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"So, the river I crossed over today. . ."
"The Big Wood River." Evan finished for him.
David repeated, "The Big Wood River. That river runs through the property you and Mrs. Hartmann wish to buy?"
"It touches a corner of the ranch. The land we have our eyes on runs to the east, along a seasonal creek." Evan explained.
David said, "That's stunning country. I believe I saw a portion of it today on my walk."
The two men sat on either side of the porch step, the mutt stretched out between them acting for all the world like he'd lived there all of his life. David reached out and scratched the dog's hairy ears. The dog stretched his toes and moaned with pleasure.
Evan lifted an appreciative eyebrow. “That’s a fair walk if you made that this morning before breakfast.”
David smiled his answer, nodding.
Maddie sat across from Jessie, trying to concentrate on a very slow game of checkers. Her attention drifted to the men's discussion. From time to time, she stole a glance in the young doctor's direction.
"Maddie! It's your turn!" Jessie admonished. "Pay attention!"
"Sorry." Maddie sacrificed a checker. She was rapidly learning that Jessie was brutally serious about the game of checkers. Although she took long minutes to make her move, Jessie displayed little patience for those who did likewise. Maddie supposed that was a fair strategy in itself.
Evan said, "Lena and I met up in Sawtooth City where she ran a boarding house. Town dried up just like the mining there. It's just the way of things. That's why they call them boom towns. We've got our hopes set on Ketchum being different, even with the rumors of a falling silver market. Some folks here are determined to hunker down and ride out the lean times."
"I’ve certainly seen enough improvements to make me believe it worthwhile for businesses to stay. Seems the railroad could help."
Evan said, "We think so. I've made my best offer to the widow who owns the ranch. Just praying now."
Lena rested a shoulder against the porch post behind Evan. "But things change."
"Sometimes those changes are better. Like you and me, Lena girl," he reached up and squeezed Lena’s hand.
Maddie heard the affection in his voice. The look he gave to his wife filled her with an unexpected pang of jealousy.
Lena kept her gaze locked on Evan as she said, "We're learning to keep our dreams a bit more fluid than they once were. Rivers change course. People need to as well. If there's a boulder in your way find the way around it. Isn't that what you said?"
"Sounds more like something Ely would say, ja?"
"It does, ja?" The voice came from the shadowed street.
"Ely!" Lena called out as she skipped down the steps like a school girl. "We were wondering if you'd ever come back!"
A distinguished looking man with graying hair stepped into the light, spilling from the doorway. Maddie had the impression he was someone who's mind was as well-ordered as his appearance. He opened his arms to Lena. For a moment, she wondered if they were relations, but nothing in his features corroborated that conclusion.
"The company needed a little more of my time than I had at first thought. It's good to be back," he said.
He spoke with a thick German accent.
Evan shook Ely's hand before introducing him to David. "We have a new boarder. This is Dr. Thornton's replacement, Dr. David Reynolds. Dr. Reynolds, this is one of our dearest friends, Ely Beckert."
With a sharp turn, Evan held out his hand to Maddie and said, "Actually, we have two boarders. This is Madison Alexander. She accepted a job working for Mrs. Wilkinson. So, it looks like she might be staying with us awhile."
Ely dipped his head to Maddie. "This town is in short supply of young ladies of quality. You have found the best house in town to make your home."
"So why don't you stay with us if we are the best boarding house in town?" Lena asked, her mouth forming into a small pout.
"You know I lived here in Ketchum before you and Evan moved from Sawtooth City. Besides, Mrs. Bernhardt's house is much closer to my office."
"I still wonder if it isn't Mrs. Bernhardt as much as her tidy house that keeps you away from us." Lena linked her arm through Ely's. "Have you come to play for us?"
"Oh, yes!" Jessie clapped her hands. "It's been ever so long!"
Not until then did Maddie notice the violin case in Ely’s hand. The battered leather case appeared older than Ely, and he carried it like a treasured friend.
Ely said, "I'm of a mind to, Mrs. Long," He tipped his hat to Bart and Jessie. "Perhaps a lullaby for the little one, ja?"
Jessie’s cheeks glowed, and she brought a hand to rest lightly on her stomach. Smiling with secret delight, she became a painting of the Madonna, an impression enhanced by Ely’s choice of music. His skill proved he was no provincial fiddler, such talent clearly cultivated by years of classical training.
