Reclaimed Love: Banished Saga, Book Two (29 page)

“I imagine you have a beast fierce enough for a Buffalo Bill production.” Gabriel studied Aidan’s horse. “His name matches his coloring. He sure is a pretty horse.”

“Flame is a beauty, although he’s temperamental.” Aidan and Gabriel laughed as they watched the horses.

“I’ll enjoy watching you struggle to control him,” Gabriel said. “Ah, there’s the star.” He traced the mark on his horse’s haunch. Star looked back at him and shifted his behind before settling.

“I told you that he was calm. You couldn’t do that with Flame without threat of losing your teeth.” Aidan took a firm hold of Flame’s bridle. “All you have to do is get on that saddle, and you’ll be fine. Star is a born follower.”

“Are you sure about this?” Gabriel asked, gently petting Star’s nose. Star nickered, nudging Gabriel’s hand in encouragement. Gabriel laughed, enjoying being near the horse. “Ah, I’d forgotten the smell of horses. It’s all their own, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is, and pleasant in its own way.” Aidan smiled as he easily mounted Flame. His horse whinnied and trotted in a circle, tossing his head a few times, trying to throw his bit, but finally calmed. Aidan spoke calmly to Flame, maintaining a firm hand on the reins, patting Flame’s neck a few times, never showing any sign of weakness or fear.

“Gabriel, it will be time for supper by the time you get on that horse.” Aidan gave him a pointed look with feigned impatience.

Gabriel patted Star’s neck and nose once more, and then moved to the left side to the stirrup. He took another deep breath, placed his booted foot in the stirrup, vaulted upward toward the saddle, nearly falling off the other side due to his excessive force. Aidan laughed, Flame raised his head, whinnying in agreement, and Star moved his backside as though concerned about the caliber of his rider for the first time. Gabriel righted himself and looked at his uncle in annoyance.

“I’d like to think I’d be more compassionate to you, Uncle, if I were ever to help you overcome one of your fears,” he hissed. Star moved his hind legs from side to side, so they moved in a circle.

“Relax, Gabriel. He can feel your tension. If you don’t relax, you won’t see more than this paddock.”

“I’m trying, Uncle. It’s harder than I remembered.” He inhaled and forced his body to be limp. Star stopped moving in a circle and focused on Flame. At Aidan’s
click-click
, Star moved toward him.

“Remember my quick lesson to you on the way here, and you’ll be fine. Let’s get a move on. The day is passing us by.”

Aidan turned Flame with an expert flick of his wrist and left the stable. Star, a born follower, trotted after Flame. They walked down Higgins, crossed over the bridge and left the city. There were a few homes on the south side of the bridge, but it was not long before they entered meadows.

The more they rode, the more Gabriel began to understand the beauty of the place. He thought back to the valleys he had seen on his train ride west. He had liked Bozeman’s wide-open valley with numerous distant mountain peaks. The high, windy valley of Deer Lodge had also been pretty, though sparse. As he paused to look around the Missoula Valley and fully appreciate it, he realized that, for him, this was his ideal valley. Plenty of room on the valley floor for farms and for a growing city, with the mountains forming an intimate backdrop.

Gabriel paused, his sweeping glance taking in the untouched mountains, the forests in the distance, the rolling hills leading toward the Bitter Root River. Now, during a rare peaceful moment outside of the town, he understood he had underestimated the wildness of Montana. Everywhere he looked, he saw mountains covered in pine trees, and meadows with wild grasses and flowers blowing in the wind. He heard birdsong, watched swallows flitting about just above his head. The cool, crisp air carried a hint of pine. He inhaled, enjoying the fresh air after the smell of wood smoke in town.

“Isn’t it marvelous, Gabriel?” Aidan asked, settling himself, at ease in his saddle.

“It’s wonderful. I always knew there was a place I yearned to travel to. I can’t believe I actually found it. I’ll have to become a better horseman so I can do this frequently, especially on my days off. Have you learned the names of any of the mountains or valleys, Uncle?”

“All I know is that way leads toward mountains, the Bitter Roots,” Aidan said pointing south. He continued, now pointing north, “And if you go that way, you go to the Mission Mountains and the Flathead area. I hear both sets of mountains are quite majestic. I imagine trying to learn more about the area will be a good conversation to have with the locals at the saloon.”

