by Vivi Holt
He stood behind her and massaged her shoulders. “I’m sorry, darling. So what should we do?”
“Well, I don’t like the idea of waiting around here for him to show up. Maybe he was just trying to unnerve me, but I don’t think I can risk it, not with you and the children. Who knows what he’d do to you if he came for me?” She stared to the table. “And he wouldn’t want them around if he intended to be my husband.”
Bill took a quick breath. “Well, that changes things. We’re gonna have to leave Paradise Valley. We can’t risk our children.”
She sighed. “I know.” She looked up at him with more love in her heart than she’d ever thought possible. “Where will we go?”
He frowned, sat down across from her and cupped her chin in his hand. “Where else does it feel like home?”
She smiled. “Cutter’s Creek.”
He nodded. “Let’s go back there, then. Bow Bearer doesn’t know it and won’t think to look for you there. And we can finally pay Sam and Estelle that visit we’ve been promising all these years. They’re dying to be surrogate grandparents, and now they can be.”
Sarah’s throat tightened and she couldn’t stop the tears from falling. They were going home to Cutter’s Creek. Sam and Estelle Todd weren’t family, but they were the closest thing she had besides Bill and the children. He knew how much she missed them and longed to visit. And now they would return to the town where they’d first met and fell in love, hopefully to stay. “Yes, my love. Let’s go home.”
Ost was awake, lying on the bed with his eyes closed. He didn’t want to stir and wake Angela beside him, her head on his chest. He’d never felt so happy in his life and couldn’t bear the idea of ending the moment.
Too soon, her eyes blinked open. She yawned, stretched and studied him beneath half-lidded eyes. “How long have you been awake?”
“A while.” He smiled and shrugged, his left arm tingling beneath her. He’d lost feeling in it an hour ago.
She snuggled closer, resting her hand in the middle of his chest. “Are you happy?”
He thought his heart might burst. “Very.”
“What should we do today?”
He shrugged again. “What would you like to do? I don’t have to work until this evening at the bar. We’ve got the day all to ourselves.”
“Wow, I feel spoiled. I haven’t had you all to myself since we were married.”
His cheeks burned and he leaned up on one elbow to look at her. She was beautiful and his heart swelled. He planted a kiss on her lips, enjoying her scent and the feel of her skin against his.
“I thought you were tired,” she quipped with a shy smile.
He laughed. “I was. But I think it’s about noon, so I’m all caught up.”
“Really? We’ve slept half the day away …” She groaned and covered her eyes with her hand.
“Well, slept and …” He kissed her again.
She laughed. “Yes. And this baby makes me tired all the time, so I needed the rest. But now I need to visit the outhouse – I do believe it’s sitting on my bladder.”
He chuckled. “Let me help you up then, my love.” He stood by the bed and pulled Angela to her feet. She groaned and grunted until she was upright, then donned her nightgown, reached for her robe … and found she was too late. She peered over her belly to see the pool of liquid on the floor. “Oh dear.” Then another thought crossed her mind. “Oh dear!”
Ost’s eyes widened. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
“I think the baby’s coming.”
“Of course it’s coming –”
“I mean right now.” She looked at him and saw panic in his eyes. “Could you fetch the midwife, Hank – ohhhhh!” A contraction cut her off.
He nodded, but seemed unwilling to release his grip on her hand. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure! Go!”
He sprinted for the door, spared one glance over his shoulder and left, leaving her alone in their rooms. She knew Jacob and Charles were likely downstairs if she needed them. But in that moment she felt calm, in control and strong.
In the next moment, she didn’t, as another contraction made her bend double. She breathed deeply through the pain. The baby was coming – was she ready? She hadn’t prepared enough, hadn’t given enough thought to what lay ahead. The trauma of all she’d gone through had distracted her from what was to come. A child was entering her life and nothing would ever be the same again.
By the time Ost returned with the midwife, a buxom woman named Emma, Angela was ready to push. Emma guided her through it and within minutes it was all over. As Emma handed her the small bundle, Angela’s heart swelled with love. The boy was tiny, pale and covered in muck, but all she could think of was how beautiful, how perfect he was.
