Dawn came and the calves were crying and restless again. It had stopped snowing. David stood up and felt that familiar ache in his chest. It must have been from sleeping on the rocks. He was getting too old for that.
He loaded everything on Rosie and pulled the calves out of the cave. Rosie would walk ahead of him and he would walk in the path in the deep snow dragging the calves. Maybe when they got out of the canyon, the snow would be blown away enough to get further. If it were one calf, he would put her on the saddle with him, but there were two and he couldn’t manage both. They got to where he found the calves and turned the corner and there was Juaquin. He was never so happy to see him. He lifted one calf onto Juaquin’s saddle and one onto his own and climbed on himself. They were met by more hands as they got closer to the house, and they handed the calves off to them then went home. Exhaustion set in and David barely made it into the house. Juaquin took Rosie to the barn and Ruth took care of her husband. He was shivering and she brought him warm blankets. The fireplace was blazing, yet he kept shivering. His wife brought him a steaming cup of coffee and some dinner. He couldn’t pick up the mug with one hand and she had to help him. He explained to her that his hands and arms were numb and ached from lying on the cold rocks in the cave. Ruth gave him aspirin and helped him to eat before drawing him a very hot bath. The whole time she was taking care of him, he was remembering his mother doing the same after the bull injured him. He had broken a promise to her and he could see the same sad look on Ruth’s face. As he was eating the hot and flavorful stew, he stopped and looked at the fire. His gaze went to the mantle and there was the bull statue he gave his mother. He felt so bad that he grabbed his wife’s hand and held it. He told her how very sorry he was and how he worried all night that she would get a horse and come looking for him. The corner of Ruth’s eyes lit up and she smiled a little and said she did. Even the horse had better sense and wouldn’t budge. She kissed her husband’s forehead and went to draw his bath. It would be a sleepy day for them both. No one had got any sleep the night before. The next morning, she took a large handful of carrots and apples to her girl, Rosie. As she rested her face on the nose of her busily chomping horse, she cried. She could not thank this horse enough for saving his life. As she walked out of the stall to return to the house, she stopped and reached for her straw hat hanging on a peg. She handed it to Rosie, who promptly ate it.
David felt better in a few days and didn’t see a need to go to a doctor, no matter how much his wife asked him to. He spent more time at the house and on sunny days on the porch.
Summer came and Rosie and David spent time together. Ruth came along on some of the rides and made him fall in love with her all over again. Some days, Old Dan would come along but David noticed that he tired easily and would turn around to go back to the barn. The velvety big horse wasn’t the only one to tire easily these days. David and Rosie wouldn’t go near the fences and just spent time going for mail or riding the pastures and just enjoying the smells and views. Ironwood was a big ranch and they kept very busy just enjoying the rides. David had his notebook with him and some days just wrote his memories in the books. Sometimes he was too tired or achy to even saddle Rosie. He contributed it to old age and the lion attack. Rosie would hangout by the garden but that year, Ruth put a bigger fence and a better latch on the gate. She wanted tomatoes that year and that horse needed to stay out. The sad look on Rosie’s face told Ruth how she felt about it. If she stayed by the garden too many days in a row, Ruth would put on her jeans and Ropers and go take her for a ride. That summer, David made Ruth learn to shoot both the rifle and pistol. She always had one with her on her rides. She enjoyed her time with Rosie. They would go to the tree and bench and check out Pikes Peak. Sometimes, they would just ride to the last stock tank to the north. The view of the whole valley was so pretty there and Ruth would always take a camera. Sometimes she would just ride and talk. There was no better listener than that red horse. Ruth was concerned about how tired David was and wanted to do something with him that they never did before; take a vacation. It was hard to imagine a place more beautiful or restful than Ironwood Ranch.
Summer turned to fall. It was one of the most beautiful ones on the ranch. The leaves turned various shades of red, orange, and yellow. It started with the stand of aspens in the front yard, and then the cottonwoods and elms turned. Most years, they just turned brown and fell, but the days were long and warm still and nights were cool and crisp. They had some late summer rain and it made the leaves hang on tight. David and Ruth still enjoyed the walk up the hill to watch the sun set behind Pikes Peak from the bench and the leaves made a nice crunching sound under their feet. These days, David walked a little slower, but Ruth found the slow trip relaxing. Sometimes Old Dan was at the top of the hill waiting for them and the three would enjoy the sunset together. Old Dan would get a lot of petting which seemed to perk him right up and sometimes, he would actually trot back to the barn. As the autumn wore on, the cool air was there all day and the wind sometimes blew. Usually, the day after a windy day was warm. It was a good thing too. The tumbleweeds were abundant this year and it seemed that Ironwood got more than its share of them. They would pile up against the fences and when it was windy, the weight of them would break some wires.
David made a mental note that the next time there would be several warm days in a row, he would go out to clear them away and repair the damage before it became too much.
