Chapter 45

When they had crossed the Missouri into Dakota Territory, and were in the open country again, Beth told Runt she wanted to ride with Tom.

She jumped from the wagon and untied her horse. She tried to swing to her saddle like Tom did, but her horse was too tall. She mounted and rode hard to catch Tom.

He and Cal were riding side by side, neither had spoken since the incident at the river. They looked back to see Beth coming up on her horse and Cal dropped back to ride beside the wagon so Tom and Beth could talk.

“Tom, you’re not mad at me and Callie are you? I know we laugh and have fun but we didn’t mean to cause any trouble.”

“I’ll never be mad at you Paleface, you did nothing wrong, neither did Callie. I almost killed those two men for what they did, the next man to touch you will die.”

She’d never heard him say things like this before and she tried to remember when he pulled his gun too, all she knew was that he had it in the deputy’s belly before the man knew it.

“Tom, what did the other men want that were talking to you and Cal?” She asked, trying to get him to think of other things.

“Well it seems that someone ordered enough cedar logs and lumber to build two big log homes and a big barn on our land.”

“Who would do that Tom?”

“Dale Canady and his wife Margaret did this, I also forgot that he gave me a package at the wedding, it’s in my saddle bag.”

“Oh my goodness Tom, I’m gonna cry,” Beth sobbed.

“No need to cry, they did it for you, to make sure you had a good start and a house to live in.”

“I’d live in a teepee if that’s where you wanted to live, all I want is to be with you,” She sobbed.

“From what the men told me ‘n Cal, you’ll have a big house to take care of and fill up with kids. There won’t be no teepees unless we fill that house up with babies and need more room.”

“How long will it take for you and Cal to build our homes, they won’t be ready by winter will they?”

“The men on those six wagons are gonna build them for us, they have the men and tools do to it, they’ll have houses built and livable before the snow flies.”

“Really Tom, I’m so excited. I’m so glad I got stuck in the mud that day and it was you that found me.”

“Well Paleface, you sure was a mess,” Tom laughed, he was cooled off now, from his anger earlier.

“Tom, when will the weather turn cold where we will live, will there be lots of snow?”

“Some winters there will be snow from the first of November until the last of April, other winters not as long. When the snow comes, it will stay for a long time, the winds will blow and whip the snow into deep drifts. The Sioux taught my father how to build drift fences to keep the snow from drifting up to the trading post, we will build them too.”

“Will we have a big fireplace Tom and a big stove in the kitchen?”

“We’ll have to place our order for a stove when we get to the trading post, it’ll have to be shipped here by wagon, we may not get it before spring. Cal and I will start hauling rock to our place from the creek bed as soon as the men start building, we’ll have a huge fireplace if you like.”

“Do you know already where we’ll build Tom?”

“I know of a place we can build both houses and the barn and corrals, that’ll be near the creek and down in a small valley out of the worst of the winter winds.”

“I’m so excited Tom, I’ll be so glad to see our new home place. Tom can we lay naked again tonight?”

“Paleface, we’ll be out on the prairie just like you see here, there’s nothing to hide us, but the night.”

“Tom I want to be naked with you again.”

“Then we’ll find a way.”

Beth smiled, this was what her mother told her about, she knew how to get her way now and they had only been married a day.

They were riding ahead of the wagon and Tom reached back to take the package from his saddlebags, he handed it to Beth to open, since it came from her parents.

She carefully opened the paper wrapping and saw a small wooden box, she opened it and there was a letter written by her Mother.

Elizabeth,

“Your Father and I wanted to do something special for you and Tom, we will live so far apart that we won’t be able to see each other often. I am sure that if you haven’t found out about the logs and lumber, you will soon. This is something we could do that won’t cost much and give you a start with your new home.

In one of the wagons there are two huge cast iron cook stoves, one for each house, the men have instructions to build you a big kitchen table from the cedar logs that are left over.

We packed enough bedding in the wagon so that you and Callie will have a warm place to sleep, not that you will get cold as hot blooded as you both are.

