Tracie Peterson - [Heirs of Montana 04]

by The Hope Within

  “I hope you know you’re both welcome to come back and stay with us.” Dianne knew she was saying it more to Angelina in case things did go wrong, but she meant it for her brother as well.

  “The ranch doesn’t look the same to be sure,” Trenton said, nodding toward the valley.

  “You don’t know the half of it,” Dianne said, laughing. “Cole and I now own the Walking Horseshoe.”

  “What happened to Lawrence and his boys?”

  “Chester is dead, and Jerrod and Roy were hanged for their crimes, including what they did to you and Sam.”

  “I see.” Trenton nodded thoughtfully. “I hope God had mercy on them.”

  “After what they did to you, I’d say that’s a very generous thought,” Dianne said softly.

  “Forgiveness is important. It makes all the difference in how a person can move forward with his own life. I had to learn to forgive.”

  “I did too,” Dianne said. “It hasn’t been easy, and in fact, I know I’m still working through matters where the Lawrences are concerned. Though I desire to put it behind me, my human nature is very protective of my loved ones.”

  “So what happened to the others? Weren’t there some girls and another boy in the family?” Trenton asked.

  Dianne laughed. “We have a lot to catch up on.” It had been over three years since Trenton had written, and Dianne had had no way to share all the details with him since he and Angelina had last moved. “Come on. Let’s go join the others. We can talk all night if need be.”

  The valley was strangely quiet as Trenton and Dianne stepped out onto the porch to talk. It was late, but they’d had little opportunity to be alone. Trenton looked at his sister and shook his head.

  “So much has changed. We’ve all changed.”

  “To be sure. I hope you’ll stop in Virginia City to see Zane and his family before you head on.”

  “Oh, I will. I wish we could catch up with Morgan too, but that sounds impossible.”

  “He’s always working. His guide business keeps him busy nearly year round. Sometimes he and David come here in the winter to rest up.”

  “It’s hard to imagine Morgan being a father, but from what you said it sounds like he and David are quite close.”

  “Close enough the boy wanted to have Morgan adopt him proper-like. He’s a sweet boy. I can’t say I wasn’t shocked when Morgan first showed up with him, but now it seems David has always been a part of the family. He just turned sixteen, you know.”

  “I keep thinking about you when you were sixteen. Remember how you bullied us all into going west?”

  Dianne turned up the lantern on the porch so she could better see her brother. “Bullied? I didn’t bully anyone. I merely encouraged.”

  Trenton laughed heartily. “Your encouragement left little room for negotiation.”

  She shrugged. “It seemed the right thing to do.”

  “And so it was. I can’t help but think of how different my life might have been if I would have joined you.”

  “I know,” she said, her voice betraying her regret. “I’ve often thought of that myself. I know you’ve seen too much of the ugly side of life. I can’t even imagine, nor do I try to.”

  “That’s good, because it would serve no purpose. At least no good purpose.” Trenton moved to the porch rail and sat down on it. He breathed in deeply. “I really like it here. I love this time of night when everything has settled down. I could lose myself in it.”

  “I know exactly what you mean.” She sighed and leaned against the rail next to him. “Sometimes I can’t help but wonder who I would have been if I’d never come here.”

  “Oh, you’d probably be married to Robbie Danssen and still living in New Madrid. Maybe running the general store. Or maybe Robbie would run for senator like his pa.”

  “Maybe.” Dianne knew it wouldn’t be a life she’d want, however. “Don’t you find it amazing that God could somehow work everything out to put us here? I mean, there we were born back East and all our family lived there except for Uncle Bram. Most folks never travel farther than ten or twenty miles from home in all their lifetime. Then we up and move hundreds, even thousands, of miles away. I’m still dumbfounded by that at times.”

  “I know. And I’ve learned I can’t live with regrets—that’s why I have to go back and try to make amends. I know I’m not guilty of most of the things the law might try to pin on me, but I have to try to make it right.”

