"Oh, that wasn't me. That was the doctor who arranged that."
"And he was all alone on that call, eh? Rest assured, we'll get the story straight from everyone before we're done."
"I'll want a lawyer from the Springs," Reid said, as they forced him into the back of the wagon.
"Yes, yes. We'll get you any lawyer you want. The truth will bear out," returned Olsbo.
Reid laughed under his breath and leaned back against the boards, as if making himself comfortable. He eyed Odessa and laughed softly again. "In time. Yes, sir. In time, it will." He laughed yet again, no sign of defeat in his eyes as the deputy whipped the horse and turned the wagon around on the road. Was it nothing but bravado? Or did Reid still hold some unseen upper hand? Bryce wrapped a protective arm around Odessa and together they looked up at the sheriff as he mounted his horse.
"You two come in tomorrow. I'll get a clerk to come by and take down your statements."
"We will," Bryce said.
"Think they were acting on their own? Or are there others we should question?" The sheriffs eyes slid from Bryce to Odessa and back again.
"As I see it, it's just these two," Bryce said. "The doctor had the access. The sheriff had the power. Odessa was attacked in the mountains above the Springs before we were married, and those who attacked me ... I think they were hired men. Working for cash, not long term."
He looked to Odessa for confirmation and she agreed with a nod.
"Still. After you testify, you might want to take this pretty bride and head out on a honeymoon. Leave here for a spell while things simmer down. Give me a chance to ferret out any other no-accounts in the tunnels. Don't want you two in danger."
"I appreciate that, Sheriff. We'll talk about it more tomorrow in town?"
"Tomorrow in town." With that, he gave his deputy the signal. Odessa turned away before she would see Reid Bannock and the dead doctor, laid out in the back of the wagon, once more. She wanted them out of her mind as fast as possible.
The next morning in Colorado Springs was unusually warm. Most nights, the temperatures cooled to "good sleeping weather," as their father had put it, but last night had remained uncommonly hot. They met up in the kitchen. Nic silently poured coffee from the tin pot into Moira's tin mug. The china gift set from Reid had been sold with other unwanted items at the store. "You sleep as well as I did?" he mumbled.
"Probably," she said, running her fingers through a mass of tangled blonde hair. "Not that I would've slept well even if it had been cooler. Too much going through my mind."
"Mine too. You all packed up? Ready for the train station?" He took a seat at the small dining room table and she took one across from him.
"Ready. The boys will come by? Get the rest of our crates and put them in storage?"
"That's the agreement."
"Think we can trust them?"
Nic let a slow smile spread across his face. "Do we care?"
Moira matched his smile and reached across the table. She shook her head. "I've never felt this free in all my life, Nic. Never."
"Me neither." He raised a brow. "Think we'll find the happiness Odessa has?"
"I hope so. Can't get closer to it unless we try, right?"
"Right."
"I'll miss you."
He pulled his hand from hers. "You'll be just fine, Sissy. And we'll keep in touch through Odessa. We'll always make sure she knows where we are, all right? She's the settled one. She'll be our touch point."
"Always."
They gazed at each other for a second longer, then Nic, uncomfortable with the tension, shoved back his chair. "We'd better go and dress. Our train will be here in two hours and I won't miss it waiting on you."
"I'll be ready," Moira said, rising too.
They separated, dressed, and Nic gathered Moiras remaining trunk and carried it outside. He closed the door of the cottage and they stood there a moment, each lost in their own silent good-byes and thoughts of what had transpired here for them. Then they turned together, silently climbed into the carriage for hire-their own had been sold-and watched as the Springs disappeared past the rolling wheels, each wondering if they'd ever be back.
"This is good, right," Moira said, taking his hand again. "Right, Nic?"
"Right." But he was sure his stomach churned as much as hers. Was she ready to be on her own? Without him to watch over her? What would their father have said?
She giggled. "Why do I feel a bit like the prodigal, heading out with my fat purse?"
"Because we're making our own way, not Father's way," he said quietly. "Let's make him proud in the long run, all right?"
"All right."
They reached the train station, and Nic paid a man to carry their luggage to the train. In twenty minutes they were aboard and settled. "Leaving here feels better than arriving," Moira said.
"I'll never forget that day," he said, leaning over her to look out the window. "We almost lost her. It was worth it, coming here. Just to see Dess safe."
"Yes, it was."
They stared out the window together, ignoring the other passengers who crowded in across from them. Their minds were on Denver, where they would separate. Moira was heading west to San Francisco to try her luck on the stage there. Dominic would travel east to New York and beyond. He planned to sail on the first ship that caught his fancy. Bryce's paintings had whetted his appetite to experience the sea-not just the transatlantic crossing they had taken as a family to London-but deeper, farther exploration.
"She'd have our heads if she knew we were doing this," Moira said.
"No," Nic said, turning to look into his sister's blue-green eyes. "She would understand the need to breathe freely, make each lungful our own."
