Their focus was to direct the fires into the vast, open wilderness and hope that the weather would eventually work in their favor. So far, the weather had only helped the fires. It had chosen a side and wasn’t going to waiver.
Rain had to come at some point. It always came, eventually, in these parts. August was brutal regardless of the year. This one would be no different. The only hope anyone had was that fall would come early. Spring did, so fall could, too.
Winters were harsh, and snow was deep. It was ironic that folks were wishing and praying for winter now. Normally, people dreaded the winter and prayed for summer. This was the first year living in the Wild West that he had seen the flip.
The natives lived with nature. They worked around it. The settlers approach was to confront it. Building a town took a stand against nature. This wasn’t any different. Time would eventually declare which approach worked best. Maybe they would win this battle and suppress all these fires. He would keep doing what he was doing to fight them. That was his only choice, right now.
CHAPTER 39
It was already Sunday and almost time for the meeting with Frank. Allie had used any available time to brainstorm ideas, but it wasn’t much. Many of her ideas required water and they needed to conserve, but she would still share them with Frank. She hoped he had more ideas and could do most of the work to pull something together.
She stood to join the choir in their final song. Afterwards, church would let out and the luncheon would begin. She hadn’t paid much attention today. Her thoughts kept returning to the upcoming festival and the work it involved. They were supposed to work together so neither had the full load. She hoped Frank understood what he was getting into when he agreed to take on most of the work. Allie was already stretched too thin. Her busy schedule was stressful, and it took a lot of effort and energy to keep all the events of the last year from consuming her.
She stared at the words in the well-worn bible. She was singing, but today she didn’t feel the lyrics. She felt pulled in many ways and didn’t know how to make it all work. She loved that she had a job. She needed to save money and help her parents. There was so much extra work to be done at home right now with the drought. She felt awful when she couldn’t be there to help.
On top of all that, she had to help plan and participate in the entertainment for the children. Her focus was no longer on Eddie and that situation. That did free up some time to think. She was busy with other things that diverted her thoughts to the here and now and not the future. She wondered how that would all end, but patience came easier with each day. She felt stronger in her faith and she hadn’t seen or heard from Eddie. That helped to increase her strength.
All these thoughts were spinning around in her head as the final notes were sung and people began to fill the aisles to make their way out. Allie followed her ma through the crowd and made her way to a table. Thankful this wasn’t a Sunday her family had signed up to help, she sat and waited for the food to be set up before making her way to join the already forming line. She would take every break she could get right now.
She quickly dished her plate and went back to the table. They were sitting with Ma’s usual group of ladies. Her pa would sit down at the end of the table and Allie chose to sit closer to him. She didn’t want to sit near the other ladies and be expected to join the conversation. Pa and Drew would focus on their food and let Allie do the same. The men usually ate first and made small talk while waiting for the women to eat. She knew Frank would find her soon and this was her chance to be able to eat something before moving on to her next task.
Allie sat across from Drew and he smiled at her. She smiled back and began to eat. Drew kept very busy with Pa. This time of year, she hardly saw him and she missed him. Everyone was busy. When her family came together after dinner, all anyone wanted was sleep. This was a good opportunity to catch up with him. She swallowed her bite of fried chicken.
“Hello, Drew. I haven’t seen you much lately. How are you?”
Drew’s smile grew. “Good, good. Busy…so busy.”
“Thank you for helping to water Ma’s garden. I know that’s normally my chore, but I’m not home as much right now.” She scooped up some potato salad with her fork.
“You’re not home anymore. You’re working too hard.” He stared her down challenging her to argue it.
She closed her eyes and exhaled. “You’re right. You’re always right. It will calm down a bit in a while though. As soon as the rains come…things will start to settle down again.”
“Pa says we need rain or we won’t have much for Ma to can this year.” He kept eating as though this was not upsetting news.
Not wanting to worry him, Allie just nodded and ate in silence. She hadn’t thought about that. She knew the crops they normally sold every year had already failed, but the garden looked okay to her at this point. All efforts were diverted to keeping their food watered so they wouldn’t starve through the winter.
She began to wonder again if she should give her parents all her income to help the family get by. Frank joined them and took a seat next to Drew. She saw him go through the line earlier, but he didn’t have a plate now. That meant he had finished. He folded his hands and rested them on the table, waiting for her to finish. He struck up a conversation with Drew. She loved what she was seeing.
Frank was always relaxed around Drew. He treated him like nothing had ever happened. Not many people did that. Even those who were his closest friends avoided him now. His accident had changed him, and he angered easily, but he was still in there.
Allie could draw him out on occasion, but that wasn’t often these days. She had very little time for herself. The conversation that she had just had with him was good and now Frank was easily talking with him.
Drew just didn’t always understand things. He didn’t connect that no canning meant no food for winter. His brain was like a child frozen in time. Some days she wished she could visit that childlike brain. Not worrying about tomorrow would be nice.
