To Dream Anew (36 page)

“Open it.”

Dianne tried to look baffled. “I’m not sure I have a key. My husband generally keeps those things, and he’s gone to Butte.”

The private frowned, then without warning kicked the door in. Dianne shrieked and drew her hand to her throat. The soldier went into the storage room and looked around. He lifted the pile of blankets and looked behind a stand of flour sacks. Appearing satisfied, he returned to the kitchen just as two of his comrades came in from the porch.

“There’s quite a mess back there,” one of the men said, motioning over his shoulder. They all three looked to Dianne.

She smiled. “My boys play there.”

“Where are your boys now?”

“Two of them are down at the river fishing with one of my men. The baby is sleeping upstairs.”

Satisfied with the answer, the private motioned his men to follow as they made their way to the back stairs. “We’ll go up this way and search through the upstairs, then move to the front staircase.”

Dianne followed in silence. There was nothing else to be done. She could only breathe a sigh of relief that the man had decided the storage room wasn’t worth his trouble.

By midday the soldiers had exhausted their search. The captain was ill-tempered and in no mood for nonsense. He motioned to his tracker and questioned the man at length before approaching Dianne. “He says the tracks lead here. They stop down by the river, and your man who’s down there fishing says one of your boats are missing.”

Dianne gasped and held her hand against her breast. “Oh, you don’t suppose he got this close—truly?” It was her very best acting—playing the damsel in distress.

The man softened his tone. “Don’t worry, ma’am, he’s not here. He’s probably taken your boat and headed off, thinking to throw us off his scent. I’ll send men both up-and downstream. We’ll catch him—dead or alive.” He tipped his hat. “I thank you for your cooperation.”

Dianne nodded, wanting nothing more than to scream at the man for his insensitivity.

“Mount up!” the captain called.

The men who weren’t already aback their horses hurried into their saddles. One pudgy sergeant pushed his mount forward and leaned down. “So whatever happened to that Injun squaw who lived here with her children? I didn’t see nothin’ of them.”

All eyes turned on Dianne. The moment had come that she had dreaded. “They’re gone,” she said matter-of-factly. “The army’s been through here more than once.”

“So they finally got ’em to the reservation, eh?” the man replied, not sounding entirely convinced that she was telling the Truth. “Good. We don’t need ’em out here breeding with decent white folk.”

Dianne stared at the man, trying hard to keep her temper in check. “Yes, we certainly don’t want decent folk bothered.”

The man held her gaze for several moments, then straightened. He nodded at the captain, who in turn gave the order to move out.

Dianne feared they’d remain close at hand for some time, however. They would be running up and down the river trying their best to find Takes Many Horses. It could be days before they completely left the area.

With Billy Joe’s help, Dianne made sure those hiding in the cellar were getting enough air, then went about her business, hoping to know when it was safe to bring her family back up.

By the next afternoon, she sent out riders to see where the army had gotten off to. Unable to wait for news, she saddled Daisy and rode to the top of her hill to look down on the valley. There were no signs of the blue-coated soldiers.

She contemplated whether she’d done right in the eyes of the Lord. She knew full well that she’d done right by her family. In her heart, there was no other recourse.

“Lord, if I have sinned, please forgive me.”

A noise behind her caused Dianne to whirl Daisy around as though she were cutting out a calf for branding. To her surprise Mara Lawrence was riding as if the devil himself were after her. Her long dark hair rippled behind her in the wind.

Waving, Dianne called to the girl, “Mara! Mara! What’s wrong?”

The girl made her way to Dianne. She looked terrified, and it was obvious she’d been crying. She yanked back on the reins of her dark brown gelding. “I hate that woman! I hate her for what she’s done to my family.”

“Who?” Dianne questioned.

“Portia. She’s ruined everything. I hate her and I hate my father for bringing her to our home. She’s cruel and vicious.

Always threatening us behind our father’s back. She’s even mean to Joshua, and he’s so kind. He’s nothing like Jerrod or Roy. They’re mean to the bone. But not Joshua.”

