A Home at Trail's End Read online

  Certain that no one was around to see them now, she stopped walking and turned to look into his face. “I’m so very grateful you’re here, Eli.” She felt her heart fluttering. “I feel very blessed to know you will be my husband.”

  His eyes glimmered as blue as the river as he leaned down to tenderly kiss her. “I feel equally blessed, Elizabeth,” he said quietly. “More than equally. By marrying you I get a wonderful family as well. Do you know how much that means to me?” He embraced her now, holding her close. Elizabeth couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this incredibly happy…she didn’t even want to.

  As they continued walking, Elizabeth told him the news that she and the children would be moving in with Malinda. “I have to admit that I won’t miss camping,” she told him. “I won’t miss waking up with everything damp from dew.”

  “Well, if you’re not going to be camping there, maybe I should camp there myself. That way I could work on the house without having to go back and forth to your parents’ place. It might speed up the process.”

  “Yes,” she said eagerly. “That’s a wonderful idea.”

  “And I could take care of the livestock if you like.”

  Elizabeth considered this. “I already arranged to bring them over to Malinda’s,” she said. “She has fencing for the horses and cows. And the hens are just starting to lay, and I figure with ten people in the house, we could use the eggs.”

  He nodded. “Yes, that’s a good plan. But perhaps I can keep your team to help with the logging.”

  “Yes, of course,” she told him. “You keep the Percherons here and put them to good use.”

  “That should help speed things along.” He peered up at the sky. “As it is, we’re getting a mighty late start, Elizabeth.”

  She nodded somberly. “I know. Believe me, I know.”

  “I hear that building becomes quite challenging once the rains start. Mud makes everything much more difficult and slow. Some of the men think we’re foolish to start building at all this late.”

  “What do you think?” she asked.

  He grinned. “I think I’d better get busy.”

  She smiled back at him. “We’ll use the team and the wagon to get our things moved over to Malinda’s this afternoon. And then I’ll send them back with JT.”

  JT and Ruth were both eager to relocate to Malinda’s. Not only did it mean being with cousins, it also made the trek to school a little shorter. The three of them worked together to break down their camp. Then they packed and loaded their wagon—almost like they used to do each morning while traveling the Oregon Trail. Elizabeth drove the wagon, and JT drove the livestock. The plan was to let their animals share the pasture with Malinda’s, and perhaps Goldie would be with calf by the time they moved back to their own property.

  At Malinda’s they unloaded everything they felt they’d need for their stay. And while JT returned the wagon back to the property so that Eli could have use of the team for logging, Elizabeth helped Malinda to get supper started and Ruth went outside with Bart and Susannah to help get the chickens situated.

  “Oh, Malinda,” Elizabeth said happily. “It is so lovely to prepare food indoors again.” She didn’t even mind that Malinda cooked over an open fire or that her kitchen setup was much more rustic than what Elizabeth had left behind in Kentucky. She knew Malinda had made similar sacrifices years earlier.

  “I remember that feeling well,” Malinda told her. “The first time I cooked inside my house after so many months of cooking outside over a campfire—it was simply wonderful.”

  “And I don’t even have to wipe the grit out of the bowl before I mix up the biscuits.” Elizabeth laughed as she peered inside a clean yellow bowl. “What a treat!”

  “We decided that Will’s children won’t move in here until next weekend,” Malinda told Elizabeth. “I thought that would give us time to get settled a bit. Plus we can get some things moved around and prepare for our additional household members.” Now she explained how she wanted to transform a section of the barn loft into the boys’ bedroom. “We’ll put clothing hooks on the wall, and I have a rather worn commode we can put up there with a pitcher and basin—although I expect the boys will do most of their washing up on the porch. I thought we could put some crates up there for storage and seating. And I want to make sure there are safe places to hang lanterns. We don’t want them burning down the barn.”

  Elizabeth blinked. “No, we certainly do not.”

  “Also, I hoped to get some produce put up for winter. And I have a quilt to finish and…well, so many, many things. Trust me, we will have our work cut out for us, my friend. I hope you don’t mind.”

  “I’m so happy to be of any help—and so grateful to have a roof over my head.”

