Seth sent a glance over his shoulder. “Coming behind me. I rode in first to see if we’d found the right place.”
Malcom started for the cabin door. “Bring him on. My wife will be eager to feed you both.”
Seth turned and nudged his gelding into a jog back toward the others. Hopefully Rachel would be glad for female company.
Within minutes, he led the entire weary party toward the cabin. It was almost too much to fathom that they’d reached the end of their journey. Simeon and Noelle both lived less than half a day’s ride from here. They could possibly be there tonight.
Thank you, Lord. Only God could be credited for bringing them through the harrowing journey unscathed.
The door flung wide, and Joseph stood in the frame, a young boy in his arms. “We’ll put your horses in the corral. I can tie mine outside if you think they’ll be a bother.” He set the boy on the floor and stepped outside.
They dismounted and followed him around the side of the house, and the man continued talking. “Your brother and sister live a few hours away, so we’d be glad to offer shelter for the night.” He turned to them with a grin. “I’m sure we’ll have time later to get acquainted, but my wife would love the company as long as you’ll stay.”
Seth glanced at Rachel to see if she was uneasy at the thought of sleeping here. She met his gaze with a tiny shrug. Did that mean she trusted Joseph Malcom? Or maybe she was placing her trust in Seth’s decision. A weighty charge.
He looked to his brother, who gave a faint nod. All right then.
He turned back to Joseph. “We appreciate the offer. We’ll happily sleep on the floor if you have the space. Otherwise, we can camp on the trail.”
They reached the corral and Joseph stepped to the gate. “We’ve one extra bed and plenty of open floor. My wife happens to be the best cook in the Canadian territory, so I hope you’re hungry.”
The words tightened the empty places in Seth’s belly. A real dinner and a sleep under a real roof. It sounded like heaven for his weary bones.
IT HAD BEEN SO LONG since Rachel had spoken with a woman, it appeared she’d completely lost the ability. Each time Mrs. Malcom sent her a smile or asked a question in her lovely French accent, Rachel’s tongue tied itself in knots, stumbling over answers so much she ended up cutting her responses short.
Monti—as she insisted on being called—was graceful about Rachel’s lack, but it didn’t make the episodes less embarrassing. The couple’s daughter turned out to be only a year younger than Andy, and the two watched each other with curious gazes as they all lingered over the meal Monti had laid out within minutes of their arrival.
As quiet as the girl was, their three-year-old son was vivacious. He babbled on through the meal and while they lingered around the table, keeping Samuel on one side and his father on the other occupied during every spare second.
In short, the meal was lively. Not something she could remember experiencing since she was a girl visiting her friend Emily’s home. The conversation and easy laughter flowed so freely, they almost made her want to join in. But for now, she was content to watch the others.
Seth was beside her, and as he finished his meal and sat back in his chair to answer a question about the length of their journey, his hand found hers under the table. Warm and strong, his fingers wove between hers, infusing her with a sturdiness that grounded her.
If he minded her silence, he didn’t let on, just glanced at her with a smile every so often. Once or twice he pulled her into the conversation, but he must have sensed her chaotic emotions. And she was more grateful than she could say that he didn’t push.
She’d get there in time.
After the meal, Monti led her to the bed chamber she and Andy would share. “I hope this will be comfortable for you.” She pushed open the door, revealing a lovely room. The quilt across the bed brightened the chamber with spring colors arranged in the form of flowers.
“This is beautiful.” Rachel stepped closer for a better look, although she didn’t dare touch. Such fine stitching, although not without the occasional variation, made it clear the crafter had labored over the detail. “Did you sew it?” She looked back at Monti.
Her delicate features pinkened, and she dipped a nod. “Oui. It was my project during the cold days last winter.”
“I’ve stitched one quilt, but it was nothing so nice as this one.” The blanket had covered their bed after she was married, but Richard wretched on it so often during his drunken stupors, she’d eventually burned the thing. It hadn’t seemed worth the effort to make another, so she settled for a store-bought woolen blanket.
