An Eternal Love to Conquer All (Preview)

Chapter One

Theresa Weatherly walked to the edge of the hill where her son was standing. “Pastor Bakersmith is about to begin. It’s time to come join the family.”

Colt Weatherly stood outside the gate of the family burial plot on a hilltop overlooking the family ranch. The Weatherlys referred to it as Resting Hill because it was where they went to rest when they were done living. He had stepped away for a few moments of reflection before his grandparents, Jacob and Vera, were lowered into the ground. It was a clear crisp day and a good one for a burial if there was such a thing.

The Weatherlys owned a one hundred seventy-five-acre cattle ranch with about forty acres of dedicated to growing hay because the herd had to eat. The gilded fields below looked as if they’d been infested with ants as the cattle grazed. Golden eagles glided along the layers of wind looking for prey below. Colt looked down and sighed – Vera and Jacob Weatherly had done well. They deserved the rest they had earned.

Just beyond the fields was the Sage Creek, after which the town had been named. The north and south boundaries had been the creek and Resting Hill, except for a patch of twenty-five acres beyond the creek. That small spread of land was where Dex, Colt, Jane, Skeeter and Maryalice had caused mayhem as kids. Jacob usually blamed Dex for the trouble and had been right most of the time. If Colt had heard Jacob once, he’d heard him a million times.

“ Dex Weatherly, you should know better. I’m not going to be around to correct your bad behavior. Grow up, already .”

Jacob didn’t have to reach far to come up with that moniker Sage Creek.  He had been known for his colorful language until Vera had come along, so the town could have been named any number of colorful words.

It was a small but mighty town that hadn’t existed until Jacob Weatherly showed up and laid claim to his ranch. A town started forming with the mercantile and saloon as the first establishments to open. Willy Hale and his wife opened the mercantile, with only enough items to fill one or two shelves. It had turned into a well-stocked store that the town of Sage Creek relied on. They sold everything from flour to fabric. The saloon was first owned by a man named Cecil but he had died and eventually the reformed outlaw Wes Campbell took over.

Soon, Sage Creek was surrounded by homesteads owned by hearty folk looking to settle somewhere special in a place that wasn’t Denver. That city was thirty miles north. Denver grew too fast and welcomed miners, gamblers, and the like. They didn’t stick around long, and tended to bring crime with them when they came. When it came time to depart, the crime was left behind.

Jacob’s story softened over the years, but truth was, he won the ranch in a game of cards that he had barely remembered. It had been said that whiskey was flowing that night and Jacob wouldn’t have found the ranch if not for Montgomery. Monty, as he came to be known, was the teenaged guide who’d showed him the way. What he’d found was a lot different from what it came to be. The land was wild and covered with thick brush. There wasn’t much to graze on so the dozen cows were starving and skinny. Colt had heard the story and had thought he wouldn’t have had the confidence to take on what Jacob did.

When Jacob Weatherly had recovered from his drunken stupor, he’d seen all the bad stuff about the ranch because it couldn’t be missed. There had been abandoned farm equipment, a few shanties, and the bones of some dead horses. Buzzards had flown overhead waiting for the cows to drop dead. However, he’d also seen that the ranch had plenty of something every ranch and farm needed. The ranch had water.

The Sage Creek was a tributary of the Platte River, named by a Frenchman. Jacob hadn’t been French so to him it had been the Flat River. It ran wild in the spring when the snow from the Rocky Mountains melted but was pretty calm the other seasons. It offered an endless supply for a decent herd of cattle and growing. Jacob had boldly predicted that the ranch would be turning a profit within ten years.

Jacob was from Virginia and there wasn’t much to go back to after the war. He’d crossed the Mississippi and never looked back. There was more war with the Mexicans, but it wasn’t enough to drive him back east. With a ranch, he’d had a place to call home and roots were established. Truth be told, Jacob had had no options. His ranch had had to survive.

Jacob’s skinny cows became cattle and soon he’d had a herd in the hundreds. It was some of the best livestock in all of Colorado Territory and he’d sell a prized bull or two at auction in Denver, which provided money to keep the ranch alive. He’d had help building a farmhouse fit for a family. The folks in Sage Creek helped him raise a barn and he’d planned to fill it with chickens and pigs. Things had looked to be going great for Jacob, but his pal Monty had gently reminded him that he’d needed a wife. Jacob had balked at the idea and swore no woman was going to pin him down.

