Providence (21 page)

“That horse will still be going
strong when Jon is home abed tonight.”

“You’re probably right.”

“He reminds me of myself when I
was a boy,” Luke remarked watching the lad whooping and hollering in sheer
youthful exuberance.

“Where did you grow up?” Kate
asked.

“We were originally from Indiana,
but my father moved us to Coffeyville, Kansas, when I was just a babe. He
pastored a church there.” Luke spoke evenly, but there was a hard set to his
eyes.

“I didn’t know your father was a
man of God,” Kate exclaimed. “Do you have any brothers or sisters?”

 “One sister. She’s five
years older than me, already married and a baby of her own, when...” Luke
stopped, a distant look settled on his face.

“When what?”

“Kate, you believe in God, don’t
you?”

“Well, of course.”

“But you don’t just believe, you
know Him
-
I mean, He’s real to you, isn’t
He?”

“Luke, He’s my friend, my
confidant and comforter. He’s my savior. He’s there when no one else is, I can
trust in Him and He never fails me.” She felt at a loss for words to tell him
what Jesus meant in her life. Did he not know? How could he be the son of a
preacher and not know God?  

“How, Kate? How do you know that
it’s God directing all this? And if He is there, then where was He when your
husband was killed? Where was he when my mother lay dying? And why is my father
so full of hate?” The anguish in his voice ran deep, but his face remained
impassive. Kate’s heart ached for the pain she sensed there.

She sat deeply in the saddle and
lightly checked the reins, bringing the big sorrel mare to a stop. Luke’s gelding
walked on a few more steps, before he swung around to face her.

 “Oh, Luke,” she began not
knowing how to voice the passion in her soul. “I could quote you scripture
after scripture. God is not the author of confusion, but of peace. All things
work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called
according to his purpose. God’s will is a mystery to us, your faith should not
stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.” Seeing the grim set of
his jaw, she sighed, her eyes straying to the meadow beyond where a few cows
were peacefully grazing.

“Even if we didn’t have the
scriptures, Luke, look around you. God is evident in every aspect of His
creation. You can see him in every leaf on a tree, in the clouds, the beasts of
the field, the birds of the air. Look at the perfection in the face of newborn
babe. How could you look at all of this and not see God?”

Luke shook his head slowly.
“Kate, I know the Bible. I studied it for over a year in the seminary. I
listened to my father preach it every day for eighteen years. And, yes, I can
even see a divine hand the creation around us. But why can’t I
feel
Him,
Kate? What is it I’m missing?”

She looked at Luke’s strong hands
gripping the leather reins, and reflected back over the past weeks, seeing him
in her mind’s eye, taking control of every situation, planning, preparing,
protecting. Kate realized that never once had she seen him in prayer over any
of these circumstances, never seeking God’s will or His direction.

“When was the last time you sat
down and talked to Him?” she asked.

 His stony face remained
unchanged, but a flicker in his eyes encouraged her to continue.

“He wants a relationship with
you, Luke, but on His terms, not yours. You’re going to have to let go of your
pride, give Him control before you’ll ever know that sense of peace you’re
looking for.” She sighed, rubbing her scars absently through the thin cotton
shirt. “It doesn’t happen overnight, trust me, I know,” she added quietly.

The bay appeared from around a
bend. “Luke, the main herd is just over that rise, c’mon, we’re almost there!”
Jon called out, brimming with anticipation.

Their eyes held for a moment
longer and Kate could see the battle raging within before he shifted his gaze and
they headed the horses out to meet the challenge of the herd.

They rode past a few cows and
calves in near meadow.

“We’ll pick these up on the way
back through.” Luke commented.

“I want to check that pond south
of here and the few gullies beyond that for any other strays.” Kate said.

“Good idea. We’ll regroup on the
other side of the herd, plan our search and drive the stragglers up to the main
herd, then push them this way to pick up these, and on back to the ranch.”

Kate nodded and pushed her mare
into a long, ground covering trot.

 The three came together in
the shade of a large old oak on the far side of the herd. Smokey flopped down
in the welcome coolness of dewy grass while Kate, Luke and Jon surveyed the
cattle. Sleek black cows grazed in the morning sun, taking little notice of the
riders in their midst.

“Between these and the eleven I
counted in the first meadow, I’d say we’re probably only missing twenty-five or
so.” Kate was glad that so many were here together.

“Jon, you take Smoke and head to
the east, pay special attention to large shady areas, and any water sources.
Work ‘em slow and drive them this way. Stay well back, and move ‘em real easy,”
Luke instructed. “Kate, you work the south pond and any ravines out that way.
I’ll cut back and forth in the gullies and creeks behind you both.”

“Yes, sir, I know how, and so
does Smoke. We’re hands at this.”

“Yes, they sure are. He’s been
helping us move the cattle around for a good five years now,” Kate added with a
smile and a note of encouragement to the boy. “But this is the first time on
your own, Jon, be careful! If anything were to happen to you, your grandpa
would skin me alive.”

“More like Nana would!” Jon
laughed and waved as he turned his pony to the east and rode off at a lope.

Luke shook his head. “You really
think he can handle this?”

 “If there’s one thing that
boy can do, it’s work the cattle. He’ll be fine, and once he starts working
them, he’ll settle down and move them right. Besides, Smokey is one of the best
cow dogs I’ve ever seen. They’re quite a team those two.”

“Well, we better get after our
own, then, don’t want them showing us up, do we?”

Kate laughed and they headed
their horses out to the south. They rode in silence until the screech of a hawk
shattered the stillness. Kate looked up to see the great bird drifting in lazy
circles, riding the warm currents effortlessly. She was reminded of Tochoway,
and her heart grew troubled.

