The Visitor_Texas 1863_1869

by Barbara Svetlick

  “Is Matthew still sleeping?”

  Mirisa looked at her husband and nodded. She put her coffee cup down and got up walking toward the side of the hill where the slope seemed to be worn. Dominic sat forward as she disappeared behind the brush leading to a path.

  “Did she have her gun on?”

  “I don’t think so. I think she took it off and put it on the mantle.” Dominic stood up and followed her. They watched as she finally appeared near the riverbank. Mirisa walked along it for a few yards before sitting down and removing her boots. They all sat forward as she rolled up her jeans and tested the water with her foot pulling it out immediately. Dominic finally appeared next to her and you could tell he was scolding her until she put her hand on his shoulder and kissed him. She walked away as he threw his hands in the air and followed her.

  James chuckled. “I need to ride into town tomorrow to stock the cupboard.”

  Meeks flicked his cigar. “I’ll ride in with you.”

  “She does have the ability to make the devil want to shoot himself.”

  Meeks smiled and kicked back.

  James stepped onto the porch as the sunrise was breaking between the trees. Mirisa was curled up on the swing with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders sipping on a cup of hot coffee. “Good morning darling.”

  “Good morning James.”

  “I’m going into Denver for supplies; would you like to ride along?”

  “How far is Denver?”

  “About an hour, more or less.”

  “Is everyone going?”

  “No, your husband and Garnett are scouting the land to decide whether or not they want to buy here or look further north.”

  “Why do they want more land?”

  “Good question.”

  “Is this where you come in the summers?”

  “Yep. The first year Meeks bought the land fronting the river. Then he hired a crew to build the cabin. The second year he bought fifty acres across the river.”

  “That’s not very much if you are going to build a ranch.”

  “I don’t think Meeks intends to work out here.”

  “I plan on living here.” They both turned to his voice. “There’s no where on earth that comes even close to the beauty of the Rocky Mountains.”

  Her voice wavered briefly. “Then you are leaving?”

  Meeks refused to look at her. “When are we heading into town?” James looked from one to the other and said he was ready to ride.

  “Mirisa are you riding with us?”

  “No, I think Matthew and I will stay here but thank you.” She stood brushing past Meeks as she headed into the cottage running right into Dominic. She pushed him out of the way and went into the bedroom cursing because she didn’t have a door to slam.

  “Did I miss something?”

  “About what?” James reached over and handed the maps of the area to Dominic. He sat down unrolling them as Garnett walked up the steps with Matthew who had been feeding the ducks. They went over the maps which were extremely detailed deciding they would first ride south. Dominic went in to tell Mirisa he was leaving but she wasn’t in the cottage.

  “I need to find my wife before we leave.” He walked down the steps and whistled but no one responded. Matthew pulled on his hand and told him that she was up on the hill picking flowers. They walked up and Dominic explained to Mirisa that they would be gone two or three days at the most. She kissed him and asked Matthew if he wanted to help her gather flowers as Dominic headed back to the cabin. James was mounting his horse. “Where are you going?”

  James pulled his hat lower blocking out the sunlight. “I have to stock the cupboard and buy a few things for the summer.”

  “Who is staying with Mirisa?”

  “No one. She advised me that she was capable of taking care of herself and Matthew citing in great detail, with her hands on her hips, the taking down of one huge angry longhorn bull after we all abandoned her.”

  “James, I asked you what happened.”

  “Dominic, you might want to consider that sometimes we are all clueless as to her moods but if you do ever figure it out let me know.”

  “How long will you be gone?”

  “Probably half a day. Denver is only an hour, more or less.”

  Mirisa was standing on the hill holding a bouquet of wildflowers watching as Dominic and Garnett headed south at a gallop. She didn’t know why the least little thing he did made her angry and even when in his arms she battled with the anger and all she could think about was how angry her mother would get with her father. She took in her breath and looked out across the valley. There was no way you could love someone so much and somehow lose that as though it was your handkerchief. She turned quickly as the memory of meeting Conrad came back with a force that she couldn’t fight. She could smell the wet moss, the rain that hadn’t quite fallen and his laughter as she fled the forest. Mirisa was always running away as he whispered ‘so afraid of life’ over and over.

  “Momma?” Matthew bent over picking buttercups holding them up to her chin before she moved higher on the hill where the blue flowers were growing in clumps. Meeks dismounted and walked across the field stopping between them. They talked briefly as he put her firearm on her and told her they would be gone until the afternoon. Meeks walked back over and mounted his horse as James watched Mirisa’s face soften when Meeks touched her. James didn’t like leaving her and Matthew alone but it was obvious that Dominic had no problems with it or he wouldn’t have ridden off. This new defiance was as obvious as the taste of iron from a fatal shot. Dominic’s punishment by withholding would be his downfall as sure as Mirisa’s defiance would cement them in a lifelong silent battle between love and hate.

  James and Meeks returned to a cabin filled with cans of wildflowers in the windows and fresh blueberry tarts cooling. Matthew was sitting on the floor practicing his letters as Mirisa was mending one of his shirts. James put the supplies on the counter and walked over sitting down next to her.