But Drew couldn’t take care of himself, and that wasn’t something she wanted. He needed to be supervised always…much like a child. Allie knew her parents were tired, but they kept pushing. They refused to send him away and she couldn’t blame them for that. She loved that she could still have her brother around.
Someday, her parents wouldn’t be around anymore, and she wondered what would happen to Drew. If her life didn’t get turned around, she couldn’t help. The problems seemed to continue to increase. She felt like she had bricks on her shoulders weighing her down. Frank was eyeing her as he continued to converse with Drew and then Pa. She stood and carried her dishes back—ready for the meeting with Frank.
“Well, I’m ready now,” Allie stated. She sat back down across from the men and waited for Frank to finish his conversation.
He looked at the other end of the table and motioned for her to scoot down. The ladies had cleared their places and were out mingling. Allie scooted down a bit.
“You okay? You seemed lost in thought a moment ago.”
Allie gave a tired smile. “Yes, I just have a lot on my plate right now. I’m worn out.”
“You didn’t ask to be a co-chair for this. Do you want to?” Frank’s brows were already furrowed in concern as he pursed his lips.
“I’m fine. Life will settle down soon enough. Winter will come, and I’ll be twiddling my thumbs. Keeping busy keeps my mind from wandering.”
“Except for a few moments ago.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a paper and a short pencil. “I wrote down a few ideas. Did you think of any?”
Allie’s cheeks reddened, and she used her hand to smooth her hair. She couldn’t hide much from him…and didn’t want to try anymore.
“I was thinking about bobbing for apples…maybe some crafts to do…maybe a relay race.” That was about it for her ideas. They weren’t much, but they were solid ideas.
“Those are good. I had already thought about relay, but crafts a
re new. What kind were you thinking?” He wrote down the new ideas.
“Oh…I don’t know. Maybe we could combine them with some of the other exhibits? A sewing craft in the sewing booth, water color drawing in the arts booth, that type of thing.” She was really flying by the seat of her pants with these ideas.
“Those are great! We could spread activities for the children all over the grounds—instead of just one area like previous years. They can mingle with their parents this way. When the parents are in one exhibit, the kids can be corralled in a corner or somewhere close—staying busy, but still near them.” He was writing frantically.
Her sad smile returned at the compliment and she looked down at her hands that were in her lap.
“Allie! You’re good at this! You’re going to make a great mother someday.”
She winced, and he realized his mistake. She doesn’t know that I know. I need to tell her.
“Perhaps,” was all she said. She forced herself not to think about it. The wound was still raw. Someday she’d be tougher.
“Allie, there’s something you need to know.” He looked around to be sure his voice wouldn’t carry, and they had a little privacy. “Doc’s wife keeps meticulous records. When I covered for him a while back, your pa came in to make a payment. I wasn’t snooping around, I promise. I pulled the file out to make a note in it. The record of the procedure was in there.” He cleared his throat. “I know about the baby.”
She let one tear slip out and quickly brushed it off. “Yes…well…what’s done is done.”
“Oh, Allie. You don’t have to be strong for me. It’s okay.” He wanted to gather her in his arms but knew this was not the right place.
No more secrets. “You know how Eddie was…is. He was upset that he didn’t have a child yet. Little did he know…I didn’t even know! At least I’m not saddled to him with a child.” She was trying to put on a brave front.
“You don’t mean that. You would have cherished that child, I know.” He reached across offering her his hand, but she didn’t take it.
Her eyes were somewhere else. They were looking at him, but they were hollow. “I’m not sure if I will ever have the chance again. Doc doesn’t know. There was a lot of damage.” She stood and began walking away from the group.
Frank followed but remained silent.
Allie walked and walked until she had traveled clear to her part of the creek. She noticed that Frank kept a step behind her, letting her have her freedom. He was there if she needed him, though… her rock to lean on. If she did, her heart might fall completely for him. That thought terrified her. She couldn’t until she was free to do so. She sat with her back propped against the old familiar tree and Frank sat, too. Her tears flowed freely sitting in silence. Her shoulders bobbed as she sobbed soundlessly. Frank remained at her side—not expecting her to talk but offering himself if she needed it. They sat that way for a long time until she was finally able to control her tears. Frank remained quiet and waited for her.
“I’m fine now. You can go if you like.” She used the hanky that was in her pocket to dry her face.
Frank pulled his knees up and folded his arms across them. “I’m not going anywhere. I have all day just to sit here with you. Allie, I can’t take this pain away, but what can I do to help?”
She starred into the very shallow, almost stagnant water. She felt like this creek, all dried up and nothing left to give. “I’m tired. I don’t know how much help I can give you for the festival. I found out our garden that provides food for the winter might fail us before harvest, I’ve been patiently waiting for answers, but so far the only answers have been to keep waiting.”
Frank lifted his hand and gently moved her chin until she was looking at him. His face was inches away from hers. “You are the strongest woman…person…I know. Don’t worry about the festival, I can do it. Maybe I can even come out here a bit more and help with some chores.”
