Toward the end of the meal, June cleared her throat, gaining everyone’s attention. Lorna watched as the older woman seemed to struggle for what she wanted to say, almost as if she wasn’t sure it would be received well. Lorna waited with the others, curious as to what would make the beloved family member so hesitant.
* * *
Darren watched his aunt struggle to find the words she wanted to say. He wondered what was causing her such difficulty. Aunt June was known for speaking her mind and almost never held back when something needed to be said.
“So, today is the beginning of the Día de los Muertos festival.”
Everyone at the table grew quiet after the declaration and Darren stared at his aunt with a sense of foreboding for what she was going to say next. This festival, more than any of the others celebrated by the townsfolk of Virginia City, had been Mark’s favorite and one he’d always insisted they attend as a family.
The festival was a remembrance celebration of family members who had passed on. Mark’s mother had been of Mexican descent, and he’d always insisted they attend the festival as a way of honoring her lineage.
Darren had never really been able to wrap his head around the festival. His mother had been Paiute, but he felt no need to have a celebration centered around her death every year. He looked at June and told her, “You know how I feel about the festival.”
June nodded and then explained, “I do, but this year is different. Instead of honoring Mrs. Wilson’s late memory, we would be honoring Mark’s.”
Darren shook his head. “I still don’t see the point.”
“You should definitely attend. In honor of Mark,” Brian told those around the table.
Darren held back his sigh of frustration. If anyone besides his father had suggested they still attend, he probably would have argued with them until they gave up and he won. But with Brian suggesting they attend in honor of Mark…well, he could hardly refuse now.
June smiled at Brian and then looked directly at Darren. “That’s settled, then. You’ll attend the festival.”
June turned her gaze to a very confused Lorna, and she smiled encouragingly. “Don’t worry, Lorna. You will enjoy yourself. In fact, Darren can show you around the festival once we arrive.”
June looked at Darren expectantly and he found himself backed into a corner he couldn’t get out of. To refuse would be openly rude and would prompt questions from his father and aunt he wasn’t ready to answer himself. To agree meant he would be spending lots of one-on-one time with the very source of his confusion.
With no other option, he nodded and then replied dutifully, “Of course. I’d be happy to.”
Or I’ll regret it. But either way, it’s going to happen. Let’s just hope for a good outcome and that nothing too awful happens.
Chapter 12
Lorna could tell that Darren was less than enthusiastic about driving into town to attend the festival. She’d done what she could to try and provide a valid excuse to remain at the ranch, but June and Brian seemed to be conspiring against her efforts.
“Ready to go?” June asked as she joined Lorna on the front porch. Darren and Ethan were just about finished hooking up the wagon and then they would be off.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Lorna asked.
“Of course,” June said. “You’ll see and get a feel for the town and the people who live there.”
Lorna nodded, and then turned as Brian exited the house. He looked tired. Concerned, she asked, “Are you still feeling all right?”
Brian sighed and came to a stop next to the railing, leaning on it with both hands. “I have to confess to being more tired than normal.” He lifted a hand up and removed his hat, rubbing the back of his hand across his brow. “I’ve also got this infernal headache that won’t go away.”
Lorna narrowed her eyes at him and then quietly suggested, “Perhaps you should rest this afternoon, rather than taxing yourself with a trip into town.”
Brian dropped his hand and nodded. “I do believe you’re right.” He stood up straight and then called to Darren. “Son, I’m going to stay here and rest for a bit. You and Ethan take June and Lorna into town and have a good time.”
“Pa—” Darren took a step toward the house, but Brian put up a hand and stopped him.
“I’ll be fine, I’m just tired. It will be nice to have some peace and quiet around here.” Brian nodded at June and then patted Lorna’s hand before heading back inside.
“Is he truly all right?” June asked, watching after him.
“He’s suffered a great loss. I’ll be sure to check on him while you’re all gone,” Lorna told her.
June smiled and shook her head. “Nice try, but you are coming to town with us. We’ll both check on Brian when we return.” She looked toward the wagon and asked Darren, “Ready?”
“If we must,” Darren replied sourly.
Lorna joined June at the wagon. Ethan assisted first June and then Lorna up and into the second buckboard seat he and Darren had installed just for this occasion.
The ride into town was accomplished in relative silence, and Lorna took the opportunity to survey the landscape and try to commit to memory the path between the ranch and the town. This was her fifth trip and she was beginning to identify some natural landmarks to guide her.
A tall clump of trees next to a small mesa. A cluster of tall cacti. A large boulder, twice as tall as a standard horse. She was confident that if she ever needed to, she would be able to find her way between the ranch and the town and not get completely lost.