Then, Vera Cavendish had come into Jacob’s life while he was between saloon visits in Denver. He’d said they had met in church, but anyone who knew Jacob Weatherly didn’t believe that tale. Vera would laugh every time Jacob made the claim but never corrected him or told the real story. Regardless of how they met, it was divine intervention. There were no two people less alike or more in love.

Vera had been a preacher’s daughter and brought morality into Jacob’s life. She’d been a gentle soul who’d helped bring Christianity to Sage Creek. Vera was also the first to call out Jacob on his bad behavior. He was no longer spending long stretches in the saloon and on occasion, he’d showed up at the church with Vera on his arm. She’d laid down the law and refused to bring children into the house until he stopped acting like a rascal.

He did something right because Vera gave birth to a son named Ezra and then another named Robert. Some girls followed, Ruth and Mary, but both died fairly early in life of scarlet fever. Ezra was like his father. He lived fast and took chances when they were there to take. However, with his mother’s guidance, he remained alive, not behind bars, and had eventually married Dot. Ezra’s wife was a calming influence over him just as Vera had been to Jacob. They went on to have one son who they named Dex after Vera’s late father, Dexter.

Robert was born second, and he was calm like Vera although just as able as Ezra. He had been quite the cowboy at an early age, cutting cattle at eight-years-old. Robert was a dreamer and when Vera couldn’t find him, he was always reading anything he could get his hands on or gazing at the stars. Robert married Theresa, who could make a hunk of tree bark taste delicious. Her dream had been to have a big family that would enjoy dinners together around the table. Robert had been a talented woodworker and he had built Theresa a large pine table so someday her dreams could come true. They’d had three children, one boy named Colt and girls named Maryalice and Lily. Colt wasn’t the oldest but acted like it because he was the only boy.

The ranch flourished and the family grew until tragedy struck. Robert and Ezra were ambushed by a gang of outlaws and killed immediately. Family lore told the story many ways, and some said the outlaws were enemies of Dex from his time in the saloon. Regardless, they were left to care for wives and the children.

Colt was loyal to Jacob up until the end. He never so much as considered leaving Sage Creek, and when Jacob had started to fail physically, he was there to pick up the slack. He never showed Jacob any pity, which would have been an enormous insult to such a proud man. In the end, Jacob repaid that dedication by verbally giving the ranch with all its privileges and responsibilities to Colt.

The gifting of the ranch to Colt made the day about more than just saying goodbye to Jacob and Vera. It was the end of one era and the start of the next. Colt was now the patriarch of the Weatherly family.

It was time to say goodbye to Jacob and Vera Weatherly, who died less than an hour apart. They didn’t die of anything in particular but just used up the days God gave them.

***

 

“Did he show?” Colt asked as he pulled at his trousers.

“No. However, his mother, Dot, made it up. Your sisters helped her make the trip up here. I think it’s the first time she’s stepped out of the house in weeks. Today is about Jacob and Vera and not Dex, so let’s move on,” Theresa said. “One more thing, stop tugging at your pants, that’s something you used to do as a boy.”

Colt removed his worn leather hat as he went to join Monty, Arlo Carpenter, and Nelson Bridger. They carefully moved the pine boxes from the wagon onto the iron and leather contraptions that would lower them into the ground.

Arlo had made the pine boxes as well as the brackets and straps used to lower them into the ground. He was the blacksmith in Sage Creek, who was also adept at making things from wood and hides. He’d married Colt’s sister Maryalice and they had two children, with one, maybe two more, on the way. The first time Arlo had been invited to a Weatherly Saturday dinner, he’d been welcomed as family.

Arlo whispered to Colt as they carried Vera, “This is no heavier than when it was empty.”

“You saw Vera. Some critters weigh more than she did. Did you think she’d get fat when she died?” Colt kept himself from chuckling out loud so as not to destroy the solemn moment

Arlo shook his head and Colt could see he was also fighting a bout of inappropriate laughter

Colt and the others took their places around the caskets. Pastor Leo Bakersmith stood on a small mound to conduct the service. Colt recalled building the mound with Dex so it could be used for future Weatherly family services. Dex and Colt had spent that afternoon arguing about which one of them would enter the ground first. Dex had said they should make a wager, which had been a ridiculous idea because it wasn’t going to be possible to collect the winnings from a dead man.