"She'll fret, once she knows."
"Yes. But it will be all right. Someday, someway, we'll all see one another again."
"Oh, I hope so. The world feels a bit big now that I'm heading out into it."
"I know," he said with a twinkle in his eye. "But doesn't that feel exactly right? All my life, I've wanted something more, something bigger, something I couldn't name. Now I get to go and find it."
"I hope you do, Brother. I hope we both do."
Odessa and Bryce sat on the back porch of their house, watching the sunset spread brilliant peach and pink streams of light into the pale blue heavens above the mountains. He wrapped an arm around her, resting it on the back of the chair. "Maybe we ought to head out on that honeymoon 'bout now. Get away. Catch our breath."
"No, Bryce. You're needed here on the ranch. Get the horses shipped come fall, let me get my house finished and settled, and we'll go to Mexico or California. Right now, I just want to stay here, with you. Settle into life as Mrs. McAllan."
He pulled her closer and kissed her head. "You're not afraid?"
"No," she said, really thinking it through. "I'm at peace. Morton and Reid were the ones with the power and incentive to try to get Sam's mine. They had the access. No one else. I think it ends there."
He considered her words and then nodded. "All right. But I don't plan on ever seeing you that close to death again. We've gone through too much, journeyed too far to take such chances."
"Our life is not our own," she said, leaning her head on his shoulder. "That's what God taught me through that whole ordeal. That every day is to be celebrated, but our lives ... it's not up to us, Bryce. I'm thankful for each hour here with you. But I will trust and praise God, regardless of what comes, regardless of how many hours we have left. We are His, first."
"Amen," he said, raising an eyebrow. He smiled.
She did too. "Amen."
They sat in companionable silence for a while, watching the sky change. "Did you notice it, even after all that commotion?"
She shook her head. "What?"
"Your breathing. And mine. No attacks, no relapse. Still right as rain."
Odessa put her hand to her chest and smiled. "Not a wheeze nor a whistle," she said in wonder. "I'm breathing better than
I have in years. Even after all that excitement."
"There's more ahead."
"What do you mean?"
"Been looking at that Gaelic Bible of Louise O'Toole's."
She edged away from him to look him in the eye. "You know where the mine is?"
"Might. Something to explore, anyway. If we want to." He caught her questioning expression. "We're ranchers first, Odessa. Do we have the stamina to be miners, too? Do we want to? Or would we rather leave it? Take what we have rather than chase what we might?"
She thought over his words for a moment. "I kind of like that it's there if we want it. Wealth that burns and that that is eternal. I'd like to know what Sam meant by that phrase, at least. Is that a clue or a warning?"
"Maybe both," Bryce said.
But as they sat there together a while longer, watching the last vestiges of the setting sun behind the Sangre de Cristos, Odessa knew that for now, being here, beside her husband, unmoving, abiding, was exactly where she wanted to remain.
She inched closer to him, this man God had made her husband, lover, partner, protector.
And together, they breathed in and out and in again.
... a little more ...
When a delightful concert comes to an end, the orchestra might offer an encore. When a fine meal comes to an end, it's always nice to savor a bit of dessert. When a great story comes to an end, we think you may want to linger. And so, we offer ...
AfterWords-just a little something more after you have finished a David C. Cook novel. We invite you to stay awhile in the story. Thanks for reading!
Turn the page for ...
• Author's Note
• An Interview with Lisa T. Bergren
• Group Discussion Questions
AUTHOR'S NOTE
Thanks for reading my book. For the sake of the story, I took some liberties with historical fact, either moving the dates or "revising" history (and in some cases, geography) just a bit. But I have attempted to incorporate as much as possible to remain true to Colorado Springs' history. Here are some facts to be aware of:
• The Opera House in Colorado Springs opened in 1881 (depicted as 1883), but did truly open with a performance of Camille by a traveling company on its way to California. It was seen as a poor choice for a community full of consumptives, but it was what the traveling actors had rehearsed to play, and so they had little choice.
• The Antlers Hotel opened in 1883 and remained a dominant structure in the area for decades; it was destroyed by fire in 1898 and rebuilt in 1901.
• Inspiration for the character of Helen Anderson was drawn from the famous writer Helen Hunt Jackson, who settled in the Springs after struggling with tuberculosis for years, and the photographer Anna May Wellington, who traveled all over Ute Pass around 1890, taking pictures with glass plates and a view camera.
• Tuberculosis wasn't named as such until after this era-which is why I referred to it as "consumption" or the "White Death." Some historians have said that up to one-third of Colorado Springs residents came here to seek the cure. Doctors figured out around the turn of the century that the disease was highly contagious, adding to the growth of sanatoriums in an effort to isolate patients. But as early as 1870, a Mrs. Teachout had opened her property to TB sufferers, allowing them to set up tents on her ranch and providing meals. And there are reports of smaller sanatoriums built to house those struggling with the disease. Resting outsideregardless of the weather-eating three hearty meals a day, plus drinking six raw eggs and eight glasses of milk, was a popular treatment plan.