“I can’t believe she would write that,” Beth said, then continued,

If you will look in the box, you will find ten thousand dollars in cash to buy more land with, Dale wants the two of you to have enough land to raise big herds for market, and to support big families.

Beth looked inside the box and saw all the money, wrapped in bundles of one hundred dollar bills and stacked neatly inside.

“I think I’m gonna cry again Tom, I’m so happy.”

“Paleface, it hurts me to see you cry, I want to see you smile.”

She turned to Tom and smiled a big smile as tears ran down her face.

“I want to keep this letter and show it to Callie, you keep the money.”

“You and Callie have become friends like me ‘n Cal haven’t you?”

“Oh yes Tom, I love her like she’s my sister, even more at times. We are so much alike, she thinks of crazy things to say and do.”

“Just like my Paleface huh?”

“Yes, just like your Paleface, but you love me.”

“More than I’ll ever be able to tell you.”

“Tom, do you think your Mom and Dad will like me, I’m getting nervous about meeting them now.”

“They will love you like the daughter they never had, they will spoil you, defend you, worry you, fight for you and beg you to have a house full of babies.”

“Are you sure, Tom.”

“They are my dad and mom, I’m sure. Wait until you meet my uncle, he will fall at your feet and bow to you.”

“Will he?”

“Well, maybe not fall, but he will love you just as he loves his niece and my dad, just as he loves me.”

“Will we go there first Tom or to our new home place?”

“We’ll go to the home place first, then the men can get started with their part, we’ll ride on to the trading post and I’ll show off my new bride.”

“Will we live far from them and the trading post Tom?”

“No, we’ll live maybe five miles at most from them, and closer to the General.”

The wagon had caught up with them and Beth handed the letter from her mother to Callie to read as they rode along.

Callie read and her eyes got bigger, she would look up at Beth and they both would grin, then she read the rest.

“Oh My Lord Beth, this is wonderful.” She said and handed the letter to Cal to read.

He read the letter and smiled as he looked at Tom.

“They’re good folks.” He said.

“I forgot Callie, your Dad gave me a package too when we left Osborne the other day and asked me not to open it until we were on the trail, here it is.”

He reached back and took the brown package from his saddlebags and handed it to her as she sat on the wagon seat beside Runt.

Callie tore the wrapper off the package and found a letter inside just as Beth had, from her Mother.

“Callie,

“Your Father and I are so happy for you even though you are leaving to make a new life far away from us, we both love you and Cathy so much and want you both to be happy.

We wanted to help you young people buy more land in The Dakota’s so you will be sure to make money off your ranch up there.

We have saved our money for years and we want you and Cathy to have some of it. Here is twenty five hundred dollars, please buy some pretty prairie land with it and write to us and describe your place to us when you get your homestead built.”

“Oh, now I am gonna cry,” Callie said and she and Beth both started to sob and wail.

Beth rode close beside the wagon and climbed from her horse to the wagon seat. She and Callie hugged and held each other until they both stopped crying.

Tom and Cal rode on each side of the wagon looking straight ahead and Runt stared straight ahead with tears in his eyes as he popped the leather leads on his horses rumps to step them up a bit.

They didn’t catch the wagons loaded with building materials that day, but before they stopped for the night, Tom and Cal rode up ahead to find a place to camp and he looked through his spotting scope. He saw the wagons about a half mile ahead on the trail, two wagons were double freight wagons with a ten mule hitch, and four of the wagons were single freight wagons with a six mule hitch.

They saw a line of trees to the west of the trail and rode over to check it out, it was a creek that had clear running swift water and a sand bottom. This would be a good place to bathe and clean up some before they reached their new home place and the trading post day after tomorrow. Tom thought of Beth wanting to lay naked again, he would tell her that he had found the place they could do that.

By the time they had ridden back to the others and showed Runt where to take the wagon, there was just enough time to get camp set up before pitch dark set in.