“I’m sorry, Mara. But what can I do?” Dianne asked. She wasn’t about to reveal her own feelings for Portia.

“I can’t beat her at her games,” Mara admitted. “She’s much too clever. She won’t rest until she has managed to send us all away. I know it’s an imposition, but I came to see if you could help me.”

“Help you? How? You know your family isn’t friends with ours. Your father is trying to take our land. I can hardly go and speak to him on your behalf, and there aren’t any legal courses. Portia is your father’s wife.”

“I know,” Mara said. “I know all about Father’s schemes to run you out of the territory too. I’ve come to bring help, in return for yours.”

“Help?” Dianne questioned.

“Yes.” Mara pulled a folded piece of paper from her jacket. “These are papers my father took from the courthouse in Virginia City. They show you as the legal owner of the Diamond V.”

CHAPTER
25

C
OLE RETURNED TO THE
D
IAMOND
V
IN THE LAST WEEK OF
August. He had no answers for his family and felt a sense of defeat as he came through the front door. He hated to face Dianne empty-handed. She already felt he was failing her where the Lawrence problems were concerned. He couldn’t go into detail, however, and explain that he and his men were gathering evidence against Lawrence. First, she wouldn’t see it as doing enough. Second, she’d want to help, and he couldn’t allow her to risk her life.

Cole sighed. It wasn’t like the information was doing them much good. He’d had a chance to present some of his findings to a Butte lawyer in order to seek direction as to what they should do next. But the man felt their evidence was circumstantial at best and hearsay at worst.

Cole’s biggest regret was that he couldn’t give Dianne a solid answer with regard to the ranch. There just seemed to be nothing to aid their cause.

“I’ve got the most incredible news,” Dianne said as she hurried down the staircase to greet him.

“Well, I don’t,” Cole admitted.

She smiled. “I have papers from the courthouse in Virginia. They show that Uncle Bram made me part owner before he died.”

“Where in the world did you get them?”

“Mara Lawrence.”

“You’re joking, right?” Cole’s disbelief was evident.

“Not at all. She’s absolutely reached the end of her patience with Portia, and her father has become abusive and neglectful, taking Portia’s side over that of his children. Mara didn’t want him to get away with stealing our land. She felt that all of their troubles started when her father began causing us problems.”

“She’ll pay for that.”

“What of you? What happened in Butte?” Dianne asked, hugging him close.

Cole momentarily forgot his frustration and breathed in the lilac scent that permeated Dianne’s clothes. He held her, wishing they could be alone, but even now someone approached from behind. He released his wife and turned to find Koko and Takes Many Horses.

“I didn’t know you were back,” Cole said in greeting. “How are you?”

“He was half dead and being chased by soldiers when he showed up here,” Dianne declared. “But we hid him in the cellar, along with Koko and the children. The soldiers searched and moved on. So they’re all safe.”

“For now,” Koko interjected.

“Hopefully forever. They believe Koko and the children had already gone to the reservation, and they didn’t seem to understand that Takes Many Horses was related to them and had a reason for coming here. I don’t think they’ll waste their time coming here again.”

Cole tried to take it all in. “The army showed up here?”

“Yes, but Billy Joe and Gabe were wonderful to help me. Everyone was. We used the new cellar and covered the trapdoor with that big chest in the storage room. We do need to replace the door to the storage room, however. One of the soldiers got impatient for me to produce a key,” Dianne said, her voice more animated than he’d heard in months.

“We’ll have to speak more about this,” he said, looking directly at Takes Many Horses.

“So what is this about papers?” Koko asked.

Cole looked to Dianne and she smiled. “We didn’t want to worry you,” Dianne began. “The Lawrences have been trying for some time now to discredit my claim to the ranch. They said there was only proof that Uncle Bram had owned the land, not that he had ever added my name to the deed. In fact, no one could even find a deed.”

“Why didn’t you ask me?” Koko questioned. “I have the deed.”

Cole and Dianne stared at her with open mouths. Koko couldn’t help but laugh. “See where secrets get you? You shouldn’t have worried about my feelings or fears! Bram gave me the deed long ago. I just forgot about it and it never seemed important.”

