Bittner, Rosanne by Wildest Dreams Page B

it wasn't ol' Half Nose that visited you. He's a mean one," Henny said then, her smile fading.
    "It could have been him," Will spoke up. "It would be just like him to steal one horse like that, just to tease you— let you know he's around but choosin' his own time to give you trouble. It's likely that whoever it was, they've headed south now to their winter camping grounds. You won't have any more trouble till spring." He frowned, leaning closer to Luke and resting his elbows on the table. "You start gathering many horses and cattle, you'd better get some help out there—hire you a couple of men to help watch over things. It's not safe you being out there alone with a wife and kid come spring. There's outlaws to worry about, too."
    Luke nodded. "I'll keep that in mind. I've gotten pretty damn good with my guns, if I must say so myself, and I'm teaching Lettie to shoot."
    "Just the same, you get some help. I might mosey over that way myself come spring, see if there's anything I can do. You're determined to stay put then, are you?"
    Luke glanced at Lettie. God, how he loved her, but even that love could not keep him from doing what he knew he had to do to realize his dream. He knew deep in his gut that someday this was all going to pay off big. He looked back at Will. "I am. I've already given David Taylor a general description of what I'm claiming. In the spring, once all the snow is gone and I don't have to be so concerned about getting in meat and wood, I'll ride the perimeter, stake my boundaries, write down a better description of landmarks and so forth."
    "Well, technically, under the Homestead Act, you're only supposed to claim a hundred and sixty acres," Will told him in a rich, gruff voice. He winked then. "But Taylor can be convinced to stretch that some. I'll be glad to let you stake out another hundred and sixty in my name, another section in Henny's name. You can even claim more in your wife's maiden name." He grinned. "There's ways of gettin' around the law out here, Luke. You remember that. Me, I'm too old to worry about gettin' really big. I'm happy with the five hundred acres I've got. But from what you've told me about your plans for raisin' cattle, you'll need a lot more than that. I'll help you get it however I can. I'm just glad to see new people come in. A man can build an empire up here, if he's smart and willin' to work hard and put up with the danger and hardships." The man glanced at Lettie. "It can be real hard on a woman, though, sometimes harder than on the man."
    "I can already see that, Will," Lettie answered the man. She looked at Luke, saw the apology in his eyes. "Someday we'll be glad for what we put up with in the beginning." She looked back at Will. "If Luke says he'll be a rich man someday and I'll have a fine home, I believe him."
    Will grinned again, looking back at Luke. "You've got one hell of a woman there, Luke, brave, and pretty to boot. She's already given you one son, and if she can give you more, that's just all the more free help you'll have down the road. Have as many kids as you can. I guess I would have tried harder to build my place into somethin' bigger if I had kids to inherit it, but it's just me and Henny, so we don't need much more."
    Lettie noticed the fallen look on Henrietta's face, and her heart went out to the woman. She was sure Will didn't mean for his remark to hurt, but how could it not? Nathan squirmed to get down, and he clung to the horse as he pointed to Patch with a scowl. He watched the cat carefully, staying close to his mother.
    "I'll say one thing," the man continued, "a man couldn't ask for a better woman than my Henny, or a better cook. How's that stew comin', Henny?"
    "It will be ready in a few minutes." The woman poured Luke and Will a cup of coffee.
    Will leaned back in his chair, rubbing at his beard. "Now, as far as the Indians, you're better off lettin' them take a horse or two once in a while than to try to fight them," he warned Luke. "I