Blossoms of Love (61 page)

Every time the snow stopped and began to melt a little, it would snow again. January came and Robbie was seven years old. Then a few weeks later, Jimmy had his eleventh birthday. Some of the Ellmans were there to help Barbara and Sara every day.

As Carolyn and Ellen stood out on the front porch watching the men leave to look for Lamont Carolyn said, “It’s looking like snow again.” Ellen said, “I know. I’ve been watching the clouds. What does Dave think? He knows Monty better than even Monty’s brothers, does he think Monty is still alive?” Carolyn sighed, “He keeps trying to convince himself that Monty is but in the back of his mind, he believes he’s dead.” Ellen cried, “He’s got to come back. Not only for the boys and Barbara, for us too. Johnny can’t eat or sleep now.” Carolyn said, “A lot depends on Monty coming back. There’s Mom Ellman. Can she stand loosing another child? There’s Dave, he will never be the same. He revolves his life around Monty just as much as he does me and the children.”

The men were gone all day. This time, they made it to the miners cabin. There was no sign of life there or didn’t look it had been for a very long time. They were sure Lamont had made it to the cabin. They were all very sad when they got back home.

As David, Monty’s brothers, and Jesse sat around the table drinking coffee and talking, it was plain there was no more hope. Berry said, “There is only one more place he could be. He could be at the head of devil’s canyon.” Leon said, “If he is, nobody could live up there with the snow we’ve had this winter.” Allen said, “There’s two large caves and Monty knows where they are.” Johnny said, “It will be spring before we can get up there.”

That was the end of the hunt until spring. It would be the last of April or the first of May before they could hunt for Monty.

April the snow began to melt on the ranch but they knew it hadn’t in the mountains. David and Jesse missed Monty on the range. It seemed that things just didn’t go as smoothly with him gone.

The last week in April, Susan gave birth to a six pound boy. Johnny quit his job in town and worked on the ranch helping David and Jesse. Johnny had changed. He was quieter and worked alone most of the time. Jimmy and Robbie were adjusting to not having Lamont around. Barbara tried to stay busy all the time. The nights were terrible for her. She would wake up in the night and go to the window and look out. She would sit in the kitchen and drink coffee and listen for footsteps.

The first week in May, the wind shifted from the north to the south east. The men decided they would wait three days and then start the hunt. They knew that they would have to take Jimmy with them because if they didn’t he would follow them anyway.

The next day when Jimmy finished cleaning the stables, Jesse and were still on the range. He sat down on a stump of a tree and looked towards the mountains. There was no snow here but the mountains still had a lot of snow. Jimmy had decided not to go with them tomorrow, because if they found him frozen to death, Jimmy knew he couldn’t take that. He got up and looked towards the mountains again. Far in the distance, he saw a horse. He decided it was a stray coming home. He went to the stables and closed the doors. Then he started to the house. He looked back towards the mountains. The horse was closer. He wasn’t coming fast, just at a steady pace. Soon he could see there was a rider on the horse. It wasn’t Jesse or David, it was in the wrong direction. Jimmy sighed, “He must be a hunter lost.” Jesse and David rode up from behind Jimmy. As they got off their horse David asked, “Have you got those stables good and clean?” Jimmy said, “Yes sir.” They opened the door to one of the stables. Jesse said, “You did a good job son.” David took his saddle off his horse, “He always does a good job.” Jimmy said, “When school is out, I’ll clean all the saddles.” David said, “That will be a good job for you and Robbie, but a little later you and Freddie will work on the range.” Jimmy said, “There’s a rider coming this way. He must be a hunter who got lost. He should be here by now.” David said, “He isn’t suppose to be hunting on this land.” David and Jesse went outside. The rider was almost to the stables. The man was dirty and had a long beard and mustache. David started to him as he was getting off his horse. The man said, “I thought I’d get a better welcome than this.” David said, “I’ll be damned! It’s Monty.” Jimmy got to him first. Lamont picked him up in his arms and hugged him close, “Hello son.” Jimmy cried, “Dad---Dad!” David threw his arms around Lamont and he cried too. Then Jesse with tears in his eyes welcomed Lamont. David said, “If you didn’t have that damn beard I’d kiss you.” Jesse asked, “Are you alright?” Lamont said, “I’m fine. I guess I’ve lost a few pounds and I know I don’t smell good. Jimmy take my horse and unsaddle him and feed him. I want to see Barbara and Robbie.”

As they walked to the house David said, “We made lots of trips trying to find you but we never could get past Hells Bluff.” Lamont said, “You’re lucky you got that far but even if you had went on up, you wouldn’t have found me. I was in devil’s canyon. I spent the winter in the big cave.” Jesse said, “That’s what Berry said.”