• Queen, General Palmer's bride, did indeed have a heart attack at age thirty and was advised to move from Colorado Springs' high altitude. She moved to Newport, Rhode Island, for a time, and then to New York before moving in 1882 or 1883 to England. I do not know if she ever returned for a visit, as I depicted, but General Palmer did travel once or twice a year to see his family, even venturing across the seas when he had been paralyzed from the neck down and was in a wheelchair. His attention and devotion undoubtedly speak of a very great love and a tragedy of absence. Queen died in England in 1894 but her ashes were disinterred and brought to lay beside the general's in 1910.
• The Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration arrived in Colorado Springs in the summer of 1887 from Lafayette, Indiana. Their first mission was to care for patients. In the spring of 1888, they opened a new hospital known as St. Francis Hospital. The sisters were outstanding nurses and administrators who also tended to the spiritual needs of their patients. For the purposes of this novel, I "moved up" their arrival to 1883.
AN INTERVIEW WITH LISA T. BERGREN
Q. You've written contemporary romance, nineteenth-century fiction, general contemporary fiction, and a medieval suspense series. Why return to the nineteenth century?
A: There is something intriguing and reassuring about the 1880s to me. It's both a vibrant time in the world with the Industrial Revolution well under way, but also somewhat simple and innocent, too. Sometimes I wish I lived in the 1880s, but with a computer, vaccines, appliances, and indoor plumbing everywhere.
Q. You're a travel junkie. Why place this series in your Colorado backyard?
A: People love Colorado. I love Colorado. It's visually beautiful, of course, and it's been on my mind and heart to set a series here for some time. And when I learned of how so many people came to Colorado Springs to seek the cure for tuberculosis (in the early years, about a third of our residents), I knew it had to be here. But I have to say my eye is wandering back toward Europe for my next series. Can't keep me home for long! I'll stay put for Sing and Claim but then I'm outta here, baby! Luckily, Sing takes place in the Sangre de Cristos and the gold camps of Colorado; Claim will take place near Ouray-a fantastic, gorgeous place to visit. And Moira and Nic are on the move-around the world-so I can do some exploration, too.
Q. Your fascination with travel has even led to a new business, hasn't it?
A: A hobby, mostly. Tim and I launched a Web site with friends, www.FamilyTripster.com, to encourage families to travel together. We love hearing how other families manage it-and to share tidbits on how to make it easier for all to navigate a city, foreign or close to home.
Q. How much did you have to research for this series?
A: I read several books about the history of tuberculosis and many first-person accounts. It's a terrible way to die ... a slow suffocation. Then some general history books about the 1880s to refresh my memory. And I always love the local books that have pictures and accounts of our forefathers; it makes it come alive for me.
Q. What did you learn about yourself in writing Breathe?
A: I love to learn along with my characters. It's part of the ride as an author. For me, the "aha' was the same as Odessa's. I think that I'm slowly coming to believe, understand, and embrace the idea that God really does hold my life in His hand. And that's okay. I trust Him ... so if He gives me another sixty years or sixty seconds, I'm good.
Q. What are you working on next?
A: Sing, the next book in this series. And a couple of children's books.
Q. How can readers find out more about you and your work?
A: My Web sites: www.LisaTawnBergren.com; www. BusyMomsDevo.com; www.GodGaveUsYou.com; www. FamilyTripster.com are the best way. And if a reader signs up on www.LisaTawnBergren.com to receive my monthly e-newsletter, she'll receive a new devotional each month inside it. My heart goes into those, in between novels. You'll get a glimpse of the good, the bad, and the ugly in my life-and how Christ somehow redeems it all.
GROUP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Have you ever endured a life-threatening illness or been close to someone who has? What was that experience like? What did it teach you?
2. Are you afraid of death? Why or why not? What would be the hardest part about saying good-bye to loved ones? What would bring you comfort?
3. Do you think you could have survived in the 1880s? What would you miss the most: Internet, televisio
n, or a washer/ dryer?
4. If you are a woman, how would you deal with the traditional role of women in that era? Would that be a comfort or chafe?
5. In this time, people left family behind to move West, and often never saw them again. If it meant never seeing your extended family again, would you have moved to have a chance at prosperity or health? Why or why not?
6. Odessa comes through a lot to regain her health. Had you been in her shoes, would you risk your life to get to the bottom of the mystery? Or would you have walked away?
7. Do you believe the length of your life is preordained? Why or why not?
8. Discuss how you trust God-or don't-day to day. Think of a concrete example or way you've trusted-or didn't-in the last week.
9. Why do you think this book is titled Breathe? Think beyond the physical aspect.
10. Which character are you most interested in hearing more about in books two and three in this series, and why?
Table of Contents
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Breathe: A Novel of Colorado Page 32