Beneath a Dakota Cross Read online

  “I hope I remember what I’m supposed to do. Do you think lots of people will be there? This just might be the most exciting day of my entire life. Daddy, I’m so glad you let me come to Deadwood and live with you. Every day is an adventure! Someday I’m going to have a great big wedding, just like Jamie Sue. Except I want it to be in a church. We will have a church in Deadwood someday, won’t we? And I want Todd and Robert and Samuel to be groomsmen, and you will walk me down the aisle. Maybe you could wear a top hat. Would you wear a top hat for me? Please! And everyone in town will be there.

  “Everyone I know is going to be at the wedding today. I certainly hope Carty Toluca isn’t there! I’ll punch him in the nose if he is. Are you nervous, Daddy? I think, maybe, I’m a little nervous.”

  Brazos held on to Dacee June’s shoulders and slowly turned her around. The lavender dress with white lace at the collar, cuffs, and hem seemed to bring out the smoothness of her complexion and the sparkle in her blue eyes. Her long, light brown hair was neatly pinned to the back of her head, her round, straw hat cocked slightly to the back, a white lace ribbon trailed down her back.

  Sarah Ruth, our baby is growin’ up, darlin’. She’s right. Someday she will get married. It will certainly be a bitter sweet day.

  “Daddy, did you hear me? I asked if you were nervous.”

  “Darlin’, there’s only one thing that I’m nervous about.”

  “What? It’s the shoes, isn’t it? I knew I shouldn’t have bought these shoes. I know I’m awkward, aren’t I? Jamie Sue was going to show me how to walk in them, but she’s sort of busy. Do my shoes make you nervous? They certainly make me nervous.”

  “No, it’s not the shoes,” Brazos insisted.

  “What is it?”

  “I’m afraid you are just going to confuse a lot of the young men at the wedding. You look so pretty, they are all going to think you’re the bride.”

  “Oh, Daddy!” Dacee June raised her chin, strutted across the room, then twirled back towards him. “I won’t be getting married for four or five years.”

  “I’m certainly relieved to hear that.”

  “Daddy, can I go over to the hotel and see Robert? I want to see if he’s nervous.”

  “Go on, darlin’. But don’t get dirty crossin’ the street. It’s dusty today.”

  “Oh, I won’t. Jamie Sue taught me how proper ladies cross the street. I’m supposed to keep shoulders back, head level with the ground, parasol slowly twirling, and smile, and stroll with my hips sort of leading the way.”

  “She told you all that?”

  “Some of it I just learned on my own.”

  As far as I’m concerned, you can put on your old shoes and run across the street like a little girl. “I need you back here by 11:30.”

  “What time is it, now?”

  Brazos pulled the gold-chained pocket watch from his vest pocket. “Almost 10:30.”

  “Bye!” She strutted out of the room and down the hall.

  Brazos strode to the street-side window, the leather heels of his new boots striking the wooden floor with authority.

  No spurs. I don’t know if I’ll get used to boots without spurs. Brazos Fortune, what are you doin’ here?

  He stopped in front of a full-length mirror, tilted it a little higher, then stepped back.

  The man in the mirror frowned.

  Hair’s cut. Half-gray beard’s trimmed. New spectacles sit high on that crooked nose. Eyes surrounded by crow’s feet and look tired … as always.

  You got a new wool suit.

  Silver-buttoned vest.

  Stylish tie.

  You’re a mine owner. A businessman. A community leader.

  My word, Sarah Ruth, I can’t even see me anymore. Whatever happened to your Texas drover?

  A wide smile broke across his narrow, chapped lips.

  You’d love this. You were always tryin’ to get me to dress up. You were forever buyin’ me ties that I never wore, pointing out suits that I would never buy. Well, here I am, darlin’, just as handsome as ever.

  That’s what you always used to say. “Henry, you’re just as handsome as ever.” Which, I always recklessly assumed, was a compliment. You brought out the best in me, darlin’. Dacee June has taken on that role, and by the looks of the man in the mirror, she’s doin’ fairly good … at least on the outside.

  The frown returned, and Brazos abandoned the silver-plated reflection. He sauntered towards the window facing Main Street.

