Heartbreak Trail (29 page)

Oh, Sister, if only you knew about Noah. How I yearn for your comfort right now. How I would like to be home. I miss you more than words can express. I yearn to see you again, and if ever I’m able, I will go back. Oh, how I want to go home!

Early the next morning, Lucy was bent over the campfire cooking breakfast when Abner approached. “At least you’ll be able to give us more help today.”

Was she hearing him right? Hardly able to contain herself, Lucy slowly straightened and looked Abner in the eye. “You mean now that Noah is dead, I can devote more time to pushing the wagons? Is
that
what you mean?”

Abner met her gaze with eyes like cold stones. “You know what I mean. I know you’re grieving, but you’ll still be expected to do your part, especially now that Martha’s not well.”

“
You know I always do my part.” In a sudden rage, she turned her back on him and bent over the fire. The truth dawned on her as she dished up the biscuits. Her rage disappeared, replaced by wonderment.

Noah was gone, so Abner’s hold on her was also gone.

She didn’t have to do Abner’s bidding anymore! The thought made her giddy with relief. She rose up, pan of biscuits in hand, and gazed at the tall, majestic trees that surrounded her. “I’m free,” she whispered to herself. Free! Her grief for Noah prevented her from feeling even the slightest joy, and yet ...

When all this was over, how wonderful her life was going to be. She need no longer cater to Abner’s commands. She could be independent. Go where she pleased. Talk to Clint—
make love
with Clint
—without having to fear Abner’s wrath. She would be financially independent, too. With a deep satisfaction, she thought of that bag of gold buried in the flour barrel.

Not quite yet. Her life was going to be good—very good, just as soon as they came to the end of this wretched, cursed Thompson Cutoff.

Later the same morning, they were on the trail again when Martha whispered to Lucy, “I keep getting these little twinges of pain—” she touched her lower abdomen “—and I don’t want to tell Abner because he’d just start to yell.”

“
I’m sure it’s just a touch of indigestion.” Lucy ignored Martha’s complaint because for her to go into labor now would be unthinkable.

Lucy spent the morning walking beside her wagon, grieving in silence over Noah. As the day wore on, she grew increasingly concerned about their progress. They seemed to be aimlessly wandering first in one direction then another. Around noon she looked up at Abner on the driver’s seat. “Do you think we’re lost?”

Abner regarded her with scorn. “Of course we’re not lost.”

“
Don’t you think you should check?”

Abner’s jaw tightened. “I know where I’m going.”

By now, the last vestiges of a visible trail had disappeared. At least the steepest hills lay behind them, but as they pushed on, they encountered a forest that grew increasingly thicker. At last they came to a cliff with a drop of several hundred feet. “It looks as if we’ve come to a dead end.” Lucy tried to sound utterly calm. Martha, walking beside her, had experienced two more twinges of pain. Surely it was only indigestion. Surely there was nothing to worry about.

Abner looked ahead at the Butler Brothers’ two wagons leading the way. “Those idiots have lost the trail. I’ll go talk to Sam.” For once, he didn’t sound quite so sure of himself.

When Abner returned, his face was etched with concern. “We’re lost, aren’t we?”

He replied with a reluctant, “It’s possible we’ve lost sight of the trail.”

“
We must go back.” She tried not to show her distress over their having wasted the entire morning and gotten nowhere.

Abner squinted up at the sun. “I need to get my bearings first. Sam and I will saddle up, go back, and find the trail.”

She jammed her hands on her hips. “Leave us here alone with Emery and Erasmus? Those two paragons of virtue?”

“
What would you have me do? I admit they’re a crude pair, but they’re not going to hurt you.”

Martha clutched his arm. “Please, I’ve been having these pains—”

“
Don’t bother me now.” Abner jerked his arm away. “This is not the time to be having any pains. I shall be back shortly. Stay in your wagons. Don’t go near the Butler Brothers, and you’ll be fine.”

