Forever Hidden

by Tracie Peterson

  “What is going on?”

  Her little sister pushed her way into the room. “I need your help. And please, keep your voice down. I don’t want to wake Whit or Mama.”

  Havyn led her to her bed and they sat on the edge. “Of course. What do you need?”

  “Sheep.”

  She closed her eyes and shook her head. “I’m sorry. Did you say . . . sheep?”

  “Yes.”

  “All right.” Havyn swallowed. What sheep had to do with anything had her stumped. “Would you mind explaining?”

  Her younger sister scrunched her face up. “Do you know Old Fred?”

  “You mean Old Fred in town? The skinny man who hangs out at a different saloon every night?”

  “Yes. Well, he died of the whooping cough yesterday.”

  It didn’t surprise Havyn that Madysen was sad about an old man dying. But still. They hardly knew him. At least, Havyn didn’t. “I’m so sorry. I know how much you hate loss. Did you know him at all?”

  “No. Not a bit.” She sniffed and wiped at her eyes and nose.

  “Then, I guess I don’t understand. What’s got you so upset?”

  Her sister tilted her head. Uh-oh. A clear sign she wanted something big. “Fred is dead. He ordered sheep from Mr. Reynolds. Said he was going to start a sheep farm. And at the Roadhouse tonight, I overheard Mr. Reynolds say that since the old man died, he was going to sell the animals to the local restaurants to be slaughtered.” She grabbed Havyn’s hands. “Don’t you see? We have to save those sheep!”

  Havyn formed an o with her lips and gave a slow nod. “Now I understand. But what exactly is your plan?”

  “I want to bring the sheep here.”

  What? Havyn tried to keep the shock from her face, but she couldn’t help it. “And exactly how will we do that?”

  “We’re going to herd them here. I know where Mr. Reynolds has them penned up.”

  “But, Maddy, that’s stealing.”

  Her little sister stood and stomped her foot. Her whispered words rose in volume. “We know Mr. Reynolds. He’s a good man. If we tell him later what we did and show him how good we are at taking care of them, I’m sure we can figure out how to pay him for them later. I doubt he wants to see them slaughtered.”

  “Maddy, I don’t think this is a good idea. Why don’t we just ask him for them?”

  “We can’t! He’s got someone picking them up first thing tomorrow.”

  Havyn looked at the clock. It was far too late to pay a visit to Mr. Reynolds tonight, no matter how fond he was of them. She chewed on her lip. “Perhaps you’re correct. I mean, Judas Reynolds has been a friend of our family for a long time. And you’re sure this is the only way to save the sheep?”

  Maddy nodded.

  “I’ll need to get dressed, but I’m assuming you have a plan to get them here? Do you know anything about herding sheep?”

  “Oh, thank you, Havyn!” Maddy threw herself at Havyn and hugged her. “Look, I’ve got my pockets filled with grain.”

  “And that’s going to work . . . how exactly?”

  “I think so. At least, I hope so. I’ll drop little bits here and there to get them to follow. I just know that we have to save those sheep. I kept thinking about Rahab and how she lied to rescue the spies in the Old Testament. We’re rescuing these sheep just like Rahab.”

  Havyn tried not to laugh at her sister’s train of thought. Shaking her head, she threw on a work dress and shawl. “All right. You do realize it’s going to take us forever to herd sheep all the way out here to the farm.”

  “Probably a couple hours?”

  “At least.” Havyn sighed. “We each better grab a rifle. We’ll be prime bait herding a bunch of tasty treats for predators.”

  Madysen’s eyes widened. “I hadn’t thought of that.”

  “Well, you should have. But now we’ll just have to deal with it.” Havyn cast a longing glance at her bed, then turned back to Maddy. “So since I’m going to lose sleep tonight over these sheep, I suggest you come up with a plan for what we are going to tell Mama tomorrow about why we are exhausted and falling asleep in our oatmeal.”

  They left her room and tiptoed down the hallway and out of the house. The twilight offered plenty of light to see where they were going. Thank the good Lord it was summer and not pitch black.

