by Adell Harvey
Elsie looked at him in wonder. “How do you know this?”
“Back when I was in Kansas City, it was in all the newspapers. It’s already in use back East, and they say the whaling industry is going to fade out within only a year or two.” He grinned broadly. “So, if you just listen to ol’ Uncle Trip’s advice here, you can get your merc off to a good start with progressive, cutting-edge service!”
“It’s something to think about. But right now I’m more concerned with finding my brothers. The only address I have for them is Santa Fe. How do I go about finding them?”
“No problem. They just live a mile or two out of town, so we’d best head out that way before it gets any darker. Climb back up and follow me,” he insisted. “Try to stay close because it can be treacherous in the dark.”
Elsie looked at him quizzically. For someone who didn’t know her brothers well, Trip seemed all too familiar with the path to their ranch. She shrugged her shoulders as she resumed her seat on the hard wagon bench. She was about to be reunited with her brothers! And she could sleep tonight in a real bed – without thinking of another day’s journey in this wagon. Nothing else mattered at the moment.
“Let’s go,” she called to Trip, picking up the reins for what she hoped was the last time for a long while.
The nearly full moon was already rising in the eastern sky. As Elsie’s eyes adjusted to the semi-darkness, she could see the ridges of the mountains against the horizon. Thankfully, she could also see the sides of the narrow road without too much difficulty.
After just a little more lurching and bumping, Trip pulled his rig onto a lane and stopped outside an elaborately carved gate. Elsie followed his lead. Gazing upward at the wooden sign hanging high over the gate, she read “Condit Brothers Hacienda.” She noticed it also had a ranch brand, a conjoined “P” and “N” encircled by a larger “C”. How clever! It was just like Ned and Peter to use their initials in creating their brand, she thought.
As she sat there taking it all in, two men mounted on horseback rode up and studied the sign. They appeared to be asking Trip for directions. Watching them, Elsie gasped as recognition dawned. That black horse! It looked like Pepper! And in the darkness, the man on the horse even looked like Isaac – tall, dark, and broad-shouldered.
The man talked with his companion as he dismounted. When she heard his voice, Elsie let out a yelp. It was Isaac! She jumped from the wagon in a very unlady-like fashion and ran to where the men were standing. “Isaac! Isaac!” She shouted, running and throwing herself into his arms. “You’re safe!”
Isaac hugged her close. “Oh, Elsie… I prayed that you would get here safely. When those bounty hunters captured me, I thought it was all over for our dreams of Santa Fe. But here we are, living, breathing, and…” he paused, visibly shaken by emotion. “Free!”
Trip broke into the reunion. “I guess these men are telling the truth about who they are. So this is the long-lost Isaac?” He held out his hand to Isaac; then he looked over to the other man. “And you?”
Isaac rushed to introduce his friend Andy. “We’re practically blood brothers,” he said. “He saved my life; then, later on, I returned the favor. We’ve been traveling together for a while now.” Motioning toward Elsie, he said to Andy, “And this is Elsie, the lovely lady I’ve been telling you about.”
Andy offered Elsie his hand. The simple touch electrified them both, and they just stood there, wondering what on earth had happened. They quickly withdrew their hands and looked down in embarrassment, ignoring Isaac’s broad grin as he looked at one and then the other.
When Andy regained his composure, he managed to mumble, “It’s good to finally meet you, Miss Elsie. Isaac has rattled on about you for days!”
She felt the heat rush to her face. Feeling ridiculous because she couldn’t get her lips to cooperate in forming words, she just stood there blushing – and trying not to giggle at Andy’s formality.
Isaac came to her rescue. “God must have sent a whole herd of angels to look out for us. We didn’t know how we were going to find Ned and Peter when we got to Santa Fe, and here we are, right at their gate!”
Isaac’s little diversion enabled Elsie to get control of her thoughts. “Do angels come in herds now?”
Everyone laughed. “Guess they do, on a ranch,” Andy joked. “Isaac’s right, though. With the two of us out wandering in the wildest wilderness you’ve ever seen, with no compass but the stars, we sure needed God’s guidance. Sometimes I wished for God to send a pillar of fire and a cloud like Moses had to guide the Israelites across the Sinai.”
