Cheyenne Reckoning

by Vivi Holt

  It was time to go home to Paradise Valley.

  Ost twisted the wire around the fence post. He straightened, working the kinks out of his back, and set his hands on his hips to study the fence line. It looked straight and strong. Auger grazed in the distance, his tail swishing at a fly. The sun baked down on them and a damp heat rose from the green pasture. There were still a few more strands of barbed wire to fix and he studied them with a frown.

  He was getting fed up with the damage the cattle rustlers were doing, and still no one had caught them. They were too good at what they did. This was the same place the rustlers had taken down the fence the last time. They were moving the cattle down the Montana Trail and stealing from every ranch they came across along the way.

  He should follow the rustlers again. This time he had several hours of daylight left. He didn’t know how long it had been since they took the handful of cattle through the boundary, but even if they were long gone, he might be able to track them further than the last time to see where they were taking the animals. It might just be what the sheriff needed in order to catch the outlaws.

  He retrieved Auger from where he grazed and helped him carefully over the bottom wire of the fence, then mounted up and urged the horse forward. They followed the trail the same way as last time, and within an hour came to the same clearing. This time it stood empty, only bees buzzing over wildflowers and the occasional rustle of some animal scurrying to refuge broke the silence.

  Auger loped through the clearing and on to the other side where the trail started back up again. It wound through the woods, cresting on top of a small rise that overlooked the trail through the valley. He paused atop the rise and listened. Someone was coming.

  He pulled Auger off the trail and hid with the horse behind one of the sturdy junipers that populated the wood. Before long, he heard the hum of casual conversation. It hung in the air, stopped, then started up all over again. There was a tinkling laugh that made his eyes narrow. That sure didn’t sound like a cattle rustler – more like a little girl …

  A palomino horse rode into view and behind it a bay. There were two riders on the bay, and one looked small, like a child. Nope, not cattle rustlers – travelers of some kind. He clicked his tongue and Auger stepped out from behind the tree and walked slowly back to the trail. The palomino stopped and its rider studied Ost with a frown. His bearded face looked familiar and Ost’s gaze traveled from the man to the woman and child behind him and back again. “Dan?” he asked.

  The man’s face split into a wide smile. “Ost! What are ya doin’ out here?” He jumped from Goldy’s back and hurried over to greet him.

  Ost dismounted as well and the two men embraced. Dan slapped his back hard, and he remembered how any embrace with the older cowpuncher almost seemed to dislodge a rib. “I was just fixing the southeast boundary and thought I’d take a bit of a ride. What are you doing here?”

  “Comin’ home from Wyoming Territory.”

  “Well, it’s about time.” Ost’s gaze landed on the woman and he smiled at her. “And this is your bride you wrote Tom about?”

  She returned his smile shyly and the girl hid under her arm.

  Ost chuckled. “Hi,” he said.

  “Yep. This is my wife Claudine and our daughter Gracie.”

  Ost’s eyes widened. “Well, how about that. Pleased to meet ya, Claudine and Gracie.” He slapped Dan’s back. “Can’t believe you’re married. Everyone back at the ranch will be tickled to meet them. Come on, I’ll ride with you – I’m done for the day anyway.”

  “Are you?” asked Dan, one eyebrow arched. It was still early afternoon.

  “I am now.” Ost laughed and studied Dan’s face. The cow boss looked older somehow, his beard untrimmed and face tanned. His clothes, usually impeccably tidy, were worn and stained, and his hat had a hole in it. Ost couldn’t wait to hear what Dan had been up to all these months.

  Gracie ran around the ranch house, with Aurora close behind, holding her kite up in the air. The wind caught it and it sailed skyward, both girls watching and squealing with delight. Then they ran again, tugging it along behind them.

  Claudine studied them with a smile, her arms crossed. It was so good to see Gracie laughing and playing with another girl her age. It was something she’d learned to do at the settlement, though the children there were mostly younger. Claudine doubted she’d done much playing in her short life.

