“And the major and his family. I’m sure we’ll make friends quick. I’m to be given a piece of land as part of my agreement to come. The railroad has portioned out certain lots for the town. They want to attract families west, and the sooner folks settle and build houses, the better for the railroad.”
“And the railroad intends for this to be a big town, eh?”
“Yes, Pa. It’s situated in such a way that it will be like a crossroads. Go south and you hit Denver. East and west and you’re going to go coast to coast. Eventually, north will take you all the way to Canada. They plan for there to be at least a dozen tracks converging on Cheyenne. It’s going to be quite the place, and trains from all over will have to go through there. It’ll be like Chicago.”
“Well, I suppose if your mind is made up...”
Edward could hear the concern in his father’s tone. Whether it was worry over the distance or over his son marrying a woman he didn’t intend to fully make a wife, Edward didn’t know. And frankly, he didn’t care. He knew this was what he had to do. There would never come a better opportunity, and Marybeth was desperate for help. He couldn’t just leave without seeing her needs met. Janey would never want him to do that.
“It is. Now I need to go see Marybeth.”
He got up from the table and turned to Inga. “Would youget George to come over first thing in the morning to Marybeth’s house? She’s gonna need him to handle settling her father’s affairs and selling the house. I’m hoping to get us out on the late morning train, so he’ll need to come early.”
“You’re leaving tomorrow?” Father asked. His eyes widened, as did Inga’s. She remained wordless but nodded.
“I think it’s for the best.” Edward leaned over and gave Inga a hug. “Pray for us.”
“I will,” she said, holding him tightly. “And I’ll tell George.”
Edward let her go and moved over to his father, who had already gotten to his feet. “I don’t know what to say, son.”
“Just say you’ll pray for me.”
“I will do that.” They embraced, and Edward tried not to think about how it might be the last time he’d see the older man. There had been too much loss already. He pulled away and smiled. “Horses are needed in Cheyenne same as here. You all might find yourselves wanting to relocate.”
“It is a thought,” Inga said. “I know George has spoken of it before.”
Edward smiled. “See there.” He looked at his father. “They say there’s land enough for everyone. Thousands of acres available. Imagine what you could do with that kind of range.”
“It is tempting,” his father said, smiling. “But I think I’ll wait and hear what you have to say about it. Might be the winters are worse and land dryer. Go live on it awhile and then tell me how great it is.”
Edward nodded and headed for the door. He paused only long enough to take up the uneaten portion of his cake. “This is mighty good, sis. I’ll tell Marybeth to be sure and bring your cake with us on the train west.”
He was grateful that Inga didn’t break into tears. Thankful, too, that his father had been so pleasant about it all. Hecould see the worry in his eyes, but the fact that he kept most of it to himself was a credit to the older man. Pa knew it wouldn’t change Edward’s mind, so why speak about it until they were fighting over the matter?
On his way to Marybeth’s, Edward stopped by the cemetery. It was the last thing he needed to do before seeing Marybeth. He tied his horse off and made his way across the drifted snow. The wind had blown over any sign of those who had attended the graveside services two days before.
Edward bent down and brushed snow from the headstone he’d arranged for his wife and son. For a few moments, he stared down at the writing:Jane Vogel and Son.He supposed he should have given the boy a name. Maybe God had one for him.
“I’m leaving Independence, Janey.” Edward gazed across the headstone to the rows of stones that marked other graves. “I’m sorry to have to leave you both behind, but Major Henderson has called for me to join him in Cheyenne.”
The sun’s brilliance offered no real warmth. The air was still plenty cold, and Edward stomped his feet in the snow to keep some semblance of warmth.
“I’m gonna marry Marybeth Kruger. It’s just to take care of her and her sister. I know it’s what you’d want me to do, and I promised you I’d marry again. Of course, if folks in heaven know everything about what’s going on down here on earth—and I don’t know that they do, but if so—then you know it’s just a marriage in name. I just can’t risk losing her like I lost you. I know you understand, and I won’t explain again. Still, sometimes I can’t help but wonder if my survivin’ the war came at the price of losing you. I know Pa said God doesn’t work that way, but I can’t help but think I should have been the one to die.”
Edward blew warm breath against his gloved fingers. “I guess that doesn’t much matter now. Marybeth and Carrie need me. I suppose in my way I need them too. They’ve been seein’ me through the bad times—the lonely times. Klaus did too, but now he’s gone. You’ve probably already welcomed him up yonder.” Edward shoved his hands in his coat pockets.
“I just wanted to come by and let you know. I know it sounds silly. You aren’t here. I get that. You and the boy have a heavenly home that’s better than anything I could have given you, but ... well, just know that I miss you. Him too.”
There was an aching emptiness in Edward’s arms. He longed to hold his family close and feel their warmth—have their lives go on. He frowned and turned back to his horse. There was nothing more to be said, and he suddenly felt rather silly standing out there freezing to death and talking to a grave when he needed to be speaking to Marybeth.
Marybeth was anxious to see Edward again. She feared he might have changed his mind. Maybe upon reflection he realized how ridiculous it was to just up and marry his wife’s best friend so that he could take them hundreds of miles west to start a new life.
“Oh, Lord, please don’t let him have changed his mind.”
Pastor Orton had already been by the house earlier. He had knocked on the door for nearly ten minutes, but Marybeth had pretended they weren’t home. Carrie was sound asleep in the back room and didn’t so much as whimper as Marybeth sat beside her bed praying the man would leave them alone. When everything went silent, Marybeth breathed a sigh of relief and thanked God that the man had gone on his way.Then she began to pray in earnest that Edward would come and assure her that he intended them to marry.
After praying about the marriage, Marybeth had had a peace about it that she really couldn’t understand. She kept waiting for there to be a nudge or uneasy feeling, but the more she considered what she was about to do, the more it seemed right.
