A Dream to Call My Own (9 page)
“But that’s all well and fine for a rancher’s wife. I’ll be a lawman’s wife. Dave will probably become the sheriff or town marshal wherever we live, and I in turn will be expected to keep a tidy little house, maybe even cook for the prisoners in our jail.” She frowned. “Of course, that might be a deterrent to breaking the law.”
Laughing, Patience shook her head. “Lacy, you are perfectly capable of learning to do anything you need to. And you aren’t alone in this. The Bible clearly shows that the older women are to teach the younger. I’m more than happy to help you in any way I can. I’m sure your sisters feel the same. Girls aren’t just born knowing how to cook and sew. Believe me, you won’t be the first bride who goes into her marriage burning the supper.”
“You just don’t understand,” Lacy said, getting to her feet. “No one does. Dave doesn’t deserve a wife like me.”
Dave slipped away from his parents’ house, having overheard most of his mother’s discussion with Lacy. He felt a new tenderness in his heart for the woman he’d asked to be his wife. Lacy’s fears were evident, but at least now he understood the reasoning behind them. He’d never considered her role as the wife of a lawman. If he did take on a position of town marshal or sheriff, he would be a community leader of sorts. Lacy was right—it would put them under public scrutiny. No wonder Lacy was afraid.
“You heading back to Gallatin Crossing?” his father asked as Dave walked into the barn.
“Yeah, as soon as Lacy is ready. I went to get her, but she and Ma were talking.”
His father smiled, then bent to line up several milk cans. “Your mama is going to love having a daughter around. I think you couldn’t have picked a better woman.”
“Thank you,” Dave said, leaning up against the stall. “I’ve loved her for a long time now.”
“I know,” his father said with a chuckle.
“How so? When did you first know that I loved her?”
His father shrugged. “Probably when her pa died and you made it your personal crusade to find his killer.”
“But . . . that was just a part of doing my duty.”
“Was it? Seemed a mite more personal than that.”
There was no sense in denying his father’s point. Dave knew deep in his heart that he had given George Gallatin’s death more attention than any other crime in the area. It always bothered him that Lacy thought him slack on his duties when it came to finding the killer. She had no way of knowing how it consumed him.
“Can I ask you something?”
His father straightened. “You know you can.”
“Well, I know that Lacy is worried about finding her father’s killer. I want that, as well, but she’s putting it between us like a dragon I need to slay before she’ll marry me.”
His father considered this and nodded. “And if you can’t find the killer?”
“That’s the thing. I think I can. The pieces are falling into place, and I’m hopeful it won’t be long before the truth is known. But then what?”
“You afraid she’ll come up with some other task for you to accomplish?”
Dave nodded. “I can’t help but think that resolving this matter isn’t really the point at all. Sure, she wants the guilty party to pay, but I think it’s just an excuse because she’s afraid of getting married. I overheard her telling Ma that she’s afraid she’ll fail at being a wife and mother.”
“Can’t be worse than you being afraid of failing at being a husband and father.”
Dave thought on this for a moment. The truth was he hadn’t thought much past getting Lacy to marry him. He knew he’d need to provide for her—to take care of her—but in all honesty, he hadn’t feared it.
“But I don’t really feel afraid of anything like that,” Dave told him. “I love Lacy, and I know that I will go to whatever lengths necessary to care for her and see that she has what she needs. But if she puts this wall of fear between us . . . well, that’s something I’m not sure I can tear down.”
His father nodded. “But God can, son. He’s not asking you to be Lacy’s savior.”
“But I want to be everything to her,” Dave admitted.
“Then you’d better call it off here and now.”
His father’s stern expression took Dave aback. “What do you mean?”
“You can’t be everything to her, Dave. God won’t have His place usurped. You need to understand that. You can’t be Lacy’s heavenly Father or a replacement for her earthly one. You’ll be a whole lot happier if you understand that from the start.”