“I knew this day would come for Vera and Jacob, but I didn’t expect their services to be held together. I suppose it’s fitting because we all heard Jacob say it would be impossible to live a day without Vera. Jacob wasn’t always an easy man to love but Vera showed us the way,” Pastor Bakersmith mused.

The two of them fit like a glove and hand, or pieces of a puzzle. The town of Sage Creek wouldn’t exist without his abilities and determination. Nor would it have continued without Vera’s faith and generosity,” Pastor Bakersmith continued. He recognized the strong family they had built and assured those present they had both arrived in heaven. He read passages of scripture from the Bible which would have had Jacob rolling his eyes and Vera rejoicing.

Colt and the others who carried the caskets lowered them into the ground. It was customary for each family member to sprinkle a handful of dirt on the pine box as they silently prayed. Hands from the ranch would handle shoveling the final loads of dirt after the service. When his duties were complete, Colt joined the rest of the family to thank their friends and accept sympathies.

“You were born to pick up where Jacob left off,” Skeeter Linkletter said. He had been Colt’s best friend since either one could remember. Skeeter was tall and skinny; Colt told him he resembled a scarecrow. Mel Gilmer called him scarecrow once and Colt lost his temper because he had thought nicknames were to be used by friends only. He was loyal to Colt and they had similar codes of behaving. For example, they respected women, their elders, and they always helped a friend in need. Vera used to joke that if she didn’t know better, she’d think she gave birth to Skeeter. He knew Jacob wanted Colt to lead the ranch for the next generation because the two men shared everything.

“Thanks for coming. I know how hard it is to get away from the farm in September,” Colt said as he raked his fingers through his shiny black hair. The service was the longest, outside of sleeping, that Colt had gone without his hat. He took it off out of respect and he was eager to place it back on his head. “I’m sending some hands your way to help with your harvest. We took advantage of the shining sun and got most of our hay pulled out early. The rest can be done by a couple of us.”

Skeeter put his hat back on as he got ready to ride home. “I appreciate you thinking of me with the hands. Give my regards to Jane the next time you see her. I haven’t seen her in an age.”

“I will. I’ve had a thing or two to deal with, so I haven’t seen my girl in a while either,” Colt said.

As thoughts of the woman he was courting swirled through his mind, Jane’s best friend Cally Page approached. “Colt, I can’t imagine your pain losing two precious people on the same day. You should know that I’m here in Jane’s stead, but of course I wanted to pay my respects as well. Jane’s still acting as her father’s legs in the mercantile until his knee fully heals. It’s a shame he had no heroic tale to go along with his injury. He just fell off the ladder while stocking the shelves,”

Colt wished he was anywhere else because Cally tended to prattle on about nothing in particular.

“Anyways,” she continued. “It was a beautiful service and especially nice because Pastor Bakersmith knew your grandparents well. When my grandmother died, God rest her soul, no one had a good thing to say about her. She bothered a lot of folks – don’t know why…”

“Excuse me, Cally,” Colt interrupted. “My ranch foreman is waiting to talk to me.”

“Oh, of course. Remember that Jane is thinking of you. We’ll chat again real soon.” Cally walked away and stepped into her waiting carriage. Most people in Sage Creek traveled on horseback or used a wagon, but not Cally Page.

Colt spoke to Jeb Sturgess, the ranch foreman, before he returned to the field. Jeb had worked on the ranch for fifteen years and knew the land better than most. He and Dex had gotten into it a few times over the years because Jeb had no time for lazy folks. He considered Dex sluggish and not very smart. Jacob had relied on him over the years and Colt would continue to do so. He was sure to let Jacob know that his job was secure despite the death of Jacob and Vera.

Only family and Monty remained on Resting Hill. However, Dot wasn’t around because Jeb returned her home. They gathered around the grave of Robert Weatherly and Colt knew it was time to tell the family that Jacob wanted him to take the reins of the ranch.

Chapter Two

Robert Weatherly’s tombstone was covered in moss, even though Theresa made the trip up the hill once a month to visit. A wire brush and an old rag were in a box hidden behind the sweetgum tree. Hiding them wasn’t necessary, because only the Weatherlys made it up Resting Hill. Apaches may wander by now and again, but they generally respected burial sites.

“Now our father will have his father back,” Colt said as he hung his arm around his mother. “Jacob and Vera will be able to clear up any trouble the boys have gotten into up in heaven.”

