A Love Transformed

by Tracie Peterson

  “Now do you understand what I expect for my money?” Otto looked at the two sleazy characters who stood before him. He’d located them only the night before. Neither one looked like they’d had a bath or decent meal in some time.

  The taller of the two nodded. “We’re gonna watch the Sersland Ranch and take the two children.”

  “Yes, but no one must see you or know that you’re there. The first opportunity that presents itself, you need to take them and leave as quickly as possible. Now, you’re certain you have a place where you can hide them?”

  “Yeah, we got a place,” the other man replied. “Don’t you worry about that.”

  “You’ll have to bind them and gag them. I’m sure they won’t go without a fuss. However, I don’t want them hurt in any way. Be kind to them; tell them you don’t plan to hurt them and that they’ll be returned to their mother very soon. Better still, I’ll give you some extra money and you can buy them some candy. I can’t imagine any children would care much about their surroundings if they are given all the candy they want.”

  The tall once scratched his chest through his threadbare shirt. “Speaking of money—where is it?”

  Otto took his wallet from his coat pocket and produced several bills. The man’s eyes widened at the sight. Otto knew he risked having the men simply knock him in the head and take his money, but he also knew that he was far smarter than either man.

  “You’ll get this half now and the other half when the job is done to my satisfaction. I won’t carry the money on me, so you needn’t worry that someone might . . . hold me up.” He smiled and handed the money to the man. “Now we shouldn’t be seen together. Are you certain you have mounts to get you out to the ranch?”

  “We got ’em. Don’t you worry none,” the short man answered. “We’ll head out to the north in case anyone sees us and wonders where we’re bound. Then we’ll circle back around to the west and come up on the ranch through the trees. Like we told you, we used to work for Sersland, so we know the lay of the land real good.”

  “Perfect. I hope you have some provisions with you as well. I want you positioned in such a way that you can observe me after I leave the ranch and head back to town. If Mrs. Vesper isn’t in the rig with me, I want you to take the children. I don’t care if you have to camp out there all night. Do you understand?”

  The two men exchanged a look, then nodded. The short one spoke. “We understand, mister, and we know what we’re doing. You just make sure you have the rest of our money.”

  Otto could only hope the men were as competent as they assured him they were. He took the rig he’d rented and followed the road west to where his cohorts assured him he would eventually reach the ranch. The road was nothing more than a dirt path as far as Otto could see. It was certainly not an easy drive. The rig bounced around in such a fashion that Otto actually wondered if he’d even make it. Why couldn’t these barbarians have an automobile he could rent for the day?

  The trip, however, gave him time to formulate his plan. Clara said she had proof of his involvement. She’d even accused him of being involved in Adolph’s death. That could only mean that she had the journals. He had been afraid they’d turn up, although he’d never expected Clara would have them. Ever since she’d confronted him the day before, Otto couldn’t shake the feeling that his days were numbered. He silently cursed his brother.

  “You no doubt detailed everything, including my involvement. How else would she know?” He cursed aloud. “I’ll just have to get them back. There’s no other choice.”

  He saw the ranch from a ways off and thought it a rather pastoral scene. The house and surrounding buildings appeared, at least from a distance, to be well kempt. The rolling hills were more brown than green from a lack of water, but the evergreens and aspen dotted here and there made up for that. There was a sort of pretty stream that flowed to one side of the ranch. He supposed it a fine home . . . for some, but certainly not for him.

  He brought the horse and rig to a stop near the front of the house. The log structure and wide porch reminded him of a hunting lodge he’d once been to when he was a boy. It was a pleasant enough memory, but certainly nothing he wanted to repeat.

  He secured the lines, then made his way to the porch. Otto gave a quick glance back toward the east, where the grove of trees that his hirelings had described stood. It would afford them adequate coverage in case any of the adults should be nearby.

  “I heard you drive up,” Clara said from the other side of the screened door. She looked surprisingly at peace. “Won’t you come in?” She opened the door for him.

  “Thank you. I hope we can conclude our business quickly.”

  “You didn’t bring Mother? I thought surely you would want her here cheering you on,” she said sarcastically.

  Otto entered the house and glanced around for the others. “I’m sure your defenders are no doubt close at hand.”

  “Absolutely.” She jerked her chin up in a defiant pose. “I believe there is strength in numbers.” She motioned to the room at her right. “We’ll sit in here.”

  “Do we really need to sit?” Otto lowered his voice to a whisper. “I thought my comments were quite clear on what would happen if you didn’t agree to marry me.”

  “We are civilized people,” Clara replied. “Even here in the wilds of Montana we believe in offering our guests refreshment after a long, dusty drive.” She moved into the room and waited for him to follow.

  Otto was surprised that her supporters weren’t already seated in the room. “Where are your aunt and uncle?”

  “They’re in the kitchen. Aunt Madeline is preparing those refreshments I mentioned. Uncle Paul is keeping company with Curtis. Now, please have a seat and try to act in a fashion that befits your training.” Her voice was laced with anger, something Otto hadn’t expected.

  He thought that after having given her time to reflect she would see the impossibility of defiance and agree to marry him. Of course, he hadn’t had complete confidence of this. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have found it necessary to hire men to steal away her children.