  “Are you … afraid?” she asked hesitantly.

  Trenton didn’t answer for a moment, and Dianne worried that she’d said the wrong thing. She was about to apologize when he spoke.

  “I do get anxious about it sometimes. I just turn it back over to God, though. I can’t let my imagination take over. Otherwise, I’d see myself convicted and hanged before I had a chance at getting the pardon.” He shook his head. “I don’t deserve a pardon. I let innocent people die.”

  “Could you have stopped it?”

  “I doubt it. I mean, the Wilson brothers were meaner than anybody I’ve ever met. They didn’t care anything about life—not even their own lives—or else they wouldn’t have lived as they did.”

  “I’m so sorry that had to be a part of your life.”

  “It didn’t have to be,” Trenton admitted. “I made mistakes and deliberately took the wrong path at times. I kept justifying it to myself, but it always came back around to sin. Now those consequences are mine to bear. Even if it takes my life, I’ll have a clear conscience before God.”

  Dianne admired him more than she could say. “You know I’ll be praying. God will honor your obedience. Things may not turn out exactly as we hope, but I trust God to make them turn out the way He wants them to be.”

  “That’s the way I see it too. I do hope …” He paused for a moment. “I hope you’ll take care of Angelina if things go bad for me. She has family, of course, but I think she’d rather be amongst my kin.”

  “You know that she’ll always have a home with us.” Dianne fought the tears that threatened to come. “Always.”

  “I appreciate that. I can rest easy knowing she’ll be cared for.”

  She turned to her brother and hugged him tight. “I’m so glad for this time, Trenton. I miss the closeness we once shared, but I’m thankful that I have that now with Cole and you have it with Angelina.”

  “We’ll always have a special bond,” he said. “There will always be a part of me that wishes for those late night talks we used to have.” He grinned as Dianne stepped back. “I’ll bet you keep Cole up all night like you used to do with me.”

  She laughed, feeling much better about her brother’s situation. “Not all night,” she mused. “Just half of it.”

  CHAPTER 30

  “IT’S OFFICIAL!” A MAN DECLARED, WAVING A TELEGRAM LIKE a flag. “Montana has just become the forty-first state in the Union!”

  The crowd awaiting the news cheered wildly, and a nearby band struck up a lively rendition of a Sousa march. People began dancing, do-si-doing in the streets of Helena.

  “Sure seems like a lot of ruckus,” David said, looking to Morgan.

  “I guess so. Guess November eighth will go down in the history books as being mighty important.”

  “So what happens now?” David asked as they maneuvered through the crowd and back to their hotel.

  “I don’t know. I guess we go on doing what we’ve been doing.”

  David laughed. “Sure seems like a lot of fuss.”

  “It’s a good thing, I’m sure of that,” Morgan said thoughtfully. “Being a part of the United States, having all the rights of a full state, is beneficial for Montana.”

  “But how does that change things for us?”

  Morgan looked to the boy, amazed that they now stood eye to eye. David had grown tall and lean, filling out into a strong, well-muscled young man. “I don’t know that we’ll see changes for us—at least not right away. I suppose if we owned land or were settled in just one place, we mig
ht see more of an impact. I guess we’ll have to bide our time to know for sure.”

  “We still going to Dianne’s next week?”

  They made it to their hotel, and Morgan stopped for a moment to look up at the two-story structure. “I don’t think we should wait. Weather’s been acting up, and who knows what next week will bring. Besides, my sister’s birthday is coming right up. I think we should buy her a present, then grab our gear and head out. What say you?”

  David grinned. “I say let’s go. I like your sister’s cooking. It’s a sight better than ours. And her beds ain’t buggy like they are here.”

  Morgan laughed. “That’s for sure.” There was something very satisfying in the thought of being with family again. “You go get our things. I’ll pay the bill.” David darted into the hotel without another word, but Morgan paused as the band struck up another tune. This time it was “Dixie.” So many Southerners had come to Montana after the war. He wasn’t surprised at all to hear the old song.

