by Rye Hart
We collapsed on the dirt floor, panting desperately and drenched in rain. I shivered as the adrenaline wore off, teeth chattering against the cold that was wracking my body. Rick pulled me into his arms, kissing my hair and face.
“You stupid, stupid girl,” he whispered again, though there was a smile in his voice. “Why did you do that?” he whispered. “You could have been killed.”
It took me a while to get the words out around my chattering teeth. “You could have been killed too, when you rescued me from the Indians, but that didn’t stop you. And you didn’t even know who I was,” I whispered. “You had no reason to save me, but you did anyway, and after you saved me, you brought me into your home and gave me a shot at a normal life,” I said.
I looked up at him, my eyes wide as a smile came across my face. I touched his cheek and reached up, pressing our lips together.
“Besides, when you love someone, running out into a tornado doesn’t sound that crazy,” I said with a sheepish smile.
His eyes widened a moment and he finally pulled me into his arms again, holding me tight. “Corine, I love you too,” he whispered in my ear.
My heart leapt with joy and I leaned back to kiss his face, smiling down at him as the storm raged on outside. No matter what happened, I knew it would be okay because he loved me.
We held each other through the storm, ignoring the violent rattling as the door tried to shake off its hinges. I kept myself busy by wrapping his leg and trying to keep his mind off the pain with loving words and kisses.
Soon enough the storm passed and we made our way up the stairs, moving slowly but surely until we could push the doors open. The sun poured in and I actually had to turn away for a moment. I was surprised that it would be so brought after such a terrible storm.
The yard was torn up and cows were scattered around our plot of land, though they all seemed to be intact, munching on grass as if nothing had happened. Rick offered me a small smile and put his hands on his hips.
“I guess we better get busy getting our farm back together huh?”
“Are you in a hurry?” I teased softly.
“Of course I am. We’re going to need money for the wedding.”
Chapter Ten
Love was one thing, but a wedding was an entirely different beast. I hadn’t expected things to move so fast, but I wasn’t upset in the least about it. My life was finally coming together in a way I never imagined it could. I was in love and I was free.
The tornado that tore through our community left a wake of destruction, but it wasn’t anything we couldn’t bounce back from. The people of Boulder, Colorado were resilient and soon enough they’d picked their lives up and got back into the swing of things. It sounded crazy to say, but the tornado was one of the best days of my life. It was the day I really started living.
Rick’s leg was hurt pretty badly, but the doctor assured us that it would heal up just fine in time. I’d tried convincing Rick to wait until his leg was fully healed before we got married, but he would hear none of it.
“Springtime is the prettiest time of year here,” he said. “And I want to marry the prettiest girl in the world during the prettiest season.”
There was no way I was going to change his mind, so a few weeks after the tornado, we were married. It was a simple ceremony, though everyone in the small town showed up. Even Claire came, looking as angry and bitter as always. Part of me was glad she was there I wanted her to see that I’d won whatever game she thought we were playing. I had the grand prize.
My life was perfect. I was in love and I was living in the western wilderness, making my own path, and so far it was beautiful. We stayed in our house, cultivating the land and raising our livestock. We were an unstoppable team that would soon get bigger.
Soon after we were married I became pregnant and our world would change forever. Rick was the most nervous papa I’d ever seen in my life. He fretted over my every step and urged me not to work. If he had it his way, I probably would have been laid up in bed my entire pregnancy while he spoon fed me.
I couldn’t blame his fears, though. These were dangerous times for babies and mamas alike, though I had few worries. I was strong and I knew our baby would be strong. We’d survived so much and I wasn’t about to let this take me out.
Grace was born just as spring rolled around again. She had hazel eyes and a head of thick, fiery waves. The day she was born, I told Rick that we’d have to keep an eye on her. She was going to be a tenacious girl, just like her mama. I wasn’t wrong either.