Dave knew his father was right, but it still bothered him that he couldn’t give Lacy the strength and security she longed for. He wanted to make her fears cease in the overwhelming flood of his love. Why was that so wrong?
“Justin has been so difficult lately,” Beth said as she struggled to get up from her chair. Her growing stomach was becoming more and more of a burden. “I think the influx of people to the area has caused more bad than good where he’s concerned.”
“The few children that have been added have definitely been less than a good influence,” Gwen agreed.
“They’re a rowdy bunch, to be sure,” Lacy said. She put the final touches on polishing a brass spittoon. “There, that looks better.”
“I just don’t know what’s gotten into him lately,” Beth said. She moved to the far end of the dining room and stretched to measure one of the curtains.
Lacy jumped up. “You know you aren’t supposed to put your hands above your head when you’re pregnant.”
“That’s just an old wives’ tale,” Gwen chided. “But even so, I think we can get the measurements for you, Beth. Why don’t you just sit and take it easy. It’s just a few weeks before the baby will be here. No sense bringing your delivery on early.”
Beth put her hand to the small of her back. “I suppose it would be better if you measured. My stomach would just get in the way.”
Lacy took up the task and easily calculated the dimensions of the curtain. “So how are your plans going for Justin’s birthday party? He will be so surprised that you’ve arranged to throw him a grand celebration.”
“I hope so,” Beth said, shaking her head. “He seems so troubled. He hasn’t been able to focus on his schoolwork or anything else. I finally gave up and called an end to school for the summer even though it’s only the middle of May.”
“With everything that’s happened around here, that’s probably for the best,” Gwen said.
“He’s a good boy, but he seems so . . . well . . . I don’t know.” Beth rubbed her stomach. “I thought he was happy to be a part of our family.”
“Maybe he’s just settling in,” Gwen suggested. “You know. Everything was new to him before. Now the new is wearing off and everything has become routine.”
“She’s right,” Lacy said, handing Beth the tape measure. “Maybe he’s just bored.”
They heard a commotion from the backyard. The sound of arguing poured in through the kitchen window. Beth frowned. “Whatever is that all about?”
“Whatever it is,” Lacy said, striding toward the back door, “it doesn’t sound good.”
Gwen and Beth followed Lacy outside. Lacy quickly assessed the problem and stepped in between Justin and another boy just as the latter took a swing in Justin’s direction.
“Whoa, now. Stop this fighting,” Lacy demanded. She took hold of the stranger’s collar and held him fast. “What’s this all about?”
“He was stealing,” Justin declared, trying to work around Lacy to hit the boy.
“Stop it, Justin,” Beth said, stepping forward. “What was he stealing?”
“He tried to take my pocketknife. The one Pa gave me.”
“Did not!” the boy yelled and fought against Lacy’s hold. “I was just lookin’ at it.”
“You did, too,” Justin said, reaching out again to take hold of his adversary.
Beth wrenched him back. “Justin! Stop at once.” The next moment she abruptly dropped her hold of him.
Gwen stepped forward. “What’s wrong, Beth?”
“A sharp pain,” Beth gasped, her hand upon her stomach. “I think it’s the baby.”
“It’s too early,” Lacy said, forgetting the boy she held. “We’d better send for the doctor.”
“Can you settle this matter?” Gwen asked her, nodding toward the boys.
“Of course. Get Beth inside, and I’ll deal with them.”
Lacy turned to the two boys. “Just look what your fighting has caused. Now aren’t you ashamed?”
The stranger looked to the ground. “I didn’t mean no harm. I just wanted to see the knife.”
“Justin, did you falsely accuse this boy of trying to steal from you?”
“No. He told me I was too little to have a knife like that and that he was old enough and would just keep it.”
Lacy looked back at the boy. “Is that true?”
“No.”
It was clear the boy was lying, but Lacy had no way to prove it. “I think you’d best go now. Don’t be coming back here if you plan to bicker and fight. Otherwise I’ll have to go speak with your folks.”
The boy made a mad dash toward the river community, while Lacy turned back to Justin. “I’m sorry he tried to take your knife.”
