did.” Howard squeezed her hand, then stepped back as the Concord lurched forward.
* * *
IT WAS NOON when the stage pulled into Havilah, a busy mining town high in the Tehachapi Mountains. It stopped in front of the Golden Gate Hotel. As the passengers disembarked, the hotel proprietor, Leopold Wattiez, announced that he provided the best accommodations in town along with French-cooked meals.
Amy decided that a French-cooked meal was exactly what she needed before continuing on to the ranch. She tied Toddy to the post next to the water trough and went inside.
“Voilà!” said the rotund cook a few minutes later, as he set the plate down in front of her. Amy was hard-pressed to see what was French about the roast beef and potato dish, but she kept her thoughts to herself. Recalling some of the French phrases her mother had taught her, she praised his efforts and earned a beaming smile plus all the information she needed about the town, where to shop and where to hire a wagon and driver.
Not knowing exactly what supplies she would need, she decided to buy a little of everything so she wouldn’t have to come back for a while. Then she hired a boy with a spring wagon to load up her things and drive her out to the ranch.
An hour later, they came within view of Heartbreak Ranch.
“I ain’t been out here for a long time, but I’m purty sure this is it,” said the boy, pointing a finger.
Amy gasped in delight at the small white house surrounded by ancient oaks and emerald-green hills covered with bright orange poppies, blue lupine and owl’s clover. Dozens of fat steers stood grazing, not even looking up as the wagon drew close.
It’s Mama’s dream come true, she thought, wishing her mother were here to share this moment with her.
Riding in the back of the wagon, Toddy ran back and forth, barking with excitement.
“Toddy, quiet,” Amy commanded, then realized he probably thought the steers were big dogs and wanted to chase them. Until he got used to them—and they to Toddy—she’d have to tie him up.
The closer they got, the more Amy saw that the house’s beauty was an illusion, caused by distance and wishful thinking. Up close, it was nothing more than a tumbledown shack. Overcome with disappointment, she now felt relieved that her mother wasn’t there to see her dream shattered.
So this is Heartbreak Ranch. She shook her head. She’d wondered about the name. Now she knew. It broke her heart just looking at it—the chipped and peeling whitewash, the dilapidated front porch, the weatherworn door branded with a broken heart. Maybe she should have taken Howard’s advice and stayed in San Francisco.
“Where do you want me to put your things?” the boy asked.
It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him to turn the wagon around and head back to Havilah. Instead, she surprised herself by saying, “Anywhere will be fine.” Before she could change her mind, she climbed out of the wagon. Toddy leaped out of the wagon bed, nearly toppling her in his excitement to get down. She grabbed his leash and gently commanded him to settle down, but it was an effort in futility. Straining against his leash, he pulled her across the yard to the house, where he used his long nose to push the door open.
The inside of the house was even worse than the outside. Thick dust and dirt covered everything. A stack of old newspapers lay on the table, the edges chewed away. The furniture—what there was of it—was crudely made and the earthen floor was covered with animal droppings and litter.
The thought that this was her legacy made Amy groan. “Oh, Toddy, I don’t know....”
“That’s the last of it,” the boy said, walking up behind her.
Only when he held out his hand, did Amy remember that she needed to pay him. She reached into her reticule, pulled out three coins and dropped them into his palm.
“Much obliged, ma’am. Let me know if you need me for anything else, you hear?”
Amy could only nod. The fact was, she needed so much she didn’t know what to ask for first. Dazed, she stared after him as he climbed into the wagon and released the brake. He was beyond shouting distance when she thought to ask how she was supposed to contact him.
Toddy snapped her out of her thoughts when he jumped up on his hind legs and dropped his big paws on her shoulders.
“Good grief! What are you doing?” she asked, struggling to push him off. “Down, Toddy. Get down.”
She barely finished speaking when a raccoon scampered out of its hiding place and ran between them, then out the door.
Amy screamed and jumped back.
Toddy yipped and lurched forward, yanking his leash out of her hand. He ran after the creature at a full gallop.
Amy chased him, yelling for him to stop. Finally, the raccoon darted up an oak tree and sat on a branch looking smugly down at the dog.
“Bad dog!” Amy scolded between gasps. She tried to pull him away from the tree, but he fought her every step, twisting and turning, barking and yipping. She had no idea how to control the animal. Nothing on the list Howard had given her covered chasing raccoons up trees. Remembering that his other commands were in her mother’s journal, she decided to look them up at the first opportunity. On her way back to the house, she stopped at the pile of baggage and supplies and opened her satchel. She pocketed a handful of Toddy’s bite-size treats, thinking they might come in handy if Toddy gave her any more trouble.
Looking up at the sky, she figured she had about an hour before nightfall. After her town meal, she wasn’t hungry, which meant she wouldn’t have to tackle the kitchen area just yet. That was a relief, since it was the dirtiest.
She supposed the first thing to do was to put the bedroom in order so she would have a clean place to sleep. She tied Toddy to a porch post and fed him the leftover beef she’d saved from her supper.
It took less time than anticipated to clean the bedroom and make up the bed. As soon as she finished, she went outside to get her mother’s painting. Having already decided against hanging it in the main room because of the difficulty she would have explaining it to anyone who saw it, she opted for the bedroom.
Lifting the heavy, gilt-framed, life-size nude up to the nail above the bed proved to be a challenge. It took her three tries before she succeeded, then she jumped down off the bed and stood back to admire her efforts.
“You’re home, Mama,” she said, feeling a little foolish talking to an inanimate object. “I know it’s not exactly what you had in mind, but I promise you that one day it will be everything you dreamed of and more.”
A pistol shot interrupted her one-sided conversation.
Amy shrieked, jumped back and flattened herself against the wall next to the window. Outside, Toddy barked furiously. Dear God, don’t let him get shot. Cautiously, Amy sidled up next to the window and peeked out. At first, all she saw was Toddy fighting against his rope. Then she saw a half dozen men on horseback galloping toward the house, their guns drawn. Who were they? What did they want? She looked around for something to use as a weapon, then realized the futility of it. If they meant to do her harm, she was virtually at their mercy.
As she waited, something drew her gaze to the painting. Be brave, chérie.
