by Trumbo, Kari
Aiden sat forward in his seat as if struck by a lightning bolt. If he hadn’t been a wandering fool, and if the old prospector hadn’t stolen his share, he never would’ve met the best thing that’d ever happened to him. He wove his fingers together and laid his head down in them. Ok Lord. I see now. You can redeem all situations. But what about this? What about with my parents?
He gazed out the window as the train entered yet another small town and slowed to take on and let off passengers. He watched as men came home to waiting wives with children. They embraced on the platform outside his window. Happiness. Tears. If only that was waiting for him. He’d, yet again, been the bad son and could expect correction. A heaviness lay over his heart and he tried to shake it off without success. He reaffirmed his resolve to continue. If men ignored the hard tasks the Lord asked of them, perhaps He’d stop asking anything of them at all. No, he had to do this because it was difficult, to prove, at least to the Lord, that he could listen and obey.
Chapter Twenty
JENNIE GLANCED BEHIND HER. No one followed her from the cabin. She needed to get out and away from the crush of people stuffed into the tiny space. She’d taken to wandering to Aiden’s cabin and sitting outside it with Jack. Somehow, she felt closer to him near the cabin that had only been his for a short time. She sat on the ground, leaning against his door, and threw a stick for Jack to fetch. She turned her head to the sky as a giant rain drop splatted onto her nose.
She scrambled to her feet and rushed into the cabin. She hadn’t set foot inside since Aiden had warned her not to enter a man’s space. Even though he’d been gone for over two weeks, she could still smell the scent of his soap, the oil he used to clean the gun Brody had given him, and the fresh straw he’d filled his tick with before he’d left. She lay on the bed and held his pillow close to her, breathing deeply. A sob choked her. She closed her eyes and could see his face clearly.
The journal he’d found in the tiny servant’s room at the house in Deadwood was now on a small table next to his bed. Curiosity overtook her as rain splashed against the windows. She flipped it open to a page on Pearson’s first discovery of gold near what would eventually become the city of Deadwood in 1875. The following year, a few gunfighters attempted to clear out the gold rush riff-raff. John Reid would claim he’d civilized the town. Jennie laughed at the idea of a gunfighter civilizing anything.
Outside, the rain now came down in sheets and Jennie grabbed the flexibles from the mantle and lit Aiden’s lantern so she could keep reading. In 1876, the town grew from ‘a group of miners and riff-raff’ to a platted town. At that point, the diary took on real life. Instead of blurry photos taken from a pinpoint camera, the writer had cut clippings from a newspaper. She traced the fine print with her finger as she read of Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull, the birth of the Deadwood’s sister city, Lead, and how it grew from almost nothing overnight.
The book that Aiden had cherished enough to save linked her to him in a way she couldn’t explain. And she read the pages as if she needed them to survive. She began to see why it had fascinated him so much. Deadwood had a rich history that wasn’t all about gamblers, miners, and prostitutes, though they definitely had their roles.
She read how the Deadwood Times, the very paper Beau and Aiden had worked for, lobbied for a tax on prostitution to help clean up the city, and how much of the town burned to the ground in the fire of 1879. She sighed, closing the book and rubbing her eyes. She glanced out the window and realized she’d been there for hours. Ruby and everyone would be worried about her. She placed the book back where she’d found it and blew out the lantern.
Jack sat by the door and rushed out into the drizzle as soon as she opened it. Jennie held up her hand so she could see through the rain and picked her way over the puddles to her house. She said a little prayer that they had all stayed inside waiting for her, as there wasn’t far she could go.
She pushed open the door and quickly closed it behind her, leaning against it.
Beau stood in the kitchen, his arms crossed over his wide chest, his brow deeply furrowed. “Where can you have possibly been for the last few hours that you didn’t hear Ruby and I calling for you?”
Jennie glanced down at her feet and felt the heat crawl up her face. “I was over at Aiden’s cabin when it started to rain. I thought it would be over quickly, so I went inside to wait it out. Then it started pouring. I had nothing to do, so I was reading a book about Deadwood… and lost all track of time.”