What could she say? At this point, Abner had no choice but to go look for the trail.
He could let Sam go alone
. No use arguing, though. She cocked her head and had a wicked little smile. “You’d better get going then. I do believe we’ll have a party with Emery and Erasmus while you’re gone. I’ve just been dying for a big slug of that corn whiskey.” Abner’s face began to cloud. The man had absolutely no sense of humor. “Only joking. You go ahead. We’ll be fine, won’t we, Martha?”

* * *

Clint Palance rode back into camp with the satisfaction of a job well done. He had scouted the best routes ahead for the next two days. After a lengthy search, he’d found the easiest place for the wagon train to cross the swift river they’d reach tomorrow and left a marker.

As always, his gaze swept the circle of wagons, not for his own but hers. Not there? He looked around again. Sure enough, the Schneider wagons were missing. So were those belonging to the Butler Brothers.

What the hell?

At his own wagon, he swung from his horse and headed straight to Charlie who sat by the campfire, intent on writing in his journal. “Where’d they go?”

Charlie slowly raised his head. “Schneider got his pride hurt when he got demoted. Figured he’d be better off on his own, so he decided to take the Thompson Cutoff. Good thing is, he took the Butler boys with him. Bad thing is, he took Lucy and Noah, too. That poor little wife of his, of course.”

“
Son of a bitch!”

“
Well, that’s the truth of it. Lucy’s gone, and there ain’t nothing you can do about it.”

“
When did they leave?

“
Two days ago.” Charlie laid down his journal. “I know you’re fit to be tied. Right now you’re thinking you’ll go after her, but you’ve got to remember she ain’t married to you and she’s got her obligations.”

Clint clamped down his rising anger. “I’d wager she didn’t want to go.”

“
Not hardly. She was going to stay, but the little boy got sick, mountain fever, I think, and that jackass Schneider said he’d take the boy whether she went along or not.” Charlie shook his head in disapproval. “That little wife of his wasn’t looking any too perky before she left, either.”

“
What was Schneider thinking? The Thompson Cutoff’s a death trap.”

“
Be that as it may. Just remember Lucy’s obligated to Abner Schneider, such as he is, and it ain’t much. You’d better not even think about going to rescue her. It ain’t none of your business, and you’d best not forget it.”

This can’t be happening.

But it is happening.

But it can’t be!

Martha was having her baby.

Lucy huddled in the back of Abner’s wagon giving what comfort she could to her sister-in-law, who lay on her narrow bed twisting this way and that, gritting her teeth as each pain struck. Once she looked up at Lucy with wide, frightened eyes. “I’m scared I’m going to die, just like Bessie.”

“
Nonsense! You’ll be fine.” Lucy’s attempt at reassurance sounded weak, even to her own ears. W
here is Abner
? He’d been gone for hours. He should be back by now. He must help her. There was no one else.

She peered out the back flap of the wagon. Nothing in sight except dense forest and the loathsome Butler Brothers sitting around their campfire. They’d been passing the jug around for hours. Their campsite was fifty feet away, yet she could still hear their drunken laughter loud and clear.

She got a towel, dipped it in water, and wiped the sweat from Martha’s forehead. “You’re doing fine.” Truth be told, she had no idea if Martha was doing fine or not. Oh, dear God! Everything struck her at once. All alone ... Martha’s baby coming ... Abner not back yet ... the Butler Brothers ...

Abner, please,
please
, come back. You must come back. I can’t do this alone!

Martha’s agonizing scream cut through Lucy’s desperate thoughts. “I’m going to die!” Her eyes were wide with panic.

“
You’ll do no such thing.” Lucy grabbed the dampened towel and wiped Martha’s face. Such a useless gesture, but what else could she do? “You’re going to have that baby, and I’m going to be right here to help you.” Hearing her own words gave her the courage to carry on. “You can count on me. When Bessie was in labor, I watched Inez, so I know just what to do.”

“
I can count on you?” Martha’s voice was pleading.

“
Of course you can.” At least that last remark was the truth. The rest? Lucy had seen little of what Inez was doing when Bessie was in labor. What she did see, she could hardly remember. For Martha’s sake, from now on she’d act if she were an expert in midwifery.

