Read The Coming Storm Online

Authors: Tracie Peterson

Tags: #ebook, #book

The Coming Storm (47 page)

BOOK: The Coming Storm
11.93Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

He smiled and it warmed her heart. “I give you my pledge of friendship,” he said. “I will honor it always.”

The day after the quarantine was lifted, Hezekiah Bufford headed back to his cabin. His pockets were a bit better lined, thanks to Dianne’s generosity, and he had smoked hams slung on both sides of his mount—an extra thank-you from Koko.

Takes Many Horses left the same morning. He hadn’t said a word to anyone. Without so much as a farewell, he simply vanished— taking his companions’ weapons. Dianne was rather hurt by his disappearance.

“He could have at least said good-bye,” she told Koko as she cleaned the kitchen.

Her aunt looked at her sympathetically. “It hurt him to go— to leave you.”

“To leave me? What about you and the children? I’ve never seen a man so happy to play with little ones.”

Koko smiled, but there was a bittersweet tone to her voice. “Jamie wanted to go with him—to be Blackfoot like his uncle. But my brother spoke with him and then Jamie seemed happy to stay behind.”

“What did George say to him?”

“He told him that he was now the man of our family. That he had a responsibility to take care of me and his sister. That he had two women in his lodge, and that required much bravery and great strength.”

“I can well imagine Jamie is just about to bust a button regarding such matters.”

“He was very proud and even more excited when George gave him his Blackfoot name.”

Dianne finished wiping the counter and turned. “What name did he give him?”

“The translation is Little Man Waits,” Koko said with a smile. “Jamie was very pleased.”

“I can well imagine.” Dianne tried the name on for herself. “Little Man Waits.” She nodded. “Yes, I like it very much. We’ll have to celebrate.”

That night, after the last of the bedding had been burned or washed, Dianne allowed herself the luxury of a hot bath. Cole had helped her by carrying gallons of hot water to the tub upstairs.

“Stay as long as you want,” he told her. “I’ll see to Luke.”

Dianne barely breathed words of thanks before her husband pulled the door closed. Shedding her dressing gown, Dianne sank into the hot water and sighed as it came up over her shoulders. She edged down farther and let her hair soak up water. She felt as though she were washing away the last couple of months and all its misery.

“Mmm,” she sighed. Nothing had ever felt better.

Dianne lost track of the time. She let her mind wander, remembering times when she’d been a girl—back before the war had come and her family had split apart. She remembered a picnic they’d all shared by some pond. The day had been warm and lovely. Trenton and the twins had splashed around in the river, but Dianne had been too afraid to set foot into the water.

“Don’t be a goose, Dianne,”
Morgan had teased.
“You won’t drown. We won’t let you.”

Dianne had been about eight or nine. She couldn’t even remember for sure where they’d been. It might have been on one of the visits to her grandparents; then again, it might have been near the house where they lived before moving to New Madrid.

“You’ll splash water in my eyes,”
she had declared to her brothers,
“and then I won’t be able to see. I’ll get lost.”

“You won’t get lost,”
Trenton had assured her. She trusted Trenton because he always took good care of her. When he’d reached for her hand that day, Dianne had hesitated only a moment.

“You won’t forget me? You won’t leave me by myself?”

He led her to the water, assuring her all the time that he would never let her get any farther away than he could reach. The memory warmed her. Trenton had been true to his word, just as God had been true to His.

He, too, had promised He’d never leave her.

Opening her eyes, Dianne felt the same blessed assurance she’d known as a child wash over her anew. God truly had her safely in His care. He wouldn’t leave her nor forsake her. The momentary worries about tomorrow faded in light of this truth.

With her bath finished, Dianne slipped into her bedroom. The baby slept soundly and Cole relaxed in bed, reading from one of the books he’d picked up in Virginia City. The sight of such a scene filled her with great warmth and pride.

“My husband and baby—this is the finest sight I’ve ever known.”

