When All My Dreams Come True (5 page)

“I think that’s the reason Mr. Hillyer and my father grew so close. Dad told me Mr. Hillyer treated him like a son. When Mr. Hillyer became old and sickly, he told Dad that rather than have his land go to someone he didn’t trust or like, he’d sell it to my father. The charge was one dollar.”

Bobbie’s mouth dropped open. “One dollar?”

Jace grinned. “That’s really something, isn’t it? Dad took care of Mr. Hillyer until he died, and then buried him under his favorite tree near the creek.”

She shook her head. “That’s an incredible story.”

“Yes, it is. It’s amazing how God provides.”

Her back went ramrod straight. She turned and stared at him.

He returned her gaze. “You don’t think God had a hand in that?”

She shrugged. “I think one man did something incredibly generous for another man.”

“Well, I believe God has a hand in everything that happens, no matter how big or small.” Jace stopped his horse and looked around. “If God can create the world and everything in it with so much detail and obvious love, why wouldn’t He want to have a hand in what happens in our lives?”

His statement scraped across raw wounds. “So, you’re saying if He has a hand in everything, I’m right to blame Him for my parents’ deaths and putting me in the position of fending for myself?”

Jace leaned on his saddle horn and looked into her eyes. “I’ve come to believe that most problems are self-inflicted.”

A slap on the cheek would have been just as effective as his words. “How can you say that! You think I’m at fault for my parents’ deaths?”

“No, but how you handle it is.” His eyes turned sad. “Trust me. I know from experience.”

The hairs on the back of her neck calmed. She remembered his loss. “Can I ask…how your parents died?”

Jace’s jaw tightened. He refused to meet her eyes, and she thought he wouldn’t answer.

“They were killed. Murdered.” He sat up straighter and threw a glance at her. “Maybe I’ll tell you about it someday.”

They rode in silence until the sun started to dip toward the mountains in the west.

“We should probably head back,” Jace said.

“Um, do you mind if I stay out and ride a bit longer?”

Jace stared at her, then cocked his head. “You’re not going to get turned around and make me come out looking for you, are you?”

She couldn’t help but smile at his teasing voice. “I think I’ll be fine.”

He gazed at her a moment longer before touching a finger to the brim of his hat. He turned his horse toward home and prodded him into a gallop.

The number of years Jace sat in a saddle were evident with the ease and grace with which he rode. His strong back straight, one hand on his thigh, Jace flowed with the movement of his horse.

Bobbie turned Mack toward the mountains. The day had been a shower of new things, good and bad. She needed time alone to work through it all.

Jace wasn’t like most believing men she’d met. Many were like Grant Wilcox, who acted like a gentleman when people were around, then would turn into a mongrel when alone. Jace’s sister and brother-in-law were just like her new boss, kind and thoughtful. Maybe the church where they worshiped was different from others. She might have to consider taking them up on their invitation to join them some Sunday.

The beauty of the landscape surrounding her grabbed and held her attention. She loved this territory. She loved the mountains and all they contained. Their permanence gave her peace when life became unstable. The tall pines reached to the sky as though seeking to touch heaven. Bristlecone added texture to the open areas and flatlands. The mighty oaks demanded admiration for fighting the harsh winters in order to house a multitude of birds in the spring. She knew there was plenty of country yet to be seen, but why would anyone want to leave the Colorado Territory? Surely there wasn’t a more glorious place on earth.

Movement in the distant sky caught her attention as she approached an area of scrub pines. Buzzards circled. She urged Mack into a canter.

When she broke through the cluster of trees, she jerked back on the reins. Mack’s hooves skidded in the rocky soil. She jumped to the ground, a gasp stuck at the back of her throat.

   FOUR   

T
he pounding of a horse’s hooves forced Jace to pause at the threshold of his house. He’d heard the urgent pace too many times lately. He strode around the corner. “Bobbie?”

She was headed toward him at a gallop and held what looked like a calf in front of her. She reached him and yanked back on the reins, dust billowing from the sudden stop. Bobbie dismounted just as fast, stumbling and losing her balance with the weight of a newborn calf in her arms. Jace braced her up, then took the animal from her.

