“The only drawback is that you will be so far away from the rest of the family. Well, that and the lack of electricity and indoor plumbing.”
“Electricity is overrated. I wouldn’t mind being without it.”
“I would mind. I’ve grown spoiled by modern conveniences.”
Emma left the kitchen and walked down the short hallway to the bedroom. It was roomy. Perhaps too large for a single woman.
“At least we wouldn’t have to worry about Alexander’s bootlegging friends looking for you here.”
She turned to look at her sister. “That was months ago.”
“Not long enough to suit me. Who knows what trouble Alexander will get himself mixed up in next?”
Emma had wondered the same thing for months. Not as often these days, but sometimes.
Liza walked to the bedroom window and looked out at the forest beyond the glass. “I’m not sure why, but I think this house would suit you.”
It did suit her. Like shoes that were the right size or a pair of gloves. Here was where she was meant to be. Here she could find herself again.
“Tell John I accept.”
Allison
A swirl of dust rose behind Tony’s Ford truck as it came up the driveway. Allison watched from the deck, whispering a prayer for the next two weeks to be good for them all. Then she waved and went down the steps to meet them.
Meredith got a hug the instant she was out of the vehicle. Her daughter looked trim, tan, and healthy. As if she’d been on vacation all summer long.
“I hope you’re using sunscreen when you’re out in that Texas sun,” Allison said before kissing Meredith’s cheek.
“Always, Mom. You taught me well.” She looked toward the ground. “Hey, Gizmo. How are you, guy?” She ruffled the dog’s ears.
Allison turned to greet Tony across the hood of his truck. He looked good as well. “You’re tanned too.”
“I’ve started running again. Sunscreen in use.” Grinning, he held up his hands, as if under arrest. “I promise.” The smile faded a little. “Thanks for letting me come, Allie. I appreciate it.”
As he spoke she realized she didn’t mind his coming. Another layer of grief and anger had peeled away in the months since she’d seen him last.
“Come on.” She looked back at her daughter. “Let’s get the two of you settled in. It’s been so hot the past couple of weeks. It’s much cooler inside the house.”
“Dad brought a bunch of camping stuff and our bikes,” Meredith said. “I’m glad I left mine at the house instead of taking it to Texas. Are we still going up to Redfish Lake?”
“Of course, if you want to. This is your vacation. I’m just along for the ride.”
Meredith hugged Allison. “You’re the best,” she whispered in her ear. “The absolute best.”
Tony grabbed a suitcase and duffel bag from the bed of the truck. “I checked on availability. The week after Labor Day we shouldn’t have any trouble getting a campsite. Not with schools back in session.”
“Sounds like a good plan. The weather is supposed to stay warm and dry.” Allison took the carry-on case from Meredith, then led the way into the house. “Same rooms as last time,” she said when both of her guests were through the front door. “I’ll get some iced tea ready while you put your things in your rooms.”
Meredith and her father started up the stairs and Allison went into the kitchen. She’d made a large container of tea yesterday. Now she pulled the pitcher from the refrigerator, put ice in three glasses, and poured the beverage into them. Then she added a lemon wedge to the rim of each glass.
Voices carried to her from upstairs. Joyful voices punctuated with laughter.
Allison smiled. She’d learned to be content living alone. More than content. Comfortable. Happy, even. But all the same, it was good to have family in the house again. It was good to hear others laughing.
A few minutes later Meredith and her dad joined Allison in the kitchen. They stood, leaning against the counter and the island, sipping their tea while Meredith told them about the interesting gentleman she’d sat next to on the plane from San Antonio to Salt Lake City. He and his wife had adopted ten children from the foster care system. Meredith had pelted him with questions and been rewarded with stories that were heartbreaking, poignant, and amusing. “When the time comes,” she concluded, “I’m going to adopt.”
“Better wait until you have a husband,” Tony said. “Anybody in mind?”
Meredith rolled her eyes. “I get so tired of that question.”
