by Lisa Prysock
“Can we sleep out under the stars, Mom? Can we?” Zach’s eyes pleaded with her. He reminded her so much of Alex.
“I don’t know yet. Let me think about it. Let’s finish listening to what Logan has to say about our route.” Jill succeeded in turning their attention back to her husband.
“All right, kiddos, there are some interesting things to know about this place. Fort Bridger, close to the Green River, was a fur trading post established by a fella by the name o’ Jim Bridger in the 1840’s. As I have mentioned, this was an important stop on The Oregon Trail. But after the Mormons tried to purchase the fort, a man by the name of William Carter, who came to the post with the U.S. General Johnston’s Army, eventually ran the post as a storekeeper here. He became Wyoming’s first millionaire. He was a respected man and became known as Mr. Fort Bridger. There’s a barrack’s building still standing, a sentry building, and a guard house.”
The kids looked excited about the fort. Micah chimed up. “Do we get to explore the fort, Uncle Logan?”
Logan rested a hand on Micah’s shoulder. “Yes, we do. After we explore the fort tomorrow morning for about an hour, we’re heading to Pilot Butte Wild Horse Scenic Loop to see wild horses along the Green River. Once you see a herd of horses gallop across the prairie, well, you’ll see what I mean. It’s a sight you don’t want to miss and you’ll never forget. Then, before dinner at Bear Creek Steakhouse in historic Rock Springs, we’ll see an old stage station where you could ride a coach out west in the olden days. It also served as a school house at one point, oh, and a few bad guys in history hung out there.”
The boys chuckled and the girls exchanged amused, curious looks with each other.
“The next day, we head to Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge where we’ll hike through some of the park before driving north to Yellowstone on U.S. Route 20. We’ll hike some trails, visit some waterfalls, check out the famous geyser, Old Faithful, and take in some amazing scenery. Yellowstone is another stop on The Oregon Trail. Any questions?”
“Sounds great, Uncle Logan.” Grace Anne smiled. “I really like the R.V. and thanks for taking us on this trip.”
Jill retrieved a stack of composition notebooks and pens from the table. She handed them each a book and a pen. “These are for each of you to keep a journal of our vacation so you’ll always have memories to look back on. So, I’d like you to each write your names in them.”
When the children had written their names on their books, Logan and the boys started the campfire for s’mores while Jill read excerpts about pioneer life out loud from a website sharing the text of Marcus and Narcissa Whitman and the Opening of Old Oregon.
“Who were the Whitmans?” Jackie asked, avidly interested in pioneers.
“They became missionaries to Indians in Washington State, leading a small group of Presbyterians from New York to Oregon,” Jill explained. “Listen to these excerpts:
"This is Narcissa's letter to friends on April 7, 1836, when they were near Jefferson City, Missouri. She writes, 'I have such a good place to shelter, under my husband's wings. He is so excellent. I love to confide in his judgment, and act under him, for it gives me a chance to improve. Jane, if you want to be happy, get as good a husband as I have got, and be a missionary. Mary, I wish you were with us. You would be happy, as I am. The way looks pleasant, notwithstanding we are so near encountering the difficulties of an unheard-of journey for females.'
"Here’s another quote from her letter to siblings while near the Platte River above the forks on June 3, 1836. 'I wish I could describe to you how we live so that you can realize it. Our manner of living is far preferable to any in the States. I never was so contented and happy before, neither have I enjoyed such health for years. In the morning, as soon as the day breaks, the first that we hear is the words, "Arise! Arise!" Then the mules set up such a noise as you never heard, which puts the whole camp in motion.'
"'Girls, how do you think we manage to rest ourselves every noon, having no house to shelter us from the scorching heat, or sofa on which to recline? Perhaps you think we always encamp in the shade of some thick wood. Such a sight I have not seen, lo, these many weeks.’ That was Narcissa's letter to family on August 27, in 1836, written near the Snake River west of Fort Hall.
