“You need to be layin’ in supplies here in the main house,” Gus said. “Water too. We need to be able to dig in and wait out anything that comes our way.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to send the women and children away?” Portia asked.
“Where would you suggest we send them?” Cole replied. “Hostiles have been reported in every area that surrounds this valley.”
Dianne frankly wanted to throttle the woman for even bringing up the idea of leaving. “You’re always free to go,” Dianne finally said. “I’ll give you the money and a horse.”
Portia paled considerably and looked down at the table. Perhaps she’ll finally be silent, Dianne thought.
“I think we need to work together in order to be safe and sound,” Faith said, putting her hand on Dianne’s arm. “We’ll be stronger if we stand as one instead of picking at each other.”
“Well said,” Cole agreed. “We’ve always known the elements could destroy us. A single blizzard could leave us destitute—a flood could ravage all we have. This is no different. We’re still making a stand against that which would destroy us.”
“We’ve gotta stand together,” Gus said. “It won’t work any other way. Everyone here has a part to play in keepin’ others and Themselves safe. Ain’t no time for doin’ things halfway.”
“I want the women and children to stay indoors,” Cole said firmly. “Malachi, I want you and Faith to move up here with the children. No sense waiting until the last minute. If danger comes, it’ll come quickly. You can stay in one of the rooms in our wing. Levi, we can use another man at the house. I’d like you to move in here as well. We’ll figure out where to put you later, but for now—”
“Negroes living here—with us?” Portia questioned indignantly.
“I’ve had a lot of folks living here—with us,” Dianne said angrily. “At least the Montgomerys are good friends.” This seemed to silence Portia momentarily, but Dianne knew it probably wouldn’t be the last outburst they would have from her.
“What about Ben and Charity?” Dianne questioned. “They should come too.”
Cole frowned at the interruption. “I’ve already planned for them as well. Ben and Charity will move into Luke’s room and he can come back into our room.”
Dianne’s mind whirled at the thought of all that her uncle had worked so hard to build being at the hands of someone who would seek to destroy it. “Can’t we hire more men—post a guard around the immediate yard—the barns and corrals?”
“Yes, what about men standing guard outside?” Koko asked.
“Yes,” Portia agreed.
Cole shifted, looking uncomfortable. “Gus, Trenton, and I discussed this and have provisions for seeing to a perimeter around the immediate grounds. I have this under control, so hear me out.” The words were addressed to the group, but Dianne knew they were mainly intended for her. She hadn’t meant to question Cole and embarrass him in front of everyone else.
“The house will be crowded, the fit tight at times. But again, we must work together. Ben and Levi will be here at the house most of the time. Malachi will be no farther than the barns. We’ll move some of his equipment up so he can continue with his work. This ranch still has to be maintained—it won’t stop just because of the Indians.
“Faith, you’ll need to continue preparing meals for the boys, as usual, only you’ll do it from here.”
“Did it before, don’t see any reason why it won’t work that way again,” Faith declared, trying to sound cheerful.
“Charity, I’d be much obliged if you and Ardith would work out an arrangement for a nursery. Faith needs to be able to work on the meals, and Koko and Dianne need to be free to shoot and defend the place if it comes to that. I’d like the children set up in the far back room. Susannah and Jamie can help you.”
“I’m a man. I shouldn’t be with the children,” protested ten-year-old Jamie.
“You are a man, although a very young one,” Cole replied. “I’m counting on you as one of my house guards. You’ll be the nursery guard. It’ll be your job to watch for danger and keep the women and babies safe.”
Jamie seemed to like the sound of this, as he squared his shoulders and his expression calmed to one of serious contemplation. Apparently Cole had reached through the boy’s pride.
“What am I supposed to do?” It was Portia again.
“I’d like you to help Faith in the kitchen. She’s going to have the job of feeding all of us and will need the help.”
“You can’t be serious. You want me to work with … with her?” Portia was obviously disgusted by the idea. “I won’t work with Negroes. It’s bad enough to have them in the house—living under the same roof.”