  Once they were outside, Madysen linked arms with her sister and whispered, “I’ll just tell them that I tried counting sheep and it didn’t work. . . .”

  Havyn put her free hand to her forehead. “Oh, ha ha. I think you need to come up with something better than that.”

  “Well, at least it’s partially true.”

  “Keep trying, Maddy. It’s going to be a long night.”

  Two hours later, they were covered in mud and still had more than halfway to go. The sheep kept wanting to run in circles around them. One would stop, and they all would stop. Then Madysen would offer handfuls of grain to those nearest and they’d start moving forward as she walked away.

  Why had she agreed to help Madysen with this?

  Baaaaah!

  Another sheep decided it was time to run in a circle, and off they went, circling the sisters. Jumping and running.

  Baaaah! Baaaah!

  Exasperated and more tired than she’d been in a long time, Havyn finally threw up one of her hands and gave Madysen a stern look. “This is not working.”

  Maddy put her hands on her hips. “Well, what do you suggest? It’s not like I’m an expert sheepherder over here. And if you haven’t noticed, they’re a lot faster than I expected.”

  “What did you expect? That they would be like cows and mosey their way along?”

  Her sister’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t get all snippety at me. Just because you get grumpy when you don’t get your beauty sleep doesn’t mean that you should take it out on me. We’re doing this for the sheep, remember?”

  “Oh, believe me. I remember.” Havyn took the strap of her rifle and put it over her shoulder, then stomped off toward a tree, mumbling under her breath the whole time. “Dumb sheep. They just go wherever they please, following the leader, and making noise as they go along.”

  Picking up two large sticks off the ground, she realized what she’d just said. It was all true. On top of that, they smelled. And they bit too. If she weren’t so agitated and tired, she’d actually be amused at the thought that God used sheep as an example of people several times in the Bible.

  Wasn’t that the truth? Stinky, dumb biters. Yep, that pretty much summed up humans. In their flesh, they tended to treat one another that way.

  She took a moment to watch the sheep as they circled her sister.

  They hadn’t been herding the sheep. The sheep had been a group of childlike, chaotic, wild followers without a leader.

  A leader.

  Hey . . . wasn’t there something from a Sunday School class when she was little about that? One sheep in the flock wore a bell around its neck and was called the bellwether. If the bellwether went astray, the entire flock went astray because they followed the leader. The teacher used this to teach them that positions of leadership were important, and God held leaders at a higher accountability.

  Now Havyn studied the sheep in earnest. One in particular seemed to hold the attention of the others. When she stopped, the others stopped. When she went left, the rest of them followed. Could it be? Was this sheep the leader?

  “I wish we had a bell.”

  “What?” Madysen fought to keep a sheep’s nose out of her pocket.

  “I said, I wish we had a bell. I think that one sheep is the leader. Have you noticed how the others tend to follow her?”

  “I haven’t noticed much of anything but sheep muzzles and bleating.”

  Havyn went back to her sister. “How much grain do you have left?”

  “One whole pocket full.”

  “Good, because I have a plan.”

  “Great, I’m exhausted.”

  “Well, you’re t
he most important part of the plan, so don’t give up on me.”

  “I’m not sure I like the sound of this.”

  Havyn pulled a face at her sister. “I didn’t like the idea of stealing a flock of sheep in the middle of the night either, yet here I am.”

  Madysen nodded. “Point taken. What do you want me to do?”

  “If this sheep is the leader, as she appears to be, we only need to make sure she keeps following you. Keep giving her the grain—no one else. Instead of pushing her away because of her greed like we were doing, we need to let her lead.”

  “Do you really suppose it will work?” Madysen gazed down at the sheep that was even now nudging her pocket.

  “I don’t think we have much of a choice but to try it. I believe this will give the leader reason to follow you, and the rest of the sheep will follow the leader. I’ll bring up the rear to encourage any stragglers.” She waved the sticks.

  Maddy smiled. “I like how you think.”

  “Good. Let’s get these sheep home. Preferably before the family wakes up.”

