A Dream Unfolding (64 page)
Authors: Karen Baney
Tags: #Religion & Spirituality, #Literature & Fiction, #Historical, #Romance, #Religious & Inspirational Fiction, #Historical Romance, #Religious fiction
“I am just fine.
Still have trouble reading, but I hope with time it will come back.”
“Good, good,” she said, patting him on the arm before clearing the empty plates from the table.
Ben stood and asked, “Betty, could you use some help with dishes?”
Will and Hannah stared, while Betty’s eyes grew wide in surprise.
“I’d love some help,” she replied.
“Aren’t you just the gentleman?” she asked while some added color crept to her face.
Ben, turning to Hannah, said, “You just sit here with Will for a bit, or maybe take a walk with him to keep him out of trouble.
I’ll see that Betty has all the help she needs.”
Hannah shot Will a questioning look and Will just shrugged his shoulders.
He was surprised by his old friend’s behavior, but thankful that Ben had skillfully orchestrated exactly what Will wanted, time alone with Hannah.
“Would you like some fresh air?” Will asked as he stood.
“Yes, but can we sit on the bench out back?
I’m rather worn out from feeding such a large crowd.”
Offering his arm, Will led Hannah through the kitchen and out the back door, carefully closing it behind him.
She took a seat on the bench—the one where he accidently spied on her months ago.
The thought brought a smile to his lips as he sat, angling to face her.
“How are you, Will, really?” Hannah asked, worry etching lines in her brow.
“I am doing well.
I have been riding most of the day for the past few days.
And I’m starting to feel like myself again.”
Except that you are not with me.
“What about the reading?
Any progress there?” her voice tinged with concern.
“It’s frustrating,” he admitted.
“I know that I know how to read, but I just can’t seem to make sense of what is before my eyes.
But, considering how bad a head injury can be, I am thankful that is the only thing I’m struggling with.”
“I’m glad.”
The breeze rustled through the pine trees, blowing the loose tendrils of Hannah’s hair.
She might think herself disheveled, but he thought her the most beautiful creature alive.
“Hannah,” he started, suddenly feeling very nervous.
Taking her hands in his, he asked, “Will you forgive me for assuming the worst when I saw you with Harrison?
I acted terribly and I am sorry that I hurt you.”
“Will, I already forgave you,” she said smiling up at him with those beautiful blue eyes.
Relieved and emboldened, Will continued, “Hannah, this last week without you has been twice as much time as what I ever want to be apart from you again.
You are part of me and I am empty without you.”
Standing, he pulled her to her feet, retaining his hold on her hands.
“What I am trying to say, Hannah, is that I love you.”
He swallowed, hoping his nerves would calm.
“Will you marry me?”
She went quiet and his heart started pounding.
Please, Hannah, say yes.
Then, she stood on her tiptoes and flung her arms around his neck, lowering his face towards hers.
She kissed him, squarely on the lips, her body melting into his.
When he recovered from the shock, he returned her kiss.
Letting his hands explore her back, her neck, her face.
He finally settled them around her waist.
Pulling back, he searched her eyes.
He saw her answer there, but he still wanted to hear it.
“Is that a yes?” he asked.
“Yes,” she vehemently replied, her eyes reflecting a deep love.
“Yes, I will be your wife.”
He pulled her close again, content just to hold her for a moment.
Whispering in her ear, he said, “One last request—can we marry soon?”
“Are you free next Saturday?” she replied, before he covered her mouth with another kiss.
“Hurry up, Hannah,” exclaimed Betty.
“You don’t want to be late for your own wedding.”
As Hannah placed her Bible on top of the contents of her case and snapped it shut, she looked around the private rooms at the boardinghouse—her home for the past four months.
As excited as she was to become Will’s bride this afternoon, she would miss her dear friend Betty.
For almost a year she lived in close quarters with the kindly mother figure, first on the Santa Fe Trail and then at the boardinghouse.
Hannah smiled as she remembered how Betty seamlessly taught her how to cook over an open fire along the trail.
And buffalo chips!
She almost forgot about the only fuel to be found on the open prairie.
It was Betty who comforted her when Drew died and helped her look forward as the grief passed.
She hoped their friendship would continue, despite the distance to the ranch and the busyness of the boardinghouse.
Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, Hannah picked up her bag and walked out the door.
Will sent the wagon in for her bright and early this morning, so she could bring all of her things with her.
There wasn’t much, but certainly too much for horseback alone.
She suspected he also wanted to make sure she journeyed in comfort.