  Clara took a seat in a straight-backed chair. She settled her hands in her lap and waited for him to sit. Otto took the chair nearest her and doffed his hat.

  “I suppose we might as well get right to the point,” he said, but he didn’t get a chance to finish his statement before Clara’s aunt appeared with a tray.

  She looked at Otto with a most disapproving expression, then placed the tray on the small table beside Clara. Then to Otto’s surprise Clara’s uncle joined them. He led his wife to the sofa and then looked at Otto with a frown.

  “I’m sure you would prefer we speak in private,” Otto said, looking at Clara.

  She shook her head. “I’d prefer we not speak at all, but you have insisted. They know everything. I told them of your threats.”

  This made Otto nervous, but he wasn’t about to let anyone know that. He gave a curt nod, then looked at Clara’s relatives. “It really is to her advantage to return to New York as my wife.”

  “Well, given you’ve threatened to separate her from her children and have her thrown into an asylum or a jail, I would almost have to agree with you,” Paul Sersland replied. “Almost.”

  Otto raised a brow in question, but Paul said nothing more. Otto turned to Clara. “I have always known you to be a level-headed person. I’m sure you understand that I’ve only made such threats because I know what’s best for you.”

  “That hardly seems possible,” Curtis Billingham said from the arched entryway. “I can’t imagine it’s ever in any mother’s best interest to be threatened in that kind of manner.” He leaned against the frame and fixed Otto with a hard look. “But I guess I can’t expect much more from a man who has done the things you’ve done.”

  Otto felt his anger growing. He found it almost impossible to keep from countering the man’s comment with insults of his own. He looked back to Clara instead and found her smiling at the man she cl
aimed to love. For a moment Otto could see the depth of that love in her expression, and it made him most uncomfortable.

  She seemed to feel his gaze upon her and turned to Otto. “Would you care for coffee?”

  “No!” He hadn’t meant to raise his voice, but he was running out of patience. “I would like for us to settle this matter. I want you to return to town with me this minute.”

  “I’m not going anywhere with you, Otto.”

  “You haven’t forgotten my plans.”

  She shook her head. “No, but I no longer fear them. You see, we spent a good deal of time in prayer yesterday, and I feel confident of my place with God. I do not believe He will allow for you to have your way.”

  “And you’re willing to risk that? All on this nonsense of faith in a God you cannot see?” He laughed. “I will make it clear to the authorities that you were actively involved in Adolph’s treasonous tasks.”

  “And I will show them my husband’s journals.”

  “That I will declare were falsified for your purpose of seeing yourself acquitted of wrongdoing.” He smiled. “I am not without my own faith, but it is in myself rather than some unknown deity.”

  Clara’s expression radiated peace. “He isn’t unknown to me, Otto. I have spent a long time knowing God better, and while I have a great deal yet to learn, I know this much. God has already provided for me—long before I was even born. He will see me through this as well. I won’t lie for you and I won’t lie to God by committing myself in marriage to you.”

  “You can’t hope to win. I have a good many friends who will let the authorities know you are a traitor.”

  “Will you also let the authorities know that I’m the one who has designed the Vesper Yogo collection?” She tilted her head ever so slightly. “I wonder what people will say when they realize you aren’t the artist.”

  Otto couldn’t hide his surprise. He had thought such knowledge wouldn’t have reached her. “How . . . how did you—”

  “I read the newspaper, Otto.” She glanced over to see Curtis’s look of surprise. “Despite how my family intends to keep unpleasant news from me, I manage to know what I need to know. How dare you display my jewelry designs and claim them for your own? It was one thing to allow Adolph that privilege, but you promised to reveal the truth.”

  “And I will. Once we are married I will bring in all the newspaper people and make a formal announcement.”

  “No, Otto. I don’t believe you to be capable of truth. I will create my own jewelry if I am so inclined, but it won’t be with you. Now, I think I’ve made it quite clear that my decision is to remain here. I suggest you leave now.”

  Otto jumped to his feet, knocking his hat to the floor. He started toward her, then felt a hand take hold of his arm. He turned to find Curtis Billingham.

  “The lady asked you to leave.”

  “This isn’t over,” Otto declared as Clara’s uncle got to his feet. He shook off Curtis’s hold. “You’ll all be sorry for interfering.”

  Otto stalked from the house, surprised that no one tried to stop him or threaten him with violence. He climbed into the rig and found Curtis had followed him from the house. Perhaps there would be violence after all.

  “Well?” Otto asked, picking up the reins.

  To his surprise Curtis threw something at him. Otto ducked but then found that the object was nothing more than his hat. He took up the hat and pressed it onto his head. He gave Curtis one last hard look.

  “You’d do well to change her mind and do it quickly.” He slapped the reins against the horse’s rump and headed back to town. Once he had his brother’s brats in hand, they would all whistle a different tune.

  24

  Clara awoke on Tuesday morning with a great sense of peace. She was blessed by the support she’d found in her family, but even more by the way God had bolstered her faith. Stretching in bed, she couldn’t help but smile. After speaking with Curtis late into the night, they had decided to have a small private ceremony at the house. Uncle Paul had agreed to ride to town and bring the pastor back with him later that afternoon. Soon she and Curtis would be married and all of this would be behind them.

