Tracie Peterson - [Heirs of Montana 04] (45 page)

“Which we would pay as part of the purchasing price,” Cole said.

“Would there be enough money for that?” Dianne questioned. “You know I bought cattle last winter and took money from our account. I don’t know how many they’ll actually be able to bring us, what with the death of so much stock across the plains states as well as Texas.”

“There’s more than enough,” Cole said. “I’ve already been figuring it all out on paper.” He passed the bowl of potatoes to Luke. “There would be a healthy amount of profit for each of you to split between yourselves. It would be a better price than you could get from anyone else—that’s for sure.” He looked to each of them. “I’ve been praying a great deal about this and would like you to pray as well.”

“But what about the Diamond V?” Ardith asked. “This is your home.”

Cole looked to Dianne. She saw the hopefulness in his eyes. She could see him questioning her silently as to whether she could ever call any other place home. Smiling, she knew why God had done such a work in her heart. “My home is wherever my family is,” Dianne said softly.

Cole squeezed Dianne’s hand and looked back to the others. “The Diamond V belongs to Jamie by rights. I’d like to see him continue on here with his family, and perhaps there will come a time when it won’t matter that he has Indian blood and the place can be his in name as well.”

Jamie looked stunned. He met Cole’s expression and shook his head. “But by law, it’s yours to take.”

“Or to give,” Cole replied.

Koko wiped tears from her eyes. Dianne smiled and caught George watching her. He smiled as well. It was a special moment—one that Dianne knew her uncle Bram would have relished. She and Cole had already talked about checking into possible ways to get Jamie’s name on the deed. The laws were changing all the time, and some even suggested that the laws had been misinterpreted to them. It was all a matter of working out the details, but it was possible that Jamie could be the legal owner of the Diamond V sooner than any of them suspected.

“I don’t know what to say,” Jamie said. “I used to be so angry about the ranch. I couldn’t figure out why it was fair to keep a son from inheriting what his father always intended to leave him.” He looked specifically to Dianne. “You’ve always been fair—more than. I don’t want you to misjudge me. I never hated you or wished you gone.”

Dianne met his eyes—they were a warm brown like his mother’s and father’s. She saw the gratitude and love expressed in Jamie’s face and couldn’t help but smile. “I know that, Jamie. You are too much like Bram. You couldn’t hate someone who was only trying to do whatever it took to protect you. Cole and I want the Diamond V to belong to you. We want you to raise your family here. To be as happy as we always were. I’ve always known it would be your inheritance—not mine.”

Elsa leaned over and slipped her hand into Jamie’s. “We prayed about all of this. We prayed because Jamie wanted to someday run this ranch as his own. He worried that it was selfish, but I couldn’t see it that way.”

Koko wiped her eyes again. “It wasn’t selfish, Jamie. It was your dream. Yours and your father’s.”

Dianne warmed at the words. They were true, and her heart fairly rejoiced in the moment. It was hard to imagine starting over on the Walking Horseshoe Ranch, but she knew deep inside she could make the place her own. God had given her hope for their future. He’d shown her that no matter where she went or lived, He would be with her.

She felt her old determination and strength return.
I can take that ranch and make it my own. I can wipe away all the old and make it new. It can be a good home for my family and still close to Koko and the others
. Dianne smiled and squared her shoulders. It seemed the perfect answer to their need—to their prayers.

Morgan tried to rouse the sleeping woman. It was clear she was still alive, but just barely. “We need to get her to the doctor.” He pulled the covers around her and scooped her into his arms. “What’s your mother’s name?”

“Molly. Molly Nelson,” David replied, looking fearful.

“Molly,” Morgan called as he carried her to the door. “Molly, we’re taking you to Virginia City. We’re going to get you help.” He mounted the horse with the feather-light woman in his arms. Struggling to balance her against him, Morgan then reached down and helped David to climb up behind him.

“She won’t like going to Virginia City,” David muttered.

“Sometimes we have to do things to help people that they don’t particularly like. I can’t give your mother the help she needs,” he said, moving the horse out and back toward the trail that would take them into town. “She needs a doctor.”

“Ain’t no money for a doctor. No one is gonna want to help her. She’s just gonna die.” There was such resignation in the boy’s voice that Morgan felt more determined than ever to see him through the crisis.

“They’ll help, and I’ll pay for it. And I’ll go one step further: I’ll pray for your ma. She may not hold stock in it, but I do.”

“If you think God will listen to you, mister, you pray as much as you want. My ma is all I got. I can’t lose her.”

Morgan looked down at the deathly pale woman. “You hear that, Molly Nelson? You’ve got to live for your boy’s sake.” He barely whispered the words, but the woman stirred momentarily and opened her eyes. She held his gaze for only a heartbeat, then closed her eyes again. It gave Morgan all the encouragement he needed.

“Hee-ya!” he called to the horse, nudging the beast with his heels at the same time. “Hold on, David!”

“May I come in?” Ardith asked as she pushed open the front door to Dianne and Cole’s cabin.