Lily laughed. “I wonder what father would think of us now?” She looked at her husband Nelson. “I think he’d be happy I married a cowboy and that I named my firstborn Robert. I remember being hoisted up to his saddled and holding onto his waist as he rode as quickly as the wind. I remember his smell more than anything.”

As the youngest and a girl, Lily had the vaguest memory of Robert Weatherly. He was out on the land with the cattle most of the time so her thoughts of him were only passing flashes. Maryalice was the firstborn, which meant her recollections of her father were the most recent. As a boy, Colt saddled up with him early on and was able to spend time with him alone. Lily was pleasingly plump, unlike her siblings and she was comfortable in the kitchen with her mother, stitching quilts and caring for Robby. Lily married a year-round hand from the ranch, Nelson. He had asked Colt if he could court his little sister and he was given a resounding yes.

“Mr. Weatherly was the one who gave me a chance to work on the ranch and for that, I’ll always be thankful,” Nelson said.

Colt appreciated the nice things being said about his father, but too much talk of the dead made him melancholy. He cleared his throat so everyone knew he had something to say.

“You all know I had time with Jacob just before he died,” Colt began.

They nodded their heads.

“He chose me to take over the ranch, which is probably no surprise because with Dex gone, who else was he going to choose? I figured that. but hearing it come from Grandad’s mouth – I don’t know, the whole thing felt real for the first time. I don’t have any immediate changes. The ranch keeps running if we all work hard. I guess I have nothing else to say but come to me if you need anything or have worries,” he explained.

He hadn’t physically changed, but Colt felt a whole lot different now that he had been given the title of patriarch. He started feeling like his family was looking at him differently, which was probably something he thought up in his own mind.

***

Maryalice, with her growing belly, grabbed her two children. The doctor had said she might be with twins because she was growing fast, and it was early. Arlo had twin sisters, so the doctor said it could be a family thing. Their boy JJ was firm on his feet and little Veralynne had just learned to walk. Arlo settled them all in the wagon and made his way down the hill.

Colt approached Maryalice and Arlo. “Two at a time, so I’ve heard. The Carpenter family is going to outgrow that house of yours before long.”

“Not to worry, we’ll just add on.” Maryalice nudged her husband Arlo. “Right, Arlo?”

“Whatever you say Maryalice,” Arlo responded.

Colt knew it had been no mistake that Maryalice married the even-tempered Arlo because anyone else wouldn’t have been a good enough fit. Colt loved his sister but she had always been on the demanding side. She worked hard and expected no less from her husband.

Lily bid Colt and her mother goodbye with little Robby on her hip. She and Nelson lived in the house with Theresa until they could get their own home built. Colt thought they should just keep on living with Mom, because someday he’d move out and someone would have to care for her. Colt liked knowing Lily was safe where he could keep an eye on her. Nelson was able to take care of his wife, but Colt was protective of his sister.

Monty took off walking down the hill. He’d never left Sage Creek after he’d showed Jacob the way to the ranch. He’d stuck with the old coot until the very end. When he’d realized Jacob was reaching the end of his trail, Monty had sat on the ranch house’s front porch. He’d remained in a rocker until he was told Jacob and Vera were dead. It was as if his job of guiding Jacob had been done.

Colt walked over to his mother as she placed the cleaning box back in its hiding place.

“Granddad picked quite the place for the family burial plot,” Colt mused as he and his mother enjoyed the view.

“He chose to be laid to rest here so he could keep watch over the ranch when he was gone,” Theresa joked. She was a slender woman, not skinny, but graceful like a deer. Her hair was brown and arranged atop her head, although grey had been creeping in as the years passed. Losing her husband had broken her heart, but she had always maintained her composure and never broken down.

“I’ll keep that in mind!” Colt laughed. “It’s hard to believe the family owns all this land as far as the eye can see. All thanks to Jacob’s card skills.”

“Oh, I think your grandfather would have lost everything had Vera not come along,” Theresa said.

As they looked down over the ranch, the main house stood out. It was the first thing Jacob had built on the ranch after he’d decided he’d be staying a while. It had had two bedrooms and a small kitchen to start, but by the time he and Vera had finished, it had grown to a sprawling four bedrooms with a wraparound porch. Colt figured he’d move in there someday with Jane Hale as his wife. They’d fill it with nippers, God willing.