“Uncle, can you tell me more about my parents?” Gabriel asked as he gave a small
click-click
to spur Star into walking next to Flame.

“What would you like to know, Gabriel?” Aidan asked.

“How did they meet? Why did her family dislike my da?”

“Well, they met at a Peace Jubilee in Boston in 1869. Your father finagled a few hours off of the construction site to be able to go and see what the to-do was about,” Aidan said.

“The Peace Jubilee?” Gabriel asked.

“Oh, it was a grand exhibit and concert put on to celebrate the end of the Civil War. It happened a few years after the conclusion of the War,” Aidan said. “I remember going to the Jubilee. You’ve never seen a building so big or a concert so large. Even just reading about it afterward in the papers was a thrill, but actually attending the Jubilee was unlike anything you could imagine. There were over a thousand people in the band and around ten thousand singers.”

“Surely you exaggerate. How was such a thing possible?”

“Oh, you know Boston. They put their mind to having a grand gesture for peace, and they did,” Aidan stated. “I was too young to fight in the war. Ian could have gone by the end, but he never did. At any rate, everyone knew someone who had died or been maimed, and we all longed to celebrate peace. Your father went and met Geraldine there.” Aidan glanced at Gabriel, smiling. “I’ve never seen a man so smitten in my life.”

“Was my mum as taken with Da?”

“She must have been because she started concocting reasons to meet with your father. I wouldn’t call it lying, but bending the truth for her benefit. Eventually her sister, Patricia, your Aunt Masterson, found out about your father and their meetings, and your father was heartbroken.”

“Why?”

“Well, your mother was of a much higher class, much better educated than he was. Ian had ensured that I continued to go to school, so I received an education, but, to do that, he had to leave school to find work. He could barely read or write. He was a construction laborer, working on the filling project of the Back Bay. Decent work, good-enough pay, but hardly the type of man I imagined the Sanders wanted their daughter to bring home.”

Aidan paused, looking around the valley, watching the birds flying above. He smiled upon hearing the lilting call of a meadowlark. He seemed lost in thought but then turned to Gabriel and met his gaze.

“I imagine Ian thought he’d lost her. But neither of us reckoned on your mother’s stubborn nature. She had decided on Ian, and she was going to have her way.” Aidan smiled at Gabriel.

“Why did Aunt Masterson continue to dislike my da so much?” Gabriel asked.

“Well, I can’t answer for her, but I have an idea. She’s extremely concerned about social standing and appearances. I’ve never seen her equal in that regard, though I imagine there are plenty just like her in Boston. She felt her sister had brought ridicule on the family and had hurt the family’s social aspirations by not marrying well.”

“Why should my mother’s marriage reflect on her?” Gabriel asked.

“You know well enough how society is, what its expectations are. Your mother was expected to make a brilliant match. Instead, she married a poor day laborer for love. Not at all what her family wanted. Her parents never spoke to her again. As far as I know, they never met you three.”

“Until my parents died, I thought Mum’s family had all died,” Gabriel said.

“Well,
they
hadn’t. But for all intents and purposes,
she
had for them. And then she really did die.”

“I can never forgive Aunt Masterson for her treatment of us.”

“That’s your right, Gabriel. I just hope, at some point, you stop thinking about her and focus on your future rather than the past.”

CHAPTER 27

“DO YOU THINK HE’LL BE at the station?” I asked. I attempted to hide my anxiety, but Colin discerned it easily.

We sat facing forward in a fancy Pullman train car. Rows of banquettes large enough for two faced each other, with an aisle of sturdy green carpeting to one side of the train car. I stared at the vacant green velvet seats with mahogany accent detailing across from me, thankful we had a small amount of privacy as we headed toward Missoula. Every other seat in our car was occupied. Colin sat near the large window and stretched out his long legs.

“I hope so. But it’s hard to know if the letter you sent him from Butte will arrive before we do. We were only delayed a few days.”

“I need to see him, Col. I need to know this journey was not in vain.”

“Remember, Rissa, it will never have been in vain because it saved you from Cameron.” He gripped my hand, attempting to encourage me. “I think we should be arriving soon, once we travel through this canyon.”