I smiled and leaned against one of the posts that held our porch up. The same porch that me and Rick shared our first kiss under. There had been many more kisses and I was sure there would be many more to come. Rick and Grace were running through the tall grass, Grace’s bare feet kicking up dust as she squealed and hid behind a tree.
Grace was four now and she was challenging our little town every day. She was an outspoken girl but we never punished her for it. I wanted her to be loud and demanding. I wanted her to be a strong woman. I’d grown into one, but I wanted her to be strong from the start.
We never told her to be quiet and we never told her she couldn’t play with the boys. Many of the people in town questioned our parenting, but I couldn’t bring myself to care. My daughter wasn’t going to be a frail woman who fainted at the sight of blood, or who was too proper to care for the pigs. She was going to be the type of woman who cared for herself.
Grace squealed as her papa scooped her into his arms and kissed her face over and over again. I watched them with a small smile on my face and I sighed happily. I’d always questioned my future when I was younger, but I knew this was my destiny, and I couldn’t have been happier about it.
This was my happily ever after.
The End
Drusilla
Chapter One
The trees along Peach Tree Street had begun to bloom, and slowly the city of Atlanta was starting to rebuild. Sherman’s march to sea had spared little, but the people of Atlanta were determined and there were glimpses of the city’s former splendor.
Down at the end of Peach Tree Street was the home of Doctor Timothy Montgomery; all of the town folk called him Doctor Tim. Many say his was the first face they saw when they were born, and others say he is the last face you see when you’re about to meet your maker. He was dedicated to his patients and there at the office on the side of their home is where Silla grew up watching her father and wanting to be a doctor like him. True she had the best teacher and many of the good doctor’s patients were comfortable with Silla taking care of them, but the state of Georgia their rules and one of them being women cannot be doctors. South had its decorum that said women were not doctors.
It was three years ago that an epidemic of pneumonia hit Atlanta. The hospital and clinics were filled and at Mrs. Montgomery’s insistence, the sick were moved into the home on Peach Tree Street and tended to by Silla. With Doctor Tim busy at the hospital, it wasn’t long before Mrs. Montgomery had started to show signs of the symptoms. She kept saying it was just a cold until one afternoon she passed out tending to her son. Jake had recovered but Louise Montgomery was not so lucky. Doctor Tim was at the hospital while his wife was slowly leaving this world. As Silla held her mother’s hand and promised she’d take care of Jake and her father, Louise Montgomery smiled and took her last breath.
Doctor Tim was inconsolable in the days that followed. His devotion to his Louise was his strength and now that rock that had grounded him for so many years was no longer there. It was Silla who had to care for the patients and as the epidemic passed it was clear that the good doctor was only a shell of what he was. He changed as the weeks turned into months, and the good doctor was home less and less. When he wasn’t at the hospital he was at the local bar, The Brass Ring. He wasn’t a drinking man but he had a problem with gambling and luck was not always in his favor. Many a time the good doctor would come home with empty pockets and Silla would have to get him in bed,
only to hear him promise he’d never doing it again. Silla would hear him hours later in his room as he spoke to his Louise, taking comfort in talking to his memory of her. There were times Silla would stand at the doorway in tears knowing her father not only missed her mother, but blamed himself for not being there when she passed. As time dragged on Doctor Tim had found life without his wife was too lonely. Even though he still had his children, without Louise, Timothy just didn’t seem to want to go on. It was a dark stormy night on his way home from his rounds when his carriage turned over and he was thrown into the rain just in front of his home. Silla heard the crash and rushed into the street to her father’s side.. She cradled his head on her lap as he looked up at her.
“I’m sorry Louise, I tried to get to you but I was too late. Forgive me Louise.”
Silla looked down at him as tears filled her eyes.
“I forgive you, Timothy I always will forgive you,” Silla told him, knowing that this was what he needed to hear to finally be at peace.
He smiled at her and closed his eyes. Timothy Montgomery had gone to join his Louise, leaving Silla left to face what was to come. Three dark days followed as Silla had to care for her thirteen year brother and face the fact that she had no prospects for employment. Neighbors came to offer sympathy after the funeral and when they stopped, Silla found that they were truly alone.
