A Dream to Call My Own (12 page)

“At least for a time. That is, if you were in agreement. Pa thought it might be best for all of us. We could save money that way, and I’d be right there to help him and learn what I need to know.”

Lacy nodded. “And your mother could teach me how to be a proper lady. Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing, Dave Shepard.”

He looked at her in confusion. “I never . . . I didn’t say . . .”

She put her finger to his lips. “I’m teasing you. I love your mother, and I’m sure I could learn a great deal from her.”

He kissed her finger tenderly. “You are the perfect lady for me, Lacy Gallatin.”

“What about when I wear my trousers and climb up on the roof?”

“Even then,” he said, a smile spreading across his face. “Although I’d just as soon you refrain from doing both.”

She shook her head. “No. If you’re going to marry me, Dave Shepard, you have to take me, faults and all. I won’t go changing just because you think to make me into somebody else. If you feel that way, you might as well break the engagement right now.”

To her surprise, he laughed and pulled her hard against him. “There’s no chance of that, Lacy Gallatin. You need me to keep you out of trouble, and I need you to . . . well . . . I just need you.”

And for the first time, Lacy truly believed that marrying Dave was exactly what she was destined to do.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

“Why did you have to have a boy?” Justin asked Beth. He stared down at the baby in her arms and screwed up his face. “And such an ugly one.”

Beth laughed. “He isn’t ugly. He’s just two days old.”

“He’s got hardly any hair, no teeth, and he cries all the time,” Justin countered.

“He’s not crying right now,” Beth replied defensively. “Besides, babies aren’t born with teeth, and he’ll get more hair later.”

“I don’t like him.” He crossed his arms and plopped into a nearby chair just as Nick brought in a wooden cradle.

“It’s finished and ready for our new addition,” he declared as he put the baby’s new bed on the floor.

Beth admired the piece of furniture. She knew Nick had labored over it for several weeks in between his other duties. The pine had been carefully carved with scrolling and stained to bring out the richness of the wood’s natural pattern. Nick had even thought to make it quite large so it could be used for some time to come.

“It’s beautiful. Thank you so much. I know Max will sleep well in it.” She gently stroked the sleeping baby’s head.

They’d named the baby Maxwell after Nick’s grandfather, but agreed to call him Max for short. He was born on the seventeenth of June after fourteen hours of labor, and Beth had never imagined anything or anyone could make her feel so complete—so happy.

Clearly irritated, Justin asked, “Why didn’t you make me a bed?”

“You already have a bed,” Nick said, reaching out to gently rock the cradle. “See, it rocks smooth and even. That was the hardest part.”

Beth pointed to a stack of bedding. “Gwen made a little pillow for the bottom to cushion it like a mattress. There are also some blankets.”

Nick went to retrieve them. “I’ll get it all fixed up.”

“How come Aunt Gwen didn’t make me a pillow?” Justin asked.

Beth could see that the boy was trying to take issue with anything related to the baby. She hoped he would soon settle into the role of big brother and enjoy the new arrival, but for now, he was obviously jealous.

Nick placed the cradle beside their bed and arranged the bedding per Beth’s instructions. She then watched as Nick gently placed Max in his new bed. The baby didn’t so much as stir.

“I think it meets with his approval,” Beth said with a smile. “I know it does mine.”

“You love Max more than you do me,” Justin suddenly declared. He got up from his chair and threw an accusing glare at his father.

“Son, you know that’s not true,” Nick said, straightening. He looked at Justin for several seconds before continuing. “I have enough love for the both of you—and any other baby that comes along.”

“You made him a bed and never made me anything.”

“You’re right. I should have done something for you. What do you have in mind?”

Justin was momentarily taken aback. “I . . . uh . . . well . . .” He turned away. “I don’t know. You should have thought of something.”

Beth rolled her eyes. “Justin Lassiter, are you telling me that you believe love can be proven only by the gifts we give or make? Do you honestly doubt your father’s love for you—my love for you?”

Justin looked down at the floor. ”You’re going to spend all your time with the baby. You won’t have time to even teach me my schoolwork or play jokes on folks.”

“Ha! That’s what you think,” Beth came back. “I’ll have you know, young man, that I’m already making plans for fall and the things we’ll study. Max will be nearly three months old by the time we begin school again, and he won’t need me nearly as much. As for playing jokes . . . well, you’ll just have to wait and see.”

Nick knelt beside Justin. “Are you afraid that we can’t love you anymore because Max has come?”

Justin refused to look at his father. “I don’t know,” he said in a nearly incoherent mutter.