Now that she would be helping Doctor Ellsworth in town, she would need to be able to get herself there and back on her own. She certainly couldn’t expect someone from the ranch to keep escorting her day after day.
They each had their own responsibilities, and Lorna was going to make sure her presence at the ranch didn’t inconvenience or trouble anyone unnecessarily. If she was going to make her home here, then she would do so on her own two feet. She was used to taking care of herself, and there was no reason she couldn’t do so in this instance as well.
Once they arrived in town, Ethan helped both women down while Darren dealt with the horses. Darren turned the horses out into the corral at the livery, and after exchanging a handshake with the stable boy, joined the women.
Lorna’s eyes were drawn to the tables and booths that had been set out in front of many of the shops and buildings. People milled around them, many dressed in elaborate outfits in bright colors and large-brimmed hats.
“What do you think?” June asked Lorna.
“This is so different from the last time I was in town. Everything is so colorful and festive.”
She looked at the people around the colorful tables and frowned when she saw how their faces had been painted. Most were covered with a white paint, and their eyes and mouths accentuated, almost like that of a skull. Looking closer, she realized that was exactly what they were supposed to be dressed like – skeletons.
Shocked, she turned to June and asked, “What is this festival for?”
“Día de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead, is a celebration where many of those of Mexican heritage believe their deceased loved ones come back for a visit. They celebrate their return with food and drink, and dress so as to make their loved ones feel comfortable.”
“They actually believe dead people come back to life?” Lorna asked, never having heard of anything so impossible.
“Not their physical bodies, but their spirits. Many do believe that, yes.”
“And you?” Lorna asked.
June smiled. “I believe it is a good day to remember those who have passed away and to learn from their lives.”
Lorna nodded and turned her attention to her surroundings once more. There was so much to see, and she did her best to catalog everything: the smells of the food being cooked, the music being played. It wasn’t just the women who were dressed in bright colors today, but many of the men as well. Everywhere she lo
oked there was a rainbow of color.
They approached the first display and she stopped to examine the offerings on the table. Several tall candles burned brightly, and there were plates and bowls of food, and baskets of flat bread. Colorful paper flowers decorated the edges of the table, but it was the brightly woven blanket and small pillow that captured her attention.
She wanted to ask what they were for but didn’t want to seem rude. Ethan and Darren had joined them, and she forced her eyes away from the display to the tall man who still seemed less than pleased to be here.
She wasn’t sure if it was the festival in general or her presence he objected to, but since June had mentioned the trip into town, Darren had appeared to be irritated and angry.
I wonder what he would look like if he were to ever smile. He’s been so sad and somber since I first met him. I hope I get to find out one of these days.
* * *
Darren was struggling with his inner turmoil over attending the festival. On one hand, he was upset with himself for letting his aunt manipulate him into agreeing to attend. On the other hand, he would get to spend time with Lorna – which could be either good or bad, depending on how things went between them.
He'd been hoping his father would act as a buffer between them, but at the last moment, Brian had cried off, and Darren’s concern for his pa’s wellbeing outweighed his objections to attending the festival.
“You might try relaxing a bit before you scare everyone away,” Ethan had told him as they left the livery and joined the women.
“You know my feelings on this festival,” Darren replied.
“I do, but the fact remains that you are here, and you might as well try to enjoy yourself. After all, you’ve got a beautiful young woman to take around.”
“Who was supposed to marry my brother,” Darren fired back.
“Well, that’s not going to happen, and she’s still here. Might want to think about the future before you make her completely hate spending time with you. Once word gets out that she’s here for the duration and not spoken for, you know what will happen.”
Darren sighed and nodded. “The ranch will be overrun with eager suitors. Just what we don’t need right now.”
Ethan nodded in agreement. “She seems sweet, and both your pa and June have taken to her like she was one of their own. That has to say something about her character.”
Darren nodded and took a moment to push aside his irritation and the grief of the last few days. The festival was a celebration, albeit an odd one for most white men.
The atmosphere was always festive with an undertone of sadness, and it was for this very reason that Darren usually avoided town during it. Feeling as he did right now about Mark, no amount of forced frivolity was going to ease his grief.
But Lorna was a newcomer and had never experienced the festival. He knew June had tried to explain a bit about the festival, but it was one of those things that had to be seen and experienced in person. Now that they were in town, Darren tried to see the festival through the eyes of a first-timer. While he had no use for the festival nor did he believe that the dead visited the living on such a day, he imagined it was actually very interesting to someone new.
“Shall we take a walk?” June asked Ethan. She smiled when he dutifully presented his arm and she hooked her elbow with his. This left Lorna standing by herself, so Darren walked over and offered her his elbow.