  Malinda beamed at her. “It’s wonderful to have you here. You know, Elizabeth, it reminds me of when we were young women…remember how we helped each other with our trousseaus before our marriages?” She shook her head. “Did you ever dream we would do it all over again?”

  “Make trousseaus?” Elizabeth looked up from measuring the flour.

  “No, that’s not what I meant.” Malinda chuckled. “But do you remember how our families thought we were so silly for wanting to imitate Queen Victoria’s wedding back in those days?”

  “Looking back…I think I understand their perspective now.”

  Malinda paused from chopping an onion. “But we did have fun, didn’t we?”

  “We did.” Elizabeth sighed to remember what felt like a lifetime ago.

  “And it feels like we will have a bit of fun again.”

  Elizabeth held up the spoon she was using to measure salt. “I suppose fun is similar to salt…a little bit goes a long way…but it does make life tasty.”

  “You and me, Elizabeth, marrying two fine men…all over again. Did you ever think this would happen?”

  “Never in a hundred years.” Elizabeth stirred the batter.

  They worked quietly together for a while. Then as Elizabeth was rolling out the biscuit dough, Malinda spoke up again.

  “God truly is the giver of second chances,” she said quietly. “For both you and me. I am so grateful.”

  Elizabeth nodded. “Yes…so am I.” As she used a water glass to cut the biscuits, Elizabeth pondered Malinda’s words. It truly was ironic that she and Malinda found themselves in this position again—except now they weren’t starry-eyed young girls trying to imitate a royal wedding. Now they were two widowed mothers…frontier women who were preparing to wed men who had both had previous marriages. Strange.

  Maybe it was just a fact of life that one never knew what was coming around the next corner. Perhaps the only thing you could fully expect was the unexpected. Anyway, it certainly provided ample opportunity to trust God.

  Chapter Three

  The next couple of days seemed to fly past. And, as much as the two women accomplished, it seemed that Malinda’s chore list seemed to get longer by the end of each day. Elizabeth knew this was partly because Malinda had let so much go after losing John last winter. And there was so much she wanted done before her wedding in mid-December. But Elizabeth enjoyed pitching in. Many hands truly did make light work.

  “I think I’ll go over to check on my property today,” Elizabeth told Malinda on Wednesday morning.

  “Don’t you mean to check on Eli?” Malinda teased.

  Elizabeth grinned. “As a matter of fact, I wouldn’t mind saying hello to him.”

  “Why don’t you take him his dinner,” Malinda suggested. “I’m sure he’d enjoyed some of that bread you baked yesterday.”

  “A very good idea.” Elizabeth took care as she prepared a basket of food for Eli. Perhaps he would want to have a picnic with her.

  Because JT and Ruth had used Molly to ride to school, Elizabeth walked. But it felt good to walk. She could feel autumn in the air, and she noticed more leaves were turning lovely shades of yellow, orange, and red. And although it was cooler, it was still a pleasan
t sunny day. Perfect for an impromptu picnic. Feeling excited to see what sort of progress Eli was making, she hastened her pace. How many logs would he have cut by now? She doubted any of them would be laid on the foundation yet. But perhaps they would be cut to length and notched. She knew that Brady planned to go over and help Eli once he was ready to start setting the logs in place. It was only a matter of time.

  She listened as she walked, wondering if she was hearing the ring of Eli’s ax, or perhaps the sound was coming from Matthew’s or Father’s projects. She did hear birds chirping merrily and the gurgle of the creek flowing to the river. But as she got closer to her property, she heard no sounds of sawing or chopping or anything.

  Finally at the homesite, she looked around in dismay. Eli was nowhere to be seen. Neither was his Appaloosa. Not only that, but her beloved Percherons, Beau and Bella, were gone too. Perhaps he’d taken them into the woods to pull some logs. But now she noticed something else. Her wagon was missing from where she normally kept it parked near the house. In its place was a pile that was neatly covered in tarps. On closer inspection, she discovered that this pile was all the goods and supplies she’d been storing in the wagon. Was Eli using the wagon to carry logs?