“Well, it seems to me that you believe Max has somehow come to take your place in my heart, and that just won’t happen.”

Justin looked up at Nick and then to Beth. “But Mama is busy all the time now with the baby, and even before the baby got here, she couldn’t play with me like before.”

“That’s true. Having a baby isn’t easy.”

“She could have died. Like my first mama.”

Nick nodded. “Ah. I never thought about how that must have worried you. She could have died, but she didn’t. And she’ll get stronger every day, and pretty soon she’ll be able to take walks with you and work with you on your schooling.”

Beth felt sorry for the young boy and patted the side of her bed. She, too, had never stopped to really consider how the death of Justin’s mother might have affected him. “Come here, Justin. Come sit by me.”

He hesitated for a moment before joining her. He sat stiffly on the edge of the bed, almost as if he were afraid of hurting her. “Son, you will always be loved,” Beth said, gently touching his cheek. “You are the oldest in the family, and that makes you special. Max is special for being second.”

“I love you and Max,” Nick interjected, “just as I’ll love any other child God sees fit to give us. Even if we have another dozen children.”

Beth’s eyes widened. “A dozen?”

Nick chuckled. “Well, for now two is just fine.” He winked at Beth and added, “But I wouldn’t mind us having another one in a year or two. Maybe a sweet and angelic little girl—just like her mother.”

Grinning, Beth raised a brow. “Sweet and angelic like her mother? Are you intending to get rid of me and find someone else?”

“Silly woman,” Nick said. He turned to Justin. “Now, why don’t we go downstairs, and you can tell me what I can build for you. What if we made a fort for all your soldiers? We could make something permanent that you could use with those new building blocks you got for your birthday.”

“Truly? Could we really build a fort?”

“I don’t know why not.”

Beth watched them go off together and couldn’t help but wonder about the future. Justin had been difficult since they’d announced the pregnancy. Was this just a temporary lull in the storm? She glanced at the baby, marveling that someone so small could stir up such trouble.

Beth still couldn’t comprehend that her son was finally here. The pain and joy of his birth made her think of her own mother. “Oh, Mama, I wish you could be with us. I wish you could see your grandchildren,” Beth murmured. “I wish I could see you again.” A tear slipped down her cheek, and she quickly wiped it away, lest someone come in and see her crying.

Looking down on her son, Beth felt an overwhelming desire to live forever. At least until her children were old, with children of their own. She wanted to see her family grow up, succeed at life, and be happy. She didn’t want to say good-bye to them while they were still so very young.

“Oh, God,” she prayed, “give me the gift of time.”

Rafe watched the miners shuffle in and out of the makeshift restaurant. His girls were busy serving meals during the day and entertaining the men at night. He knew they were worn to pieces, but it didn’t matter. He was making good money—better money than he’d ever made before. If they fell over dead from exhaustion, he’d simply get others to replace them.

“Looks like another good day,” Jefferson said, coming alongside Rafe. He held a cup of coffee in his hand and motioned with the cup. “We’ve probably made at least thirty dollars just from breakfast.”

“I was thinkin’ the same.” Rafe scratched his stomach. “It was a good idea to move the place up here on the Lassiter property. Havin’ it here, so close to the saloon and the cribs, makes it better for the girls and me.”

“Well, hopefully you won’t have to burn out our neighbors as you did the Lassiters, and we can obtain Gallatin House and the store. Those buildings are perfect for our needs, and Bishop can’t hope to get a better offer than what we can give. When he finally sells, we can move it all over to the Gallatin House. Then the girls can entertain and feed the miners all in one setting. It’ll really be worth its weight in gold, especially with the hot springs.”

Rafe frowned. “Well, if something doesn’t happen soon, we may not find ourselves all that well off. I’ve seen some folks preparing to leave. They’re getting discouraged.”

“I heard about it, too. I figured to have one of the men pepper the river with dust tonight. It should be enough to get folks excited again.”

“What’ll that set us back?” Rafe asked.

“Not that much. Don’t you worry. I’m not about to wash my profits away. We’ll keep it concentrated mostly in areas where our men are fixed to recover it. It will get folks stirred up, and those that are thinking to head out will reconsider. Some might still go, and that’s all right. Others will come.”

“You seem mighty confident.”

Jefferson smiled. “Truth is, I’m quite confident, and you should be, too. We’re making good money here, Rafe. Gambling is supplying a good number of men with a living, and others are earning their keep by working for us. This is how towns develop, my friend. While the money is rolling in, however, we should consider other means of continuing our profits.”