"Here’s her diary entry on September 1, 1836, written from the future mission site. 'You can better imagine our feelings this morning than we can describe them. I could not realize that the end of our long journey was so near.'" ¹
After s’mores and bedtime prayers, reluctantly, Jill and Logan agreed to let Jackie, Grace Anne, Zach, and Micah sleep in pup tents under the stars. Savannah wanted nothing to do with tent sleeping. When the children were settled, Jill climbed in bed inside the camper beside her husband and yawned.
“I think we’re making a big mistake letting them sleep outside.” She rubbed lotion on her elbows and then fell back onto her pillow with another yawn.
“Don’t worry,” Logan reassured her. “One or two nights of camping and they’ll be begging to sleep in the camper away from the skeeters.”
“I certainly hope so.” She closed her eyes and prayed for the Lord to keep them safe. “Good night, my love.”
BRIGHT AND EARLY AT sunrise, Jill and Logan sat straight up in bed to high-pitched screams coming from the children, outside. The loudest screams seemed to be coming from the girls, but particularly Grace Anne. The screams and hollering grew louder as they neared the camper.
The R.V. door opened and Gracie Anne hopped inside on one foot, screaming her head off the whole time. Jill and Logan tumbled out of bed clad in shorts and tee-shirts, and ran to the kitchen area by the side door as the other three children followed their sister inside.
“What on earth?” Jill blinked sleepily.
“Raccoons!” Jackie explained, breathless from running to the camper.
“But we put all the food away.” Logan glanced outside through the door. “The rascals! They got into the trash.”
“Why is Gracie still screaming and hopping around on one foot?” Jill asked as Gracie hopped toward the bathroom, still hollering. “She’ll wake the whole campgrounds.”
“I’m sure she already has. She woke up to a raccoon...” Jackie started giggling uncontrollably. “And...and...and...” She doubled over laughing, unable to finish her sentence.
Zach was laughing, too. Micah was rubbing his eyes looking traumatized, but then he started to laugh.
“And what?” Jill asked.
“A raccoon was licking her toes!” Jackie finally finished.
“Licking her toes?” Jill repeated, incredulously. “I guess I never thought of coons as having tongues. How funny and, uh, gross!”
“Well, we might’ve gotten...uh...into the s’mores in the middle of the night, because somebody wouldn’t go to sleep because he was still hungry.” Zach elbowed Micah who looked bashfully at the floor and laughed.
Jackie stopped giggling long enough to add, “And Gracie Anne, she stepped in a gooey marshmallow on the way back to our tents.”
“Eww! She slept with marshmallow toes?” Jill burst out laughing. Then they heard Grace Anne turning on the shower in the bathroom. Everyone burst out laughing again.
“Well, she was too scared to walk back to the camper to wash up in the dark,” Jackie explained.
“Kids, let that be a lesson to ya! C’mere hon, take a look at this.” Logan motioned her toward the door where Jill immediately saw where he was pointing. A coon balanced precariously on top of the site trashcan rummaging through the trash, his tail hanging down over the edge of the can.
“How’d he get the lid off that can?” Jill could hardly believe it. Another coon, particularly large, was sitting on top of the site picnic table closer to the campfire area, eating a graham cracker from an open package of crackers.
“Coons are smart and they’re scavengers,” Logan chuckled.
Turning back to the kids, Jill asked, “Are you sure the raccoon didn’t bite Graci
e Anne? Because we’ll have to go to the nearest hospital immediately, if so.”
“Naw, no bites, Mom,” Zach reassured her. “I already asked her if it bit her when she first started screaming. She said no.”
“Phew! That’s a relief. No fun spending the day at the Emergency Room.” Logan turned to the family. “Kids, it looks like you and Miss Marshmallow Toes are gonna have a mess tuh clean up.” Turning to the coons, he opened the door and hollered in a deep voice, “Shoo! Shoo! Away with ya’ll!” The raccoons scampered away.
For the rest of Gracie’s days, she’d earned herself an unforgettable nickname.
Chapter 16
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23, KJV
“MISTER BRONSON, MISTER Bronson, wait!”
