Under the Distant Sky (20 page)

Frank and Edmund chortled.

“No, I’m askin’ folks to donate a little so my grandparents can have a fire this morning.”

Father and sons exchanged glances. “We ain’t got no spare wood,” Walt said.

Curtis smiled in a friendly manner and turned away, saying, “Well, thanks just the same. I know you’d share if you had it.”

Edmund snorted in derision. “Sure we would,” he said in a low voice. “Maybe when the north pole becomes a tropical paradise.”

Soon Curtis came to the Marlin wagon where Deborah and her brother-in-law were standing over a smoking fire.

“Good morning,” Curtis said, looking at Deborah with adoring eyes.

“Hey, how about me?” Lloyd asked. “Do I get a ‘good morning’ too?”

Curtis adjusted the wood in his arms and laughed. “Oh, sure, Lloyd. Good morning to you!”

“And how about us?” came Suzanne’s melodic voice, as she stood near the rear of the wagon with baby James in her arms.

“Well, good morning to James and his mother, too!” Curtis said with a chuckle.

Lloyd glanced at the bundle in Curtis’s arms. “Are you gathering wood for your grandparents?”

“Well, let’s say I’m trying. I was just at Walt Cuzak’s wagon. Didn’t fare too well there.”

Lloyd laughed. “You really didn’t expect to, did you?”

“Not really. Just thought I’d give those malcontents an opportunity to reform.”

“Well, we’ve got plenty of dry wood. How about I load your arms the rest of the way, then carry another armload to your wagon?”

“Don’t need that much, Lloyd. If you could spare enough to fill my arms, I’ll get the rest from others.”

“No need,” Lloyd said.

“I’ll help carry wood,” Deborah said. Lloyd smiled knowingly. “Okay. Let’s get you both loaded up.”

Moments later, Curtis and Deborah were headed toward the Holden wagon.

“Some storm, huh?” Curtis said, smiling at Deborah.

“Sure was. And from what I heard Ezra tell a group of the men, we’re liable to get some more just like it. He said severe storms like that run in cycles. Whenever the first one hits, you can look for several before they ease down to simple rain showers.”

“Well, I guess we’ll just have to tough it through them.”

The elderly Holdens had watched the young couple’s approach all the way across the open circle, and now greeted them with a big smile. To Elmer and Maudie, it was quite evident that their grandson had found the woman he wanted to marry.

Curtis dropped the wood from his arms and quickly took the load out of Deborah’s. “We can get a fire going now,” he said to his grandparents. “Most of the wood came from the Marlins.”

“You should’ve hollered,” Elmer said. “I could have carried what Deborah’s carryin’.”

“It’s all right, Mr. Holden… it wasn’t that heavy.”

Soon Curtis had a fire going and Maudie began preparing breakfast. Elmer decided to give Curtis a little push and turned to Deborah. “If you’d like to ride in our wagon today, you’re plenty welcome, Deborah. Maudie and I can ride in the back so’s you love birds can have a little… ah… privacy.”

Deborah’s cheeks flushed.

“Elmer!” Maudie said. “You’ve done gone and embarrassed them!”

The old man snickered. “Well now, Ma, my eyesight ain’t what it once ’twas, but I know what young folks look like when the lovebug has bit ’em!”

Curtis cleared his throat nervously. “Deborah, you’ll have to excuse Grandpa. He’s not much for tact.”

“It’s all right, Curtis,” she said, and smiled.

“Then, would you like to ride with us today?”

“Of course.”

“Maybe we could even walk alongside the wagon and let Grandpa hold the reins for a while. Helps the oxen when we lighten the load, you know.”

“Certainly. We’ll walk as long as you want to.”

At the lead wagon, Ezra and his nephew were standing at the tailgate, eating breakfast and talking to Chuck Lander and Hank Norwood, whose sons drove supply wagons for Solomon Cooper.

“So you really think we’ll have more storms like the one last night, Ezra?” Hank asked.

“Prob’ly a half-dozen or so, yep.”

The four men noticed Mary Beth and Patty Ruth Cooper coming toward them with Biggie trotting alongside. And of course Patty Ruth carried Ulysses.

“Good mornin’, ladies,” Ezra said. “I think I know why you’re here.”

“I’m sure you do, Mr. Comstock,” Mary Beth said with a smile. “Mama’s fixing breakfast. She said it would be best if I bring Patty Ruth over here now.”

Ezra bent down and winked at the little redhead. “You want to see your furry little friend, don’t you, honey?”

“Yes, sir.”

“All right. I already fed him some grass for breakfast.” The wagon master leaned over the tailgate and brought out a wooden box with its lid off. Lowering it so the little redhead could see the jackrabbit, he said, “See there? He’s doin’ just fine.”

Patty Ruth reached in and stroked its long ears. “Good mornin’, Mr. Rabbit. Do you feel better today?”

“I’m sure he does, honey,” Ezra said. “Mr. Rabbit is going to get well, I’ll guarantee you.”

She smiled up at the old man. “That’s good. Thank you for takin’ care of him, Mr. Comstock.”

“You’re welcome. You can see him anytime we’re stopped for camp.”

Patty Ruth petted the rabbit again. “’Bye, Mr. Rabbit. See you tonight.”

Lafe Tolliver lay aside the top layer of kindling and dug deeper into the box to find dry wood. Vanessa stood over him, wanting to tell him about Dwight Cuzak, but she held her tongue. Dwight was the kind of man who would kill if he got angry enough, she thought, and he’d probably do it by stealth.

