “That is wonderful.”
“Maybe it is not ladylike to say this, but I really enjoy our kisses.”
Dan kissed her again and held her tight and then said, “I enjoy our kisses too, and you can have as many as you want.”
“The wedding is too far away for very many kisses like that now.”
“Do you really think it will be four weeks?”
“How far ahead do you need to invite your friends from Texas?”
“At least two weeks, but three would be better, but I am sure they will come no matter how much time I give them.”
“We can go to Montrose and make arrangements at the church and then we can set the date.”
“Good, Bob Robert and I are going with you and your father Monday to the ranch. Then I can go with you on Tuesday to the church.”
“I am so glad that you are coming, I was going to ask you to come. I don’t want to be away from you any more than I have to.”
They stayed in the kitchen and talked until eleven and then they went to their rooms.
He stopped her in the hallway and kissed her again and said, “I love you.”
“I love you, goodnight.”
“Goodnight.”
chapter 31
The New Beginning
At breakfast, the next morning Dan thought he could feel something in the air. Everyone but Judge Parker knew Dan and Alice’s secret, but no one could talk about it until he talked to Will. He was determined to talk to him as soon after breakfast as he could. Breakfast passed slowly for Dan, but finally, it was over. The Judge told everyone he was leaving and said his goodbyes then he went upstairs to his room to finish packing, Alice was helping Maria, and the Colonel was going to talk to Bob Robert.
Dan approached Will and said, “Do you have a few minutes so I can talk to you?”
Will, with a smile, said, “Yes, lets’ go into the parlor.”
He followed Will into the parlor and closed the door. They stood in the middle of the room facing each other.
Dan said, “Mr. Johnson, may I have your permission to marry Alice?”
“Yes, Dan you have my permission. As with any father, my greatest desire is the happiness of my daughter, and you are making her very happy.”
“Thank you, sir, Alice’s happiness and safety are my highest priorities. I love Alice, and I will take care of her.”
“Dan, you can call me Will.”
“Thank you.”
“I guess you had better tell Alice that we talked.”
“Yes, sir, I will.”
Dan left the parlor and went to the kitchen. He found Alice helping Maria cleanup.
He said, “Alice, can I talk to you a minute out on the porch.”
“Yes.”
Once on the porch he looked around to see if there was anyone watching then he said, “Your father gave me his blessing” and he kissed her.
She smiled and said, “Now we can announce our intentions.”
“Good, I want to tell Judge Parker before he leaves.”
“I need to get back to helping Maria.”
“I will talk to you later.”
They kissed, and Alice went inside, and Dan went to the barn.
He entered the barn and found the Colonel talking to Bob Robert as he was saddling the Judge's horse.
The Colonel asked, “Did you talk to Will?”
“Yes, I did, and everything is okay.”
“Then congratulations are in order. Bob Robert, Dan and Alice are going to get married.”
Bob Robert said, “Congratulations. When is the big day?”
“Soon but I will not have a date, until we visit with the Pastor at the church in Montrose. If the Judge's horse is ready, I will take it over to him.”
“Just let me get this saddle cinched up, and you can have it.”
Dan took the horse and walked over to the front of the house and tied it to the hitch rail. He went into the house and saw a bag waiting in the hall. In less a minute the Judge was bringing his other bag down the stairs.
The Judge set the bag down and asked, “Do you know where the Colonel is, I wanted to say goodbye to him?”
Dan said, “Yes, I do, he is in the barn and I have your horse out front, but first I wanted to talk to you, if you have a minute.”
“I do, go ahead.”
“I just wanted you to know that Alice and I are going to be married.”
“Congratulations.”
“Thank you, I will go tell the Colonel that you are leaving.”
“Thank you.”
Dan left and went to the barn to get the Colonel. When he and the Colonel got back to the hitching rail, the Judge had his bags tied on to the saddle.
The Judge said, “I want to thank the both you for what you did to help Will and his daughter.”
The Colonel said, “Dan and I are glad we could help.”
As the Judge mounted, he said, “Goodbye.”
The Colonel and Dan said goodbye and watched the Judge as he rode off.
The Colonel turned to Dan and said, “I am glad this is over.”
“I am too, but I don’t know if Alice is over this as much as she thinks she is.”