“The time will come again when you will want to work with your hands, you think?” Monti rested a gentle hand on her shoulder, her eyes offering encouragement.
Rachel inhaled a breath. “I hope so.”
The farther she traveled into this new life, the more buried dreams seemed to be resurrecting themselves. If only she could dare to follow them.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
This isn’t the journey’s end I’d planned, yet could this be the one intended for me?
~ Rachel
The day smelled fresh, like hope and new beginnings.
Seth couldn’t help a whistle as they rode the next morning. Home. He could feel it in the air. Taste it in the sunshine.
Rachel sent him a sidelong look, a smile quirking the corners of her mouth. “I wish a warm breakfast always made you so happy.”
Monti’s fresh-from-the-oven baguette had been an excellent start to the day, especially smothered in jam. But that wasn’t the only reason for his smile.
He shot her a raised-brow grin. “This is nothing. Wait ’til I’m filled up with your fresh made bread. You won’t be able to keep me quiet.”
She dipped her chin, and her cheeks appled. Was that a blush? He just barely bit back a chuckle. The sweet warmth on her face made her absolutely beautiful.
Radiant. He’d have to bring on that look more often.
Within another hour, the tension seemed to ripple among them. They all felt how near they were to Simeon’s valley, even Andy, as was plain by the questions he asked.
“Do you think there’ll be any boys my age?” The lad peered around his mother to look at Seth as they rode four abreast through the open rolling hills.
“Well...” He scanned his memory for ages. “I think my nephew Robert will be eleven, or close to it. His sister Hannah is two years older, so she’d be about thirteen, give or take a few months. I’m sure they’ll keep you busy.”
A light shone in Andy’s eyes, and he sent a hesitant look to his mother. Seth couldn’t see her response, but it must have been encouraging, for Andy’s hesitation turned to anticipation.
Had he ever played with others his own age? Hopefully Simeon’s young’uns would help draw him out.
They crested a gentle hill, and the sight that spread before them caught Seth unaware. A wide valley stretched across the landscape, flanked by mountains on all four sides. The flat area was wider than any they’d seen on their travels, and three groups of buildings clustered in different parts of the spread.
“This must be it.” Samuel’s voice held a low reverence. They’d all stopped their horses to take in the view, for there was so much to see.
“It’s more than I imagined.” Seth studied the buildings. “I guess these might be Simeon and Noelle’s homes.” He motioned to the two cabins on the right side of the valley, both of which looked of newer construction than the buildings on the far left. In that distant cluster, mature trees shaded the house, barn, and other structures, although it was hard to make out details so far away.
“We ready?” Samuel’s words nudged him from his studying.
“Let’s go meet our family.” He sent a smile to Rachel. Hopefully she would know he meant them to be her family too. Someday. As soon as she was ready.
She met his look, a hesitant smile playing on her lips.
With a nod, he moved his horse forward.
The first cabin they came to seemed quiet except for three horses dozing in the corral. Andy’s mare nickered, and a bay gelding answered.
Seconds later, the cabin door flew wide, and a blur of blonde hair ran across the front porch and down the stairs. “Seth. Samuel.”
Seth slid from his mount as a rush of joy pressed through him. He barely turned in time to catch the woman flinging herself in his arms. “Noelle.”
The warmth of his sister’s hug was like coming home, coiling all the good times and the homey smells and the feeling of security into a warm ball in his chest. He breathed in the scent that had always been Noelle’s—their second mother. “I’ve missed you.” He hadn’t known how much until this moment.
She pulled back enough to raise her face to his, then sniffed, smiling through red-rimmed eyes. “It’s about time you came to see me.” Then she turned to Samuel and wrapped him in the same, all-encompassing hug.
Samuel pressed his face into Noelle’s hair, and Seth could feel those same emotions coursing through him again as he watched the embrace. There was nothing quite as wonderful as family. Truly, this was coming home.
