by Holly Blake
Grover gave into the old man. Running Bear would never give in until they smoked the pipe together. Grover didn’t really like this ritual, but it made the old man happy and so he always wound up giving in. He would smoke the pipe and fall asleep dreaming of the wild and the animals that roamed the land. He had done this many times before, usually to make peace between the various tribes and the white man. Today he smoked in hopes of forgetting his pain. At least he would sleep for a few hours and when he awoke he hoped he would find it was all a bad dream.
Grover sat beside his Grandfather and they smoked. The old man began to hum as he always did. The low rumble of his voice soothed Grover and he felt himself become groggy. Running Bear took the pipe from him and watched as he lay down on the earth beside the warm fire. A smile crossed the old man’s face as Grover began to dream.
He saw the land, vast and wide and heard the calls of the animals of the forest. A coyote approached him and licked his hand. He looked down and saw a tiny snake curl around his finger where his wedding band still rested. He looked up at the coyote as the snake turned golden and began to eat its own tail. The coyote walked to the edge of the forest and Grover followed. He saw two wild horses frolicking in a clearing deep within the forest. They seemed to dance together, their manes flowing around them like waves. The sun shone through the forest and bathed them in golden light. Suddenly a bear appeared and grabbed one of the horses. It began to move away from the clearing pulling the horse with it. The second horse raised itself up on its hind legs and threatened the bear. The bear suddenly turned into a mouse and scurried away.
When Grover awoke the sun was glinting through the opening of the tent. His Grandfather was gone. He rolled up onto his feet and stepped out of the tent. All the other tents where gone. The camp had packed up early that morning and left him and Lightening alone. He smiled to himself, knowing what his Grandfather had done. He was giving Grover no choice but to get on his horse and face the bear that e knew was Millie’s father.
Grover looked up at the big brown eyes that were staring at him. “Ok, I get it.” Grover climbed on Lightening’s back and before he could get a grip of the reins the horse bolted in the direction of the train. Grover struggled momentarily to brace himself on Lightening’s back. The horse knew better than Grover what needed to be done. The horse was smarter than he was.
Chapter Seven
Millie sat on the bench seat of the train glaring at her father. He wouldn’t let her speak and he said nothing himself. He wouldn’t even look at her. She felt humiliated sitting on this train in her wedding dress and veil. People walked by and looked at the pair and seeing the angry faces they scurried away in silence. Even the conductor didn’t ask for their tickets. He took one look at them and bolted to the next car.
They had been travelling all night in silence and contempt for one another. Millie was outraged. How could her father do this? She was married to Grover now! She should be sleeping beside her husband but instead she was on a train bound for New York where her marriage would be annulled and she would be sent to a convent. It was worse than being the spinster daughter, it was awful.
She prayed that Grover would appear and save her from her fate. He hadn’t made a move at the church. He just stood there, his mouth open with no words coming out.
Millie was both exhausted and wide awake. Her body ached from the anger that coursed through her making her stiff and shaky. She remembered the look on Grover’s face. He had been more humiliated than she was. Her father’s cruel words about Grover being a half-breed and marrying above his station seemed to hurt him deeply, more deeply than she realized at first. She had no idea that Grover saw himself as less than other men. He was so confident and proud. Millie looked at her father and the rage brewed anew. How could he be so cruel to a man he couldn’t even be bothered getting to know.
“You disgust me!” She spat and rose from her seat. “I can’t sit here with you any longer.” She went to move away but her father grabbed her arm and pulled her down next to him.
“You will sit and behave yourself!” He growled his face beet red. “You will obey me and shut your foul mouth.”
Millie pulled away from her father again and the two began yelling at each other with such venom that other passengers recoiled in shock. Before long the conductor arrived with two baggage handlers flanking him. His stepped between the two as the baggage men moved to either side of Peter ready to grab him should he not comply.
“You are making a scene and disturbing the other passengers. Please take your seats or you will be put from the train at the next station!” The conductor glared from Peter to Millie, daring them to push him.
“This is my daughter; I have the right to correct her behavior when necessary,” Peter insisted.
“I don’t care if she is your pet cat there will be none of this behavior on my train. Boy’s take him to the next carriage Miss, please sit here and quiet down.”
“That is fine with me!” Millie fumed and sat back down on the bench she had been sitting on.
“I need to keep an eye on her so that she doesn’t run away again,” Peter yelled as the men grabbed his arms and started pulling him out of the carriage and away from Millie.
“She can’t exactly jump off a moving train now can she?”
“She climbed out of her window and out of her home! I wouldn’t put anything past her!” Peter glared at his daughter. Millie could only sneer in defiance.
“Now why would she have to do that?” the conductor questioned.
“Because I wouldn’t let her marry a mongrel!” Peter spat and pulled against the restraints of the two men. He lunged at Millie slipping the grip of the men and slapping her hard on the cheek. Millie recoiled in pain and fear as the witnesses gasped at Peter’s behavior. He went white, embarrassed by his own bad behavior. Millie cried in the corner as the men grabbed Peter and dragged him out of the carriage.
