Sandhill Dreams, page 1
Sandhill Dreams
Cara C Putman
Contents
Sandhill Dreams
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Epilogue
Dear Reader,
About the Author
Also by Cara C Putman
Sandhill Dreams
A WWII Romance
by
Cara C. Putman
Acknowledgments
No book is a solo endeavor. Thanks so much to my first readers Sabrina Butcher, Sue Lyzenga, and Janna Ryan, and to Tricia Goyer for sharing her time and experience. Thanks also to Emilie Eros and Virgene Putman for investing in my children while I raced toward a deadline. And last but certainly not least, many thanks to Tom Buecker, curator of the Fort Robinson Museum, who freely gave of his time, knowledge and extensive files during my visit. You made the war at the fort come alive. Tom’s book, Fort Robinson and the American Century, is fantastic.
Special thanks to my editor JoAnne Simmons, who believed in this series of World War Two stories when I wrote them for Heartsong Presents. It has been an honor and privilege to work with you. And thank you to Andrea Cox for helping me proof this book as it gets ready for a second life. Her attention to detail and love for the stories makes them sing.
Dedication
To Eric, for always believing I would be more than a one-book wonder and cheering me from those first words … “so did she tell you she wants to be a writer?” I’ll be forever grateful that you said what I couldn’t. And even more, that God put us in that same corner of Colorado in 1990. The rest, as they say, is history. Looking forward to seeing what the next fifty years hold!
* * *
And to Mason, truly one of man’s best friends. We all miss you.
“But now, thus says the Lord, your Creator, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel, "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you. … Do not fear, for I am with you.”
Isaiah 43:1-5 (NAS)
1
May 7, 1943
As a child, the rocking of the train, the clunk of the wheels on the tracks, had promised adventure, excitement, but not this time. Sitting on a train headed to the farthest corner of Nebraska was the last thing Lainie Gardner had imagined for her life. Her dreams shimmered in the distance like a hallucination. She should have crossed the Atlantic Ocean with her friends, and fellow nurses, from the 95th Evacuation Company, bound for the European front. Instead, she waited for the train to stop long enough for her to disembark in Crawford.
She tugged a lace-trimmed handkerchief from her jacket pocket and wiped a small circle on the train window. Dust blew in waves across the desert landscape of the sandhills. The few trees squatted against the horizon. The emptiness mocked her, mirroring the barrenness inside.
The conductor swayed between the seats of the car to the rhythm of the clacking wheels. “Next stop. Crawford.” Even his words were as lifeless as the tumbleweed that paced the train.
The car jerked from side to side as it slowed. People jumped from their seats and collected their items. A dark-haired toddler jostled against his mother. He bounced on the seat and his sandaled foot slipped. Lainie sucked in a breath. With a thud, his head collided with the hard bench seat, and he wailed. He lifted his head, and Lainie noticed a gash on his forehead and a trickle of blood.
Lainie attempted to leap from her seat to help him, but stopped short as her book tumbled from her lap. Her joints refused to unlock. Not too long ago she’d been active and healthy, but not any more. Rheumatic fever had struck quickly and left her weakened and vulnerable.
The commanding officer’s words raced through her mind. Young lady, being a nurse requires strength and stamina, of which you have neither. Oh, she’d fought that pronouncement, but in the end she lost.
The boy’s mother pressed a handkerchief against the wound. Lainie sighed and collapsed back on her seat. There was little more she could do to help this young boy. But she could have done much for the soldiers.
“Next stop. Crawford.” The conductor continued his travels through the car.
Lainie shuddered and then swiped the handkerchief across her forehead. Her stomach knotted and doubts raced. She’d skipped the planning that would make this trip a success. “I must be crazy.”
The matron across the row quirked an eyebrow as she glanced at Lainie and then returned to her book.
Lainie blushed. The words weren’t supposed to trip from her mouth like the tumbleweeds blowing across the hills. She fingered the veil of her hat and turned back toward the window, ignoring the questions reflected in the woman’s eyes. She’d answered too many queries already. No need to entertain a stranger’s.
The click of the train’s wheels against the track slowed its tempo. She tucked her paperback and handkerchief inside her handbag. The knots tightened their hold as she wondered what she’d find at Fort Robinson, a couple miles down U.S. Route 20 from Crawford.
Compared to North Platte, Crawford would seem like a hamlet. She shuddered. North Platte had never seemed like much of a town to her. Not that it mattered now. She couldn’t go back to what her life had consisted of before she left for nurse’s training. A cycle of endless parties and flirtation held no appeal after she tasted the opportunity to make a difference.