Justin looked up in surprise. “I didn’t think you believed me.”
“Why shouldn’t I? It was the truth, wasn’t it?”
He nodded. “He really did say he was going to keep it.”
Lacy put her arm around his shoulders. “I believe you, but now we need to think about your mama. You’ve been making it kind of hard on her.”
The boy’s eyes widened. “Is she gonna die?”
“I don’t think so, but you really need to behave yourself and stop being naughty. You’re a good boy, Justin. I don’t know why you’re acting up, but it’s really hurting your mama’s feelings.”
Justin shook his head. “She only cares about the baby anyway. She never even talks to me anymore.”
“Having a baby is sometimes hard, but I know my sister loves you very much. Now, come on. Let’s go see if there’s anything we can do to be helpful.”
Justin moved away from her. “I don’t want to.” He took off running toward the front of the house, leaving Lacy to stare after him in surprise. Beth was right. The boy wasn’t acting at all like himself. One minute he was worried about Beth dying, and the next he wanted no part of being around her.
“Apparently the children in our household can be just as confusing as the adults.”
“You should remain in bed until the baby comes,” the doctor advised as he gathered his instruments.
Beth frowned. “But there’s so much to do around here. Especially now.”
“We’ll take care of it,” Gwen assured. “If nothing else, we’ll hire someone to help out.”
“That’s right,” Lacy affirmed. She looked at the worried expression of her sister. “Honestly, Beth, everything will be all right.”
“But what about Justin’s party? He deserves to have a nice birthday, and I’ve been planning it for weeks now.”
“I can take over the arrangements,” Lacy said. “I’ll come and sit with you, and you can tell me everything you wanted to do.”
Gwen nodded. “We’ll make sure Justin has a wonderful day.”
Lacy saw movement at the door and realized Justin had been listening just outside. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to tend to something.”
She followed Justin to his room and even though he’d left the door wide open, she knocked. “May I come in?”
Justin looked up from where he sat on the floor in the corner of his room. He was surrounded by his toy soldiers. “I don’t care.”
Lacy crossed the room and surprised him by settling herself beside him. “I’m sorry your surprise was ruined.”
He shrugged. “I don’t care about my birthday.”
“Well, I do,” Lacy countered. “I want you to have a wonderful party. Your mother and father want that, too.”
“Nobody cares about me now that the baby is nearly here,” he said, picking up a lead soldier. “Pa’s always busy, and Mama is always talking about the baby.”
“The baby is important, but no more so than you are.”
He looked back to his soldiers and with a single sweep of his hand, knocked them all over. “That’s not true.”
Lacy stiffened. “I have no reason to lie about this, Justin.”
She got to her feet and looked down at the child.
It would
be nice,
she thought,
if I could say the perfect thing to ease his mis
-ery.
“You can pretend no one cares,” she finally said, “but that doesn’t make it so.”
Walking away, Lacy was reminded of her talk earlier with Patience.
“You may have convinced yourself that you’ve failed
everyone,”
she remembered Patience saying,
“but that doesn’t
mean you have.”
Now I’m using the same words to convince Justin of his mistaken
beliefs.
She sighed. He was no more convinced than she had been with Patience’s declaration.
“Saying a thing doesn’t make it so,” Lacy murmured.
She sought the refuge of her own room and closed the door. Was it possible Patience was right? Had Lacy convinced herself of something that wasn’t true?
Grandmother Gallatin’s harsh words came back to haunt her.
“You’re hopeless, Lacene. Just hopeless.”
The words danced around Lacy’s head in a taunting manner. She feared the years hadn’t changed a thing.
Rafe studied the ledger in his hand and laughed. “I think we’ve hit our own vein of gold,” he told Jefferson.
The man lifted his beer in salute. “I told you there was a fortune to be made.”
“How long can we keep this up? Folks are bound to get discouraged when they don’t actually find any gold.”
