The Coming Storm (17 page)

“In the second book of Corinthians, chapter four, we read, ‘While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.’ As it’s been told to me, Bram Vandyke put his eyes on the eternal when the only image he could see was given in the Holy Word. Now he sees in full what the Lord only speaks of in Scripture. Someday we’ll all behold the Lord—we’ll all give an accounting for our words and deeds. It seems to me that Bram had no need to fear that accounting.

“As for those of us gathered here today, we need to look beyond this temporal situation. We need to remember that this world is only a stopping-over place—a place that cannot hold us—for one day we will follow Brother Bram and join him in the eternal. Let us put our eyes on the eternal rather than this grave.”

Dianne appreciated Reverend Hammond’s words. They offered comfort in a way that nothing else could. It was easy to forget just how momentary the sorrows of this earth would be. When the brief service was over, Dianne thought about how very much Bram would have approved of this gathering.

Suddenly Jamie cried out, startling them all. “I want my papa!”

Koko handed Susannah to Dianne and lifted her son. “James, your papa had to go away. He has to be with God.”

“But I want to play with Papa.” He struggled in his mother’s arms, and his tears made Dianne’s own resolve slip away. She nuzzled the baby’s neck to avoid dealing with the weeping boy.

Koko whispered softly to her son, and while Jamie continued to cry, he said nothing more.

I don’t want to leave him here either,
Dianne thought.
I want to wake up and find this is all a horrible dream. I want to walk out into the kitchen and find Uncle Bram pouring himself a cup of coffee. Just like he did every morning
. But of course that wasn’t going to happen. It would never happen again.

This is but a fleeting moment. Just as Ben said. It will pass and we will survive. We will live beyond our tears and pain
.

Dianne raised her face and met Gus’s compassionate gaze from across the grave.
He thinks I’m strong, but I’m not
. Dianne sighed. She looked at the others; their eyes were fixed on her, as if watching her for direction.
They all think I’m so strong—so capable
. How could she ever manage to convince them that she had nothing left to give? Cole had taken her heart and hopes, and Bram had taken her last connection to her parents—especially her mother.

How can I be strong now?

Cole awoke when light filtered in between the large holes in the wall. He forced his body to respond and got to his feet. Hunger overwhelmed him and pain gnawed at his stomach, back, chest, and head like a hundred tiny animals feasting upon his flesh.

The cabin was sparse. Someone had left a stump as a chair and a crude table, fashioned from four bark-laden logs and an odd assortment of branches. Cole noted an old crate nailed to the wall of the cabin and stepped closer to see what had been left behind. There wasn’t much that looked useful. An open tin can held several matches, a few rusty nails, and a stub of a pencil. Cole actually rejoiced over the pencil more than anything else. He still had his journal tucked safely inside his boot. He could write to Dianne and at least record his ordeal. That way if he died . . .

Death had so long dogged his steps that Cole no longer shuddered at the prospect.

“If I die, I die. But at least I might let Dianne know what happened and hope that someone will take my words to her . . . someday.”

CHAPTER 13

T
HE TRIP TO TOWN DID NOTHING TO BOLSTER
D
IANNE’S
spirits. Everything appeared dingy and worn-out. There were more buildings and houses than there were the last time she was in town, but the people seemed caught off guard somehow— almost as if the momentum for civilization had overwhelmed them. There were false-front buildings that pretended to be something more than they were, as well as advertisements boasting all the comforts that could be had in large eastern cities. Somehow Dianne doubted the truth of such claims; after all, they were stuck out here well away from any real connection to the amenities of the East. Of course, there was the transcontinental railroad, completed just the previous year. That now brought goods into Corinne on a regular basis, and the town that had suffered such a poor reputation during the construction of the railroad now achieved a little more recognition and respect.

But Corinne and the railroad were a very long ways away.

Dianne wondered seriously if there might be wisdom in selling off everything and moving away from Montana and its difficult life, but even as the thought came, she pushed it aside. Her uncle had loved this land. He’d lived here for a long time—even before there were towns to offer him more comforts. Surely she could endure whatever hardships befell them, in order to honor him and provide for Koko, Jamie, and Susannah. They’d never be accepted in eastern society. Dianne would be hard-pressed to find any place back East where they could settle and be allowed to live in peace. Besides, Dianne knew they’d never leave the territory—not even if she sold off every inch of land and every animal. Koko would never leave the land where her husband had lived and died.

Settling into her hotel room, Dianne thought of Koko and the children as she prepared for bed. Koko had pretty much sequestered herself away with her little family after Bram’s death. Dianne tried to respect and honor her aunt’s need for privacy, but in some ways it only served to remind Dianne that everyone had someone—except her.

She crawled into the small bed, pulled the covers up under her chin, and stared at the darkened ceiling. “I don’t know what to do, Lord. I don’t know where Cole has gone. I don’t know how to keep the ranch running. I don’t know how to comfort Koko—especially when I can’t seem to comfort myself. I wish Cole were here.”

There’d been no mail—no letters. Not from Cole nor anyone else. Dianne longed to know what had happened, but even as rumors had abounded in town about stagecoaches and wagon trains being attacked and destroyed by warring Indians, there were no solid answers.

Two doors down the hall, Levi and Gabe shared a room. Dianne smiled at the memory of Levi suggesting they should be closer. He worried over her as if they were an old married couple, and if he had his way about it, they would be just that.

Dianne wished Levi would find someone to love, other than herself. He was a good man, despite having the lowly job of cowhand. Yet he was a permanent hand, not just a drifter looking for seasonal work on roundups or cattle drives. Now with Ben and Charity thinking about staying on in the valley, there was a possibility Levi might even move back in with them, and then the idea of settling down and finding a wife might become an even greater possibility.