Elsie considered his statement. It appeared that Isaac’s new friend knew the Bible and the God of the Bible intimately. That was surely a good sign. “Since we know this is the place, let’s get on up to the house. I’m anxious to see my brothers again. It’s been too long.”
“Let’s tie our horses on to the wagon,” Isaac suggested. “I’ll drive Elsie’s wagon and give her a rest. If we slide together, we’ll have room for all three of us on the driver’s bench.”
The trio laughed and joked as they drove down the long narrow lane. The outline of a sprawling house soon came into view in the semi-darkness. Trip turned onto a gracious curved driveway and stopped in front of a house so big it actually made the plantation at River Bend seem small in comparison.
“It ‘pears God’s been good to the boys!” Isaac exclaimed.
Elsie agreed. “Does this really belong to Ned and Peter?”
“Their name is on the sign, so they must own the place,” Andy surmised. “Didn’t expect anything like this, though.” Turning to Isaac, he asked, “Do you really think they’ll take in a couple of strays like us?” He looked down at his tattered and travel-weary clothes, then over at Isaac’s disreputable appearance.
Isaac followed his gaze and grinned. “I’m no stray. Once they figure out it’s Elsie and me, they’ll throw open their arms wide enough to hug us all.”
While the men tied the horses and mules to hitching posts, Elsie gazed in wonder at the magnificent house. A long, arched portico stretched across the entire middle section, matched by a balcony that ran the length of the top story. A red-tiled roof covered the massive structure. A tall pinyon gave off its lovely scent in front of the west wing, while manicured shrubs shrouded the opposite wing.
Trip started to reach for the iron doorknocker just as the heavy wooden door flew open and a lovely Indian girl rushed into his arms. “Trip! You’re home!” Her eager smile and sparkling eyes advertised her delight at having him home.
Chapter 17
Late October 1857
Santa Fe, New Mexico Territory
BEFORE ELSIE could consider the hug the girl was giving Trip, a blur of orange, white, and brown fur bounded across the portico, nearly knocking her over in an eagerness to get to her.
“Bennie!” Elsie lowered herself to the tiled floor, where she hugged the dog while trying to fend off its slobbery kisses. Her voice exuberant, she crooned, “You remember me! I can’t believe it, but you do remember me!”
Bennie wagged his tail, sounding a steady thump, thump, thump on the tiles.
A deep, throaty voice chastened Elsie playfully. “So a mangy cur gets all the attention while the lonely brothers stand aside, totally neglected.”
Elsie giggled and jumped up to hug her brothers. “I declare, it’s so good to see you two! When you left River Bend, I thought I’d never see either one of you again.”
She quickly introduced Andy to the group, and then turned her attention to Trip. “He tells me he barely knows you, but it looks like she knows him quite well,” she said, nodding toward the Indian girl.
“Lolani is our house girl,” Peter offered. “She’s been with us a long time, so she’s part of the family. She and Trip have a cabin out back…”
Elsie gasped. Looking directly at Trip, who was trying to avoid her gaze, she challenged, “You told me you barely knew my brothers, and you live here? And you said you w
eren’t married…”
Trip squirmed uncomfortably. “I might have avoided the truth a couple of times, but I had good reason.”
“A couple of times? More like dozens of times! And what could possibly be a good reason?”
He looked toward Ned and Peter for help. “They told me not to let you know I worked for them.”
More puzzled than ever, she asked, “How did they even know we would accidentally meet on the trail? And why shouldn’t I know you worked for them? Why would that be a secret? You haul freight for most everyone between Santa Fe and Kansas City. I more or less figured you delivered goods to them, too.”
“We didn’t ‘accidentally’ meet on the trail. I was looking for you. They hired me to see you safely through from Kansas City, so I was headed there to meet you. But they didn’t want you to think they didn’t trust you to make it on your own…”
Ned cut off Elsie’s protests. “We know how independent you are, but coming across country is no easy feat for anyone – especially a young lady and a freedman. These are dangerous times.”