Darren was annoyed with his aunt for making sure he and Lorna had to walk through the festival together. Then again, she’d warned him that was what she wanted to happen, so he guessed he shouldn’t be too surprised that this was how things had worked out.
Deciding that there was no need for Lorna to suffer his bad attitude, he pushed his irritation aside and smiled down into her eyes. “Shall we join them?”
She looked at his arm and then carefully slipped her arm inside, offering him a tentative smile of her own.
They strolled along, and he watched as Lorna took in the bright colors, paper decorations, and different smells of the Mexican dishes that were being prepared in the open air. Lorna seemed to be taking it all in, her eyes darting back and forth as she tried to see everything. Darren slowed down, giving her more time to observe.
When he saw the small furrow on her brow as her gaze strayed to the tables, he paused and then leaned down and whispered in near her ear, “Questions?”
Lorna nodded and then glanced at him before looking back at the table before them. “What are the pillow and blanket for?”
Darren eyed the table and smiled. “They believe their loved ones have traveled a long distance to join them on this day and are not only in need of food but also a place to rest before they return.”
Lorna looked back at the table and nodded. “They’ve prepared everything as if they were actually expecting a true guest.”
“To many of these people, they believe their loved ones’ spirits do visit them. They would not want to be rude and anger the spirits,” he told her.
Lorna sighed and then turned, indicating she was ready to move on. “It is a strange custom.”
“No stranger than placing headstones upon graves and visiting them from time to time,” Darren offered.
“I suppose,” she agreed.
As they neared the end of the street, he stopped by a table selling plates of food and suggested they eat before going in search of June and Ethan.
“Shouldn’t we find them first?” Lorna asked.
“No need. They’ll take care of themselves. Go sit down and I’ll bring us some food.” Darren nodded to where some wooden tables had been set up and several people were eating already.
He watched her wander in that direction and then quickly paid for two plates of food and joined her. The offerings included steamed corn on the cob, beans and rice, and tamales. He placed the plate on the table before her and then watched as she took a tentative bite of the food.
When her eyes lit up and she smiled at him, he couldn’t help but smile back. “I take it you find the food to your liking?”
“It’s very good. Different than anything I’ve had before, and very spicy.”
“I’m glad you like it. So, what do you think of the festival so far?”
“It’s very interesting. It makes me wish we had a celebration like this for our loved ones. A remembrance day but without all of the face paint and skeletons. That just seems a little morbid to me.”
She wasn’t wrong. Darren nodded. “You’re thinking of your pa?” he asked.
Lorna nodded. “Yes. He wasn’t supposed to die…not that way. I’ve wished many times that I could have just a few more minutes with him. I wish there was a way to get justice for his death, but it was war and finding the man who released the arrow that caused his death would be impossible.” She looked up and asked, “What about you? Does today remind you of your loved ones?”
Darren took a breath and then nodded slowly. “Yes. Mark, because we just buried him. But also my parents. I was so little when my ma passed away…”
“I thought June said Mrs. Wilson had only been gone for six years?” Lorna asked.
Darren nodded. “Ginny did die six years ago. I was talking about my birth mother, Wyanet. She was Paiute and my father, Silas, fell in love with her. She died when I was but a toddler and my father and I came to live on the ranch. When Silas died a few years later, Brian and Ginny took me in as if I were their own son.”
“Brian isn’t your father?” Lorna looked stunned at this revelation.
Darren shook his head, explaining, “He is in every way that counts, just like Ginny was my ma. But neither of the Wilsons were responsible for my birth.”
“I’m sorry for what happened to Mark,” Lorna told him softly.
Darren nodded. “It was my fault.”
“Why do you say that?” she asked, cocking her head to the side.
“The bullet was meant for me. I’m the one who insisted we go out and check the pastures. Mark wanted to wai
t until first light, but I insisted we needed to catch whoever was messing with the herds in the act.”
“Mark could have said no,” Lorna replied.
“But he didn’t. He was always trying to protect me ever since I came to live on the ranch. Whenever we would create some kind of mischief, he would always try to take the blame and face the consequences.”
“It sounds like he loved you very much,” Lorna told him.
Darren looked at her and he knew what his brother had seen in her letters. He hadn’t needed to see how beautiful she was or how her eyes lit up when she smiled to know that her heart was full of light.
The way she’d taken care of his pa and how she’d listened to him talk about Mark were all signs that Darren couldn’t ignore. Lorna was beautiful inside, and he found himself drawn to her.
A Bride to Heal His Broken Heart Page 8
