The Fire in Ember - DiAnn Mills [76]
A man or men had lined their pockets with money from stolen livestock.
Wirt wired Denver and alerted authorities to be looking for cattle carrying many of the ranchers’ brands. Of course, the thieves could have already changed the brands before driving the herd to market.
John massaged his arm. Although he’d tossed the bandage protecting his arm, it didn’t take much work to get it sore and aching again. His constant striving to make sure every chore and responsibility around the farm was completed to perfection had slid downhill while he mended.
“Let me lead the horse,” Mark said. “Give that arm a chance to rest.”
“It’s healing fine.” But John stepped back and allowed Mark to take over. “You’re probably right. It won’t heal as long as I work it.”
“Yeah, we need you with two good arms.” Mark grinned, always the happiest when he was outside working.
Evan tightened the rope on a second dead tree. He motioned for Aaron to take the bridle and lead the horse toward home. “You sure it’ll be all right for me to leave for a couple of days?”
“Yes sir.” John said, more than anxious for his brother to start his studies.
“I’m kinda excited about visiting the school,” Evan continued. “But I’m nervous about the entrance exams.”
Mark pretended to choke. “You who had perfect marks in school? The school will be asking you to teach.”
Hold on to these times. Someday we’ll all be grown men.
The walk home would take an hour, but the time allowed all of them to talk. Davis raced up beside Evan, no doubt wanting the older brother to tell a story. While Evan’s voice raised and lowered with the familiar tale about a bear who could not find a home for the winter, John’s thoughts trailed in another direction. He had a new situation to consider, and he refused to call it a problem—yet. Wirt Zimmerman and Victor Oberlander vied for Mama’s attention. Fortunately, she wasn’t giving in to either of their pursuits. But John saw the look in her eyes when Wirt came calling. She’d invited him to supper a few times for the sake of friendship, and she hadn’t extended the invitation to Victor Oberlander. At least Wirt hadn’t asked John for permission to court. If John pondered the possibility of Wirt and Mama finding love, he welcomed that union before a relationship with the owner of the Wide O. A fine house and fancy clothes made life comfortable, but he wanted Mama to love a man who loved God more than anything else.
Sometimes John’s desire to pursue his own dreams floated to the top. Thoughts of a life with Ember stayed with him. But what if he learned things that turned him against her? He shoved away the rising number of questions with no answers, realizing the futility of it all.
Sometimes he believed God didn’t want to answer him, so why continue to ask for direction?
“Then the bear stood on his haunches and saw a cave far off in the mountains—beyond the foothills of Rocky Falls and beyond the mountains outside of Estes Park. There, when his belly was full of nuts, berries, and fresh fish from the streams and rivers, he’d sleep the whole winter. No one would tease him about being a small bear, because when spring came again and melted the snow, he’d be the biggest bear of all.”
“Like me?” Davis said.
“Like you. You’ll be as tall as the rest of us soon. Maybe taller.”
John laughed. “Let’s hear another one.” He never grew tired of Evan telling stories. He was a good brother with a kind heart for young and old, while John sometimes became grouchy when things didn’t suit him. Guilt assaulted him. Bert deserved a kind man, not a man who had sour moments. Maybe Evan would be a better choice.
An unselfish man would stand aside and let Evan and Bert find happiness. The selfish side of him shouted “no,” that he’d worked hard all of his life for his family, and he deserved to be happy with Bert — Ember Rose. But could those ambitions be wrong, and was Evan the better man for her?
Evan laughed. The familiar jolly sound caused John to feel envious of his brother