***

Luke rode alone along the top of
a rise, watching for cattle among the trees or near the creek. Kate’s words
played relentlessly through his mind, “...let go of your pride, give Him
control.” If there was one thing Luke was sure of, it was his ability to take
control. His self assurance was the strength he relied on. Surely that was a
gift from God, not something to be cast aside?

As he rode, a verse of scripture
learned many years before rose in his mind,
Ask, and it shall be given you;
seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

 “Lord, I haven’t been very
good at asking or seeking your face, your will. God, I want so much what I see
in others, how they trust you. Show me, Lord, show me how to subserve myself
and seek your will.”

Come unto me, all ye that labor
and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn
of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your
souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light
.

Luke felt his heart constrict at
the familiar words. Heavy laden? Weary? Oh, yes, that he had in plenty. Would
he ever learn to lay his cares at the feet of the Father? He shook his head to
clear away the troubling thoughts and focus on the work at hand.

A movement in the shadows of the
tree line caught his attention. Peering intently into the verdant foliage, he
could just make out the shapes of cattle milling in the restful shade. Urging
Rio along, they approached the beasts cautiously. Luke began a slow side to
side sweep as they neared the location of the cows, reining the horse right for
several steps then steering back to the left, moving slowly but consistently
forward.

A large cow bellowed a protest
heaving her bulk up from a soft grassy nest. As she walked away from Luke’s
inexorable advance, the others turned to follow. Soon he had a small group of
cows and calves moving along before him. The old lead cow meandered toward the
pasture where the main herd grazed, and Luke only had to urge on the stragglers
and make sure they stayed on course.

 He heard the bawling of cattle
to the east. In a few minutes a group of young steers came into sight moving
quickly away from the gray dog nipping at the heels of those in the rear. Jon
rode in behind, moving from side to side, keeping the steers from breaking to
the right or left. Luke waved, and Jonathan maneuvered his band of steers into
the path of the cows and soon both men rode behind the growing herd.

“That’ll do, Smoke!” Jon called
out sternly. The dog obediently returned to his master, and padded along beside
him. “Jest watch ‘em now, Smokey.”

“He’s a real good cow dog, Jon.
Did you train him yourself?”

“Naw, Mr. Will helped me, and he
had an old dog
-
we jest put Smoke out with old
Traveler when he was a pup, and Trav taught him most things real good.”

“What happened to Traveler?”

“He died a few years back. Went
to sleep one night and jest didn’t get up the next morning.” Jon sighed. “He
was good dog. He’s buried out behind the smithy shed.”

“Well, I’d say the way Smokey
works those cows is a fine tribute to Trav.”

 “Thanks!” Jon grinned.
“Uh-oh.” A steer broke out the left and tried to circle back. Jon turned the
bay horse into the path of the runaway then grabbed frantically for the saddle
horn as the pony dropped his front end low and snaked his neck out to stop the
steer. Before the boy had a chance to recover his senses, Jesse took off again
staying in front of the angry black beast, matching him step for step. Luke was
reminded of a bull fight he had once seen in old Mexico. Like the matador,
Jesse moved with the steer in perfect timing until he was able to move him
safely back to the herd.

Visibly shaken, but unhurt and
glowing from the experience, Jon rode back to join Luke.

“That looked like quite a ride!”
Luke grinned.

“Yeah, real glad I got a hold of
that horn, or I’d have been on the ground for sure.” Jon shook his head in
wonder.

Luke called out, “Hiya, get on,
now,” slapping his lariat against his leg. Jon whistled and sent Smokey to
gather the straying calves. They moved the last of the cattle into the open
meadow where they joined the rest of the herd, mingling and beginning to graze.
Kate appeared a short time later, driving a small knot of cows and calves
before her.

***

Jon rode ahead as they approached
the sorting corrals. Jake appeared from the barn and took up a position near
the gates. The cattle were driven through a wide opening that narrowed into an
alley with two gates at the far end. From there they were easily directed into
one of the two corrals. The cattle coming in today would be sent into one, and
the herd gathered the following day would be sorted into the other pen.

“Where does Kate want these?”
Jake called to his grandson.

“The north side.”

 Jake swung the gate back as
the first cows made their way down the chute, bawling their objections even as
they passed into the open corral. Once the last steer cleared the opening, he
shut the gate, securing it with a wire tie.

Luke and Kate rode into the ranch
yard. Kate produced a rag from the pocket of her vest. Dousing it from the
canteen hanging near her pommel, she wiped the dust from her face and neck. The
cool water ran in rivulets down the back of her shirt making her long for a
real bath.

“Good day’s work. Hope tomorrow
goes as smoothly,” Luke said.

“Oh, tomorrow ought to be the fun
day, bringing in those longhorns. We got these in before lunch. We’ll be lucky
if we see the supper table tomorrow.” Kate laughed and offered the cool rag to
Luke. Reaching out to take the cloth, his hand caressed hers sending a thrill
coursing through her.

“Look at all the calves, momma!”
Jo shouted, running from the house. With a whoop, she mounted the corral fence
and stood with her arms hanging over the top rail. “Nana and I made pies today,
and lots of bread. Oh, and I picked all the strawberries I could find, and
blackberries, too. Jake churned the butter and dug the pit we need to roast the
meat. Oh, momma, I can’t wait for Saturday,” she sighed.

“Luke, I could sure use your help
and Jon’s getting this steer butchered,” Jake said, joining them in the yard.

 “Sure thing, let’s get it
done now. Then we can clean up and eat a late lunch.” Luke replied. “Get down,
Kate. I’ll put the horses up first.”