  How I miss you, Sarah Ruth. I’ve been dreadin’ this day for a month. A weddin’ is supposed to be a joyous, happy time. Ever’one smilin’, jokin’, laughin’. There are no failures on a weddin’ day. Potential is overflowin’. Plans abound. Possibilities are unlimited. You ought to be here.

  I need you, Sarah Ruth.

  I just want to sit in the corner and watch as you waltz around through the crowd as the queen mother.

  Brazos brushed the tears from his eyes.

  It don’t seem right that you didn’t get to see a one of them married. Now, I know you can probably see things from up there, but what with all that praise and them choirs of angels, I reckon you get distracted.

  Well, darlin’, they make a handsome couple.

  The truth is, they’re a solid gold couple. That Jamie Sue can make most men’s hearts stop still with just a glance. And Robert? He takes after his mamma, of course. He walks into a room, and all the ladies find an excuse to flitter his way.

  They’re a lot alike, Sarah Ruth.

  Decisive, principled, thoughtful, and strong-willed.

  Maybe just a little too alike.

  In the street below the window he watched as a string of freight wagons plodded past the store. Diagonally across the street, he surveyed the front of the Central Hotel, which advertised “French Restaurant: Meals at All Hours, Day and Night.” Several drifters in ill-fitting suits lounged on a bench in front of the hotel. The balcony of the hotel was draped in red, white, and blue bunting.

  There’s a celebration going on today, Sarah Ruth. And I’m not going to be melancholy anymore. At least, not until the service and I start rememberin’ our weddin’ day.

  Brazos plucked up the black, wide-brimmed hat and carefully set it on his head.

  I know, Sarah Ruth, you’re thinkin’ that I should be wearin’ a silk top hat. Dacee June tried her best. I just couldn’t … I tried one on. Made me look more like a cast-iron stove with a short stack than the father of the groom. ’Course you would’ve told me it made your heart flutter, and I would have bought the fool thing, no matter how silly it looked.

  It’s been a long, long time since I made a woman’s heart flutter.

  “Daddy … Daddy!” A breathless Dacee June scooted into the room, her straw hat now tilted to the side. “There’s a preacher downstairs who wants to talk with you about the wedding.”

  Brazos glanced at his gold pocket watch. “Wouldn’t he rather talk to Robert?”

  “Yes, but I can’t find Robert or Todd anywhere! Where did they go?”

  “Probably for a walk.” Brazos strolled towards the door. “I’ll see the chaplain.”

  “He’s not the chaplain.” Dacee June slid to his side. “What do you mean for a walk? Why did they go for a walk?”

  “To sort things out.” Brazos glanced down at the Sharps carbine leaning against the doorjamb. “What do you mean, he’s not a chaplain?”

  “Mr. Edwards said Robert got word that the chaplain from Fort Lincoln couldn’t make it. I think Robert was kind of upset. But then, the Lord brought this preacher to town. Robert asked him to do the service, but now Robert’s gone. Preacher Smith came up from Custer City with Captain Garner’s freight train.” She slipped her arm into his. “What are Robert and Todd talking about?”

  Brazos gently rubbed the small of her back. “Robert’s trying to get up the courage to go ahead with the wedding.” Do I need to take my carbine? Will it seem strange to take it … or reckless to leave it? “This Preacher Smith �
�� what kind of preacher is he?”

  “I don’t know. He’s kind of old, though.” She slipped her soft, warm fingers into his large, calloused ones. “What do you mean, Robert’s getting the courage to go ahead with the wedding? This is his wedding day. He has to go ahead with the wedding!”

  “Right about now, Robert’s havin’ a tough time keepin’ his knees from shakin’. It’s finally dawned on him that he doesn’t have any idea what he’s gettin’ into.” Brazos squeezed her hand. “How old is this Preacher Smith?”

  With the tall shoes, Dacee June came up to Brazos’s chin. “He looks about as old as you, Daddy. Did you go for a long walk before you and Mamma got married?”

  “I went for a long horseback ride.” Brazos could smell the sweet aroma of her lilac perfume. “Old as me? Well, I better hobble down and say hello. Perhaps he’d like to borrow one of my canes!”

  “Daddy, that’s not what I meant. You are very distinguished looking all dressed up and don’t look a day over forty-five. The March sisters told me so.” She dropped her hand out of his. “How old are the March sisters?”

