This Side of Forever (Book Five of the Brides of the West Series)

by Hestand, Rita

  Clay enjoyed seeing Billy so happy. It gave him hope that the future was challenging.

  As they neared the edges of Tucson, Billy led the way.

  Mr. Sander's property was huge and encompassed miles of land. Clay had to admit it made an impression. Given the land, Clay realized that a man ranching in this kind of climate and landscape needed space.

  It was nearly noon when they hobbled their horses in front of the Sander's spread.

  Smoke billowed from the chimney, welcoming them with scents of fresh bread and food on the table.

  Billy knocked on the door.

  A young woman opened the door, and jumped into Billy's arms. Her dark curls surrounded a cherub face that lent innocence and beauty. "Billy…" she murmured as she kissed him hotly on the mouth.

  Clay watched in amusement.

  "Becca…I've sure missed you." Billy was saying as he pulled away somewhat reluctantly.

  "I was hoping you'd come soon." She pulled him into the house. Clay followed.

  "Becca, I'd like you to meet my brother." Billy announced.

  Clay took his hat off and extended his hand.

  Becca stared at him for only a moment before she went up to him and kissed him sweetly on the cheek. "I'm so pleased to meet you Clay. Billy has talked about you endlessly. I feel I already know you so well."

  "He has?" Clay smiled.

  "Oh yes, I'm so glad you're home from the war." She smiled genuinely into his eyes.

  "So am I." Clay laughed.

  "Where's your father?" Billy asked looking around the house as though he expected him to come out of the woodwork.

  "He's out on the range. There was some mischief with the Indians again, fence lines torn. He'll be in directly for dinner. Are you hungry?" Becca asked.

  "Starved." Billy smiled and wrapped an arm around her.

  "Come on in, and sit down. I'm about to put dinner on the table now." Becca explained.

  Billy followed her like a little pup, and Clay was amused at their open loving relationship. Becca was going to fit right in, he could tell.

  "Becca…I've come with the intention of marrying. That is if you will have me?" Billy announced.

  Becca's dark brown eyes pierced Billy with delight. "Finally, granted you aren't on one knee, with a giant ring, but at least you got it out."

  "You know I’m crazy about you, Becca. We'll get married here and I’m taking you home with me. That is…if you'll come." Billy said.

  "Of course I will, silly. We're going to be married. I go where you go. I've already discussed it with daddy and he is excited for us to begin our lives together." Becca was saying as she placed a huge ham on the table and potatoes and corn and fresh beans and salad. The homemade bread came next and by that time, her father walked through the door.

  "Becca…do we have company?" Her father hollered from the doorway as he wiped his feet on the rug in the kitchen.

  "Not company, Billy…and his brother, Clay." Becca laughed.

  Mr. Sanders came through with a welcoming smile, a firm handshake and the confidence of a cowboy who knew his business. Clay liked him the moment he set eyes on him.

  He had no airs, he didn't need them. His confidence swept the room as he entered it.

  He wore a pair of Levi's, a boiled white shirt, a leather vest, and a sweat brimmed hat. No one could tell he had a dime in his pockets, but Mr. Sanders owned a big chunk of Arizona's badlands.

  He'd unbuckled his chaps and slung them over a kitchen cabinet as he had come in. He pulled his hat off and hung it on a peg.

  His cheeks were ruddy, from the days of harsh weather, but his eyes were clear and honest.

  "So glad to see you Billy. And I’m glad to meet your brother. Billy tells us you were in the war." Mr. Sanders gave Clay a straightforward glance.

  "Yes sir…"

  "The north?" He squinted from the bright sunlight coming from the window.

  "Yes sir." Clay answered.

  "It was a costly win, wasn't it?" Mr. Sanders sobered for a moment. "But well worth it in the end. Now we can all get back to the living."

  "That's a good way of looking at it." Clay began to relax.

  "So Billy…what are your plans?" Mr. Sanders eyed him a second.

  "I come to ask for your daughter's hand in marriage. I want to take her back with me. With your blessings of course." Billy announced. "I realize you will miss her, but you are welcome to come for visits any time you like."

