To Dream Anew (46 page)

“But the railroad won’t be complete until winter,” Cole replied.

“No. It won’t be complete to Butte. It’s already well into Montana Territory. We could simply drive the cattle to wherever the nearest depot is and load them up.”

Cole grinned. “You’re a smart one. Guess it pays to talk these things over.”

Dianne reached out and touched his face. “I love you more than life. I hate to think what I would have done if you had been lost in the fire. I can’t imagine the suffering Ardith is going through—not knowing for sure about Levi.”

“Levi is gone. I feel certain of that. His horse was found wandering, and my guess is that he was overcome by smoke or that the fire came back on him. We’ll search better once we get back to the ranch. That was the other thing I wanted to talk to you about. Koko and Faith said they’d keep the children if you wanted to ride over to the ranch tomorrow with me and some of the ranch hands. It’s going to be quite a ride, so we’ll probably have to stay the night.”

“I want to go,” Dianne admitted. “I need to go. I need to see what’s left—if anything.”

“It won’t be easy.”

She smiled. “Nothing up here ever is.”

The group was set to ride out the next morning when Ardith showed up, pulling her sorrel mare behind her. “I want to go with you.”

Cole seemed to understand. “Sure, Ardith. I wasn’t sure you’d want to leave in case … well … in case Levi showed up here.”

“He’s not going to show up,” she said stoically. “He’s dead.”

Dianne looked down from her mount. “Ardith, you don’t know that.”

“Yes, I do. I feel it here,” she said, putting her hand to her heart. “If Levi were alive, he would have crawled here on his hands and knees if necessary. I think the sooner we accept his death, the better off we’ll all be.”

“Do you have your things?” Cole asked. “We’ll be gone overnight. Did you arrange for Winona?”

“She’s going to stay with Charity.”

“Then mount up. We’re heading out,” Cole announced.

The ride thoroughly discouraged Dianne. She’d had no idea what to expect, but as brown prairie grass changed to blackened stubble and ashen ground, she could only shake her head. The odor of burnt hay, grass, and pine was still heavy on the air. Tall charred sentinels were all that remained of the once lush, forested land. Dianne would have wept if Ardith hadn’t been along. How could she cry over the losses of the land when Ardith had lost her husband?

“The ground will be rich and healthy once it starts to grow back,” Cole said, as if reading Dianne’s mind. “Fire never permanently hurts the land. It actually makes it better. Farmers oftentimes burn off the stubble and old vegetation in their fields to make a healthy start for the new crops.”

“It’s just hard to see it like this,” Dianne commented softly. “So barren—so desolate.”

“But it won’t stay like this forever. We need to remember that.”

Dianne thought of Ardith and glanced over to where her sister rode apart from the others. George and Jamie had come too, along with several ranch hands. They all cut Ardith a wide berth, almost afraid to approach her for fear of reminding her of Levi.

Would Ardith remain like this forever—desolate and barren? It had taken so long for her to love again—to hope again. How could she possibly face yet another sorrow in her life?

How did anyone face the hard times? One step at a time? One moment at a time? Dianne remembered praying through the long days when Cole had disappeared. She knew what it was to wait and wonder. Most people would have believed Cole dead and buried, but she knew in her heart he was alive. Just as Ardith knew in her heart that Levi was dead.

Oh, help her, Father,
Dianne prayed.
It’s so hard to see her like this—to know what she is feeling and thinking. I want her to know joy and happiness, and instead she’s once again facing the most devastating loss. Please help her
.

Dianne glanced out across the blackened cursed land.
Help us all
.

They approached the Diamond V property around four o’clock, coming upon Dianne’s favorite hill. Dianne steadied herself for the sight but realized as the valley came into view that nothing could have prepared her for this.

The fire had eaten away at everything—every standing structure. The fences and corrals were in blackened pieces; the barn and various buildings were nothing more than a few pieces of burned framing that had somehow managed to remain in place.

The house—Uncle Bram’s house—was a total loss. Dianne felt tears trickle down her cheeks but did nothing to hide them. Rock chimneys remained as sad reminders of what had once been a glorious home.

“Well, we’ve got our work cut out for us,” Gus said. “Ain’t gonna be easy, no sir. But we’ve got good men and we can do this.”

Cole turned to him. “Do you really think so? Is it worth it? Bram’s dream has been destroyed.”

“No it hasn’t!” declared Jamie. “My father’s dream was more than just the house.” He looked to George, and Dianne watched as his uncle nodded in agreement. “His dream was to make a home for his family—to tame the land—to raise cattle. His dream was to live out his life here and make a better way for his children.” He looked back on the valley and straightened. “We can rebuild. We are strong, and the Lord will help us.”

Dianne knew Koko would have been very proud of her son in that moment. She would have been proud too of George. He had obviously influenced the boy’s thinking.

Cole looked to Dianne. “What do you think?”

Dianne wiped tears away with the back of her hand. “I think Jamie is right. We’re strong and able. We’ve seen worse, though not by much.” She looked down on the lonely ruins of her uncle’s dream. “We can do it. We’re Montanans.”

Cole grinned and turned to Gus and the boys. “You heard the lady.”

Some of the boys gave a holler and headed down into the valley as though they’d been offered Christmas dinner on silver platters.

To Dianne’s surprise, Ardith began to ride down toward the house as well. Jamie followed her several paces behind. Only Gus and George remained with Cole and Dianne.

