This Homeward Journey

by Misty M. Beller

  The sparkle in his eyes faded, and she hated that she’d been the one to dim it. But she couldn’t let herself grow too fond of this man.

  That would only make it harder later.

  The sounds of the men and boy playing rang freely as she took the opportunity to do some washing now that she’d finally removed the bandage from her burns. Her spare shirtwaist and undergarments were in dire need, as well as Andy’s shirt and stockings. Perhaps she should ask Seth and Samuel if they had things that needed cleaning.

  She sat back on her heels and watched Samuel throw a pine cone over his brother’s head, right into Andy’s hands. Seth dove for the cone, making a mighty splash as he fell short of the prize.

  “I got it.” Andy’s voice held a cheer as he raised the cone high, then sent it back over Seth’s head to Samuel’s waiting arms.

  She had a feeling Seth wasn’t putting as much height into his jump for the ‘ball’ as he could have, but with the grin spreading Andy’s face, she wouldn’t be calling foul.

  Chapter Thirteen

  A tiny piece of the normal life I crave.

  ~ Rachel

  “There she is. Home.”

  Rachel strained to see through the trees as Elias motioned toward a glimmer of sunlight that proclaimed a clearing. He reined his mule off the main trail toward where he’d pointed.

  The sun’s rays streamed onto a small log cabin, rough-built and not much larger than a single room. Yet as they reined in beside the structure, it was clear the logs were large and sturdy, well-chinked and constructed to last for scores of years.

  “There’s a lean-to out back with a pen for the animals. Might wanna unload at the cabin door first.” The pleasure on Elias’s face was hard to deny. How wonderful it must be to finally reach home.

  Their little group had developed a lean efficiency, each person unpacking the gear they carried that would be needed for the night. Rachel would normally begin preparations for the evening meal. It’d become clear rather early in the journey that her skill for cooking a decent meal over an open fire was more advanced than that of the others. She didn’t mind the work, and the appreciation from the men felt better than she wanted to admit.

  When Andy led both their horses toward the back of the cabin following the other men, she stepped into the cabin and paused to glance around the room. A stone hearth covered most of the left wall of the building, with a few pans hanging from the logs on one side.

  It was just past the time they’d normally stop for the midday meal, so she should prepare food for the group. Yet this was Elias’s home. She didn’t want to intrude on his space.

  For now, she could put together a cold meal like they normally ate on the trail. As much as she longed for something hearty and nourishing, maybe that would come this evening.

  The occasional call of a male voice drifted through the cabin walls as she worked, and just as she finished laying out the food, their tones drifted around the side of the building. A moment later, the door latch lifted, and the parade of men tromped in.

  She hadn't been overly conscious of being the only woman in a group of towering men until that moment. It was really only the Grant brothers whose presence seemed to fill the place, and Seth who made her senses spring alive, following his every movement.

  She was careful not to make eye contact, just motioned toward the food spread across Elias’s small, square table.

  “Sorry the place isn’t really big enough for all you folks. Me an’ the mule don’t get much comp’ny up here.” Elias hung his hat on a peg and raised his rifle to the hooks mounted above the door.

  “I’ll just be glad to wake up without dew on my face tomorrow morning.” Andy’s white teeth flashed in a grin that revealed a hint of the man he would become.

  Samuel was the last one in and closed the door behind them. “Good construction, Elias. How long did it take to put this together?”

  While the two of them talked methods of notching logs and various chinking materials, Rachel handed out plates. The little table wasn’t large enough for them all to sit around it—and only contained two chairs—so most would need to sit on the floor. Normally they didn’t worry with plates for the midday meal, just took slabs of roasted meat and hunks of corncake from the sections she laid out.

  But again, this was Elias’s home, although the floor was packed dirt and the entire place needed a good cleaning. Just for today, they could attempt to live as civilized people. After this meal, she’d get to work clearing the cobwebs and setting this place to rights. It was the least she could do for the man who’d guided them safely through miles of treacherous trails.