Theresa’s house, where Colt lived as well as Lily’s family, had been built by Robert and his brother Ezra. It was made from timbers they’d felled on the ranch, and some of it had been hauled to a mill in Denver.. Theresa had dreamed of a yellow house, so when she had married Robert, he had made that happen. The paint had come all the way from Kansas City. There wasn’t an inch of that house that Theresa couldn’t attach a story to.

“I hope I’m up to the challenge, Ma,” Colt said.

“You’ve been in charge for years and you didn’t know it. Jacob knew it, I’m sure. He’d been testing you to see if you were able. You chose the bulls for auction last year and decided to devote an extra ten acres to the hay crop. That decision made the ranch self-sufficient because we don’t have to rely on someone else to feed our herd. Your friendship with Breaking Sky meant security, and we don’t have to worry about Apache stealing our livestock,” Theresa declared.

“I didn’t realize anyone knew of my friendship with an Apache warrior.” Colt was surprised, which was unusual.

“Jacob knew more than you had realized. You need to be confident, which doesn’t mean being a braggart. I believe in you and I think you and Jane will look back someday with pride as you think about passing the ranch on to the next generation.” Theresa looked deeply into her son’s soft brown eyes as she spoke. “Your father would be proud of the man you’ve become.”

“That, as you can imagine, means a lot,” Colt said. His heart fluttered with the mention of Jane.

“I know it was hard not having Dex present for the burial. You did everything you could, so it wasn’t your fault,” Theresa assured him. “Are you sure Dex got word?”

“I’m sure. The scout was someone recommended by Monty and he relayed a message back to me. Dex had been personally informed that the grandparents who raised him died.” Colt kicked a pile of dry dirt. “He should have been here, darn it. It was Jacob and Vera! What the heck happened to my cousin? I feel funny even calling him cousin because we came up as brothers. That’s how Father and Uncle Ezra hoped it would be.” Colt was uncomfortable in new pants, which Theresa encouraged him to wear at the burial. In his mind, a real cowboy only wore what was comfortable in the saddle.

“Dex hasn’t been at ease being around family since Ezra died. Poor thing believes we all think his daddy was responsible for killing Robert. It’s a tired song he plays over and over again in his head. All I know is that outlaws killed my husband. Robert’s gone and so is Ezra, and we do our best with what we got left. None of it is your fault. Think about things that matter, like Jane.” Theresa nudged Colt as a way of getting him to talk about his lady.

“I’m picking up Jane and we’re going for a ride in the wagon. As long as I have her home by sundown, Willy won’t throw a fit like a horse with a stinger on its rump.” Colt chuckled. Courting a girl with an overprotective widowed father was a challenge. If he hadn’t already known Jane before they started their courtship, he’d never have had a chance to be properly acquainted with her. “The time is coming for me to make Jane my wife.”

“You talk if it’s always been meant to happen. Do you feel that way?” Theresa asked.

“Yup, that’s the way it goes in a town like Sage Creek. When you’re lucky to find a suitable woman, you marry her. I’ve known Jane forever, and I guess I’ve known about that long that she was going to be my wife,” Colt said. He knew what Jane was all about and she had a calming effect on him. She was one part of his life that he could rely on.

“Something to be said for familiar. I always thought I would marry a boy named Ed from my town on the other side of Denver. Then I came across your father.”

“Was it love from the get-go?” Colt asked.

Theresa laughed. “No. I couldn’t stand your father. He challenged me right off, but that smile and mop of curly dark hair kept me interested. Three children and a lot of good memories came from our brief lives together,”

“I’m sorry I made you think of him,” Colt replied. He hated seeing his mother cry, and he detected a tear threatening to escape down her cheek.

“My memories of your father are good ones. Tears of happiness feel good and are nothing to avoid. I feel refreshed after a good cry,” Theresa assured him. “It’s like the first rain after a long drought.”

“I’m sure my father had faults, but he was sure good at picking a wife,” Colt declared. Between Theresa and Vera, Jane had a lot to live up to and he was sure she would. Her father would rather have a man other than a cowboy marry his daughter, but in Sage Creek a cowboy was all Willy Hale would find

Colt took his mother back to the yellow house before going into town to retrieve Jane for their ride. They passed Dot’s home on the way, where she lived alone. When Ezra had died, and then Dex had left, Theresa had invited her to live with her. Dot had said no because she was sure Dex would be riding back into Sage Creek at any time. There wasn’t a family member or friend who hadn’t called on Dot and tried to bring her some cheer, but she continued to sink deeper into despair.