  That tune made him think of the war and the reason they’d come west in the first place. He’s always figured to get a job with the government—exploring and maybe making maps. But instead, his time with the government had passed, and he now found himself content to lead easterners on wilderness sojourns and hunting expeditions.

  The music played on, and Morgan remembered the words to the tune. “Old times there are not forgotten.” He supposed he’d never forget his upbringing—his mother and father. There were some wonderful memories of childhood that Morgan would always hold dear. He hoped he’d given David some memories that were just as good. For sure he knew he’d given David a sense of family and home. That was something that couldn’t be bought or taken by force.

  He smiled. He loved David as a son—and in fact had made him that legally. He might not have married the woman he loved or known what it was to hold his own baby, but he and David shared a powerful bond that had been borne out of loneliness and desperation. It was rather like the same things that had brought Morgan to God. He laughed. “I don’t regret either decision.”

  “I hope we can get the house finished before Ben and Charity get here,” Dianne told Cole as he and the boys headed out to work. The November winds had brought a numbing cold to the land, and Dianne was grateful for the warmth of her wool shawl.

  “Zane should be bringing them in today,” Cole said as he pulled on his gloves. “There isn’t a whole lot left to do, but with Zane’s help, we ought to make the place at least livable. We can always do some of the trimming up later in spring.”

  “I’m so glad they’ve agreed to come live with us,” Dianne said, following Cole across the yard to where the small house stood. “I hope they like what we’ve done.”

  “You know Ben and Charity. They could be happy in a shack in the middle of nowhere, as long as they had each other.”

  “That’s true enough, but Ben’s health is slipping fast, and they may not have each other for long. Sometimes that’s hard to imagine. I think about it for us as well. I don’t like the idea of either one of us dying and leaving the other behind.”

  Cole stopped and turned. “You worry too much, wife of mine.” He leaned down and placed a kiss on her cheek. “It’s all a matter of God’s timing. Who are we to question it?”

  “I know,” she said softly. “It’s the way life is.”

  “But because life is like that,” he replied, “we simply need to appreciate what God has given us—who God has given us—and do our best each day. We certainly can’t live in the regrets of yesterday or the worries of tomorrow.”

  Dianne nodded, trying to push her thoughts aside. She would have whatever time God allotted her. Both for her life and the lives of her friends and family. Either she trusted Him with those lives or she didn’t.

  “Look, Pa! Zane’s comin’,” Luke called from atop the small house. He and his brothers were already working to finish up with the shingles.

  “No doubt Ben and Charity will be exhausted and cold. I’ll get some tea on,” Dianne said. She leaned up on tiptoes, and Cole met her lips with his own. “Be careful,” she whispered before turning to the house.

  It wasn’t long before Dianne found herself seated at her dining table with Ben and Charity. She offered them freshly baked bread and butter, along with their tea.

  “I’m sorry I don’t have any cookies. The children exhausted our supply yesterday.”

  “Well, I can certainly help with that,” seventy-seven-year-old Charity declared.

  “And I can help too,” Ben threw in. “Eat them, that is.”

  Dianne laughed. “I get plenty of help from Cole as well.”

  “I’d love to help with your chores,” Charity said, growing serious. “We’re much obliged to you taking us on here. Obviously there was never much money to put aside for our later years.”

  “I’m honored for the opportunity. I miss having my parents to care for. I know we’ll have lots of time for talking and sewing,” Dianne said, pouring more tea into her cup. “And I think it will be a blessing for the children to have you here. Oh, did I tell you that Cole’s mother went to live with one of his sisters?”

  “No,” Charity replied, shaking her head. “I would imagine Cole is glad for that.”

  “I think he is relieved. His mother wrote him saying that she couldn’t abide someone else farming the land. Personally, I think she finally realized Cole wasn’t coming back and that the farm had no hold on him.”

