“I’m glad for the help. As we add to the herd, we’ll need more hands, so if you decide to stay, I’d pay you and provide your room and board.”
“We’ll think on it,” Morgan answered.
Cole stepped forward. “I see you and Gus got those trees felled.” They all turned their attention to a pile of logs that stood just beyond the back of the house.
“Levi helped too. Matter of fact, here he is now. You folks remember him, don’t you?”
Dianne turned to greet Levi Sperry. She knew he’d been sweet on her and wondered if time had diminished his feelings. Brawny and brown, he had filled out with thick muscles and an air of self-confidence that made her smile.
“Miss Chadwick,” Levi said, then turned immediately to her brothers. “Zane. Morgan.” They all three nodded before Levi let his gaze go once again to Dianne.
Dianne warmed under the scrutiny, even though his look was not leering. “How do you like working for my uncle?” she questioned, hoping it would ease her discomfort.
“It’s a good job—good life here,” Levi said, pushing back his black felt hat.
Dianne couldn’t help but notice the way thick black lashes framed Levi’s dark brown eyes. Her mother had once commented that such lashes were wasted on a man. The thought made Dianne smile.
“Well, we’ve got a great deal of work to accomplish in a short while,” Bram said, breaking the spell of the moment. “I figure we men can sleep in the barn. Dianne and Koko can share the house.”
“I couldn’t put you from your own house, Uncle Bram,” Dianne declared.
“No arguing. I’ve already got this thought through.” He smiled to soften the gruffness of his voice. “I figure it’ll take us a month to get everything situated. We’ll add two rooms onto the side—over here,” he said, pointing to the east end of the cabin. “I figure they might as well be good-sized rooms. If you’re going to put in this kind of work, might as well make it worth the trouble.”
“I agree,” Cole announced.
“It sounds reasonable,” Zane answered, studying the cabin as though trying to figure out all of the details of the job.
“We can get started tomorrow, after you’ve had a chance to rest up. Gus and I can show you how this will work out.We’ve staked out where we’ll put the walls. I figure to just build on to the present cabin and then after the rooms are in place, we’ll cut a door for passage into the addition. It’ll require a little bit of extra work to fit the ends together and keep out the cold, but I’ve got that all figured out as well.
“It won’t be anything special, but in the years to come I hope to build something even better. I figure once the land starts getting settled in earnest, supplies will be easier to come by. They’re already getting some lumber mills up and running and stone is being quarried.” He stopped and put his arm around Koko. “I plan to build us a grand house. Something to share with my family.”
“Well, looks to me this conversation will have to wait,” Gus said, pointing to the western skies. “I’m thinkin’ it’s comin’ up rain. Best get this wagon unloaded and unsaddle these horses.”
They all worked quickly, but Dianne couldn’t help but think on her uncle’s words. He planned to create an empire ranch—one to rival the big ranches of Texas. Cole had told her that Bram Vandyke owned a great deal of land. It was hard to imagine just how much space the Vandyke ranch actually encompassed, but Dianne was fairly confident that for as far as she could see, she stood on her uncle’s land.
Lightning flashed across the valley and Dolly spooked, dancing away from Dianne as she untied her from the wagon. “Easy, girl,” Dianne whispered softly. She drew the mare close and gently stroked her head, whispering all the while in Dolly’s ear. The mare calmed and followed Dianne to the barn stall.
“You have a natural way with her,” Koko said, coming beside Dianne as she worked to free Dolly from her bridle. “The Blackfoot believe animals are messengers between humans and divine forces. People who are accepted by animals are honored.”
“She’s a good-natured horse. We fit together, to be sure.”
“You enjoy animals, don’t you?”
Dianne looked to Koko and smiled. “I love them. I didn’t think I would. I was terrified of the milk cows when I first learned to handle them. Chickens scared me too.” She laughed at the thought. “I remember the first time I had to gather eggs. I was determined to do a good job, but the hens seemed just as determined to keep me from their nests. I was pecked and scratched until I gave up and decided I would never eat eggs again.”