She heard a knock on the back of wagon. “Hey, Mrs. Schneider?” It was one of the Butler Brothers.

“
Yes?”

“
You all right?”

She crawled to the back of the wagon and pulled back the flap. Emery stood outside, grinning his snaggletooth grin. “What is it?”

“
Just wonderin’ if you and the other Mrs. Schneider was all right. We thought we heard a scream.”

How could she explain? Lucy’s mind raced, looking for a reasonable explanation. In the end she told the truth. “Mrs. Schneider’s time has come. If you hear screams, pay no attention.”

“
Want some help?”

God in heaven
. She used her most confident voice. “I have everything well under control. You can help the most by keeping your distance and giving Mrs. Schneider her privacy.”

Emery nodded. “Whatever you want. By the way, we was wonderin’ where Mister Schneider is. He’s been gone a spell.”

“
I really don’t know, but I’m sure he and your brother will be back shortly.”

“
Sam’s already come back.”

“
What!” Her heart skipped a beat.

“
Yep. Sam rode in some time ago. Said he lost track of Mister Schneider.”

“
Well, as I said, I’m sure he’ll be back soon.”

Emery’s near-toothless grin widened. He gave her a broad wink. “Iffen you get lonely, you can come and set with us a spell.”

“
That’s very kind of you. If I find the time, I shall certainly keep your invitation in mind.”

She closed the flap and heaved a sigh of relief. At least the Butler Brothers wouldn’t be bothering them. With a little luck, they’d soon drink themselves into their usual stupor and sleep the night away.

“
Has something happened to Abner?” Martha called faintly from her bed.

Lucy returned to her side. “He’s just a little late, but he’ll be here.” What if Abner had lost his way? Funny, but as much as she despised the man, she certainly needed him now.

Darkness fell, but Abner didn’t return. As the pangs of childbirth increased, Martha twisted and turned upon the mattress. The pains began to cut through her body with such intensity that merely gritting her teeth was not enough. She tried not to cry out. “Oh, please, I don’t want the Butler Brothers to hear me!”

Lucy rolled up a towel for Martha to bite on hard whenever a birth pang struck. She sat at the foot of her bed, and whenever a pain struck, clasped her hands. “Push, push!” she said, recalling Inez’s orders to Bessie. Just as Inez had done, Lucy assumed a confident air and conducted an examination. “I can see the baby’s head. It shouldn’t be much longer.”

Raindrops began to patter against the canvas. Only a light rain ... so far. She remembered that awful night when Jacob was still alive and their wagon flooded. Surely such a disaster wouldn’t happen again.

The hours dragged by. So intent had Lucy become on helping Martha, she hardly noticed when the light patter of raindrops turned into a pounding. Only when driving sheets of water struck against the canvas with deafening force did she become aware of water leaking into the wagon. The leaks came from several small holes in the canvas. As the rain pounded—or was it hail?—the holes grew larger, until a deluge of cold water swept into the wagon, soaking her, Martha, the bedding, everything.

Lying on the soaked mattress, Martha began to shiver and cry. “Another flood. What shall we do?”

“
Well, we can’t stay here. Don’t you worry, we’ll find another place.” Lucy wished she were as confident as she sounded. Other than fleeing to the Butler Brothers—an unthinkable option—her only choice was to move them to her own wagon, although it might very well be flooded, too. Only one way to find out. “I’ll be right back.”

When she slipped from the wagon, she was hit by a driving rain that stung her eyes like dozens of tiny, sharp knives. Blinded, she slipped and stumbled her way through the darkness and mud to her own wagon, only thirty feet away, but it seemed much farther. It was dry. Thank God the canvas had held.

Soaked to the skin, shivering in the chill air, she made her way back to Abner’s wagon and climbed inside. Martha had to move. What an awful thing. Far gone in childbirth, Martha should absolutely not be moved, but she couldn’t stay where she was either, all wet and shivering from the cold. “Come, Martha, we’re going to go to my wagon where it’s dry.”