  “That, young lady, is none of your business.”

  “Daddy, when did you decide to ride back to the church and marry Mamma?”

  “When her father and brother rode out after me with shotguns.”

  Dacee June’s eyes grew wide. “Really?”

  Brazos gave her a hug and laughed. “No, I’m teasin’. But not about the ride. Sometimes a man needs to take some quiet and think through what he’s about to commit himself to. That’s all. Let’s go meet this decrepit old preacher and see if he can do the wedding. If you’ll just give me your arm and help me shuffle down the stairs.”

  Her eyes sparkled. “I’ll race you down the stairs!”

  Thank you, Lord. She hasn’t lost all of the little girl yet.

  Main Street in Deadwood City, Dakota Territory, was a wide avenue of mud or swirling dust, depending on the season. A mild, mostly sunny spring had brought the dust season early.

  It had also brought thousands of gold seekers.

  Most every mining claim along Whitewood, Deadwood, and adjoining creeks had been taken by February. By June, most had been sold a time or two, or more. The street was lined with log cabins, a few clapboard-sided houses, a half-dozen two-story buildings, and a good number of tent-walled establishments.

  That was the substantial side of town.

  On the outskirts were tents, lean-tos, brush shelters, and any other domicile that would house a disillusioned gold seeker.

  With a long, dark beard covering the lower portion of his middle-aged face, Preacher Smith had the look of a seasoned Methodist circuit rider. He stood at the front of a packed ballroom at the Central Hotel. Of the three hundred plus in attendance, only thirty were females, most of whom lived on the respectable side of town.

  Jamie Sue was ushered down the aisle by her brother, Vincent Milan. Todd Fortune served as best man for his youngest brother. An exuberant Dacee June Fortune, balanced precariously on her tiptoes, stood up as maid of honor.

  Thelma Speaker played the little pump organ.

  Quiet Jim sang “The Lord’s Prayer” and “Love Divine, All Loves Excelling,” mostly a cappella.

  Preacher Smith prayed.

  Jamie Sue and Robert vowed.

  The March sisters cried.

  Brazos loomed in the front row of the congregation, his hands folded in front of him, hat in hand, head bowed. His Sharps carbine lay on the polished wooden floor at his feet.

  No one sat down. They couldn’t. There were no chairs in the room. There weren’t enough chairs in all of Deadwood City for the crowd.

  Then the new bride and groom kissed.

  Dacee June giggled.

  Thelma March Speaker played a semblance of the “Doxology.”

  Then everyone gave their shout of approval.

  After the wedding, the crowd drifted back and forth between the street and the ballroom. It was nearly dark when Brazos got an opportunity to talk to Robert. “I wish you didn’t have to leave tomorrow.”

  “Army rules, Daddy. She surely is beautiful, isn’t she?”

  “I’ve only known one bride who was more beautiful.”

  “Mamma?”

  “Yep. You promise you’ll send her back with Vince next week?”

  “If they give me a few days, we might go down to Cheyenne. But either way, she’s coming back here. I’d rather she stayed here with you and li’l sis while we’re on the summer campaign,” Robert insisted. “Word came down from Colonel Custer that we’ll have the Sioux rounded up by the Fourth of July. He’s got some speaking engagements back East he doesn’t want to miss. So maybe I’ll be back here to help you celebrate the Centennial.”

  “I’ll look forward to that. But don’t underestimate the Sioux,” Brazos cautioned. “And don’t take chances.”

  “Come on, Dad, we’ve been though this before. I’ll be all right,” Robert assured. “This is my job.”

  “Now that you’re married, if you’d like a different career, your brother and I could use a partner.”

  The grin on Robert’s face was identical to his mother’s. “You keep saying the Lord is leading you to a special place under a Dakota cross. In a few months, you might not even be here.”

  “I guess what I’m sayin’ is, no matter where I end up, I’d surely like to have you nearby.”

  “Somehow, I can’t imagine stayin’ away very long. Fortunes seem to like comin’ home.”

  Brazos hooked his thumbs in his vest pockets and stared down at his now dusty boots. “Except for one.”

  Robert threw his arm around his father’s shoulder. “Sam will come home someday, Daddy. Mamma always said he would.”