Koko laughed. “What happened to change your mind?”
Dianne stroked Dolly’s nose and grinned. “I came to understand just how much eggs played a part in my life. I’ve always been the determined sort, so I went back to those hens, shooed them away, and gathered their eggs. It was really all about setting my mind to do it.”
“Just as you set your mind to coming here?” Koko asked.
Dianne felt suddenly embarrassed. “I didn’t mean to impose myself upon your house and life.”
Koko looked momentarily confused and then shook her head. “No, not here. I meant Montana. You are very welcome to be here. Please know that.” She glanced over her shoulder, then lowered her voice. “It gets lonely here without another woman. When we lived north, near the great falls, my mother’s people were close enough to visit. But here, there are few who will speak to me, much less call me friend.”
“Well, I’m hoping we shall be great friends,” Dianne declared. “When we moved here, I gave up my dear friends in Missouri. Then after losing my mother and sisters, I thought I might never feel like sitting and talking with women, but I find that the loss of female companionship is so hard.”
“We have much in common,” Koko said. She drew back a small gate that opened out onto the corral. “There, now she can spend her time right here or go on outside.”
Dianne stepped from the stall and Koko followed. They secured the gate with Dolly looking at them as though they’d slighted her with this dismissal. Dianne reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of dried apple. “Here you go, girl. I wouldn’t forget your treat.”
With the mare satisfied, Dianne and Koko walked back to the house. The men seemed caught up with the last crates from the wagon—sending some of the Chadwick possessions to be stored in the barn and taking others into the house.
“I’m so glad you don’t mind that we’re here,” Dianne told Koko as they stepped to the cabin door.
“You are a blessing to me. In some ways, an answered prayer,” Koko replied.
Dianne was startled for a moment. “You … you pray?”
Koko laughed and the sound was delicate and light like wind through chimes. “Of course I pray. Your uncle helped me to know the Lord Jesus as my savior. I pray all the time.”
Dianne nodded, wisps of blond hair falling into her face. “Then we truly are sisters.”
The month passed quickly and except for intermittent rain showers, the progress of the rooms went on without pause. Day by day the men stripped logs, notched them, planed, and filed where needed. To Dianne’s delight, they even cut in holes for windows. Of course, they would be empty of glass for a time, but with the nice shutters Uncle Bram built, Dianne would still be able to open the windows and let in the sunshine and view the beauty of the mountains and close them to keep out the chilly night air.
A camaraderie developed among the men. Often in the evening after supper, they would sit around and tell stories, joke, and tease each other about the work yet to be done. For the first time in years, Dianne felt at ease and completely happy.Well, maybe not completely. She still worried about Trenton and where he might be. She’d stopped writing letters to him after her friend Ruthanne wrote to say that word had it he had left town for parts unknown. Ramona wrote to say her folks had heard he’d gone to Texas, but Dianne couldn’t be sure of any of the stories.
Sometimes she thought about her sisters and missed their laughter and animate
d excitement. When the emptiness seemed particularly acute, she would go to the trunk and pull out their dolls. There was something about seeing those toys, just touching them, that allowed Dianne to move forward.
It was hardest to think of her mother. Dianne used to figure her mother would outlive them all. She had been such a genteel lady, but at the same time Susannah Chadwick had a strength and determination about her that would have made any Southern person proud. No one had counted on her growing weak in the head. It just hadn’t seemed likely, given the woman’s nature.
There were days when Dianne felt the loss of her mother more acutely than others. Sometimes Uncle Bram made a gesture or told a story from his childhood that Dianne recognized as something her mother had done or said. Sometimes, Dianne could even see a hint of her mother’s expression in Uncle Bram’s face.
Even so, there wasn’t a great deal of time for sorrow. Dianne spent most of each day working with Koko. The woman knew incredible things about tanning hides, gardening, trapping, and canning. Dianne found each day a new experience in learning, and where book learning had been hard, this practical knowledge came much easier.