  The thought of leaving Elias behind the next morning started an ache in her chest. She forced herself to push the feeling aside. Tomorrow she could face that struggle. Not today.

  Through the afternoon, the men kept busy outside, mostly making repairs to the cabin and corral fencing. For about an hour, the steady thwack of an ax against wood rang through the clearing.

  She’d kept Andy busy hauling water from the creek and carrying off piles of leaves and scraps she’d swept from in the cabin—probably most had blown in during Elias’s absence. Andy completed each task she requested, but it wasn’t hard to see his longing glances toward the sounds drifting through the open door.

  When she finished sweeping as far into the chimney as she could reach from the hearth, she paused to catch her breath and see how much progress the boy had made scrubbing the base of the walls where spatters of dry mud looked to be several seasons old. “Makes you glad we never had a wood floor, doesn’t it?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” His voice held none of the enthusiasm that had filled it these past few days, and his scrubbing was a methodical back-and-forth movement that might very well put her to sleep. Seth’s voice sounded from outside, and Andy’s attention was pulled to the open door again.

  She barely held in her sigh. The place was so small she could finish on her own in the next hour. He should learn how to work alongside a man while he had the chance. His father certainly never gave him the opportunity. Those last few years, Richard had been so besotted with his drink and gambling, he’d had little time for things around the house. What she couldn’t teach Andy, the boy’d had to learn on his own.

  “Why don’t you go see if the others need your help outside?”

  “You mean it?” But Andy had already dropped his rag and bolted halfway to the door before he turned back to wait for her answer.

  “Go.” She made a shooing motion with her hand, and couldn’t help a chuckle as her son dashed out into the sunshine.

  THE AROMA OF SOMETHING tantalizing tugged at Seth for a full hour before Rachel finally called them in to eat. With the way that woman could cook mouthwatering meals over a campfire, he had high hopes for what she would accomplish with a stone hearth and hanging hooks. Too bad Elias didn’t own a real cookstove. They might be in for homemade bread and pies and who knew what else.

  “What’s got you smiling like a man who’s panned a dozen ounces of gold?” Samuel nudged him with an elbow.

  Seth shot a glance at Andy to make sure the boy hadn’t heard. He wasn’t quite ready to answer questions about his intentions toward Andy’s mother. “Just lookin’ forward to a good meal after a hard day’s work.”

  “Well...” Samuel drawled the word so it held much more meaning than those four letters should possess. “Me, too. But no food has ever made me blush like a schoolgirl.”

  Again, Seth glanced toward Andy, who was animatedly describing the way a nail he’d been hammering had shot away when he helped fix the fence. There was no way he’d heard Samuel’s comment.

  Seth turned a glare on his brother. “I’m not blushing. I like good food. There’s no shame in that.”

  Samuel’s pressed lips quivered in a way that made Seth want to send a fist through that mouth. Not hard, just enough to wipe the smirk from his smug face.

  Instead he settled for a “knock it off” just loud enough fo
r Samuel to hear.

  But his brother’s words replayed in his mind through the evening, and as Seth lay on his bedroll in the single-room cabin later that night, he couldn’t seem to force them away.

  He was definitely attracted to Rachel Gray. He ached to fix the wrongs that had been done to her, but this was more than just his overblown desire to protect her. She intrigued him. She drew him like no woman he’d ever known. And yes, she was stunningly beautiful. But that seemed like a small piece of why his mind wouldn’t let her stray far.

  When they reached the Canadian Territory and found her brother, was he prepared to let her step out of his life? Andy, too? The lad had begun to open up this last week or so, and Seth was becoming fonder of him by the day.

  If he wasn’t going to take a permanent role in the boy’s life, he should probably ease back. Not let either of them become too attached.