Jefferson shrugged. “Whenever things seem to settle down, we can stir the pot with a new find. Not only that, but a lot of folks are stuck here now. That’s the best thing about gold rush towns. Folks sell off everything in hopes of getting rich quick. Once they find out the dream is nothing but dust, they have to face the realization that they have nothing—not even enough money to move on. The responsible among them will come to us for work in order to support themselves and their families, and the slackers will be drinking or gambling themselves into debt.”
“Either way, we benefit.” Rafe smiled.
“Don’t forget: There’s money to be made simply with the creation of a gambling town. There are plenty of examples of it across the frontier. Not only that, but with this town growing, the outlying ranches will come to depend on us as a quick way to turn a profit when we purchase beef and such from them. Everyone will benefit. The railroad will have to recognize that fact and deal accordingly.”
“I can see that you’re right on that count.”
Jefferson nodded. “Now if we can just get Bishop to give up on the place and sell out, so much the better.”
“I’ve had my eye on Gallatin House for a long time,” Rafe told him. “I was always after George Gallatin to sell it to me. Thought once he was gone, the girls would give it up, but I underestimated them.”
Mulholland tossed back the last of his beer. “You can’t count on anything where women are concerned.” He examined his empty glass and shrugged. “Still, there might be other ways to motivate Bishop. Maybe we could stir up this nest of hornets and see what happens.”
Rafe looked at his friend, not quite understanding. “What do you suggest?”
Jefferson smiled. “Well, perhaps we can double your previous efforts to encourage the prim and proper folks of the area to leave. After all, if there are constant fights, shootings, and unsavory characters milling about, the good folk are bound to pack up and seek peace elsewhere.”
“That’s true enough. We’ve already seen quite a few relocate to Bozeman.”
“Then let’s help the rest decide.”
“But what about the law?”
Rafe’s friend rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Well, the way I see it, there is only one man fighting to keep law and order in this town. Compare that to the hundreds who have poured in to find gold, and I think the odds are in our favor.”
“But if there are too many problems, he’ll no doubt hire deputies to help him keep the peace,” Rafe said. “I know Shepard. He won’t sit idle.”
Mulholland smiled. “He will if he has a bullet in his head.”
“Whadd’ya mean, we can’t come here for grub anymore?” The man was caked in dirt that had been streaked with sweat.
Hank and Nick stood their ground on the porch of Gallatin House. Hank had just posted a sign that announced they would no longer act as a restaurant for the area.
“We have a contract with the stage line to feed and lodge travelers,” Hank said. “At this point, that’s all we can keep up with. I’m sorry, but you’ll have to get your meals elsewhere.”
“And that, my friends, is not a problem,” Jefferson Mulholland announced from behind the crowd.
Hank looked out to find the well-dressed man leaning casually against the fence post. He seemed rather pleased with the turn of events. In fact, Hank thought Mulholland looked as if he’d planned this very thing all along.
“We have a new tent café set up for you fellas. There are beautiful ladies to wait on you and the fare is as delectable as any you might secure here at Gallatin House. In fact, we have hired a popular chef all the way from Denver.” He motioned behind him. “If you’ll just make your way to the far side of the saloon, we can begin seating you right away.”
The men began shuffling off in the direction of Rafe’s place. Some were still muttering their displeasure, while a few were actually cursing the disturbance to their routine. When the last of the men had moved away, Mulholland came forward to the edge of the porch.
“Gentlemen, I hope this will help to ease the misery of your dear ladies.”
Hank nodded although the sarcasm in the man’s voice was evident. “I’m sure it will.”
“We could handle the stage, as well,” Mulholland offered. “After all, we have available beds. Nothing as elaborate as Gal-latin House, but perhaps we could work on that.”
Nick eyed the man suspiciously. “What are you saying?”
“I’m here to make you a good offer on the place. The store, too.” He grinned. “Why, I’m sure we could even work out something for all of the property you own.”
Hank shook his head. “Gallatin House belongs to my wife and her sisters. Any arrangements to sell will be up to them.”