  Eighteen

  Splashing water on his face from the basin by his bed, John worked the sleepy fog out of his mind. After he’d gotten back from the Roadhouse last night, he’d still had chores to do in the milking barn. But it had been worth sacrificing a bit of sleep to hear Havyn sing again.

  Well, truth be told, he had been able to hear all of the Powell girls sing, but his attention had been on one particular sister. Just thinking of her made him smile.

  A knock on his door made John jump. No one ever came to his room. Except for Chuck. And it couldn’t be him.

  He grabbed a towel and dried off his face and neck as he went to the door.

  “Hello?” He pulled it open, and his eyes weren’t quite prepared for the sight. “Havyn? Are you all right?” Her hair was in a mass of messy waves strewn about her shoulders. Mud and what appeared to be a few dead leaves dulled the deep red color. Her dress was also covered in mud and something that didn’t smell too ladylike. Even in that state, she was beautiful.

  “I’m fine. But I need your help.”

  He nodded. “Of course. What can I do?” Did he hear the bleating of sheep?

  A wince crossed her face. “Madysen overheard Judas Reynolds talking last night. Apparently Old Fred died of the whooping cough. Fred had ordered sheep from Judas. I have no idea why.” Her shoulders lifted as she went on. “But since Fred was dead, Judas said he had no choice but to sell the sheep to the restaurants to be butchered. Madysen couldn’t stand the thought of that. Why, I don’t know. She doesn’t seem to mind when we eat a pig or one of the cows. But apparently, she has a soft spot for sheep now.”

  She spoke so fast, John had a hard time keeping up.

  “Last night she came to my room and somehow convinced me that we needed to go get the sheep and herd them here.” Havyn held up a hand. “And before you scold me and say that’s stealing, I already know that. I told her as much, but I must have been too tired to think straight.”

  He opened his mouth to speak, but she beat him to it.

  “So now, we have spent the entire night herding a bunch of crazy sheep back to this farm. Sheep that don’t belong to us. And we have to tell Judas before he finds out and comes to arrest us. And we have to convince him to let us buy them from him.” She lifted her hands in the air and then let them fall again. “I give up. I’m way too tired to think straight.”

  He blinked several times to make sure she was finished. “So you’d like me to go speak with Judas?”

  “No . . . well, maybe. I don’t know. But I had an idea. If we have a plan in place for how we intend to increase profits with these sheep, then when we tell Mama and Whitney in a few minutes, hopefully they won’t go through the roof.”

  “Ah, I see. And do you have a plan?”

  She cringed and squinted at him. “You said you could make mozzarella in your sleep. I was kinda hoping that you would teach us how to make cheese. And then perhaps we could all learn how to make sheep’s milk cheese too?”

  The idea wasn’t a bad one. With all the butter, cream, and milk they sold, they’d had a lot of requests for cheese. No one else in Nome made cheese, so the prices were dear for it at the mercantiles. A local cheese producer would be ideal. But it was also a lot of work. Which meant they would need to hire more people. And pay more people. But he’d think about that later. “I think you’re onto something brilliant. Of course I’ll help.”

  She let out a sigh. “Thank you. I didn’t know where else to turn. I just knew we needed to start bringing in more money right away. And now somehow we have to pay Judas . . .”

  “Don’t worry about it. We’ve got a plan.”

  A smile lit up her face. “Thank you again.” She looked down at herself. “I better go get cleaned up before Mama sees this. It will be hard enough telling her about the sheep.” She turned to go and then turned back. “Do you think you could go with me to see Judas? As soon as possible? That might help us manage the situation. Then we can come back . . . and I’ll break the news to Mama and Whitney.”

  “I’d be happy to.” The fact that she had come to him encouraged him. Maybe he could still win her heart after all.

  An hour later, he and Havyn stood in front of Judas Reynolds’s massive desk. The man sat in a fine leather chair and appeared to be considering all that they’d told him. His expression softened and he shook his head. “And you say, it was young Madysen that concocted this little scheme?”