  “Do you wish to talk?”

  Mirisa put her hand on his cheek kissing him. “Sure, what is bothering you?”

  He was taken aback by her question then started laughing. “Well, you know I’m always willing to listen.”

  Matthew looked up at James. “We went fishing with these big red worms and caught some silver fish. They were this big.” Matthew spread his arms as wide as he could as James laughed.

  “Well, did you show your mother how to clean them?”

  “Yep but she needs practice.”

  Meeks smiled. “Did either or you have lunch?”

  “We ate berries and we saw a big momma bear with babies.”

  James looked at Mirisa than back to Matthew. “Where did you see the bears?”

  “They were way out there in the valley. We saw them with your ‘noculars and they were walking to the trees up that way.” Matthew pointed west toward the mountains. “Momma said we can’t go across the river because that is where they hunt for their berries so we found berries in the woods.”

  They had two days of beautiful weather and Matthew was either in the water or fishing from the bank. After four days of not hearing from Dominic or Garnett, Mirisa asked James if something could have happened.

  “Probably not. It took Meeks and me over two days to ride the land before we started mapping it. If they find something they want to buy they’ll probably ride into Denver to secure it which means the money will have to be transferred from New York. I think it took us several days to get the proper paperwork and deeds to this land.” She nodded but for some reason she kept picking up very bad feelings and her dreams were disturbing but the details were blurry and would dissipate in a blink in the eye.

  The drums increased in intensity at the same time that Dominic reached up and felt the scar. He turned away from the woman and walked over to the window. Dominic knew Mirisa was reaching out to Conrad but had no idea how he knew except he could see Mirisa standing on a hill with th
e moonlight washing over her. The breeze was dancing lightly picking up strands of hair. He could feel the presence of someone and knew it wasn’t Conrad. The feelings dissipated as fast as they appeared.

  Dog Moon also turned to the west and saw her but she wasn't reaching out to him. Her journey would be a long one before happiness would ride in her heart and until that time all they could do is protect her from the truth but her abilities were becoming stronger and her instinct was so well honed that it was challenging. Conrad watched her quietly knowing that even when she didn’t understand the need to meditate or to bring her journey into focus, when she was the most confused she would turn to his world surrendering completely.

  Meeks followed her to the bluff because it was too dangerous at night to let either of them out of sight for even a moment. He kept his distance giving her privacy without jeopardizing her safety. They stood that way for a while before she turned and looked at him. Meeks had absolutely no ability to stop his feelings or to deny her anything but he knew she wouldn’t ask and he had no right to take. For the first time in his life he thought of someone instead of himself and he really didn’t know at what point he went from wanting her physically to wanting her forever.

  Meeks pulled her closer kissing her with a love that was unmistakable. His hands moved down her hips and he brought her against him and his desire was so out of control that he really didn’t know what to do. Every nerve ending in his body was on fire and he could have lost himself completely in her at that moment. Neither of them said a word but they both knew that neither had the power to stop if the other one started. He finally released her.

  “It’s too dangerous to be out here alone.”

  “I’m never alone.” She turned back to the river. “Is all of this land yours?”

  “It is.”

  “It so much more enchanting than you described it. You are going to live here?”

  “Eventually. I am selling my interest in the ranch and am comfortable enough that I can live wherever I want to live without having to work.”

  “Do you enjoy travelling?”

  “I enjoy it when the company is good but I don’t have the need to travel out of boredom or to seek out adventure.”

  She took in her breath. “I think this is a beautiful place to settle down and raise a family.” She turned to him. “Will James stay out here as well?”

  “You’d have to ask him.”

  They walked back to the cabin and she immediately went to bed. Meeks sat down on the porch with James. The one thing that made them such close friends is they didn’t have to say anything to know what was happening. He couldn’t remember a time when there was ever a rift or problem that couldn’t be resolved. James and Meeks had spent so much time protecting her from the truth and now protecting her and Matthew that James knew it confused her more than them.

  “Is this going to cause a problem?”

  Meeks knew what he was asking. “No. She’s just trying to find a way to be happily married.”

  James passed him the canteen and lit his cigar. “If someone had told me this story ten years ago I would have laughed. Now it feels like our whole purpose in life is her.”

  Meeks looked at him strangely. “I much preferred it when there weren’t feelings.” He lit a cigar and kicked back.

  Dominic and Garnett rode in at sunrise. James had just put on a pot of coffee and looked up surprised. “I was beginning to think you were captured by Indians or eaten by bears but it is obvious that you felt the need to fulfill your deviate ways while waiting on paperwork.”

  “What are you basing that assumption on?”

  James took down the cups and put them on the counter. “Probably that obvious scratch on your neck behind your left ear or maybe the fact that Denver is only an hour away which means you didn’t have to camp out waiting.”

  Dominic reached up and felt the scratch. “Easily explained.”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Anything happen while we were gone?”

  “Nope. The great part of coming here is that it is pretty laid back and the hunting is always good.”

