Part 27 (2/2)

Laramie, breathing heavily, read the pa.s.sage again. Ariana. Ariana was Morgan's baby. Morgan's daughter. She was not his sister. Could it be? Was the book telling the truth? He turned back anxiously to the little diary.

”I was disappointed to discover that one of the cuffs was missing. At first I was mystified and then I remembered that I had noticed one of the tiny b.u.t.tons was loose. I laid the cuff aside until I could fix it. I can't recall where I put it unless it is in my little chest in my trunk.

”Later. I found the cuff. It was in the small chest that holds my *treasures'a”including this diarya”between my recording days. (I haven't been as faithful as Papa would have liked, but I do see this little book as something very preciousa”even though I don't fully understand what gives it such value.) I fixed the b.u.t.ton, so I'll be able to deliver the cuff to Morgan in the morning before she leaves.”

There were only empty pages following the notation. He looked back at the last date entered.

Morning had never come for his mother. At sunrise the Indians had attacked.

Laramie felt physically sick. His mothera”his dear mothera”she who had loved him and wrapped him securely in her daily prayersa”had not lived to see another day. He could not even think of it. And Arianaa”she had lost her mother, too. Morgan. Morgan Whitehall. They both had been left orphansa”Ariana hidden by the widowed lady whom she lovingly called her second mama.

Laramie stirred from his reverie.

Ariana. Ariana needs to know.

His thoughts moved from the horror of the wagon ma.s.sacre to the fact that Ariana was not his sister. They had two different mothersa”women joined only by friends.h.i.+p and the sharing of a beautiful wedding gown. It was a miracle. A little miracle. No, a great big, wondrous miracle. The secret compartment of the little chest had held a treasure far more precious than confederate money. It held the key to the secret of his past. Of Ariana's past.

He shoved the book into his pocket and began to pack a saddlebag. He could not wait to get to Ariana. Could not wait to share the knowledge the little book held. They were free. They were not bound by kins.h.i.+p. They were not brother and sister. They were free to join in marriage. They were free to love each other as husband and wife.

Ariana stood with one hand on the window ledge and looked out at the young squirrels frisking about on the gra.s.s in the backyard. They looked so playful, so filled with energy. In spite of her still-heavy heart, she could not hide a smile.

”Ariana,” her mother called from the front of the house. ”You have a caller.” Her voice sounded excited. Ariana wondered about it as she turned from the window and let the curtain fall back into place.

She walked down the hall to the parlor expecting to see one of her Sunday school cla.s.s members or perhaps, she thought, with a quickening of her pulse, the school board chairman. Maybe they had found they could use her in the local school after all. She did hope that it wasn't Bernard Dikerson. He had been making a nuisance of himself ever since her return.

But it was a tall young man who stood there, hat in hand. Ariana could not have mistaken his ident.i.ty, even though his face was shadowed.

”Laramie!” she gasped.

Her head began to spin. He had said he would be back when they could accept the brother-sister relations.h.i.+p. If he had worked it through, he was much ahead of her, she decided. She still was not ready to see him as the brother she had never known.

He stepped forward and reached for her hand, but Ariana drew it back. She wasn't prepared for this. She wasn't. She cast a look over her shoulder, willing her mother to interfere, to support her in some way. Her mother was nowhere to be seen. Ariana felt a moment of panic.

He did not try to reach for her again, though his eyes showeda”what?

”I found something,” he said, pulling the small book from his pocket. ”I thought I would explode before reaching you. I traveled first to your uncle's. Ia””

Ariana let her gaze look out the window. His buckskin and a pack animal stood tethered to the hitching rail, and by their side stood the little roan pony. Yes, he had been up to her uncle's. Tears began to form in her eyes. She turned back to him. But she still couldn't comprehend what he was saying.

”It's all in here,” he began, his voice full of excitement as he tapped the small book he still held in his hand. ”It'sa””

He stopped and looked at her longingly.

Ariana slowly shook her head. ”You said you wouldn't come untila”” She stopped and licked her lips. ”I'm sorry,” she continued in a shaky voice. ”IaI'm not readya”

He moved forward then and placed his hands on her arms. ”You don't need to be,” he hurried to say. ”This book. It gives the whole story. We are not brother and sister. Our parentsa”two totally different families.”

Ariana drew back and looked at him with wide, startled eyes. She could not speak.

”Honest!” he continued. ”Our mothersa”our familiesa”were not the same. It's all in here.”

She was in a total daze.

”You're sure?” she managed to whisper.

”I'm sure. Honest.”

And then she was in his arms, weeping against the pocket that had held the small diary with its precious secret.

”I can't believea”” she began, but her tears stopped the words.

”It's truea”it's true. Our mothers' prayers havea”kept usa”ferafer some special reason. IaI feel thet. I'm not sure jest whata”yet. But we'll find it. We are free to serve Hima”togethera”now. Honest.”

His arms tightened around her and he lowered his face to bury it in her hair.

”Mama's book said it, too,” he whispered. ”Thet special verse of yersa”'Trust in the Lord with all thine heart.' She said it, too.”

Ariana lifted a smiling but still tear-stained face to Laramie, and he drew her closer and bent his head to kiss her moistened cheek.

Two hearts lifted in deep thankfulness to G.o.d. They were not brother and sister. They would soon be husband and wife.

end.

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