“You must’ve had a one-track mind. That cabin isn’t more than twenty yards away.”
“I’m sorry. I hope you didn’t worry too much.”
“Oh, we were worried, but not half as worried as your Ma.”
Jennie’s head snapped up and that’s when she saw her mother, Maeve, standing behind Beau with a smile on her face.
“Ma!” She ran forward, pushing her way past Beau and into ma’s waiting arms. “You came! But how did you get here so quickly? I only sent that letter two weeks ago?”
“The mail runs fast now that the trains carry it. I bought my ticket as soon as I got it and the train took a little over a week through the hills. If my daughter asks me to come, I come.” Maeve held her close. “Now, what’s this I hear about Aiden Bradly?”
Ruby came forward and pulled out a chair for Ma. “Aiden is a young man we met on our way to Deadwood. He has steadily earned Beau’s trust.”
“It isn’t Beau’s trust I’m concerned with, it’s how my daughter feels about this young man that matters.”
Jennie sat down next to Ma. “He and I didn’t get along at first. We were at odds, you could say. Then we found out he hurt his feet and I had to tend to him for a time. That’s when he stopped teasing me so much and started talking to me.”
Maeve laughed. “Men sometimes tease girls they like. Not cruelly, I mean, but they do.”
“I was just starting to think about him more often when he told me he was going to up and leave as soon as he got the chance. Then, all I could think was that I wouldn’t ever really matter to him… like you did to Pa.”
Maeve reached out and took Jennie’s hand in hers, then she glanced into the face of each daughter standing all around the table. “I want to tell you something, all of you. I loved your father for a time. Toward the end… he wasn’t the same man I fell in love with. Love makes us blind to human faults, but know that if Aiden loves you, he’s blind to yours, too.”
Jennie watched as Ma shook her head, and the creases beside her eyes seemed to deepen. “About the time Hattie and Eva were born, he changed. He really thought that once we had a girl, we’d certainly have a boy. He went into a terrible rage and moved us out of Yellow Medicine, away from everyone. Two girls were more than enough, four was an outrage. He accused me of some terrible things, believed it couldn’t be his fault we had girls. That’s when loving him became hard.”
Maeve pulled her hand away and rested her elbow on the table, cradling her head against it. “By the time Francis was born, he was out of money that he’d saved when he sold our house in town. He needed to find some way to make money or we’d all starve, so he built his first still. It wasn’t long until all manner of men came to our door at all hours, looking for your father… and moonshine.”
Ma closed her eyes and her forehead was deeply lined.
“I don’t tell you all this to make you afraid of marriage. What I would tell you, is this: If I’d looked at who your father was before we were married, if I’d really looked at his character, I could’ve seen the man he would become. I let his charm blind me, and I was caught up in his fascination with me, and his kiss.”
The younger girls giggled into their hands.
Jennie frowned. “But how? How do I look beyond the feelings? How do I know if I’ve found a good man?”
“When he hurts you, does he give a hollow apology or none at all, and does he do the same things again anyway?”
“No, not at all.”
“That’s goo
d. I also like that Beau trusts him.” She glanced at Ruby. “Despite what I said earlier.” She smiled up at Beau. “Men don’t usually feel the need to hide who they are from other men, so if Beau trusts him then Aiden most likely has hidden nothing from you. But lastly, I want him to pass the mother test. I talked to Mr. Ferguson on the ride here and he’s agreed to let me stay in the big house until Aiden comes back. If I like him, I’ll give my blessing and I’ll return to Cutter’s Creek after you’re married.”
Ruby sighed. “That’s wonderful, but what about Hattie?”
Maeve shook her head. “Hattie’s had her own demon for a long time, longer than any of you know. She’ll come home when she’s ready. Even if you find her, it has to be when she’s ready or you’ll push her further away. Ah, my girls. It’s so good to see you. I’ve missed all of you these last months and I can’t wait to tell you all that’s happened with me. But first, we should eat our supper and get a rest. It’s getting late.”
