To Dream Anew (6 page)

“Well, I’m sorry Mr. Lawrence, but we’ve got no interest in selling,” Cole said before Dianne could offer her thoughts.

Just then a woman joined them, her arms full of packages. “Take some of these, Chester,” she commanded.

Dianne waited for an introduction. Chester Lawrence seemed to understand. “This is my wife, Cynthia,” he said, taking the parcels from his wife’s arms.

“Pleased to meet you,” Cynthia said without smiling. “Are they the ones?” she asked, turning to her husband.

Lawrence laughed. “Yup, they’re the ones, but they tell me they have no thought to sell.”

Cynthia gave a snide laugh. “Chester’s pretty much used to getting what he wants. I’d suggest you rethink the matter.”

Dianne didn’t care for the woman’s tone, which bordered on a threat. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Lawrence. We have no thought to leave the territory. We have built a good life on the Diamond V and intend to continue doing so.”

“Mrs. Selby! Mrs. Selby!” Portia Langford called from across the street. She stepped into the rutted street and attempted to cross between two freighters, barely making it across before a pair of racing youth came down the street from the opposite direction. “My, but it is a busy place,” she said, putting her hand to her neck.

The Lawrences watched her with moderate interest, causing Dianne to offer introductions. “Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence, this is Mrs. Langford.”

Portia eyed them critically, then smiled at the man. “I’m pleased to meet you both. I do apologize for the intrusion, but I was most desperate to speak with the Selbys before they left town.”

“What is it?” Dianne asked, curious to know what would have caused the young widow to seek them out.

“Well, I wondered … that is …” She paused, looking uncomfortable. “You know that I’ve come here to see my father. They tell me at the fort that he may well not return for at least a month.”

“Yes, we heard the same thing,” Dianne admitted. She hated the long wait but knew that nothing could be done about it. At times like this she could only pray that Zane would retire from the army and leave fighting Indians to someone else.

“I wondered … if you might allow me to impose upon your hospitality,” Portia continued. “I can scarcely afford to stay at the hotel for a month.”

Dianne, noting Portia’s discomfort and feeling sorry for the woman, didn’t even bother to consult with Cole. “Of course you may stay with us. We’ve plenty of room.”

Portia reached out and squeezed Dianne’s arm. “I just knew you’d say yes. Your kindness has always been well known to me.”

“Are your things at the hotel?” Cole asked.

“What little I brought. I can have everything ready within half an hour.”

“That’s good. Go ahead and ready your things. We’ll be by to pick you up in about forty minutes.” Cole then turned to the Lawrences. “It was good to meet you, but we’re in a hurry and need to rally our group to collect our purchases. Feel free to come by sometime for a visit. Folks out here need to make friends of their neighbors. We’ll be glad to get to know you better.”

Chester shook his head. “Ain’t lookin’ for friends, Mister. I’m lookin’ to buy your land.”

Cole chuckled and Dianne recognized that it was forced. “Well, I’m sorry Mr. Lawrence, Mrs. Lawrence. We aren’t of a mind to sell. We’ll be happy to extend neighborly hospitality, however. You’re welcome to come see us anytime.”

Dianne was content to keep quiet on the subject. Chester Lawrence made her uncomfortable. He seemed to leer at her in a manner that was almost suggestive, yet there was really nothing wrong in his behavior.
I’m being silly,
she thought.
It’s no more than the strain of worrying about Zane and the Indians
.

Portia drew her out of her thoughts. “Mrs. Selby, I’ll see you soon. Thank you again.”

Dianne could only nod.

Cole took a firm grasp on Dianne’s arm. “We’ll be seein’ you,” he told the Lawrences. Dianne forced a smile and nodded in affirmation of her husband’s words.

Chester Lawrence muttered something, but Dianne couldn’t hear him well enough to know what he was saying. “What a strange man,” she murmured.

“A dangerous one, too, if I don’t miss my guess,” Cole replied.

Dianne shivered. She felt the same way. “I suppose some folks don’t know what it is to be friendly and simply settle down to the way things are. He seemed like the kind of fellow who doesn’t like taking no for an answer.”

“Just mind yourself if he comes calling,” Cole replied. “Make sure you keep plenty of folks around. I don’t trust him, but I don’t want to accuse him falsely. He’s done nothing to us yet.”