Rafe looked at him with interest. “What do you have in mind?”

Jefferson drank the last of the coffee and put his cup on the makeshift counter. “I believe we need to create some form of industry that will provide a much-needed and desired product and employ a great many men.”

“But what would that be? This area’s a raw, unsettled land.”

“There are still possibilities. Lumber, for instance. Folks are going to need it to build cities, and the railroad will need ties and water towers, as well as depots and machine shops. There is plenty of wood to be had in the area, and we could certainly consider milling.” He rubbed his chin thoughtfully and grinned. “And I happened to notice on one of my rides to Bozeman that there are several fine crops of barley growing in the area.”

“What of it?”

“We could start our own brewery,” Jefferson said matter-of-factly. “We could make our own beer and sell it at a huge profit.”

“There are several breweries already in place,” Rafe stated. “I don’t see how we could make that much money or secure the barley for ourselves.”

His friend laughed and slapped Rafe on the back. “Old boy, you need to trust me for the details. Have I led you wrong yet?”

Rafe had to admit Jefferson’s ideas had only benefited him. He nodded and smiled. “I see your point.”

“So that’s my proposition,” Jerry Shepard told Hank.

Lacy and Dave had joined in on the conversation at Jerry’s request. Lacy had known he would make Hank an offer on the Vanhouten land, but Dave had asked her to say nothing to Hank or the others until after his father had a chance to bring it up.

“Having just invested in the additional cattle, I’m short on ready cash,” Jerry admitted. “However, if you can trust me for the money until fall, I should be able to make a substantial payment on the land.”

“I think it sounds like answered prayer,” Hank said. “I’m willing to work this out with you in any manner that will benefit us both.”

Jerry looked at Dave and grinned. “Looks like we’re in business, son.”

Hank cast a glance at Dave and then Lacy. “What’s this all about?”

“Pa asked me to partner up with him on the ranch. I’m going to give up being a deputy.”

“I hadn’t expected that turn of events,” Hank said, leaning back in his chair. “So you won’t be moving north with the rest of us?”

“No. I plan to live on the ranch with my folks. Then after Lacy and I marry, we’ll continue to live there for a time.”

“At least through the winter,” Jerry added. “As hard as last winter was on everyone, I figure it might be a good idea. And with the railroad coming through and the growing population, I’m also thinking we’ll need to start fencing some of the pastures.”

“But I thought open range was quite popular here,” Hank countered.

Jerry nodded. “It has been, but those days will pass away. More farmers are moving into the area, and they’ll want to keep the cattle from getting into their crops. They’ll no doubt fence. Then there will be issues with water and rustling as more people move into the area.”

“I suppose that makes sense. Tomorrow I’ll go into Bozeman and get the proper papers drawn up. That will just leave the small amount of land you don’t want, as well as Gallatin House and the store. I’m more than confident that Rafe and his friend will want to buy me out.”

“I’ve always hated the idea of Rafe having Gallatin House,” Lacy said. “But I know there’s probably no other way. We can’t expect any decent person to make a bid on it with all the trouble that’s been going on around here. Dave said there were two fights that ended in killings just this week.”

“Yeah, I saw the graves being dug at the cemetery,” Hank said. “Was anyone arrested?”

Dave shook his head. “No one saw anything, as usual. Rafe’s men said both were fair fights but had no idea who else was involved. I had no one to question.”

“It’s a sorry state of affairs,” Jerry said, getting to his feet. “I should be heading back. Patience will worry about me if I don’t get home before dark.”

Hank followed Jerry to the door. “Thanks for coming.”

Lacy contemplated the future as her brother-in-law and soon-to-be father-in-law stepped outside. She looked at Dave and found him watching her. The warmth of the day was fading as the sun moved farther west, but Lacy felt a rush of heat to her cheeks. Sometimes her imagination got the best of her, and she found her thoughts drifting to dangerous places.

“I suppose I should go check on Beth. Nick and Justin are still outside working, and she probably wonders where everyone has gotten off to.”

Dave got to his feet and took hold of her just as she started to turn. “I want you to know that I don’t plan to quit my work for the sheriff until September. That’s when the Texas cattle are due to arrive. In the meantime, I plan to do what I can to find your father’s killer and resolve the problems with the highwaymen.”

She could see in his expression that this decision was important to him—to them as a couple. Nodding, Lacy murmured her thanks. A tenderness for his considerate nature stirred in her heart.

He really does care,
she thought.
He cares about my feelings and
knows that this is important to me.
She gave him a hint of a smile and hurried for the front staircase.