Bronson looked at the blond running toward his pick-up as he turned the engine on. Drat! No escaping Arianna Perkins.
She reached the door of his truck, out of breath. “Mister Bronson, I see you’re heading somewhere. Would you mind terribly giving me a lift into Lander? I need to pick up my headache medicine. I get terrible migraines which don’t go away without my prescription.”
If he told her no, it’d look bad for the ranch. The order for more creep feed hadn’t been delivered and he was in a hurry. He didn’t have time to argue with her, either. The feed store closed at four o’clock. This was turning out to be a bad day as far as he was concerned, and he was in no mood for conversing with the flirtatious Arianna. She may as well have had the name Delilah written on her forehead.
“All right,” he sighed, rolling his eyes as she strutted her way around the front of his pick-up truck to the passenger door, her red stiletto heels clickety-clacking on the ground.
“LADIES, WHO WANTS TO go first?” Miss Marla Tremont stood at a podium near the center of the stage. “You’ll each walk across to the center, answer the question from the judges, then exit on the other side of the stage.”
“Tory Johnson does!” Arianna giggled along with a few other girls. Standing behind Tory, Kylie, and Melanie, Arianna gave Tory a firm shove on the middle of her back toward the stage.
Though Tory hadn’t expected the push from behind, she didn’t have to turn around to know it’d come from Arianna Perkins. The tips of her heels rubbed against the four steps leading to the top of the platform stage. She started to topple off balance, caught herself with one hand, twisted her ankle, recovered enough to go up three of the steps, and began to topple again.
She then managed to miss the fourth step entirely and tumbled onto the stage. Most of her body lay on the stage while her heels hung over the fourth step she’d missed. Her ungraceful appearance on stage had made quite a commotion. She’d landed with a loud thud on her right elbow.
She lay there in a heap to gain her bearings, more surprised than anything else. Well, that was so not graceful! Way to go, Tory, she said to herself, ignoring the stunned gasps from the other contestants and judges. Kyle and Melanie rushed to her side to help her up, barely recovered from their own shock about what’d just transpired.
“Are you all right, Miss Johnson?” Miss Tremont gulped into the microphone.
No, no, I’m not all right, she wanted to say, blushing deeply. Her pride was wounded and her body ached. She scrambled to her feet, aided by her two friends, ignoring the pains running through her right elbow, hip, ankle, and knee.
Bravely, she pushed herself onward. “I’m f-fine,” Tory stammered as she crossed the stage, blinking under the bright blue Wyoming sky where the fashion show had been held a week prior. She reached the center of the stage, thankful she wouldn’t have to make the walk down the runway for this part of the pageant.
She wondered if they’d disqualify her on the spot for falling. Contestants were constantly reminded they were being judged on grace and poise, and at the moment, she hadn’t displayed either.
This part of the pageant was the Community Endeavors portion. Thankfully, it was a private part of the pageant. Nonetheless, it was held in front of the judges. Each girl was required to give an answer to one question.
She barely heard the question she was given or her response. Her answer had included something about how she’d focus on making a difference in young people’s lives by encouraging them to read books, study hard in school, and continue to strive for higher levels of education. Only, she hadn’t heard a word of what she’d said. Blindly, with tears welling up in her eyes, she made it across the stage to exit and carefully limped down the steps.
She managed to ask Mrs. Taylor if she could be excused from the rest of the day to tend her ankle and when her request was granted, she began the walk back to her cabin. She’d simply have to text Harper and tell her it was over. She’d managed to accomplish a classic, klutzy move in front of every judge. A few minutes later, a golf cart pulled up to her side with Katie Andrews driving.
Tory stopped walking and Katie proceeded with a heartwarming smile. “Miss Johnson, I can see you’re limping from the tumble. May I drive you back to your cabin so you can rest your ankle?”
“Thank you, th-thank you so much,” she nodded, swiping tears from her eyes as she carefully climbed into the passenger seat.
“The wranglers were kind enough to loan the judges the use of two golf carts for today. I’m so sorry about what just happened.” Katie waited until Tory settled in the cart before she began the drive from the rodeo and picnic area to the cabins.
