River's Call

by Melody Carlson

  "Poor Sarah," she whispered.

  "She's only a baby right now," he reminded her. "Things can change."

  "That's true." She looked at the upper windows, fixing her eyes on the south facing window that had been Sarah's nursery. "And she will have a nanny," she told him as he helped her out of the car. "It's a comfort to know she will be properly cared for and supervised." She didn't want to point out how haphazard Lauren's care could sometimes be. "So at least she'll be safe and healthy . . . right?"

  "Right." He reached for her hand. "And you get to see her now, Anna. You should be happy about that."

  She smiled at him as they went up to the front door. "Yes. I am happy about that—that and so many, many things."

  "For instance, we now have an unexpected three-day vacation to spend together." His blue eyes twinkled merrily.

  "That's right," she said. "We do."

  "And I plan to see that we both enjoy it thoroughly."

  She chuckled. "I will be reminding myself of this pleasant possibility while I do my best to act civilly to Sarah's great-grandmother."

  However, it wasn't easy to bite her tongue and mind her manners as Eunice administered her usual jabs. Obviously gloating over her success at enticing Lauren back into her lair, Eunice was in top form at making Anna feel small. She even tried to prevent her from seeing Sarah.

  "I'm sure the nanny has just put her down for a nap," Eunice said sternly.

  "Then what is that I hear?" Anna tilted her head toward the staircase.

  "Sounds like she's awake to me." Clark made a forced smile. "Why don't you run on up and check, Anna."

  "We are trying to get the baby on a schedule," Eunice called out as Anna headed up the stairs. "Please, respect this!"

  Anna didn't answer as she hurried toward the sound of Sarah's crying, which seemed to be coming from one of the guest rooms.

  "Excuse me," she said to the stout middle-aged woman standing by the window. "Is my granddaughter in here?"

  The woman looked surprised, but simply pointed over to where a makeshift nursery had been set up. Sarah was lying in the center of the big bed, kicking her legs and crying. "Oh, sweet girl." Anna picked up the baby and instantly began rocking her, attempting to soothe her.

  "I was trying to get her to sleep," the woman explained. "Her bed hasn't arrived yet and I don't think she's used to this room."

  "Yes, you're probably right," Anna said gently to her. "And I'm sorry to interrupt, but I haven't seen Sarah for months and I'm not in town for long. I hope you don't mind if I rock her a bit."

  The woman just shrugged. "Mrs. Gunderson suggested that I shouldn't coddle her too much. She doesn't want her to get spoiled."

  Anna didn't miss the irony of that as she sat down in the rocker, still talking softly to Sarah, trying to get her to settle down. "I don't think it's possible to spoil a baby," she said quietly. "They are babies for such a short time."

  "I always felt a happy baby was a healthy baby." The nanny came closer now, looking over Anna's shoulder as Sarah began settling down.

  "I agree with you completely." Anna smiled at her. "It's been a long time since Eunice has mothered a baby. And I recall that when Lauren was an infant, Eunice didn't have much patience . . . especially when Lauren would cry. So perhaps you'd be wise to keep Sarah contented. That way both the baby and the great-grandmother will be happy."

  The nanny nodded. "I think you're right."

  "It sounds like the movers are coming." Anna tipped her head toward the still open door. "Maybe you'd like to supervise the setting up of the nursery. I can sit with Sarah."

  "Thank you, I'll do that."

  Anna let out a relieved sigh as the nanny left. "Oh, little Sarah," she said quietly. "Your life is changing again. But you will be resilient, little one. You will be strong like the fir trees that bend with the wind. And when you get a little older, you will come and visit me on the river again." Anna continued talking softly to her, watching as the baby's dark eyes studied her with an intelligent expression, and until the long eyelashes finally fluttered against her still-flushed cheeks. Even though she was breathing evenly and fast asleep, Anna continued to rock her, enjoying the warmth of the small body in her arms.

