A Home at Trail's End Read online

“You’re probably right about that.” Elizabeth led the way out of their seedling garden, latching the stick gate behind them. She hoped it would keep the critters out. “Well, I’m happy for the Prescotts. I can’t wait to see the mercantile after church tomorrow.” And truly, it would be interesting to see a “real” building out here in the frontier, where everything else seemed to be made of logs and twigs and bark.

  While the children bathed in the creek, Elizabeth gave herself a bucket bath in the tent shelter that her father and brother had constructed for her and the children to use as a temporary house. The tent was attached to the wagon, and compared to conditions while coming over the Oregon Trail, it was spacious and comfortable, albeit rather rustic. She had no idea what it would be like once the rains came—probably very damp. She was just finished getting dressed when Ruth and JT returned, shivering from their cool dip in the creek. But at least they were clean. And their good clothes were clean and dry and ready for them to wear.

  Elizabeth went outside to survey the seedling garden. The poor tiny plants looked a little worse for wear, but that was to be expected. With sunshine and moisture, they would perk up. And with the mild winter in this region, they would probably be several inches tall by spring—and twice that by next fall. The ones that survived.

  She returned to the tent to check on the children’s progress.

  “Here, Mama.” Ruth handed her the hairbrush and her blue satin ribbon and then turned around. Elizabeth sat down on the rocker and brushed out Ruth’s honey-colored hair. It was still damp from the creek as she separated it into three parts and then smoothly plaited one long braid, tying the ribbon into a nice big bow. “All done.”

  “There’s Eli,” JT called from outside.

  Elizabeth reached up to her own hair, smoothing the bun she’d made earlier into place.

  “You look beautiful, Mama,” Ruth assured her.

  Elizabeth laughed. “Thank you.”

  “Are we all ready to go now, Ma?” JT reached for his guitar case, which was resting as usual next to his bedroll.

  “Yes.” Elizabeth handed Ruth a kerosene lantern. “We’ll need this on our way back.”

  “I wish we could take the wagon,” JT told her.

  “It’s not that far to walk,” she reminded him. She wished they could take the wagon too, but that would mean taking down their tent and breaking camp. Besides, they’d have to unload the wagon and load it all back in later. She picked up the basket containing the two berry pies she and Ruth had made the night before. One of them had gotten a little blackened on the edge of the crust, but the blackberries had been tasty, and hopefully no one would complain. Elizabeth tried not to miss her oven back in Kentucky, reminding herself that pies could burn in it too.

  “Hello there,” Eli called as he came into their camp. Instead of his usual buckskins, he had on his Sunday-go-to-meeting clothes, and Elizabeth could tell by the shine on his chin that he was freshly shaved. “Now, what can I carry for you?”

  Elizabeth handed him the basket, and he rewarded her with a kiss on the cheek. Naturally the children giggled—and Elizabeth’s cheeks blushed.

  “Where’s your guitar?” JT asked Eli.

  “Back at camp,” Eli told him. “Didn’t know I was supposed to bring it tonight.”

  “That’s all right,” Elizabeth assured him.

  “Maybe next time.”

  “Uncle Matthew will have his fiddle,” JT told them. “And the McIntires will be ready to play music too.”

  “This will be so much fun!” Ruth clapped her hands and skipped along as if she hadn’t worked hard all day.

  Elizabeth smiled at Eli as she linked her arm into his. “You look mighty handsome tonight, Mr. Kincaid.”

  He grinned at her. “I was about to tell you that you look pretty as a picture.” He nodded to Ruth. “As do you, Miss Ruth.”

  “What about me?” JT joked. “Do I look pretty too?”

  Eli chuckled. “Well, looks to me like you’re fixing to break some young girls’ hearts tonight.”

  “Hannah Flanders wants to dance with JT at the party,” Ruth teased.

  “I’ve got an idea,” Eli said. “How about if we sing our way to the barn dance?”

  “Yes! Yes!” Ruth agreed. “Let’s sing ‘Coming Round the Mountain.’”

