Her Wild Journey_Seeing Ranch series

by Florence Linnington

  “How are you doing, Miss Hurley?”

  “Well, thank you. Please, have a seat.”

  “No, no. I’m just stopping by for a minute, thank you.” He held his hands out to the stove. “I wanted to see how everything is going here.”

  Cadence joined him in the warm center of the room. “Well, thank you. For the most part, that is. There is one thing that concerns me. Many of the children do not have the necessary books. Only about half of them possess what is needed.”

  Mr. Lenox frowned. “Yes, Mrs. Flaherty expressed the same concern to me some time ago. They can share, can they not?”

  “Yes, at school. But they need to be able to study at home.”

  “Hm.” He nodded, thinking about it. “I understand your concern, Miss Hurley. Unfortunately, there is not much the school board can do. It is up to the families to purchase their own books.”

  Cadence thought about how Mr. Dunst’s farm had struggled. How many families in the area were going through similar travails? Or worse ones?

  “I fear many families cannot afford the books.”

  Mr. Lenox sighed. “Yes, it is too bad. But what can we do? The school board does not have the funds to purchase books for every child.”

  Cadence bit down hard on the inside of her cheek, feeling like she wanted to scream. Not until she could trust herself to be calm did she speak. “Mr. Lenox, surely there must be something we can do? A fundraiser for the school, perhaps? If all of the children have books to study from at home, their success in school will rise exponentially. I guarantee it. And smart, well-educated children will become successful adults.” She locked eyes with Mr. Lenox. “The economic situation of this town depends on these children. It starts with their educational materials.”

  Mr. Lenox was quiet as the fire crackled and popped. Eventually, he slowly nodded. “You are a wise woman, Miss Hurley. I am glad I hired you. Unfortunately, there is still not the money we need. Although, perhaps...”

  Cadence excitedly scanned his face. “Yes?”

  “Hudson—it’s a town about thirty miles east of here—has a surplus of books. A benefactor donated them last year. Hudson also has less of a population than Shallow Springs right now. I suppose I could ask them to loan their books to us… And then, later on, we can figure out the money situation here. A fundraiser sounds like a clever idea.”

  Cadence couldn’t keep the smile off her face. “Mr. Lenox, that would be extraordinary. Thank you so very much.”

  He winked. “You are doing a wonderful job, Miss Hurley. I hope we never lose you.”

  “I am not planning on going anywhere, sir.”

  She meant it. Shallow Springs’ schoolhouse had quickly become the kind of home Cadence had not had in many years. The only thing that rivaled it was Winding Path Ranch. Even when she and Beau married, she planned on staying on as schoolteacher.

  Mr. Lenox took his leave, going back out into the icy day. Cadence took note of the shadows and hurried to finish tidying up before her fiancé arrived.

  Her fiancé! She could not believe it. Beau cared for her just as much as she did for him. It was too wonderful to be believed.

  The only person she had shared the turn of events with was Gemma, who had promised to keep the secret. Together, Beau and Cadence had decided to keep their plans to themselves for a while—at least until they had a home and a wedding date.

  That had not stopped them from stealing looks at each other over meal times all weekend long. Or from sneaking off into the stable to have a few minutes of private talk.

  Cadence’s heart was on fire. Never before had she felt so blessed.

  When the second knock came, she was ready. She bustled out of the schoolhouse, all bundled up in her coat and scarf.

  “There’s the pretty teacher,” Beau said, hazel eyes dancing. “How was school?”

  “Wonderful,” she sighed in pleasure.

  Beau helped her onto Pip, whom he had taken back to Winding Ranch’s stable after dropping Cadence off earlier that morning. Now, his assistance was different. Cadence could not see it as a patronizing act, but only as a chivalrous one. She was a lady, being helped onto her horse by a handsome cowboy.

  What was not to love?

  They rode west from town, headed back to the cozy comfort of Winding Path. Cadence’s stay would be finished there in a few weeks and she hated the thought of moving on to the next family’s home. She did not want to impose upon the Reeds, though, and comforted herself with the knowledge that one day, soon, she and Beau would have their own house.

  “Mr. Lenox is going to try to procure some more books for the school,” Cadence shared as the horses trotted alongside each other. She had shared her disappointment over the lack of books just the day before.

  Beau grinned, flashing straight, white teeth. “That’s wonderful.”

  Cadence’s heart did a flip. All she could do was smile back.

  As they made their way down the empty road, Beau shared the details of his day, telling Cadence about the wolf tracks they’d found down by the creek.

  “Are you worried?” she asked.

  “No.” He shook his head. “It looks like they were moving through. Probably looking to get up into the mountains before snow comes. If they start coming back around later in the winter, we can start worrying.”