Sara met them at the door. She hugged and kissed Lamont. Sara said, “Monty it is so good to be home and see you here.” Lamont said, “It’s good to be here. Just don’t cook any rabbit for a long time. I had a daily diet of rabbit. I got one small deer.”

Just as Lamont was going to ask where Robbie was, he came in the kitchen with a ball in his hand. When he saw Lamont, he just looked at him. Lamont looked like a mountain man or a hermit. His feet were wrapped in deer skin all the way to his knees and he had a poncho that he wore over his clothes. His face was covered with a thick beard and mustache and his hair was long on his shoulders. Lamont said, “Robbie, it’s Daddy. I’ve come home son.” Robbie knew his voice and ran to him saying, “Daddy—Daddy!” The young boy hugged him tight, then he asked, “What’s that smell?” Lamont laughed, “It’s five months of wilderness son.” Lamont looked around, “Where is Barbara?” Everyone was so excited they had forgotten about her. Sara said, “She’s upstairs in Jimmy’s room putting up new curtains.” Robbie said, “I’ll go tell Mom.” Lamont said, “No, let me surprise her.” Lamont got to the door and said, “I’ll take a bath and then I want you all to fill me in on everything.”

Lamont went upstairs and when he got to the door of Jimmy’s room, he saw Barbara standing on a small ladder putting up curtains. He said, “The curtains are crooked.” Without turning around she asked, “Which way----?” Then she looked around. For a split second she wasn’t sure who he was, but it was his voice. Barbara came down off the ladder, “Monty!” He took her in his arms. She cried and tears came in his eyes. He said, “Hello babe.” She kissed him over and over. She clung to him. He chuckled, “I don’t think you even mind the smell.” Barbara said, “Darling I don’t mind it at all.” Lamont kissed her on the forehead, “There were a few times when it was snowing so hard, I wondered when I would see you again. I talked to my horse. I kept him in the cave with me.” She still clung to him, “Life is just plain hell without you.” He teased, “Now you’ll now to appreciate me.” He turned her loose and said, “Now I’m going downstairs to our bathroom. Instead of a shower, I’m gonna get in a tub of hot water and soak.” Barbara said, “I’ll go with you.” Lamont said, “Go ahead and get the curtains up.” She gave him another quick kiss, “It won’t take me long.” Lamont said as he started out the door, “Raise the left side up about two inches.”

In about an hour and a half, Lamont came in the kitchen looking like his old self. The beard and mustache were gone. Of course, the smell was too. The two boys sat at the table with Jesse and David. Lamont sat down between them. Barbara said, “Your mother will be here in just a few minutes. All the others will be here later, except Johnny and Ellen. They won’t be here.” Lamont said, “I want them to come too.” Lamont got up and went to the phone and called them.

When he got back to the table he said, “They will be here.” David said, “Monty I don’t see how you did it.” Lamont said, “You didn’t give up on me did you?” David said, “When we didn’t see any sign of anyone being at the cabin I guess I did.” Lamont said, “There were times if I hadn’t had my horse to talk to, I think I would have lost my sanity. Me and that old gal became very good friends. When that first snow blizzard came, I knew I’d be there all winter. I even lost track of time.” David said, “You came back on May the second.” Lamont said, “The snow isn’t melting very much. I left at day light. Once or twice I thought I’d have to turn back. I was tired to talking to myself or to my horse.”

It wasn’t long until the house was full of the family. Everyone wondered what Lamont would do when he and Johnny met. Well, there wasn’t much to it. Johnny told Lamont how sorry he was. Lamont even asked about Susan.

So the Ellman family was like they use to be. That night when Lamont went upstairs to tuck the boys in Jimmy said, “Dad, I’m all mixed up.” Lamont asked, “Can I help?” Jimmy sighed, “Why do you care what Uncle Johnny and Aunt Ellen do?” Lamont said, “It’s very simple. Johnny is my oldest brother. We’ve always been very close. Jimmy said, “But Dad, they did you wrong.” Lamont said, “There’s an old say I’ve heard all my life. Blood is thicker than water. I love Johnny. I’m not saying he was right. He should have found out the truth before he came over. I think Johnny has suffered for it. Susan was still a kid. She acted in a kids way.” Lamont kissed Jimmy on the forehead, “If Robbie did something to you, would you put him out of your life?” Jimmy said, “No, I couldn’t do that.” Lamont gave him a wink, “Good night Jim.”