  “That she did.” Brazos bit his lip. “Now go on, grab that bride of yours. You’re surrounded by several thousand jealous men, some of ’em won’t stay sober or sane a whole lot longer.”

  Brazos worked his way through the crowd to the punch bowl. He noticed Yapper Jim, Big River Frank, and Quiet Jim leaning against the far wall. Grass Edwards and Louise March Driver were busy serving refreshments. Thelma Speaker flitted between the hotel kitchen and the ballroom.

  “Well, Grandpa, how do you feel?” Big River teased.

  “Grandpa? I’m not a grandpa yet.”

  “That’s what comes next, don’t it?”

  Quiet Jim glanced across the ballroom floor. “They will have handsome children.”

  “I don’t know why you are in such a hurry to get me to be a grandpa.”

  “Grandpa Brazos,” Yapper Jim chided. “Somehow I just can’t picture that.”

  “I can,” Quiet Jim added. “Don’t reckon a man minds being called that. I wouldn’t mind being called Daddy, neither.”

  “Wheweee,” Yapper exclaimed, “a weddin’ sure brings out the worst in a man, don’t it?”

  “Well, Quiet Jim, you aren’t going to have any luck at snaggin’ a wife if you don’t get out there and visit with the ladies,” Brazos challenged.

  Quiet Jim tugged on his black tie and gazed across the room. “There’s ten men for every woman out there.”

  Big River Frank brushed back his mustache. “Yeah, but there’s thirty ladies for ever’one Quiet Jim.”

  A soft, easy smile broke across Quiet Jim’s leather-tough face. “Yeah, I reckon you’re right about that.”

  “You got one picked out?” Brazos questioned.

  Quiet Jim blushed. “I was thinkin’ about that dark-haired one.”

  “Miss Columbia Torington? She’s twenty years younger than you. Why, shoot, Quiet Jim, with Jamie Sue married off, ever’ man in town will be thinkin’ about Miss Columbia,” Yapper Jim said.

  “It don’t hurt to give her a choice.” Quiet Jim plucked up two glasses of punch and scooted through the crowd.

  Big River Frank stared up and down at Brazos. “You look about as comfortable in that outfit as a broomtail in a squeeze chute.”

  “And you?”


  “I feel like a fat hog in a roastin’ pan. Fortune, what in the world are we doin’ pretendin’ we’re city folks?”

  Brazos cocked his black felt hat to the side of his head. “Big River, I woke up this morning on a soft mattress with clean sheets. There was no rain drippin’ through a tent roof, no snow coverin’ my bedroll, no sand gnats swarmin’ around my mouth, no dust in my eyes, and no varmints lurkin’ in my boots. I didn’t have a stubborn heifer or a balky calf to catch. I didn’t have cold beans and hard biscuits for breakfast. I didn’t have to rub down my legs so I could stand up straight. I didn’t have to buck the kinks out of a thousand-pound sack of horseflesh. I really didn’t care if it were sunny or rainin’ …”

  “Yeah, I know what you mean,” Big River smiled. “I woke up homesick, too.”

  “Maybe we’re too old for that kind of life,” Brazos said.

  “We? Speak for yourself, Fortune. I’m still a young man.”

  “You won’t see forty again …”

  Big River Frank sighed. “You know, Brazos, I probably should have married that Carter girl down in Brownsville right after the war. We’d be livin’ on some big old ranch down on the Rio Grande.”

  “What? And miss all this fun?”

  Big River took a sip from a near empty, cut-glass punch cup. “There’s probably a lot of truth in that. We’ve had some good times, partner. And we’ve seen a whole lot of God’s creation. Reckon we’ve had more than most.”

  “You gettin’ sentimental on me, Big River?”

  “Must be the weddin’. When’s Jamie Sue comin’ back?”

  “Next week.”

  “Did Todd move to his new house up on Forrest Hill?”

  “Yep. But he’s just kind of campin’ up there. He’s got a lot of buildin’ to do yet.”

  “That’s really somethin’. I ain’t never heard of a single man buildin’ himself such a fancy house.”

  “I don’t think he plans on being single forever.”

  “Well, Quiet Jim’s right about one thing. The choices aren’t great around here. Maybe Todd ought to go back to Texas to find a wife.”