Chapter 34

 

Two months later

August 2, 1876

The grandstands at Prospect Park were packed with gaily dressed townsfolk and visitors from parts far and wide—a jubilant crowd whose loud discourse made it hard for Grace to hear what Clare was saying to her.

“Let’s get closer,” Clare said, tugging on Grace’s arm and jostling her parasol that blocked out the hot summer sun. “I want to hear the mayor’s speech.”

Grace turned and shrugged at Monty, who wove through the pressing crowd behind her, Ben in his arms, working to keep up with the ladies. Eli and LeRoy marched behind him, dressed in new dark trousers and starched white tailored shirts, chatting about horses, from what Grace could tell.

How handsome Monty looked in his three-piece tan linen suit, the first time she’d seen him dressed up since they’d been reunited. But everyone in the crowd wore their finest, and she loved the feel of the taffeta petticoats lifting her soft pale-green silk skirts as she swished ahead of Monty. Clare wore a lovely indigo-blue dress with pearl buttons that Grace had made for her, and light sparkled on the diamond engagement ring on Clare’s finger.

She thought about Clare’s upcoming fall wedding and was glad she would be here to celebrate with her friend. Since she’d quit her job at the dress shop, Grace had had plenty of time to work on Clare’s wedding dress, as well as make Monty and Ben new clothes. She was amazed at how quickly Ben was growing—tall and strong, just like his father.

“Here’s a good spot,” Clare declared, stopping a dozen feet behind the raised dais upon which a large contingent of colorfully dressed musicians played brightly sounding brass instruments and booming drums, announcing the mayor’s arrival upon the larger stage to the right. Mayor Ben Whedbee walked to the front of the stage and waved his arms to quiet the crowd.

Monty came alongside Grace and wrapped his arm around shoulder, careful to keep Ben’s wiggly fingers out of her perfectly coiffed hair that she’d spent an hour working into pins and combs and that now sat under her feathered green felt bonnet. She looked into Monty’s eyes, so grateful he’d been returned to her—along with all the precious memories they’d shared. Although, she knew that even if Monty hadn’t recalled them all, he’d have never lost the deep love he held for her that was trapped in his heart. And as sad as she might have been if Monty lost those special times they’d shared, they had their whole future ahead of them to create new memories. All that mattered was that they were together again, finally. She’d held on to hope, and the Lord had made a way.

“Ladies and gentlemen. Visitors to Fort Collins, I welcome you on this very grand and special day for the great state of Colorado!”

The mayor raised his arms as deafening cheers erupted from the hundreds of onlookers. Grace looked at the radiant faces around her, and felt the hope and pride surge in ripples across the crowd. Eli stood with his arm entwined with Clare’s, LeRoy next to him, and they all listened in rapt attention as the mayor recounted a brief history of Colorado Territory and its entrance into the union the day prior—as the thirty-eighth state.

“We stand upon the threshold of a new era,” the mayor yelled out to the crowd in the sweltering heat of the summer morning, his voice amplified by the large megaphone stationed before him. “This new great state of Colorado with its 150,000 citizens has a prosperous future ahead. Gone are the days of war, of perilous danger on the Front Range. With the advent of the railway, thousands more are flocking to Colorado—and to our quiet little town of Fort Collins—seeking a new life, new hope. And here they will find it . . .”

As the mayor spoke under a clear blue sky, cheers erupted amid blasts of triumphant music from the band.

Grace caught a glimpse of Monty from the corner of her eye. He was smiling broadly and listening, nodding his head. Grace thought about the ordeal they’d been through over the last year, and already the pain and heartache was fading into the past. Their love had been challenged by every possible tragedy and danger, yet it had not only survived but thrived.

She rested a hand on her flat stomach and smiled, knowing soon she wouldn’t be able to fit in any of her dresses or skirts—presently her little secret. She would have to get back to her sewing, even though she’d been too busy decorating their new brick house in town, which they’d purchased partly from the money Monty had saved from working, with the rest coming from the unexpected boon of nearly two thousand dollars given them as part of the reward for the capture of the last two members of the Dutton Gang. Another five hundred had been found in Stella’s—Lenora Dutton’s, she corrected—bags that had been tied to her horse’s saddle the day she’d ridden off to meet with the outlaws. The day she’d planned to have me and Ben murdered, Grace reminded herself with a twinge of ire.

But she harbored no ill feelings for Lenora, for, as Monty said, if it hadn’t been for her actions, Grace would never have seen Monty ever again. She wondered what kind of childhood had made Lenora turn out so selfish and greedy, which made Grace grateful that her loving aunt had raised her and given her a home after her parents died. She was blessed to have had such an upbringing. And now, she could give Ben the very best. Not just a comfortable pretty house in a sweet Western town with a brand-new schoolhouse. More than that—more than anything the town had to offer—Ben had his father to raise him and teach him how to be honorable, kindhearted, and faithful. And with Monty as a father, she knew Ben would grow to be an upstanding man of God. She was so glad she wouldn’t have to raise her boy to bear the hurtful gossip and mean names he might have been called had she raised him alone.

