Chapter Thirty-One
Rod turned the page only to discover they had read the last entry. The room grew dark as evening approached.
“Wow, that was quite a summer.” Wyl stretched. “And we’ve been sitting here reading for hours.”
Rod thumbed through the last few blank pages and noticed two ribbons tucked in the back, one blue and one red. “Our ancestors were as much in love as we are. It’s as if destiny brought us together.”
Wyl pulled Rod into his arms. “Whether it was destiny or not, I love you very much, Roddy.”
“I still can’t believe we found each other, but I’m glad we did.”
“Me too, babe.” Wyl released the hug and scooted to the sofa's edge to stand. “Let’s go home and have supper. I’m hungry.”
“We didn’t have any lunch—no wonder you’re hungry. Let’s take the trunk back to the ranch with us. I want to inspect the contents closer now that we know the story behind everything.”
Wyl stood and leaned back, working the kinks out. “Sure, babe. Help me load it in the Denali, and we’ll take it with us.”
* * *
As Wyl drove west, Rod suddenly grabbed his arm. “Oh, my gosh.”
“What’s the matter, babe?” Wyl glanced over and saw the concern on Rod's face.
“Remember when we camped near the spring last Thanksgiving? We found a neatly stacked pile of stones not far from our campsite. That pile of stones was Joseph’s grave.” Rod’s voice shook as his grip tightened on Wyl's arm.
Wyl released one hand from the steering wheel and twisted out of Rod's grasp before grabbing his hand and threading their fingers. “You might be right, babe.”
“Can we ride out there in the morning and check? When I searched for rocks for the campfire border, I didn’t think about the arrangement of those stones, but I bet they cover Joey Sterling.”
Wyl glanced at Rod's pleading expression. “We’ll saddle up first thing. Now that we know the grave is there, we can pause and say a few words about my great uncle Joseph—our great uncle Joseph.”
“Thanks, babe.” Rod let out a relieved sigh.
He squeezed Rod's hand. “And I think I know the rock outcropping where Felix lost the necklace. The diary didn’t say he ever got it back. Maybe it’s still there.”
“Oh…can we go look?”
“Sure. We’ll ride up there after we check Joey’s grave. We’ll take a stick to poke around for snakes before reaching into the crevice.”
Rod nodded. “Good idea.”
* * *
They moved the trunk back to the ranch and then into the house. Rod started supper, and Wyl mixed martinis.
“I wonder what happened to the old ranch house?” Rod said.
Wyl brought the martinis and handed one to Rod before taking a sip.
“It was here when Mom and Dad moved to the ranch in the early ’60s, before Walt or I came along.
Grandpa Jacob was still alive then. Mom and Dad lived there while building this place.
Grandpa died in 1963, and they razed the old place after finishing construction on this house.
He could not care for it, so it had fallen into disrepair. ”
“I wonder when Felix died?” Rod took a sip, gazing at Wyl.
“I bet he lived well into the twentieth century."
“After supper, I’ll check online. At the very least, we can search the University of Texas alumni records.” Rod drained his martini.
“I’m curious too, babe. Now that we know our ancestors were as much in love as we are, it would be great to know what happened to the surviving partner, your great-uncle.” Wyl finished his martini.
"OUR great uncle,” Rod said.
After supper, Rod picked up his Mac laptop and sat on the couch. “Come on, Wyl, let’s look up Felix Bonner and see what happened to him.”
Searching the Internet, they found one result that looked like a fit. Felix Cornelius Bonner; b. 1880; d. 1973. He clicked the link, and he and Wyl read through the information.
Bonner, Felix. BS/MS, University of Texas.
Ph.D., Harvard University. Noted psychologist in the early half of the twentieth century.
Pioneer in the recognition and treatment of child and adolescent emotional abuse.
Developed many theories still used today by sociologists and social workers.
Instituted the Joseph Sterling Foundation.
Resident of Fort Worth, Texas, for most of his adult life.
“Oh, wow,” Rod exclaimed. “Great uncle Felix put his education to good use. I hope your great-grandparents knew what a positive influence they had on him.”
“Let’s look up the Joseph Sterling Foundation." Wyl motioned to the keyboard. “We need to find out if it still exists and what the purpose was.”
Rod keyed in Joseph Sterling Foundation, and a website link popped up at the top of the list. He clicked on it, and they read through the information on the foundation's home page. Rod clicked on the link for About Us.
The Joseph Sterling Foundation was established in 1920 by Dr. Felix Bonner, who led the foundation until he retired from the board in 1950.
The foundation has two primary purposes: providing scholarships to young men and women who pursue rodeo careers in college, and hosting a free summer rodeo camp for underprivileged and abused children and adolescents to introduce them to the world of rodeo competition.
“Gosh, it looks like the foundation is still in existence.” Wyl squirmed with excitement. “Can we go and visit?”
“We can go later this week if you want, babe.” Rod smiled at his husband.
“Where is the foundation headquartered?”
Rod scrolled down the About Us page and found the address in Fort Worth. “The foundation's main office is only about four hours from here. Let’s drive over on Thursday.”