He turned his attention to Rachel and Andy, who had dismounted and stood back to watch them. He stepped to Rachel’s side and slipped an arm around her waist, then leaned close to her ear. “I think you’ll like her. She’s a bit exuberant now, but when things settle down, you can get to know her. You actually remind me of her.”
She turned a skeptical gaze on him.
He let his grin slip out as he nodded.
Motion in the doorway caught his eye. Two children stood there, close in age, maybe six or seven, both with Noelle’s fair hair.
She pulled back from Samuel and motioned for the young ones. “Come, Lena and Eli. Meet your uncles.” She turned to find Seth with her gaze, and that seemed to be the first time she noticed Rachel and Andy.
Her eyes lit, and she moved toward them. “I’m so sorry. Once I saw these boys of mine, I lost all manners.” She pressed a hand to her chest. “I’m Noelle Abrams, the one who used to keep these two in line.”
She gave Seth’s arm a smack with the back of her fingers. Not hard, but he winced to make it seem worse. “Ow.”
Noelle rolled her eyes as she’d done a thousand times before, then refocused on Rachel.
Seth's turn then. “Noelle, this is Rachel and her son, Andy. They’ve been riding with us since Fort Benton.” He kept his arm around Rachel, both so she would feel the strength of his presence, and so Noelle would clearly know what this woman meant to him.
From the sparkle in his sister’s eyes, she read everything he'd intended—and probably a great deal more. He fought to keep the heat from rising to his ears, but he’d never been good at hiding his emotions.
“Well.” Noelle reached forward to take Rachel’s hand. Her body tensed under his arm, but she allowed the action.
“I’m happier to meet you than you could possibly imagine.” Noelle released Rachel and turned with a wave for them all to follow. “Bring yourselves in and meet my little ones. My husband’s out hunting this morning, but he’ll be back in a couple hours.”
“Have you been to see Simeon yet?” This question she directed to Samuel, as she slipped her hand through the crook of his arm and walked with him toward the porch.
“Not yet. We stopped at the first cabin we came to. Stayed with Joseph and Monti last night.”
“Oh, aren’t they wonderful? I wish they lived closer so we could visit more.” Noelle motioned toward her own little ones. “Eli is our oldest. He’s eight. And Lena is six. Short for Evelena.”
Noelle kept the conversation lively as they settled inside. Within a few minutes, she’d sent her children back out to spread the word that they’d arrived. Just like Noelle to be so efficient. When he was little, he called that trait bossy, but either way, she knew how to take charge and get things done.
Rachel was just starting to lose some of her tension when noise sounded from the yard.
“That must be Simeon.” Noelle stepped to the door and opened it wide. “There you are. I’m so glad you could all come.”
When Noelle shifted to the side, the man silhouetted just outside the door frame seemed larger than life. This broad-shouldered giant of a man couldn’t possibly be his brother.
Simeon stepped inside, light from the lanterns giving expression to his features. He was tall, broad, and cut from this wilderness as though he’d been raised here. Yet underneath the fully grown exterior was a bit of the boy Seth remembered. Or at least, thought he remembered. He and Samuel had been so young when Simeon married and struck out to make his fortunes in the west.
Simeon’s gaze slipped over him first, then Samuel, and his mouth twitched in a grin as he extended a hand. “Welcome home, boys. It’s good to see you.”
Seth couldn’t help feeling like a lad in the presence of their big brother, but there was also the feeling of camaraderie. This man was family, even if it had been almost a score of years since they’d seen him.
While he introduced Rachel and Andy to their brother, more people entered the house. He could feel Rachel press into him, and he kept an arm around her waist. Simeon introduced his wife, Emma, and their three children, Hannah, Robert, and little Will, who’d just turned two.
The place was a cacophony of noise, and Robert soon snagged Andy to go see the horses. They needed to unsaddle their own mounts, so maybe that would be a good way for Seth to get Rachel out of the melee, too.
