Blue Valley

Chapter Two

It was a long journey for Belle. She watched the scenery go by, as the train sped off into the unknown west. It had been three days since her parents had sent her and her brother and sister away. Belle had tried so hard not to cry, but when she said goodbye to Dorothy, she hadn't been able to keep a few tears from falling. She had promised her sister she would write often, and told her everything was going to be fine. Dorothy hadn't been so sure. Belle had seen the uncertainty in her blue eyes. And young Theo was utterly confused when only he and his nanny boarded the train to New York, Belle had tried to explain to him as best she could, but his tearful face had torn her heart. Now here she was on a train going to a place she didn't know. She had never even met her Aunt Josephine, she didn't know anything about her except that she owned a ranch with her family, somewhere in the far west. The scenery made Belle feel a little bit better especially the further they went, wide fields of colorful wildflowers and tall grass waved in the wind, it made her think of ocean waves. It truly was beautiful.
The train made stops every few hours, to let off passengers or to load up on other things. Though she loved the view, Belle could hardly wait to get off, she was aching all over, because of all the bumping of the train. Finally, the train arrived in Blue Valley, where Belle's aunt lived. She stepped off the train and made sure all her things were there, then she searched the small crowd for someone familiar,  even though she'd never seen her aunt, uncle or any of her cousins. There weren't many that exited the train, so there wasn't a big crowd. So if her aunt was here she'd find her easily; there was a young, dark haired woman, with four young children surrounding her, and pulling on their mother's skirts. Too young to be her aunt, Belle thought. There was a tiny waif of a woman, with gray hair and a broad smile. Belle smiled, too old, she thought. She looked around for someone who looked like her mother, but couldn't see anyone that had similar features. She was starting to wonder if they hadn't gotten word of her visit, when she felt someone stand beside her. She turned her head to a tall young man, with dark red hair, and deep blue eyes. He wore simple trousers, and a blue shirt, with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows. He held his hat in one hand, and gave her a bright smile.
"Excuse me ma'am, are you Bella Young?"
"Yes, I'm Belle." He must be her cousin. She smiled,
"And you must be one of my cousins?"
"Actually, my name's Jeremy Waller." He stretched out his hand and shook hers. "Your aunt and uncle took me in when I was just a boy, and I've been with them ever since."
"Oh, well it's a pleasure to meet you, Jeremy."
He seemed like a good man, talkative too, Belle thought. Jeremy put his hat back on, "Ready to head on out to the ranch? The wagons right around the corner of the building." He lifted some of Belle's luggage and led her to the wagon, where two brown horses stood waiting patiently. Jeremy put her luggage in back of the wagon, then came around and offered to help Belle up unto the seat. Once all her luggage was loaded, Jeremy jumped up on the seat beside her, and flicked the reigns, Belle tightened her grip on the seat. They drove on Main Street, and Jeremy pointed out a restaurant, a hotel, a post office and a general store. It was a nice little town, bustling with friendly people. Some waved, others gawked at the newcomer, it was obvious they didn't get a lot of newcomers in Blue Valley. Once they were out of town, Belle asked how far out of town the ranch was.
"An hour or so." Jeremy glanced at her.
She nodded. "So you know my aunt and uncle well?"
"Yeah, I've been with them awhile. They're good people. They wanted to pick you up, but Dan had serious business with one of the ranch hands last minute, and Jo was called away to help deliver a baby early this mornin. So she told me to pick you up if she didn't get home in time." He smiled. "So here I am."
"Well, thank you, for not leaving me stranded."
She laughed quietly.
They rode on, Belle asked a few questions about the ranch, and Jeremy answered them with good knowledge. Belle was intrigued and had many questions about ranching and farming and their differences. And before she knew it they were driving up a dusty driveway towards a large two story stone house, with a wrap- around porch, and a painted roof. The front yard was filled with flowers and three tall oaks, with a white painted picket fence surrounding the whole yard. Belle could also see a large barn a hundred feet from the house, with sturdy fences connecting to it.
When Jeremy stopped the wagon in front of the house, two young girls came bounding into the yard. Jeremy jumped off, and helped Belle down as well. He turned to the girls;
"Hey girls, how about you introduce yourselves to your cousin here."  The taller one smiled and shook Belle's hand. She had long blonde hair which was escaping a loose braid, she had deep blue eyes and bright smile.
"My name's Angela." Belle returned the smile.
The other girl was almost as tall as her sister, she had dark brown hair and greenish eyes, she looked like the more adventurous one of the two girls.
"I'm Emily." Belle smiled.
"Well it's a pleasure to finally meet some of my cousins."
Angela and Emily showed her around the house, and her room, while Jeremy carried her luggage up. Belle was staying in the guest room, a light blue room, with white lace curtains, a white dresser with a small mirror, a bedside table, and a wardrobe, stood neatly in their places. She liked it.
After Belle had thanked Jeremy for bringing up her luggage, they left her to freshen up for supper which was almost ready. She slipped out of her grey traveling dress, and washed her dusty hands and face. She picked out one of the simpler dresses, a soft yellow dress, with a big bow in the back. She brushed out her hair and pinned it back on her head. Then she looked at herself in the mirror and caught her reflection. She had dark circles under her eyes, all the stress of the days before was suddenly very visible. Belle wished everything was as it had been, before everything changed, all because some strangers wanted her parents dead. She prayed to God, that her parents were safe, hopefully hiding somewhere in a safe house, away from danger. That Dorothy was having a good time at her new school and making new friends. And that little Theo, was having fun visiting his little cousins. She wondered how long it would be until everything would be back to normal, and they could all be together again. She had a feeling that nothing would ever be the same as it had been. And the thought made her sad. A ruckus downstairs interrupted her thoughts, and Belle new it was time for supper. She took one last look in the mirror to make sure her complexion wasn't too sad, put on a smile and hurried downstairs.