Colt pointed the team and started riding towards the mercantile. Nothing was in the way between him and Jane until he saw a figure walking down the dirt road. Jane would have to wait.

Chapter Three

Colt pulled up the reins.

“Care to hop on? I’ll take you where you’re heading,” he said with a smile.

“I’d never pass up the chance to chew the fat with my favorite Weatherly,” Monty replied.

Monty was about sixty-five but no one knew his exact age. He‘d never shared much about himself, like where he came from, if he had any kin, or if Montgomery was his first or last name. He was just Monty and he lived in a shack above the berm alongside Sage Creek. He made it clear that he accepted no hand-outs, nor did he need any. He was self-sufficient and happy with what little he had. While he was quick to turn down a helping hand, Monty was always the first to aid anyone in need.

Monty’s grey beard reached the middle of his chest. The parts of his face that weren’t covered with hair or hat were marked by deep ravines. None of that mattered much, though, because when anyone looked at him, all they saw were his cobalt blue eyes. They hadn’t clouded over or lost their sparkle. Monty’s eyes told a story, but Colt never figured out what that story was. Monty was tight lipped about details as if he were keeping secrets for Jacob

“If you haven’t noticed, there aren’t many of us left with the last name Weatherly.” Colt waited until Monty had settled in beside him.

“You’ll take care of that one of these days when you have your own children. As the only Weatherly boy left around, it’s all up to you to carry on the name. Better get started.” Monty cackled. “I imagine, with Jacob gone, the ranch is yours.”

“That was his wish, and I’ll willingly take the title of patriarch. The ranch belongs to the family, and I don’t intend on making decisions without everyone’s say-so,” Colt said. “My mother and sisters trust me to make the right choices and I don’t plan to disappoint.”

“Colt, I’m sure I ain’t telling you what you don’t already know, but you just got a heap of responsibility piled on your shoulders. There are close to two hundred head of cattle roaming on your ranch and at least a dozen horses. They’re worth a lot of money and scoundrels are going to come sniffing,” Monty warned. “Outside of family and the folks of Sage Creek who got used to him, not many folks cared for Jacob. They were scared and respectful of him, which kept his enemies from coming in. Now that’s he’s dead and buried, they might see an opening.”

“I’m aware, Monty, and I keep track of Mel Gilmer and his nefarious brothers. Wes Campbell at the saloon tells me they’ve been wandering around Sage Creek as of late. Those scoundrel types end their days at the saloon and once they get to drinking, they talk. Wes hears all sorts of things, and he makes it a point to fill my ears with all the stories,” Colt stated.

Colt trusted Wes to let him know if trouble was stirring. He owned the saloon and had become an upstanding citizen of Sage Creek, but that hadn’t always been the case. He had been on the wrong side of the law before Sheriff Dan Whistler straightened him out. Sheriff Whistler didn’t let Wes off easy. He’d called the inside of a jail cell home for a while and no one in town trusted him. Through it all, Wes and the sheriff became good friends and he’d earned everyone’s respect. He knew how outlaws thought because he had been one of them and they still trusted him, especially when they got to drinking. After a few glasses of whiskey, the got sloppy and started saying things they shouldn’t.

“You can drop me here,” Monty said. The lopsided shed was in the distance.

“I’ll take you the entire way. You took my grandfather all the way to the ranch. You didn’t point to it and tell him to go it alone the rest of the way,” Colt said. “You were always someone Jacob could rely on and he valued that.”

“It wasn’t even a ranch back then. If you only knew how bad it was, and how much your grandfather accomplished. He found down and out drifters and paid them in whiskey and food. It took them a year to clear the scrub brush from the land, and as soon as they finished, it started growing again. Jacob almost walked away, but he stuck it out. We set fire to the land and everything died. It took another year for it to recover,” Monty recalled.

“It makes sense that he was so tough on us. He worked hard to get the ranch going.”

“Yup. Jacob was smart because he knew this place would thrive eventually. In many ways, water access is better than striking gold. Sage Creek will run forever because it comes from them mountains.” Monty gestured towards the Rockies. “Ain’t nothing going to make them disappear.”

Monty had climbed down from the wagon when an animal came out of the shack to greet him. He was the only person Colt knew who had a tamed wolf. It had strayed from its pack as a baby and the mama wolf never came looking for it. It was nice, Colt thought, that Monty had something to keep him company.

