CHAPTER 35
Dodging a few of spring’s rains, it required three days for the four of them to reach San Antonio. They ate supper in the nice hotel restaurant, and Long said they’d visit the architect’s office in the morning.
“We will be ready for breakfast,” Ira said to her as they split up.
“It is a long ways from our ranch to here.”
“It didn’t hurt you, did it?”
“No. I am simply tired.”
“Good. So am I.”
In the morning, they were at the most recommended architect’s office. The men waited outside in the lobby. Long and Jan met Jim Fountain and his two assistants Earl and Norman.
He looked at her drawings and nodded that he could make her a house plan like that.
“We want pressure water and one of those water heaters,” he said.
Fountain nodded. “Five bedrooms enough?”
“That would be more company than I need.”
He laughed. “Seat twenty for a meal?”
“We may have that many sometimes.”
He nodded. “Do you have limestone on the ranch that can be quarried?”
“Yes. It was used in another large building,” Long said.
“Timber.”
“No.”
“We should have this plan sketched in six weeks. You can look at it and make any changes you want. Should we mail it?”
Long said, “I think that would work. We are three days away each direction.”
“Okay, we will mail it, but we will need your comments before we do the final plans.”
“Thank you,” Jan said.
They left his office, and Long felt sure they had the right man. Time would tell.
“It is not raining. Let’s grab lunch, check out, and go home. We will be a half-day closer to home by sundown.”
Everyone agreed. He thought about his family west of there at the H Bar H Ranch. Two days west from here. He thought about going there, but he needed to get back north and keep his section under control. Besides, he’d heard nothing had gone wrong. With all that was going on with all the herds, everyone was spread thin, but so far no bad news. It was unbelievable, all that had happened to him and his brother, in what was now going on three years.
He could see while traveling north that Jan being pregnant had sucked some of her strength out of her. Simple things, but he needed to take more care of her. He wanted this to be a wonderful experience for her. She had waited so long for this to finally happen. He knew he would worry about her.
Their arrival two and a half days later brought cheers from the workers.