Runt found enough wood along the creek bank to start a fire, and he started boiling a pot of coffee for himself, seemed like the others didn’t like it as much as he did.

“Runt, we’re all gonna stretch our legs a bit, we’ll be back in a while,” Tom said as he pointed south to Cal and he led Beth north on the creek.

Runt didn’t bother fixin’ supper, he figured they were gonna be too busy to eat. He pulled out some jerky and sat chewing and drinking hot coffee.

“Tom hold my hand, I can’t see good in this dark,” Beth said.

Tom took her left hand and with her other hand she started unbuttoning her shirt, by the time they stopped she had her pants loosened too and she let them fall to her feet as she let the shirt slide down her back.

Tom reached out to lead her to the water and she was naked, he stripped his buckskins off, picked her up and carried her out into the cool clear rippling water. He held her as he sat down on a rock and she held him tight. When he sat down Beth turned to face him and sat with her legs on either side of his naked waist. She slid close to take his love for the second time in two days.

“Tom?”

“Yes Paleface.”

“I really like this, you did say that we would be near the creek didn’t you?”

“Yes, Eagle Creek, where my mother found me.”

“She found you Tom. What do you mean?” Beth asked.

“Paleface, I came close to telling you when we were at the creek on your dad’s ranch that day, now I’ll tell you. I was delivered to earth by a giant eagle, my mom was there at Eagle Creek when I fell from the sky. She pulled me out of the water and she and my dad raised me. I am known as Sky here in The Dakotas.”

“Oh My God, hold me close, hold me tight, my body is going crazy Tom,” Beth shook and twisted and trembled as she felt her body take his seed deep into the warmth of her womb.

“You are really Sky aren’t you?”

“Yes I am Paleface and now you’re my wife.”

“I think we may have just planted a baby in my belly Sky, but I want to be sure. Can we do that again with me sitting on you like this?”

“We can do this whenever you like Paleface, just as long as we are able.”

Beth leaned back and traced the outline of the mark on his chest in the dark, she felt once again like she was flying high above the prairie. She and Sky were soaring and riding the winds. He took her to see the creek, he showed her their home She looked down and saw three boys and two girls playing near the creek. Beth cried big tears that wet his shoulder as she realized this was her home, this was their children she was seeing, then she saw a woman walk out, her belly was big with child. This was her.

“Sky, how many children will we have?”

“Six, four boys and two girls.”

“I see them Sky and I see me with my belly swollen with our sixth child.

“Oh Sky, love me like this forever, take me up to fly above the plains, hold me tight.” She cried.

“Now you’re carrying our first two in your belly Paleface, a boy and a girl.”

Beth blacked out, and fell over limp on Tom’s shoulder, he cupped his hand and brought water from the creek up to let it wash down her fevered young body and cool her skin.

She opened her eyes and now she could see his face, his eyes sparkled in the night, this was strange, she could see him in the dark.

Tom stood and placed Beth on the rock he had been sitting on and walked back to camp. He saw Runt sleeping on his bedroll, snoring the night away. Cal and Callie were nowhere to be seen. Tom took his bedroll and a blanket with him, he walked by his horse and patted his neck and hugged him then went back and used the blanket to dry Beth, then held her as they slept in the bedroll together.

Beth Woke up during the night and felt as if she were spinning out of control, she reached out to put her hand on the ground to be sure, she felt the warm sand of the creek bank and pulled her hand back under the cover of the bedroll.

The spinning started again and she raised her head to look up at the stars above. They too seemed to be spinning, this was crazy, there was no way this could be.

She smiled in her sleep, as she dreamed of her babies that would be born early next spring. What would they name them, Sky had said that one was a boy and one was a girl, she would get Sky to help with names, he would want an Indian name maybe?

“Time to get up, we still have a hard day today and most of the morning tomorrow, then we’ll be home,” he whispered to her.

Beth rolled sleepily out of the bedroll and leaned back down to kiss Tom before she walked to the cool water and washed before she dressed for the day.