Dianne was alone, finishing forming up the last loaf of bread. “Sure. I’d love your company. I’m just putting the last pans of bread into the oven, and then I have to start a roast for supper.”

Ardith closed the door behind her. “Winona is playing with the boys and Lia. They wanted to go down to the river to try to catch some fish, but I told them no. I hope that was all right.”

“It’s more than all right. That river is swollen and running high. I don’t want any of them down there.” Dianne straightened and closed the oven door. “There.” She looked at the clock. “I suppose I have time to share a cup of coffee with you. There’s some left over from breakfast.”

“No, thank you. You go ahead if you like.”

“I’m not really of a mind to have any either. Why don’t we sit for a minute?” She led Ardith to the sitting area of the main room. “Times certainly are different from when you first came here. I can’t even offer you a decent stuffed chair.”

“I don’t mind,” Ardith said. “I had plenty of luxury in New York.”

“I can’t even begin to imagine,” Dianne said. “Did you wear silk all the time?”

Ardith laughed. “Silk, velvet, sateen. Each gown was more luxurious than the last. Such opulence seemed almost sinful. The people seemed to cling to their things and the value of each piece.”

“That’s sad. Not that they enjoyed fine things, but that they would make it the focus of their lives.”

“You don’t know the half of it. So much money was spent on things that were here one minute and gone the next. Why, I was at one party where the hostess, I’m told, spent one hundred dollars to have several ice sculptures created as decoration for her tables. The silly things melted away by the end of the evening. All I could think about was that her money was dissolving before my very eyes.”

“I can’t even imagine such nonsense. Still,” Dianne said with a laugh, “some nice stuffed furniture would be a wonderful change. We weren’t able to get much before we came out last winter.”

“This is perfectly fine. Stuffed furniture is nice to be sure, but it didn’t satisfy or meet my needs then, so I can’t imagine it would now.”

“So what are your needs?”

Ardith sat opposite her sister and fidgeted with her hands. “That’s why I’m here. I wanted to ask you something. I know it’s probably a lot to ask, and you can of course say no, but—” “Goodness, Ardith, just ask. You’ve no reason to think you can’t approach me about anything.”

She looked up with a slight smile. “I wondered if Winona and I could come and live with you and Cole when you take over the Walking Horseshoe. I don’t want to go back to Virginia City, and I don’t want to stay here.”

“You silly goose, of course you may come with us. We’d already planned for that. I figured you’d want Winona to be around the children. Besides, if we all leave here, then Jamie and Elsa can have this cabin for their new home.”

A look akin to relief washed over Ardith’s face. “I know I’ve made some poor decisions in the past, but I’m striving to make better ones now. I feel that God must surely make a way for even us stubborn children.”

Dianne laughed. “I hope so. I’m among His worst in that area. The Walking Horseshoe has a huge house. There is no reason we can’t all live there quite happily, so put your mind to rest. That isn’t a poor decision—it’s a perfect one.”

“I’m so glad you understand. I’m blessed that you’ve been willing to take care of us since Levi’s death—well, even before our marriage you were there. I’ll work hard to help you at the new place.”

“I appreciate that,” Dianne said softly. “I love having you and Winona around. Never forget that.”

“Cole might feel differently.”

“He might, but he doesn’t,” Dianne said with a smile. “We’ve already talked about all of this. Once things are settled on the Lawrence estate, we’ll ride over and check out the place. We’ll make a list of what we need and get to work on the house. It shouldn’t be in too bad of order. The cook and housekeeper are still there, and Joshua said they’d just as soon stay on and work for us if we’re interested.”

“So we’re starting all over again,” Ardith said matter-of-factly.

“I guess we are.”

“I now pronounce you man and wife,” Joshua said in a serious tone. He then winked and grinned. “You may now kiss the bride.”

Jamie took Elsa into his arms and kissed her tenderly. Everyone in the room broke into cheers and laughter. The children began to dance around Jamie and Elsa, clapping.

Cole put his arm around Dianne and pulled her close. “So, Mrs. Selby, I thought you should know that I love you very much.”

Dianne smiled and looked up to catch her husband’s loving gaze. “And I love you.”

“We’ve certainly endured a great deal. I suppose we’ll go on enduring—that’s our nature.”

“Yes, but more so, we’ll succeed. We aren’t mere survivors of our trials, we are conquerors. We’ll face whatever comes our way, and with God’s help, we’ll overcome.”

“And nothing will divide us again,” he whispered.

“Nothing,” she promised.

CHAPTER 29

“I’
M AFRAID SHE’S PASSED ON,” THE DOCTOR TOLD
M
ORGAN
and David.

“No! You’re wrong. My ma wouldn’t die,” David cried in near hysterics. He started to charge at the man, but Morgan held him back.

“David, you can’t bring your ma back this way. I know this is bad news, but let’s hear what the doctor has to say.”

David settled against Morgan. Tears ran down his dirty cheeks, leaving stripes on the boy’s face. Morgan wasn’t sure what to do or say, so he turned back to the doctor. “What took her?”