Trip nodded his agreement, picking up his story again. “You and Isaac made better time than I figured, so I met you when you were already a day or two out. And it’s a good thing I came along, young lady, or you would have been in big trouble!”
Elsie reminded him that the Fanchers had come along shortly after he got there. Her eyes flashing with anger, she ranted, “I was doing quite nicely on my own and didn’t need a rescuer, thank you.”
She then turned her anger toward her brothers, eyes bright. “And you fellas. How many times have I told you I’m not your ‘Baby Girl Elsie’ any more? Who do you think took care of the entire plantation when Papa was so ill? Who supervised the field hands and the house staff, paid the bills, managed the ice cutting operations and the timbering, and who oversaw the freeing of all the slaves and selling everything we owned?”
When she paused for breath, Isaac came to her defense. “She’s right. She grew up when you two left. You should be proud of her. And the way she took charge of everything in Kansas City was a marvel!”
Her anger still not assuaged, Elsie continued her tirade. “You thought you had to hire someone to make sure I got across the big, bad country by myself? Let me tell you something, and don’t either of you forget it. I’m a grown woman now, a woman totally capable of taking care of herself! I need big brothers for friendship – not to take care of me. I’m not only self-sufficient, I’m now a full-fledged pioneer!” She emphasized the word, proud of what she had accomplished.
Trip winked at the brothers. “I see what you mean about her spitfire temper. That vindicates your reason for not telling her I’d been sent to take care of her.”
Calming down a bit, Elsie looked directly at Trip and Lolani. “But that still doesn’t explain why you lied to me about not being married.”
“I didn’t. Lolani and I aren’t married. What we have works for us.”
Elsie saw the hurt look that crossed Lolani’s face. “It might work for you, but I think she might feel differently. Try asking her about it sometime.”
Ned broke the tension. “We were just sitting down to dinner. I’m sure Lolani has plenty for everybody. She always does. Let’s eat before it gets cold, then we’ll show you to your rooms and get you settled in.” He lifted Elsie’s chin and planted a quick kiss on her cheek. “Please forgive me?”
She hugged him and nodded her head. “All forgiven, but from now on, try treating me as a grownup for a change.”
Lolani had, indeed, prepared a huge meal. “It’s almost as if you were expecting us tonight,” Elsie said as her eyes took in the bounty of food.
“She always cooks like this,” Ned answered. “We have many drop-in guests, so she’s learned to prepare for extras.”
Friendly chatter and laughter surrounded the table as the family got reacquainted and new friends exchanged pleasantries. Taking a break from trying to follow all the conversations, Elsie gazed around the rustic, but elegant, dining room. Enormous rugged beams crossed the high ceiling, from which a massive iron chandelier hung, its oil lamps spreading light and shadows around the room. Aged wooden planks covered the walls from the floor, stopping about half way up, where they merged with navy-blue wallpaper stamped with burgundy and pink flowers. Combined with heavy plank furniture, the effect was breath-taking.
“Will that work for you, Elsie?” Peter’s question interrupted her reverie, startling her back to the conversation.
Flustered, she confessed, “Sorry, I wasn’t really listening. What did you say?”
Peter patiently explained what he had been talking about, a building they had found on the Plaza they thought would be ideally suited for her mercantile. “Do you want a rest from the wagon? Or would you like to ride in to town tomorrow to look at the building? We haven’t unloaded any of your freight wagons, knowing you’d want to check things out and decide on the interior arrangement before we signed the lease.”
Elsie’s heart seemed to skip a beat or two. She nearly squealed, “You’ve already found a building? Oh yes, let’s go see it. How early can we leave?”
Everyone at the table laughed at her enthusiasm. Arrangements were quickly made for the trip back to town. Isaac and Andy wanted to go with her, as did Ned and Peter. “Since I know more about dry goods than anyone else at this table, I think I’d better tag along as well,” Trip said.