Dianne opened her mouth to reply, but Cole threw her a look that silenced her. “Portia,” he said, turning to face her, “you forget your place.”
“And your manners,” Dianne muttered just loud enough to be heard.
“These are desperate times. We must work together as stated earlier. You will cooperate with my directions or you will need to leave and go elsewhere. Do you understand?” Cole asked.
“So if I don’t do things your way, I’ll be thrown out? That hardly seems the Christian thing to do,” Portia said, her words dripping sarcasm.
“Neither is it Christian to condemn a person for the color of her skin,” Cole said frankly. “We need every man and woman here to see us through this crisis. Either you stand with us—or you stand against us. If you’re against us, you’re no better than the enemy we’re fighting against. I won’t have the enemy inside my own home—do you understand me?”
Portia surprised Dianne by turning all teary. “I’m so sorry. It’s just terrifying me. I can’t think straight.”
“It’s understandable, but you need to stand firm,” Cole said. “We all need to stand firm. There’s no telling what might happen tomorrow, but if we hold on together, we’ll stand a better chance of dealing with it … whatever it may be.”
The meeting left Portia feeling more than a little bit angry. She returned to her room, slammed the door shut, and tried to figure out what course to take next. She longed for a bottle of whiskey, something to drown her sorrows and frustrations in.
“They’ve all gone mad,” she murmured. She was a prisoner in a strange sort of asylum, and everyone was insane except for her.
“I’ll make them all pay for this one day. Just see if I don’t.”
For a moment she considered Dianne’s offer of money and a horse. Perhaps she could ride the horse to Virginia City, then sell the beast and have enough money for a stage to Corrine and Then the train to Denver. Denver had been a nice town with decent prospects.
“But if the Indians truly are coming this way, the stage might not even be leaving Virginia City … or coming there.”
She walked to the window and stared out on the corrals below. “I’m trapped. Trapped and helpless to remove myself.” Portia rested her forehead on the pane. “There has to be another answer. There has to be another way.”
CHAPTER 8
AUGUST WAS UPON THEM, AND THE DAYTIME HEAT LEFT THE men and animals parched and weary. Life in the mountains of the Montana Territory was an exercise in adaptability. The days could be blistering hot, while the nights could send you to huddle in your blankets.
Zane felt that kind of chill even now. His men felt it too. They were wrapped up in blankets trying desperately to sleep and prepare themselves for the encounter with the Nez Perce. Zane wasn’t sure if it was the discomfort of the cold or the events to come that caused such mass insomnia.
The Indians had been making constant progress toward the east since thwarting the army’s efforts to keep them contained in Idaho. They’d moved steadily through the Bitterroot Valley and were now camped in the Big Hole Meadows. The soldiers had worried that perhaps the band would double back into Idaho, leading them on a wild chase that would perhaps end in a trap. But scouts returned with word that the Nez Perce had indeed crossed the
Continental Divide and were headed east.
Zane didn’t like the sound of that. Straight east would lead The Indians into the area of his sister’s ranch. There was no time to warn her or the others that resided along the way. It made him all the more desperate for the army to continue to close the lead on the tribe and take them under control.
Now as they waited restlessly for dawn to make their move on the Nez Perce camp, Zane couldn’t help but relive so many other attacks. The anticipation of what was to come was both exhilarating and sickening. He knew there was within this tribe a group of men responsible for murdering white settlers. He knew too that these men—if not the entire group of Nez Perce—would not come back willingly to the reservation and a white man’s court.
“Lieutenant Chadwick,” a voice whispered, “rally your men.” It was Zane’s captain.
“Yes, sir.” Zane sat up stiffly. The night cold had put an ache in his joints.
“Leave everything that is nonessential to combat,” the captain further instructed. “Leave the blanket rolls, overcoats, extra clothes. Leave it all. We’ll be back soon enough for it.”
