pappabearbooks Chapter 126 The Idea of Building Darton Manor in Paradise Valley
Chapter 126 The Idea of Building Darton Manor in Paradise Valley
Chapter 126 The Idea of Building Darton Manor in Paradise Valley
Tom stared at the blueprints, his eyes widening.
He originally thought he was going to build just an ordinary house, but on the blueprints, the entire piece of land was surrounded by a towering wall!
Not only were there walls, but there were even watchtowers!
"You didn't have money before," the old cowboy's eyes gleamed, his finger slamming into the prominent stone wall depicted on the parchment, "but now you don't, Tom! This is called a manor!"
He paused, his voice brimming with barely suppressed excitement: "A full six hundred acres!"
"Wait!" Tom felt a rush of heat to his head. "This—I need to talk to my parents about it!"
A 600-acre estate? That's like a dream!
"We can start building the house first," the old cowboy said, pressing his advantage. "The cellar, the icehouse, the deep well—these basics can be started immediately!"
Tom took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, his mind racing: "Add two more houses! One as the main residence, and one as guest rooms. And a cowboy shed,"
He pointed to the original dormitory design on the blueprints, "It can't be this crowded. Change it to single rooms! Four or six people per room, with a cast iron furnace. No two stories, eight single rooms per building, enough for thirty-two people. Build three buildings first!"
The old cowboy nodded in satisfaction.
The foreman next to him grinned from ear to ear, his smile impossible to hide.
Tom took the blueprints to James and Margaret.
Margaret glanced at it only once, then asked uncertainly, "This is—the manor?"
"Yes," Tom nodded, "they knew I sold the gold mine, so they—designed it this way."
James glanced expressionlessly at the farmland, pastures, and poultry areas marked on the map: "This is a big farm."
"It looks...pretty impressive, doesn't it?" Margaret glanced at her husband. "What do you think?"
James paused for a moment, then finally nodded.
"Then it's settled!" Tom breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing his parents' agreement and turned to leave.
"Are you busy tomorrow?" Margaret called out to him.
Tom paused. "Go to Billings Bank and withdraw the money."
"Who are you taking?" James pressed.
When building a house, strangers would come and go, so he had to stay and oversee things.
"Zack, Thomas, Cooper," Tom announced the names.
This is all the manpower that Paradise Valley can spare right now.
"We're severely understaffed," Tom said gravely, "We lack reliable personnel!"
"Let's hire people first and see if they're capable," James said in a deep voice.
"Should we send another telegram to Uncle Jacob?" Tom suggested.
James didn't respond to that.
Margaret sighed softly, "Go and rest first."
Tom was about to leave when he suddenly remembered something and turned back to ask, "How are Elsa and Ennis?"
Mentioning her daughter, Margaret's gaze drifted out the window: "Tom—let's add another house to the blueprints."
Tom was taken aback: "Add a house? For whom?"
"Elsa needs her own house after she gets married," Margaret said, her voice slightly unsteady. "Thankfully—at least she's still with me—"
Tom looked at his father, James.
James chimed in, "Once the new house is built, let them have their wedding."
Suddenly, Margaret turned around and looked at Tom with a complicated expression: "Tom, when you have time—go and find out which hospital in town is the best for childbirth."
Tom was completely dumbfounded: "Midwife? Who wants that—"
Elsa is pregnant.
"When did this happen?"
"This very winter," Margaret's voice trembled slightly, "you're going to be an uncle."
Tom felt a chill run from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head, and he felt terrible instantly!
"Don't you know how dangerous winter is?"
"The worst thing about Montana is this damn winter, isn't it? With snow blocking the doors, where are you going to find a doctor?"
He suddenly turned around and walked away without looking back.
The two were left staring at each other, stunned on the spot.
Tom really wanted to grab Elsa and Ennis and ask them: What on earth are you thinking?
Can't we wait a little longer?
Once spring arrives, everything will be easier!
Even the rainy season is fine!
But the thought that he couldn't return the child once he got it made Tom feel a pang of frustration.
Well, winter has brought another unpleasant thing!
As dawn broke, Tom and his men hurriedly left Paradise Valley.
As for where he went?
No one knows.
At this moment, the atmosphere in Paradise Valley was unusual.
Wade ordered Ennis in a deep voice, "Load all the guns! Keep an eye on Elsa, don't let her out of your sight!"
"But they are workers hired by the town—" Ennis tried to explain.
"Do as I say!" Wade's eyes were fixed on Ennis's face. "Wait for Tom to come back!"
Wade knew in his heart that as long as Tom was there, even if there were only a few people, he could finally feel at ease.
On a hill not far away, James sat silently.
On the table in front of him, various firearms were laid out and ammunition was piled up.
He was slowly and meticulously wiping and maintaining the equipment, euphemistically calling it "equipment maintenance."
Of course, Tom, who was on his long journey, was unaware of all that was happening.
At this moment, Tom and his group were struggling to trek out of the muddy road leading to Billings.
We've arrived in Billings!
"I fucking hate this godforsaken place!" Tom kicked away a clump of mud in a fit of rage, gritting his teeth. "I'll never come back to this godforsaken, godforsaken city again!"
Although the rainy season is over, the ground is still muddy and many sections of the road have been destroyed by floods, forcing them to take detours.
This was a real hardship for Tom. His beloved mule, named "Mudfish," practically treated the mud puddle as a playground, excitedly rolling around every now and then, splashing mud all over Tom's body and face!
"Tom, we need to take a shower first!" Cooper wiped the mud off his face and finally couldn't help but suggest.
"Good! Very good! Cooper, you've finally said something sensible!"
Tom glared at "Slippery" with annoyance. "After this is over, I'll treat you to a brothel for some fun. You're smart this time!"
Cooper simply shrugged at his "reward".
After much difficulty, the group finally found a bathhouse in the city. When they came out feeling refreshed, even the air seemed a bit fresher.
Before they could even take a few more breaths of clean air, a little devil suddenly darted out from under Tom's feet, buzzing around his legs like a headless fly.
The sudden commotion immediately attracted everyone's attention.
In that very instant!
Another child in front of Tom cried out "Ouch!" and slipped, crashing straight into him!
Tom instinctively reached out to help him.
The child steadied himself, lowered his head, and tried to slip away.
"Stop!" Tom's voice suddenly turned cold, like an ice pick.
Before he could finish speaking, the child who had hit him suddenly looked up, his face drained of color, his eyes filled with terror!
Tom's gaze swept across the surroundings in an instant: the pedestrians watching the commotion on the street, and the little brat running around aimlessly.
But the little devil also showed a look of panic.
His gaze finally settled firmly on the pale-faced child in front of him.
"Your foot—is it all right now?" Tom stared at him, his tone unreadable.
The child seemed terrified, staring blankly at him, his lips trembling as he couldn't utter a word.
"Ahem," Tom's voice deepened, "Kid, tell me, is your foot alright?"
The child then seemed to wake from a dream and nodded frantically!