“I’m sure sorry you had trouble with the canvas last night, Vanessa,” Lafe said. “I still don’t know how you managed to tie that knot so tight in the corner. It’ll hold now, for sure.”

“You just don’t know how strong your wife really is,” she said with a hollow laugh.

Moments later, Lafe was building a fire near the wagon while Vanessa put grounds in the coffeepot and filled it with water. The tailgate was suspended horizontally with short lengths of chain, and she was using its flat surface to prepare breakfast.

Lafe was bent over the fire, fanning the flames, when Dwight Cuzak passed by slowly. He stopped just as Vanessa turned to say something to Lafe. Instantly, her body stiffened.

Lafe felt the tension in his wife and turned to see what she was looking at. He caught the licentious look in Dwight’s eyes and leaped in front of Dwight, blocking his path. “I saw that, mister!”

“Saw
what?”

“The way you looked at my wife!”

“And how was that?”

“The wrong way, that’s how!”

“Aw, it’s just your imagination.”

“Don’t stand there acting innocent, you vulgar piece of scum!”

Dwight bristled and doubled up his fists.

“Good!” Lafe said. “You swing first, then I’ll finish it!”

“Hold it!” came Ezra Comstock’s shout. “What’s goin’ on here?”

“He was eyeing Vanessa again!” Lafe said, as the wagon master drew up with Micah and Tony at his side.

“That’s a lie!” Dwight said.

Ezra held up his hands. “Now, both of you cool down. I’m not gonna tolerate this arguin’, nor the fightin’ you were about to do!”

“Then you tell this lecher to stay away from Vanessa, Ezra! I know what I saw, and so does Vanessa!” Lafe wheeled around and looked at his wife. “Tell him, Vanessa!”

Vanessa avoided Dwight’s eyes and said, “This is the second time Dwight Cuzak has been a source of trouble over me, Mr. Comstock. My husband is right. He was leering at me.”

Solomon and Hannah Cooper stood in the half-circle of onlookers beside Deborah and Curtis.

Ezra turned to Dwight, who was standing beside his father and brothers, and said, “You promised me after the other incident that you wouldn’t cause any more trouble in this train. I warned you and your father that there would be no second chance.”

“Now, look Ezra,” Dwight said, “it’s their word against mine. Okay, when Curtis Holden and me had trouble, I was talkin’ to Van—Mrs. Tolliver, though I meant nothin’ bad about it. All I was doin’ this time was walkin’ past their wagon. Nothin’ else. Lafe’s imagination is keyed up because of the other thing. I’m tellin’ you, Ezra, I didn’t do nothin’ wrong.”

Ezra studied Dwight’s face and came to a decision. “I believe the Tollivers. But since it’s your word against theirs, I’m givin’ you one more chance to stay out of trouble.”

Then Ezra moved up close to Dwight, who dwarfed him in size, and said evenly, “I’m gonna say this just once. Are you listenin? You keep your distance from Mrs. Tolliver. If there’s anything…
anything
like what happened the other time, or this
time, you and your family are out of the train and on your own. Understood?”

Dwight looked at his grim-faced father. Then to Ezra, he said, “Understood.”

Ezra turned to Walt Cuzak. “Understood?”

“Understood,” Walt said.

“All right, then. You’d better make sure your son stays as far away from Mrs. Tolliver as possible. Court is adjourned.”

During breakfast at the Cooper wagon, Solomon noticed that Hannah wasn’t her usual cheerful self. “Sweetheart, you look awfully tired. Didn’t you get to sleep after the storm let up last night?”

The entire family had bedded down inside the wagon, and though it was crowded and uncomfortable, Solomon had thought everyone slept well.

Hannah rubbed weary eyes. “No, I didn’t. It was the wee hours before I fell asleep.”

“But the storm was over.”

“The one outside…it’s the one inside that kept me from sleeping.”

“Your parents?”

“I can’t get them out of my mind… the look on their faces when they knew for sure we were moving to Wyoming.”

Mary Beth took her mother’s hand. The small loving gesture brought tears to Hannah’s eyes. “Sol, I may never see them again on this earth. It’s tearing me up to know how they feel toward you, and toward me. They’re still blaming you the most, you know, and it bothers me deeply”

Solomon pushed his plate away and reached to enfold her in his arms. “Sweetheart, it bothered me, too, to see the hurt
and the anger in their eyes. But we didn’t leave Independence on a whim.”

“I know.”

“Remember the peace we both had when Colonel Bateman explained the need for the store at Fort Bridger… and how sure we were it was God’s will for us to pack up and move?”

“Yes.”

“And how the Lord had the Wilsons ready to buy the store, and the Donaldsons ready to buy the farm—both at very good prices?”

“Yes.”

“And we looked into the church situation by talking to Reverend Kelly?”

“Yes.”

“Then we’re doing God’s will in making this move, aren’t we?”

“Yes, darling. Yes, we are. If it weren’t for Mother and Daddy, I wouldn’t be having such a hard time.”

Solomon kissed her soft cheek. “The Lord knows all about this. And in time, maybe Ben and Esther will miss you and their grandchildren so much that Ben will swallow his pride and make the move to Fort Bridger.”

“Oh, boy!” Patty Ruth said. “Maybe Grandma and Grandpa will come to Fort Bridger, too!”

Hannah managed a smile and caressed the little redhead’s cheek as she said, “Once we get to Fort Bridger, I’ll keep letters going to Grandma and Grandpa, telling them how much we love them and miss them. Maybe the Lord will work in their hearts, and they’ll come to live near us, in spite of Grandpa’s stubbornness. We’ll pray for that very thing.”