Allison smiled at her without comment.
Then Meredith surprised her. “Actually, I have met someone special.”
“What? When? You didn’t say a thing when we talked last. Where did you meet him?”
Her daughter blushed, her expression one of pure pleasure. “His name is Rod. Rod Miller. We met at the humane society. We were both looking at dogs and we liked the same yellow lab mix puppy.”
“You got a dog?”
“No. Rod got the dog. I was just looking and daydreaming. No place for a dog yet, especially not a puppy who’s going to get so big. But he’s the cutest thing. Big brown eyes. He’s so fat he rolls off to one side when he sits.”
Tony teased, “Rod’s fat?”
“No!” Meredith gently punched her dad on the upper arm, both of them laughing. “The puppy’s fat.”
“I want to hear more about Rod,” Allison said, trying not to sound too interested. In truth, the waiting was about to kill her.
“Okay.” Meredith grinned. “He does have big brown eyes, but he’s lean and tall. Not an ounce of fat on him anywhere. He’s a Texan, through and through. Owns a couple of horses. Wears jeans and a cowboy hat most of the time. Works in support for a web-hosting company. Turns out he goes to the same church I do, but it’s big and has several morning services so our paths never crossed.”
Allison took a sip of her tea. “How long have you been dating?”
“Not long. Just a couple of weeks. But he’s special, Mom. You know how you know about somebody, right from the start?”
“Yes. I know.” She smiled softly. It had been like that for her and Tony. Her heart had known from the beginning. It hadn’t taken long for her head to catch up.
Meredith drained the last of her iced tea. “Would anybody like to take a walk? I need some exercise after sitting all day on the plane and then driving up here.”
Tony said, “Why don’t you girls go without me? I’m sure there’s some catching up you’d like to do.”
His thoughtfulness caught Allison by surprise. Thank you, she mouthed to him. He nodded, then shrugged, as if to say, No big deal. But it was a big deal to her because thoughtfulness hadn’t been his strong suit during their marriage.
When Allison and Meredith left, Gizmo on his leash, Tony followed them onto the deck where he settled into one of the chairs in the shade. “I’ll be right here when you get back.” Then he leaned back and closed his eyes, a smile on his face.
They walked down the drive and across the highway, then down the slope to the river.
Meredith stopped and stared at the rushing water. “I loved it up here over Christmas and New Year with all the snow, but this is even more beautiful.”
“It is beautiful in the summer. I’ve taken lots of photos this year. I even bought myself a better camera and a couple of books on photography. Who knows? Maybe I’ll become as good as Aunt Emma.”
They resumed walking.
“Speaking of Aunt Emma,” Allison said, “I made another find in the attic. She wrote a book about nature photography.”
“Aunt Emma was published?”
Allison shook her head. “No. It’s a manuscript. I don’t know for certain when she wrote it or why it wasn’t published. Maybe she tried and couldn’t sell it, but that seems unlikely. She was highly regarded as a nature photographer. Never as famous as Ansel Adams, of course, but well-known enough that the public would have been interested in her book. I
’m sure of it.”
“Maybe you should try to get it published.”
“I’ve thought of that. Susan thinks I ought to write a book about Aunt Emma, using pages from her journals and some of her photographs.”
“Wow. That’s a good idea too.”
“Perhaps I could combine them. It would be kind of fun to honor Aunt Emma that way.” Allison slipped her arm through Meredith’s. “Now, tell me more about this Rod Miller fellow.”
Emma
July 2, 1932
Tonight is my first night in my new home. Emma Carter, property owner.
The dark cloud I lived under these past months has lifted. Perhaps because I have been busy preparing for this move to the mountains near the town of Kings Meadow. Or perhaps it is because months have passed without seeing or hearing from Alexander, and not seeing him has helped ease the pain and the great sense of loss. Or maybe God took away the shadows so I might see the road ahead and begin following Him again.