  "Bold as brass isn't he?" Mr. Sanders chuckled. "Well, I'm glad. I truly am. My daughter will make you a wonderful family, and me a grandpa, I’m sure."

  Billy shook his head and glanced at them all. "I don't know how I lucked out and found not only the best woman in the world, but a father that so readily accepts me. I can't tell you what this means to me."

  "I guess you are wondering too?" Mr. Sanders glanced at Clay. "Admittedly, we weren't always this casual, but it's come from building a strong trusting relationship. Billy came to work for me as just a humble hired hand. He started from the bottom and he learned. I watched him latch on to the cattle business like a lifeline thrown to him. I watched him better himself and work like a dog to do it. I'm proud of him and even though my daughter is my pride and joy, Billy has always been up front with me on his feelings for her. I respect that. He courted her…and he told me of his intentions long ago. If he hadn't been so open and honest about it, I probably wouldn't have accepted it as easily, but it's hard not to like Billy."

  Clay listened. "He's turned into a fine young man."

  "He is at that. And, I want to tell you that my daughter is no stranger to cattle herself. She's worked in the yards with them, she's been on the trail with them, and she knows almost as much as Billy does about them. She's a hardworking young woman, and I'm proud of her. She won't be the kind to sit on a fence post and watch the men work. She'll be right there with them. Just like you and Billy, I’m sure. So…how soon shall we have the wedding?"

  "It can't be too soon for me…" Billy admitted, reaching for Becca's hand.

  "Then next week, and I have a surprise for the two of you. I'm sending you on a week's honeymoon to St. Louis. Then you can begin your life together at your ranch."

  "Oh daddy…you didn't tell me about that."

  "It's a surprise." Mr. Sanders smiled.

  "Now, let's eat before this food gets cold." He directed.

  Late that evening, Billy and Becca went for a long walk, talking, kissing, and enjoying each other's company. Clay sat on the front porch swing and watched them, silently envying them.

  Mr. Sanders finally joined him.

  "Are you married sir?" the older man asked.

  "No…no, I’m afraid not." Clay tried to keep the lonesome out of his voice. "But I am looking forward to making the ranch a fine place to call home."

  "Well you are still young. There's hope for you yet." Mr. Sanders suggested. "My wife was my solace, my comfort, my love. I miss her every day of my life."

  "What happened?" Clay asked curiously.

  A deep seeded frown etched its way across the old man's face. "Apaches."

  "I'm so sorry…"

  "It was a long time back. Ever since, I've been trying to forgive them, and move on, but it's just so danged hard. I forgave God for making this land so hard; I forgave the south for seceding. I forgave the President for declaring war on families. However, I couldn't forgive the Indian. They are my nemeses. I suppose every man has some sort of downfall, they are mine…"

  "I suppose I can understand that. They took something from you that can't be replaced, that's hard to deal with…" Clay agreed.

  Mr. Sanders visibly shook himself.

  "Enough of the self-pity. I want you to know that I will do everything in my power to see that you three get off to a good start. Billy tells me you have had a rough time of it, and that the people around you didn't understand you fighting for the north. I may be a southerner, but I didn't want to see the states secede."

  "I
'm not worried about the war any more sir. It's over. I just want to get on with my life. And I'm proud Billy has chosen so well in life. Billy means a great deal to me sir, he always has. He's the baby of the family, and the only family I have left…except perhaps you and your daughter."

  "I appreciate you including us as family. Because family is something you can't have too much of." He glanced at Billy and Becca in the distance, leaning into each other kissing in the setting sun. "They are well suited for each other." Mr. Sanders seemed to get a kick out of watching them.

  "They seem so at home with each other…" Clay remarked.

  "Funny, they've been like that from the first day he set foot on my property. I’m sending you a small herd as a wedding present."

  Clay frowned slightly. "That's very kind of you sir. But knowing my brother…he doesn't expect anything."

  "You don't approve?"

