Land of My Heart (46 page)

“The herd seems content to stay where they are,” Levi muttered as they worked to clear a small campsite. They cut a long evergreen branch and used it as a broom to push through the drifts.

Cole noted the way the cattle bunched together in the canyon. No doubt it was the best way to keep warm. “Hope they stay this quiet through the night.”

“Me too.”

“Boys, I’ll have us a fire made here shortly. I’ve managed to pull together some dead brush. Sent a couple of the other boys to bring in some more,” Gus declared. He went right to work getting a decent size fire going. The flames provided not only warmth but added light.

“Douse that lantern. We’ll light it up if we need it, but hopefully this will do us,” Gus said.

Before long Cole was sufficiently warmed on the outside, and Levi’s hot coffee helped warm his insides. They ate supper at a little past one in the morning, then those who weren’t on guard turned in and tried to get comfortable on the cold Montana ground.

That night Cole dreamed of owning his own ranch. He found himself at the top of a hill, much like the one overlooking Bram Vandyke’s ranch. For as far as he could see the land was his. A sense of peace washed over Cole as he watched his cattle contentedly feed on lush green pastures. He awoke feeling refreshed and for the first time in his life seriously considered that he might very well want to take up ranching as a career.

Why not?
He could stake a homestead claim and work the land. Maybe add to it as the years went on. It was hard work, but it was a whole lot more certain than mining. The thought invigorated him. Yawning, he sat up and wondered at the time. He needed to take his turn with the cattle and figured even if it was a little early he was fully awake and might as well go to it.

Cole went to saddle his mount and met up with Gus doing likewise. “Doesn’t feel half so cold without the wind blowing,” Cole said.

“That’s a fact. Storms like that make a fella consider going back to Texas.”

“What was Texas like?” Cole asked.

“Hotter than you can imagine most of the time. Hot and dusty, that’s what I mostly remember,” Gus said, tightening his cinch. “Nothing like Montana.”

Cole mounted his horse and looked down at Gus. “Did you ever think of owning your own spread?”

Gus looked up at him rather oddly. “Why do you ask?”

Cole shrugged. “Guess I was considering what it might be like to do something like that. Maybe get a homestead nearby.”

“Settle down and raise a family?” Gus’s tone was teasing, but his expression was serious.

Cole smiled. “Could be. Mainly I was just thinking of how I wanted to spend the rest of my life.”

Gus nodded. “Well, it seems to me you’ve come to the right place for it.” He mounted and pulled his collar up. “Might be particularly interesting what with Miss Dianne takin’ such an interest in the same kind of thing. I doubt you’d have to work too hard to win her hand.”

Cole shook his head. “No sense jumpin’ the gun. It’d be better to see to the land first, then worry about what follows.” He nudged his horse forward, ignoring Gus’s chuckle.

The next morning dawned bright and clear. Gus had them break camp and get ready to head straight out. Knee-deep snow slowed the progress for the first mile or so, then the valley opened up and revealed rangeland where the wind had blown most of the fields clear.

The sun’s brilliance hurt Cole’s eyes as he gazed out across the herd. Still, he wouldn’t trade the clear skies and warming temperatures for what he’d experienced on the previous day. The herd appeared to agree.

After having little feed and water on the previous day, the cattle were restless. They’d reach their destination by nightfall, however, so Gus wouldn’t let them stop for long. He told the boys to keep pushing them north and soon they could eat their fill.

As the sun began to set in the western skies, dipping out of sight behind the Tobacco Root Mountains, Cole was more than ready to be out of the saddle. The range shack didn’t boast much comfort, but it looked like a palace to Cole and Levi. The one-room cabin would be their home for the next few months, and Cole hoped the time away from the ranch might give him a chance to seriously consider his new ideas about land ownership.

“You boys will find supplies stacked against that far wall. Stove works good,” Gus said. “But we didn’t manage to get enough wood cut to take you through winter, so you’ll need to be considering that. When you have good days, take advantage of it and lay in a supply. There’s some good wood to be had in that stand of trees to the west.”

“Sounds simple enough,” Cole declared.

“I know of a hot spring not far from here,” one of the boys offered. “Sure would feel good about now.”

“Maybe we can reward ourselves with a bit of a swim,” Gus said, smiling. “I’m kind of partial to such adventures myself.”

“Do you think we’ll have Injun troubles, boss?” one of the men asked Gus.

“Could be. The Blackfoot aren’t real happy with the white man. I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see them start attacking in full force.”

One of the younger cowboys in the group appeared to pale at this news. Cole knew Gabe couldn’t be much older than sixteen. He’d come to them from the mining fields, explaining that he’d been in an orphanage in the East but was turned loose after the war because of his age and the influx of younger children. Somehow he’d drifted west and ended up in Virginia City.

“Gabe, don’t you go worryin’ none,” Gus said as he gave the boy a hearty pat on the back. “Cole over there is a dead eye with a gun. He can surely take care of any Indian attacks, now, can’t you, Cole?”

