Finding Home
Page 23
Nat packed the animals and after feeding Gyp a strip of jerky, placed one in her mouth and mounted Hardy. She tore off bites of the dried meat and sucked on it to allow it to soften enough for her to chew as she rode through the morning. Nat had not seen another human since leaving town and was surprised to catch the smell of a campfire as they moved along the trail. She kept her hand close to her rifle as they approached a small clearing.
Nat saw a young couple, barely out of their teens milling around the campfire. They were startled by her approached and the young man jumped to his feet.
“Hello there,” Nat shouted as she approached.
“Hello,” he answered, but eyed her warily.
“What brings you two out to these parts?” she asked as Hardy walked closer to the fire.
“Me and my wife Susan are trying our hand at trapping,” the strapping young man said proudly.
“Are you having much luck?” Nat asked.
“Not near as well as you apparently,” he said, as he saw the mound of pelts on Quincy’s back. “My name is Tom Calder,” he said as he offered his hand to Nat.
“Nat St. Croix,” she said as she took his hand. “Would you mind a suggestion?” Nat asked.
“No, not all at,” he answered. “Why don’t you join us for some coffee,” he offered.
Nat stepped down from Hardy and tied him off to a small tree. She took the cup of coffee from Susan and joined them around the fire.
“I just left a cabin about four hours ride from here. It would provide you better protection from the elements to have a roof over your head and it is an area filled with plentiful game. ”
“Why are you leaving it then?” Tom asked.
“My heart just isn’t into the life anymore since my father passed. That will be his grave at the end of the cabin and I ask that you tend to it respectfully if you chose to use the cabin,” Nat said.
“I am sorry you lost your father,” Susan said.
“Thank you. It was at the end of last year’s season, so he has been gone awhile.”
“A roof over our heads would be nice Tom,” Susan said.
Nat smiled at the young woman and looked at her husband. “The cabin sits between three creeks that join a mile away to form a nice sized river. All four spots are great for trapping and the game is plentiful to keep you well fed. ”
“We thank you for the information and will take advantage of that,” Tom said. “What was your father’s name?” he asked.
“It was Nathan and he taught me everything I know about trapping and living in the woods,” Nat said. She finished her coffee and handed the cup back to Susan. “Thank you for the coffee. If you will follow this trail for half a day you will come to a small trail that bears to the right. Follow it and it will lead you to the cabin. A fire is already laid in the fireplace.”
“Thank you so much,” Tom said as he shook her hand with enthusiasm.
“You are welcome and good luck,” she said. “Oh and for something sweet, you will find a honey tree if you take the trail off to the left of the cabin and a smoke stick resting at the end of the porch.”
“That sounds good to me,” Susan said. “Thanks again and have a safe trip home.”
Nat walked over and mounted Hardy. With a wave and a smile, she left the clearing, hoping to still make the cave by nightfall.
As she rode away from the clearing, she could hear the couple scurrying about as they gathered their supplies. It put a smile on her face to know that the cabin would be used and maintained by the couple who so desperately needed help.
Nat reached the cave just as dusk began to settle in. She removed the packs from the animals and allowed them to graze freely as she started a campfire. She removed portions of jerky for her and Gyp as they sat listening to the stirring night.
The animals returned to the mouth of the cave after grazing and watched over Nat as she curled into her bedroll and slept soundly that night.
As the sun’s light crested the horizon, Hardy began stomping his feet as he shifted his weight. Who needed a rooster, Nat thought when I have Hardy. She climbed from her bedroll and rolled it tightly before tying it onto her saddle. She slipped into her boots and pulled her hat over her brow. “Let’s pack up and head for home.”
She packed the animals and climbed up onto Hardy’s back. The day promised to be warm and Nat would be grateful for a stop at a river along the way to hopefully bathe her body. She did not want to return to Marissa with the musk of a month’s sweat on her body. If there was no one close, she would strip down and bathe quickly in the cold waters and put on fresh clothing, she thought as they trod down the path.
Soon, very soon, she would be back in her love’s arms. Her smile grew with each step and when they reached the river, she cheerfully tolerated the frigid water to bathe and wash her hair. She would still wear a faint musk that only a long, hot, bath would soak from her skin, but she was at least tolerable to smell.
As the sun began to set, Nat could smell the smoke from Marissa’s fireplace. They rode into the yard and Gyp raced ahead to scratch at the front door.
Marissa was just sitting down to enjoy a meal of fried chicken and biscuits when she heard the scratching at the door. When the noise appeared for the second time, Marissa stood and walked to the door. She opened the door and Gyp rushed to her side.
“Welcome back, Gyp,” Marissa said as she bent down to pet her. She looked up to see Nat stepping down from Hardy’s back. She smiled brightly and rushed to Nat’s arms. “Welcome home, my love,” she said.
“Thank you,” Nat said and was cut off by a sweltering, hot kiss from Marissa. She held her tightly in her arms as they kissed for several minutes.
“I am so happy to see you.”
“I can see that,” Nat teased. “It is good to be home.”
“Let me help you with the animals and I will get you something to eat,” Marissa said.
“I will unload the animals if you will start the wash pot fire. I am in desperate need of a hot bath.”
“You have a good point,” Marissa said as she wriggled her nose.
Nat lifted the packs from the animals and left them setting on the front porch. Tomorrow she could deal with unpacking and taking the pelts to Smithy. Tonight, she wanted nothing more than to be in Marissa’s company and fall asleep in her arms.
Nat took the animals to the barn where she fed them grain and made sure they had water, before she walked back to the cabin. The water was heating as she walked past the wash pot into the cabin. Marissa was preparing the bathing area for Nat.
“I had just sat down for dinner. Would you like to share my chicken, or would you like something else?”
“There is not enough chicken for both of us, so you eat that while I cook some flapjacks.”
“Better yet, you snack on the chicken and I will prepare flapjacks and eggs too if you want them,” Marissa said, as she handed Nat a chicken leg.
“We are starving,” Nat said. “We have lived off of jerky for two days now, so anything hot would be good.”
Marissa cooked Nat and Gyp two thick flapjacks each then scrambled a dozen eggs. She sat down with them and shared the eggs and the last of the chicken. When the meal was over, Nat started bringing in hot water for her bath while Marissa cleaned the dishes.
Nat was undressing when Marissa joined her in the bathing area. “You have lost weight,” she said with a look of concern.
“My cooking tastes nothing like yours,” Nat said with a warm smile.
Marissa kissed her again and then looked into her eyes as her fingertips traced the fading scar down her face. “You really are home.”
“Yes, my love, I am,” Nat said.
Nat finished undressing and climbed into the steaming, hot water. “This feels so good,” she groaned.
Marissa knelt beside Nat to wash her hair and then bathed her body as Nat relaxed in the soaking bath.
“I am beginning to feel human again,” Nat said as she looked at
Marissa with adoring eyes as she stepped from the bath tub.
“You certainly smell better,” Marissa teased as she wrapped Nat in a thick towel.
After drying her body, Marissa reached around her head and slipped the necklace off, placing it over Nat’s head. She looked at the bear claws resting on Nat’s skin and said, “Now you are truly home.”
The End