Tracie Peterson - [Heirs of Montana 04]

by The Hope Within

  David scurried toward the house like a tiny field mouse. He darted between the broken fence and a pile of discarded junk, calling to his mother as he went. “Ma! You’ll never guess what we’re havin’ for dinner.”

  Morgan laughed. The boy was more than a little enthused over their capture of the young buck. He hoped the animal’s youth would make it easy for the sick woman to digest.

  “Mr. Morgan! Come quick. I don’t think my ma is breathing!” David called suddenly.

  Morgan’s breath caught at the thought. He tossed the buck to the ground and headed to the cabin.

  “Hurry, mister. I think she’s dead!”

  A week after Chester Lawrence had been buried in Bozeman, Joshua made plans to return to Virginia City. As he gathered with the others at the ranch for the morning meal, he made his announcement.

  “I’ve been gone from the church long enough. I know there are good people who’ve been filling in for Ben and me, but with both of us gone … well, I feel as if I’ve left the sheep to stray.”

  Dianne chuckled and took her seat at the table while Ardith and Susannah finished bringing in platters of food. “I’m sure it must feel that way, but I would imagine they are fine. They can’t begrudge you the time to bury your father and deal with family business.”

  “Speaking of which,” Zane interjected, looking at Joshua, “the marshal told me he had a lead on your brothers. They were seen near Deadwood. I wouldn’t be surprised if they got caught soon.”

  “I hope so,” Elsa said. “They’re only going to cause folks more pain and misery. They were never anything but mean—through and through.”

  “So what about you, Elsa?” Dianne questioned. “Will you go back to the ranch and live? What about you, Joshua?”

  Both shook their heads. “I want no part of that place for myself,” Joshua replied. “It never gave me anything but sadness. I’d just as soon we sold it.”

  “That’s how I see it too,” Elsa said, then looked to Jamie with a grin. “After all, I intend to live here.”

  Everyone looked to the couple, and Jamie stammered to quickly add, “I’ve asked Elsa to marry me. We were hoping Joshua would stick around and do the job.”

  Joshua shook his head in wonder. “Two sisters married within a year. I would never have thought it possible.”

  “Well, we’ve always been taught to go after what we wanted,” Elsa said. “So I went after Jamie.” This brought laughter from everyone around the table.

  Joshua quickly sobered and looked to Koko and George. “What do you say about this? They are young. Elsa’s just turned twenty-one, and I know from what you’ve said that Jamie will be twenty in May.”

  “They love each other,” Koko replied. “That’s enough for me. They are good children with strong backs and loving hearts. They fear God and respect their elders. I think they’ll make a good match.”

  “I believe a love such as theirs should never be denied,” George said. “I won’t stand in their way.”

  “And what of their living here?” Joshua asked.

  “Where else would they want to live?” Koko said. “This was the ranch Jamie’s father always intended him to run.”

  Dianne thought for a moment on that statement. It was Jamie’s inheritance. Just as the farm in Kansas had been Cole’s. Only Dianne knew how deeply Bram had felt about this land and about his son inheriting the property. He had gone out of his way to make provision by making Dianne a partner on the deed. All so that Jamie wouldn’t lose his inheritance.

  “Well, this is exciting news,” Cole interjected. “But what of you, Zane? Would you and Mara be interested in taking over the Walking Horseshoe Ranch? After all, it’s as much Mara’s as it is Elsa’s or Joshua’s.”

  “I’ve no interest in ranching,” he said. “You know that. I am very interested, however, in this breakfast. Might we bless it and continue our discussion while we eat?”

  Cole laughed. “Of course we can.” He offered a quick prayer of thanks, then picked up a platter of ham. While he skewered several pieces, he continued. “Will you and Mara remain in Anaconda?” Zane was already busy ladling eggs onto his plate. “I don’t think so. With the baby coming, I want to get Mara to a place where the air is better and the town less rowdy. Marcus Daly would actually like me to consider working for him in Helena. He wants to see Anaconda become the capital of Montana when we finally achieve statehood. He thinks he can stir up enough folks in Helena to vote for this, but I seriously doubt it. William Clark is fighting equally hard to keep Helena the capital.”