  "No…it's not that. I'm happy that Billy has found his place in life so young. He's had a rather hard life, our folks dead and all his brothers gone to war. He really took the bull by the horns and learned a few things. I'm very proud of him. And that you want to help him. I have to admit, at one time, before the war, I wouldn't have accepted help from anyone. War teaches you how foolish pride can be. He'll make good, I'll see to that too."

  "Of course you will. I'd expect to hear that coming from you. You are just as I pictured you would be. Strong, self-reliant, I like that. I want you both to make good. I know you probably think I am fast on the gun when sizing someone up, but I'm naturally good at it, Clay. I know quality when I see it. And you boys have quality." Mr. Sanders said.

  Clay looked at him with surprise. "You don't even know me…"

  "I don't have to. You're his older brother, and obviously, you've had a hand in helping to raise him into the young man he is. That speaks well of you. You're good stock Mr. Reno. And I know stock." He smiled.

  Clay felt touched by this generous man who seemed to see further than most. "I can see and understand why Billy thinks so much of you."

  "It's mutual. Unlike a lot of fathers, I don't go against nature. My daughter fell in love with Billy, and I will bless this marriage from the get go. Kids don't need parents setting them back, making problems for them. They need a kick-start in the right direction is all. And I got a feeling you'll be right along with me in seeing they get that start."

  "Do you have other children?" Clay asked.

  "Oh yes, three sons, away on a cattle drive as we speak, three married daughters, all living in this local area. Seven children in all. I also have ten grandchildren. So family surrounds me. A man can't go wrong if he surrounds himself with family."

  Clay nodded with a slight smile. "I think you are right about that."

  "Later, when we have some time. I'd like to show you some of the stock I've picked out for you to take with you. I can send a couple of my men to help you herd them back to Texas."

  "That's very generous of you…"

  "I'm a rich man, Mr. Reno. I don't brag about it, but I don't keep it a secret either. I'm not taking a thing with me when I leave this world. Therefore, what good I can do now, means something to me. I hope you will help me select the stock and get this wedding under way."

  "I'll be more than happy to do anything…" Clay began.

  "What do you think of my daughter, sir?"

  "I think…she's going to fit right into our lives…" Clay nodded as he watched his brother and her as the sunset slowly.

  "Good. And…if you should need anything…we aren't that far away…"

  Overwhelmed by this man, Clay felt almost choked up. Billy had lucked out. He not only found the perfect young woman for him, but a family he could be a part of too. It was more than Clay had ever hoped for.

  "Do you get along this well with all your hired help?" Clay asked with a knowing smile.

  "Actually, I don't. I can't tolerate laziness, Slovenes, nor men that want to drink their lives away. I don't care for cheats of any kind. I make my own way, and I expect others to do the same. You probably think me a generous man, but I don't look at it that way. I want my children off to a good start; it's up to them to see that it stays that way. Problems come along in life, death, strife, accidents, but failure isn't one of my strong points either. Now if I simply sent these two away without helping them, they'd have a fifty-fifty chance of making a good life. I want to improve those odds. I want them to succeed. To be happy in life. Life can be so profound and wonderful, if you look at it that way. If you seek to find the problems in it, you will succeed in that. And fail in life. Simple philosophy." He chuckled.

  "It's a good way to look at it." Clay nodded, silently assessing his own life.

  "You've had it hard, haven't you son?" Mr. Sanders mumbled lowly.

  Clay looked at him, narrowing his gaze on the expression on the man's face. "Maybe…but I'm looking forward to improving it."

  "I'm glad you said that. Yes sir, you're good stock." He chuckled.

  When Clay got up to walk around the porch and stared out into the prairie, Mr. Sanders noticed his limp. He never uttered a word. For that, Clay was thankful. He didn't want anyone's pity; he simply wanted to get on with the living of life.

  "Your daughter mentioned you had an incident with the Indians?" Clay asked out of the blue.