  And so they did, going through all the choruses and even making up a few new ones until they got to Malinda’s place. It was amazing how singing made the trip go much more quickly.

  “As soon as we get the pies set out, I want you to meet Malinda,” Elizabeth told Eli. “She’s my very best friend.”

  It wasn’t long until Elizabeth got the chance to introduce Eli to Malinda. But they were both careful not to mention their engagement. Still, Elizabeth could tell by Malinda’s questions that she was suspicious. When Will came over to join them, politely greeting Eli with a curious expression, Elizabeth grew uncomfortable. It was the first time all four of them had been together, and she so wanted them all to be friends—though she knew that was probably unlikely. Will and Eli…they were so different. Even so, they exchanged polite greetings, and Eli congratulated Will and Malinda and made a respectable attempt at small talk.

  “I just know something is up with these two,” Malinda said suddenly to Will.

  “What do you mean?” Will gave her a perplexed frown.

  “I mean something is going on here. I can see it in my best friend’s eyes.” Malinda grasped both Elizabeth’s hands and stared intently at her. “What is it? Tell me.”

  Elizabeth suppressed a nervous giggle and looked away, attempting to avoid Malinda’s probing stare.

  “I know it!” Malinda declared. “I know exactly what is going on!”

  Elizabeth gave her a warning glance, but Malinda ignored it.

  “I don’t believe in betting, but I would wager that you two have gotten yourselves engaged.” Malinda tilted her head to one side. “I just know it. And if I’m wrong, I challenge you to be forthcoming and set me straight.”

  “All right,” Elizabeth said quietly. “You figured us out. But we wanted to keep this a secret for the evening. This is your night, Malinda. Yours and Will’s.”

  “I just knew it!” Malinda clapped her hands. “I’m so happy for you!”

  Elizabeth made a nervous smile. “Thank you.”

  “Congratulations,” Will told Eli.

  Eli gave him a slightly uneasy smile. “Well, truth be told, I reckon I owe you my gratitude, Will Bramford.”

  Will looked confused. “How so?”

  “I’m obliged to you for not stealing my girl.” Eli chuckled. “It took me a while to figure things out. But I’m sure thankful you left her for me.”

  Will’s brow creased, but then he chuckled too. “Now that you mention it, Eli, I can see that I should be equally grateful to you.”

  “How is that?” Now Eli looked confused.

  “I’m obliged that you had already stolen Elizabeth’s heart.” Will looked at Malinda with real tenderness. “That allowed me to wait for this one.”

  “And all’s well that ends well,” Elizabeth proclaimed with relief.

  “Oh, no,” Eli told her. “This is just the beginning.”

  Chapter Two

  I insist that you and the children come stay at my house until Will and I wed in December,” Malinda told Elizabeth as they gathered in front of the small building that functioned as both the school and the church. The service had just ended, but as usual the congregation continued to visit outside in the autumn sunshine.

  “But I thought Will’s girls were going to be staying with you.”

  “They will be, starting this week. But Emily and Amelia came up with a delightful idea.” Malinda pointed to where the older girls were circled together, chattering among themselves like a flock of chickens. “They suggested that the boys sleep in the loft of the barn like they did a couple of weeks ago. They all claimed it was very comfortable. Then you and I and Ruth will share my room. An
d Emily, Susannah, Amelia, and Belinda can share the sleeping loft in the house—we already have enough beds up there.”

  Elizabeth did the arithmetic in her head. “That’s ten people,” she told Malinda. “Won’t that be crowding your little house?”

  “Not at all. Besides, it’s only temporary. For the next few months, we’ll make the most of it and have fun,” Malinda assured her.

  “That would be wonderful,” Elizabeth confessed. “Especially when the weather gets wetter and colder. I’m sure Ruth and JT would enjoy being there, and they’ll appreciate being closer to school. If you’re certain we won’t be a burden…” Elizabeth tried to imagine everyone at mealtime. “Ten hungry people at suppertime might be a challenge.”

  “We’ll all work together.” Malinda nudged Elizabeth’s elbow, nodding over to where Belinda was talking with one of the Levine boys. “And unless I’m mistaken, it’s only a matter of time before Belinda will be living under someone else’s roof.”