Dianne had already decided to offer Ben and Charity the old homestead cabin. There was plenty of room, even if Levi decided to move in with them. Dianne liked the idea of the preacher and his wife being so close. Bram had talked about building them a church and encouraging the community ranchers to gather with their families, but at this point Dianne didn’t have the energy for such things. There were too many other needs to be considered. Ben and Charity could just as easily hold services in the cabin, and the area folks could drive the extra distance to the Diamond V if they longed for Christian fellowship.

Still, the church was a dream of Uncle Bram’s. Maybe there would be a way to work it all out.

Morning came much too quickly. Sunlight burst through the open curtains, warming Dianne and forcing her into a conscious state. She tried not to think of the loneliness she felt at waking alone. There was no reason to feel so overwhelmed. She’d awakened alone most every day of her life—this day was no different.

She quickly washed up and dressed in her wrinkled riding outfit. She was hungry and there was work to do. The men would no doubt be half starved. There was a small cafe down the street where they’d eaten a delicious supper the night before. The owner promised breakfast would be just as grand an affair. Even though Levi had just packed away a steak, two portions of fried potatoes, creamed peas and onions, five dinner rolls, and two pieces of apple pie, he had suggested eating breakfast there three times before they’d even reached their hotel room the night before. Dianne wouldn’t dare suggest they eat anywhere else.

Stepping into the hall, Dianne found Gabe and Levi already waiting for her. Levi took up her small bag and offered her his arm. “I’m so empty, my stomach is keeping company with my backbone for fear of being forgotten.”

Dianne laughed. “How about it, Gabe? Could you manage to put away a little breakfast?”

The young man nodded. “I reckon I’m just about as hungry as Levi. But maybe not quite as much.”

“Then we’d best make our way to the cafe and resolve this situation.” Dianne noted they all looked as if they’d slept in their clothes. “I just hope they don’t refuse us service for our dowdy looks.”

“You look beautiful, Miz Dianne. No doubt about that. Ain’t no one gonna be kicking you out of any place,” Levi declared, then blushed red at his boldness.

“Why, thank you, Levi. It’s kind of you to offer reassurance.” Dianne smiled, taking pity on both men. “If they declare me to be too messy, I’ll pay for you two to eat and simply wait for you at the livery until you’ve had your fill.”

Gabe laughed and punched Levi in the arm. “See, Miz Dianne cares more about you than you figure. She ain’t about to let you starve.”

Levi’s hue deepened. “Shut up, Gabe. You don’t know nothin’.”

“I know that you can eat enough for ten men when it suits you. I just hope Miz Dianne brought enough money to pay for your meal.”

Dianne laughed and hurried down the hall to avoid causing Levi any further embarrassment.

Breakfast was a grand affair, just as the owner had promised. They ordered the special and grew wide-eyed when the waitress returned with huge plates, each filled with a ham steak some two inches thick, four eggs, and a mound of fried potatoes. She also brought a platter heaped with a pile of biscuits as well as a bowl of steaming redeye gravy.

“This oughta get us started,” Levi teased the young redheaded woman. She blushed.

“There’s enough food here to see you satisfied, I’m thinkin’,” she replied with a quirky, teasing tone. She left them quickly and retrieved a pot of coffee.

Levi held his cup up as if offering her a gift. “Best coffee I’ve ever had. Drank at least two potfuls last night.”

She smiled and filled his cup. “Glad you like it.” She batted her eyelashes, then moved on to Gabe and did likewise. Both men seemed completely smitten.

Dianne would have laughed out loud at the spectacle but didn’t want to embarrass Gabe and Levi. Instead, she waited for the girl to fill her own coffee cup, then suggested they offer thanks for the food and dig in.

Gabe offered a short prayer, thanking God for their safety and blessings. Dianne couldn’t fault him for his simplicity; she knew both men were anxious to dig in.

“There’s a couple horses you’re gonna want to look at before we head home,” Levi said between bites. “A good solid Arabian mare, about seven years old. She’s a beauty—some fourteen-and-a-half hands high. Prettiest white I’ve ever laid eyes on.”

“Sounds like she has real possibilities,” Dianne said, nodding.

“What else?”

“A young buckskin. He’s just two years old. He’d need a lot of work, but he’s a feisty Spanish Barb, and I’m thinkin’ he’d make a great ranch horse—probably a good breeder too.”

“Well, I’d like to see them both,” Dianne admitted. “It can’t ever hurt to improve the stock. What else do we need to take care of?”

“Shouldn’t be too much. Me and Levi took the wagon over to the feed store first thing this morning. They’re packing our supplies, and we can pick up the rest of the stuff at the mercantile on the way out of town.”

Dianne nodded, making a mental note to look for any items that might have escaped their notice on previous trips. “So do you fellas have any requests? Anything special you need that you don’t already have?”

“A chessboard would be nice,” Gabe said, then acted as if he’d spoken out of turn. “But that’s just a luxury and we can do without it.”

“Nonsense. You boys will be cooped up all winter on the ranch. You might as well have something you enjoy. I’ll look around and see if there’s a chessboard to be had in this town.”

“Bradley’s has one,” Gabe offered, looking rather sheepish.

“Good. You go pick it up. Use some of the supply money,” Dianne instructed.

“Thanks a bunch, Miz Dianne,” Gabe said in such an animated tone that Dianne was reminded of a child at Christmas.

“What about you, Levi? Anything Ben or Charity could use Maybe something they didn’t think to tell me about?”

Levi shook his head. “Can’t think of a thing.”

He continued wolfing down his food at an alarming rate. Dianne seriously wondered how he could ever manage to eat everything set before him. Already she was slowing down to her final bites, and there was well over three-quarters of the food still sitting on her plate.