The winter months passed slowly but pleasantly for Scar. However, he felt as if his life was at a standstill. Most days were spent drinking coffee at Jenny’s Place or with his old friend, Eli. Some days he did both. Liz stayed busy with her teaching and spent time with Rebecca, who quite often dropped by after school. Jake was coming to town nearly every weekend, if the snow allowed, to court Rebecca, and the two of them often joined Liz and Scar for an evening of fun on Saturdays.
It was mid-March and only a month away from the start of the Double D’s roundup when a telegraph agent knocked on Scar’s front door with a wire from the governor. Scar thanked the agent and started to open the envelope but decided to wait until Liz got home.
“Hello, honey. What are you doing home?” she said as she came in the door. Scar was often gone when she arrived from school. He purposely stayed away for an hour or two while she did her lesson planning and graded papers.
Scar reached for the envelope on the mantle. When Liz saw the brown envelope, she knew immediately who it was from, and without a word, she turned for the bedroom. When she came back, she had changed clothes, and her eyes were red. “Where’s the governor sending you this time?” she asked.
“I don’t know, Liz. I was waiting for you before I opened the envelope. Why don’t we sit down?” He pulled out two chairs side by side. Slowly, he tore open the envelope and held the telegram where they could read it simultaneously.
March 16, 1877
To: Bart Carter
From. Governor John Long Routt
When the weather breaks, come to my office in Denver. I have some exciting new plans for you. Wire me when you leave Flat Peaks.
“I wonder what this is all about,” Liz said, as she fetched the coffee pot and filled cups.
“No telling. You never know what the governor has up his sleeve.”
The two sat in silence for the next few minutes. Thoughts raced through their minds. Would the new work be dangerous? Would he have to spend time away from home? Would they have to move? Scar noticed Liz’s drooping shoulders and her downcast eyes. He reached for her hand. “Don’t worry, Liz. The new assignment may be better than the job I have now. We need to be patient and see what the governor has in mind. We don’t have to accept something we don’t like.”
Liz sat in deep thought for a full minute before she spoke. “I hate the job you have now. It’s dangerous work, and I don’t like for you to be away from home for weeks at a time. What could you do if you didn’t work for the governor, Bart?”
“I don’t like to be away either, Liz. But I don’t have any other choice unless I work for your pa, and if I did, we’d have to move to the ranch. You’d have to give up teaching.”
“I’ve considered it, Bart. I don’t like the thought of not teaching, but I want to do what’s best for both of us. I want you to be happy, too.” Seconds passed before Liz continued, “Bart, what is it you want to do? What are your dreams for our family?”
“Eli asked me the same thing a few weeks back. I was complaining to him about not having any definite plans for my life…nothing I was working toward. He asked what my dreams were, and I said I wanted to be a rancher…a horse rancher who bred quality animals. But I also told him it could never happen because I didn’t have the money. He scolded me for having that kind of attitude and reminded me anything was possible if we made plans and worked toward them.”
Liz interrupted, “I agree with him, Bart.”
“I told Eli I could never ask you to give up teaching, but he said you were the one to make the decision, not me. He said your attitude might surprise me and that I should talk with you about the years ahead of us and what we should do with them. We should plan our future together. He suggested we develop a step-by-step plan, write it down on paper, and review it from time to time to refresh ourselves.”
“Eli is a wise man, a very wise man,” she said with a smile. The two sat thinking about the subject at hand. Finally, Liz broke the silence. “Bart, while you’re gone to Denver, why don’t we contemplate our future? Maybe we can each come to some conclusions and then discuss our thoughts when you get home?”
“That’s a good idea, Liz. It can be the first step in our planning process.”
Liz rose to start supper. Scar headed for the barn. He gave Liz’s horse a normal feeding but gave Maude and Frankie an extra measure. While the mules ate, he curried and brushed them down, talking to them the entire time about the upcoming long trip to Denver. It would be a good time to travel, since the temperature the past two weeks had been exceptionally warm for this time of the year, causing most of the snow to melt.
Liz was sitting down with food on the table when Scar walked in. He hurriedly washed. After he had settled himself, Liz reached for his hand and said, “Bart, everything is going to be okay. While you were tending the stock, a feeling came over me as if God was speaking to me. An assurance that our endeavors, whatever they might be, will be successful. I believe all we have to do is trust God and keep Him in the center of our lives.”
“I couldn’t agree more, Liz.”
“Why don’t you say a prayer before we eat, Bart?”
“I’d be glad to,” he responded, “and while we’re on the subject, why don’t we make a habit of praying before every meal?”
“That should be the number one item in our written plan,” she said.
They’d finished eating when Liz asked, “How far is it to Denver? How many days will it take to get there?”
“It took a little over four days when I came here from Denver last time. I traveled faster than normal because I was anxious to see you, but it shouldn’t take much longer.”
“When will you be leaving?”
“I might as well get started tomorrow.”
Liz looked at her husband with concern. “Do you think the weather will stay good enough to travel in? I know it’s nice out now, but you never know when it might turn bad this time of the year.”
“I’ll be okay, Liz.”