  She walked over to the section of woods that they’d both decided had the best selection of trees to fell and called out Eli’s name. No answer. She went a bit farther, calling for him every once in a while, but still no answer. She paused to listen, but again heard only the birds and the creek.

  Returning to the homesite, she sat down on the foundation and pondered this. Where was Eli? And where was her team and her wagon? Of the few possessions that she’d been able to bring across the Oregon Trail, none were more valuable than her team and her wagon. And now they were gone…

  She opened the basket and broke off a piece of bread, munching on it as she considered the possibilities. Perhaps Eli had taken the team and the wagon over to help Matthew or her father. She stood and smoothed her skirt. Of course, that had to be it. Eli had recently mentioned that the sooner they finished their houses, the more help he and Elizabeth would have to finish their own. Perhaps he was using the wagon to help them in some way. However, as she walked, she couldn’t think of how.

  Arriving at her parents’ homesite, she discovered Matthew and Brady helping her father set the rafters in place for his roof. They were all perched up high, and not wanting to distract them, she decided to seek out her mother instead.

  She found Clara over by their wagon and tent, hanging some clothes on the line to dry. Elizabeth greeted her and then inquired about Eli.

  “I haven’t seen him since Sunday.” Clara frowned as she pushed a strand of graying hair back into her bonnet. “Is something wrong?”

  Elizabeth forced a smile as she reached for one of her father’s shirts, giving it a good shake before she pegged it to the line. “Not really. I just couldn’t find him and I thought he might have come over here.”

  “No. Your father thought maybe he was going to give a hand with the rafters, but he hasn’t been by.” Clara pegged the last damp towel up.

  “Oh…” Elizabeth tried to conceal her concern.

  “Are you all settled in at Malinda’s?”

  “Yes. It’s been lovely having a real roof overhead.” Elizabeth held up the basket. “Would you folks like some bread? It comes out a little nicer than what you can make in the outdoor oven.”

  “That would be lovely. Jess is making blackberry jam today. Perhaps we can enjoy some on this. Which reminds me, did Jess tell you that she got a letter from Ruby?”

  “No. So how are Ruby and Doris doing?” Elizabeth still missed these two women, but she did understand their decision to remain in Empire City for the winter. Their plan was to open a restaurant, and according to Matthew, they wanted to liquidate some of the merchandise they brought with them from St. Louis. They hoped to make enough money in Empire City to join the others next summer, stake a claim, and build a house.

  “It sounds like they’re off to a good start,” Clara told her. “They’ve opened their restaurant in a little cabin that’s down near the docks, and it sounds like they’re making good money.”

  Now Elizabeth updated her mother on all that she and Malinda had been doing the past couple of days, as well as all the plans that Malinda had for them yet to do. “I think she’s trying to catch up with everything she’d let go after John died.” She sighed. “I remember how that was.” She smiled. “Thank goodness you were nearby when I needed you.”

  “Well, I’m sure Malinda is happy to have you with her now. But it’ll be a busy place with all those children staying there. You two will certainly have your hands full. Although the older girls should be of some help around the house. I assume they’re done with their schooling by now.”

  “Amelia is still in school, and Belinda has been helping Mrs. Taylor with the younger children. So the girls won’t be around very much during the weekdays.”

  “Perhaps that will be nice for you and Malinda. I’m sure you both have plenty to do to prepare for your upcoming nuptials and whatnot.” Clara made a happy sigh.

  “So when does Father think your cabin will be finished?” Elizabeth asked as a distraction from speaking of weddings. She didn’t want her mother to guess she was worried about Eli.

  “Your father still thinks we’ll be able to move indoors by mid-November. I sure hope he’s right. Once the rains we keep hearing about start to come…well, I’m afraid that living in the tent will turn into a rather soggy affair.” She scowled at the tent. “I told Asa that I might move into the house whether it’s finished or not.”

  “Poor Mother.” Elizabeth put a hand on her shoulder. “You have been very patient through all this.”

  “I suppose my patience is starting to wear a bit thin.” She rubbed the small of her back and sighed. “Or else I’m just getting too old for all this outdoor living.”