Ost’s eyes glimmered with unshed tears as he watched them. He took her hand and squeezed it. “What’ll we call him?”
Angela smiled nervously. “I have an idea, but I’m not sure if you’ll like it. I’d like to name him Hank Jr. But since he’s not yours, perhaps you’ll want to wait …”
“He’s my son in every way that matters. I’ll be raising him, won’t I?”
She nodded, her eyes flooding with tears.
“So let’s start it right – it would be an honor to call him Hank. Though maybe not Hank Jr. …”
Angela frowned. “What do you mean?”
Ost shrugged. “Actually, my father named me Heinz. I never go by that, and I don’t want to stick this little fellow with it either …”
“Heinz Oster …” Angela considered it. “Oh, it’s not so bad. And we can still call him Hank Jr.”
Ost smiled. “I promise that he’ll always be my son. And you’ll always be my wife, Angela Oster.”
The tears in Angela’s eyes fell down onto her rosy cheeks, and Ost kissed them away.
15
Sarah pinned her hat to her head and glanced over her shoulder one last time at the ranch house. They’d packed everything they owned into a covered wagon and were about to leave Paradise Valley for good, headed back to Cutter’s Creek. Everyone at the ranch, including Ost, Angela and their newborn son Hank Jr., had gathered at the house for a final goodbye.
They all stood in front of the long front porch and watched Bill back their team of horses into the traces. Bill’s old horse Purdy led the team, his forehead covered in patches of gray amidst the brown, with two recently purchased grays and Sarah’s chestnut mare. Sarah wasn’t sure about the grays yet – they seemed so flighty beside Purdy’s steady maturity. But she supposed she’d get used to them soon enough.
The children ran around the outside of the wagon, still playing. She shook her head with a wry smile. They never stopped playing for a moment unless it was to sleep. Such happy children, and she was glad of it. She’d been a happy child as well, and always hoped that one day her children would get to experience the kind of love her mother had given her.
She rubbed her growing belly and sighed as her throat tightened. She couldn’t believe they were going. Part of her was sad over leaving, but the rest was excited to be headed back to the place she considered home, Cutter’s Creek. She hadn’t lived there long – really just visited briefly before she and Bill were married – but it was where she’d found a couple who took her in, loved her and introduced her to the Heavenly Father she was eternally grateful to know.
Ever since she left, the Todds had written her – encouraging her, sending their prayers for her to cry over, and asking her to visit before the years passed them by. And she wanted to see them. She knew they’d sold the wagon they’d driven all over the territory, peddling pots, pans and other household goods. They were getting older, and she wanted them to have a chance to know her children. Her own mother was dead, and she’d never met Bill’s folks. Sam and Estelle Todd were like parents to both of them, and she knew they’d be doting grandparents to her kids.
A tap on her shoulder made her spin around, and she found herself face to face with Gen
ny. Genny’s eyes gleamed with tears as she threw her arms around Sarah. “I’m sorry to see you go, though I understand. I had hoped all this time that Paradise Ranch would be home to you both …” She sniffled against Sarah’s neck.
Sarah’s heart dropped. “It is home to us. We love you and Tom, the ranch and everyone here. But Cutter’s Creek is home as well, and Sam and Estelle are getting older …” She hadn’t told Genny about Bow Bearer’s threat – she and Bill had decided to keep that to themselves for now.
“Well, I’m glad you’ll have a family there. And I know the children will love getting to know them.”
Sarah’s throat constricted and she sobbed quietly. “We’ll miss you. All of you.” She pulled away and caressed Genny’s face.
Genny smiled through her tears. “And we’ll miss you. Perhaps we’ll visit someday.”
“That would be nice.”
After Genny was Cookie, and after him Coop, Ost and Angela, Dusty and Jane and the rest of the crew, all lined up to wish Bill, Sarah and the children farewell. The goodbyes complete, the family climbed into the wagon. As Sarah took her seat, tears ran down her cheeks like rivers. Bill patted her leg lovingly, then brought the reins down on the horses’ backs. “Hi-ya!” The children bounced in place, waving goodbye, excited to be headed out on an adventure. They didn’t understand their parents’ sadness.