Jennie gasped. “You didn’t eat? I’m so sorry for holding you up.”
Ruby stood and rested her hands atop Jennie’s shoulders. “We all need a break from the walls sometimes, Jennie, just let me know before you fly away next time.”
Chapter Twenty-One
HAVING JUST FINISHED HER chores, it was time to spend the afternoon with Ma on the couch in the small parlor of their cabin. She sucked in a deep breath as she searched through the large stack of fabric before her.
Maeve touched a white linen. “What a generous thing for Mr. Ferguson to do.”
Jennie smiled. “I wasn’t expecting all this, that’s for sure. He said it had been stored in his mother’s cabin and he found it after she passed.”
Maeve opened and measured a white cotton against her arm. “These will make some lovely sheets for your bed.”
Jennie glanced at the floor. “Yes, well…”
Maeve laughed. “Let me tell you what’s been happening with me the last few months. Carlton and I have become dear friends. We attended a few weddings and a summer barn dance together.”
Jennie eyed her mother. Carlton Williams could barely walk, dancing would be out of the question.
“I see you looking at me like I’m lying. I said we went, I never said we danced. We aren’t like that, anyway. Carlton gets weak some days. His daughter is there to care for him since their housekeeper, Ivy, left last winter, but I do hope Aiden returns quickly so I can rejoin him. Carol isn’t one for being a nurturer.”
Jennie glanced out the window behind them. “I hope he returns soon, too.”
“Let’s get started on your hope chest. You’re getting a late start. I never thought I’d be helping any of my daughters put one together. I’m so happy I could be here.”
“I’m afraid the other girls will be jealous if you don’t come back for them, too.”
Maeve held her needle up to the light and threaded it, running the thread all the way to the other end and tying it off. “That’ll be a while. I don’t think Hattie is destined for marriage, at least not now, and though she and Eva are twins, she still acts quite young. But I would like, once Carlton is gone, to come here to stay with you. I didn’t think it would be quite so lovely or as nice as Montana.”
Jennie picked up a soft flannel and rubbed the light fleece fabric against her cheek. “I didn’t want to live here at first. I missed Cutter’s Creek, and you. I didn’t think I’d ever like it, but the longer I’m here, the more I can’t imagine ever leaving. It’s more than just that my sisters are here now, it’s like the Dakota’s are part of me. The Sioux called this land the Paha Sapa; their holy lands. I can see how they think that. The land, the air, the water, it all gets inside you.”
Maeve nodded as she whip-stitched the edges of a sheet. “I believe it and I also believe with all my heart that all my girls will find happiness here, even my wayward child.”
“It isn’t your fault, Ma.”
One side of Maeve’s mouth turned down. “There’re only so many places you can seat blame. Hattie should never have had to learn to escape her own life, but she did. She did because of my choice to be with the man I’d chosen.”
Maeve draped the fabric out over her and sighed deeply, her glance darted from Jennie back to the fabric. “Just be sure to make room for me, wherever you call home. I need to be with Carlton for now, but I’ll be alone once he’s gone. His daughter, Carol, is sweet now, but I don’t see her welcoming me forever. I’m sure she and her husband will start a family of their own soon and fill that big house.”
“Won’t you want to stay with Ruby and the girls?” Jennie laid out the flannel to cut pieces for some sleeping gowns.
“Not if they’re still in this house. I’d feel as if I was intruding here. I suppose I could ask Mr. Ferguson if I could live with him in his large house.” She laughed. “I doubt he and his housekeeper would mind.”
Jennie smiled. “I guess we’ll ford that river when we get to it. You aren’t yet ready to move her permanently.”
“No, I’m not, but at least there’s a lot I can do in the short time I’ll be here.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
AIDEN TOSSED HIS PACK over his shoulder and nodded to people he’d briefly met as he climbed off the train. The little town of Belvue was an hour’s walk—if he couldn’t find anyone headed that way to ride with. He shifted his hat and glanced around. Women in colorful walking dresses waved to one another in the street. Men chatted on the corners or carried loads as they did their work. Dust rose from the street as wagons, horses, and men went about their day.