  “Really?” Elizabeth glanced over to where Belinda was chatting with the tall, serious-looking young man. “Which one is he anyway?”

  “That’s the oldest boy, Jacob. He’s twenty-three, I believe, and as dependable as the sun. He really stepped up after his father died.” Malinda shook her head. “The second son, Charles…well now, he’s another story.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Malinda frowned and then lowered her voice. “Charles took an Indian woman for his wife several years ago…although they’re not legally married.” She made a tsk-tsk sound. “But I think they have a child.”

  “Oh…” Elizabeth thought of Eli’s previous wife. She shuddered to think what Malinda would say if she knew about that. And yet at the same time, she had the strangest urge to just blurt it out.

  “Hello, hello!” Lavinia called out as she hurried over to join them. “I missed church this morning because Augustus was feeling under the weather.”

  “Nothing serious, I hope,” Elizabeth said.

  “No, I don’t think so.”

  “Because, as you know, my mother is good with herbal medicines.” Elizabeth looked over to where Clara and Asa were visiting with a couple about their age.

  “Yes, I’ll keep that in mind. Evelyn is with him now.” Lavinia looked up at the sky. “It’s another marvelous day. If this weather keeps up we will have the mercantile completely finished soon.”

  “I saw it on my way to church this morning,” Elizabeth said. “It’s just like Ruthie told me—it looks like a real building.”

  Lavinia laughed. “It is a real building. And we’re getting the store all set up downstairs. Now if only we can get the living quarters finished before the rains come. I hear the rain in this region can be relentless.”

  “It’s what makes things grow and keeps it green,” Malinda told her.

  “And wet,” Lavinia added.

  “I wonder what the men are discussing so intently,” Malinda said with a tinge of concern in her voice. “I hope there isn’t any trouble brewing somewhere.”

  “Trouble?” Lavinia’s brows arched. “What sort of trouble?”

  “Oh, nothing.” Malinda waved her hand dismissively, but Elizabeth could see the fear in her eyes.

  “Well, I’ll be pleased to take you up on your offer,” Elizabeth told Malinda.

  “What offer?” Lavinia asked.

  So Malinda explained the plan to take in Elizabeth and the children along with Will’s daughters.

  “Oh, my. You will have a full house,” Lavinia said.

  “A full house and a full barn,” Malinda told her.

  “And everyone will help with the work,” Elizabeth said. “Many hands make light work.”

  Malinda laughed. “Yes…perhaps I will become a lady of leisure soon.”

  “Out here in the West?” Lavinia scowled. “I don’t believe any of us will ever experience leisurely living again. Sometimes I dream about life back in Boston. It seems so far away…like a different country.”

  Malinda grew serious. “Do you regret your emigration?”

  Lavinia pursed her lips as she looked around at the young people talking and frolicking about. “No, no…for the sake of my children and my husband…I think we made the right decision.” She gave Elizabeth a sheepish smile. “Although I’m sure there were times on the trail when I highly regretted it—many, many a time.”

  Just as Malinda and Elizabeth were confirming plans to join households later in the day, Eli and Will and Hugh came over to join the women. “I’ve been promised a sneak peek into the mercantile,” Eli told Elizabeth. “Would you like to come with me?”

  “Yes,” she said eagerly. “Very much so.”

  “Oh, good,” Lavinia told her. “I’ve been so eager to show it off to my friends.” She lowered her voice. “However, we can’t make it appear as though we are open for business yet. Especially since it’s the Sabbath. But do come and see what we’ve done.”

  They called out to the children, explaining where they were going and that they’d be back shortly. And then they all trekked down the street to where the most impressive and most talked-about building was progressing nicely. Like so many buildings in the frontier towns they’d passed through on the Oregon Trail, the mercantile had a false front, which made it seem even taller than its two stories. Hugh unlocked and opened the front doors, and Lavinia hurried in to light some kerosene lamps.