But Sarah grieved the friends and loved ones she might never see again. She mourned leaving their tiny cottage where so many happy memories were made in recent years and the ranch that had been home for so long. As she waved goodbye her eyes blurred from the tears, and she finally ducked her head to cry silently into her sleeve.
Tom watched Bill and Sarah’s schooner pull away down the long drive, his heart heavy. He’d appreciated Bill’s strength and steadfastness over the years. As a ranch owner, he’d miss the cowpuncher, though he’d miss his friend even more. He put his arm around Genny’s shoulders as she sniffled into a handkerchief. She’d miss Sarah – the two women had become fast friends on the trail to Montana Territory, and had never uttered an unkind word to each other. He rubbed Genny’s shoulder, and she smiled back.
Just as he was about to head back into the house, his eyes narrowed. There was another wagon on the drive, heading up the hill. Bill and Sarah pulled their schooner to one side to allow it to pass. “Who could that be?” he muttered to himself.
Genny wiped her eyes and peered at the wagons. “I don’t know. I wasn’t expecting anyone.”
Bill pulled back onto the track and headed off. The other wagon continued up the long driveway, its canvas cover swaying as two bay horses heaved up the steep incline.
Tom frowned and raised a hand to shield his eyes. The figure sitting straight-backed on the wagon seat looked familiar – worn black Stetson, neatly trimmed gray beard, dressed in a button-down shirt, vest and long tan pants … He stepped forward, letting his arm fall from Genny’s shoulders. Could it be? “Pa?”
“Did you say Pa?” asked Genny.
He shrugged. “I think it might be my folks. They didn’t say they were comin’.”
She chuckled, then blew her nose into her handkerchief. “How about that?”
The wagon pulled up in front of the house. Sure enough, Tom’s father stepped down and helped his mother down from the wagon seat. Tom walked forward to greet them, throwing his arms around first his father, then his mother.
She kissed him on the cheek, her tears wetting his skin. “My boy,” she cried.
“Pa, Ma – what’re ya doin’ here?” he asked, his voice thick with emotion. He hadn’t seen them in years, not since his father had told him to go make his own way in the world, to build himself a ranch, one hide at a time. He remembered the words as if they were spoken yesterday, and yet so much had happened since.
“We wanted to surprise ya, dear. We asked for directions in Bozeman, and it was easy ‘nough to find the place.”
He laughed and set his hands on his hips. “You sure surprised me.” Then he startled as Genny put her hand through the crook of his arm. “Oh! Ma, Pa, I want you to meet my wife Genevieve. Genny, these are my parents, Harold and Sandy O’Reilly.”
After Genny greeted and welcomed his parents, Ma took her arm and they headed into the house to find the children. Pa crossed his arms and stared out over the valley. “So this is Paradise Ranch, huh?” He squinted at Tom, his face immobile.
Tom nodded. “Yep. This is it.”
“Just like ya described in yer letters.” His father sighed. “Ya done good, son.”
Tom’s chest tightened. “Thank ya, Pa.”
“I’m real proud of ya.”
Tom took a quick breath, then nodded. “That means a lot to me, Pa.”
“So. Let’s go find those rapscallion children of yourn.” His father chuckled and set his arm around Tom’s shoulders, giving him a quick squeeze.
Tom couldn’t remember the last time his father had embraced him, and now he’d done it twice in as many minutes. “We were all out here to wave goodbye to Bill and Sarah.”
“We met them on the way up.”
“I think the kids skedaddled into the house as soon as their wagon pulled out.” He laughed and ran a hand through his hair.
“And maybe after that ya could show me ‘round yer ranch.”
Tom nodded again. “It’d be my honor, Pa. I’m so glad ya came – I hoped ya’d visit one day.”
“Well, Harold Jr. has everythin’ under control on the ranch in Ohio. I don’t do much these days, ‘cept give my opinion, and I’m certain he’s sick of hearin’ it.” He laughed and ran a hand over his beard. “So I said to Ma, why don’t we go visit our other son and those grandkids of ourn?”