***

The creek was barely a trickle in September, but that would soon change. Colt continued toward the mercantile to pick up his sweetheart, Jane. Her honey-colored hair, blue eyes, and heart-shaped lips were never far from his mind. When she and Colt were young, she wore two pig-tails, and occasionally her hair just fell flat against her back. Colt had walked into the mercantile when he was twenty and had been away on a cattle drive. Jane had her hair in a bun and looked like a mature woman. Her neck was graceful and her skin flawless except for a couple of freckles from the sun. She wasn’t Jane Hale with the pig-tails any longer.

Colt passed the church that wouldn’t have existed if not for Vera Weatherly. Her father had been a well-established pastor in Denver. Jacob had been in Denver for a cattle auction when he had literally bumped into Vera. He hadn’t been walking a straight line when he came out of the pub and she had been returning from worship. As Jacob would tell the story, he took one look at her hazel eyes and dark brown hair and had sobered up immediately. His life had changed in an instant.

When Jacob came knocking asking for permission to marry Pastor Cavendish’s daughter, he had said yes, but there was one condition. A church in Sage Creek would have to be established, and so it was. The white shingled structure was the nicest and most sturdy building it town thanks to donations from Vera’s father. Colt’s father Richard had labored for the better part of a year to build the cross that rose from the roof. It was higher than some of the trees that surrounded the church. Finding Pastor and Mrs. Bakersmith was an act of God according to Vera. They had been riding to Denver when their carriage lost a wheel and careened into a ditch. Vera got to them and the rest was history.

Arlo Carpenter had established the blacksmith shop and tannery in an old horse stable. He’d been born on a nearby farm that fell into disrepair. His had parents vanished with his younger siblings and he was alone. Colt had known of his blacksmithing skills and helped him establish his shop. It hadn’t taken Maryalice long to notice what a hardworking and handsome man he was. His captivating blue eyes. muscular build, and congeal personality made him perfect husband material and soon he was courting young Maryalice. A wedding followed shortly after. Arlo’s shop looked as if it would fall over if hit by a gust of wind, but Arlo made it work for his purposes. All the folks in town got saddles or tools made in Arlo’s establishment.

The saloon had doors that were broke more often than not. The boardwalk out front was missing planks that cracked when Wes had to throw out misbehaving drunks. Wes’s wife Nan tried to make the place look presentable. She had insisted her husband put in plate glass windows, which had lasted a day. She had thought a porch should replace the stark boardwalk, but that hadn’t lasted either. Nan eventually gave up, but the hopeful smile on her face never faded.

The town lawyer, Gerald Poindexter, and Doctor Hank Palmer shared an office across from the saloon. Their shingles hung from the building where Doc Palmer lived with his family. Gerald was sixty-five and didn’t practice much law in Sage Creek. Sort of odd that a lawyer would set up shop in the lawless West, but perhaps that’s why he chose the location? Neither man did a whole lot, but their shingles made them feel important, and Sage Creek seemed more important too.

Colt passed the half-finished boarding house. It was not necessary for Sage Creek, but Nicholas Page thought it was needed. He wanted Sage Creek on the map as he put it. He was the richest man in town, so no one cared if he was paying for it. Colt figured his next project would be a castle for his little girl, Cally. He and his wife, Sue, spoiled the loquacious young lady.

Sheriff Dan Whistler waved as Colt passed. He was sitting in front of his office that housed the jail. It wasn’t used for much besides drunks that stumbled out of the saloon. They’d spend a night in jail before they were kindly led out of Sage Creek. Grandma Vera had brought morality to Sage Creek and all the folks liked living in a town where people respected one another. Sheriff Dan and his wife Missy had tried to close down the saloon, but their idea had been unpopular to say the least.

Colt pulled the team up and tied them under the shade of a tree. He remained in his wagon and watched as Jane waited on her last customers before closing. He decided to wait until she hung the closed sign in the window. He knew she had increased responsibilities while her father’s knee was mending.

In truth, Colt liked watching Jane float around the mercantile. She looked like she was sliding on the ice and not once did she lose her cheerful smile. Colt enjoyed rides in the wagon, but he longed to go horseback riding with her. Willy Hale thought Colt rode too rough and Jane would hurt herself trying to keep up. Colt figured it was silly to think he’d put Jane in danger, but he had always taken Mr. Hale’s word. His stallion, Slate, was a gift from his Apache friend. His wife Imala was being harassed when Colt saved her, and it was Breaking Sky’s custom to repay a heroic favor.