Ben helped Betty up to the wagon, then Hannah.
Taking the seat next to Betty, Ben clucked the wagon into motion.
Paul rode alongside on a borrowed horse.
As the wagon topped the last hill, Hannah was struck anew at the magnificent scenery.
This beautiful valley was going to be her home with Will.
They would walk along the lake in the evenings.
Perhaps have a lazy Sunday afternoon picnic on its shore.
She would start a garden in the spring near the house.
This winter would be a perfect time to spruce up the inside, adding curtains and such.
She would grow old on this ranch at Will’s side.
A brief flicker of a memory of Drew came to the forefront of her mind.
What if she lost Will?
Please, Lord, let me grow old with Will.
She closed her eyes, listening to the soft rushing of the breeze.
She would not fear.
God was with her.
He had not abandoned her in the darkest days of grief.
Instead, He spread before her a dream unfolding—one where she would have a new name, married to the handsome rancher that captured her heart after so much tragedy—one with her Lord by her side.
She opened her eyes as Betty patted her hand.
“All is well, dear.”
Hannah smiled as Ben pulled the wagon to a stop.
He helped the ladies down, while Jed and Hawk unloaded her things.
“We’ll see your things inside for you, ma’am,” Jed assured her.
As Ben escorted her and Betty towards the lake, Hannah’s pulse quickened.
She looked over the crowd gathered.
Many of their friends were there.
Dr. and Mrs. Murphy, Mr. Boggs, most of the boarders from the boardinghouse, all of Will’s men, Rosa, and even the two ladies Hannah had worked with at the fort were there.
Captain Harrison, of course was not, having been reassigned the very next day after speaking with Hannah.
It was probably for the best.
Will stood, waiting for her near the shore of the crystal blue shimmering lake.
He wore a dark brown tailored suit that fit him perfectly.
She glanced down at her own dress, the brown calico she wore especially for him on the fourth of July.
With less than a week to plan the wedding, she settled on her newest dress, not knowing it would match his suit so perfectly.
Betty unhooked her arm from Ben’s and took a place standing next to her son, while Ben led Hannah all the way to Will’s side in front of Reverend Read.
Looking into Will’s eyes, she barely noticed Ben stepping back to stand on Betty’s other side.
Will smiled at her then nodded to the reverend to begin the ceremony.
Hannah recited her vows to Will fully aware of everything about this precious man.
She smiled as he recited his vows, tears threatening in the corners of his golden brown eyes.
When the vows ended and the good reverend gave permission for Will to kiss his bride, he gave her the most devilish look.
Her heart quickened as he cupped her face with one hand and pressed the other hand against the small of her back.
He lowered his lips to hers in a sweet kiss.
She felt his careful restraint.
Before moving completely away, Will whispered for her ears only, “There’s more where that came from, Mrs.
Colter
.”
Hannah’s face flushed at his teasing, while the reverend announced them to their friends as Mr. and Mrs.
Colter
.
Rosa, Martha, and several other ladies, prepared an enormous buffet of food.
While Hannah longed for time alone with Will, she enjoyed the celebration with friends.
Throughout the meal, while many well wishers came and went, Will stood by her side.
After he finished eating, he placed his arm around her waist and kept it that way, making her feel secure.
As the sun dropped lower in the sky, their guests departed, leaving the newly wedded couple to their solitude.
They sat next to the lake, in the same spot where they had their picnic not so long ago, and watched the sun set over the mountains on their first evening as a couple.
“Hannah, I love you so much,” Will said, taking her face in his hands.
Then he kissed her with all of the desire that a man has for his wife.
She could really get used to this.
When he pulled away, his voice was husky with emotion, “shall we retire to our home, Mrs.
Colter
?”
Standing and taking his offered arm, she said, “I would love to, Mr.
Colter
.”
Author’s
Note
Now for my favorite part of the book – the Author’s Note.
I love this part because it’s where my favorite authors have clued me in to what is historical fact versus imagination.
It’s that nice little bit of closure.
When I started writing my debut novel, I knew two things: one, that it would have something to do with Prescott, Arizona, and two, that someone would die.
In fact, the first scene I wrote was the avalanche scene in the middle of the book, which changed very little through revisions and editing.
The raw emotion came from my reaction to my mother’s unexpected passing almost ten years ago.
There was much healing in the act of writing that scene.
I hope if you have lost a loved one that this scene, this book has somehow helped with your healing process.
As a transplant to the great state of Arizona, I learned quickly that I knew very little about the history of the state.