  “But she knew he’d sold the property,” Charity said. “Why would she wait two years for something that could never be?”

  Dianne shrugged. “I really don’t know. She’s certainly stubborn. I wrote her a while back and apologized for anything I’d done to offend her. I told her I was sorry that we hadn’t been better friends and hoped that maybe we could be in the future. I thought maybe in hindsight she’d write to apologize, but she never has. I suppose some people simply can’t or won’t change.”

  Ben picked up a second piece of warm bread and began slathering it in butter and jam. “Hard hearts aren’t easily softened.”

  “No, they aren’t. I can testify to that firsthand,” Dianne said, still sometimes feeling a twinge of guilt for the way she’d comported herself with Cole’s mother. “Only God has the ability to do the job right.”

  They fell silent and continued eating. Dianne often wondered if there might still be some way to reach Cole’s mother, but so far she’d not come up with anything.

  “So you’ve no doubt heard we’re finally a state,” Charity submitted.

  “Oh, yes. Several of the cowhands were in Bozeman for the celebration. I guess it was a grand time.”

  “In Virginia City, too,” Ben said. “It’s a wonderful thing for us. For the country too. There will no doubt be more folks who will come west to settle now.”

  “New people and new problems,” Dianne said, not at all enthused about what it might mean.

  “Still, it would be nice to have things grow a little,” Charity said. “I mean, wouldn’t it be useful to you to have a town nearby that you could make a quick trip to without having to spend days on the road?”

  “Certainly, but I also cherish the simplicity and privacy we have.” Dianne shrugged. “I’ve lived in cities, and I don’t think a whole lot of them.”

  “Ma! Ma, come quick! Uncle Morgan and David are headin’ in!” John called.

  “Uncle Morgan’s coming!” Lia announced as she burst through the front door. She had become quite the belle of the family. She looked completely feminine in her pink gingham coat. Her brothers doted on her as if she were their favorite pet, and Lia enjoyed their attention.

  “I thought he might come in a week or two. That’s what his last letter indicated,” Dianne said, getting to her feet. “You two go ahead and enjoy your rest. I’ll go greet the travelers.”

  She took her shawl from the back door peg and walked outside with Lia bouncing up and down at her side. The child seemed to skip or run everywhere
she went.

  Dianne waved to Morgan and David as they rode up the lane. They waved back and urged their horses into a trot.

  “We didn’t expect you so early, but you know you’re welcome!” Dianne called as they came to the hitching post.

  They dismounted quickly, but instead of tying the horses up, Morgan instructed David to take them to the barn. “If that’s all right with you,” he said, looking to Dianne.

  “You know it is. You’d best hurry too. From the looks of the clouds, I’m betting we’ll have snow before much longer.” She looked to see that the shingling of Ben and Charity’s house was finally complete. “The men are inside the new house,” she said, motioning. “Zane’s here. He brought Ben and Charity up. That’s going to be their place.”

  “You gonna build one for me when I get too old to guide folks around the mountains?” Morgan teased.

  “You bet I will,” Dianne said, hands on hips. “I’ll build one for you and one for Zane and one for Trenton.”

  “Speaking of which, has there been any news?”

  “None to speak of—not since the last letter Angelina wrote. They met with the governor, and the response was good. He seemed to believe the witnesses and understand the circumstances. Our friend Senator Danssen has been extremely helpful, and people seem to hold his word in highest esteem. Angelina believes they’ll drop the old conviction of murder. At least that was how she read things.”

  “Good. We’ve been praying that it would be so.”

  She hugged her shawl closer as the wind picked up. Gazing to the west, she could see that the clouds had grown dark. “If you and David want to come warm up by the fire, that would be fine. If you’d rather go visit with the boys, feel free to do that. Dinner won’t be for another hour or so. I’m going to fry up some chickens we killed this morning.”

  “You sure know how to treat a fellow,” Morgan said, stepping closer to kiss Dianne on the cheek. “Sure glad you’re my sister.”