  The thought formed an ache in his chest strong enough to steal his breath. Andy needed a strong man in his life. Seth could be that man. With God’s help, he’d left his vices in the past. He still wasn’t the kind of man he wanted to be, but if he could just point Andy to the Heavenly Father instead of any earthly man, he’d do the job well.

  And what of Rachel? He’d not known her long enough to say for sure what he felt was love. In truth, there was still so much he didn’t know about her. But he could imagine them making a life together. Could imagine loving everything about her.

  If only she would open up to him.

  Show me the way, Lord. Guide me in Your path for us both. Rather, for all three of us.

  SAYING GOODBYE TO ELIAS was so much harder than Rachel expected.

  He shook Andy’s hand first, looking him in the eye as he would a grown man. “I’m proud to know ya, Andy Gray. You take care o’ your mama, and don’t ever miss a chance to take a swim.” He paused, and his hand that gripped Andy’s shook as though with emotion. “If you’re ever ’round these parts, you come back an’ see ol’ Elias.”

  Andy nodded. “I will.” His voice cracked at the end, squeezing Rachel’s heart. He shouldn’t have to say goodbye to so much at such a young age.

  Elias pulled the boy close for a one-arm hug, still gripping his hand with the other. When they stepped apart, Andy turned away quickly, but not before she saw the red rimming his eyes.

  Next, Elias turned to her, moisture brimming in his gaze. He wrapped a hand around each of her upper arms. “I surely am glad you two joined up with us.”

  She had to swallow down the lump in her throat before her voice would come through. “I am, too.” Her own voice was in danger of cracking, and she shored up her defenses. And she put a little space between them. “Thank you for everything.”

  The creases at his eyes deepened, and she saw understanding in his gaze. He didn’t let her go. “I meant what I told your son. If you’re ever in these parts, I expect a visit.”

  She nodded. “Yes, sir.”

  He released her then and moved on to Seth, leaving her to pull herself back together. She’d been through much worse than this without crying.

  When the goodbyes were said and everyone mounted, they started toward the trail, Samuel in the lead.

  Rachel allowed herself a final glance back just before they turned to walk among the trees that would hide them from the clearing. Elias stood in front of his cabin, hands propped at his waist.

  When he saw her look back, a grin split his beard, and he waved.

  She swallowed down the emotion that threatened again. Forced herself to raise a final farewell. Elias hadn’t been perfect, but he’d been good to them. And that couldn’t be said for many people in her life. He’d always hold a special place in her heart.

  Now it was time to turn her gaze forward. There was much distance left to travel before they finally reached their new home.

  Home. The word stirred the same hope it usually did, except...finding Henry would mean they had to part from Seth and his brother.

  And with every day that passed, the thought of losing Seth Grant made her heart ache far more than it should.

  Chapter Fourteen

  In moments like this, I come to life.

  ~ Seth

  “You want me to take the lead?” Seth called up to his brother as they neared the rocky base of another looming mountain.

  This second day out from Elias’s place had brought them through rough terrain, maybe the hardest going yet. And the mountain ahead bore more rock than vegetation.

  Lord, help us get up and over without event. He hated subjecting Rachel and Andy to the dangers of traveling through this country. They were both doing admirably so far, but they hadn’t reached the peak yet.

  “Nah. I’ll take this one,” Samuel called over his shoulder as he leaned forward to give his horse freedom to climb the ascent.

  Rachel held her horse back to put space between her and Samuel’s mount, then let the gelding move on. Andy did the same, and Seth held his breath as he watched the boy ascend. An excellent horseman already.

  He nudged his gelding forward to follow them, keeping his eyes more on the animals ahead than his own path. Partway up the mountain, the hard-packed ground turned to loose stone, as though remnants of a rockslide covered their path.

  Andy’s horse stumbled and fell hard on his knee.

  “Pull his head up,” Seth yelled, his heart climbing into his throat.

  Andy was already doing it, but the horse still struggled to get his feet on solid ground. Seth couldn’t see if the horse was down on both front knees or just one, but the boy had raised his reins high to hold the animal’s head up, pulling some of the weight off his front end so he could get his footing.

