Providence

Providence Read Free Page A

Book: Providence Read Free
Author: Karen Noland
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standing silent for a moment in the warm Oklahoma sunshine. A light
breeze stirred his silver hair; a bird chirruped in the stillness. Kate stared
at him intently and swallowed hard. Finally looking up, he reached into his
inner breast pocket and withdrew a yellowed envelope. He handed it to her
without comment, his flinty eyes saying far more than words ever could.
    She took the envelope, and opened
it, withdrawing eight twenty-dollar bills and a receipt. She looked at the
collection of papers in disbelief. “A hundred and sixty dollars? But there
should have been at least six hundred dollars here!” Her heart sinking, she
leaned against the buckboard for support.
    “The fine gentleman says that
prices are down for beef, and what with losses along the way, and his
‘expenses,’ and all, why, what he has given you is more than fair. Oh, and
he’ll be very happy to oblige you with this fall’s steers as well.” Jake’s
mocking tone left no doubt as to his feelings toward the offer.
    “I’ll bet he would!” Kate
seethed.
     Matthew Johnson was one of
the largest ranchers in the territory. He had helped Will improve the herd by
introducing him to selective breeding practices, and Will had sold him one of
the Angus bull calves that had been born that first spring. Matt made no secret
of his desire to buy their claim when she and Will were struggling through the
early years, but Will was determined to make their dreams come true, and the
Lord had provided for them during those hard times.
    “Providence,” Will always said,
“the Lord will provide our needs.”
    He truly did provide for their
needs, and so much more. Through careful management, they were able to buy and
acquire land, until the ranch was expanded from their initial homestead claim
of 160 acres to 640. The cattle prospered, and they began to raise quality working
horses as well. And so they had begun to call the place Providence. It was a
secret name between Will and Kate, until one day she had the sign maker in
Guthrie carve a beautiful wooden sign with the word Providence intertwined with vines, leaves and small clusters of grapes.
     Tears flooded Will’s deep
blue eyes the evening she presented it to him. He tenderly caressed her cheek.
Drawing her into his arms, he kissed her sweetly, professing his undying love
for her. She surrendered her heart to him completely that night, finally
shuffling off the last of her scars, and pain, accepting his love as
unconditional; at last she was truly home and safe. He hung the sign between
two rough timbers, spanning the road leading into their ranch the very next
morning, the morning of the accident. Providence.
    The old man and the young women
stood together quietly, each wondering what the future would hold. Kate
swallowed hard again, “What about the colts I sent with you?”
    Jake’s face brightened considerably
at that and a sly twinkle came into his eyes. “Well, now I couldn’t very well
give those fine beasts to such a man as Johnson, could I?”
    “So?”
    “Oh, he saw them all right, and said
what fine animals they were. Asked did they come out of your black stud there.
For all his faults, that man has a fine eye for the horseflesh, he does. ‘Yes,’
says I, ‘and some of the finest mares in Oklahoma Territory, too. But Mrs.
Shaughnessey has promised these three to Mr. Van Buren up yonder.’”
    “I did no such thing!”
    “Well, now Mr. Johnson didn’t
know that now, did he?” Jake’s eyes twinkled all the more.
    “Jake....”
    “He paid one hundred fifty for
that bay colt, and fifty dollars apiece for the fillies,” smiled Jake, holding
out a second envelope. “I probably could have got a bit more had they been
broke to saddle.” He said raising an eyebrow at her quizzically.
     Kate took the envelope
shaking her head helplessly as tears of mirth and relief streamed down her
cheeks. She had intended those colts to be sold at the local blacksmith shop
for twenty dollars each,

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