“You are quick to learn,” Koko told her as they worked to scrape a deer hide.
“I want to be useful,” Dianne admitted. “And the work is so very interesting.”
“Most of what we do here is necessary for staying alive so far away from civilization.”
“I can definitely see that,” Dianne agreed. “Even during the war, because of the alliances my father made, we generally had a ready supply of goods in the store. Of course, we did without certain things. Everyone did, but it was nothing compared to this.” She grew thoughtful. “It’s hard for me to remember a time when we weren’t at war, and now that it’s over with, I wonder what will happen.”
“Bram says there will be a great many people who move west. The territories will offer an escape from the pain of what happened in the East. The brokenhearted will move to the frontier, along with those who desire a new start.”
“Yes, given the Homestead Act that Uncle Bram was talking about, I’m sure they will.”
“You ladies look mighty busy today,” Bram called as he and Gus rode up from the west.
“Are you leaving today?” Koko asked.
Dianne looked up rather surprised. “Leaving? For where?”
Bram dismounted. “I’ve talked with your brothers and with Cole. They’ve agreed to go with Gus to Virginia City and bring back the cattle and horses I ordered last winter.”
“My brothers agreed to that? They said nothing to me.”
“You’ve hardly had much time with them,” Bram said. He handed the horse’s reins to Gus and came to stand over his wife. “What will you make from this one?” he questioned.
Koko continued scraping. “Work gloves,” she answered without missing a beat. “The new men will need them, and your gloves are wearing out fast. I’ll get as many pairs as I can and then you’ll just have to get me another hide.” She looked up and smiled.
Dianne got to her feet. She barely came up to her uncle’s shoulders. She dusted her skirt and raised her hand to block the sun from her eyes as she lifted her face. “Are you leaving us too?”
Bram shook his head and pulled a handkerchief from his pocket. He wiped the back of his neck as he spoke. “No. Someone’s got to stay here and see that things keep running. I’ll be here and so will Levi and a couple of the other boys. They’re actually out taking down more trees as we speak.”
Dianne nodded. She felt better knowing there would still be quite a few men around. Zane, Morgan, and Cole came from the barn leading their horses. They were deep in discussion about something, but from this distance, Dianne couldn’t hear what they were saying. Cole looked up and fixed his gaze on her for several moments. Dianne smiled. She had wanted to know him better and to have the chance to ask him about his father and bride-to-be. But as if he purposefully had avoided that possibility, Cole was never around her without one of her brothers or Uncle Bram present at the same time. It was infuriating.
“You boys ready?” Bram asked as they approached.
Zane nodded but looked to Dianne. “Sorry we didn’t get a chance to tell you about this.”
“Me too. Guess I’m the last to know.” She tried not to sound upset over the situation. She didn’t want Cole to think her a baby about the whole thing. Work had to be done and cattle had to be fetched. If she was going to prove her mettle in this isolated land, she would simply have to bear the burdens that came her way.
“Don’t forget to look into buying us another wagon,” Bram said to Gus.
“I’ll do it, boss.” Gus looked back at the boys while Bram came up and took the reins to his horse. The animal was a beautiful bay gelding that Dianne had immediately liked upon their first meeting. Her uncle found the horse to be feisty and full of fury, but Dianne thought him amazingly calm-tempered and gentle. Koko said the horse had never responded to anyone else the way it had to Dianne—even Uncle Bram had been impressed.
“I’m going to head out and see how those boys are doing with the trees,” he told Koko. He mounted the bay, and the other men took this as their cue to take to their own animals.
“I can pack you a lunch to take if you wait,” Koko said, putting aside her scraping tool. She stood and waited to see what Bram would have her do.
“Nah. I’ll be back before you know it, and the boys took food with them. If I’m too hungry, I’ll just make them share.” He laughed at this and the others joined in. Everyone knew Bram Vandyke was a gentle soul who’d deny himself first if it meant someone else’s needs were met.