A kind woman came to Millie’s side. “Are you ok dear?” She cooed as she offered her handkerchief. A man quickly followed and offered Millie a drink from his flask. The conductor returned to find half the carriage fussing over Millie, wiping her tears away and gently comforting her.
“When we get to the next station that man will be removed from the train. Miss, are you alright? Will you be pressing charges against him? The Sheriff is in Wyldewood on personal business today but I can send for his deputy as soon as we arrive and you can make a statement.”
Millie cried even harder at the mention of Grover. “I don’t want to press charges against my father, but I would like for you to take him at least two stations further down the tracks and allow me to return to Wyldewood.”
The conductor scratched his head. “You sure, Miss?”
“Yes. I need to go back to my husband, Sheriff Grover Wright.” Millie stated a flush of excitement rose up in her at the thought of getting back to the loving arms she had just married.
“You’re Grover’s new Missus?” The conductor grinned broadly. “Well I’ll be.” His face suddenly became serious and dark. “Wait just a minute. The mongrel your father was talking about was Grover Wright?”
“Yes.” Millie burst into tears again.
“I’ll take your father as far as I can take him on this line. Speaking that way of such a great man does not wash around me. Grover saved my son from a wolf when he was just a little guy. The man is a hero!”
“Sheriff Wright caught the bad men who shot my brother on the train when they robbed it just last year,” a lady said as she moved closer to Millie. “He really is a wonderful man.”
“He brokered a peace agreement with some Indians over a land dispute that saved my ranch,” another man said smiling at Millie.
“You see Mrs. Wright? Your husband is not a mongrel or a half-breed or anything else people like your father might call him. He is a hero and we are all happy to know such a fine man.” The conductor put his hand on her shoulder and gave it a re-assuring squeeze as he gazed around at all
of Grover Wright’s fans.
“Thank you so much,” Millie said, she was so touched by the reassurance she received from these strangers. She knew that Grover was a wonderful man, but hearing the stories that Grover would never speak of gave her new insights into the man she loved.
At the next station Millie climbed off of the train with the well wishes of a host of new friends. The conductor got off the train to send a message to Wyldewood to let them know that she was safe and where they could find her. He also wanted to get some materials to secure Peter Granger so that he would not be able to cause any more trouble.
They had been resting at the station for a little over an hour when Millie suddenly heard a horse galloping up at a speed that could only be one horse. Lightening! Her heart leapt from her breast as she jumped to her feat and headed for the sound of the hoof beats. There he was, the strong quiet man that she loved, riding to her aid.
Grover dismounted Lightening and ran to Millie. “I am so sorry I didn’t stop your father from taking you.” He was out of breath and shaking.
“It’s ok now Grover. This nice young conductor is taking my father as far away as he can. That should give us plenty of time to find a solution to the problem.”
“I have the solution.” Grover looked into Millie’s eyes and found the courage he had lost at the church. His look of determination shook Millie and she realized what made Grover such a fearsome enemy to lawbreakers.
Grover stormed off calling Peter’s name as he went. He sounded angry and ready for a fight. Bodies flooded onto the platform and the conductor came running out of the office speaking feverishly to Grover, but Grover didn’t even slow down.
Chapter Eight
Grover reached the carriage that Millie’s father had been secured in. The two baggage men were sitting on either side of Peter who was tied securely to a seat in the front most carriage. He had a black eye which told Grover that he hadn’t been behaving for the men.
“Well Mr. Granger, looks like you’ve been up to no good. You know I could arrest you and throw you in jail?” Grover smoothed his hand over the sheriff badge that clung to his shirt.
“She is still my daughter and I won’t have her…”
“She is my wife now and I won’t have her kidnapped by anyone; not even her father.”
Peter tried to rise to his feet but was firmly gripped on his shoulders by the two men who pushed him back down on the seat. “The marriage will be annulled and Millie will return home to me!” he insisted.
“Millie will be going home with her husband. She is a married woman now and as a citizen of the Wyoming Territories and as my wife she is under my protection. She doesn’t belong to you Peter she is not property to be traded. She is a woman. She is the woman who I love and admire and I will not allow you to harm her any more than you already have!” Grover growled at the man with ferocity he didn’t know he had. With every word he felt more confident, more determined to take Millie home and less convinced that he was a lesser man just because of his breeding.
“You are a mongrel! If you love Millie you will set her free to marry a worthy man. You must see that you do her an injury, an injustice by taking her as your bride.”
“I do nothing of the sort. You are the only one here who sees me as beneath you. I have some education, I come from a good home and I am a pillar of my community. I have done more good in my years as Sheriff than most men do in a lifetime, and even if that wasn’t’ the case, I am a man of morals and integrity and an equal to any man, Indian or white!” Grover smiled to himself. He didn’t care for tooting his own horn but now that he did he liked what he heard. When he spoke his attributes out loud he realized he liked himself and everything he stood for. Nothing else mattered.
Peter Granger saw the change in Grover Wright and realized that he was truly defeated. “I will not bother you or Millie again.” He bowed his head in shame and disgust. “Leave me sir and take your bride with you.”