“She is a strong girl to have gone through all that she has and still have her spirit, and Jason’s death should allow her to get past this.”
&nb
sp; “I think so too.”
The Colonel asked, “How long will you be in Montrose?”
“I will stay a day or two to help Alice get the arrangements for the wedding made. In addition, I want to get some arrangements made for Bill and my ranch foreman Tom Swanson to come up for the wedding.”
“Sounds like you will be busy.”
“For a few days, anyway.”
“I will be at the barn or in the parlor if you need me.”
“Okay, and thank you.”
“For what?”
“Bringing Alice and me together.”
“That was more fate than planning.”
Dan went into the kitchen to talk to Alice, but she wasn’t there, Joe was.
Dan said, “Morning Joe.”
“Morning and congratulations on your marriage to Alice. I am glad you two, finally figured out that you liked each other.”
“I am not as wise as you.”
“Fortunately, it comes with age and keeping your mouth closed.”
“The wedding will be in Montrose sometime in the next three to four weeks. I am going with Bob Robert to take Will and Alice to their ranch Monday. Then Alice and I will go to Montrose to make arrangements for the wedding and set a date. I should be back Wednesday or Thursday.”
“I am glad that you two are getting together.”
“Thanks, I will let you finish breakfast, and I will go find Alice.”
Maria was at the sink washing out the coffee pot, and she said, “I think she went to her room.”
“Thank you.”
Dan went upstairs and knocked on her door, and Alice answered.
She stepped into the hall, and he asked, “Are you, all right?
“Yes, I am fine. I was just sitting here after working in the kitchen and started thinking about our wedding and then I thought that I wish my mother could have been here, she would have been so happy.”
“I am sorry that she could not be here.”
“Why did you come to see me is everything okay?”
“Yes, I just wanted to check on you and see if you needed anything.”
“No, I am alright, I was thinking about getting my clothes packed for the trip home.”
“Let me know if we need a pack horse for you and your father’s bags.”
“I will get with him and let you know later.”
“Till later then” and kissed her.
She held on to the kiss and then said, “I love you.”
He held her tight and said, “I love you.”
They parted, and he went downstairs and out to the barn. Bob Robert was out on the ranch, so he told the wrangler working on a saddle in the barn to have Bob Robert come and see him. He returned to his room and laid out the clothes he would take tomorrow. He packed everything in his carpetbag. He then sat on the bed and thought about what he would say to Bill and Tom.
The afternoon went quietly and about three thirty he went down to the parlor. He was looking over the bookcases, he needed something to pass the time, but he didn’t want to start a book. Then he found a book that caught his interest. The book was ‘Ballistics for Large Caliber Rifles.’ He took the book and sat at the desk. He looked in the Table of Contents and found his High Wall listed. He turned to that section and started reading. The book did not tell him anything he really needed to know, but it confirmed what he liked about the High Wall and his choice of the 45-90 cartridges he used. He was reading about the 45-110 cartridges when Alice came in.
She asked, “Are you busy?”
He rose and said, “No, just passing time.”
She walked over to him and said, “I talked to father, and he thinks a pack horse will make our ride more comfortable.”
“I agree, saddles get uncomfortable when you start attaching too much to them. Do you have a spare room at your ranch house for me or would it be better for me to stay in Montrose?”
“We have a spare room, so you can stay at the ranch.”
“Good, I was hoping that I could stay there.”
“Our house isn’t as large as the Colonels, but we have a couple of empty bedrooms.”
“I will talk to Bob Robert before dinner and let him know that we will need a pack horse.”
She said, “I need to go back upstairs and finish packing.”
They kissed, and they left the parlor together. She went upstairs, and he went to the bunkhouse to find Bob Robert. Dan found him in the barn going over plans with some of the wranglers on rounding up the cattle. Dan waited until they were finished before he told Bob Robert about the need for a pack horse. Bob Robert told him he would have all the horses at the hitch rail at 8:30. Dan returned to the house and got a cup of coffee and sat on the back porch until time for dinner.
At dinner, Alice sat on the other side of the table with her father as usual. Joe didn’t join them for dinner that night, but that was not unusual for him. Now that the news about the marriage was out the feel at the table was more relaxed.
The Colonel asked, “Dan after the wedding I was hoping that you and Alice could spend a night or two with me before you return to Texas.”