  At last, the horse heaved upright, planting both front hooves on rocks underneath him. Uneven footing, but secure for the moment. The horse heaved, and Seth found himself doing the same.

  “Are you all right, Andy?”

  “Yeah.” The boy’s response was unsteady.

  Seth’s own heart still surged in his chest. “I think we’d better walk the rest of the way up.”

  Andy was off the horse before Seth could lean forward to dismount. As the boy landed, the loose rocks slid underneath him. He leaned forward and clutched the saddle, tugging the horse off balance.

  “Whoa, there.” Seth hit the ground and scrambled toward the pair, leaving his horse where it stood.

  Andy’s mare had regained her footing, and the two of them stood on tenuous ground. Seth slowed his movements as he neared them, but he couldn’t seem to ease his breathing, nor the speed of his racing heart.

  “I got her.” The boy was breathing hard, too.

  “I’ll lead her the rest of the way up. Hold my horse steady and I’ll come back for him.” Seth reached for the reins.

  “I can do it.” Andy’s tone wasn’t obstinate, but determination locked his chin. He gazed up the rest of the slope. “I can do it.” This time he seemed to be confirming within himself.

  Seth eyed the same incline, all the way up to the two horses and riders at the top.

  “Are you hurt?” Rachel’s voice sounded from far above, echoing off the stone that spanned between them.

  He cupped his hands around his mouth to call up to her. “No. All are well.” At least, he hoped the horse was.

  Leaning forward to check the animal’s knees, he saw a gash on the right leg from the stones. Not a bad cut from the looks of it, but they could make sure once they were all on level ground.

  Seth straightened and turned his gaze back to Andy. “You’ll go slow and stay well away from the mare’s hooves?”

  “Yes, sir.” His face held more seriousness than Seth would have expected from a lad his age. He was accustomed to matters of danger. Hadn’t Rachel said the boy did most of the hunting? It seemed impossible for one so young, yet looking at the earnestness in his face now, not as unbelievable as before.

  Seth blew out a breath and nodded. “Be careful. I’ll be right behind if you need anything.”

&n
bsp; Boy and horse picked their way up the mountain, one laborious step at a time. But Seth didn’t mind the slowness. As long as they were safe. The lad took such care with his responsibility, Seth could see why Rachel entrusted him out alone with the rifle.

  They finally arrived at the top, and Rachel reached for her son, wrapping an arm around him. “What happened?”

  “Summer slipped in the rocks, so I had to lead her up. She’s all right now.” He let his mother embrace him, but it was easy to see the struggle inside him to be a man in his own right.

  Rachel’s gaze lifted to Seth, and he met her searching eyes with a nod. “They’re both fine.”

  The worried line of her shoulders eased, and she gave her son a final hug, then stepped back. “Well then.” She inhaled a breath that raised her chest. “I suppose now we have to go down the other side.”

  Seth turned his focus to his brother. “Easier I hope?”

  The line across Samuel’s brow didn’t bode well as he turned to look over his shoulder.

  Seth pulled his gelding up to the top of the ridge to view what his brother saw. When he reached Samuel’s side and looked down, the sight almost made him swoon.

  Not quite straight down, but they’d have to travel back and forth in switchbacks to keep from tumbling head over heels. Riding the horses wouldn’t be possible. They’d all be walking. “Are you sure this is the way down?”

  Samuel raised the paper that held Elias’s sketch of the remainder of their journey, more detailed than the one Rachel had brought with her. “The line he said to travel seems to go down from here.”

  Seth scanned the incline to the right, which turned into a steep drop. Then to the left, which looked much the same before meeting another mountainside rising upward.

  This was the best of the available options, but so very treacherous. He let out a breath. “We lead the horses in zigzags?”

  Samuel nodded. “Probably best for you and me to handle the animals, one at a time. Go down, then come back up for the other two.”