Echoes of the Heart (38 page)

           
Raeden
sped to the unmistakable figure of Craig, more handsome than she had
remembered, disembarking.
 
He opened arms
to enfold her in a welcome embrace.
 
Only
two years his senior, they had always been close.
 
His tall stature along with black hair and
golden hazel eyes allowed him many admiring young ladies to choose from, also a
tad conceited and rakish, which she thought added to his charm.

Her words sounded
staccato and rattled.
 
“I have missed you
Craig, and how is the family?
 
I’m so
anxious to see them.”

           
Craig
gazed into her face and focused on the scar.
 
“It’s good to see
you
,
Rae.
 
What happened to your face?”

           
She
began the lies.
 
“I just took a fall
riding.
 
It’s nothing serious.”
 
He picked up his suitcase and held her hand
with the other.
 
“Tell me everything.
 
How is the baby?”

           
They
strode to the buggy where Mike waited.
 
“He’s growing so fast, healthy and strong.
 
Tom and Margaret think him the most handsome
baby in the world and of course Mother dotes on him constantly.”
 
He tossed in his luggage, shook hands with
Mike, and made small talk while he helped Raeden to her seat.
 
“I will never complain about the cold in St.
Louis after being out here.”

           
Raeden
smiled at Mike.
 
“They have cold hard
winters in the Dakotas.”
 
Mike gave her a
wink.

           
Craig
turned serious and lowered his voice.
 
“Rae, there is something important I need to discuss before we
leave.
 
It may make a difference in your
decision.”

           
Raeden
grew antsy when he paused.
 
“What is it,
Craig?
 
You seem so solemn.
 
What’s wrong?”

           
He
drew in a breath.
 
“I need to let you
know Cyn has been seeing Chris.
 
It’s
looking serious.
 
She asked me to tell
you she had planned on writing.
 
I hope
you won’t be upset.
 
It’s just one of
those things, you know.”
 
She let out a
sigh of relief, her mouth curving into a smile.
 

           
Truly
happy for her sister, Christopher would make a good husband.
 
Their personalities would compliment each
other.
 
Cynthia’s mild manner and sweet
disposition perfect for Christopher.
 
Since Cash, she knew she would never have been happy without passion, if
she ever decided to wed.
 
In addition,
her attraction to Cash certainly fell into the category of ‘just one of those
things’.

           
“It’s
marvelous Craig.
 
I’m happy for them
both; they will make a great couple.
 
I’m
far too willful and independent for a man like Christopher and I can be quite a
bitch.”

           
Craig
stared at his sister, a crooked grin on his face and they burst out laughing
aware of the truth of her statement while Mike joined in.

           
“I
will give Cyn my blessing as soon as we arrive.”
 
She plopped her hands in her lap.
 
“Will they be married?”

           
“We
are all expecting an engagement when she finishes school next summer.”
 

           
She could come to New York and I will design
something special for her and the wedding party.

           
On
the trip, she explained in detail all her objectives relating to the design
enterprise.
 
Both agreed their mother
would be appalled at the idea but their father would be understanding as
always, and wish her his best.

           
Diane
welcomed Craig with open arms and an early Thanksgiving dinner with all the
trimmings, prepared by Sadie, ended the visit with flare.
 
Raeden departed the house for the last time
with all of her belongings packed in the wagon with Mike, Raeden and Diane in
the buggy and Craig riding Arte for the final trek into town.
 
Never would be too soon if she ever saw this
wretched unforgiving country again.

           
Waiting
to bid farewell to Raeden, townspeople crowded the platform.
 
She could hardly believe so many—it seemed
most of the town—had come out to see her off.
 
Her girlfriends, folks from church, acquaintances from town, clients,
even Jenny the little orphan girl and her new parents.
  
Jesse, Watts, Chad, Jimmy, Wayne and John
all gathered with well wishes while her tears flowed in a steady stream.

           
Craig
stood beside her after loading Arte.
 
“My
God, Rae, it looks like the whole town showed up.
 
Are you a celebrity or something?”

           
Raeden
dabbed her watery eyes.
 
“They are
friends.”
 
She would never forget this
special day if she lived to be one hundred.

           
The
train huffed black acrid smoke and cinders into the air, a gigantic steel
dragon ready to fly.
 
She waved through
the window at her flock of friends until they disappeared into the horizon then
settled in next to Craig.

           
The
stark white scenery did not alter through South Dakota and Nebraska.
 
The land icy and barren and the clack of
steal over rails became almost mesmerizing until the train lurched, jarring
passengers nearly out of their seats.

           
Curious
travelers crowded to the windows of the train when the ponderous locomotive
shrieked to a stop.
 
A rumbling
vibration, the unmistakable sound of sharp hooves escalating to a deafening
thunder, shook the car like a violent earthquake while clouds of snow,
miniature crystals whirled in torrents from the icy ground.

           
Seconds
later, the enormous prehistoric forms of bison, dinosaurs of the plains, came
into view by the thousands.
 
Long shaggy
coats with manes, dark pennants plastered against thick hide, tore across the
tracks on their migration across the prairie.
 
The awesome numbers left Raeden stunned.
 
Could this be the last epic herd in existence
after the useless slaughter by buffalo hunters slaying the wooly beasts into
extinction leaving an empty hole on the earth?

