A Love to Cherish

by Linda Ford

  Pa chuckled. “She might be more right than I care to admit.”

  “Did you have a daughter picked out for me?” Reese asked.

  “There’s three of them right here. All good girls who will make excellent wives.”

  “Not me.” Victoria shook her head.

  Both Eve and Josie protested. “Pa, we’ll be choosing our own man, thanks.”

  Two cowboys looked eagerly from one girl to the next, but Victoria continued to hold Reese’s gaze.

  “In the service of truth, I have to say I’m not really interested in a wife at the moment.” Something flickered through the man’s eyes, and Victoria wondered what lay behind his assertion.

  He shifted his gaze to Pa, leaving Victoria feeling dizzy and disorientated. Although she had often felt that way when she tried to remember who she was, it had not happened since they moved to Glory, Montana Territory, and she did not thank the cowboy across the table for causing it again.

  He gave a thin smile. “I’ll be too busy ranching to have time for a wife.”

  Ma suggested they should serve dessert and Victoria jumped up so fast, Ma laughed.

  “It’s not that urgent.”

  Eve and Josie gave Victoria quizzical looks as they helped serve the cake.

  As she returned to her place at the table, Victoria slowed her breathing and forced her thoughts to something that made sense. “Pa, I’m glad you reminded everyone at church about the talent show and box social on Friday.” She glanced about the table, carefully looking at each person without looking directly at the newcomer. “If it goes well, we should have enough money to build a schoolhouse.”

  Josie paused from eating her cake to address those at the table. “What you all need to understand is that this is Victoria’s dream. She wants to see the children of the community properly educated. So, she began the schoolhouse fund. So, she’s hoping…we’re all hoping, you come to the event on Friday. Be prepared to spend a dollar or two. Who knows?” Her brown eyes sparkled, and she grinned at those around the table. “You might buy the box lunch of one of us.”

  Young Arnie leaned forward. “How will we know which box to bid on?”

  “Just look for the prettiest boxes.”

  Victoria had decided to allow herself no more study of Reese, but she couldn’t stop herself from looking his way to see if he seemed interested in the upcoming event.

  His dark eyes watched her intently.

  She lowered her gaze to the table. Was he more interested in her than he should be? Given that he wasn’t looking for a mate, why did he study her so intently? A flame of anger burned her insides. She’d thought moving to Montana Territory had freed her of this fear of encountering someone who knew who she was. It was unsettling and she didn’t like it one bit.

  “I’ll plan to be there,” he said.

  Why should she think he meant the words for her?

  Unless he knew who she was.

  Fear and hope tangled through her insides making it difficult for her to draw in a satisfying breath and even more difficult to follow the conversation around the table.

  “Why don’t you young folk go enjoy the sunshine? Flora and I will clean up the kitchen.”

  Three cowboys were instantly on their feet, extending thanks and looking eager to do Ma’s bidding.

  “But Ma—”

  Ma cut off Eve’s protests and made a shooing motion.

  Josie caught her arm. “Come on. It’s a beautiful day.” She reached toward Victoria, but Victoria backed away and considered her options.

  Arnie and Teller were at the door, hats in hand. Reese hesitated as if waiting for Victoria to indicate what she planned to do. She should be flattered that it seemed to matter to him if she joined the group, but her nerves tingled that he seemed interested in her.

  Should she stay behind or face her fears?

  Knowing that running away did not solve anything, she made up her mind and followed the others out. She hurried to join Eve, hoping to cling to her side, but Teller had fallen in step with her. Arnie and Josie walked side by side leaving Victoria no choice but to either appear rude or walk at Reese’s side. She chose the latter.

  “The sun is exceptionally bright today,” she said. They walked west. The sun glistened off the mountains. She filled her lungs. “The mountains always make me feel safe.” Now why had she said such a silly thing?

  “‘I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.’”

  “You’re quoting the One Hundredth and Twenty-first Psalm.” In her mind, she quoted the last verse of the passage. A verse that she turned to often for comfort. The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even forever more.

  He chuckled, a deep satisfying sound that matched his talking voice. “You needn’t sound so surprised. I have hidden many verses in my heart.”

  “That you might not sin against Him?” she teased, quoting the rest of the verse.

  “That, of course. But also, because they comfort me and guide me. Besides, one can’t always have a Bible with them.”

  “I find great comfort and encouragement in the Scriptures.” Surely this was a safe topic of discussion. The others had gotten far enough ahead that Victoria and Reese carried on their own conversation.

  “Me too. Though it wasn’t always so.”

  “Why is that?”

  He shrugged. “I had to learn difficult lessons in order to realize that God is faithful.”

  Surprised at how sincere he sounded, so unlike most of the cowboys she’d met, Victoria slowed her steps to study him. “Me too.” Goodness, she did not want him asking any personal questions, so she quickly added, “What kind of lessons?”

  “Looking back, they don’t seem as important as they did at the time. They were just a part of life and growing up.” He turned his gaze to the mountains, allowing her to study him without appearing to stare.