A few weeks later, the weather held up. It was unseasonably warm for days and promised more such days. Juaquin was out on the Jeep pulling tumbleweeds and David decided to give Rosie a try and fix some fences too. He was at the top of the hill, letting his thoughts and memories catch up with him. It was a good life. The sun was starting to shine on Pikes Peak. David never got tired looking at this mountain. The dried leaves and hay made the air smell good and the birds were starting to wake up and sing. From the meadowlarks in the tall grass to the mourning doves cooing in the tree, they all sounded like a symphony to him. David was tired but happy. He had a great life at Ironwood. He had a beautiful wife that he lost and brought home. He had parents that loved him and left him a legacy. David thought about the three horses that he loved in his life and how all of them have saved his life. He remembered his friends and the town. The cowboy was getting older and tired and was in his winter trail; the time when things slow down and younger people run the ranch, and the time when a ride on his horse was no longer work but pleasure. He was dressed nice today and was in no hurry to get to the fence. Today was the day to give thanks and to ride tall in his saddle once more.
The ride to the fence was very nice. Sunrise on a prairie was golden and the breeze made a nice melody in the grasses. Today, he could smell the sage that grew along the fences. He only had a few areas to clear before lunch, but stopped when he saw a spot at the top of the rise that had a big tangle of tumbleweeds. Rosie found the little creek bed that wove in and out of the fence and stopped to have a drink and chew on the grass. David sat up against a small tree with his rifle and pistol at his side and ate his lunch. He started to write in the notebook when he stopped to take out a bag filled with his wife’s famous peanut butter cookies. Rosie must have smelled her favorite treat because in no time, she was next to him trying to get his cookies. David was laughing at her antics. She was a funny horse. Not as talented as Old Dan, but she kept him entertained. Lunch was over and David gave up on defending the cookies and let the horse have one. The other was tucked into his shirt pocket for later. He went to the fence with his gun and started to untangle the weeds. The rifle was never more than a foot or two away from his hand. The tangled mess was so bad that David had to cut them apart with the wire cutters. He was making very good progress when he felt a tightening in his chest. Nothing to be concerned about, wrestling with tumbleweeds was hard work and he was starting to sweat and get a little winded. The tightness in his chest was making him tired, sleepy, and short of breath. David decided to sit in the shade close by
where he was working. Just for a short break, a little water, and a cool-down. Rosie came and stood next to him. She stood very still and just watched him. He wanted to be comfortable and give Rosie a break, so he wrestled the saddle off her and spread her blanket on the ground. He leaned up against the saddle and rested.
David took his book and short pencil out of his pocket and got out his father’s old pocketknife. After sharpening his pencil to a fine point, he started to write. Today was the day he wanted to talk to God. He dressed up in his best hat and boots. It was important to him to give thanks today. It was cool in the shade and he started to talk. Life had been full of ups and downs. Sometimes, it was hard to see what direction to go in and David’s mother taught him to listen to God and he will find a way. He listened to the breeze in the trees, the birds, and the sounds of the cattle. To him, God was everywhere and he just needed to look and listen. David gave thanks for his mother who provided a spiritual guidance and gave him the notebooks. They got him through some very hard times. He gave thanks for his father who showed him to work hard and love the ranch and especially his love for his horses. He gave thanks for his beloved Ruth and gave thanks for finding her again and saving her life. It seemed like God smoothed over the years she was gone and made the memories a blessed blur. David gave thanks for Juaquin, his friend and mentor. His sense of humor was the glue that held the ranch together. He also gave thanks for Rusty, his first horse. There was no better friend. There was thanks for Old Dan, the biggest and strongest horse who would offer up his life for David. And there was Rosie; she helped Ruth to get well and her antics were just what they needed. He also gave thanks for the hard times in his life. He confessed that there were times that his faith was shaken to the core. When he was in Viet Nam and the way he felt when he came back. When his parents died in the horrible storm and he turned his back on Ironwood. But each time, a hand was held out to him to guide him back.
A ray of sunshine fell on his face through the leaves of the tree. God had answered him back.
David didn’t know what else to write in his book. He was looking at the entries and as he felt his eyes getting heavy, he was finally comfortable and was thinking it wouldn’t be so bad to take a little nap.
He rested his head against his saddle.
It was a sight: the cowboy leaning on his saddle, his head bowed as if in prayer, his hand holding the old notebook, and the stubby pencil falling from his hand. David fell into a sleep he will never awake from, at least on this earth. Rosie was standing beside him, lazily grazing on the short green grass at her feet. Then she started with her head tilted toward the cowboy. She knew he was gone, but obediently, she would stay by his side until they were found later.
Chapter 10
Two days ago, there was a relentless wind from the east. The tumbleweeds seemed to roll in on it. They piled up on the barbed wire fences but seemed to want to roll right by the ranch house and barn. But yesterday was calm and unusually warm. The air was scrubbed clean by the wind and the sunrise was a pretty orange and silver. The funeral was very nice; the church was packed and overflowed. The neighbors came. The men wore their nice western slacks, white shirts with string ties, black Stetsons, and dress boots. The women wore pantsuits and their hair couldn’t be moved by the wind. There were so many cars on Highway 24 that they stretched out from one end of town to the other and beyond. The service lasted an extra hour so that everyone who wanted to tell their story about David could do so. There was so much. His school friends and rodeo buddies. They spoke of his famous ride on the bull that couldn’t be ridden. Ruth knew some of these stories, but a lot of them were a surprise. They made her smile and cry, and laugh and cry some more. Her admiration for her husband grew ten times that morning.