I closed my eyes, taking deep calming breaths. Colin stared out the window commenting on the passing scenery. The narrow mountain valley covered in thick pine trees. The winding river sparkling in the sunlight. It sounded more inviting that anything I had seen in Butte. I opened my eyes as the train exited the mouth of the canyon and entered a wide valley with a small city at the base of the mountains.

“I think this is it, Clarissa, our new home,” Colin said. “Welcome to Missoula.”

I peered out the window at the wide expanse of open valley and the small town. “Why would Gabriel choose this over Butte?” I whispered.

“I thought you didn’t like Butte?” Colin asked on a chuckle.

“Well, it’s ugly, but at least it’s a city. This is, this is nothing more than a village,” I stammered. “How are we to live in a place so small?”

“As long as Gabriel is here, I am sure you’ll do just fine.”

The train came to a lurching halt at the base of a hill. The long golden-bricked station came into view as I looked out the window. I sat immobile as though carved in granite.

“Rissa, there’s only one way to know,” Colin said as he heaved me to a standing position. He grabbed our day bag and led the way off the train.

The bright sun momentarily blinded me as I descended the stairs. I reached out for Colin’s arm, desperate not to lose contact with the one person I knew in the sea of strangers. We slowly made our way down the platform, peering into one unknown face after another. As we reached the end of the platform, my shoulders slumped, and I collapsed onto a bench.

“Courage, Rissa. I need to see about our trunks. Will you be all right?” he asked as he crouched in front of me.

“What will we do, Col? I was sure he would be here.”

“We’ll find him. Don’t worry.” At that moment he jerked around as though listening attentively to something. “Do you hear that?”

I started to shake my head, but then stilled, closing my eyes to listen better. “Col…”

“Hush.”

“Clarissa! Colin Sullivan!”

I opened my eyes, almost afraid to hope. I stood, peering around the mingling crowds in an attempt to see who sought us.

“Gabriel!” I screamed though I didn’t know where he was. I tried to yell his name again, but I had started crying and no sound came out. Suddenly he was in front of me, his clothes dust-covered and his ebony hair wind-tousled, even more handsome than I remembered. “Gabriel!” I cried, throwing myself into his arms. He gripped me in a tight embrace, a safe haven.

“Clarissa, you brave, crazy woman,” he murmured into my ear, kissing my head a few times, caressing my hair with his big hands. He leaned away, gently wiping away the tears that fell unheeded down my cheeks. “I only just received word that you were to arrive today.” He stared at me and then at Colin with absolute wonder. “I thought…”

“There’s enough time to talk about that,” Colin said. “First, we need to see to our trunks and find a place to stay.”

“Of course,” Gabriel said, although he refused to release me from his embrace as he hugged me again, kissing my hair and resting his cheek against my head. “Colin, the porters are over there.” He nodded to the far side of the platform.

“I’ll be back soon.” Colin smiled the first genuinely happy smile I had seen since we had met in Minneapolis.

“Clarissa, I can’t believe you’re here in my arms.” Gabriel leaned away, framing my face with his hands to study me. “You came to me.”

“I had to,” I whispered. “I yearned…” I couldn’t go on as tears continued to fall. I traced his jaw with my fingers, and he turned into my touch, kissing my palm. I took a moment to study him. “You’re covered in dirt.”

He laughed, gripping my hand. “Yes, I was just on a horseback ride with my uncle. I received your letter when I returned home and came here, afraid I’d be too late.”

“I just hope I’m not too late,” I whispered.

“Clarissa?”

“Well, sir,” the scrawny porter said with a strong slap on Gabriel’s shoulders. “Looks like you really are a ladies’ man.”

“Pardon me?” Gabriel said with a warning note in his voice as I stiffened in his arms.

“You know what folks are talking about. Just remember, polygamy ain’t allowed in these parts,” he said with a grin and a wink.

“It isn’t allowed anywhere in the United States,” Colin said with a frown.

“They might argue with you in parts of Utah,” the porter said with a grin. “Now, where am I taking these trunks?”

“Take them to the Florence,” Gabriel said. “They’ll be there for a few nights at least.”

“Won’t this be an interesting tale to tell my aunt, Mrs. Vaughan?” he called over his shoulder as he began to whistle as he loaded the trunks.

“Gabriel, what did he mean about polygamy?” Colin asked.

“And who is Mrs. Vaughan?” I asked.