Prologue
Colorado Territory, 1865
“Look at the pinecones we found, Granny.” Pushing her plate aside, Rose emptied her woven basket over the kitchen table, scattering her treasures for her grandmother to see. She had been outside all morning with her two older sisters, Adelaide and Emma, searching for the perfect pinecones to add to their Christmas decorations.
Granny placed the platter of sandwiches she’d made for lunch on the table, and picked up one of the larger pinecones. She held it up and examined it closely. “Oh my, these are beautiful. They will be very pretty on our wreaths. Were you on Mr. LeMasters’s ranch?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Emma, the eldest granddaughter, answered. “But we were just in the pines on the boundary, not near any of his cattle.”
Morgan LeMasters owned the large ranch along the boundary of their small farm. Fortunately, she knew Morgan wouldn’t mind the girls exploring on his land as long as they were careful around the longhorns. “That’s fine as long as you don’t get in the way of the men working the cattle. We will make Mr. LeMasters a pretty wreath for his door since the pinecones came from his land. You girls can take it to him tomorrow.”
Rose’s eyes widened at her grandmother’s suggestion. “We’ll make him a wreath, Granny, but you can take it to him. He scares us.” Rose made it a point to steer clear of Mr. LeMasters whenever she saw him. Her oldest brother, Frankie, told her Morgan LeMasters was Satan himself, and she should stay away from him no matter what Granny said. Rose adored Frankie, and she believed everything he told her. But she didn’t need Frankie to tell her that Mr. LeMasters was big and fierce looking. Every Sunday he sat directly behind her family in church, and she would always turn around and stare at the darkly ominous man. Her grandfather’s sermons were often filled with stories about Satan, warning his parishioners to be aware of his presence, or they would face dire consequences. Rose could never understand why her grandfather allowed Satan in their church.
Granny smiled at her youngest granddaughter. Rose reminded her of a fairy with her large eyes, delicate facial features, and small frame. While the other children had auburn hair and blue eyes, Rose had inherited her great-grandmother’s light blond hair and unique green eyes. She was a remarkably striking child, destined to become a beautiful woman. But it wasn’t only Rose’s lovely face that drew everyone to her; she was also blessed with a warm, caring heart for one of such tender years.
It puzzled Granny why Rose was so afraid of Morgan LeMasters. The child never expressed fear; it was quite the opposite. She was such an inquisitive child that Granny often had to caution her to act with care. “Morgan is a very nice young man. You have nothing to fear from him.”
Rose didn’t respond; her thoughts had already skittered back to her treasures. She picked up the smallest pinecone, and thinking it was shaped like a tiny tree, she stood it on its base. She arranged the remaining pinecones around the first one, creating a small forest on the tabletop. As she concentrated on her task, she thought about what she’d heard in the forest that morning. “I heard songs in the pines today, Granny. They sound as pretty as the songs Emma sings.”
“I heard people laughing,” Addie said, reaching for a sandwich.
“They were singing. I think angels were singing prayers,” Rose insisted.
Granny sat beside Rose and ran her hand down her small back. “What do you mean, they were singing prayers?”
“Like the prayers we say in church, but the angels sing them. We tried to find the people, but we didn’t see anyone. Why do they hide from us, Granny?” Rose asked.
Granny pushed the platter of sandwiches toward Emma. “Have a sandwich.”
Emma grabbed a sandwich, and Granny slid the plate in front of Rose.
Under her grandmother’s watchful gaze, Rose reluctantly picked up a sandwich and placed it on her plate. Out of habit, she began to pull off the crust. She wanted to remove the ham too, but she knew Granny would kick up a fuss. Granny was forever telling her she needed to eat more.
Granny fretted that Rose didn’t eat enough to stay healthy, and no matter what schemes she employed, nothing could persuade her to eat more. “Honey, I told you the crust makes you pretty.”
“Then she doesn’t need to eat it,” Emma said as she snatched the tossed-aside crust from Rose’s plate and shoved it in her mouth. “Everyone says Rose is the prettiest girl they have ever seen.” Emma spoke without a hint of jealousy. The sisters were crazy about each other, and the older girls always looked out for their younger sister.
Rose giggled at her sister’s antics, but she hadn’t forgotten her question. “Why do the singing angels hide from us, Granny?”
“There isn’t anyone singing in the pines, Rose,” Granny replied.
“But I hear them,” Rose said.
“Emma and I hear people laughing. Come with us so you can hear them, Granny,” Addie suggested.
“I’ve been in there many times, and I think the wind blowing through the leaves sounds like wind chimes,” Granny told them.
Emma expelled a loud sigh. “Granny, you are coming with us the next time. Then you will hear for yourself that someone is in there.”
“Girls, you know Joseph Longbow, the man who works for Mr. LeMasters?”
“Yes, ma’am,” the girls responded at the same time.
“Well, Joseph told me that the pines on Mr. LeMasters’s ranch is a special place where the four winds converge. He says it is where his people hear the voices of their great spirits who have passed away.” Joseph had explained the legend of the pines to her when she first moved to the farm.
Rose quickly swallowed the bite she’d just taken. “You mean his family in heaven talk to him?”
“You mean Joseph talks to dead people?” Emma asked.
Granny couldn’t keep from smiling. Leave it to Emma to get right to the point. She was the most direct child with a no-nonsense attitude. “You know how you girls talk to your parents in heaven at night when you pray?”
The girls nodded.
“Well, that land is where Joseph Longbow talks to his loved ones. The Sioux have a special connection to the land. Joseph said the pines are where his ancestors offered praise to their creator. Church is our special place where we worship God.”
“Granny, dead people can’t talk or sing. There are people laughing,” Addie said.
“Granny is just trying to scare us. I know people are in there,” Emma said adamantly. She was too old to believe in ghost stories, and she was surprised Granny was trying to scare her younger sisters.
“I would never try to scare you girls. Joseph said that it’s the heavenly sounds where the winds come together in the trees. He says different people hear different things, and only people pure of heart hear the pleasing sounds.”
“What do bad people hear when they go in the pines?” Rose asked.
“I’m not sure what they hear, but Joseph said they get scared and leave. They never come back.” Granny didn’t dare tell the girls the many stories told of men who had disappeared or died in that spiritual place. Joseph Longbow told her the girls had nothing to fear if they wandered through the pines. The range of pine trees covered thousands of acres, and she didn’t mind the girls exploring as long as they didn’t go too far and get lost.
Rose and Addie exchanged a look. “I’m glad we are good girls,” Addie said.
“What does Mr. LeMasters hear?” Rose asked. If he was Satan, like Frankie said, why wasn’t he afraid to ride through the pines? Her grandfather said Satan was bad, so she imagined he heard terrible things in the pines.
Granny furrowed her brow, trying to recall if she’d ever asked Morgan about the pines. “I don’t think he’s ever said. Why do you ask?”
Rose shrugged her small shoulders. “He’s always riding through there. Do you think he’s afraid?”
Granny smiled at her. “I don’t think Morgan is afraid of much.”
Rose looked out the window in the direction of the LeMasters ranch and the vast area of land covered with the massive pine trees. “Sometimes I hear whispers when I go in there with Frankie.”