  Suddenly, Cadence realized they had ridden right past Winding Path.

  “Beau.”

  “Hm?”

  “We passed the ranch.”

  “I know,” he evenly said, looking straight ahead.

  “But… where are we going?”

  A grin snuck across his lips. “Wait and see.”

  Cadence stared at him. A surprise? Where could they be going on such a cold day, and so late in the afternoon?

  No more than a half-mile past Winding Path, Beau stopped his horse. The area Cadence found herself in seemed like all the others. Low rises gave way to higher hills in the distance and clumps of bushes and short, scraggly trees sprouted up from the ground. A little farther off, a thick, wooded area separated the open land from the mountains.

  Cadence gave Beau a questioning look.

  “This will be our home. Right here.” He nodded in confirmation. “I’ll build a cabin there.” He pointed. “Dig a well, put the stable right over there.” He pointed again. “It’s close enough so that we can both still get to work with no trouble, but it’s not the ranch hand cabins. It’s our own private space.”

  There was real pride in his voice. As Cadence looked at the area for a second time, it came to life in a new way. She could see the log cabin, the stable. Even the vegetable garden that she would plant.

  Home. Their home.

  “I love it,” she whispered, so choked up she could not raise her voice any higher.

  Beau only looked at her, his eyes soft and the faintest smile on his lips. “We’re going to be happy here.”

  “I know,” Cadence answered, looking back at him through a haze of tears.

  “I’ll get to work first thing in the spring. With help from a couple others, it should take no time at all. We can marry in May.”

  “I love May,” Cadence laughed.

  “I know it’s probably not the life that you dreamed of when you were a little girl.”

  “It is perfect, Beau.”

  For a few minutes, they sat on the horses in silence, staring at the land that was to be theirs. The immense joy Cadence had felt about discovering this land was to be her new home was still there, but there was also a darker feeling creeping into her heart.

  Did she need to tell Beau that he was wrong about life in the West not being her childhood dream? Should she let him know that not so very long ago, she had ridden through this very territory, headed toward California with her parents?

  The premise of the story was a happy one. The ending was not.

  So, no, she would not tell him. Cadence had been through much pain. It was time to rejoice. One day, she would tell Beau about her p
arents’ passing. Just once. For she had not spoken of it since the day it happened and she knew that she only had the strength in her to tell the full story one time. Try to do it any more and her heart would break in two.

  No, Cadence had no intention of presenting Beau with a shattered heart.

  Chapter Sixteen

  16. Beau

  Chapter sixteen

  Early November and no snow. It didn’t seem right. Not with how cold the season had been.

  As Beau finished counting the cattle mulling about near the creek, he turned his face up to the gray, heavy sky. There was tension in the air, an unease. It was as if the world was saving up all of its snow, waiting to drop it on Wyoming Territory when the people and animals there least expected it.

  “All good?” Mitch called from atop his horse on the other side of the creek.

  Beau gave him a nod. Understanding they were done for the day, they started pushing the cattle closer toward the barns. Left near the buildings at the end of the day, they were more likely to spend the night there. With the dogs nearby, the chances of rustlers or wolves getting the heads was lessened.

  The yard was busy, all the hands coming in from their various tasks to get cleaned up and in to supper. Beau put Stetson away and made sure the horse had clean water before he headed back out. In the yard, Nat waved him down.

  “Post just came in. This was for you.” He handed over a small box. Beau’s stomach dropped. It wasn’t the response a person was supposed to get when the post arrived. But things were different for Beau. He never received mail. Who would be sending him a package?

  Turning the box over, he read the return address. Anna Golding.

  Beau’s blood ran cold.

  “See you up at supper,” Nat said.

  Beau didn’t raise his face. He couldn’t move his tongue or think straight. On heavy legs, he walked down the hill and into his cabin.

  The room was cold and poorly lit, but it didn’t matter. He couldn’t open the package in the main yard or house. Fingers trembling, he set it on the table and just looked at it.

  It had been five years since Beau had heard from his sister. No. Maybe more. He couldn’t rightly remember. She’d given up on trying to make him talk after he let four or five letters go not responded to.

  He had never wondered whether she hated him or not. She had to. He didn’t blame her. The year-long sadness he’d been consumed by had been no excuse. Anna was family. Along with their brother, the playmate of his childhood. They had been there together for the death of their parents a decade before. Beau had thought that pain would break him. As it turned, the human spirit can endure a great deal. At the time his Ma and Pa died, he’d had no idea what he was in for next.

  Running his hand over his jaw, Beau bit the bullet and snatched the package up. He would have to open it sooner or later. It might as well be right then.