  It was hard to put Sarah down on the bed. But as Anna gently arranged the pillows around like a makeshift crib in case Sarah decided to roll, she knew that Clark had already been more than patient, and who knew what Eunice was putting him through? She leaned over and kissed the warm cheek. "Be blessed, little Siuslaw princess." She tiptoed from the room and quietly closed the door. Peeking in the nursery, she noticed that the blue paint had been changed to pink, and the movers, with the nanny directing, were getting the furnishings in place.

  "There you are." Lauren had an armload of clothes, using her foot to push open the door to her room. "Grandmother was just asking if you were ever coming back down."

  "Sarah's asleep now," Anna told her.

  "I'm trying to get moved in," Lauren explained.

  Anna just nodded as she followed her into the room. "I think that Clark and I will be on our way soon."

  "Sorry about the misunderstanding." Lauren tossed the heap of clothes toward the closet.

  "I just hope that you won't be sorry about leaving Donald like this."

  Lauren laughed. "Are you kidding? Already, I almost feel like I'm on vacation. And my girlfriends are coming by this evening. Honestly, Mom, this is going to be like heaven."

  Anna went over and hugged her daughter. "Maybe you'll have more time to stay in touch now."

  Lauren made a sheepish smile. "Yeah, I'll bet I will."

  "Take care, sweetie." Anna turned and left the room. Following the sound of voices, she found Clark and Eunice in the kitchen.

  "What on earth is this?" Eunice demanded as Clark set the heavy wooden crate on the kitchen table.

  "Those are some preserves I put up for Lauren," Anna explained as she joined them. "I thought Sarah might be ready for apple sauce and—"

  "Heaven forbid!" Eunice picked up a shiny jar of recently canned green beans and scowled. "Don't you know that these home-canned foods contain botulism? Are you trying to kill us?"

  With a stern expression Clark removed the jar from Eunice's hand. "Perhaps it would be better if we took these back to the inn with us. We enjoy them immensely there, as do our guests. No one has expired yet."

  Anna shot him a grateful look. "Thank you for your hospitality to Lauren and my granddaughter," she told Eunice. "It looks as if your nanny knows what she's doing. I'm sure Sarah is in good hands. Now if you will excuse us."

  Eunice looked surprised, but merely nodded as Clark and Anna made a quick exit. Anna felt certain that Lauren would be sorry about this decision . . . eventually. But, for the time being, there seemed little to be done about it.

  20

  Anna felt relieved to leave Pine Ridge behind them. She was disappointed that things hadn't turned out as she'd hoped, and she was concerned about the state of her daughter's marriage. Still, she knew those things were out of her control.

  "The nanny did seem nice," she told Clark as he turned onto the highway.

  "Well, that's something to be thankful for."

  "And, really, all things considered, this move might be in Sarah's best interest."

  He simply nodded.

  "I'm sorry," she told him. "I don't mean to go on about it."

  "That's okay," he said. "Maybe you need to reassure yourself."

  "No." She shook her head. "I need to let it go."

  "Then I'll change the subject." Now he told her about how he'd hoped to take her to see Crater Lake. "I know it's not far from here."

  "What a lovely idea!"

  "Yes, except that when I asked the moving guys for directions, they told me that the park was closed for the season."

  "Oh, that's too bad."

  "We'll have to go some other time. Then I remembered another national park in Oregon. And that is where we are going." He grinned. "Eve
r been to Oregon Caves?"

  She blinked. "You're taking me to a cave?"

  "So it seems. Are you amenable to that?" He chuckled.

  "You can take me wherever you like, darling. Whether you take me to a cave or a tipi or a hole in the ground, I trust you implicitly."

  "I would've loved to have gone to Crater Lake," he told her. "I saw it once as a boy and it's truly amazing."

  "I've always wanted to see it too."

  "You mean you've never been?"

  "I know, it seems sad, especially considering that Pine Ridge isn't that far from it. But, well, you know how my adult life went."

  "Did your parents ever take you on vacation as a child?"

  "The store kept them from traveling much. I suppose it sort of anchored us to the river."

  "Well, living on the river feels a lot like a vacation in itself."