  She rose and dressed quickly in a simple navy blue skirt that reached to just above her ankles. Topping this with a blue calico print blouse, Clara smiled at the contrast of fashion. Her wardrobe in New York held satins and silks, laces and tulle. She’d worn embroidered silk stockings and exquisite shoes. “A wardrobe fit for a queen,” her husband had once said when encouraging her to go out and buy herself whatever she wanted. Now her clothes consisted of what she’d brought with her from New York, as well as a few simple skirts and blouses, some of which she and Madeline had made.

  How simple, yet how much better her life was here in Montana. Clara picked up her brush and began making long strokes through her dark auburn hair. She arranged it in a braid and then coiled this atop her head and pinned it into place as she’d often seen her maid do back in the city.

  “There, now I’m more orderly,” she said, smiling at her reflection.

  After she completed her outfit with cotton stockings and her sturdy boots, Clara made her way to wake the children. Instead, she found their beds neatly made and their nightclothes folded and sitting in place of the clothes she’d laid out for them. They were becoming more and more self-sufficient, and this pleased her greatly.

  Clara made her way to the kitchen. The aroma of coffee and ham filled the air. “It smells wonderful in here.” Clara pulled an apron from a peg by the door. Her aunt was already busy frying up huge ham steaks.

  “Good morning, Aunt Madeline.” Clara went to her aunt and kissed her cheek. “Isn’t it a beautiful day?”

  “You haven’t even been outside yet,” her aunt teased, “but when you’re in love, every day is a beautiful day.”

  Clara looked around as she tied on her apron. “Where are the children?”

  “Out doing their chores. Hunter brought in plenty of wood for the stove and then went off to help Maddy collect the eggs.”

  Clara laughed. “I was just thinking to myself how efficient they’ve become. When we first came here, they didn’t even know how to dress themselves.”

  “They’re smart, well-behaved children. You’ve done a good job of helping them adjust to life here.”

  “I don’t think the adjustment was all that hard. In fact, I don’t remember ever seeing them as happy as they are now. In New York they were forced to be silent and remain hidden away in the nursery. Children were rarely allowed at social functions, unless of course it was a birthday party being held on their behalf.”

  “I’m sure it was different for folks with less money.” Aunt Madeline took the ham steaks from the cast-iron skillet and plopped them on a platter. She then turned back to the stove and put more meat into the pan. “Of course, here in Montana it hasn’t been that many years since children of all ages were working in the mines. Now you have to be sixteen, although I have my doubts that is always the case.”

  Clara couldn’t imagine children in the mines, but then it hadn’t been that long ago that children filled the factories back east. It was something she’d always found appalling. “Having children help around the ranch or farm seems reasonable, but I firmly believe they should be in school otherwise. It’s awful to imagine children having to work to help provide for their family.” Clara looked around the room. It seemed her aunt already had everything under control. “How can I help?”

  “Why don’t you go hurry the children along? The boys will be storming the place any minute, starved as usual.” She stepped back and opened the oven door. “Oh, good. The biscuits are ready.”

  Clara nodded. “The children were probably sidetracked by Blessing. They are quite crazy about that pup.” She made her way to the back door.

  The sun was just up over the horizon, giving the sky and clouds a splash of red, orange, and pink. What was that old saying about a red sky in the morning? Clara mused on it as she made he
r way to the chicken coop. She wasn’t about to let old sayings become a foreboding omen.

  “Maddy! Hunter!” She entered the building and blinked at the darkened room. Her children were nowhere to be found, but the egg basket sat full in the middle of the floor.

  Clara picked up the basket. She would have to reprimand them later for leaving the basket out there where someone could have tripped and hurt themselves or the eggs. She headed back for the house. She heard Blessing howling and yipping. It made her smile. No doubt they were all having a grand time playing.

  She made her way into the house. “Here are the eggs. The children were nowhere to be found, but I hear Blessing putting up a fuss, so I’m guessing they were distracted.”

  “Well, don’t be too hard on them,” her aunt said, taking the basket.

  “Oh, I won’t be. Still, they need to know it wasn’t right to leave the eggs out in the coop. They knew we’d be waiting on them.”

  Clara exited the house once again and made her way to the barn. Blessing was protesting most adamantly about something. She’d never heard the pup be quite so noisy.

  She stepped into the barn. “What’s going on out here?”

  Blessing’s whines were the only response. Clara looked around, gazing up at the hayloft. “Maddy? Hunter?” There was no reply.

  A sense of dread began to settle over Clara. She hurried from the barn and went in search of her uncle and Curtis. They were going to be repairing some of the pens out behind the lambing shed this morning. At least that’s what they’d decided the night before.

  “Curtis? Uncle Paul?” she called out before she could see either man.

  “We’re back here,” Curtis replied. He beamed her a smile as she hurried to join them. “Good morning. You’re mighty pretty today.”

  Clara frowned and shook her head. “Are the children with you?”

  Paul straightened. “Last I saw them they were headed out to gather eggs. Curtis and I crossed their path on our way out here.”