  "Yes," Mr. Sanders tone changed a raw edge to it. "We've had a devil of a time with the Apaches here. It's taken years to get even this close to a peaceful existence. Not that I always sought a peaceful solution with them. I was bitter for a while. Until I woke up and realized I was making my own life a living hell. Even though we have developed a treaty of sorts with them and managed to do our daily work without too much stress, they tend to be mischievously problematic. Torn fences, cattle scattering, little things that take time to correct and money of course. As much as I've wanted a peace, I've always doubted there would be any. Understandably, so, I suppose. We've pushed them off their lands, crowded them into our own little molds. They rebel. It's their very nature to rebel. I'm sorry, I don't tolerate them well." Mr. Sanders apologized.

  Clay turned to look at the man. "You can fight an enemy all your life, even gain respect for them, for fighting, but it's kind of like the war I just came from, there will always be those who want to go on fighting."

  "Now that's an honest statement if I ever heard one. Exactly. I don't care whether they wear the white man's clothes, go to the same church, or live in the same town. But if they could only accept that we can all live here, on this land, that there is room for everyone…"

  Clay studied on that a moment. "The problem is our treaties are usually lies. We've lied to them too many times. We've pushed them away, always away. Never accepting them as the people they are."

  Mr. Sanders glanced at him. "You're saying we haven't treated them fairly?"

  "That's what I’m saying." Clay answered.

  Mr. Sanders frowned but didn't get upset. Instead, he grew quiet for a while. "Have you dealt with the Indians in Texas?"

  "Yes sir, some before the war. Most have been run out of Texas and into Oklahoma Territory. To the reservations. Problem with that is, the land isn't as good. And they know it. Think about this…we fight a white man, in a war, and when it's over, everything goes back to the way it was, eventually. If he had land, he's still got that land to go back to. The Indians don't have the lands…they've been taken away. Their dignity stripped. So the young ones continue to fight. In the end…they lose everything…"

  "So you think we are unfair?" Mr. Sanders narrowed his gaze on him.

  "We've had our share of loses, no one can deny that. However, as a whole…we still have our dignity. They don't." Clay didn't know why he was taking such a stance, but he'd always thought the Indians got a raw deal.

  "Yes…dignity it important." The old man admitted. "I like you Mr. Reno; you've got a head on your shoulders. I like a man that stands up to me and says what he thinks. It shows character. However, I'm afraid…I'll always have a hard
time accepting the Indians. It's my cross to bear, and granted I am mellowing with age, which is a good thing."

  Clay smiled serenely. "You're entitled to your opinion. I don't often express my own, because it isn't a very popular point of view. The Indians did a lot of damage all over this country during the war, because our armies were so busy, now the control will begin again. But…I figure you'll always have your rebel groups with them…"

  "You're probably right."

  "Yes sir."

  Mr. Sanders lit his pipe and sighed as he leaned back in his rocking chair. "I'm going to think on what you just said, Mr. Reno. I'm going to think on it a lot. It's worth the effort to try to come to some resolution."

  "Yes sir…it is." Clay felt bad about overstepping his bounds. He had no right to tell this man how to deal with the Indians. Nevertheless, it felt good to be able to talk about something that he felt so strongly about. One thing he knew, Mr. Sanders was a good and a fair man. He liked him.

  Chapter Seven

  "I guess you think we're a little on the crazy side," Becca stood by the kitchen window and stared out at Billy and her father talking.

  "Not at all. Becca, I want you to know that Billy and I have plans to make a real home and to work hard to make that home a great place to live. We've been making improvements for about a month on the place, and you are a big part of it all. I pledge to you right now to do everything in my power to make you feel welcome and at home there. We want to be a real family again." Clay's voice held an endless kind of patience, filled with sincerity.

  A slow burning smile curled her lips as she turned to look at him. "Thank you…I already feel like part of the family, but it's nice to be welcomed. I’m so excited about the wedding. Do I sound giddy to you?"

  "Not at all. You sound…happy." Clay offered her a shy grin.

  "And what of you Clay? Have you no woman of your own?" She asked offering him a cup of coffee.

  Clay sat at the table, wondering how to answer that. "No ma'am…not at the present time."

  "Well, I'll pray that the right lady comes along for you." She smiled and poured his coffee for him.