  Havyn took a step closer to John. Like she needed—wanted—him by her side. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Reynolds. Yes. She overheard you talking about the sheep last night, and you know her soft heart. Gracious, you’ve known us for many years now—remember that stray dog she tried to convince you to keep? Anyway, I don’t wish to take advantage of a longtime friendship, but please, will you work with us on a payment plan to purchase the flock?”

  John wouldn’t have been able to resist Havyn’s passionate plea. Now if only Mr. Reynolds would agree.

  The shipping owner laughed. “I’m so glad you came to me. This morning, I thought I’d been robbed. Now . . . there’s no need to plead. You should know that I would do anything for your family. It doesn’t surprise me at all that one of you sweet Powell girls would want to rescue the sheep from being slaughtered. What do you have in mind?”

  “Is there a way to pay a little each month? With Granddad ill, we need to be wise with our finances.” Havyn fidgeted with her hands.

  “Yes, I can appreciate that.” Reynolds stood from behind the desk. He was a tall and powerful-looking man. And not just in stature. “I’m sure we can come up with a suitable plan. In fact, I’ll give you until next month to start payments. You’ll have to feed the poor animals after all.”

  Reynolds was so compassionate and helpful! He was a very wealthy man. He couldn’t have gotten to this place without being shrewd. Then again, maybe the good Lord had blessed him for being generous. Whatever the case, John was grateful.

  He stuck his hand out. “Thank you, sir. As foreman at the Bundrant Dairy, I appreciate this even more.”

  Havyn stepped forward and smiled as she put a hand on Reynolds’s forearm. “Yes, thank you. You’ve relieved a great deal of concern on our part. Now we need to break the news to Mama that Madysen is now the proud owner of sheep.”

  Mr. Reynolds laughed again and escorted them to the door. “It’s a pleasure doing business with you.” He patted John’s back. “I’ll let you know when I have your order.”

  “Thank you.” Thank goodness the man didn’t say what the order contained.

  As John led Havyn out to the wagon, he could feel her eyes on him. “What did you order?”

  Uh-oh. Now how would he get himself out of this? “Something for the farm.”

  “Oh. That makes sense.”

  Whew! At least he didn’t have to make up a fib.

  After he helped her up into the wagon, he walked around the back to the other side.
He needed to get the conversation onto something else and fast. She didn’t need to know that he’d spent all the earnings he’d made before Chuck collapsed on chickens.

  For her.

  Before he’d gotten to know the Powells, that money had been to buy his passage back to Seward. But now? The thought of leaving Nome didn’t appeal at all.

  If only Whitney hadn’t found the contract. Would she ever trust him? If she didn’t, well . . . he didn’t want to think about the consequences.

  Picking up the reins, he put the horses into motion. Havyn reached over and touched his arm. “Thank you, again. For all you did to help.” She yawned. “I’m sorry. Staying up all night was probably not the best idea.”

  “Especially since you need to perform tonight.” He studied her, frowning a bit at the way her shoulders slumped.

  Another yawn. “You’re right. But we better discuss what we’re going to say to Whitney and Mama when we get back. As long as we have a plan in place, I think we’ll be able to convince them it was a good idea.”

  “I agree. But I would like to discuss something with you first.”

  “Sure. What is it?”

  “I’m sure Whitney has talked to you by now about the contract I signed with your grandfather.”

  She stiffened beside him. “Oh . . . that. Why exactly did you sign it, John?”

  Lord, give me the right words. “Your grandfather asked me to. He was certain something was wrong with him and wanted to make sure that nothing happened to you all and the farm.”

  She picked at her thumbnail. “I said as much to Whitney, but you must know she is convinced that you’re trying to steal the farm from us. Is that what you’re planning to do?” Her face had turned toward him and he couldn’t resist the pull to look her in the eyes.

  Slowing the horses, he met her gaze. “I have no intention of stealing your family’s farm.”

  “Why did Granddad make you sign that document stating that you would marry one of us? You didn’t even know us!”

  A question he’d asked himself over and over. But Chuck had been so insistent and had made a strong case. . . . “He was convinced that was the only way to protect you women and the farm. By having a man’s name on the documents.”