Lainie pitched forward when the train lurched to a stop. She leaned down to look out the window, and her heart sank as she fell back into her seat. “There isn’t much to Crawford.”
“No. It’s a small extension of the fort and a few ranches. But those of us who call it home love it.” The matron’s steady voice soothed the fear that gripped Lainie. She searched Lainie’s eyes a moment before she continued. “This your first time here?”
“Yes, ma’am. I’m hoping to get a job. You know, free a man to fight and all that.”
The woman pursed her thin lips, a pinched expression settling on her sharp features, almost like she’d heard that story many times and watched others’ hopes crumble. “Yes. Well, good luck.” The woman’s ample form side-stepped into the aisle, releasing Lainie to stand.
Lainie almost ducked to look under her seat for her courage. It had been in full force when she convinced her family moving to Fort Robinson was the right step. With the girls from the 95th Evacuation Company shipped out, she’d thrown caution to the wind, packed her bag, and bought a train ticket in the opposite direction and a thousand miles closer to home.
She sidled down the aisle toward the door, a tightness and deep ache pulsing from her muscles. She swallowed against the pain. The effects of rheumatic fever lingered, and the train ride had been harder than she’d anticipated.
Loud, almost frantic barks ricocheted off the train as she stepped off the train. She shielded her eyes and scanned the platform. She walked toward the wooden crates stacked two high and at least six wide. Snouts and paws pushed against the chicken wire fronts. The barking escalated as two men placed an additional crate on the pile.
The dungarees and cowboy boots they wore with their khaki standard issue shirts were a far cry from the uniforms the servicemen wore as they rushed through the Canteen back in North Platte. Did they have a unique outfit for Fort Robinson? One slipped back into the car while the other adjusted a crate.
“What is all this?” She raised her voice over the din.
The soldier reached into the gap in the train’s side to accept one end of another crate.
Lainie pulled herself to her full height, all five feet and a couple of inches of it, and edged toward the soldier. “Excuse me.”
The soldier dropped the crate he’d picked up and then spun on his heel rubbing his ear. His gaze took her in and swept over her again. “You didn’t need to shout.”
Lainie thought she’d never seen eyes as clear blue as his, without a hint of iciness. He ran a finger over a scar on his hand, almost like a forgotten habit. “Had to make sure you heard over the barking.”
The soldier closed his eyes and rubbed a hand over his face. She couldn’t tell if he was frustrated with her or trying to hide a smile. “Ma’am, you’ve made me drop valuable Department of War resources. If that animal’s injured, my officer will have my hide.”
“Why don’t you check and see?”
He leaned down, careful to keep his face a good three feet from the wire. “It’s a quiet one. I hope that means it’s fine. If you’ll excuse me, I have a job to do.”
His words ricocheted through her mind. Yes, he might have a job, but he didn’t have to rub her nose in it. But how could unloading dogs in Nowhere, western Nebraska be important to the war effort?
Balling her fingers into fists, she stomped toward her
Well, there was one man who could help, but she wasn’t about to ask him.
Thomas Hamilton chomped down on his lower lip as he tried to ignore the dogs stacked around him and the young woman stalking away. He’d almost told her she had a swipe of soot across her forehead, but then the crate had dropped. The mark added a hint of frailty to her appearance, but he figured she’d be horrified to know it existed, even if it didn’t mar her dark beauty one bit.
“How many more are in there?” he mumbled to his partner. “The conductor looks anxious to move on.”
“Just a minute.” John Tyler disappeared into the dusk of the car. A skinny string bean of a man, he fit easily inside the cramped area. Tom had tried it once and decided he’d rather be trapped in an underground cave for hours than surrounded on all sides by nervous dogs in a space with little to no room to turn around. John’s feet stomped against the wood floor. “It looks like we’ve got six more crates. How are we supposed to get all these mutts back to the fort?”
Tom eyed the crates and shrugged. “We’ll fit as many as we can. Worst case, I make two trips. You wait here with what we can’t load.”
“Yeah, well, you cool your heels while I drive back and forth.” John crossed his arms and stared at Tom.
He held his position. It wasn’t his fault the Army decided he could best serve by working with animals. Dogs of all things. Who in their right mind joined the military and expected to spend day after day surrounded by yipping, yapping, barking, four-legged nuisances? Certainly not him. No, he came to work with the herd of horses. And with thousands at the fort, that seemed like a safe assumption. But this was the Army and plans changed. So John could stare all he wanted. Tom would not babysit crated dogs. Maybe he’d get orders to ship out soon. Others had and now saw action in Africa or the Far East. A guy could hope.
“Fine.” John took off his work gloves and threw them on the ground. He jumped off and walked toward the stack of crates. “Let’s get the last crates out of here.”