Zane roused his troops and instructed them. “If we can take them by surprise, then maybe no one needs to get hurt.”
“You mean no one on our side, right, Lieutenant?” one of his men asked with humor in his tone. Zane said nothing.
They all went on foot, with exception to Colonel Gibbon and Adjutant Woodruff. Moving down Trail Creek, they turned to follow the low foothills. Zane quickly caught sight of the Indian fires. They’d found the camp—just as they had known they would.
Halting before reaching the watery slough that separated them from the camp, the soldiers waited in silence until exactly four o’clock—at least that was the best reading Zane could make of his pocket watch. The skirmish line then headed out through a swampy area of cold water that reached waist deep for some men. Beyond this, willow brush caused the men to break the line. A dangerous situation, Zane noted, but there was nothing to be done about it.
He heard his heart pounding in his ears as the troops advanced. Zane had hoped they would strive to negotiate with Chief Joseph and the other chiefs, but the army was bent on complete control. No compromise. No parley.
Without warning, four shots rang out. And then the destruction was certain. Guns fired from up ahead. Zane’s men advanced at a more rapid pace, stopping just short of the camp. Crouching, they waited momentarily as one of the other companies moved in ahead of them.
“Fire into the tepees, low and steady boys. We’ll catch ’em while they sleep,” someone called out.
Zane stood and motioned to his men. He’d barely taken a step forward, however, when he felt a rock hit his head. At least it felt like a rock. But as his vision blurred and white searing pain poured down over his face, Zane knew he’d been shot. In another second, he took two bullets in the leg before blackness overcame him.
For all of their precautions around the ranch, no one was more surprised than Cole when Koko’s brother, Takes Many Horses, made his way into the house unannounced and unseen.
At the sight of the Blackfoot warrior, Faith cried out and dropped the pan she’d been greasing. “Oh, you gave me a start,” she exclaimed. “I didn’t recognize you for a moment.”
Dianne was snapping beans at the table and had nearly jumped from her chair when Faith hollered out. “We weren’t expecting you,” she said in greeting. The tremor in her voice, however, left no doubt that she had been just as shaken as Faith.
Takes Many Horses frowned. “I’m sorry for scaring you. I’m on my way north.”
“I thought you were already up North,” Dianne said, putting her work aside. “Are you hungry?”
Faith retrieved her pan as Portia rushed into the room with a revolver. She pointed it directly at Takes Many Horses. “I’ll kill the heathen—get out of my way, Dianne!”
Dianne put herself between Portia and Takes Many Horses. “You will do no such thing. This is Koko’s brother.”
Portia’s expression hardened. “It doesn’t matter. He’s Indian.”
“Put the gun down, Portia,” Cole said as he came into the kitchen behind Takes Many Horses. He appeared completely unmoved by the scene. “Go about your business, Portia.”
The woman seemed particularly annoyed to be dismissed. Dianne couldn’t help but be proud of the way Cole took charge of the situation. She moved to stand between her husband and Koko’s brother. “I’m sure you have plenty of mending to do since Faith doesn’t need your help here,” Dianne announced.
Portia finally turned to leave. “Doesn’t seem we have very good protection if an Indian can walk right into our kitchen,” she muttered as she exited the room.
Dianne hadn’t had time to consider that fact. She looked to Cole and shook her head. “We don’t have very good protection, do we?”
“I saw your riders,” Takes Many Horses said before Cole could reply. “Is something wrong?”
“The Nez Perce are warring, and of course Sitting Bull and his people have yet to be captured. Rumor has it that there isn’t a tribe in all of the territory that doesn’t plan to kill us in our sleep,” Cole answered. “We had hoped to set up a perimeter of guards to keep an eye out for attack.”
“If attack comes from an entire nation you’ll probably have plenty of warning,” Takes Many Horses said with a grin. “If it’s just a few men like me, you’ll be hard-pressed to catch them.”
“And a few men like you could burn us to the ground and leave us all for dead,” Dianne said without thinking.