  Untying the string and ripping the paper, Beau found a small wooden crate. The wood was flimsy enough, though, and with a good few yanks, he was able to get the nails popped out. On the very top of a small pile of newspaper-wrapped objects sat a letter. He opened the front door to let some light in so he could read.

  My Dear Brother,

  It is hard to write this, as I do not know whether my words will ever reach your eyes. As Shallow Springs was the place I received your last letter from, I am making my best guess in assuming you still reside there. Perhaps if you do not, an acquaintance might see the name on this package and deliver it to its rightful owner.

  I do hope you are well. I think of you often. I admit, with no shame, that is causes me pain to hear from others that you are, indeed, alive. But flourishing? I know you cannot be and I am sorry for that. Cincinnati is still your home. If you ever decide to return, Quincy and I will gladly open our doors to you.

  I am taking this chance and sending a package of photographs. For the last week, I have been in the process of packing in preparation of moving to a smaller home. In the midst of this, I came to thinking that you would like some of these pictures. It is only a few, yes, but hopefully, they will bring you some happiness. The good Lord knows we can all use a little more of that.

  If you do receive this package, please think of your dear old sister. I would be very grateful to hear from you.

  With affection,

  Anna

  Beau set the letter down on the table, guilt collecting in his gut. He needed to write his sister back. It had been wrong to keep her in the dark for so long. He hadn’t meant to, not at first. It was just that he had never been able to bring himself to write that first season… or that second one. Eventually, the years just slipped by. Before he knew it, he had been out of touch for too long. He was ashamed of himself.

  She did not seem furious now, though. Anna had never been very emotional, nor very sweet at all, and expressing herself was something she did not typically do. If she was taking a risk and revealing her feelings, he could do so, too.

  Taking the first picture frame out of the box, he carefully unwrapped it. It was a photograph from about twenty years ago, of the whole family. Beau smirked to remember the day it had been taken. He had been fourteen at the time and so excited to go down to the photographer’s fancy studio in the middle of Cincinnati. He could still feel his starched collar, so tight against his neck. In the picture, his parents sat stoically in their chairs, Albert, Anna, and Beau standing like sentinels behind them.

  Beneath that photograph was another one of the home outside of Cincinnati that they had all moved into when Beau was ten. He set that one carefully next to the family portrait.

  Anna really had been kind to send these. Knowing his sister still cared for him so much made Beau ache. He’d been doing things so wrong the last handful of years, not wanting to get too close to anyone, always needing to keep himself shut off from the world.

  But he had finally let Cadence in. That meant anything was possible.

  Yes, it was time to write his sister, to tell her he was sorry for the disappearing act he had pulled. Losing their parents had been hard on her. He hadn’t meant to make things worse by being so distant himself.

  At least now, he was beginning to see that things could be different. He was committing himself to change.

  There was still one photograph left. Beau slowly unwrapped the frame, taking his time with the last relic of his old life. As the lines and curves of the photograph came into sight, an invisible punch hit him in his gut, robbing him of air.

  Those big, expressive eyes. The small button nose. The raven-black hair. The young woman in the photograph looked off to the side of the camera, a hint of a smile at the corners of her mouth. She looked like she wanted to laugh out loud, but knew she couldn’t.

  It had been years since Beau had seen the face. Almost every night, it graced his sleep—or cursed it, depending on the dream. He never thought he would see it again, but now, here it was.

  He had forgotten about this photograph; he’d probably only seen it once or twice, as it had been taken before he and its subject had even met.

  Beau’s fingers curled around the edges of the frame. He thought he had let her go… thought accepting Cadence into his life meant he was moving on. The painful twisting in the depths of his soul told him otherwise.

  No. That pain was in the past. It was years ago. It couldn’t follow him anymore. He wouldn’t let it.

  Turning from the light, Beau opened the top drawer of his wardrobe and shoved the photograph under a pile of winter flannels. He needed to get to supper and Cadence. His life was here and now. He’d already promised the woman waiting up at the house for him that there would be no pain. He would never hurt her.

  To keep that promise, he needed to forget. He needed to bury things. It didn’t matter whether it was right or not.

  Chapter Seventeen

  17. Cadence

  Chapter seventeen

  The reverend’s low rumble filled Cadence up, making her very toes vibrate. She kept her head bowed
and her hands clasped as he finished up the service by thanking God for everything the town had.

  And thank you for my job, Cadence silently added. And for the children. And for the Reeds. And for Beau.

  The last part made her heart flutter. Eyes still closed, she smiled to know that Beau was just down the pew from her. Was he also giving thanks for her appearance in his life?