“If we want to get an early start, we’d best get you all situated in your rooms,” Peter suggested. “We’ll have plenty of time to catch up later.” Turning to Andy and Isaac, he asked, “Do you fellas want to stay in the house, or would you rather bunk in one of the cabins out back with the cowboys?”
“Any place safe from bounty hunters,” Isaac replied.
“Don’t imagine you’ll run into bounty hunters out here,” Ned told him. “Santa Fe is pretty much a free territory for everybody. A man makes it on his merits, not his skin color or nationality.” He turned to Lolani and nodded toward his sister. “Will you show Elsie to her room while I take these two out back to the bunkhouse?”
Elsie gasped when Lolani opened the door to what would be her room. Sunny yellow walls surrounded an iron canopy bed, draped in eyelet. The quilt was made of tiny yellow checked gingham interspersed with pale pink rosebuds. Matching fabric flounced beneath the quilt as a bed skirt, and eyelet ruffles peeked around the skirt’s bottom. The wooden floor boasted a soft, pale pink carpet.
“It’s just like my room back on the plantation!” she exclaimed, marveling at her brothers’ obvious efforts to make her feel at home. And then another thought quickly entered her mind. It seemed her big brothers were determined to keep her perpetually thirteen, down to the stuffed dolls and little girl touches around the room.
“How did they do that? How could they remember and replicate my room, even down to the tiniest detail?” she mused aloud.
Lolani shrugged. “Brothers love you very much.” She reached into Elsie’s valise and began hanging up the few pieces of clothing Elsie had brought in with her. The trunks could be brought in tomorrow.
When she realized Lolani planned to act as her personal maid, Elsie shook her head. “I can do that,” she said. “Please don’t feel like you have to wait on me. You’d best head back to help Trip with his unpacking.”
At the mention of Trip, Lolani perked up, seemingly eager to get back to him.
“How long have you two been together?” Elsie asked.
Lolani hung her head. “Many, many moons. But then I go home to my tribe, and now come back again while Trip was gone.”
Elsie digested this bit of information, wondering just what their relationship was.
“My tribe, they tell me not to come back to village without husband.” Lolani sighed. “They send me back here and tell me to make up my mind to be Indian or white. Not both.”
“Have you decided?”
Lolani nodded. “Want to stay with Trip,” she paused, “if he wants me.”
Not knowing how to reply, Elsie kept quiet as she emptied her valise. She determined to talk some sense into Trip. What was he thinking, keeping this lovely girl in limbo for so long? Of course, he should do the right thing by her and get married. My goodness, what kind of a man was he? Men! Sometimes they could be so obtuse!
During his last illness, Papa had urged her to find a husband and get settled in life. “Find someone who will love you and take care of you,” he had insisted, almost as though he was sending her out on a treasure hunt. Granted, she would like to have a husband to love her and share her life with, but did she really need a man? She had already proven to herself that she was resilient and capable of handling her own affairs. The long journey across the Plains and mountains had taught her self-reliance, giving her confidence that she could handle just about any situation she might have to face. Surely, after facing all the dangers and hard work of the trail, life in Santa Fe would be easy by comparison.
No, she didn’t need a man. She would only marry for love. And she knew for a certainty that Alistair Abner Ainsley the Third, aka Trip, had no place in her heart. She kicked at a plush ottoman, as if giving Trip the boot.
Lolani looked up from unpacking, startled. “You okay, Miss?”
Elsie laughed. “Yes, I’m fine. Just kicking somebody out of my thoughts that had no business being there!”
“Andy, the man who came with Isaac – he looks good, true?” Lolani asked.
Even though she wasn’t looking for a man, Elsie had to agree. Isaac’s friend did, indeed, look good. Very good. Maybe she should get to know him. Just as a friend, of course.
At breakfast the next morning, Isaac arranged for her and Andy to sit near each other. He was so obvious in his matchmaking efforts it was embarrassing. “I think you should go back into town with us,” he suggested to Andy. “We may need your help scouting out Elsie’s new store.” Turning to Elsie, he added, “That’s okay with you, isn’t it?”
Elsie nodded. What else could she do? To refuse in front of everyone at the table would be rude, and what possible excuse could she use to turn down help?