Silla was not prepared for the reading of her father’s will. It was early afternoon and she sat in Calvin Lockwood’s office as he began to read the document. Silla listened in stunned silence as Calvin read her father’s last will. With both parents gone, she was now the legal guardian of her younger brother and tasked with the responsibility of providing for him. As Calvin read on, Silla’s ability to provide for Jake dwindled. Her father had accumulated many debts and in order to pay them off, their home and possessions would be auctioned off. Silla was left with Jake and not much else. Her grief soon turned to panic.
“I’m sorry Silla,” Calvin said sincerely. “I wish I could have saved the house for you and Jake but the collectors were insistent on getting their money.”
“Mr. Lockwood, how long do we have before we have to leave the house?” Silla asked.
“They are allowing you ninety days before they take over. If there is anything I can do, don’t hesitate to call on me or my wife. Your father and mother were dear friends and we will do all we can to help you.”
“Thank you Mr. Lockwood,” Silla said numbly.
She stood up and headed out of the office, slowly making her way back home. Not home for much longer, she thought as she stared at the structure before her. She had to find a place for her and Jake, and a means of employment to support them. With her father, gone so were his patients and she could not very well go to work as a doctor without formal education. She suddenly remembered there was a safe in the study. Her father always kept some money in there for emergencies and she prayed that he hadn’t gambled that away too. They needed something to live on until she could figure out her next move. She had ninety days. She stepped onto the porch and noticed the local paper at the foot of the door; she picked it up and continued into the house.
“Ellie, I’m home,” she called to her faithful housekeeper as she made a beeline for the study.
“Everything go well Miss Silla?” Ellie said as she appeared in the doorway.
“No, everything did not go well Ellie. We have ninety days to find a new place to live. This is not our home anymore,” Silla said, the words tasting bitter on her tongue.
“Miss Silla, what are you going to do? Why you and Master Jake will be -” she trailed off.
Silla looked at Ellie. “Let’s not worry about that yet Ellie and don’t say a word to Jake either.”
Yes, ma’am. I’ll get you some tea,” the housekeeper said, not knowing what else to do.
As Ellie left the room, Silla tried to hold back the tears. She got up and turned to the back wall where the oil painting of Mama hung. Behind it was the wall safe. Slowly Silla worked the tumblers and pulled he handle to open the safe. There stacked next to her mother’s jewels was the money. Slowly she took the stacks of money and placed them on the desk. She then took out her mother’s jewels; the thought of selling them would break her heart. She sat and counted the money and to her surprise, found five hundred dollars. That would be more than enough to find a place to live and hold them over until she could find a job. Just then, there was a knock on the door, and Ellie ushered Calvin Lockwood into the study.
“Mr. Lockwood, is there something else?” she asked hesitantly. She couldn’t take much more bad news today.
He looked at the jewelry and the money on the desk.
“I’m sorry. I had forgotten to mention that your mother’s jewels also must go.
But I’m not heartless, I’ll leave you two hundred dollars.”
“All of my mother’s jewels?” Silla said, feeling the color drain from her face.
“I’ll let you chose two pieces Silla, one for you and one for Jake. It’s the best I can do,” he said with genuine remorse. Silla looked at him, and then took her mother’s wedding band for herself and one of her favorite broches for Jake to have. She looked at the emerald necklace that was her mother’s favorite, and gently placed it in Calvin’s hands.
“She always loved this this necklace. It was a birthday gift from papa.”
She rose from the desk and left Calvin alone in the study. She needed time to herself to think, and she retreated upstairs to her bedroom sanctuary. Ninety days is all she had for a miracle to happen for her.
Later that afternoon when Silla came down for supper, Jake was already eating. He looked up at her as she entered the dining room.
“Mr. Lockwood told me we to move out Silla, why?” he asked.
“Well Jake, papa had owed a lot of money to people and they had to be paid, and all we had was the house to pay papa’s debts.”