  "It's funny, we've only been gone for a day, and I already miss it."

  "We can go back if you like." He looked slightly disappointed.

  "Not on your life, Clark. I want to see your cave."

  He threw his head back and laughed. "Okay then, I'll take you to my cave."

  "You know, I remember a time when my father wanted to take a vacation one summer," she said now. "He wanted to take us down to see the redwood trees in California. And Babette had even offered to watch the store."

  "Oh, yes, the redwood forest is certainly worth seeing."

  "But Mother wouldn't hear of it. She said it was the busy season."

  "Your mother sounds like she was a strong woman."

  "I suppose she was strong in some ways . . . but in some ways I think she was weakened by fear. She was always worried about so many things."

  "Like what?"

  "Oh, money was always a big one. But, to be fair, it was the Depression. I suppose everyone had money worries. But she also worried that I was going to get hurt or drown in the river."

  "Like your older brother?"

  She nodded. "Yes, I suppose that was a valid concern. Mother fretted about a lot of things, sometimes insignificant things that seemed silly to me. But you know what I think was her underlying biggest concern?"

  "What?"

  "Knowing she was an Indian. She never really said it, but I'm sure that bothered her more than anything. In fact, it might've been the root of all her worries."

  "That seems odd, considering how her mother seemed to return to her roots."

  "They really were opposites. As different as night and day in some ways."

  "Kind of like you and Lauren?"

  "I suppose. And yet Lauren is nothing like my mother." Now she told him about what a hard worker her mother was.

  "Kind of like you?"

  She laughed. "No, I would look lazy next to my mother. She never stopped moving. Unless she was asleep. She was either cooking or cleaning or knitting or sewing or mending or . . ." She sighed. "Just thinking about it makes me tired. It was as if she didn't know how to just be. I don't believe I ever saw her just sitting and doing nothing. She thought that when I took my canoe out it was idleness. I tried to get her to try it and we actually got into a fight." She shook her head. "But I was a teenager and we fought about a lot of things."

  "I cannot imagine you fighting with anyone, sweetheart."

  "Oh, you should've known me then. I could be rather feisty. I suppose living under Eunice's roof took a lot of that out of me."

  "Well, I'll bet you'd get feisty if you thought someone was going to hurt Lauren or Sarah."

  She nodded. "You bet I would. In fact, I suppose I have. But, for the most part, I prefer peace."

  "I'm glad you do."

  "You know that's what seemed missing from my mother, Clark. It's as if she never could find peace. At least not when I was around. Now that I think about it, there came a point in her letters when she started to sound more peaceful. Maybe she found it and I just never knew." She rolled the window down a bit. "I still miss her at times. It's wonderful being in her home, though. It makes me feel as if both she and my grandmother are near me. But I do wish I'd gone back to visit her more often while Lauren was growing up. That was a big mistake. In fact, if I'd gone home more, maybe things would've turned out differently for Lauren."

  "But you had Adam to care for," he reminded her. "That must've made it difficult to do much of anything."

  "It was a lot like living in prison. A prison with no bars, but a prison just the same. Poor Adam, it wasn't his fault." She turned and looked at Clark. She knew he had war stories of his own. She'd heard many of them. "I suppose that's just one more reason I hate war so much . . . because I believe that peacemaking is so vitally important. Both for a country and for individuals."

  "Blessed are the peacemakers. They shall be called children of God."

  "That's from the Bible, isn't it?"

  "It is."

  "Peacemakers shall be called children of God . . ." She considered those words. "You know, my people, the Siuslaw people . . . they were considered a very peaceful tribe. Do you think they would be called children of God?"

  "I think so."

  She nodded. "I like that." Out the window, the trees were a lovely blur of gold tones and russets and greens and reds. A perfect afternoon for a long drive. Despite the regretful earlier portion of her day, Anna had high hopes that spending the rest of it with Clark, even if they did end up in a dank, dark cave, sounded promising.