  “You even have a glass window,” Elizabeth said. “So nice to get that sunlight in here. And it faces south too. Very smart.”

  “And we hope to put in a few more glass windows next year,” Lavinia gushed. “Now if anyone would have told me a year ago that I would be swooning over glass windows, I would have thought they were daft.” She laughed. “But, oh my, how times have changed.”

  Elizabeth looked at the wooden shelves that were being loaded with provisions and supplies. Many crates were still unopened, stacked in the back of the room. “I can see you’re getting ready for business,” she told Lavinia. “When will you be officially open?”

  “We’ve actually been serving a few customers already,” Lavinia confided. “But we plan to have a grand opening ceremony next Saturday. Isn’t that so, Hugh?”

  “That’s right,” he called from where he was showing the men something over in the tool section. “I expect to receive another shipment from Empire City midweek. Hopefully we’ll have most of the stock unloaded and put out by then.”

  “It looks like you’ve got plenty of goods already,” Elizabeth said after they’d browsed a bit. “If today wasn’t Sunday I’d be doing some shopping.”

  “So would I,” Malinda said eagerly. “It’s so wonderful to have a real store in our settlement.”

  “Well, you two come on over tomorrow afternoon if you like,” Lavinia told the women as they were preparing to leave. “Invite Clara to come too. I’ll open the doors especially for you folks.”

  Before long the children were gathered, and Elizabeth and Eli and the children began the walk back to their homesteads. But they hadn’t gone far when her parents and Matthew and Jess came along in their wagon, offering a ride. The children, acting as if they were worn out, happily hopped in the back.

  “I don’t mind walking,” Elizabeth called out to her parents.

  Asa winked at her and nodded at Eli. “I’m sure you don’t.”

  By now most of the settlement seemed well aware that Elizabeth and Eli were betrothed, which made having some time alone with the man who would one day be her husband even more precious. “I miss having the use of my wagon,” she told Eli as they walked down the rutted road. “But I’m still using it to store our goods, and it seems silly to drive it around fully loaded like it is. But maybe once the house is built…maybe this winter we’ll have it to use.”

  “From what I hear it’s hard to drive a wagon in these parts once the rains start. It doesn’t take long for these roads to turn to mud.” He nodded toward the river lazily meandering alongside the road. “Seems t
he best way to travel might be the river. That’s what the coastal Indians do to get around.”

  “My father has wondered about that very thing,” she told him. “He’s talked about using the oxen team to pull a barge up the river from the ocean. But as far as I know, no one has tried that yet.”

  “The Prescotts would benefit from that kind of venture,” he said as he reached for her hand. “As it is, they have to go all the way to Empire City to get their shipments, and that will be difficult once the rains come. From the looks of the mercantile, Empire City has been a good resource for them. Hugh tells me there’s an enterprising family running a sawmill up there on the bay. Having access to milled lumber has hastened the Prescotts’ building process considerably.”

  Elizabeth nodded. “I was trying not to feel envious at how quickly they’ve been able to get their store built.” She turned to look at him, still feeling slightly amazed that he was here with her now…that they would be married in the not-so-distant future. “But money is not everything.”

  He laughed as he squeezed her hand warmly in his own. “No, it certainly is not.”

  “And there are many families with more challenges than ours,” she confessed. “I worry that the Flanders household will suffer this winter. They seem so ill prepared. And yet Flo seems utterly unconcerned.”

  “This land is generous,” he said. “Those who are willing to work hard will benefit from the natural resources.” Again he pointed to the river. “I hear the fishing is good this time of year.”

  “That’s for certain.” She nodded. “Father and Matthew and JT have had some good luck catching salmon. Father has been running his smoker almost continuously.”

  “He’s a wise man. And the woods abound with deer and bear and other sources of meat, if a man is good with a gun.”

  “Yes.” She smiled at him. Eli was an excellent hunter and fisherman. She couldn’t even remember how many times he’d shared game with them on the Oregon Trail.

  “And Bert has a useful trade with blacksmithing,” Eli added. “Surely he can trade for food and provisions for his family. I know I’d be happy to trade with him.”