Chief White Knife was honored by the Army for helping Bill fight Silas Garret and his gang. The Army gave his tribe four hundred of cattle and two hundred horses as a sign of gratitude and peace. That was after the brave warrior helped Bill round up his herd. By then most of Silas Garret’s men were dead. Only three managed to escape, and all three, according to Hank, were badly wounded.

Bill gathered up his hands—only three had died in the fight—and continued on to Abilene. On the way, he stopped at a town and found a doctor to tend to the wounded. Everyone ended up staying in that town for two weeks. Bill managed to rotate shifts, giving each man time in town to rest.

Kate stayed glued to Daniel, riding beside him since her wagon had been destroyed. Sarah stayed closed to Wyatt. She made sure he rested and felt good enough to ride by the time Bill was ready to get back on the trail.

“I’m fine,” Wyatt promised, riding in the back of the herd with Sarah. He smiled into her eyes. “You are pretty today.”

“I’ll be even prettier when we get home and I put on a nice dress.” Sarah felt peaceful. Yes, Abilene was still a good ways off, but so what? In her heart she felt the worst was over. And the worst is over. Silas Garret is dead. He’s in the fire now. Ma and Pa can rest in peace.

She spotted Daniel riding with Kate. They were talking—and Daniel was actually laughing some. “Now Kate, you don’t expect me to go wearing a suit, do you? I’ll look like stuffed goat.”

It felt good to laugh. Like Sarah, Daniel felt at peace. Silas Garret was dead. That’s what mattered. Now his folks could rest in peace. But there was more to the peace he was feeling than the death of a vicious snake. I feel at peace because Sarah is changing. I don’t see blood in her eyes no more. She let me buy her a new dress in town. She won’t wear it until we get home, but she let me buy it for her. And she wanted some more perfume—and three books. All of her goods are wrapped up in the back of the chow wagon for safe keeping.

Yes, Daniel no longer saw blood in Sarah’s eyes—and he no longer felt blood in his own heart. Every time he looked at Kate he saw something he could never see before: How much she loved him. I want to spend the rest of my life with her. I want to have a family with her and grow old together. I reckon working on Bill’s ranch is gonna be mighty nice. I like the work and I’m good at it. I ain’t got no complaints. In fact, I’m plumb excited about getting back home and marrying Kate.

Daniel was smiling and laughing as Kate picked at him about wearing a suit. “You can’t get married wearing work britches!” she called out.

“You just worry about getting Wyatt in a suit!”

“I’m not paying you to jabber! Focus on the herd!” Bill grunted as he rode past. But he winked at Sarah first. Sarah winked back.

Finally, after many months, the cattle drive came to an end. Bill lost more cattle more than he expected, but he sold his herd for a good price and paid for everyone to take a train back to his spread—well, as far as a train could get them. The horses and wagons (the wagons that survived the stampede) were hauled along. When the train got as close to Bill’s spread as possible, the horses and wagons were unloaded and everyone continued home that way, riding into fresh, cool, autumn winds that were on the verge of changing into winter winds.

When Sarah saw Bill’s ranch appear in her eyes, she nearly cried. Kate did start crying. She raced up to Sarah on her horse. “Come on!” She grabbed Sarah’s hand and took off like lightning.

Bill rode up to Daniel. Daniel was riding beside Hank talking about the oncoming winter. “Welcome home, boys. Get settled in because we’re going to have a hard winter. Hank, I want the fences checked and—”

“So much for being kind to a man who got shot in the shoulder,” Hank grunted.

“You’re alive ain’t you,” Bill barked.

Daniel grinned.

“What are you grinning at?” Bill barked at Daniel this time. “I want the barn cleaned fences checked, firewood chopped…” Bill rattled off a ton of chores. So many that Daniel winced. “You hear me?”

“Yes, sir.”

Bill rode off.

“Nice, ain’t he?” Hank asked.

“Reckon he is.”

Bill’s concern about a hard winter approaching proved true. It didn’t take long before the autumn winds transformed into mean, cruel, freezing winds that brought in heavy snow. Daniel found himself riding fence lines, checking on new cattle, cutting firewood, making runs into town, cleaning the barn. He didn’t mind. The work was cold but felt good. Sarah was inside where it was warm. Bill won’t let her even clean the barn. Come next spring she’s gonna marry Wyatt. That’s when Kate wants to get married, too. 

While Daniel worked in the barn on a cold snowy morning Sarah sat in her bedroom reading a letter her folks had written her when they visited St. Louis, leaving her at home with Daniel for two weeks. “Dear Sarah, St. Louis is a pretty place, but your pa and I are anxious to get back to you and Daniel. Remind Daniel to cut more firewood. It’s going to be getting cold soon. And please feed the chickens. You know how fussy they get.”