Mr. Poindexter had been purchasing writing supplies with his usual dour composure. Jane seemed to have not  allowed him to darken her mood and by the time he walked out the door, she was wearing a smile. Jane walked towards the door to put up the sign and she spotted Colt. She laughed and waved. He had been caught gazing at his sweetheart once again. Colt climbed down from the wagon as Jane pushed open the door and welcomed him inside.

“What in the world were you up to?” Jane asked as she gestured him into the mercantile.

“I was admiring. not spying,” Colt said with a chuckle. “I didn’t want to disrupt the important work you were doing.”

“I’d hardly call it important work, but I’d do anything to help out my father. Let me run upstairs and tell him I’m leaving before he tries making it down the stairs to see us off.” Jane took off her apron and placed in on a hook behind the counter. She wore a wheat-colored skirt that skimmed the floor, and a cream-colored blouse.

“He knows me by now, and I’ll be sure to have you home by sundown. Tell him I’m aware of the rules and I know he’ll take a machete to my hand if I touch his daughter inappropriately,”

Jane turned back as she scampered up the stairs. “You do know he’d be mad, but wouldn’t go that far silly.”

Colt nodded, but he knew Willy wasn’t kidding. He’d do anything to protect Jane and made sure she had the best people around her and a life open to a vast array of opportunities.

While Jane was upstairs, Colt looked around the mercantile and his eyes landed on a portrait of Jean Hale, Jane’s deceased mother. Jane’s mother had died in childbirth and the resemblance between her and her daughter was remarkable. Willy Hale would not have survived his wife’s death if not for his baby girl. Jean had been from a respected Denver family, and Willy desperately wanted that for his little girl. Jane was all he had, and she was aware of her importance in his life. Jane knew the unimaginable grief of losing a parent, and had used that to help Colt when his father was killed. Of course, the circumstances of their parents’ deaths were vastly different. Jane never knew her mother.

Colt heard voices upstairs and a bit of laughter. Finally, Jane descended the stairs, having placed a pink shawl over her shoulders.

“You look especially lovely,” he said.

“Thank you, Colt. Father says hello and offers his apologies for not coming down to greet you. He also sends his condolences regarding Jacob and Vera,” Jane commented. “Oh, and he was asking about Dex. Wants to know if he struck it rich while in the Argentine pass? The entire town is curious to know how Dex has fared.”

“Are you curious, Jane?” Colt asked. He felt a twinge of jealousy.

“Being from Sage Creek, and having never been elsewhere, does make me curious. Dex has stories no one else can tell,” Jane said.

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“An Eternal Love to Conquer All” is an Amazon Best-Selling novel, check it out here!

Emma Jones is a strong-willed teacher who left her old life behind to follow her dreams of opening a school. Even though Emma wants to start a family too, she won’t settle down for anything less than a fairytale love. Little does she know the sudden turn her life is about to take, when she meets the charming Colt. After spending some time together, she quickly realizes that he’s the man she has always wished for. Despite her efforts to defy her strong feelings, Emma becomes painfully aware of Colt’s troubles and does everything in her power to save his aching heart. Suddenly, tragedy strikes and harsh reality forces her to move away from him… Utterly unprepared for the challenges that are about to follow, will she manage to get the one thing she always hoped for, despite the troubling circumstances?

Colt is left heartbroken after finding out that the woman he was courting chose his cousin, Dex instead. His life falls completely to pieces, when Dex returns to claim the only thing that keeps Colt going…the ranch he inherited from his grandfather. Desperate to escape his scheming relatives, and just when he thought his heart was sealed forever, he meets Emma. Colt is inevitably overcome by the memories of a long lost love, but finds himself surprisingly stricken with Emma’s unique beauty, even though he is still nursing a broken heart. Fate has other plans though, and it will take all of his courage to face a past secret that could destroy everything he holds dear. Will he lay aside his doubts and finally trust Emma for another chance at love?

Emma and Colt will experience an extraordinary connection while they get to know each other. Colt wants to let go of his trauma and embrace Emma, but with old wounds opening and a ranch at stake, it will take patience and faith to make their next step. When faced with doubts and dilemmas, will they let their past choices ruin their dreams, or will they forge a happy future for themselves?

“An Eternal Love to Conquer All” is a historical western romance novel of approximately 80,000 words. No cheating, no cliffhangers, and a guaranteed happily ever after.

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