Cole looked up and smiled. “You’re a pretty good sight yourself, Mrs. Selby.” He put his book on the nightstand, then pulled down the covers from her side of the bed. “Better get in here before you get cold.”

“My hair’s still wet. I should dry it first.”

“Nah. I don’t mind. Come on.”

Dianne’s heart skipped a beat at the look of love on his face. He smiled lazily and winked, patting the mattress beside him. “You’re just plain ornery,” she said, crawling into the bed.

Cole pulled her into his arms, making Dianne feel safer than she’d felt in weeks. “I’ve missed you more than I can say,” Cole began, kissing her damp hair. “I never want to be separated from you like that again.”

“Me either.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. He pressed his mouth against hers. The kiss was long and lingering, blotting out any other thought of speech.

In the morning they both awoke before Lucas did. The dawn was just beginning, and the light was soft and muted. Dianne relished the moments of silence. Just being there—held by her husband before having to face the day and all its problems— somehow gave her strength.

“I love you, you know,” Cole whispered against her ear.

“I should hope so. I would feel mighty uncomfortable being here if you didn’t.”

He chuckled. “Well, you needn’t worry.”

Dianne shifted in his arms to better see her husband’s face. “So much has happened. I’m such a different person from the girl I used to be. There was so much fear in that girl—so many questions. Now, I know there are dangers out there. I heard you talking at dinner about the Indian Wars and the possibility of attack. But I want you to know I’m not afraid. Not anymore.”

“What happened to change your mind?”

Dianne shook her head. “I don’t know. I guess it’s just a part of the process of becoming a woman, trusting God, learning to take one day at a time. I know, without any doubt, that troubles are still coming. I feel it strongly, but I won’t live my life in fear of what might happen. For all I know, the army may well convince the Indians to go back to their reservations. The Sioux and 8 Cheyenne may give up willingly and return to their appointed places. But either way, this is our land—our home. This is the life we’ve chosen for ourselves. We must make a stand—a stand of faith.”

Cole seemed to be considering her words and for a moment said nothing. Then he surprised her by slipping away from her and reaching over to the nightstand drawer. “I have a present for you. I wanted to wait until the right moment, and this seems like the best time.”

He pulled out a small wooden box and handed it to her. “When we were separated these last weeks, all I could think about was how many things seemed to work against us—to keep us apart. My heart was bitter. Then God reminded me that while things had kept us apart, we had stayed together despite all the conflicts and problems that the world could throw our way.”

Dianne smiled. “Yes. It’s all a matter of heart—looking at the good instead of dwelling on the bad.”

Cole opened the box and reached inside. “I bought this ring for you. I’d always felt bad about not having something special to give you when we married. Oh, I know I got you that little gold band, but this is something different. When you look at this, I want you to remember that we are two parts of a whole. That I’m nothing without you. That we belong together.”

Dianne looked at the ring and blinked back tears. It was like nothing she’d ever known. Two perfectly matched garnets were set side by side in a circle of gold.

“They’re each their own stone—but they’re set together, and together they balance the whole. You balance me, Dianne. You give me hope when I’m discouraged, and you make me smile when there seems to be nothing but despair all around me. I want you to know that come what may—no matter the storm— we’ll weather it together.”

Dianne let him put the ring on her finger. It slipped down to rest against her wedding band. She looked into his eyes and found all the love that she would ever need.

“Come what may,” she whispered, knowing in her heart that with this man by her side, tomorrow didn’t seem nearly so frightening.

BOOK: The Coming Storm
11.93Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

Other books

High Lonesome by Coverstone, Stacey
Country by Danielle Steel
Tide of Fortune by Jane Jackson
Black Sheep by Na'ima B. Robert
Starlight Christmas by Bonnie Bryant
Night Music by John Connolly
Dreams: Part Two by Krentz, Jayne Ann
Eppie by Robertson, Janice