Dan looked at Alice, and she nodded slightly, and he said, “We would be more than happy to accept your invitation.”
“Thank you.”
After dinner, Alice went to help Maria, and the Colonel asked Dan and Will to join him in the parlor. The Colonel set out three glasses and filled them with brandy. He handed a glass to Dan and Will and then picked up his.
The Colonel said, “To friends and family!”
They touched glasses and drank the brandy, and Will said, “I have gone from not knowing who to turn to for help for Alice, to knowing what friendship and honor mean. Dan, I don’t know many men who would have come into this blind and do so much for Alice and me. I know that Alice loves you and I look forward to you being part of our family.”
“Thank you, sir, I love Alice, and I will give my all for her and her happiness.”
“I understand your commitment to her, and that is all a father can hope for his daughter.”
The Colonel said, “Well said” and poured another round of brandy for them.
They had talked on for more than an hour when Alice came to the door.
She said, “Can I take Dan away from this conversation?”
The Colonel said, “Of course you can.”
Dan went to meet her at the door and then they went out on the front porch. They kissed and then sat in the chairs.
She said, “It didn’t sound like I was interrupting anything of importance, but I just needed to be with you.
“Is everything alright?”
“Yes, I know that this may sound silly, but we waited so long to express how we feel, I want to be with you now, so that I can tell you how much I love you.”
“I know how you feel. When I am not with you, I want to be.”
“I thought we could just sit here for a while and be together.”
“That will be nice.”
They sat there and talked until it was time to turn in for the night. Dan walked Alice to her room and kissed her goodnight. He went to his room and went over the items in his carpet bag and made sure he had everything.
The mood at breakfast was light, Will was eager to get back to his ranch and Alice, and Dan wanted to get things moving toward their life together. Breakfast passed quickly, and they all had their bags on the porch by 8:30. Dan helped Bob Robert load the pack horse, and they were ready. The goodbyes were said, and they mounted up.
They rode down the ranch road to the Durango-Montrose road and turned north toward Montrose. With the wagon tracks in the road, they fell into a side by side arrangement. Will took the lead on the right, and Dan let Alice ride beside her father on the left to keep her out of the dust. Dan and Bob Robert followed them with the pack horse following Bob Robert. They moved steadily north, keeping the horses at a walk and sometimes a running walk when the downhill grades made them want to move a little faster. They co
vered the twenty-five miles to the ranch in just over four hours. When they reached the ranch house, they were greeted by Sue, the cook. Sue said everyone was out rounding up cattle, but Cecil should be back soon. Will introduced everyone to Sue and then asked her to make lunch for them. They unloaded the pack horse.
Will turned to Bob Robert and said, “Do you want to go back this afternoon or stay the night?
Bob Robert, “I will go back this afternoon.”
“You can take the horse that Alice was riding back with you. I have a horse here for her.”
“That’s fine, I will water and rest them while we are eating lunch.”
Will continued and said, “Dan, I will go with Bob Robert to help with horses and saddles, you help Alice get the bags in the house and Alice, you can show Dan where he can put his things.”
Will and Bob Robert walked the horses toward the barn, and Alice picked up some of her packages and Dan got the rest and followed her into the house. She led him into the house and up the stairs.
She said, “My room is here on the right, we can put my things in there.”
He followed her in and watched her set her packages on a small table and asked, “Is it the way you remembered it?’
“Yes, but it feels like it was a long time since I was here.”
“You are safe now” and sat his packages in the chair and hugged her.
As they separated Alice said, “Thanks, I needed that.”
“I was glad I could help.”
“Dad’s room is across the hall from mine, and you can put his things there by the door. You can use the front bedroom on the right.”
“Thanks, I will be right back with the rest of the gear.”
Dan went back downstairs and got Will’s and his carpet bags and went back upstairs. He dropped Will’s bag in front of his door, and he carried his to his room. He set his bag beside the bed and went back to Alice’s room.
He knocked on her door and asked as she opened it, “Are you ready to go back downstairs?”
She said, “Yes.”
When they got downstairs, she took him to the kitchen.
Sue said, “I am glad to see you safely home. I came to work here after you left, but I know that your father was worried about you. Are you okay, what happened?”
High Country Rescue Page 34