A Dream Unfolding (57 page)

The morning breakfast routine was the only thing standing between Hannah and the picnic.
 
Will should be here any minute now, she thought as she set plate after plate before hungry boarders.
 
Returning to the kitchen, Hannah took the refilled coffee pot from Betty with shaky hands, her excitement mounting.

As she finished refilling the last mug, Will
Colter
entered the dining hall.
 
He was dressed in a blue cotton button down shirt and levis that hugged his muscular thighs.
 
The light tan cowboy hat brought out the gold flecks in his eyes.
 
His hair, mostly hidden by the hat, curled over the collar of his shirt, tempting Hannah’s fingers.
 
He stood still, near the entry with two young cowboys on either side.

When his gaze connected with hers, she smiled giddily.
 
Hannah covered the distance between them and said, “Will, please have a seat.
 
Would you like some coffee?”

Before answering her question, Will took her hand in his rough one.
 
Lifting her hand to his lips, he pressed a light kiss on top.
 
Heat rose to her face and her heart picked up pace at the intimate gesture.
 
The clank of forks rhythmically hitting the tin plates halted.
 
Chatter silenced.
 
Every eye in the room looked directly at Hannah and the tall rancher before her.

“Hannah, you look lovely this morning,” he said, releasing her hand slowly, but keeping his eyes firmly directed at hers.
 
“I would love some coffee.”

As Will and the cowboys took a seat, the hum of conversation buzzed again.
 
Hannah scurried to the kitchen to get breakfast for Will and his men, listening to the barely restrained congratulations offered Will’s way.
 
When she glanced over her shoulder, his face reddened.

When she entered the kitchen, Betty grinned foolishly.
 
She patted Hannah on the arm and followed behind her with two plates.
 
Keeping hold of the coffee pot, Hannah took the third plate in hand.
 
As they neared Will, he kept his attention on her.
 
She set the plate in front of him, never looking away from his intent stare.
 
She smiled again as she filled his coffee mug.

Will introduced his two men as Jed and Hawk.
 
Both looked very young, probably a good four years her junior.
 
While they said little, both men were very polite, thanking her as she refilled their mugs.

 
“Have you eaten?” Will asked.

Hannah shook her head.
 
With the flutter of her stomach and the heat rushing to her face every time he looked at her, she did not think she could eat a bite.

As the diners passed their plates down to the end, Hannah went to retrieve them.
 
Betty quickly shooed her away.
 
“You best be on your way dear.
 
I’ll see to the dishes.”

Seeing Will and his men were finishing their meal, Hannah donned her bonnet.
 
Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, she met Will out front.

“I hope you don’t mind riding,” Will said.
 
“The trip is much easier on horseback than in the wagon.”

Hannah tried to hide her surprise.
 
She had expected he would bring the wagon.
 
She was but a young farm girl the last time she rode astride.
 
Looking from the stirrups back to Will, she forced a smile.
 
Relief flooded her when Will cupped his hands together to help her onto the horse.
 
By the time she had her skirts arranged, Will and his men already mounted their horses.

The ride was pleasant as they passed over rolling hills and dipped into shallow valleys.
 
Some of the five mile journey wove through tall pine tree forests, while the latter part gave way to grassy lands.
 

When they crested the last hill, Hannah soaked up the majestic view.
 
To the west, the bright grayish white granite rock was sparsely dotted with pine trees and shrubbery.
 
These amazing mountains looked as if they had been forced up through the grassy lands by some extreme force.
 
The contrast of the rock was stark against the backdrop of deep blue sky and rolling green grass below.
 
Breaking up the expanse of green, clusters of cattle were overseen by the cowboys.

In the bottom of the valley, there was a flat area, where several buildings stood.
 
One looked to be the barn.
 
Next to it stood the non-descript bunkhouse and a small shack.
 
Then Hannah saw it—the ranch house—nestled near the mountains and buffeted by a small shimmering lake.
 
She thought the whole scene to be the most picturesque place she had ever seen.
 
She was so engrossed in the view she missed seeing Will dismiss Jed and Hawk.

“This,” he said stretching his arm across the expanse, “is
Colter
Ranch.”

“It is breathtaking,” Hannah said as she unconsciously brought her hand to rest over her heart.
 
“I have never seen anything so glorious.”

“Come, let me show you around,” the pride in his voice evident.

Will led them down the rest of the road, before making a large circle around the grounds.
 
Now she understood why he hadn’t wanted to use the wagon, for the tour would have been much too long on foot.
 
Circling to the east, they moved past the barn.

“This is where we stable and corral the horses.
 
We also have two milk cows and a few pigs.
 
Over there is the bunkhouse where the cowboys live.
 
There is a large open room where they take their meals and play cards in the evenings.
 
The other room houses all of the bunks, which is very similar to the Mother
Load
at the boardinghouse.
 
That,” Will said, pointing to the small shack, “is Rosa’s place.
 
She does all of the cooking, cleaning, and laundry.
 
Then we have the smoke house next to the bunkhouse.
 
Snake manages all the butchering and smoking of the beef we supply to the boardinghouse, fort, and other locals.”

They continued on around toward the ranch house.
 
“This is my home.
 