  Genny sat beside her on a rough-hewn chair and smiled. “It’s so good to have Dan back. And for him to bring a wife and daughter home with him – well, we’re all so excited and grateful.”

  Claudine’s cheeks flushed with warmth. She still hadn’t gotten used to Genny’s encouragement, and the others’ too. She now knew why Dan had been so intent on coming back to Paradise Ranch – it truly was his home. She’d been overwhelmed by the welcome they’d received when they arrived, as though they were members of the family. And when she’d asked Dan about it, he’d replied that the ranch was “one big ol’ family.” Just hearing that had warmed her heart – and scared her a little. She wasn’t sure how to be part of a family.

  Dan, Tom and Dusty soon joined them, carrying tin cups of cool water. They all sat as Jane followed behind, bringing a plate of cookies. She set the cookies on a table in the middle of the group and they each reached for one. “So, Dan, can you tell us now what you’ve been up to all this time?” asked Dusty with a grin. “Besides the obvious.”

  Dan glanced at Claudine. “I will, I promise. In time. But for now, we’re just glad to be home.”

  “And married!” said Jane with a little frown. “I love weddings. I do wish we’d gotten to attend yours.”

  Dan shrugged. “Sorry, Jane. You’ll just have to make do with imaginin’ it, I guess.” He laughed.

  “We could still have a party,” suggested Genny.

  “Yes, we could!” agreed Jane, clapping her hands.

  “A party?” asked Tom, taking a bite of cookie.

  “To celebrate their wedding,” Genny clarified.

  “But it was months ago,” protested Claudine.

  Genny gently took her hand. “Yes, but it’s still worth celebrating. And we’d really love to celebrate it with you. If you want.”

  Claudine inhaled deeply, unsure of what to say. “That would be lovely. If it’s not too much trouble …”

  Dan grinned. “Let’s have a party.”

  Music spilled out of the den and through the open kitchen door to the backyard. Outside, folks stood around or sat on stumps or rough-hewn chairs, holding sandwiches and cups of iced tea.

  Dan searched the yard for his bride, and found her talking to Jane and Genny. She smiled when she saw him and he squeezed her hand for a moment, then let go and pressed his hand to the small of her back. He wanted her all to himself, but they were the guests of honor and couldn’t leave.

  “Here’s the handsome groom,” said Genny.

  “We were just talking about you,” added Jane.

  “All good stuff, I hope.”

  The three women giggled and Dan’s face burned. “Claudine was telling us you’re going to build a cottage before winter comes,” said Genny.

  “You’ll love it,” said Jane. “Dusty and I adore our place. It’s close enough to feel as though we’re a part of everything, but we’ve got a little privacy – and a view to die for.”

  Claudine nodded. “We are looking forward to it. Though of course we’re grateful to be able to stay at the ranch house until then.”

  Genny nodded. “Of course. We love having you. In fact, the kids would like nothing more than for all of you to move in permanently, I’m sure. Well, Tommy Jr. can’t talk yet, but if he could he’d gush all about how wonderful Gracie has been with him. She’s really so sweet.”

  Claudine smiled. “Thank you. She is a sweetheart, that’s for sure. I’m grateful to the good Lord every day for letting me know her and have her in my life.” She glanced across the yard, and Dan’s gaze followed hers to see
Gracie playing sweetly with Aurora, two-year-old Francis O’Reilly and Bill and Sarah Hanover’s boy Will. They danced in a circle, hands linked together while Gracie sang a rhyme, then fell in a heap on the soft grass, giggling. The sight warmed his heart.

  He turned back to Claudine. “I came to see if ya’d like to dance.”

  “I’d love to.” She followed him to where Lotte and Antonio were swaying and spinning to the strains of Dusty’s fiddle. Mary and Frank Drotherton were as well, Mary giggling as though she were twenty years younger when her husband twirled her like a top and she fell against his chest.

  Dan grinned at the couples, then pulled Claudine into his arms. He held her close, their hands tucked against his chest. Her other hand rested on his shoulder and his around her waist. He kissed the top of her head, and the scent of her hair – lilac or some other flower – filled his nostrils. “I guess this makes it official, then,” he whispered. “You’re stuck with me.”