After her initial surprise, Maddie relaxed into the melody, and closed her eyes, transported by Ely’s violin singing Passacaglia’s The Guardian Angel. Who she needed to be or truly was didn't matter in those moments. From his fingers came the music she’d grown to appreciate in her brief stay at boarding school, calming and achingly beautiful.
Unaware the violin had ceased its singing, her eyes still closed, she didn’t sense Dr. Reynolds’ approach.
"Surprising, isn't it? That such a talent should be found here."
Maddie opened her eyes. A brief look about her and she realized he was the only one near enough to have heard the comment.
"Yes." She understood the unspoken part of his comment. It was surprising that such a skilled musician should be here in this frontier town. Was it also a waste?
The doctor seemed to be talking to no one in particular, but simply putting to voice his private ruminations. "Perhaps something about these open skies draws out the creativity in people. I wonder if it might not be a good place for someone with your aspirations." He brought his eyes to her then. "You might find your muse here. That is what they call it, yes?"
Maddie tipped her head to consider the intent behind his comment. Was he being condescending or sincere? She nodded, saying simply, "It is."
"Miss Alexander, I do hope you won't let the comments of Dr. Thornton discourage you."
"They don't. Such an attitude would be expected from a man of his age."
The doctor pushed his hands into his pockets. After a while he asked, "Are you working on anything now?"
"A few things. Just pieces, really, a little poetry." She thought of her journals filled with fiction, tales of the adventurous exploits of her daring heroine. Dr. Thornton would certainly disparage her literary efforts? No doubt, Dr. Reynolds would as well.
Lena lay her hand lightly on Maddie's shoulder. "Maddie, I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but would it help you if we moved a desk into your room? We have one in the attic that might work well for you. It should fit beneath the window. Would you like that?"
Maddie felt a confusing mix of emotions. "I'd. . .That would be very nice. If it isn't too much trouble, I mean. Yes. Thank you."
Lena squeezed Maddie's shoulder. "We'll see what we can do." After a quick glance at David, she added with a smile, "Every artist needs a patron. We'll do all we can to encourage your muse."
That night she luxuriated in the lavender scented sheets and soft mattress. The soft purrs of her new roommate, Havoc, added another degree of comfort. Apparently, the cat condescended to sharing her room and her bed. Maddie lay her chin against the cat's velvet fur, enjoying the soft vibration of its purr against her skin.
Dr. Reynolds’ handsome face intruded upon her peace. She scrunched her eyes shut, willing his image away. Men had only confused or disappointed her.
A year after arriving at the boarding school in Troy, New York, a charming young man had shown a keen interest in her. For a full month, he'd been the gentleman caller that stirred profound jealously among her friends. He'd delighted her with small gifts that reflected his understanding of things that gave her pleasure, profuse bouquets of daffodils and French lace handkerchiefs scented with lavender, and even a small box of chocolates from Huyler's Candy Company. But despite his thoughtful attentions, one day he failed to keep their scheduled outing.
Confused and heartbroken by her young suitor's disappearance, she secluded herself for a week with a profundity of tears until a letter arrived from her father. In it, he explained in the briefest manner an investment opportunity he had offered a prosperous widow from Virginia. She had taken the precaution of hiring an agency to investigate Alex's family history, including an interview with his daughter. Her father wrote that he was proud of the exceptional manner in which she had conducted herself with the young man. The man had found nothing in his discourse with Maddie to suggest her father to be as anything other than what he proclaimed to be—an honest man offering an opportunity for investment.
It took her only moments to realize in those few sentences the truth that she’d been duped. Her young suitor was apparently skilled in the same area of discernment as she, but as a man, he'd found honest employment for his skill. The experience left her disillusioned, not only toward her father, but for the gender she deemed distinctly equipped for duplicity and deception. Love itself seemed cruelly dependent on some lie, a deception of one's self or of another.
No, the handsome Dr. Reynolds was not for her. Neither was this the time for entertaining such romantic notions. A mere second passed before another consideration occurred to chase away the first. Why couldn't Miss Alexander pursue Miss Jennings's goals as a writer? What could stop her? The answer came crashing down upon her. She shivered and hugged the cat closer as she remembered the gun within the valise beneath her bed. Her father obviously thought someone might try.