When I think of Alexander, which I do often, I have learned to pray for him. I do not believe I did enough of that when he was my husband. If I had, perhaps our lives would have been different. While he was not the man I built him up to be in my mind and heart in the beginning, he is a man whom God loves and wants to redeem. So that is my prayer for him. That he will find God. That he will know peace.
After John and Father left this afternoon, I fed the horse the amount of hay I was told he needs. I’ve named him Copper because of his color. He’s a big sturdy animal, over sixteen hands, and he looks quite handsome in harness. I took him out for a trot yesterday, and I found it delightful to drive a buggy again rather than an automobile. I believe that may well be my favorite thing about my new home.
After I fed Copper I prepared my own supper. The kitchen range is a marvel, I must say. It has six holes, a high shelf, and a low closet. It burns coal, which I much prefer for cooking. There is a man in Kings Meadow who will deliver both coal and ice, year-round, for a reasonable price. And while there are disadvantages to not having electricity and an indoor water closet, I do not believe I shall find it too egregious.
My parents are giving me an allowance to help me get by until I find a way to make some kind of living (whatever shall I do in that regard?). I did not want to accept, but they insisted and I had little choice. I am still dependent upon the kindnesses of my family, and they have been kind beyond my wildest dreams. I thought my divorce would be especially shameful to Mother, but if so, she has not let me know it.
Liza looked shocked when I suggested to her that I might learn to hunt so I can supplement my food stuffs, and I suppose it is a bit shocking for someone who was raised in town. I have never held a rifle in my life. But surely if I could climb trees and ride a horse bareback through the fields as a child, I could learn to shoot a rifle as an adult.
Allison
The first week of their vacation passed in a lazy August haze. They made no set plans, instead doing whatever struck their fancy at a moment’s notice.
On Wednesday, they drove up to McCall and rented a boat to go around the lake. Allison loved looking at the old cabins she could see from the water. Many had been built early in the previous century. She loved to imagine the people who’d lived in them. There were lots of newer cabins too. Mansions, some of them, owned by the rich, some by the famous.
Tony got up in the cool of each morning and went for a run. He managed to return just in time for breakfast. Meredith teased him about it.
On Saturday they went into town to attend the Kings Meadow Annual Rodeo, an event held every Labor Day weekend. While it didn’t rank up there with major rodeos like the Snake River Stampede, there were plenty of cowboys and cowgirls willing to travel to Kings Meadow, Idaho, to compete for the prizes. The rodeo had all of the usual events—bareback and saddle bronc riding, calf roping, steer wrestling, bull riding, barrel racing—and there were a couple unusual ones as well.
It was before noon when Chet Leonard sauntered along the bottom of the stands, reaching the steps nearest where Allison was seated. He stopped, looked up, and waved, then climbed toward her. “Morning, Allison.” His gaze shifted to Tony, whom he’d met at church the previous Sunday. He bent his hat brim. “Morning, Tony. Meredith. You two having a good time?”
Meredith answered, “We sure are. The last time I was at this rodeo, Aunt Emma was alive. I must’ve been in high school or maybe even junior high.”
Chet nodded, then focused on Tony. “We’re looking for another team member for the wild cow milking. You interested?”
Allison felt her eyes widen at the request. Tony wasn’t a cowboy. Athletic, yes. But wild cow milking? She couldn’t imagine it.
“What would I have to do?”
That shocked her even more, that he was even considering it.
Chet answered, “You’d be one of the muggers. A rider gets the cow roped, then the muggers try to hold it still however they can. Still enough for one of them to get milk into a bottle. Doesn’t have to be a lot. A few drops even. It’s harder than it sounds, but the spectators love it. Event’s not until later this afternoon. Probably around three o’clock, the way things are running now.”
“Do it, Dad!”
Tony looked at Meredith. “Really?”
“Yes. It’ll be fun.”
“Fun for you, you mean.” He raised an eyebrow.
Meredith laughed. “Of course.”
Tony turned his eyes toward Allison. “What do you think?”