  Meeks came in and poured a cup of coffee stepping out onto the porch. He usually didn’t rise early unless they were going hunting but the voices woke him up. Dominic stepped out onto the porch and addressed him. “I need to talk to you in private.” Meeks looked up at him as Dominic walked down the steps. James and Garnett sat down watching the body language since they couldn’t hear the words.

  Dominic lit a cigar and handed one to Meeks who just twirled it between his fingers. “We’ve been friends a long time.”

  Meeks didn’t say anything as he measured Dominic’s words. He had never considered them to be friends as much as business partners.

  “Mirisa is very easy to influence because she believes so deeply in love.” Dominic looked at Meeks. “Maybe I have been putting too much responsibility on you and James. We all know how to pick out an unhappy woman and how to untangle and walk away. Mirisa doesn’t have the ability to handle sex without love so you need to back off before you hurt her. Not that I can blame you but her unhappiness comes from all of you pulling at her. ”

  “And how many women were you with this time Dominic?”

  “That is not relevant.”

  “Knowing my history, you might want to reconsider whether it is relevant.” He turned leaving Dominic grinding his jaw in an attempt to control his temper. None of them knew if the clock could be turned back but they all wished it were possible.

  They spent the entire months of July and August on the property and decided to head home as the cool weather started setting in. They mulled over whether to head south and go through Santa Fe and across Texas allowing them to stop in Austin or to head due east through Kansas before heading south to the ranch. The decision was split so they tossed a coin and headed east. They reached the ranch in mid-September.

  ROSS sent his oldest boy over to invite them to dinner. Mrs. Ross had already returned to Mississippi with the younger girls so it was just the boys and Alexander. Tom put on a large side of beef with a bounty of vegetables that he had grown on the ranch over the summer. He had also had a new shipment of whisky brought in from Kentucky and had stopped off at the Plantation and picked up the boxes of cigars that had been set aside. He was long past his prime and couldn’t think of anything more wonderful than living in Texas with his three oldest sons, whisky and great cigars.

  He handed them each a bundle of mail that had been delivered then he handed Mirisa a letter. She read it slowly before putting it on the table. She walked out and stood next to Tom as he seasoned the beef before turning it. They talked about the trip and how he got the vegetables to grow so large which he told her that his secret was turning the ground with the fresh cow patties as he winked making her laugh. Dominic picked up the letter and read it. He passed it. No one said anything and put the letter back down.

  “I give her exactly one minute before she turns.” James put his money on the table.

  “You’re on.” Meeks met his bet. With that Mirisa turned and walked back to the porch and looked at Dominic.

  “I won’t return unless everyone goes.” Mirisa was so angry that Dominic didn’t even respond to her because he knew that she would dig her feet in with this decision. Mirisa picked up the bottle of whisky and returned to help Tom.

  “Does this mean we are spending Christmas in Virginia and exactly how do you tell her mother that we’ll all be there when her mother stressed that Mirisa come home alone?” Garnett lit a new cigar and told Meeks to go retrieve the whisky.

  “You want it, you go get it.”

  James walked over and talked to Tom for a moment. When Mirisa wasn’t looking, James picked up the bottle and brought it back to the table. “It’s just a matter of getting food into her before she gets drunk tonight because she is definitely going to get drunk.” They all agreed.

  Over dinner, Tom talked about getting the cattle to a viable market and his
recent purchase of milk cows and larger hogs. He said they had rounded up most of the longhorns in the area but they were multiplying like ants. They talked about the new property and Tom said Texas was about as far west as he was going but he’d love to come out to visit once they got settled. He asked what they would do with the ranch and they said it would stay a working ranch until they knew whether they wanted to live in Colorado or Texas. They thought Colorado would be at least another two or three years from being ready to ranch.

  Mirisa excused herself and went looking for her son finding him asleep on the couch. She laid a blanket over him and bent over the couch to kiss him. Dog was curled up on the floor but as soon as she covered him with the blanket he jumped up and curled around his feet. She ran her hand along dog’s neck then she knuckled between his ears which made him close his eyes and raise his nose for more. “Thank you for being such a loyal friend.” Dog pushed against her arm as she bent over kissing him.

  Garnett came up behind her and looked at Matthew. “You make beautiful children.”

  “Garnett, I only have made one.”

  “Then maybe you need someone with more stamina?” His sincerity always tore at her heart.

  “Is it marriage you want or children?”

  “I want you to be happy but I also want you to have my children.”

  “Then we both want the same things.”

  “Are you going to have more children?”

  “Hopefully but for some reason it’s not happening.”

  James coughed as they turned to him. “You two in for cards?”

  Garnett turned to James as Mirisa tucked the blanket around Matthew and returned to the porch sitting down next to her husband. “Are the boys teasing you again? Remember we’re not at home and there’s a house full of very impressionable children. Plus, I don’t think Tom’s heart can handle your stripping in the middle of poker.”

  Meeks poured her a shot and passed the bottle. They decided to play real poker and shut her out in most hands though she rarely folded. “Mirisa, just because it’s not your money doesn’t mean you should be frivolous with it.” Garnett gave Mirisa two cards and everyone knew she was pretty much on her way to being drunk.