Grace smiled as she recalled Charity’s shocked face when she heard the story Monty told her that morning they’d come into town after their ordeal. The Franklins had listened in horror as Monty recounted the perils they’d endured in the mountains, and how the outlaws had been killed. Grace had chuckled thinking of all the grist for the gossip mill Monty was giving Charity Franklin. But she didn’t care. Charity and Tildie and all the busybodies of Fort Collins could gossip all they liked. Their words would just slide over her head, like the waves of a river over smooth rocks.

Eli wormed his way over to Grace’s side while the mayor continued his speech. He had to practically yell to be heard.

“Ma wants us all to come over for supper after the celebration. She’s fixin’ her special prairie stew.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “And she wants to see that baby of yours again, Grace.” He made a funny face that she couldn’t quite interpret. And then he added, “She’s been remindin’ me how long she’s been waitin’ for some grandbabies. Maybe if she sees yours more often, she’ll lay off houndin’ me.”

Monty chuckled and Grace said, “She’s not the only one who’ll be hounding you for babies. You know Clare wants a passel of them.”

Eli threw back his head and groaned. “Well, so long as she takes care of all the laundry and feedin’, I’m fine with it. It’ll be fun teachin’ those rascals how to ride and rope.”

“If they turn out anything like Clare, they’ll be fine riders,” Monty said evenly, not a hint of mirth on his face.

Eli gave Monty a playful slug. “Thanks a lot, pal.”

Monty laughed. He and Grace had watched the team roping at the Greeley One Hundred Grand centennial celebration last month, and they had been astonished at Clare’s riding ability. But who wouldn’t be? She beat out all the competitors for every blue ribbon, wearing her “Calamity Jane” leather jacket and fringed skirt. The cowboys were none too pleased either, but Clare didn’t care, and Eli gloated over her like he’d won the best prize of all. And he had. He’d won Clare’s heart.

“I brought the big wagon to town—so’s we kin all ride together back to the ranch after this here mayor finishes speakin’,” Eli said. “How’s that sound?”

Monty questioned Grace with a look. She nodded, thinking back to Sarah’s disturbing pronouncements. How she’d told Grace not to give up hope, and then told her sons to go find the Fort Collins sheriff and offer their help. She warned them there’d be danger, and how right she was. Yet, they hadn’t hesitated to risk their life to save her—a woman they hardly knew.

Grace looked over at Eli and LeRoy, and another surge of gratitude filled the well of her heart. Not many would risk their lives to save someone they loved, and even fewer for someone they barely knew. Sarah’s sons were men of great integrity, courage, and honor.

She glanced at Monty, who caught her gaze and squeezed her closer. But no man has greater courage and honor than this one—my sweet, dear Monty. She recalled how he’d dived into the river without a second of hesitation upon seeing Ben floundering. He’d had no thought for his own safety. This was the Monty she’d fallen in love with, and even though he’d forgotten his past, the tragedy that had erased his memories had not erased the man and all he was. Another thing to thank the good Lord for.

She sent up yet another prayer of thanks to heaven, picturing it floating skyward on the light breeze that drifted across the wide-open rangeland. From where she stood, she saw the miles and miles of prairie with its prickly pear cactus and dry, untamed land that herds of wild horses and miles of wild rivers crossed unhindered. She pictured the thousands of people who would pour into Fort Collins in upcoming years on shiny new locomotives, smokestacks puffing steam into the bright Colorado air with the majestic snow-capped Rocky Mountains glistening in the distance.

She hadn’t wanted to come west, she recalled. Monty had spent weeks convincing her a wonderful new life awaited them on the Front Range. If they’d stayed back in Illinois, none of the tragic things they’d endured would have befallen them.

Yet, if they hadn’t come out west, they wouldn’t be standing here now, their love so greatly deepened, their ordeals having entwined their hearts even tighter together—such that Grace couldn’t imagine anything in heaven or on earth that could ever tear them asunder. And she never would have met Clare and Eli and LeRoy. Or Marcus Coon and Sheriff Love and his deputies, who had risked their lives to save her.

She’d worried that the West was full of dangerous, hurtful characters—and it was. She’d found Fort Collins to be a town full of small-minded, insensitive gossipers. But it was also a place filled with unselfish people who wanted nothing more than to live in peace with their neighbors and treat them with kindness and respect. She was proud to be a citizen of the burgeoning new town of Fort Collins. She looked forward to raising her children here, knowing the West had more to offer than tornados, outlaws, avalanches, and floods.