Grover shook his head and walked out of the carriage. The conductor was waiting for him on the platform concern etched on his face. “What do you want me to do with him Sheriff?”
“Take him home to New York; he won’t be any further trouble.” Grover smiled at the man; about to walk away he hesitated and asked. “How is young Davy?”
The conductor beamed at the mention of his son. “He is quite fine Sheriff, thank you for asking.”
Grover smiled to himself and walked down the platform to his waiting bride. He understood for the first time why people talked so much. The look on the conductor’s face when he asked after his son made Grover’s heart sing. Millie looked worried at first but then she saw the look on Grover’s face and smiled. There was true contentment and a joy that had been missing since she first met the man. She rejoiced in that look and fell even deeper in love with the strong, quiet man she was lucky to call husband.
Chapter Nine
Months had passed since Millie married Grover. The home he had built for her was beautiful and cozy. They settled into life comfortably and were soon expecting their first child. News that Esther was also pregnant made the family thrill with excitement for their new life. Millie found herself a role in the clinic with Dr. Ivy, her hero. With Dr. Ivy being so far along in her pregnancy, she needed help with the smaller tasks. She tired quickly and Anna could only do so much. Millie filled in the spaces where the two women needed her. She was also charged with finding an additional doctor for the town of Wyldewood and had been writing a windstorm of letters trying to find just the right person.
Millie was working in the clinic when Esther suddenly came rushing in. “Where is Grover?” She looked flushed and panicked.
“Why, what’s wrong Aunt Esther?”
“It’s Grace Noble. She’s gone missing and Charles is beside himself. Apparently she’s done this before but they were in the city and someone found her. He’s looked as far as he can but needs more help.”
Anna overheard the Esther’s desperate plea and entered the room.
“Grover is out on patrol but he should be home by nightfall. Why don’t we get John Barnaby to put together a search party?” Millie offered.
“Brody is out on patrol as well but Billy could help. I’ll go get him and stop by the Barnaby’s on the way. Sit down Esther and catch your breath.” Anna was concerned for the older woman. Pregnancy could be fraught with complications even when young, and here Esther was having a child much later in life. Anna didn’t like her getting herself so flustered at her stage. “Millie, bring Esther a drink of water and a cold compress and ask Dr. Ivy to come have a look at her.”
“I’m fine. I’m just worried about Grace. Her memory has been failing lately, and now she has wandered off. She could be anywhere!” Esther sank down into a chair, her face hot and flushed.
Millie ran to get Ivy and fulfill the order Anna had given her.
Ivy arrived in the front room of the clinic. Her stomach protruded so far and was so huge she could barely walk now. She sat beside Esther and took her wrist in her own. “Now Esther, I need you to calm your breathing.” Ivy looked at her watch while holding Esther’s tiny wrist.
“I’ll go get Mr. Barnaby and Billy,” Anna offered and sped through the door. Millie returned with the compress and placed it gently against Esther’s forehead. She offered her aunt the water but Esther waved it away.
“I am quite fine. You shouldn’t make such a fuss. I am just concerned after Grace. Charles told me that she sometimes gets forgetful and homesick. She wanders off saying she’s going back home. Nothing has ever happened to her before but she is in the country now where anything could happen.”
“Esther please, you need to relax. Your blood pressure is high and it isn’t safe for the baby. Have you ever noticed Grace being forgetful?”
“Now that you mention it I have. I didn’t think of it at the time but we do visit with each other often. A couple of times that I have been at her house she will ask me what I want to drink or eat and I will te
ll her but she will bring something else entirely. When I mentioned it to her she got angry and insisted that I had asked her for what she brought. Then she would apologize and it was fine again.”
Billy came through the door with John and Anna right behind.
“Do you know where Grace was seen last?” Billy asked. Millie smiled at the young man. For a boy who had been in so much trouble in the past he was fast redeeming himself and throwing himself into the concerns of the town.
“Charles saw her at breakfast and noticed she was a bit off. He didn’t explain what he meant by that but he left for work and when he got home she was gone.”
“I’ll speak to Charles and see what else he might know.” Before anyone could say anything else Billy was out the door.
“I’ll get a group of good men together and we’ll start combing the town and the outlying areas,” John offered and headed out the door.
James arrived a few minutes later. “Anna told me what happened. Are you ok?” he asked Esther dropping to his knee and looking up at her angelic face.
“I’m fine James. I wish you all wouldn’t fuss. I am just worried about my friend.”
“Your blood pressure has returned to normal, but you have to be careful in future, Esther. You don’t want to jeopardize that little bundle you’re carrying.” Ivy squeezed Esther’s hand and tried to pull herself up from the chair. She stumbled around a bit and James jumped up and helped pull her to her feet.
“You should take your own advice Dr. Ivy! You can barely move!” James laughed.
“You are right James, but we still haven’t found a replacement doctor. John will do in a pinch but I will need the help even more help after the babies are born.”
“Babies?” Millie questioned.
“Yes, I am pretty sure I’m expecting twins.” Ivy laughed and they all waited together to hear news of Grace.
Chapter Ten