           
The
vibration gradually subsided and the herd slowly disappeared into the far
horizon, a shadow on the mind.

           
The
disembarked crew labored through the night repairing damaged sections of track
while the travelers looked on from the car windows.
 
Able passengers, including Craig, volunteered
their assistance.
 
In order to keep warm
the men stood in shifts around a large fire along side the broken rails.
 
Sparks fluttered upward and the glow
reflected the workers’ silhouettes.
 
Raeden changed into her riding garb and bundled for the elements to help
carry steaming pots of coffee to the cold and weary men.
 

           
Chilled
to the bone and tired from lack of sleep, Raeden returned to her stateroom and
collapsed onto her bed, finding sleep elusive despite her weariness.
 
A sudden tinge of loneliness crept into her
chest and she began to think again of Cash.

How she wished the
circumstance of their separation had been different.
 
Had he felt being with a defiled woman too
discomforting to endure?
 
She would much
rather they had parted friends instead of adversaries after he pushed her into
the impossible situation he had concocted, forcing her against her will into an
absurd pretense
he
called a marriage.

           
Even
after all that had happened, why could she not rid herself of this torment, the
aching need inside when her thoughts wandered and the itch in every nerve of
her body, pinpricks to remind her of what they once had shared?

           
Once
again, as so many times since they had met, she forced her mind into a
different place, thinking about her goals.

Forty-two

The bright lights
of St. Louis greeted Raeden.
 
Her heart
raced with excitement standing near the exit waiting for the train to slow to a
stop.
 
Everything looked so familiar—the
houses nestled together at a distance to avoid the noise near the train stop
and tall stacks of refineries along the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers.

The small group of
greeters on the platform, paled in comparison to the send off from
Chamberlain.
 
Her greeting party included
her brother Tom, his wife Margaret with the new baby in her arms, Cynthia and
her father.
 
Not surprised, her mother
appeared to be absent.
 
Sophia was most
likely at home overseeing a huge dinner party, one of her greatest joys.

Craig jumped out
to assist Raeden to the wooden platform.
 
She held out her arms to grasp the new baby, Thomas Jr. bundled snuggly
in blankets to ward off the cold.
 
Raeden
glanced to Tom and Margaret feeling the proud aunt.
 
“He is so beautiful; just look at his little
face.
 
He looks just like you, Thomas.”

Margaret agreed
while Tom held the infant so Raeden and his wife could hug each other.
 
Raeden had always liked Margaret, a petite
brunette with a slim figure and enough spunk to keep Tom in line.

Bobbing with
excitement, Cynthia spread her arms to Raeden, radiating enthusiasm.
 
“I have been counting the days for your
return.”
 
She had added maturity since
Raeden left and once the same height, she now appeared a bit taller.
 
A stunning face and figure completed the
picture of a real beauty.

“It’s wonderful to
see you and I hear there is a blooming romance.
 
Craig told me all about it and I’m so happy for you Cyn, and
Christopher, of course.”
 
Relief washed
over Cynthia’s face while they hugged again.

Her father stepped
in to welcome his daughter.
 
She nestled
against him, her cheek upon his chest.
 
She adored her father. He gave Raeden a bear hug then pulled back to
look at her.
 
“What happened to your
face, my little daredevil?”

“It is nothing,
Father.
 
It will fade, just a little
riding accident.”
 
She changed the
subject to avoid further scrutiny.
 
“Where is Mother?
 
Let me guess,
she is home putting together the finishing touches on a dinner party.”

“Well let’s not
keep her waiting.
 
She’s anxious to see
you.”

St. Louis would
soon display Christmas decorations, the stores all decked out ready for the
shoppers and street vendors serving hot drinks, Austrian waffles and warm
roasted chestnuts.
 
The festivities along
with her birthday always revved Raeden’s spirits.
 
She loved to shop for special gifts and this
year with her new nephew, it would be even more enjoyable.

Riding in the
family’s double seat wagon, Craig alongside on Arte, she snuggled Tom Jr. in
her arms, brushed her lips across his soft feathery curls.
 
Her eyes misted when her mind touched on the
child she and Cash lost.
 
She hoped to
spend a few days with Tom and Margaret giving her time to dote on the
downy-haired, bright-faced little boy.

A soft cover of
snow powder sparkled on rooftops, trees and landscaped yards, a far cry from
the dunes in South Dakota whipped by fierce winds.
 
The welcome sight of the clean-lined house of
her childhood with its neatly pruned gardens and modern amenities brought back
memories.
 
When she stepped into the
foyer, the aroma of food cooking made her hungry.

Memories of
running outdoors in the sun with her siblings, long rides with Arte in the lush
green fields and her mother’s elegant meals made her feel younger than the
twenty-two years she would turn this Christmas, a double celebration.
 
She recalled swimming in the nearby pond and
climbing trees to hide from her siblings and seek some peace and quiet, reading
fashion magazines and eating fruit straight from the tree.

She bolted into
the house in search of her mother and held her close.
 
The sweet fragrance of her mother’s signature
perfume gently scented the air.
 
Sophia
held Raeden at arms length and gazed over her daughter.
 
Lips turned downward and her eyes slanted in
disapproval, “Rae, you have gotten too thin and what happened to your
face?
 
I suppose you indulged in some
form of man’s work out in that cowboy country.”
 
She ran a fingertip softly over the narrow pink line.