For it offered hope. And when you held on to hope, nothing and no one could wrest it from your grasp. It anchored you against all the raging elements that sought to sweep you away.

The band suddenly struck up a loud Sousa march, and the hundreds of citizens in the crowd let out loud cheers, the men throwing their hats in the air and the children dancing around in joy.

A man pushed through the crowd toward her, and Grace recognized Alan Patterson, the shy courthouse clerk. A week or so after Grace and Monty had reunited, Sheriff Love had told them how Mr. Patterson had found the satchel that contained their papers and Grace’s wedding ring. Through his caring effort, they’d learned Stella’s true identity. Grace had gone over to the courthouse and thanked the clerk for his kindness, and he’d flustered at her gratitude. He was yet another kind neighbor she’d come to value.

“Mr. Patterson,” Grace said warmly, “so good to see you.” Monty shook the clerk’s hand, and the two men exchanged pleasantries.

“A momentous occasion, isn’t it?” Alan said to them, gesturing to the stage, where the band played one lively march after another. Some of the townsfolk now headed back to their wagons and horses, men chatting together in amiable conversation and women with colorful bonnets and parasols tending to their children and babies. Others congregated around the long tables full of platters of food behind the stage. Grace caught sight of Charity speaking to Tildie, the women’s eyes riveted on Monty as he hoisted Ben up on his shoulders. When they spotted her staring at them, they pasted on neighborly smiles and stopped speaking. Grace chuckled and turned her attention back to Alan.

“It is quite the historic moment,” Grace answered. “Now that Colorado is a state in the union, it doesn’t feel all that wild anymore.”

“Oh no?” Monty asked, his eyebrows raised, as if he meant to remind her of all they’d been through in the last year. Ben bounced excitedly on his father’s shoulders, and Grace was grateful her baby hadn’t suffered from the trauma of kidnapping and near drowning and deadly exposure up in the mountains. She sighed. She had so much to be grateful for.

“Huh,” Grace said in a tease. “It feels downright civilized to me.” She turned to the clerk. “What do you think, Mr. Patterson? Has the wild gone out of the West in Colorado?”

“Not by a long chalk, Mrs. Cunningham.” He added, “But it’s a start. Once the railroad comes into town, I reckon Fort Collins will become the gem of the West. Not a whole lot o’ places prettier than this spot on God’s green earth.”

His gaze shifted to the pristine white-topped mountains west of the park that ran north and south as far as Grace could see, fronted by amber fields of undulating wheat. It truly was a breathtaking sight—one she would have never witnessed had she remained in flat Illinois. Although, after her horrific ordeal, she’d content herself with staying on the Front Range and gazing at the beautiful Rockies from afar.

“It’s a new beginning for this territory,” Alan said. Then he gave Grace a sweet knowing look. “And new beginnings are full of hope.”

A pretty pert young woman in a bright yellow-and-brown calico dress walked up and stood beside Mr. Patterson, holding two tall glasses of lemonade in her hand. She offered one to him and said in a Southern drawl, “Alan, here you are. I wondered where you’d gone off to.” She entwined her arm around his, her action causing the clerk’s cheeks to instantly redden.

“Thank you, Marylu.” His voice faltered as he made introductions, and perspiration dribbled down the sides of his face.

“Alan, I’ve fixed you a plate of food,” Marylu said, tugging gently on his arm. “Nice meetin’ y’all.”

Alan gave Grace an embarrassed smirk and tipped his hat at her. “I wish you all the happiness in the world.” He looked over at Monty and nodded, and Grace could tell he was sincere. She chuckled as Marylu practically dragged the clerk toward the food tables, yet she could tell Alan was sweet on the girl. She was happy for him.

Clare came over and took Ben from Monty’s arms, then swirled him around. Ben squealed in delight under a beautiful, shimmering blue sky. Monty then pulled Grace in close and planted a long, sweet kiss on her lips. He leaned back and looked into her eyes, snagging her heart.

“I’m glad we moved into town,” he said. “I’ve had enough rivers to last a lifetime.”

Grace chuckled. “You’ve lost your thrill for adventure?” She couldn’t picture Monty content to sit around town and not go off exploring the wilds of the West.

“Are you kidding? Life with you is the greatest adventure I could ever have.” He added under his breath, “And I mean to live it to the full.”

Grace pulled him in close and smelled a whiff of his cologne as he pressed his clean-shaven cheek against her neck and sprinkled her skin with hot kisses. Her heart skipped at the touch of his lips.

“I certainly hope so,” she whispered back, holding him tightly and reveling in his strong, muscular arms encircling her. “I expect nothing less.”

 

 

The End