The strangest feeling coiled inside of her. She couldn’t have described it to save her soul. Almost as if she were seeing him for the first time. Seeing him and liking what she saw. “I think you should do it too.”
“If a cow kicks out my teeth, one of you is paying for my dental work.” Tony looked at Chet. “Okay. I’m in.”
Chet tugged the brim of his hat a second time. “Great. I’ll let you know the time and place to meet with the rest of the team.” He gave Allison a parting smile before heading down the stairs.
She watched Chet go, wondering what on earth had possessed him to ask Tony, of all people, to participate.
Tony intruded on her thoughts. “Maybe we’d better get something to eat. If I lose my teeth, I want to do it with a full stomach.”
“Can you believe Dad’s doing this?” Meredith asked as she and Allison stared toward the far end of the arena.
Tony was there with two other men on the ground. Chet was on horseback. Someone had given Tony a bright red shirt to wear. The rest of the team wore the same color. Tony was the only team member without a cowboy hat and western boots, and it made him stand out from the others.
“No, I can’t believe it.”
The Tony she’d known in college, the Tony she’d fallen in love with, would have done this kind of thing in a heartbeat. He’d been competitive by nature. Not so much the Tony of recent memories.
Out of the bucking chute came a solid black range cow. The animal’s eyes were wide and frightened. Snot flew from its nostrils when it shook its head.
“Look at those horns,” Meredith said.
Allison was looking. The cow looked as if it could do real damage with them. Her gaze darted to the end of the arena again in time to see Chet spur his horse into action, galloping toward the cow, rope swinging over his head.
Meredith shot to her feet as the rope sailed forward and over the cow’s neck. “He’s got her!”
The three muggers on the ground raced to the cow. One grabbed it by the horns, twisting its head. Another got it by the tail. Somehow Tony had ended up with the bottle. Had the men thought the rookie would have an easier time milking the cow than holding it still?
“Come on, Dad!”
“You can do it, Tony!”
As if he’d heard them, he glanced in their direction. Not more than a second or two—the event was timed and the clock was ticking—but long enough for Allison to see his grin. He was enjoying this. A lot.
The cow bellowed and foug
ht. The muggers in front and behind were pulled this way and that. Chet tried to help by keeping the rope taut. Tony went for an udder. The cow twisted toward him, knocking him off his feet.
Allison and Meredith continued to scream words of encouragement, but their voices became part of the cacophony of the crowd. Everyone was shouting now. All the spectators were on their feet.
Tony was up again, attempting to grab an udder for the second time. The cow twisted and kicked and bucked and hopped. With his hatless head close to the cow’s left back leg, his hands under her belly, Tony somehow stayed with the cow for a few seconds. Then he was knocked onto his backside a second time. But he held the bottle above him, as if protecting something of great worth.
The shouts of the crowd grew louder as he scrambled to his feet and raced toward the judge.
“He did it, Mom! He did it! Yea, Dad!”
Tony didn’t lose any teeth in the wild cow milking, but he did return to the house wearing what looked like half the dirt from the arena, along with a small trophy for being on the winning team. Allison’s stomach hurt from laughing so much and her throat was raw from the yelling she’d done from the stands.
“Ladies,” Tony said as they entered the house, “I’m headed for the shower. If I’m not out of the bathroom in an hour, come rescue me. It means all this dirt I’m toting turned to mud and I’m stuck in it.”
Feeling gritty herself, Allison went to her own bathroom to wash it away. By the time she finished showering and returned to the living room, Tony was downstairs and Meredith was taking her turn in the upstairs bathroom.
“Are you hungry?” Allison flopped onto the sofa.
“Too tired to be hungry,” he answered from a nearby chair.
“Me too.”
“I’ve got to admit. That’s the most fun I’ve had in a long time. Crazy, but still fun.”
Allison smiled. “You looked good out there.” She closed her eyes, wondering if she might fall asleep mid-sentence.
“Allie?”
“Hmm.”
“You saved my life.”
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