  “Do politics interest you, Zane?” Dianne asked. She found it difficult to believe that her brother would hold any true desire for such a proposition.

  “Not exactly.” He took up the offered ham and helped himself. “I frankly like the line of work I’m already in. Freighting is a good business if you aren’t afraid of hard work. I’ve still got a few more years in me for hauling and lifting.” He grinned as Mara elbowed him.

  “He’d better. I intend for him to haul and lift our baby around. Maybe two or three babies,” she added boldly.

  “It would be wonderful to have you living close enough for visiting,” Elsa said hopefully. “Couldn’t you just move back to this area?”

  “Truth be told,” Cole began, “I was going to ask the same thing. I kind of had it in mind that you could take over my freighting business.”

  Zane looked up. “You mean, have me sell out in Anaconda and buy up your business in Virginia City?”

  “Why not?”

  “I just hadn’t considered it.”

  “Well, I wish you would,” Cole said thoughtfully. “There’s good work to be had, though maybe not as much as there was in Butte and Anaconda. You might even want to think about moving it all to Bozeman. That town has grown like a wildfire spreading. We could always check into the prospects of putting in a business there.”

  “That might work well,” Zane said. “It would definitely be worth checking into. When they closed down Fort Ellis, I wasn’t sure Bozeman would last. But the railroad and new settlers have definitely caused a boom. I’m betting they’ll be around for a long time.”

  Cole took a bowl of fried potatoes from Dianne and put a generous amount on his plate. “And I have another proposition to offer as well.”

  Dianne was greatly surprised by this. Cole had talked about getting out of the freighting business, for which she’d been quite glad, but she had no idea what else he would suggest.

  “Though I haven’t had a chance to settle plans with Dianne, I’d like to make the proposal nevertheless.” All gazes were fixed on Cole. Even the children seemed spellbound by what he had to say.

  “Well, don’t keep us waiting,” Koko said, laughing.

  Cole grinned. “I was just wondering if Joshua and his sisters would consider selling the Walking Horseshoe to me.”

  Dianne felt her stomach tighten. “Buy the Lawrence property? But why?”

  “A good question and here’s the answer. Joshua, Mara, and Elsa will most likely sell it anyway. There aren’t a whole lot of folks in this valley who could afford to pay a fair price for the cattle and the land. We’re in a position to do both. We could then split the cattle between us and the Diamond V and let the animals free-range all summer. Come fall, we can sell off the fattened steers and buy new animals. I don’t know what the ratio of steers to cows might be with your father’s herd,” Cole said, looking to Joshua, “but I think we might be able to make this work—and work well. We might also look into getting some sheep. The sheep didn’t suffer nearly as much this winter. They might be a good investment.”

  “I think it’s a wonderful idea,” Elsa declared. “I don’t want the ranch, but it would be nice to see someone I cared about living nearby.”

  “I think it’s a good idea as well,” Mara said, and she looked to Joshua. “What say you, brother?”

  Joshua concurred. “I think it would solve a lot of problems. We wouldn’t have to worry about findin
g a buyer or holding an auction. That’s always appealing. But wouldn’t there be a matter of clearing up the deed and such? I know there are debts owed. Debts that hold the property in lien.”

  “Which we would pay as part of the purchasing price,” Cole said.

  “Would there be enough money for that?” Dianne questioned. “You know I bought cattle last winter and took money from our account. I don’t know how many they’ll actually be able to bring us, what with the death of so much stock across the plains states as well as Texas.”

  “There’s more than enough,” Cole said. “I’ve already been figuring it all out on paper.” He passed the bowl of potatoes to Luke. “There would be a healthy amount of profit for each of you to split between yourselves. It would be a better price than you could get from anyone else—that’s for sure.” He looked to each of them. “I’ve been praying a great deal about this and would like you to pray as well.”

  “But what about the Diamond V?” Ardith asked. “This is your home.”