  “You are not too old.” Elizabeth thought for a moment. “And I’ll tell you what. If the weather changes and you’re still not in your cabin, I’m sure Malinda will be glad to take you in.”

  Clara made an amused smile. “That’s sweet, dear. But poor Malinda—her house will be full to overflowing.”

  “She has a barn too,” Elizabeth reminded her. “I’m sure we could make room for you in there. Maybe I’d join you.”

  Clara laughed. “Well, I suppose if it comes down to that…I might be willing to sleep in a barn.”

  They went into the tent, making themselves comfortable in the chairs and visiting a while longer, but the whole time Elizabeth’s missing betrothed was lodged firmly in the back of her mind. Where was Eli? Why wasn’t he working on their house? Where was her team? And what about her wagon?

  “Well, I should get back to Malinda’s.” Elizabeth slowly stood. “She’s probably added half a dozen more chores to her list by now.”

  Her mother chuckled as she hugged Elizabeth. “Thanks for the bread, dear. And don’t worry about Eli. He’s a good man.”

  Elizabeth smiled. “I know he is. I just wish I knew where he is.”

  “Well, if anyone can take care of himself, he can.”

  “That’s true enough.”

  As they emerged from the tent, Elizabeth could see that the men were still intently getting a rafter into place. “If I do see Eli, I’ll encourage him to come over here to help Matthew and Father,” she promised.

  “And the sooner they get these houses finished, the more help Eli will have for your house.” Clara’s eyes twinkled. “And the sooner you two can have that wedding.”

  “I suppose. But getting started so late in the year…” Elizabeth shook her head. “Well, the children and I might be the ones who end up living in Malinda’s barn this winter. At this rate, our wedding might not be until the end of next summer.”

  “Oh, dear.” Clara frowned. “I hope not. Let’s pray that house goes up quickly, Elizabeth.”

  “Well, God willing…maybe that will happen.”

>   Elizabeth did pray as she walked back to Malinda’s. She prayed that Eli was all right. She knew it was senseless to be worried about him. Her mother was correct about Eli. If anyone could take care of himself, it was Eli. He’d proven that to them on the trail over and over. Not only did he take care of himself, he helped take care of all the travelers as well. Surely, Eli was just fine.

  “So how was your little picnic?” Malinda asked when Elizabeth came into the house.

  Elizabeth set the empty basket on the table and sighed. “Actually, I didn’t see him.” She explained that the wagon and team were gone. “So I dropped the bread and other food at my parents’. My mother was most appreciative.”

  Malinda looked up from where she was sewing on the quilt she hoped to finish before Will’s girls arrived. She planned to put it on the bed that Belinda and Amelia would share upstairs. “Where do you suppose he went?”

  “Maybe he found a better section of land to get timber for the house.” Elizabeth removed her bonnet.

  “Yes…that must be it.”

  Elizabeth sat down beside her and threaded a needle, and for a while the two of them just stitched together in silence. “Malinda…?” Elizabeth began tentatively.

  “Yes?” Malinda kept her eyes on her sewing.

  “You wrote about the Indian skirmishes…that happened last year. Remember? In the letter I received while we were traveling.”

  “Yes.” She nodded as she tied a knot and then clipped the thread.

  “Well…I haven’t seen a single Indian since I arrived here. I assumed that they’ve moved on. Is that right?”

  Malinda frowned as she measured of a new length of thread. “Yes…that’s mostly right.”

  “Mostly?”

  “It’s not something people care to speak of much, Elizabeth. But yes, the Indians have been relocated.”

  “Relocated?”

  “Yes. After the troubles…well, the army came out and rounded them up. They took them up north I believe.”

  Elizabeth felt a mixture of emotions now. Her first feeling was one of relief. Her fears that Eli had been ambushed by savages who had stolen her horses and wagon seemed to be unfounded. But her next concern was for the Indians. “All of the Indians were rounded up?” she asked. “Even the women and children?” She thought about some of the Indian women she’d seen along the way. She remembered the old woman that she and Ruth had purchased moccasins from. And she remembered Eli telling her about many of them being so peaceful…about them taking him in…about his wife.