The air was balmy and calm when they followed the simple yet elegant pine coffin out to the horse-drawn wagon. It was a tradition in David’s family to walk the two blocks behind the wagon with the flag-draped coffin to the cemetery.
The Veterans Administration sent out a detail to give David military honors. He didn’t want to be buried at Fort Logan in Denver. It was a beautiful veteran cemetery, but David had a plot in the small local cemetery next to his parents. The men in uniform lifted him from the wagon with care and carried him the short distance through the gates and to his family plot. His parents were there and on his other side was room for Ruth.
She appreciated the respect and honor of the 21-gun salute, the bugle playing taps, and the presentation of the flag to her.
They had a beautiful lunch at the church basement. The flowers were brought down and gave the room a sweet outdoor smell. So much food was brought that after the reception, the church ladies packed some of it up for her to take home.
Today was hard to face. Getting back to normal was hard for Ruth. David was gone for a week. The new foreman and his wife were moving to the ranch today. He would take care of the cattle and life on the ranch would go on. Juaquin was still there but moved into the house so the bunkhouse could be remodeled for them.
Ruth had grown to love this land. The simple life made her healthier and happier than she thought would be possible. Now, she would pass that legacy onto another young couple. She watched the sun come up through her big bedroom window. It wasn’t like her to be in bed after sunrise. Ruth slowly got out of bed and told herself to start there. It will get easier, just start. David filled her head and she found that if she kept him there and didn’t let him go to her heart, she wouldn’t cry. She could do it. She wanted to make him proud. Ruth got out of bed and bent over to pick up her nice black dress. She had worn it to dances, church, and funerals, but yesterday when it hit the floor, she knew she would never wear it again. She wandered into the bathroom to shower and dropped it into the trash. After the long hot shower, she put her long blonde hair into its usual ponytail. After all these years, her sun-bleached hair still didn’t have gray in it. On went the worn jeans and Ropers and Carhartt jacket. Coffee was ready like it always was and out to the porch she went. Rosie was already there to get a carrot and have her beautiful face rubbed. Ruth hadn’t ridden Rosie since she found her watching over David with no saddle. Today was going to be different. Today she would ride the lonely and faithful horse. She would brush her down and sing to her like David did. “Red River Valley.” She would do the chores in the barn and would go out to talk to Old Dan in the corral. It seemed that since Rosie came back, Old Dan has kept his head down and not eaten much. David would not have liked that, so Ruth was going to cheer the old horse up.
She went back into the kitchen to get another cup of coffee and saw the notebook still on the table in the kitchen. His perfect handwriting was on the small papers, and he told her where he was and how beautiful the day was. Looking back to the day he died, the day he went out to fence with his nice boots and hat, Ruth got a feeling something wasn’t right. He spent too long over a cup of coffee and his kiss felt different. When early afternoon came and she didn’t see her husband and horse, she got a very sick feeling something was wrong. She had to get to David. Juaquin and her took the Jeep and went to get her husband. He was several miles away by a broken, tumbleweed-tangled mess of a fence. The saddle was on the ground and David was leaning on it with his head down. His Stetson covered his face and it looked like he was just taking a nap. She knew he was gone. The cowboy had his notebook, pencil, and pocketknife on one side on him and some wire cutters on the other side. They gathered David up carefully and put him on the backseat of the old Jeep. Juaquin tried to put the saddle carefully back on Rosie but she would step away every time. Finally, Ruth lifted the heavy saddle and Rosie bent down as if to help her. Ruth got into the back of the Jeep and held her husband, cradling his head in her lap as they slowly moved for home. Rosie didn’t need to be tied to the car, she followed with her head down out of respect for her cowboy.
So here Ruth was, with the notebook in her hand. She put her cup down and started to read. It wasn’t about the fence or the ranch. It was about how beau
tiful the stars were that early morning and how much he loved her. Her eyes started to water as he apologized for leaving her like this but thought it was the best way to go. Ruth put the paper on the table and walked to their bedroom closet. On the shelf was his Stetson and the wooden box. She reached up and touched the Stetson lovingly and grabbed the box and took it into the kitchen.
She was going to just put the notes in the box, but when she opened it, it was full and there was no room. Ruth sat down with her coffee and began to read the notes. Amazingly, they were in order and David dated every single piece of paper. She used to laugh when he would put notebooks on her grocery list. They became so hard to get that she had to go to Colorado Springs to get them and stock him up. Now as she was reading, she cried, for in front of her was the story of his life. Some she knew and some she didn’t. This man was a delight and a mystery. The box was full of the gold that was his life and she was so glad she was a part of it.
As she read, she thought, He isn’t gone. He is just waiting. He and Rusty. Waiting for Old Dan, Rosie, Juaquin, and me.
The Winter's Trail Page 11