“Nothing but demand the ranch.”

Trenton approached them from the opposite direction. He looked like a man with a purpose. “Cole, we’ve gotten everything loaded with exception to whatever you and Dianne bought.”

“We’ll load up Faith and the children and head back through town. We can make stops on the way. Oh, and we need to make room for Portia Langford.”

“Why?” Trenton asked, his voice low.

“Because she doesn’t have the funds to wait a month at the hotel until the army returns to the fort. She’s here to make amends with her father,” Dianne replied. “She’s asked for our hospitality, and I feel there’s no reason not to extend it in Christian love.”

“I don’t think she worries overmuch about Christ.”

“Trenton, that’s a mean thing to say.”

Cole interrupted the sibling argument. “I just remembered something. Trenton, would you take Dianne back to camp and get everyone loaded up? I’ll only be a minute.”

Dianne stared curiously after her husband but said nothing. She then looked toward the mountains and whispered, “I wish the army were back.”

Trenton put his arm around her. “I know, but it’s going to be all right. You’ll see.”

“But I worry about Zane. He’s been through so much already. What if he doesn’t make it?”

“I’ve endured a great deal too, and it didn’t do me in,” Trenton said as they began walking toward their camp. “Dianne, I know I haven’t been very forthcoming with all that’s happened in my past, but it hasn’t been pretty. I went through some times when I thought I’d lose my life.”

“Why are you telling me this now?” Dianne asked. She looked up into the face of her brother, noting the pain in his expression.

“You’ve been through some bad times too,” he continued, as if not hearing her question. “We’ve survived. Zane will survive too. He’s tough, and he knows how to take care of himself.”

Dianne shook her head. “I’ve often wished you’d never stayed in New Madrid. It feels like we lost our closeness after that. And now it seems that too much has happened … that we’ll never have it again.”

Trenton sighed. “I know. But I’m not the same man. Like I said, the past was ugly and it tainted the boy you knew. You have no idea how much I longed to join all of you. Things weren’t what I thought they’d be at all, and the worse things got, the more I longed for home.”

“But you should have come here then,” Dianne declared. “You could have easily worked on a wagon train and paid your way west in labor.”

“I wish I had. Unfortunately, it wasn’t that easy.” He smiled down at her. “Let’s not dwell on the past. My only reason for bringing it up was to encourage you. Zane is strong. He’ll get through this.”

Dianne squeezed her brother’s arm. “Will you ever share your past with me? Can we ever regain the closeness we used to have?”

Trenton shook his head. “There’s nothing there worth sharing. Nothing at all.”

CHAPTER
5

T
HE HEAT OF LATE
A
UGUST AND THE LACK OF NEWS FROM
Colonel Gibbon and his men made for testy spirits on the Diamond V. Dianne settled into her routine, caring for Luke and overseeing the household alongside Koko, but her mind was ever on Zane and the threat of Indian attack.

News had come that the Sioux and Cheyenne had escaped to parts unknown. The thought filled Dianne with grave concern. If the Sioux headed for the Big Horn Mountains, as was suggested, it wouldn’t be that difficult for them to travel west and up through the Yellowstone area. It would be simple to continue north through the Madison River valley. The thought left her sleepless at times.

Six-year-old Susannah Vandyke clattered the dirty breakfast dishes as she helped her mother begin to clean up. Dianne’s nerves were already stretched taut, and when a glass fell to the floor and shattered, she jumped up from the table.

“Koko, please just leave the dishes and the broken glass. I’ll take care of it.”

“Susannah should clean up the mess she’s made,” Koko countered softly. Turning to her daughter, she instructed, “Go get the broom and dustpan.” The dark-eyed girl, who looked very much like her mother, nodded and hurried from the kitchen.

Jamie, Koko’s nine-year-old son, got to his feet. “Uncle Cole, do you think the Sioux will attack us?”

It was the last topic of conversation Dianne wanted to hear, yet at the same time it was the only thing on people’s minds.

“I don’t know, Jamie. I guess there’s probably more concern about other tribes hearing about what the Sioux did and trying to imitate it.”

“Why?” Dianne asked, sitting back down. “Why would peaceful tribes begin to fight?”