Once I discovered the state became a territory in the middle of the Civil War, the ideas for this book began to take shape.
I researched the political motivation behind the forming of the territory during such a tumultuous time in our country’s history.
Then, in my research, I came across the letters Jonathan Richmond wrote to his family while traveling with the Governor’s party from Cincinnati, Ohio.
I was hooked.
I had to write about all of the amazing things Jonathan and the governor’s party experienced on their travels, from the five hundred Indians at Fort Larned, to Gray’s Ranch, to finding the Indian woman’s severed head, to Devil’s Gate, to
Sante
Fe, to the
Lagunas
, to the snowy inauguration.
Many of the events of the journey were inspired by his firsthand accounts.
Of course, when writing an epic tale about a wagon train journey, one must understand many things: mode of transportation, what kind of supplies were needed, what was the terrain like, what was a woman’s role on the wagon train.
These details were important to painting an accurate picture of life on a wagon train.
I came across a wonderful book about the history of the Santa Fe Trail which provided a great deal of detail to help make the journey come to life.
While I tried to keep facts and the real historical characters as accurate as possible, this is still a work of fiction.
The major area where I took some creative liberty was with the First Cavalry Company of the California Column.
I needed a way to include Lieutenant Harrison from very early in the journey and I wanted him to be trained by the real Captain Benjamin Davis.
Captain Davis trained the First Cavalry Company before heading east to fight in the war.
While the First Cavalry Company traveled all over the western territories, they were not part of the governor’s party and there is no record of them traveling to Fort Larned, though other companies of the California Column traveled as far east as Fort Leavenworth.
The details about Prescott are my best representation of actual events and details of the earliest days of the town.
While Lancaster’s Boardinghouse is a figment of my imagination, it was inspired by the account of a woman nicknamed the Virgin Mary who ran the first boardinghouse in town.
Much of the first Fourth of July celebration came from accounts of later celebrations.
Most of the political characters mentioned in the book were real and I did my best to understand more about who they were, what they looked like, etc.
Those characters include: Governor Gurley (who died from appendicitis in Cincinnati, never setting foot in Arizona), Governor John N. Goodwin, Secretary of Territory Richard McCormick, General Carleton, Jonathan Richmond, Bob Groom, Van Smith, George
Lount
, Captain Walker and all the named members of his party, John Boggs, Major Willis (the first commander at Fort Whipple), King Woolsey, and
Tinsdale
Hand (the journalist for the Arizona
Miner
).
All conversations and interactions with these characters are how I imagined they might act or talk or think and in no way represent any actual documented conversations.
I hope you have enjoyed this journey with Drew, Hannah, and Will as much as I have.
No journey would be complete without thanking a number of people who helped make this book possible.
My parents – thank you for teaching me about Jesus early in life.
I have been blessed to call him savior because of your influence.
You have always encouraged me to grow and stretch beyond myself.
Thanks, Dad, for the support as I struggled to figure out what this whole writing thing is all about.
My husband – Wow!
It’s finally done—my first novel.
Thanks for listening to the hours and hours I talked about the history and research and my characters.
And thanks for always asking how my writing was coming, even when you’d rather talk about football.
I love that we share a love of history and writing, even if it works itself out differently.
My critique group:
De, Aunt Tami, Kristen, Sherri, Kris, and Kurt.
Thank you for taking the time to read this book and provide such wonderful feedback.
Thanks for being honest, even when I didn’t want to hear it.
This final version is reflective of your great ideas and suggestions.
My editor,
Fae
– Thank you for your help and your enthusiasm.
My in-laws – Thank you for encouraging me in this new venture and for your prayers.
I love being a part of your family.
The Women’s Ministry at Mission Community Church – Thank you all for helping me grow in my journey and for the constant support by prayer, email, and
Facebook
.
Knowing that you believed in me has pushed me to make this book the best that I could.
My Lord, Jesus Christ – Thank you for inspiring me when I was discouraged.
Thank you for showing me where to take the story when I was lost.
Thank you for helping me write a story to point others back to you and your character.
Take this book and make it what you will.
As one changed forever by your love, I know you can do anything!
For more information about some of the history and research behind this book and for information about upcoming books in this series, please visit my website at
www.karenbaney.com
.
Other books by Karen Baney:
Prescott Pioneers Series
A Dream Unfolding
A Heart Renewed
A Life Restored (Sept. 2011)
A Hope Revealed (2012)
Contemporary Novels
Nickels (Dec. 2011)