The easiest way to find a ride would be to start walking and see who came along. He smiled and nodded to anyone who managed to catch his eye as he made his way west to the edge of town. The open prairie spread before him with a rope of worn dirt for a road. After about twenty minutes of dragging his feet down the roadside, a wagon came up behind him.
“Ho there! You headed for Belvue?”
Aiden nodded. “All the way, if you go that far.”
The man moved over on the seat and Aiden tossed his pack in the back and climbed up.
“Not many people visit Belvue, going to see someone?” He flicked the lines and the swayback old mares plodded forward.
“Yeah, I’m going home. Name’s Bradly, Aiden Bradly.”
“Well, if it ain’t…” He laughed. “Your pa been talking about you for a year. He had an accident last winter though, ain’t been the same since.”
Aiden’s gut tightened. “Is he all right?” He held his breath, waiting for the man’s reply. It had been almost two months since he’d decided to come home, but even before then, his da had needed him.
“As all right as he can be. Crushed part of his back. He don’t work no more. Walks with a cane.”
Aiden’s head sagged between his shoulders and his anger with himself burned hot. He should’ve been there. “I’m sorry to hear that. Are Hugh and Peader still there helping him?”
The old man brushed his chin with his leather-gloved hand. “Hugh is, but not Peader. He was with your pa when the accident happened. He tried to save your pa by pushing him out of the way of a rolling wagon piled high with flour. They were both hurt, but Peader had gangrene set into his leg. They tried to take it, but he never beat the infection. I’m sorry.”
Horror and grief collided within Aiden. He’d been selfish and run off then tried to justify it because he’d met Jennie. He shook his head. He’d have to see the state of the farm when he got there. Leaving to return to Jennie may be impossible. Jennie felt an ocean away and moving further by the second.
“Sir. Why don’t you drop me off at the edge of town? I think I need a walk.”
“Now son, this wasn’t your doing. You can’t get down on anyone. Bad things happen, that’s just the way of it. It would’ve happened just the same if you’d been here or not, ‘cept it might’ve been you that yanked your father out of the way. Then you’d be cold in your grave. Things work the way they do for a reason. It ain�
�t your place to ask why, just how.”
“What do you mean? What’s the difference?”
The old man gazed over the vast prairie dotted with small houses. “Big difference. If you get stuck wondering why, you end up missing it. If you ask how the good Lord can use the change, well, then you’re getting somewhere.”
“I don’t see how this can serve the Lord. I got a gal waiting for me back in South Dakota and if my family needs me, I may never see her again.” He felt his blood rage in his veins. His brother was gone forever and he hadn’t even known, because his family hadn’t known where he was to send him a letter about it.
“Well, if she don’t love you enough to understand, then maybe she ain’t the woman you thought she was.”
“But her family’s there too, and they mean a lot to her. How can I make her choose my family over hers?”
“You haven’t even been out to see your family yet and you’re making plans. Maybe they don’t want you there. Maybe they’re so used to just living day to day that they can be just fine without you… or maybe your brother is tired. Maybe he’s ready to sell out to a pushy ranch owner who’s ready to give them a hunk of cash. Maybe you’re here to convince them to move on. You don’t know why you’re here yet.”
“Someone wants our land?”
“Yup. Paul Turbin.”
Aiden watched as his own driveway touched the horizon ahead of them. The old man pulled up on the lines and held out his hand. “I wish you luck, Aiden Bradly. Pray and listen.”
Aiden climbed down the side of the wagon and grabbed his pack. “Thank you. I’ll do that. Wait, I didn’t get your name?” The old man waved and turned back, the squeak of the wheels and the jangle of the traces continued down the road.
Each step was familiar, each large rock embedded into the ground brought back memories of running down the worn trail on the way to and from school. Hugh had never raced. He’d been too old for such fun, but he and Peader had. Peader. The loss hit him hard in the gut and he stopped. The farm held so many memories.