Tom smiled. “I hope you can stay awhile.”
“When ya get to my age, son, spendin’ time with family becomes the most important thing. Everythin’ else seems empty somehow. We’ll be here awhile, then figure out what to do next – long as that’s all right with ya and the missus.”
Tom patted his father on the back. “That sounds good to me.”
“This is some ranch ya built, son. I never knew ya’d do this well for yerself, though I knew ya were capable of it. That’s why I told ya to head out on yer own – I wanted to see what ya’d accomplish. And look around, son … ya built a whole li’l empire.”
Tom’s throat tightened and he found he couldn’t speak. He nodded, as he led his father into the great room. They sat before the fire together and when his voice returned he spoke again. “Everything I built here’s a reflection on you, Pa. You knew I could do it, even when I didn’t believe it myself.”
“Ya happy, son?”
Tom paused and looked up as Genny and the children burst through the kitchen door. The children had cake crumbs around their mouths, and his mother followed a frowning Genny. He grinned and nodded. “Yeah, Pa. I’m happy as a man has any right to be.”
Five months later …
Snow lined the sidewalk, and Angela picked her way carefully over the ice. Hank Jr. mewled against her chest, and she pushed aside the warm wool blanket to see his face.
The streets of Bozeman glittered in the late winter sun, and icicles hung from the eaves overhead. She peered up at them and stepped around a snow drift. With a frown, she studied the street – Billy, a local kid, had been hired to shovel snow from the sidewalk but didn’t seem to be making his best effort. She’d have a word with his mother at the Temperance Union meeting that evening. If the Beautification Committee were paying the boy to do a job, they’d expect it to be done well.
Hank Jr. gurgled, and she grinned down at him. “Are you warm enough, my dear?”
He gurgled again, then extracted a tiny fist in a woolen mitten from beneath the blanket and bopped her on the nose.
She laughed. “Oh, you’re a feisty one, aren’t you?” She stopped at the sheriff’s office and went inside. The fireplace in the back of the office warmed the small rooms well enough. She strolled past the deputy’s desk,
giving Ben, the new deputy, a nod as she went into the sheriff’s office.
Sheriff Hank Oster looked up from his desk and grinned widely. “Well, good morning there, Mrs. Oster. How are you this fine day?”
She laughed and sat on the corner of the desk.
“I’m fine, thank you, husband. We’re just out for a stroll. It’s sunny today, at least and we thought it might be nice to buy some fresh beef for stew tonight. What do you say?”
He stood and kissed her softly on the lips, then the tip of her nose. “That sounds fine to me.”
She handed the baby to him. He took Hank Jr. in his arms, then set the boy on his knee with a smile. When she saw him holding his son that way, her heart swelled with love for them both and warmth filled her soul. It was times like this she missed Ma and Pa the most, but she’d learned to enjoy each moment she could in spite of the pain of loss. Each time the swell of grief came, it was less consuming than the time before. She could imagine a time would come when it wouldn’t leave so much pain in its wake.
“Oh, I’ve been meaning to tell you …” Hank began, sorting through papers on his desk with his free hand. “The Berger gang was finally transferred to Denver. As you know, they were wanted down there for multiple murders, so we did a deal with the Marshal’s office there. They’re going to hang.”
She smiled. “That is good news. I’m glad to know they’re not anywhere near here any longer. Just knowing they were close by, even in jail cells, always made me feel uneasy.” She shivered and set her hands on her knees. “To change the subject, don’t forget the Christian Women’s Temperance Union meeting is tonight.”
Hank rolled his eyes and leaned forward to whisper into Hank Jr.’s ear. “Heaven help us.”
“Excuse me?” asked Angela, one eyebrow raised.
He laughed. “Oh, nothing, nothing at all. I’m so looking forward to it, my dear.” His eyes twinkled with mischief. “As long as there’ll be beer served.” His laughter rang out through the office loud and strong, startling Hank Jr. and making him cry.