Cole smiled. “You bet.” But he had to admit he had his own misgivings. The rumors from town weren’t good. Whenever one of the boys went to Virginia City for their Saturday night constitutional, they came back with stories of scalped settlers and burned-out homesteads. It was enough to make a man sit up and take notice. Cole hoped that the winter weather would keep the Indians from being too eager to make war.

Zane Chadwick hadn’t slept a wink that night for thinking of the Indians as well. The Indians were the real reason he was joining up with the army. Fort Ellis was to be his new home and a uniform his only manner of dress. His father would have been gravely disappointed in him. The family did not pride itself on making war against anyone, but Zane saw the western frontier as a different situation. The westward expansion of white settlers had brought out the complication of Indian removal.

Since meeting his uncle’s wife, Zane had come to have a better understanding of the Indians, at least of the Blackfoot. He and Dianne had enjoyed learning the Blackfoot language and Zane knew that such a skill would probably come in handy in the army. He’d taken to the language rather easily, just as he had picked up a fairly fluent capability in Spanish during his freighting days in Virginia City. Languages seemed to be something he was gifted at.

Before first light, Gus had roused them, and Levi and Gabe had set to fixing breakfast. Zane and Morgan worked with Gus and Cole to cut out the thirty head from the herd that would be taken to the fort. As they prepared to leave, Cole gave Zane a wave.

“Take care of yourself. Your sister wouldn’t forgive us if anything bad happened to you,” Cole said.

“I don’t intend for anything bad to happen,” Zane replied. “Dianne told me she’d be praying for my safety, and she’s pretty set about getting what she goes after. God and me don’t stand a chance.”

Morgan leaned over in the saddle toward Zane. “He doesn’t stand a chance either. If our little sister has her way about it, Indians will be the least of Cole Selby’s worries.”

“What was that?” Cole called.

Zane smiled. “He’s just warning me about the future. Not to worry.” Morgan laughed and reined his horse back toward the cattle.

Cole shrugged as Gus rode up beside him. “We’ll be headin’ out now. You should see me back here in a week. I’ll check in before I head to the ranch.”

Cole nodded and Zane gave him a wave, then turned to move out and corral a steer that seemed intent on wandering back toward the larger herd. He liked Cole and seriously hoped that things would work out between him and Dianne. It would be good to have a man like him in the family. It would certainly make it easier to leave Dianne behind if Zane knew she’d have someone besides Uncle Bram to see to her needs.

They reached Fort Ellis without any real obstacles. The rivers weren’t frozen and passage was easy, albeit unwelcome by the cattle. Bozeman City had grown considerably and Zane was actually sorry he wouldn’t have a chance to explore the town. Perhaps there would be time for that later, however.

Gus handled the exchange of the cows with the fort personnel. This left Zane and Morgan free to say their good-byes.

The twins stood beside their horses facing each other. “I don’t know why you want to be a soldier,” Morgan began. “Seems like it would be awful to have to answer to someone all the time.”

“I want to be a soldier for the same reasons you want to go out exploring,” Zane replied. “It’s my calling. I think about it more than anything else. I thrill to the stories told about it. That time we spent at Fort Laramie convinced me beyond anything else. Soldiering is something I have to try my hand at.”

“I can understand that,” Morgan said, looking off across the post. “But you’ve never had to kill anyone before. I don’t see you as a killer.”

“I don’t either,” Zane agreed. “But I am a defender. I will defend the right of people to move freely as they choose, whether they are Indian or white. But I’ll also defend the law, and if the law says the Indians cannot come into an area because they refuse to deal in peace with the whites, then I will uphold that law.”

“Seems like you’ve thought this through,” Morgan said. “I guess there’s nothing left to do but say good-bye. I hope I’ll see you again soon.”

“It’s not that far to come for a visit. From either direction. So maybe you’ll come see me come spring.”

“Could be,” Morgan admitted. “Might be if Bozeman keeps growing like it has, we’ll come this way for supplies instead of Virginia City.”

“I can see the time coming.”

“You ready to head into town?” Gus asked Morgan as he approached atop his horse.

Morgan looked at Zane momentarily. Zane felt an odd sensation in being parted from his twin. It would be the first time they’d not been at each other’s side.

“Take care of yourself,” Zane whispered and embraced Morgan in a powerful bear hug.

“You too,” Morgan replied.

They pulled away and nodded, as if knowing all the unspoken things they might have said. Zane looked up to Gus and smiled. “Take care of yourself, Gus. I’m much obliged for all that you taught me.”

“Keep your head down and your arm steady,” Gus advised. “You’ll find it helps to keep you alive during attacks.”

Zane laughed. “I’ll do just that.”

Morgan mounted his horse and together he and Gus rode off toward town. Zane felt an emptiness inside him at their departure.
Maybe I’m crazy for this,
he thought.
Maybe I should mount up and follow them out
. But before he could change his mind, a soldier approached him.

“Your friend tells me you’re here to sign on.”

Zane looked the man in the eye and nodded. “Yes, sir. That’s what I’m here for.”