It is not much, but will do nicely for now.
 
Someday, I want to build a much larger house out of wood planks, instead of the log cabin.
 
I dream of having a large porch on the back to sit in a rocking chair while gazing out on the lake.”

“It sounds lovely,” Hannah whispered, catching his vision.

Stopping in front of the house, Will dismounted.
 
Reaching up, he placed his hands on her waist and easily lowered her to the ground.
 
He allowed his hands to linger a few breaths, his closeness sending all her senses wild.
 
Taking her hand, he led her to the house to give her the grand tour.

“In here, we have a full kitchen, stove and all.
 
That took some doing to get it shipped from Santa Fe, but I know Rosa was happy for it.
 
The table is rather crude.
 
Something I put together for the short term.”

He pointed out the fireplace in the sitting room, which was a continuation of the kitchen and dining area.
 
She noticed two doors off the length of the room, most likely bedrooms.
 
While the house had paned windows, the curtains hanging over them were more utilitarian than decorative.
 
Hannah thought the place could use a few homey touches.

Picking up the blanket and basket of food Rosa set out, he held out his arm for Hannah.
 
She placed her hand in the crook of his elbow and they strolled leisurely toward the lake.
 
It was so peaceful and serene.
 
She loved it.

Once they were near the shore of the lake, Will set the basket down and spread out the blanket.
 
He helped Hannah get situated before taking a seat next to her.
 
He propped one arm up on his bent knee.
 
The other leg was stretched out and he leaned back on the other arm, mere inches from her side.

Content to leave the basket untouched for the moment, Will looked off towards the lake.
 
“When I left Texas, I didn’t want to go,” he confessed.
 
“I thought that would be my home forever.
 
I was born there and I was going to grow old there.”
 
He picked at the cloth covering the basket.
 
“But, God had other plans for me.
 
And now here I am.
 

“When I first saw this patch of land, we were coming from the north,” he pointed to the trail, “instead of the south like we did today.
 
I knew when I saw it, this was home.
 
Everything about it spoke to me, to the depths of my soul.
 
In a brief moment, I saw it all—the house, the ranch,” he turned and looked at her, “a wife, and lots of children.
 
In that instant, I knew this was God’s gift to me—this magnificent land.”

Hannah felt his eyes on her, but kept hers fixed on the lake.
 
She could see the draw of this land.
 
She felt it too.
 
It was that sense of belonging.
 
“Thank you for bringing me here.
 
It is incredible,” she said turning to look at him.

Will leaned closer and her pulse raced.
 
Bringing his hand to her neck, he gently pulled her face towards him.
 
Closing the distance, he kissed her.
 
She closed her eyes and leaned into his strength.
 
He responded, trailing his fingers down her neck, sending shivers up her spine.
 
This kiss was different than before.
 
It held such promise and hope and it was utterly delightful.

A soft rustling nearby caught her attention and she hesitated, pulling away.
 
Glancing over Will’s shoulder Hannah saw Ben touch the brim of his hat before moving his horse along.
 
She smiled knowing the older man was slyly acting as chaperone.

Will dropped his hand to the blanket, putting some space between them.
 
“What about you, Hannah?
 
What are your dreams?”

Contemplating the question, she reached for the basket and began setting out the meal.
 
Between bites of bread and cheese, she tried to articulate the dream she once had.
 
Drawing her knees to her, she placed her arms around them and propped her chin on top.

Sighing, she answered, “A year ago, my biggest dream was to be a mother and grow old with Drew.”
 
A few tears slid down her face as she continued, “Then trouble forced us to move.
 
I didn’t want to leave, for I wanted to raise my children there.
 
When we left Ohio, I felt my dreams were dead.
 
Slowly, on the trip here, I began to see Drew’s dream and tried to make it my own, starting a new life in a new land.”

She paused swiping at the tears.
 
“We left Ohio shortly after our second anniversary and I didn’t understand why my dream of being a mother was still unfulfilled.”
 
Hannah paused, uncertain if she should have shared such a personal thought.
 
Yet, Will seemed to listen with genuine interest.
 
“Then, when Drew died in the avalanche in the San Francisco Mountains and when I realized I was with child days later, the dream seemed more like a nightmare.
 
The child was my last link to him, yet I didn’t want to go on without him.”

Her words caught and she was surprised at how raw the emotion still was.
 
Will reached out and took her hand in his, softly running his thumb over her knuckles.

Hannah continued, “Then, once I started working at Fort Whipple, just as some of the sadness started to lift, I lost my baby.”

“I know.”

How could he know that?
 
“How?” she asked.

“I was there that day.” He took both her hands in his.
 
“I had just moved into the line in front of you for some dinner, when you collapsed into my arms.
 
I had no idea who you were, but I prayed for you because I knew you would need it.”
 
He paused, his voice growing quiet, “It wasn’t until later, when I met you at the boardinghouse, that I realized it was you.”

The distant lowing of cattle seemed louder in the lull.
 
Hannah struggled to maintain some composure.
 
How strange that he should have been there that day?
 
And turn out to be the man who caught her.
 
How mysteriously God worked—that he would send this man to pray for her in the midst of a crisis.
 
Had she just glimpsed the Almighty’s plan for her life?