She sighed and closed her eyes at the thought of having him take some burdens off her. When she opened them, his lips were brushing hers and she succumbed to his advances. She needed to be replenished somehow. Maybe this would help keep her going. Something she could focus on. It felt good…right…as she relaxed more into the kiss and parted her lips. He plunged with curiosity…searching her. He wrapped his arms around her and the kiss deepened. She startled, and her eyes flew open when she heard a wagon approaching. Her parents were home. Frank immediately stopped and stood offering her his hand to help her up. They made their way to greet her family both silent and calming down.
“Well, there you are, Allie. We looked for you for a while. A few people mentioned they saw you and Frank walk off this way.”
“Sorry” Allie spoke first. “I needed a walk. I’ve been so busy. The gentle walk home, admiring all of God’s creation, was just what I needed today. I should have told you first, though.”
Frank chimed in. “I joined her. We had to discuss our festival plans and it was a great time to figure some things out.”
Some of those things were clear…but whether they would be able to follow through on them was yet to be decided. He didn’t care if she was still legally married. At this point, he was ready to run away with her to somewhere where no one knew them. They could start a new life together, but he had to wait for her to want the same thing.
“I’ll leave you for now. I think we came up with enough for me to start in on some details.” He winked at Allie and she blushed. “Good to see you all again!” He turned and headed back towards town. He needed to cool down and slow his heart. He knew that would never happen with Allie in arm’s reach.
“Bye, Frank! I’ll probably see you in town this week.” Allie took Ma’s arm and they walked together into the house.
CHAPTER 40
Because of the monotony, Eddie had lost track of how long he had been there. There was still no weekly payday to help him keep track. He thought it was somewhere in the middle of August and he was ready to be moving on. Unfortunately, he was stuck here. Here in the middle of nowhere…attempting to save another tree that looked just like the last one he dug by. He was back to working on digging the fire line. They rotated through the two positions. He had a couple more days before he switched back to the backfire group. If the government got their act together and paid him, he could leave as soon as they handed it over. If he left before then, he might never get paid.
There were many men who had left. The number of fires were shrinking and those that still burned were dying out. Not as many men were needed. He was glad to see some of the men leave. It made for a safer camp. He could sleep better with them gone.
The troops that moved in were still a bit rough around the edges, but a much better group to work with. He didn’t need to fear being stabbed to death or beaten upside the head by his own shovel. There was a rumor that some of the men who were let go were starting more fires. That didn’t surprise him one bit.
With those men, they were lucky that was all they were doing. He could understand why they wanted to do that. For many, this was a second chance at a stable life. Then they were sent packing because the fires were shrinking. The clear answer to them was to start more fires. Then they would be needed again. It could all be blamed on the government. They’re the ones who hired the inmates in the first place…and then fired them only a short time later. Did they really not see that one coming? He pulled his grubby handkerchief out of his back pocket and wiped his forehead. He smeared the soot and dirt and sweat as he wiped. Each breath felt like he was eating soot, smoke, and dirt. His lungs were tired, and he had a nasty, hacking cough from breathing it all in.
His shovel kept separating from the handle. That made the work even harder. Eddie had tried unsuccessfully to fix it. The stores were clean out. The supplies that could be used for firefighting had been sold out of every store within several miles weeks ago. Nothing had been restocked. That made his broken shovel a treasure to have.
Men were using anything they could
. Some were on their hands and knees using what was left of their shovel like a scoop. Eddie was still standing. He wasn’t sure for how long. His handle wasn’t broken. It just came apart. He kept pushing it back on. He even used nails in an attempt to hold it in place. The nails would hold for a while before they loosened and fell out, and he would start over again. It made for slow going, but at least it looked like they were getting the upper hand with the fire…and weren’t being pushed so hard.
When the reports of success came in, some men were released of their duties. The attitude and treatment at camp changed. They were put on twelve-hour rotations instead of their eighteen- hour days. Potatoes were still served at every meal, but with less mouths to feed, there was more food to go around. Some men didn’t want to sleep for the full twelve hours so they did some hunting. The meat provided much needed protein. Venison could do wonders for the standard potato when they were cooked together. The juices gave the spud a richer flavor. That made them slide down the hatch much easier. They’d had meat before, but not near as often as now. Eddie was very thankful for that. The improvement was nice. Now, if he could just get his pay and be on his way he would be happy.
Meanwhile, he continued digging. No sense in wishful thinking. No point in thinking about how many weeks they owe me…or adding up how much I’m owed. He needed to focus on the here and now. The small changes were such a welcome. Those kept him going each day. He needed something to keep him going since there was no whiskey. Keeping track of how long he’d been sober was impossible. He knew one thing was certain, he’d been sober longer than he’d been in a long while…since before Allie entered his world.
Thinking of Allie also kept him moving from one day to the next. She was a small portion of his past and his future. He needed her—wanted her. She was a feral cat that refused to be tamed, but he was up for that challenge.
By His Hand Page 21