Before he could slip out with her, Noelle announced that she wanted Rachel and Andy to stay with her for at least the first night. Probably best, so his bossy sister could help them settle in. He’d be staying close, too.
Just yet, he didn’t feel comfortable leaving Rachel. The last thing he wanted was for her to feel abandoned with the mass of his family.
THE DAY THEY ARRIVED at Noelle’s house was a blur for Rachel. A sea of faces and names, eager children and adults just as excited about the reunion.
She’d never been part of a family like this. Each person seemed genuinely thrilled to see the others, the love evident in their faces and hugs and nudges. Surely this was a result of so many years apart, but it made her wonder just how magical their childhood must have been.
The stories Papa told of families like these had seemed make-believe, for she’d never really thought it possible for love to flow so freely.
Seth stuck close to her, for which she was grateful. Yet, she didn’t like how it sometimes kept him from visiting with the other men. She’d been through events much harder than this and managed them on her own. She could handle this too.
Except she wasn’t on her own. God would provide the strength she needed. He’d already done so much for her. He'd brought her and Andy from a farm in Missouri all the way to Canada, through Indian territory, past forts filled with raucous men, over mountains and across rivers. He'd protected them from danger by bringing them under the watchful eyes of two of the kindest, most upstanding men she'd ever known.
And He'd given her a man to love, a man she'd never have believed existed until this journey's end.
And all the while, she'd worried and fretted and second guessed Her Father.
I’m sorry, Lord. Sorry for not looking to You first.
As they sat around the table the next morning and finished the breakfast meal, the day seemed to hold an expectant feel.
“What say you, boys?” Daniel, Noelle’s husband, relaxed in his chair, a mug of coffee in one hand. “Would you like a day to settle in, or do you wanna see the area?”
Samuel pushed his empty plate away. “I’d like to see the place. Emma said something about her uncle having herds of horses and cattle. Do they pasture nearby?”
Daniel nodded. “We can ride out there.” He turned to Seth. “You coming, too?”
Seth shook his head. “I think I’ll stay around here for now.” His gaze slid to Rachel for a half second before returning to his brother-in-law. “I’d lik
e to see it, but maybe there’ll be a chance later.”
Should she tell him now that he needn’t stay on her part, or wait until they were alone? Richard had hated when she contradicted him in front of others, even if Andy was the only one watching. She’d do better to tell Seth in privacy as soon as she could secure a moment with him.
About an hour after they finished the morning meal, she found the opportunity. Samuel had ridden off with Noelle’s husband, and Andy was occupying the younger children with a ball and stick. It seemed Noelle was expecting another babe and had retreated to her room for a few minutes of rest.
“I think I’ll go for a walk.” She sent Seth a bright look. “Would you like to join me?”
He’d just stretched out in the oversize chair by the hearth—perhaps not good timing on her part—but he pushed up to his feet. “Sure.”
They started toward the nearest mountain, walking among the low cedar and pine that lined its base. The sun shone brightly, but the glow didn’t seem to carry the same strength here as it had in Missouri. Certainly there wasn't the same muggy feeling in the air.
Now, how should she broach the topic? Thankfully, he was the first to speak.
“I hope my family hasn’t been too much for you.”
She meant to let out a soft chuckle, but it came out more like a half-laugh, half-huff. “They were a little overwhelming at first. But very...interesting. I’ve never seen people who share so much. Who love so much.”
He chuckled. “I guess that comes from having so many kids among us. The house was always loud. Whether we were laughing or fighting or just eating the evening meal.” His gaze shifted to her. “Do you think you can get used to it? At least for a little while?”
She knew what he was asking. But she needed to say her part first.
She stopped and turned so he would have no doubt of her earnestness. “I can get used to it. I know you've witnessed my weak moments, but I’m strong. Truly. I can manage a few eager family members. You don’t need to linger around the house just to protect me from your sister.” She said the last bit with hint of a smile so he would know she meant the words in the kindest possible way.
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