  Cole looked to Dianne. She saw the hopefulness in his eyes. She could see him questioning her silently as to whether she could ever call any other place home. Smiling, she knew why God had done such a work in her heart. “My home is wherever my family is,” Dianne said softly.

  Cole squeezed Dianne’s hand and looked back to the others. “The Diamond V belongs to Jamie by rights. I’d like to see him continue on here with his family, and perhaps there will come a time when it won’t matter that he has Indian blood and the place can be his in name as well.”

  Jamie looked stunned. He met Cole’s expression and shook his head. “But by law, it’s yours to take.”

  “Or to give,” Cole replied.

  Koko wiped tears from her eyes. Dianne smiled and caught George watching her. He smiled as well. It was a special moment—one that Dianne knew her uncle Bram would have relished. She and Cole had already talked about checking into possible ways to get Jamie’s name on the deed. The laws were changing all the time, and some even suggested that the laws had been misinterpreted to them. It was all a matter of working out the details, but it was possible that Jamie could be the legal owner of the Diamond V sooner than any of them suspected.

  “I don’t know what to say,” Jamie said. “I used to be so angry about the ranch. I couldn’t figure out why it was fair to keep a son from inheriting what his father always intended to leave him.” He looked specifically to Dianne. “You’ve always been fair—more than. I don’t want you to misjudge me. I never hated you or wished you gone.”

  Dianne met his eyes—they were a warm brown like his mother’s and father’s. She saw the gratitude and love expressed in Jamie’s face and couldn’t help but smile. “I know that, Jamie. You are too much like Bram. You couldn’t hate someone who was only trying to do whatever it took to protect you. Cole and I want the Diamond V to belong to you. We want you to raise your family here. To be as happy as we always were. I’ve always known it would be your inheritance—not mine.”

  Elsa leaned over and slipped her hand into Jamie’s. “We prayed about all of this. We prayed because Jamie wanted to someday run this ranch as his own. He worried that it was selfish, but I couldn’t see it that way.”

  Koko wiped her eyes again. “It wasn’t selfish, Jamie. It was your dream. Yours and your father’s.”

  Dianne warmed at the words. They were true, and her heart fairly rejoiced in the moment. It was hard to imagine starting over on the Walking Horseshoe Ranch, but she knew deep inside she could make the place her own. God had given her hope for their future. He’d shown her that no matter where she went or lived, He would be with her.

  She felt her old determination and strength return. I can take that ranch and make it my own. I can wipe away all the old and make it new. It can be a good home for my family and still close to Koko and the others. Dianne smiled and squared her shoulders. It seemed the perfect answer to their need—to their prayers.

  Morgan tried to rouse the sleeping woman. It was clear she was still alive, but just barely. “We need to get her to the doctor.” He pulled the covers around her and scooped her into his arms. “What’s your mother’s name?”

  “Molly. Molly Nelson,” David replied, looking fearful.

  “Molly,” Morgan called as he carried her to the door. “Molly, we’re taking you to Virginia City. We’re going to get you help.” He mounted the horse with the feather-light woman in his arms. Struggling to balance her against him, Morgan then reached down and helped David to climb up behind him.

  “She won’t like going to Virginia City,” David muttered.

  “Sometimes we have to do things to help people that they don’t particularly like. I can’t give your mother the help she needs,” he said, moving the horse out and back toward the trail that would take them into town. “She needs a doctor.”

  “Ain’t no money for a doctor. No one is gonna want to help her. She’s just gonna die.” There was such resignation in the boy’s voice that Morgan felt more determined than ever to see him through the crisis.

  “They’ll help, and I’ll pay for it. And I’ll go one step further: I’ll pray for your ma. She may not hold stock in it, but I do.”

  “If you think God will listen to you, mister, you pray as much as you want. My ma is all I got. I can’t lose her.”

  Morgan looked down at the deathly pale woman. “You hear that, Molly Nelson? You’ve got to live for your boy’s sake.” He barely whispered the words, but the woman stirred momentarily and opened her eyes. She held his gaze for only a heartbeat, then closed her eyes again. It gave Morgan all the encouragement he needed.