“I think you have some cattle missing.” Her chest heaved almost as hard as Mack’s. “I can’t tell how many. But there are plenty of hoof-prints heading away from your ranch.” She reached to scratch the head of the calf. “This one’s mama is tied to a tree. She has a lot more brands on her than just yours. I left her there so I could get back here before dark.”

Jace clenched his jaw and peered into the distance. “Find Dew. Tell him I need him.” He ran to the barn, still holding the calf.

Jace, Dew, and Bobbie arrived at the copse of trees as the sun greeted the tips of the mountains. Shadows cast an eerie glow over the scene. Jace pulled his rifle from its scabbard, metal against leather the only
sound beyond the chirping crickets and the crunching of rocky dirt under the horse’s hooves. He searched the area before dismounting. Gun in hand, he headed toward the trees. Dew and Bobbie followed with their own rifles.

Without a word, they looked over the ground, their eyes trailing the hoofprints leading away. While Bobbie and Dew headed toward the cow tied to the tree, Jace dropped down beside one set of hoof-prints—that of a horse. Maybe, just maybe, there was some outstanding mark on the shoe that his blacksmith friend, Cade Ramsey, would recognize. As usual, nothing.

“You need to see this, Jace,” Dew called.

Jace headed toward them and stepped around the cow to stand next to Dew and Bobbie. With his finger, he traced the strange branding marks stamped on its side.

“What does it mean?” Bobbie asked.

“I have no idea. I’ve never seen brands like that before. Except for mine right in the middle of the rest.”

Bobbie shivered and ran her free hand up and down her arm. Her gaze darted around the area. “I wonder how long ago this happened.”

Jace grunted and traced the hairless markings the color of saddle leather. “Couldn’t have been too long. Still looks fresh.” He saw her shiver again. “We need to get back, but we can’t leave this cow out here. Dew—” but his foreman had already moved to get his horse. Jace removed the rope.

Dew maneuvered his horse behind the cow and gave a shrill whistle to get the beast moving.

Bobbie all but ran toward Mack. Jace would have smiled at the look of relief on her face, but he couldn’t find anything funny in the situation. With a flick of his tail followed by a cloud of dust, Mack raced off.

Why would someone steal only my cattle?
Jace wondered. Not that he wished any trouble on his neighbors, but why only him? And
what were the brand marks saying? The answers eluded him on the ride home.

Those same questions continued to haunt him the next morning. He didn’t get much sleep during the night, adding to his already foul mood. He poked his head inside the door of Annie’s house. “I’m not staying for breakfast, Annie.”

His sister hurried to the door. “Do you know something about the cows?”

“No, not yet. I’m on my way into town to see Morgan. Maybe he can wire some other sheriffs in the area and find out if they’ve seen anything like this. Or at least they can keep an eye out for my brand.” He didn’t wait for a reply and strode toward the barn.

Standing in front of the sheriff’s desk a short time later, Jace couldn’t believe his ears.

“Calm down, Jace.”

“What do you mean, calm down? Someone is stealing my cattle, and all you can tell me is to calm down!”

Morgan Thomas leaned forward over his desk and peered up at Jace above the rim of his spectacles. “Getting all riled up won’t help us catch the men who did this. Besides,” he smoothed the ends of his mustache, “I’m not the one you’re angry with, so stop shouting at me.”

Jace took a deep breath, ready to tell Morgan exactly what he thought about his methods of keeping the law, but the sheriff was right. The breath left him in a hiss. He had been fighting his temper since the day he found out about his parents’ death, and his frame of mind seemed no better today. They still needed to find his parents’ killer, and now he had another mystery to solve. He dropped down on the chair near the desk. He’d never been so weary.

“I’m sorry, Morgan.”

Morgan pulled off his spectacles and rubbed the bridge of his
nose. “I know. Now, let’s take a minute to pray. Then we’ll look at these brands you drew from the cow and see what we can figure out. After that, I’ll send out some wires.”

An hour later, atop his horse and taking in the beauty of the mountains, peace settled over Jace. The time in prayer with Morgan worked wonders on his attitude. He couldn’t stop his mind from wandering to his father as he rode home. Had his dad ever run into a similar problem? He couldn’t remember, but it didn’t matter. The ranch was
his
problem now, and he needed to figure out what to do about the latest challenge.

   FIVE