“I didn’t know you thought so poorly of me,” the Blackfoot replied with a sly smile.
“You know what I meant,” Dianne replied. “You have stealth and years of experience in sneaking around places. Most Indians train in the same manner.”
“Well, I won’t be here long. I need to push on. The army is after me—heading this way.”
“Is it Zane’s regiment?” Dianne asked hopefully.
“I don’t know. They’ve been after me for two weeks now. I’m considered hostile, you know.” He smiled in his lopsided manner.
“Why are you here?” Cole asked.
“I need supplies, and I wanted to see Koko.”
“I’ll put some things together,” Faith said, hurrying to the pantry.
“Koko’s in the back. I’ll show you the way,” Dianne said. She caught Cole’s expression and could tell he wasn’t pleased to have this latest guest. She wondered if he worried about how it would look—especially when the army showed up. “You’re in luck. She’s alone. My sister is elsewhere, so you won’t disturb her.”
“I don’t understand,” Takes Many Horses said.
Dianne shook her head. “There isn’t time for you to understand at this point. I’ll explain later.”
There wasn’t much time to consider such worries, however. Takes Many Horses’ visit was brief—no more than an hour. Koko longed for him to stay, as did Jamie, who absolutely admired his uncle. All the while, Dianne prayed Ardith would stay where she was helping Charity braid rugs. She feared that seeing Takes Many Horses would set the poor girl into nightmarish fits.
“I have to leave. The army will be here within a day—maybe two.”
“I wish I could go with you,” Jamie said, pouting.
“You need to stay and take care of your mother and sister,” Takes Many Horses admonished. “They’ll need you to be strong in the days to come.”
They all walked outside to bid Takes Many Horses good-bye.
He seemed reluctant to leave, but Dianne knew he would disappear as quickly as he’d come. He didn’t want to bring trouble upon the ranch, and no doubt he already felt guilty for even coming.
“If one of the horses disappears from the far corral,” Cole said in a hushed voice, “I won’t worry about it. Especially the black—he’s especially fast.”
Takes Many Horses met his eyes and nodded. Dianne could only pray that all of her men had gotten word t
hat this man was friendly and not the scout of some war party.
“Thank you for your help,” Takes Many Horses said to the group, but his gaze was fixed on Dianne. “I needed to see my family, but I’m sorry if I’ve put you all at risk with the army.”
“We’ll be fine. Just get on out of here before they show up,” Cole said sternly.
A day and a half later, the army showed up as Takes Many Horses had predicted. Dianne was relieved that it was not yet seven o’clock in the morning. Portia wouldn’t be up yet to comment to them about Takes Many Horses’ arrival.
“Hello,” Dianne said, meeting the small group of mounted cavalry. She held a rifle in front of her and tried to appear completely calm. Cole and some of the men hurried to the house as the captain began questioning Dianne.
“We’re on the trail of a renegade band of Blackfoot.”
“I’ve seen no band of renegade Blackfoot,” Dianne answered honestly.
“We tracked at least one man to this ranch.”
“One man?” Cole asked. “The army has time to chase after a single man?”
By this time Koko and her children, along with Ardith and Winona, had come to the porch to join Dianne.
“This woman is a squaw and a renegade,” the captain announced, pointing to Koko. “She and her children must come with us. One of my men will return her to the reservation.”
“I beg your pardon,” Dianne said, casting a glance at Koko. The woman looked positively thunderstruck, while Jamie seemed prepared to do battle. Dianne threw him a cautioning gaze before turning back to the captain. “This is my aunt. You won’t take her anywhere.”
Winona toddled from where Ardith had placed her on the porch. She’d only learned to walk on her first birthday, but already she was getting into everything. The captain motioned to a corporal at his left. “Take that child. She’s a hostile.”
Koko stepped between Winona and the approaching soldier. She said nothing, but the look she gave the man stopped him in his tracks.
“Captain?” the man asked, looking to his leader.
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