  His gaze still on the distance, he continued. “My pa died when I was fifteen. I took care of Ma for a time but then she remarried. Suffice it to say, my stepfather didn’t care to share his home with a grown son, so I left and joined a Texas cattle drive. Turns out it was the best thing that ever happened to me.” He brought his gaze to her. “What about you? What lessons did you have to learn?”

  She couldn’t tell him that she was a woman with amnesia who didn’t know who she was. But she felt she had to tell him something after he’d shared so honestly. “That God is with me wherever I go, and I can trust Him.”

  “It’s a great lesson, but I’m curious as to what circumstances led you to that.”

  “It wasn’t just one thing, but a long journey. For instance, moving here. I didn’t know what the future held.” Any more than she knew what her past looked like. “I suppose you could say that I’ve had to learn to walk day by day with God.”

  He watched her, his eyes full of something she couldn’t identify. Didn’t want to. But if she had to, she would say he found her answer less than satisfactory.

  But what more could she offer? It was no secret that she had amnesia, but neither did she feel she had to tell everyone. It wasn’t just a desire to avoid speculation and questions about what it was like not to remember.

  No, it was mostly because she constantly feared someone would recognize her.

  Or that no one ever would.

  She turned to the west. She quoted another verse that steadied her. “‘As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about his people from henceforth even for ever.’” She picked up the pace to bring them closer to the others.

  Reese spoke quietly. “You have not always lived here, and yet you quote verses about God’s care being like the mountains.”

  She nodded. “Seeing the mountains here in Montana Territory made me realize how strong and mighty God’s care is.”

  “You have a loving, supportive family, and yet you talk like life is full of sca
ry things. Why is that?”

  “It’s—I’m not—but—” How was she to answer this man’s questions without saying more than she cared to?

  What was worse—not knowing her past or fearing it?

  Chapter 2

  Reese had tried and failed to get any information from Victoria. He needed more before he would be thoroughly convinced she wasn’t the missing Hayworth girl. They caught up to the others and the six of them sat on the banks of Buck River. From his correspondence with Abe Shaw, Reese knew it was the same river that flowed through the ranch he meant to buy and he asked a few questions of the two cowboys. He learned it ran deep and wild in the late spring when the snow melted from the mountains and flowed all summer, providing good watering for cattle.

  The others talked about the upcoming talent show.

  “You gals doing something in the talent show?” Arnie asked.

  “Yes, we are,” Eve answered.

  “What?” Teller asked.

  Josie gave him a teasing smile. “I guess you’ll have to come and see for yourself.”

  “All of you?” Reese asked, careful not to look at Victoria.

  “You’ll have to come and see,” Josie repeated.

  “I’ll do that.”

  The other cowboys echoed him.

  “That’s good,” Josie said.

  “You be sure and invite all your friends,” Victoria added. “We need lots of people to come out.”

  “You’re certainly anxious to get the school built.” Reese wondered if there was a reason it was so important to her. Other than the obvious one that the children needed to learn to read and write, though many of them would learn to do so with their parents’ instruction.

  “I love books and learning and want the children to experience the same joy.”

  Reese digested that information. “It sounds like you’ve had the privilege of a good education. Where did you get that?”

  A stillness that was palpable met his question. He shifted to look at the girls to his right. Eve and Josie watched him. Victoria, at his elbow, twisted a blade of grass between her fingers.

  “Did I say something wrong?” He wondered if anyone would tell him who this gal was and why she was here.

  “She doesn’t remember,” Eve said.

  Victoria sucked in air.

  “How can you forget where you went to school?” It didn’t make sense.

  Victoria got to her feet. “Did you hear that? It sounded like a bear whoofing.”

  Reese thought she likely heard her own indrawn breath.

  The other girls got up too. “We better get back.”

  Reese joined the others on the trek back to the manse. Victoria clung to a sister on either side, leaving the cowboys to follow in their wake. He obviously wasn’t going to get any more information from Victoria this afternoon.

  He’d be back Friday for the talent show and box social. And somehow, he’d discover the truth about her.

  He spent the night in town, camped out by the river. By morning he had come to a decision. He would ride out and speak to Abe then return to town. If possible, he’d find a job and hang around, learning more about the mysterious Miss Victoria. Only, he informed himself, because he cared about the truth.

  As soon as it was light, he rode north, following directions to the Shaw ranch. With every passing mile, he grew more pleased with his decision to buy the ranch. The land was hilly with bunches of trees, lots of grass, and a number of watering holes besides the river that he followed. Ideal ranching country.

  He recognized the place from Abe’s description. A low house. A barn that would be more than adequate and several outbuildings.

  A man stepped from the barn at Reese’s approach. “Howdy, stranger. What brings you this way?”

  “Abe? Abe Shaw? I’m Reese Cartwright.” He swung from the saddle and the two shook hands. Three hours later, Reese rode back to Glory, satisfied with the business he had conducted. He would move to the ranch in two weeks, giving Abe time to wrap up his affairs. Reese had purchased the stock as well.

  Finally, his dream was about to come true. A place of his own. Something solid he could count on. At one time he would have included in his dream someone to welcome him home after a day’s work. But he had closed his heart to that part of his future. Betty, with her falseness, had taught him there were worse things than being alone… There was trusting someone who was false. Building your life on a lie.