“But you two are the men of the family, are you not? Surely your women do not make such important decisions for you.”
Mulholland’s smirk wasn’t lost on Hank. “I will let my wife know of your suggestions and get back to you on the matter.” Hank turned to make sure the sign was secure and hoped that Mulholland would take this as an indication that the conversation was over. He didn’t.
“You know, this town is turning into quite the place for gambling and such,” Mulholland continued. “Our businesses are thriving, and we are in a good place to help you out. Why, I’ve heard from several folks that you are considering a move north as it is.”
Hank looked at Nick, then turned back to the smiling man. “It’s common knowledge that the railroad is laying track to the north. We believe it might be in our best interest to relocate.”
Mulholland sobered and nodded. “That’s why I want you to take this as a serious offer, Bishop.” He produced a fold of papers from his coat pocket. “I think if you read through this, you will see that we are giving you a legitimate and generous offer.”
He stepped forward and extended the papers, and Hank took them out of curiosity as much as anything. He was rapidly coming to the point, however, where he would have to contemplate any offer in order to see to his family’s well-being.
“I’ll let you know,” Hank told him.
An exchange of accusations and obscenities broke out across the distance from the saloon. Two men, each holding a knife, came bounding out of Rafe’s place.
“Ah, apparently there has been some sort of disagreement,” Mulholland observed. “I suppose it would be wise to see this brought to an amicable end. If you’ll excuse me.”
Hank and Nick watched Mulholland retreat back to the saloon. He signaled a couple of men from near the door, and after speaking to them, Hank watched as the men pulled out their revolvers and headed for the fight. One of the men lunged at the other, cutting a broad slice across the other man’s face. The injured man let out a yell, then dove for the man.
One of Mulholland’s men fired a shot into the air and waited for the men to react. He commanded them to put down their weapons, and Hank was rather surprised when the men did just that.
“I guess Rafe and his friend have their own system of justice,” Nick said.
“What’s happening?” Lacy questioned, coming through the front door. “Who’s shooting?”
“There’s been an argument next door.” Nick pushed her back into the house. “Stay inside. There’s no telling if that’s the end of it.”
Before Lacy could protest, Hank motioned to Nick. “We should probably get inside. I’d like to look this offer over and discuss it with Gwen and the others.”
“I suppose if we are to get out of this den of iniquity,” Gwen said, clutching Julianne to her shoulder, “we should consider the offer.”
They were all gathered in Beth and Nick’s room so that Beth might be able to join in the conversation. Lacy thought she seemed rather hesitant about selling out but knew that her sister was concerned about the dangers, as well.
“I’m not happy selling out to them,” Beth said, “but I suppose given the situation, no one else is going to want to buy this place.”
“It’s true.” Gwen nodded. “The good folks are leaving as fast as they can, and Rafe and his friends are taking over.”
“They even seem to have formed their own law,” Nick said, glancing to where Dave stood.
Lacy said nothing. She’d actually been relieved that the conflict and strife of the area had kept Dave too busy to pester her about marriage. She had nearly convinced herself that she should go to him and break the engagement completely.
“I’ve seen their brand of law,” Dave finally answered. “It’s not much on the side of justice. Still, Rafe has a right to have guards for his place. If there’s going to be fighting and trouble on his property, he can throw out the offenders and deal with the situation instead of sending for me.”
“That doesn’t stop the fights down in the camps along the river and creeks,” Lacy interjected. She suddenly felt it necessary to defend Dave. “Rafe’s men seem only to irritate the situation and make more work for you.”
He gave a halfhearted smile. “Well, at least I’m needed.”
“You’re too much in need,” Hank interjected. “The very nature of this gold rush begs for law and order, yet rejects it as well. We’ve had laundry stolen right off our lines and chickens from our coops.”
“Not to mention the threat of being accosted just trying to walk from here to the store,” Gwen remarked.
“Or when fetching water from the hot springs,” Lacy added.