Dianne met Cole’s gaze once again. He nodded, then nudged his horse down the long drive. “Be careful,” Dianne called out to her brothers but meant it for Cole as well. She didn’t know why, but she felt Cole was less cautious about his own care.
The men had been gone no more than three hours and yet Dianne felt their loss in a way she couldn’t explain. She worked with Koko to make mattresses for the rope beds that the men had put together before leaving. When the boys came back, she hoped they’d be pleased to find that they had nice beds to sleep in.
“Where do the hired hands sleep?” she asked Koko, suddenly realizing she’d never given it any thought.
“Mostly they sleep in the barn. For now. That’s why they’re cutting more trees. Besides clearing the land and getting wood for the stoves, Bram figured we needed to add a bunkhouse before winter. Levi and the others will work on this with Bram. Hopefully they’ll have a good portion of the needed lumber together before Gus and your brothers get back from Virginia City.”
Dianne nodded. “I suppose that makes sense.” She looked at the material spread out on the table. “We’ll have to make more mattresses.”
Koko laughed. “Yes. I suppose so. There will be plenty of work for all of us. We get so few months in which to secure things before winter.”
“Have you always lived in this area?” Dianne questioned, forcing her hands back to work.
“My father was a white man who had a trading post up north. I grew up there with him and my mother and my brother.”
“I didn’t know you had a brother.”
“Just one, but one is enough. He’s rather wild,” Koko explained.
Dianne understood. “I have a brother back in Missouri … well, maybe Texas. Anyway, he was always the wild one in our family.”
Koko nodded. “Yes, Bram has told me about him. He is the one called Trenton.”
“Yes. I miss him a great deal. We were always closer to each other than to any of the others. The twins were always together, and my little sisters were too young to understand some of our frustrations and difficulties.” Dianne sighed. “We thought we had so much to worry about then.” She shook her head. “We were so nave.”
“A person can only know the things they are exposed to,” Koko said. “Our hardships always seem harder than anyone else’s and our sorrow more deeply felt.
It’s the way we are.”
“I suppose that makes sense.” Dianne paused and stretched to ease the ache in her back. She so admired the petite Koko. She seemed so content to work with her hands and labor for the betterment of those around her. Dianne also thought her appearance so neat and orderly. Koko almost always wore her hair in two braids bound with rawhide strips. It gave her a decided Indian appearance but kept her hair under control. Unlike Dianne’s wavy blond hair. No matter how much she worked with it, she always had bits of it falling before the end of the day.
In their discussions, Dianne learned that Koko’s mother was of the Pikuni or Peigan tribe of the Blackfoot Confederacy. There were many tribes of Blackfoot—Bloods or Kainai, Pikuni, Siksika, and even a tribe called Blackfeet, who were still members of the larger family of Blackfoot. Some claimed the Siksika and Blackfeet were really part of one group, but others argued they were strictly separate. It was both confusing and fascinating to Dianne. She found that she wanted to know more and more about Koko’s heritage.
“You mentioned that the twins will have a birthday soon,” Koko said, interrupting Dianne’s thoughts.
“Yes, the ninth of June. They’ll be nineteen, and I don’t suppose they’ll stay around with us for long. Both of them crave their freedom.”
“I suppose I shouldn’t say this, then, but Bram has gotten them to pledge one year on the ranch.”
Once again Dianne felt a sense of betrayal. Why hadn’t her brothers spoken to her about this? It wasn’t that they needed her approval, but she would have liked to have known their plans. “I’d love to see them stay here,” she finally said.
“We need the help, that’s for sure. As Bram adds more cattle, we’ll have more and more trouble.”
“What do you mean?” Dianne asked.
Koko looked up. “There are always problems when you double the workload or, in our case, triple it. There are bears and puma, storms and forest fires. And you can’t get away from people and their desire to take things that are not rightfully theirs to take.”
“What about the …” Dianne paused, feeling uncomfortable given Koko’s family ties. “What about the Indians? Will they steal cattle?”
Land of My Heart Page 28