With a grin, Tom slapped John on the back. “Now there’s a reasonable plan.” In no time, they’d stacked the last of the crates on the platform. “I’ll back up the truck. Don’t worry, it won’t take long. In no time I’ll collect you and the rest of the dogs.”
John grumbled under his breath as he followed Tom.
They worked quickly, loading the crates and tying them down in record time. All the while, Tom watched the young spitfire pace the platform before sinking onto her suitcase. Now that she’d left him alone, she looked lost and uncertain. Like she hadn’t a clue what to do next.
Her fingers twisted the handle of her bag as her gaze flitted around the platform. She glanced at him and her back straightened. He smiled as he watched her force her shoulders behind and tilt her chin. She was a petite thing, not even hitting his shoulders, and her black hair and porcelain skin reminded him of movie stars like Linda Darnell. The beauty had spunk. He’d give her that. Even if she looked out of place on the wooden platform. Surely, she’d gotten off at the wrong place, misunderstood the conductor. She looked like she was better suited to a city like Denver than to the wide-open expanse around Crawford.
“Are you done lollygagging and ready to finish this job?” John eyed him with the hint of a smile tipping his lips. “I think I’ll spend the time I’m waiting to ask that nice-looking dame to Mrs. Babcock’s for pie. Sounds like a good way to while away the time to me.”
“And what would Naomi say about that?” John’s cute wife had a steel backbone anytime John stepped out of line.
John rolled his eyes and did a jig along the platform. “She’d say I made a good addition to the welcome committee. Let’s get you off to the fort.”
Tom glanced back at the woman and noticed her watching them. He stilled as she stepped toward him, picking up speed as she walked.
“Excuse me. Did I hear you say you’re headed to the fort?”
Tom nodded his head until he could find his voice. “Yes, ma’am. I’ll leave in a minute.”
“Wonderful. Could I catch a ride with you? It’s important I reach the fort today.”
Tom turned to block John’s glare. “Ma’am, do you have an appointment or other reason to travel to Robinson? I can’t give everybody who wants space a ride. One of the shuttles can take you later.”
She chewed on her lower lip and glanced away. “I don’t have an appointment. Surely that doesn’t matter if you have a space.”
John harrumphed behind him. Tom rubbed the back of his neck and considered his options. There wasn’t a clear rule, but civilians didn’t get rides. “I’m sorry.”
“Fine.” She looked back at Tom, and fire flashed from her eyes. She squared her shoulders and turned on her heel. He watched her stride across the platform. “If you won’t help, at least point me in the right direction.”
“Don’t tell me you intend to walk.”
“You’ve left me with no other option.” She looked from him to John. “Maybe you’ll be so kind as to point me toward this shuttle.”
John rubbed his hands together. “How about a slice of Mrs. Babcock’s pie first?”
“You’re as impossible as he is. I’ll find someone who’ll help.” She grabbed her suitcase and stalked toward the small station. If she was lucky, she might find someone in there. Likely, Ed had closed up and headed for lunch now that the train had moved on. She rattled the door and drooped when she couldn’t get in.
“For crying out loud.” He couldn’t leave her there like that. Tom hopped in the cab of the truck. “John, I’ll be back soon as I can.”
He eased the truck to a stop next to her. She remained focused on the road in front of her. “Hop in.” He jumped out and opened the passenger side door for the woman. “Please. My mama raised me better than to let you walk.”
Pallor had settled on her face, highlighting bright spots on her cheeks. “Are you okay?”
She stopped. “I will be.” She turned to him and a thin smile graced her lips. “Thank you.” She accepted his hand and climbed onto the seat.
“John, come grab her suitcase, okay.” Tom settled behind the wheel of the truck and looked at the woman. “We’ll get your suitcase later; the back’s too full right now to squeeze it in. Where do you need to be dropped off?”
She glanced at him, then back out the windshield. “I’m not really sure. I’m here to apply for a job, so the administration building I guess.”
Tom scratched his head and swerved to miss a wheel-sized hole in the road. The highways around here weren’t used to all the traffic the war had brought to this small fort tucked in northwestern Nebraska. One he’d never heard of before enlisting a year ago. “By the way, I’m Specialist Thomas Hamilton. All my friends call me Tom.”
“Lainie Gardner. I appreciate the ride.” She eased against the seat and closed her eyes.
Concern flooded him. “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”
Her eyes flew open. “Of course I do. Why would you think differently?”
“Well, you don’t seem to have a plan, Miss Gardner. Don’t you think it would have been a good idea to have a job before making the trip?”
“Certainly not.” Her lips firmed into a hard line.
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