Sarah stopped then, with tears in her eyes. She looked down at a pretty yellow and white dress Bill had bought her. Her hair was fixed in braids with ribbons tied throughout and a lovely pair of boots covered her feet; along with a fancy pair of socks. She felt awful pretty and she loved the way the perfume she was wearing smelled like roses and snow. I just miss my folks. I wish they were here.

Bill knocked on Sarah’s door then. He eased in. When he saw her crying he just simply walked over to the chair she was sitting on, sat down on the arm, and out his arm around her. “It’s going to be okay. Wait and see.”

Sarah hugged Bill’s arm. That was enough. “Will the sadness ever go away?”

“No, afraid not, honey,” Bill whispered, holding Sarah. “That’s only because when you love someone, love never dies. Love keeps living on forever.”

Sarah held onto Bill and didn’t let go. I’ll never let go of him. I know God sent me to him. 

When the snow melted off and spring arrived so did a ton of life. While Bill tended to hiring new ranch hands and buying more cattle, Sarah and Kate planned their weddings. “A double wedding…set for May 1st,” they told Bill, Daniel and Wyatt.

Daniel never saw Sarah so happy. She looks different now. I barely recognize her. Her eyes have life and happiness in them. She’s gown so close to Kate…why, those two are inseparable now. And the way Bill babies her, it’s wonder she even gets out on her own. And Wyatt…he couldn’t live a day without Sarah.

And Sarah was changing. But so was Daniel. Folks were noticing how he smiled and laughed more—especially Sarah. He didn’t stay to himself as much and sometime he went didn’t even wear his gun belt. Once time Sarah found Daniel tending to a chicken that had a hurt leg. He was holding the chicken like the fowl was his own child. “It’s gonna be okay…I’m here. You’re gonna make it.”

The change in Sarah and Daniel, they would someday tell their children, came after Silas Garret ended up buzzard food. Now they could finally rest and have peace.

And peace they did have.

May 1st arrived. Wedding day.

Daniel found himself standing in a large, beautiful filed covered with wild flowers, wearing a suit. Poor Wyatt was standing right beside him scratching away. “Strop scratching yourself. Folks are looking.”

“Can’t help it, suit itches,” Wyatt fussed. “Told Kate not to make me wear this thing.”

Daniel and Wyatt had grown closer than brothers by that time. “There’s more people here than I can count…stop scratching.”

“Can’t help it,” Wyatt fussed even more.

Daniel kicked Wyatt.

Wyatt kicked him back. “Knock it off.”

“Tell that to my sister. See the eye she’s giving you.”

Wyatt looked to the back of the field where long tables holding wedding decorations and food had been set up. He saw her giving him what he called the Stink Eye—and stopped scratching himself.

Sarah looks so beautiful in her wedding dress…all white…but she can still make a fella ride scared. Daniel stared at his sister and smiled. She’s at peace. By this time next year she’ll have children of her own. I reckon me and Kate will, too.

He saw Kate appear next to Sarah. She’s like Heaven wearing that wedding dress.

Sarah saw Daniel staring at her and Kate. She stopped giving Wyatt the stink eye and smiled. Daniel is changing, like me. He’s at peace now. I even think he likes wearing that suit. I just hope Kate don’t make him wear it when we take the train to Boston for our honeymoon. Me, in Boston, of all places. Kate sure is excited. Reckon I am, too…best not say the word reckon in Boston, though.

Sarah waved at Daniel and then looked around. Tons of wooden folding chairs sat between a wedding aisle covered with wildflowers. At the front of the chairs a lovely canopy soaked with roses and others flowers stood like a wink from Heaven. The tables were saturated with delicious foods and presents. Everyone from town was present, down to the man who owned the newspapers.

She spotted Bill fussing with his tie near the back of the tables, standing off alone. We best go help him. “Come on, Kate.”

Sarah walked over to Bill and took his tie out of his hands. “Let me help. Kate, check his suit.”

Daniel watched Sarah fix Bill’s tie and then hug him. Somehow that man has become our Pa now. Thank you God. You gave me and Sarah a family…and peace.

An hour later a kind old preacher man united Sarah and Wyatt as husband and in the sight of God, then he did the same for Daniel and Kate. When both men kissed their wives a beautiful rainbow appeared over the field and a gentle warm wind began blowing that smelled an awful lot like the perfume Sarah and Daniel’s Ma once wore.

“Daniel—” Sarah began to cry.

“I know, Sarah…I know,” Daniel answered, smelling the wind and looking at the rainbow. And for the first time in his life, he let his tears fall in joy rather than sadness.