  She laughed. “You mean the preacher saying all those vows wasn’t official?”

  “Nope. It’s the party makes it real, didn’t you know that? Now we’re really married, no backin’ out of it.”

  She stood on tiptoe to kiss him. “Thank God for that.”

  After the festivities were over and the last of the food and dishes had been cleaned up and packed away, they waved goodbye to the Drothertons and watched Jane and Dusty walk back to their cottage. Bill and Sarah did the same, with little Will swinging back and forth between them. Antonio, Lotte and Aurora climbed into their wagon and set off on the long drive back to their ranch.

  Claudine linked her arm through Dan’s and they strolled toward the ranch house. “That was fun,” she said, then yawned.

  “Tired?” he asked, an eyebrow raised.

  She chuckled. “Yes, I am. We spent all of yesterday cooking and cleaning, and the whole day today on festivities. I’m stuffed full of good food and my feet ache. I just want to fall into bed and sleep until the sun wakes me.”

  “Care to take a ride first?” he asked. “There are still a couple hours of light left, and we’ve barely been alone for days.”

  She grinned. “That sounds perfect.”

  “I’ll do the saddling, so you can sit down and have a li’l rest. We’ll ride along the river.”

  She nodded. “Wherever you lead, I’ll follow.”

  By the time Dan had the horses ready to go, Claudine’s feet ached a little less. She’d sat on a bale of hay and massaged them through her stockings while she watched him saddle Goldy and Sam. Both horses stamped impatient hooves, ready to be off. They’d had plenty of rest, oats and hay since they got to Paradise Ranch and were full of energy.

  Dan kissed her full on the mouth, making her gasp for breath, before he helped her into her saddle, her heart still pounding hard. They trotted down the long drive toward the barns, then galloped across the wide-open field. The Yellowstone River stretched out before them, winding through fertile pastures and flanked with sturdy oak, hemlock and juniper trees.

  When they pulled up close to its banks, Claudine closed her eyes and took a long breath, savoring the scent of fresh water and hot damp grasses. “I love it here,” she said.

  He grinned. “I’m glad. It’s home to me now – I hoped you’d feel the same.”

  “I don’t know why, but ever since we got here I feel peaceful. It’s like all the things that happened to us were left behind in Wyoming Territory or on the trail, and now we can start afresh. It took me a long time to get here, to find you and a place for me and Gracie, and we’ve made it. We’re together, finally. We’re home. And it’s all because of you.”

  “Not just ‘cause of me. You fought for this – for Gracie, for family, for freedom. You got out of bed every day for years and fought for this. I brought you to Paradise Valley, but you and God did the rest. It’s ’cause of you that Gracie’s here, playin’ happily with the other kids. It’s ’cause of you and you’re courage that you two are together again. And it’s ’cause of you that we met in Kellogg’s front yard. You did all this.” He walked Goldy closer and cupped her cheeks in his hands. “You’re amazin’.” He kissed her, then wiped away a tear from her cheek.

  “Well, whatever the reason – I’m glad we found each other. Though I really didn’t like you the first time I met you.”

  “And you were a pain my rear.” He chuckled. “But now you’re the best part of me.”

  Claudine breathed deeply again and stared out over the valley. A flock of geese flew by overhead in a V-formation, their honking floating down through the air. She pressed her heels to Sam’s sides and leaned forward over his neck. With the reins gathered firmly in her hands, she cried, “Hi-yaaaa!” As the horse broke into a canter, she marveled at how much more confident and at ease she felt on his back than she had all those months earlier. It was as though her body moved with his.

  The bay began to gallop, and she glanced over her shoulder to see Dan following her, his grin wide. Her heart leaped and joy surged through her soul. She smiled and lifted her face to let the afternoon sun warm it as Sam’s hooves thundered across the pasture.

  THE END

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  FORGOTTEN TRAILS

  Read on for an excerpt from the final book in the Paradise Valley series, Forgotten Trails. Or, buy it here.