“Where do we begin?” Cole asked the older man.

Gus rubbed his chin. “Well, we need to make provision for the people and the animals first thing. Won’t be a chance to put together much in the way of a real home for some time—probably not until spring.”

“We’ve got at least four weeks—maybe more—until it turns cold,” George said. “I would have said by the signs before the fire that we will have a mild winter—slow in coming.”

“I agree with you,” Gus said. “I think that will be in our favor. Still, we need to get cabins up. There isn’t much good lumber left in the area, and hauling in logs from beyond the fire is going to be difficult. We’d need good freight wagons and plenty of help.”

“Zane!” Dianne exclaimed. “Zane has the freight business. Maybe we can enlist his help.”

“Good idea,” Cole replied. “I was thinking it would probably be best to have you and the children winter in Butte with him while I worked down here. But maybe he can send some of his wagons and men.”

Dianne shook her head. “My place is with you.”

All three men looked at her. “You’re going to have a baby in the middle of winter. You can’t be doing that without a warm house and help,” Cole began. “I know it’s hard to think of being separated for a time, but honestly, we need to be wise about this.”

“Then set us up in Virginia City. Find a place for all of us there. We’re familiar with that place at least. Butte is far away and much too rowdy for the boys. Besides, I doubt Koko and George would be welcomed.”

“She’s got a good point,” Gus admitted. “There’s a whole lot of folks in Virginia City. Chinese, a few Mexicans, and probably some other half-breeds. They could probably live there without notice. The town has been failing ever since they moved the territorial capital to Helena. Folks are more worried about surviving than what color skin their neighbor has. Not only that, but because the population is drifting to larger towns, we might be able to pick up something cheap.”

“We can check into that,” Cole said. “That would put everyone close enough to visit more often. However, the winter months—even if they’re mild—are going to keep us busy with the stock.”

“I figure we should sell off a good number of the herd,” Gus said. “I think for the sake of rebuilding and because of the poor pastureland, we’d be smart to free ourselves up.”

“That’s what Dianne and I discussed. It seems we could certainly sell a good number of the horses to the army. They’d pay less because they aren’t broken, but they’re good animals. We can always build another herd.”

“How do we support ourselves in the meantime?” Dianne questioned. “If we aren’t raising cattle or horses, the money we get when we sell off is only going to last so long. Then what do we do about replenishing the stock when the time comes, if we don’t have a way to make a living?”

“That’s something we definitely need to figure out,” Gus said.

“Maybe we could take some of our money and expand on Zane’s freight business. After all, we’re going to need a way to get supplies into the valley for those who are remaining.”

“But few people have anything left. Not everyone was doing as well as we were. You said yourself that a good number of people will give up their homesteads and leave for better pastures,” Dianne replied.

“And we can’t cut wood and sell it,” George added. “There isn’t any wood to be had.”

“Well, we know two things,” Gus began. “Those who stay will need supplies, and that new train line ain’t gonna cut a swath through the valley. At least not yet. Cole may have the best solution. Maybe we need to start by talkin’ to whoever is already freighting in Virginia City. Might be we could buy them out.”

“That’s a good idea, Gus.” Cole looked to Dianne. “We could even continue to work out of Virginia City and make it that much easier to come home from time to time.”

The idea of seeing her husband on a regular basis comforted Dianne. “All right, then,” she said with a smile, “it sounds like we’d best plan a trip to Virginia City and send out telegrams to the army and to Zane.”

Joshua had made up his mind to leave, but first he knew he had to talk to Elsa. Since the fire and the announcement that Mara had betrayed them, Elsa had come to him more and more. She wanted to know what the future would hold, but Joshua had no answers for her. Even now, knowing that he would leave Montana—at least for a time—Joshua could give Elsa no real information as to where he would go and what he would do.

Elsa sat peeling apples in the kitchen, seemingly oblivious to the world. But Joshua knew better. Her mind was constantly at work.

“May I interrupt?” Joshua asked.

“Come to say good-bye?”

He startled at her blunt question. For a moment he thought of edging around the comment but instead faced her head on. “Yes, but I also wanted to talk to you before I left.”

Elsa shrugged. “If that’s what you want.”

Joshua turned the kitchen chair around to sit on it backwards. Leaning against the back, he tried to figure out what to say. He’d played this out in his mind so many times, but now it seemed the words wouldn’t come.

“Where are you going?” she asked, putting down the apple she’d been peeling and picking up another one.

“I don’t know. I figure to go east. I want to go to college and get a good education. Or I might try to apprentice with someone and learn a trade. Maybe then I’ll know what I’m supposed to do with myself.”

“Will you ever come back?”

“Of course. Fact is, I plan to talk to Mara as well. If I can secure a decent living, I would like to send for both of you. Would you be interested?”

Elsa looked up, her eyes wide with hope. “Would you truly send for me?”

Joshua smiled. “Of course I would.”

She licked her lips and looked back at the apple. “But why? I haven’t been very nice to you or Mara. I always figured Pa was right when he called you both weak. I didn’t want him to think that of me.”

“Father equates weakness with kindness and gentleness. It’s not true, you know. Meanness doesn’t equal strength, but some folks can’t figure that out. I just want you to know that I care about you, Elsa. It doesn’t matter what happened in the past.”