Beth nodded. “And the bullies that have accompanied their elders to this gold rush are not the kind of children that make good playmates for Justin. He’s always getting into fights.”
“I think the time has come for us to make some decisions,” Hank said, putting his arm around Gwen’s shoulders. “Tomorrow, I’m going to head out to meet with the stage manager and see about securing a contract for the future.”
“What kind of contract?” Lacy asked.
“Nick and I have been talking about it. We figure if the stage company will agree to give us a five-year contract, we in turn can immediately set out to recreate our businesses up north along the railroad.”
“A five-year contract?” Beth asked. “Who would ever agree to that? Why, there wouldn’t be anything to base it on. There wouldn’t be a hotel there or even the railroad at this point.”
“I realize that,” Hank said, “but I think the stage company owners will see the sense in doing this. We can even give them a say in how they’d like to see things set up. At first, we’d need to continue together as we have been doing. Nick can run the livery and blacksmithing, and you ladies and I can run the hotel and even a small store.
“I even plan to speak to the railroad officials. My thought is to pinpoint the exact place that will benefit all of us. We can build the hotel there and hope that others will come to expand the area and make a real town.”
“Hank and I think it might even be possible to get the railroad to discount a piece of their easement property for the hotel and livery,” Nick said. “Property that would be close to the depot and make it advantageous for their travelers to grab a meal or spend the night.”
“Sounds like we would need to expand the business,” Gwen said. “We’re overworked as it is.”
“Yes,” Hank agreed. “However, if we can secure a commitment from both the stage and the railroad, we could hire additional folks to help.”
“That makes sense,” Lacy said, still wondering what part—if any—she and Dave would play in such a move.
Two days later, during Justin’s birthday party, Lacy was still considering that thought. Her engagement to Dave filled her head with all sorts of thoughts regarding the situation. Did he plan to move north, as well? Maybe he planned to go back to working out of Bozeman. He might even want to go back to the ranch and work with his father. Patience had said they expected their operation to grow rapidly with the hope that they could provide the railroad with beef for its workers.
“I want to thank you for doing this, Lacy,” Nick said, interrupting her thoughts.
She looked up and smiled. “I didn’t want Justin to miss out on his party just because Beth has to be bedfast.”
“He’s been difficult lately,” Nick said. “I think he’s troubled by all the changes of late.”
Lacy nodded. “I’m sure he is. Just look how it’s affected the rest of us. There’s never any peace and quiet anymore; everything has been in turmoil since gold was found. Hank told me the other day that the amount of mail has tripled, both going in and out of Gallatin Crossing.”
“Yes, it’s been a huge change for him to leave a peaceful farm life in Kansas to come here. And now the quiet of Montana has been stripped away in the wake of cries for gold.” He looked to where Justin was opening a gift from Gwen.
“I’m sure he’ll survive. Children are often better at navigating change than adults,” she said, thinking back on her own life. “You’ve become the father—given Justin the family—he’s always wanted.”
Nick shook his head. “Sometimes I’m still amazed that he’s here—that he’s with me at all.”
Looking to where Justin was already focused on yet another gift, Lacy couldn’t help but smile. “He’s a smart boy, and I think for the most part he’s happy to be here.”
She saw Dave squat down beside Justin and hand him a large box. The boy’s face lit up, and Lacy moved just a bit closer to see what gift had delighted her nephew.
“ ‘Richter’s Anchor Blocks,’ ” Justin read aloud. “What is it?”
“Why don’t you look inside and see,” Dave encouraged.
Justin opened the package and displayed some of the pieces of red brick, blue slate, and buff stone. She could see from the way he began to manipulate the pieces that he could easily put together buildings for his toy soldiers. Perhaps there were enough blocks there to create an entire city.
Dave looked up and caught her watching them. He smiled, and Lacy couldn’t help but return it. Justin was obviously happier with this gift than any other, and she was touched by Dave’s thoughtfulness.
“It looks like Dave’s gift has met with Justin’s approval,” Nick said. Just then, Justin abandoned the blocks and came to his father.