  REVIEW

  If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a review where you bought it. Reviews help other readers discover my books, which in turn enables me to write another. Thank you! - Vivi Holt

  SERIES READING ORDER

  Paradise Valley

  Of Peaks and Prairies

  Winds of Paradise

  Lost in Laredo

  Cheyenne Reckoning

  Forgotten Trails

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  Lost in Laredo - Audible, Amazon

  Excerpt: Forgotten Trails (Paradise Valley)

  August 1871

  Chapter One

  Deputy Hank Oster urged his horse Auger forward with a click of his tongue. The stallion was eager to gallop and didn’t need more inducement. Soon the ground was a blur beneath their feet and Ost grinned. He loved being out on the open road.

  He wondered what was happening back at Paradise Ranch. Likely they were hurrying to finish the summer’s work before fall came. Branding, fencing – there was so much to get done, and he knew it’d be all hands on deck. Tom O’Reilly, the owner of the ranch, always hired a new crew in the spring to help with the roundup and had them stay through the summer. Now that Ost and Vaquero weren’t part of the crew any longer, Tom might ask a couple of the greenhorns to stay on through the winter as well.

  He grimaced. It had been his decision to leave, but sometimes he wished he hadn’t. Still, he’d enjoyed the last couple of weeks living in Bozeman and learning from Sheriff Stanton. He still had a lot to learn before he’d be ready – so the sheriff had told him that morning – but he was a quick study, and a crack shot after many years of practice. So he knew it wouldn’t be long until he felt like a real lawman.

  The sheriff had also warned him against going out on his own and trying to take on outlaws and criminals. But today was his day off and he intended to help Tom out by tracking the rustlers that had been stealing cattle from Paradise Ranch for months now. He’d promised Tom before he left that he’d make sure the outlaws were caught and would pay for their crimes. But Stanton didn’t seem to have the same urgency. He’d suggested they put together a posse, but the sheriff had just nodded his head, said he’d think it through and let him know.

  Ost didn’t feel like waiting.

  The trail he followed was a faint wagon track, dipping and curving over bends and through ho
llows. Mountain peaks soared on one side, craggy and snow-tipped, and he flew past juniper and hemlock groves as he rode. Suddenly he came upon a lake, still and blue as ice, mirroring the sky overhead clearer than a looking glass. Clouds floated lazily above.

  His thoughts returned to Paradise Ranch, the place he still considered his home. Every day he thought about what they might be doing or saying, and wondered again if he’d made the right choice. He’d always thought he’d be a cowpuncher the rest of his days, but this new opportunity was something he couldn’t seem to shake off.

  And he really loved the idea of being a sheriff. Granted, he was only a part-time deputy in Bozeman, a town of barely two hundred in Montana Territory. But he knew the town was growing, and one day they’d need a full-time lawman. Stanton was getting old, and he knew the sheriff had asked him to be a deputy in hopes of one day passing the reins to him. Whether he wanted those reins or not was something he hadn’t yet decided.

  He rode south for hours through Paradise Valley, stopping only for lunch beside a creek, letting Auger drink and crop grass for an hour while he ate a sandwich. The afternoon saw him trot over grassy plains and through thick woods. Finally, with the setting sun casting an orange glow over the landscape, he pulled Auger to a halt and scanned his surroundings for a good place to make camp.

  He wasn’t far from the Yellowstone River, and had crossed numerous creeks and tributaries through the day. One bubbled over smooth stones nearby as it swept downstream. He gave Auger his head, and the horse let it droop as he walked toward the stream. The horse must be thirsty. The animal soon sated his thirst, and Ost drank as well, kneeling beside him on the shore.

  He straightened and lifted his hands above his head with a yawn. His body ached from the all-day ride. He took Auger’s reins and led him along the creek bank, knowing he’d have to return to Bozeman first thing in the morning. He had to show up at the brewery in the afternoon, where he’d taken a job as a bartender. He was still working out how to manage his time between the sheriff’s office, the brewery and searching for the rustlers.