  “Hee-ya!” he called to the horse, nudging the beast with his heels at the same time. “Hold on, David!”

  “May I come in?” Ardith asked as she pushed open the front door to Dianne and Cole’s cabin.

  Dianne was alone, finishing forming up the last loaf of bread. “Sure. I’d love your company. I’m just putting the last pans of bread into the oven, and then I have to start a roast for supper.”

  Ardith closed the door behind her. “Winona is playing with the boys and Lia. They wanted to go down to the river to try to catch some fish, but I told them no. I hope that was all right.”

  “It’s more than all right. That river is swollen and running high. I don’t want any of them down there.” Dianne straightened and closed the oven door. “There.” She looked at the clock. “I suppose I have time to share a cup of coffee with you. There’s some left over from breakfast.”

  “No, thank you. You go ahead if you like.”

  “I’m not really of a mind to have any either. Why don’t we sit for a minute?” She led Ardith to the sitting area of the main room. “Times certainly are different from when you first came here. I can’t even offer you a decent stuffed chair.”

  “I don’t mind,” Ardith said. “I had plenty of luxury in New York.”

  “I can’t even begin to imagine,” Dianne said. “Did you wear silk all the time?”

  Ardith laughed. “Silk, velvet, sateen. Each gown was more luxurious than the last. Such opulence seemed almost sinful. The people seemed to cling to their things and the value of each piece.”

  “That’s sad. Not that they enjoyed fine things, but that they would make it the focus of their lives.”

  “You don’t know the half of it. So much money was spent on things that were here one minute and gone the next. Why, I was at one party where the hostess, I’m told, spent one hundred dollars to have several ice sculptures created as decoration for her tables. The silly things melted away by the end of the evening. All I could think about was that her money was dissolving before my very eyes.”

  “I can’t even imagine such nonsense. Still,” Dianne said with a laugh, “some nice stuffed furniture would be a wonderful change. We weren’t able to get much before we came out last winter.”

  “This is perfectly fine. Stuffed furniture is nice to be sure, but it didn’t satisfy or meet my needs then, so I can’t
imagine it would now.”

  “So what are your needs?”

  Ardith sat opposite her sister and fidgeted with her hands. “That’s why I’m here. I wanted to ask you something. I know it’s probably a lot to ask, and you can of course say no, but—” “Goodness, Ardith, just ask. You’ve no reason to think you can’t approach me about anything.”

  She looked up with a slight smile. “I wondered if Winona and I could come and live with you and Cole when you take over the Walking Horseshoe. I don’t want to go back to Virginia City, and I don’t want to stay here.”

  “You silly goose, of course you may come with us. We’d already planned for that. I figured you’d want Winona to be around the children. Besides, if we all leave here, then Jamie and Elsa can have this cabin for their new home.”

  A look akin to relief washed over Ardith’s face. “I know I’ve made some poor decisions in the past, but I’m striving to make better ones now. I feel that God must surely make a way for even us stubborn children.”

  Dianne laughed. “I hope so. I’m among His worst in that area. The Walking Horseshoe has a huge house. There is no reason we can’t all live there quite happily, so put your mind to rest. That isn’t a poor decision—it’s a perfect one.”

  “I’m so glad you understand. I’m blessed that you’ve been willing to take care of us since Levi’s death—well, even before our marriage you were there. I’ll work hard to help you at the new place.”

  “I appreciate that,” Dianne said softly. “I love having you and Winona around. Never forget that.”

  “Cole might feel differently.”

  “He might, but he doesn’t,” Dianne said with a smile. “We’ve already talked about all of this. Once things are settled on the Lawrence estate, we’ll ride over and check out the place. We’ll make a list of what we need and get to work on the house. It shouldn’t be in too bad of order. The cook and housekeeper are still there, and Joshua said they’d just as soon stay on and work for us if we’re interested.”

  “So we’re starting all over again,” Ardith said matter-of-factly.