“I tend to heal quickly.” Tory glanced down at her ankle. “Hopefully it’ll be better by tomorrow or the next day.”
“There’s a first aid kit in all of the cabins if you need an ace bandage.” Katie smiled. “When I met McGuire, I remember seeing a kit in the downstairs bathroom when I was a guest in one of the beautiful cabins at The Sweetwater.”
“That’s nice to know. Thanks. I’ll definitely wrap my ankle after I put some ice on it. How are your wedding plans coming along?” she asked, trying to think of something neutral to discuss which didn’t have anything to do with the pageant.
“Oh, thanks for asking. I’ve decided on a color scheme of pastel peach, magenta and pale pinks, and coral. We’re trying to keep things fairly low-key and simple, though. I’m hoping for a quiet, intimate, but elegant wedding.” Katie continued to steer the cart toward the cabins with both hands on the wheel.
“It sounds lovely. Will you marry here, uh, at The Sweetwater Chapel?” She winced from the pain shooting through her elbow, but talking about Katie and McGuire’s wedding calmed her.
“Yes, we will, during the fall with a small reception in the main house. Maybe we’ll have a western theme.”
“That sounds really nice.” Tory was glad when they pulled to a stop at her cabin. “I hope your wedding day is a huge success.”
“Thank you. Well, here you are. Do you think you can make it inside all right?” Katie turned and glanced down at her ankle with concern, a genuine and caring tone in her voice.
“Yes, I can manage now. Thank you so much for the ride.” She climbed out of the golf cart holding onto the seat for support and gingerly placed weight on her ankle to stand.
“And Tory,” Katie paused.
“Yes ma’am?” She turned, looking at the ground and thinking, this is where she’ll tell me to pack my bags and go home.
“I want you to know you showed tremendous poise and grace today. Some candidates would’ve started a whole lot of drama over an incident like this. We saw exactly what happened and the judges are well aware you were pushed.” Katie gave her a smile filled with empathy and good news. “This wasn’t your fault. You’ll definitely be going on to the final round. The judges will also be choosing four others who will proceed to the final round from today’s event. You’ll be asked the same question before the talent and evening gown competition on the big day when most of Lander turns out. Oh, and the judges loved your answer, by the way.”
> Stunned, Tory exhaled with relief and joy as tears of happiness welled in her eyes. “Th-thank you for sharing this with me, Miss Andrews. I’m so thankful. I thought I’d be disqualified.”
“On the contrary. The good Lord is looking out for you. True grace and poise come from the inside, and you’ve definitely got both. Get some rest and I hope your ankle feels better soon.”
“Yes ma’am!” she replied with a wide smile. Maybe she wasn’t just a klutzy, country girl after all.
“GUESS WHAT!” KYLIE and Melanie returned to the cabin a few hours later and bounded upstairs to the loft bedroom to check on her and share news.
Tory rubbed her eyes as Kylie plopped down on the edge of the bed and Melanie sat down at the foot of the bed, barely awake from the deep sleep she’d fallen into during her nap. Sitting up from beneath the summer quilt, she propped herself up to lean back on two pillows.
“We’re all three going on to the final round!” Melanie blurted out.
“Can you believe we’ve all made it this far?” Kylie squealed with delight.
“Holy guacamole!” Tory’s eyes widened. “That’s fabulous news!”
“Yeah, we thought it’d cheer you up after what happened.” Melanie’s voice filled with compassion. “How’s your ankle? Do you need anything we can get for you?”
“Well, it’s still a little sore. I’m fine otherwise. I may have a few bruises. It was quite a tumble, but I should be good as new in a few days.” Tory reached for her water bottle on the night stand. “Who else made the final five?”
“Arianna Perkins and Stella Hampton.” Kylie sighed.
“So Jasmine is being sent home?” Tory asked.
“Arianna’s partner in treason and high crimes?” Melanie laughed nervously and glanced at Kylie. “Yep.”
“What else? You both look like the cat that swallowed the canary.” Tory looked from one to the other.