“Because it worked for the Sioux and Cheyenne,” Cole replied matter-of-factly. “I’ve already heard rumors about problems on some of the reservations. If they think an uprising will return them to their old way of life and restore the buffalo to the plains, then they might rise up to make a stand.”

Susannah returned with the broom and dustpan, and Koko instructed her on how to best clear the mess away. Dianne wished they’d all go about their business so she could ask Cole the questions on her heart. She didn’t want to frighten the children.

When the little girl finished her work, Dianne said, “You did a wonderful job, Susannah.” Dianne then looked to Koko. “Please. Go ahead. I know you have plans to go down to the river and teach the children about the plants and herbs.” Koko seemed to understand Dianne’s urgency.

Koko took the dustpan from Susannah and motioned for her son. “Come along. It’s time for school.”

Dianne waited until they’d gone before turning to her husband. “Do you think we should make some kind of hiding place? I mean, there are the children to consider, and if the Sioux come this way … well …”Her words trailed off.

“I don’t know that it would help us much. If the Sioux have remained together, that would mean there are thousands of them,” Cole said, pushing back from the table. “If they make it to this valley, there probably won’t be anyplace to hide. Several thousand people can cover a lot of territory. Honestly, I think there’s a bigger threat from some of the other tribes. Some of the area men are planning to meet the day after tomorrow. I guess we’ll discuss what kind of protective plan we can form at that point.”

“We’ve never had to worry about the Indians before,” Diane said. “I mean, with Koko’s brother traveling freely with the Blackfoot, we’ve generally known safety. Other tribes knew we were sympathetic and friendly. Why, we’ve even traded cattle with them.”

“Times are changing.” Cole grew thoughtful. “Seems we’ve been having our battles with the Indians since first coming west.”

Dianne wondered if Cole was remembering the time he’d been taken by the Sioux and later by the Blackfoot. He never spoke much about that time, and once when she’d asked Koko’s brother, Takes Many Horses—the man responsible for rescuing her husband—about it, Cole had merely admonished her to let the matter rest and ask no more.

Dianne gave a little shudder. “They’re getting desperate.”

“Yes. And desperation makes people do things they’d otherwise never attempt. We’ve seen enough of that out here just trying to make our way. The Indians have seen their entire way of life changed. The buffalo and elk aren’t nearly as plentiful. Settlers are fencing off the land and building towns. The Indians have no place in any of it.”

“And reservation life isn’t really any life at all,” Dianne commented. “Not when you consider the freedom the tribes have enjoyed for generations. Freedom to roam at will.”

Cole heaved a sigh. “The government will win this one.

We’ve seen it over and over in history. They’ll round up every last Indian until they have them all contained where they want them. They did it in the eastern states; they’ll do it here as well.”

“But at what cost?”

“That’s always the question, isn’t it,” he more stated than asked. “Look, I’d better get to work. I can’t say it would do much good to dig ourselves a hole to hide in. Caution, I guess, is the best answer. I’ll post some men several miles out in each direction. They can let us know if Indians appear to be moving this direction.”

“And then what?” Dianne asked, knowing the answer wouldn’t be good.

“Then I guess we’ll run in the opposite direction. We’ll head to whatever town is closest and warn them as well. I’ll make sure we have our fastest mounts here in the corral. Maybe you should figure out a way to pack Luke Indian-style or some other such way so you can both ride a horse instead of a wagon. A wagon ain’t gonna move fast enough for much of an escape.”

“All right,” Dianne said, meeting his eyes. “I won’t lie and say I’m not frightened, but I think I’m more scared for Zane. I just wish we could have word.”

Cole smiled. “I know, but it’s times like these that we have to trust God more than ever. You’ve helped me to learn that. We can’t put our trust in appearances.”

His words warmed her heart. “I know you’re right, and I promise to try harder.”

“Good morning,” Portia Langford declared as she swept into the room.

Dianne got up from the table, as did Cole. “Good morning,” Dianne greeted. “There’s some breakfast warming for you on the back of the stove if you’re hungry. You know the way to the kitchen.”

It was the same routine most every morning. The rest of the household was awake and fed long before Portia even managed to make her way out of bed. The woman was clearly used to being done for instead of having to do for herself, but at least now she seemed to understand that no one had time to wait on her.