  Which brought his thoughts back to Victoria. Was she pretending one thing while being another? Even though it was none of his business, he intended to find out. In a quest for truth.

  That day he found work at the livery barn. He warned the owner, Mickey, it would be temporary, but that was fine with the man. As Reese cleaned out the stalls, he tried to come up with a plan for spending more time with Victoria.

  He guessed from her reaction Sunday afternoon that she might shy away from a direct question. That left him with few options.

  The next day, his chores at the livery barn completed, he sauntered along Main Street and parked himself on the bench outside White’s Store. It allowed him a good view of the activities of town. If he leaned forward, he caught sight of the corner of the church, but the manse stood behind it and out of view.

  It was early afternoon and the Kinsley girls might be busy with something, but he was a patient man, and he waited.

  A young lad Reese would guess to be around ten or eleven sauntered by accompanied by a black and white dog. The boy slowed his steps and watched Reese from the corner of his eyes then jogged to the wide wooden steps and rested one foot on a step to lean on his knee.

  “Ain’t seen you before.”

  “Got here a day or two ago.” They studied each other casually, as if not really interested. Amusement trickled Reese’s insides at the boy’s careful indifference. For his part, Reese saw a boy with shaggy dark blond hair that stuck up around the hat he wore. He was barefoot. His trousers torn in one knee. Reese guessed it would be a real challenge for his ma to keep him clean and tidy.

  “You got a name?” the boy asked after a bit.

  “Most people call me Reese.”

  “Huh. What do the others call you?”

  Reese grinned. “Don’t care what they call me so long as they don’t call me late for dinner.”

  The boy nodded sagely. “Ain’t that the truth?”

  “You got a name?” Reese asked.

  “My ma calls me Jimmy.”

  Reese decided to continue Jimmy’s game. “What does your pa call you?”

  “Ain’t got no pa.”

  “Sorry to hear that.”

  “Ma says it weren’t much of a loss when he died. She said he mostly spent his time gamblin’ or drinkin’.”

  Reese sighed. “I know how that is. My pa was the same way. Though he was a good man when he stayed away from the strong drink.”

  “Yeah, what happened to him?”

  “He got a little too drunk and fell in front of a wagon and got himself killed.”

  “Sorry to hear that.”

  Reese nodded. “Sorry to hear about your pa too.”

  “Where’s your ma?”

  “She’s back in Chicago. Married again.”

  Jimmy dropped his foot to the ground and straightened. “You don’t say. I don’t think I’d care for my ma marryin’ again, though I suppose she needs someone to take care of her.”

  Miss Victoria came around the corner. She paused. “Hi, Jimmy. Good day, Mr. Cartwright.” She went inside before Reese could make it to his feet and speak to her.

  Jimmy sighed. “She sure is a pretty lady. And nice too. You hear she wants to start a school? Ma says I’ll have to go. I don’t see no good reason for it. You don’t need to read or write to farm or work in the livery stable, do ya?”

  “I suppose not, though it helps to know what notices in the store say. And stuff like that.”

  Jimmy considered it a moment. “How long does it take to learn that much?�
�

  “I can’t rightly say.” Reese shifted so he could see the screen door of the store. He caught a flicker of movement, like a skirt swinging. Or maybe it was only Mr. White moving something. He might have listened to hear if anything was said, but Jimmy was intent of discussing his education.

  “I could go just long enough to learn that, I guess.” He considered it a moment. “You think Miss Victoria is gonna be the teacher?”

  “Well, I can’t rightly say. Never thought about it. You think she’d make a good teacher?”

  “Oh yeah. Once she told me about how the President of the United States bought a whole bunch of land from the French and Montana Territory was part of it. Then two guys called Lewis and Clark explored it with the help of some Indians. She made it sound real interestin’. Guess I wouldn’t mind learnin’ stuff like that.”

  So, she had received a good education just as she’d hinted at on Sunday. “It does sound interesting. Maybe I should go to school if she’s teaching.”

  Jimmy whooped at the idea. “You’re too old for schoolin’.”

  “Guess I might be. Besides, I bought a ranch, so I’ll be busy.” Reese stood and leaned his shoulder against the wall, hoping to see more of what was going on inside.

  He might not have been as subtle as he hoped. “You hopin’ to see more of Miss Victoria?”

  “Me? Why do you ask?”

  “’Cause you’re tryin’ to see inside. I’m guessin’ she went in to see her friend Miss Walton, Mrs. White’s sister, you know.”

  “I didn’t, but then I’m new to town.”

  “I think they’re plannin’ somethin’ for the show on Friday. I heard ’em practicin’ some lines when they didn’t know I was nearby.”

  The Friday event grew more and more inviting. But Reese hoped with a little diligence he might find an opportunity before then to speak to Victoria.

  “You comin’ Friday?” Jimmy asked.

  “Sure plan to.”

  Jimmy leaned closer to whisper, “You want me to find out which box lunch is Miss Victoria’s?”

  It was an invitation Reese couldn’t refuse. “I’d appreciate that.”