  The sky was just growing violet and dusky by the time Clark pulled into the Oregon Caves National Park. "What a beautiful building," she said as he parked in front of a tall building. "Is this our final destination?"

  "This is the château," he said as he opened her door and helped her out.

  "We're not staying in a cave?"

  He laughed. "Not tonight, darling."

  The lobby of the château was an absolute delight. "Oh, Clark," she exclaimed, "this is charming!" With its rustic logs, handhewn staircase, and quaint furnishing, it reminded her of what she was trying to accomplish at Shining Waters, although the château was much grander. "I love it," she told him as he led her to a seating area.

  "You wait here while I see if I can get us a room. I didn't have a chance to make a reservation."

  She nodded eagerly as she sank into a comfy leather sofa by the stone fireplace. Tempted to cross her fingers, in the hopes they'd get a room, she smiled at an older woman seated across from her.

  "Just arriving?" the woman asked.

  "Yes. It's my first time here."

  "So, tell me, what do you think of the place?" The woman studied Anna closely.

  "I think it's perfectly wonderful," Anna told her. "Just marvelous."

  The woman smiled. "Well, that is good to hear. So many of the younger generation don't appreciate this place. They think it's too old-fashioned and out of style."

  "I disagree." Anna looked up at the open-beamed ceilings. "I love this sort of style. I just hope that we can get a room. We didn't make a reservation."

  "Oh, you'll be fine," the woman assured her. "They're not that busy."

  Feeling more comfortable, Anna told the woman a bit about her own inn. "It's not nearly as big and wonderful as this place, of course, but it is rustic." She smiled nervously. She didn't usually open up to people like this.

  "Where is your inn located?"

  Anna explained.

  "Do you have a business card or brochure?"

  "No, we're still so new. I haven't had a chance. This was our first season really."

  "And did you have many guests?"

  "Considering how new we are, I think we did all right." Now she explained about the magazine article her mother-in-law wrote.

  "Oh, I believe I saw that story." The woman reached for her handbag and, opening it, removed a card and handed it to Anna. "I'm Margaret O'Neil. I'm working on a book about lodges of the west. Perhaps I should pay yours a visit."

  "Really?" Anna blinked then, remembering her manners, introduced herself. "I would love you to visit
us, but we're such a small inn. I'd feel bad if you were disappointed." She explained about the cabins and their capacity.

  "This château only has twenty-three rooms."

  "Is that all? It looks much larger."

  Now Clark came over to join them and Anna introduced him to Margaret, explaining about her book and her thoughts about coming to their inn.

  "We would love to have you come stay with us," he told her. "I'm sure you'd find Shining Waters to be a very appealing place. My wife has a real knack for hospitality."

  Anna blushed. "I just want guests to feel at home."

  "The sign of a good innkeeper." Now she took out a notebook and asked for the name and phone number.

  Anna told her, waiting as she wrote it down.

  "Shining Waters?" Margaret put her notebook and pen back in her purse. "What does that mean?"

  Now Anna explained her Siuslaw roots and how her grandmother used to call it that. "The river can sparkle like diamonds at certain times of the day," she explained, "when the tide is coming in and the current of the river meets it, especially in the afternoon. Shining Waters just seemed the right name."

  "It's a lovely name and delightful story." Margaret stood now. "Well, I don't want to keep you kids." She paused to shake their hands. "I do hope you enjoy your visit here."

  "And if you find time to make it out our way, I would love for you to stay with us," Anna said. "As our guest, of course."

  Anna turned to Clark as Margaret walked away. "Can you believe that? I just happen to sit next to a woman who's writing a book about lodges of the west. What a coincidence."

  He grinned. "Maybe it's not a coincidence, dear."

  She smiled back. "Maybe it's not."

  "I happen to think God has his hand on us. I think he directs our paths far more than we realize. When I think back to some of the messes I've made in my life—a broken marriage, a son who was rebelling—I wouldn't have believed it could turn out like this for us. I give God the credit."

  She nodded. "And although this day looked like it was going to be a disaster a few hours ago, I love the way it's turning out. Thank you."