Tracie Peterson - [Heirs of Montana 04]

by The Hope Within

  “I am too,” she replied. It was so good to have Morgan home. Even for a short while. “How long can you stay?”

  “The dudes have been scarce since the weather turned cold. I think we’re just going to take it easy this winter. I am getting older, you know.”

  She laughed. “Yes, I know. Same thing’s been happening to me.” She picked up her skirts. “Well, you know you’re welcome for as long as you like. Take the back two rooms like always, and bring me your dirty clothes.” She grinned and added, “And a bath wouldn’t hurt you either.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Morgan said, giving her a slight bow. “I’ll see to it.”

  Dianne giggled all the way back into the house.

  The snows held off, veering to the north and leaving them dry. The next day they celebrated Dianne’s forty-second birthday. She was completely surprised when Koko and George showed up with Jamie and Elsa. Susannah had long ago convinced her mother to send her to a finishing school in Denver, so she was the only one absent from the party.

  Koko, Ardith, and Charity created a wonderful supper, complete with a large chocolate cake, Dianne’s favorite. Adding to Dianne’s surprise were all the presents she received. Ardith and Winona, now as close as they ever had been, gave Dianne a new brush and mirror set. Ben and Charity had bought her a new George MacDonald book. Morgan and David surprised her with a bolt of cloth they’d purchased in Helena. It was a lovely shade of turquoise and had a delicate floral print. She thought it perfect for a new gown.

  Luke, Micah, and John had worked with their father to make a new china cabinet. The delicate piece amazed everyone at the party.

  “I can’t believe how much work you must have put in on this,” Dianne declared as the boys maneuvered it into place with Cole and Zane’s help.

  “We worked for about thirty years on it,” John said, causing everyone to laugh.

  Dianne had known there was to be a special gift from them, as Cole had often rounded the boys up after supper to go to the barn for their extra work. But the boys had been silent about the project, not even telling Lia.

  Lia had worked on a piece of embroidery with Dianne, telling her as they made the small table runner that it was for someone special. Dianne had presumed Lia would give it to Charity or Koko but was moved to tears when she opened the piece and realized she was the someone special.

  “Mara made this for you,” Zane announced as he handed Dianne a gift wrapped in brown paper.

  Dianne undid the string that held the package and was surprised to find a lovely white knitted shawl. “Oh, this is perfect. I’ve needed one just like this. Please tell her how much I love it.”

  Elsa and Jamie gave Dianne a little wooden box for trinkets, and Koko and George completed the celebration by giving Dianne new saddlebags. They were beautifully designed, tanned to a rich reddish brown, with decorative markings burned into the leather.

  “This is lovely,” Dianne said, holding up the bag to inspect it. “Thank you so much. I can see that a lot of hard work went into this.”

  “A lot of chewing leather,” George teased. It was their ongoing joke.

  Dianne grinned. “I hope you didn’t have to lower yourself to do women’s work, George.”

  “Not me. I did the designs.”

  “I hope you use them for many years to come,” Koko said.

  “Hear, hear,” Ben declared and raised his glass. “Many years of health to you, Dianne. Many years of blessings and happiness.”

  Dianne looked at her friends as they toasted her. She couldn’t have asked for better people with whom to share her life. She couldn’t have known more happiness than in that moment.

  “Speech! Speech!” her brothers chanted in unison.

  Dianne blushed and got to her feet. She looked down the long, very crowded table. This had once been the house of her enemy—a house of sadness and hatred. Now it was a home of love and friends.

  “Thank you all. You are such an important part of who I am,” she began. “For most of my life I’ve known all of you. For all of my life, I’ve known some of you.” They laughed and she couldn’t help but join them before continuing.

  “I’ve been blessed beyond all that I could have anticipated. My life hasn’t always been easy—the storms and trials have been difficult. So much so that at times I despaired of making it through. I can’t say that if I had the chance to do some things different, that I wouldn’t jump in and do it. There are things that I would have gladly changed—but you aren’t among those things.”

  She looked down the table at each person—the love they held for her evident in their faces. “We face a new era of statehood. A new life that is sure to bring changes. Some of those changes will be good, while others will be less beneficial. But most important, we’ll face them all together. There is nothing worse than to be in this world without a friend.” She looked to David, the newest member of their family, and smiled.

  “There’s nothing harder than to live without love.” She moved her gaze to Cole. He smiled, and his expression warmed her.

  “And there’s nothing more devastating than to live life without hope. The hope of Jesus—the hope within.”

  She looked to each of them and cherished the affection she found on their faces. This was her family—her life. They were the heirs of Montana. Heirs to a vast fortune of land and liberty and love.

  “To hope,” she said, lifting her glass.

  “To hope!” they cheered in unison.