That night when Lamont got in the bed beside his wife, he gently pulled her in his arms, “Umm—baby I haven’t had you in my arms in five months. Love me baby.” Barbara said, “Love me too darling.” The first time they made love, their climax came fast. Then about day break, they made love again. Barbara said, “If I live to be a hundred, you’ll still excite me and I’ll wonder how Barbara Ellman ever hooked a Greek God.”

That summer, Lamont took the boys to the mountains for a week of camping. He taught them how to survive in the mountains. They enjoyed every minute they were there.

Three years passed. All the Ellman children were growing up. David and Carolyn’s oldest child was almost seventeen. Johnny and Ellen’s oldest boy, Dennis, was already seventeen. Berry’s adopted girls were teenagers. Leon’s boy was in his teens, Allen’s daughter was in her early teens. Jimmy was fourteen now. He was almost as tall as Lamont and looked very much like Natalie. He was a very handsome boy. Robbie was ten and he was going to be a very handsome man.

Jimmy worked in the summer on the range just like the hired men. Jimmy liked the ranch. Lamont knew he would want to stay on it when he finished school. It was hard to tell about Robbie yet.

The next year, right after Jimmy’s fifteenth birthday, Lamont had a bad siege of the fever. He was out of his head for three days. Barbara sat by his side constantly. When he came out of his fever, he was very weak and tired.

The next day while Barbara was sitting by his bed darning socks, Lamont said, “Put those things down for a minute. I want to talk to you.” She put her things in a small basket, “Alright darling, I’m listening.” Lamont was very serious, “I’m not gonna make it this time Barb.” Barbara said, “Sure you will. It will just take a little bit longer.” He took her hand in his, “Just in case I don’t, I want you to know you’ve given me the best years of my life. I’ve really been happy with you. We’ve had a lot of troubles but we always came through because the blossoms of our love never died. I love you babe, always remember that.” Barbara said, “I will always love you too darling. Now stop talking like this. We will be here together on our fiftieth anniversary.”

David came in to see Lamont before he went home from the stables. Barbara said, “Since you’re here Dave, I’ll go help Sara.” David sat down by the bed, “How you doing bud?” Lamont said, “Not too well. I’m not gonna make it this time, Dave. I want you to promise me to help Barbara when I’m gone. Jimmy is only fifteen. He needs a few more years before he can be the man of the house. Robbie is only eleven and will be hard to handle when he gets older. You have to key to our safety deposit box. I’m tired Dave. I’m not afraid to die.” David said, “Hey bud, don’t talk like this.” Lamont smiled, “You are another brother to me.” David said, “You’re the brother I never had.” Lamont said, “We’ve been together a long time.” David said, “Almost thirty years.” David could see Lamont was very tired. He got up, “I’ll be back later when I get cleaned up and eat supper. We’ll talk about old times.” Lamont smiled, “That sounds great.”

When David was gone, Barbara looked in on Lamont and he was sleeping. She decided to let him sleep for a while before she took his supper to him. Two hours later she went back and he was still asleep. She went over to his bed, “Monty old sleepy head, You’ve got to eat something.” He didn’t move. She took his hand and it was lifeless and felt cold. She leaned over and kissed his lips and that was when she knew Lamont was dead. She screamed, “No—no, Monty Ellman don’t you dare leave me.”

Jesse, Sara, and the boys came running in the room. Jesse looked into Lamont’s eyes and said, “Sara, you better call Dr. Morris. Monty is dead.”

David came in the back door to have his talk with Lamont when he hard the screaming and crying. He hurried to the bedroom. Barbara said, “He’s dead. My Monty is gone.”

Jimmy was glad Monty had talked to him before supper and Robbie talked to him after supper yesterday.

Barbara was glad it was spring because she was going to bury him on the mountain. The place he showed her. It’s on his land.

Lamont Ellman died at the age of forty four. The funeral was at Allen’s church. It was so crowded that people couldn’t find even standing room. Barbara sat between her two sons. The four brothers, David, and Jesse carried him in the church and would carry him on the mountain. Allen got up to say a few words after another preacher made a talk. Allen said, “Lamont Ellman was a fine man. He was also my brother and friend. When he was in the Navy, he helped get me through college. He also helped my brother Paul get an education so he could become a doctor. As most everyone here knows, he has helped the young people of this town. Lamont Ellman will be missed by us all. I will miss him. I will miss his love and advice. I went to him many times for advice. He was a very wise person. He served his country with pride. He was a prisoner of war for two years and was ready to lay down his life for his country.” Allen looked over at the casket covered with an American flag. Tears came in his eyes as he said, “Rest brother, God will place many crowns on your head. I love you.”