“Well, it is,” Cole said. “We need to get my name on that paper and put everything in order before they decide that causing Dianne some permanent harm will be the way to leave the land ownership in question. By law it should come to me, but let’s not take chances.”

“I agree,” Koko said. “I think we’re coming into an age where corruption will reign supreme. I’ll give you the deed tonight, but please promise me you won’t keep things from me. I’m not fragile.”

“No, my sister has a gentle strength,” Takes Many Horses said softly.

“Why don’t you boys have a rest out on the porch? Koko and I will whip up some lunch and bring it to you.”

“That sounds good,” Cole said. He was still unable to imagine all that had taken place in his absence.

“You look worn,” Takes Many Horses said as they took their seats.

“I am. I guess the mental exhaustion alone has taken its toll. I felt so defeated in returning home without good news to share, and here God had provided in my absence.”

“He has a way of doing that. I knew coming here was a dangerous risk, but I had nowhere else to go. The army was breathing down my neck, and I knew I couldn’t go on. I prayed that God wouldn’t punish you and yours for my sins, and when the army moved on without locating me, I felt He had forgiven me and heard my prayers.”

“What will you do now?”

Takes Many Horses grew thoughtful. “Koko wants me to stay and live as a white. She makes a good argument.” He looked to Cole, as if trying to ascertain his feelings on the matter.

“You are always welcome here. I know Dianne feels that way. I know Bram felt that way too.”

“Has it been hard living in the shadow of a great man?”

For a moment the question caught Cole off guard. Was he referencing himself or Bram Vandyke? “I suppose,” Cole began slowly, “that there are times when I wish I could start over and make a ranch of my own instead of picking up where someone else left off.”

Takes Many Horses nodded in understanding. “A man needs land of his own—a place to call his own. He needs to know that he has accomplished something of value.”

“Yes. I’m not sure I can say that here.”

“I think you can. You could have deserted my sister and her children. You could have been the kind of man who didn’t care about the promise between Dianne and Bram. You are a godly man—probably the most godly man I’ve ever known. Sometimes you shame me because you’ve been here for Koko when I’ve been selfishly seeking my own way.”

“You had to do what seemed important to you,” Cole said softly.

“I’ve wasted my life.”

“No, not really. You still have a good portion of your life to live.”

“But how shall I live?” Takes Many Horses stood and leaned on the porch rail as he looked out across the ranch yard. “When we were in hiding, my sister asked me if this was what I wanted for Jamie. Hiding—running—fighting to survive. It was then that I realized how wrong I’d been. I wanted to be a great leader, but instead, I failed my people.”

Cole studied the man for a moment. He was still dressed in Blackfoot fashion, with leather leggings and a long cloth shirt. His long hair gleamed blue-black in the noon sun. Cole drew a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Jamie’s at a very impressionable age. It’s not too late to influence him for good.”

Takes Many Horses turned. “How can I do that now?”

“You can put the past behind you and look forward to a different future. You can live by your white heritage now. As you’ve said before and know to be true, the time of the Blackfoot—of any Indian—is passing by quickly.”

“And you honestly think this will impress my nephew? My settling down to be a rancher? After hearing my stories of wild buffalo hunts and trekking across the untouched mountains for weeks on end, you honestly expect him to be excited by my living as white?”

“I don’t think it much matters how excited he gets about your life. I think what counts is that he sees that you changed your heart in order to better others. That’s a powerful lesson to teach someone. Putting yourself aside for the sake of your loved ones.”

Takes Many Horses met Cole’s eyes. “You believe this…. I can see your heart in this matter.”

“Only because I had to make the same choices. I had to make things right with my parents by putting my desires aside in order to help them. I found that in doing so, however, my desires changed. I still wanted to marry Dianne, but I knew that I was worthy of becoming her husband. Before, I was far too selfish.”

The silence fell between them for several minutes as Takes Many Horses appeared to wrestle with his emotions. Finally he spoke. “I’ll consider this more in prayer. I know what you’re saying rings of the truth.”