“So where are we to live Silla?”
“I’m working on that Jake, don’t you worry,’’ she tried to assure him.
Silla dropped into the chair across from her bother and picked up the newspaper in hopes of locating a job. Instead, an advertisement in the classified section caught her eye.
Wanted: A wife to work beside me on my ranch located in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Reply to Boardman, Broken Spur Ranch Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Silla read the ad over and over again, turning the possibilities around in her mind. Her first thought was Wyoming was far enough away that no one would know of her family’s shame. She noted again that this Boardman wanted someone to help with the ranch. Maybe he would settle for two people to work on the ranch instead of just a wife. The more she thought about it the more ridiculous it sounded. Neither Jake nor she knew anything about ranching. And what about housework? She could watch Ellie for a few days and could pick it up before they had to leave. But then what would happen to Ellie? She couldn’t very well leave her unemployed as well. She looked at her brother.
“Don’t worry Jake I’ll find us a place,” she promised.
That evening when Jake had gone off to bed Silla went into her father’s study. It was here she took pen in hand and began to compose a letter to Mr. Boardman.
Dear Mr. Boardman,
I am answering your advertisement in our local paper for a wife. I do hope the position is not taken as of yet. Permit me to introduce myself; I am Drusilla Montgomery, the daughter of Dr. Timothy Montgomery of Atlanta, Georgia. My father was killed only a few weeks ago in a carriage accident leaving, me and my thirteen year old brother Jacob alone in this world. Our inheritance was taken by our father’s creditors leaving us with just the clothes on our backs. I would like to apply for the position and ask that I may bring my brother and housekeeper with me on this trip. We are very hard workers and are not afraid to do what is asked of us. I was taught the ways of medicine by my father and have assisted my father many times in his office.
Ellie has been with my family for years and an excellent h
ousekeeper.
I am twenty-seven years old, never married, and very interested in your proposal. I have to leave our home in ninety days so I do hope you can reply with an answer before then. Enclosed is photograph of me taken last year. I hope you find it to your liking.
Sincerely, Drusilla Montgomery.
The following morning Silla entered the kitchen as Ellie was making cookies.
“Is there something I can do for you Miss Silla?” Ellie asked.
“I was wondering could you teach me how to bake Ellie?”
Ellie looked at Silla curiously. In all the years she’s been with the family she’s never known Silla to be interested in baking.
“If you’d like to I can teach you some basic cookie recipes Miss Silla. Just what is going on in the little mind of yours?”
“Well Ellie there is this position that calls for a housekeeper and-”
“Miss Silla you can’t learn housekeeping and cooking in a few days,” Ellie told her. “It takes a lot of know-how to run a household.”
Silla looked at the girl and her hopes began to fade. Who was she kidding? She couldn’t do anything that the job called for. Ellie looked at her with pity.
“But I suppose we could start somewhere. I’ll get you an apron and we’ll get started,” she offered.
The afternoon went by with a few batches of burned cookies and the promise that she would not back down.
Chapter Two
The Broken Spur was one of the finest and biggest cattle ranches in Cheyenne. It had been owned and operated by the Boardman family for four generations. James Boardman came to Wyoming with a dream to start a cattle ranch, but little money to make it happen. At the same time, another man named Eli Keesler had the same dream and the funds needed to see it through. All he needed now was a son to carry on the legacy after he was gone. The two men met in the general store one day and history was written. Eli had two daughters and James was without a wife, so Eli decided to make him an offer. A marriage was arranged between his eldest daughter Nancy and James. As a wedding gift, the young couple was given two hundred acres of land to start James’ dream. Old Eli also put a clause in the deed that there would always be a Boardman on the land, a direct decedent from James. James was happy to comply with that clause and with Nancy, he had three sons. Their oldest son Travis inherited the ranch and he passed it down to his son Travis Jr. Travis Jr. had a boy, Lance, who one day would inherit the Broken Spur.
