A Dream for Tomorrow (43 page)

Even Mrs. Taylor had found lodging. Ironically, it was with Mrs. Levine, a pioneer widow with four grown sons. Mrs. Levine had been here longer than anyone and was actively lobbying for a school and post office. When she learned that Mrs. Taylor hoped to teach settlers’ children, she immediately invited her into her home. And Mrs. Levine had been pleased as punch to learn that Prescotts’ Mercantile would soon open for business.

“There you are,” Malinda said as Elizabeth came onto the porch. “I was just wishing you’d stop by.”

Elizabeth set her basket down. “I heard there were edible mushrooms down by the marsh. Do you know anything about them?”

“I sure do. Let me get my bonnet and tell the girls and I’ll be right along.” When Malinda returned, a basket over her arm, she looked so happy that Elizabeth thought she was actually glowing. Or perhaps she was radiant.

“You seem in exceptionally good spirits today,” Elizabeth said.

“Oh, yes, I am.” Malinda’s basket swung cheerily back and forth as they walked.

“Is it because you’re so pleased to have new neighbors?”

Malinda chuckled. “Yes, I suppose that has much to do with it.”

“I’m glad you’re not feeling overly crowded. I was worried that it might be a bit much for you.”

She waved her hand. “No, not at all.” She stopped walking, turning to peer at Elizabeth. “Do you want to know the truth of the matter?”

Elizabeth blinked. “I certainly do.”

“Well…I’ve been trying to think of a way to tell you this…”

“What?”

“Will Bramford has been stopping by my place…” She giggled. “Just being neighborly. At least that’s what I thought.”

Suddenly Elizabeth felt an unwanted jolt go through her. Was Will courting Malinda? However, she couldn’t bring herself to form that question.

“Oh, Elizabeth, it is so wonderful.” She peered into her eyes. “And I realize I have you to thank. Will said as much last night.”

“Last night?”

“Before he went home—or back to their camp. Poor things, they haven’t made much progress on their cabin, although Jeremiah is determined to get it up before winter because he wants to stay in it—even if it is by himself.”

“I’m sorry,” Elizabeth interrupted. “You are losing me, Malinda. What are you actually saying?”

“I’m saying that I do believe Will is going to propose marriage to me.”

“You do?”

“Oh, it’s too soon to be certain, but the conversation has definitely drifted in that direction, and I have made it clear in no uncertain terms that I am most in favor.”

“You want to marry Will?”

Malinda put a finger over her lips. “Please, Elizabeth, keep it down. I’m sure the children are coming to their own conclusions, but it’s premature to say anything.”

Elizabeth felt dumbfounded. Malinda and Will were getting married? Already? Oh, she knew that it was something she’d actually tried to help along. But she had never imagined it would take off so quickly. “Are you saying that you’re truly ready to consider marrying again?” she asked Malinda. “I don’t want to sound overly prudent, but you have not even been a year without John.”

“This is the frontier, Elizabeth.”

“Fewer social conventions here…I remember.” Elizabeth felt slightly lost now. It wasn’t so much the idea of Will wanting to marry someone else—although that was a bit disconcerting—but the idea of her best friend partnering with another, someone besides John…well, that was troubling.

Malinda studied her closely. “You haven’t changed your mind, have you? Do you have feelings for Will?”

“No, not at all.”

Malinda let out a relieved sigh.

“I’m very happy for you.”

“I hoped you would stand up with me…if we do decide to wed.”

“Of course,” she said quickly. “I’m happy to do that…Just like the first time.”

“You think it’s too soon, don’t you?”

“I honestly don’t know,” Elizabeth confessed. “For me it would have been too soon. But everyone is different.”

They had reached a spot where mushrooms were growing, and Malinda showed Elizabeth how to identify them. So for a while neither of them spoke but simply gathered. Finally, when they were done, Malinda told Elizabeth how to dry and store them. Then without saying much, they walked back to the clearing between their properties and parted ways. But as Elizabeth walked back to her camp, she felt slightly lost. It was almost as if her mother’s words were coming back to haunt her now. Everyone seemed to have someone to partner with. Everyone except Elizabeth. Not only had she lost Will, she had lost Malinda too. And if Malinda and Will married, Elizabeth and her children would have to find someplace else to live.

As Elizabeth walked to her parents’ unit, where they had decided to continue doing the cooking together, she wondered how she would be feeling right now if she was the one planning to marry Will, not Malinda. But truly it seemed to make no difference. Her biggest concern now was that she needed to have a place for herself and the children to live. And neither her parents’ nor her brother’s tiny one-room cabins were going to offer much.

She set the basket of mushrooms on the table with a
thunk
and then sat down on one of the chairs, letting out a loud sigh. The makeshift dining room was set up under the tarp to protect it from sun and rain.

“Is something wrong?” Clara looked up from her sewing, studying Elizabeth curiously.

“Perhaps.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” Clara glanced around their campsite. “The men folk are at Matthew’s until suppertime. And Ruth finished her chores and is playing with Susannah. The children are making the most of their time since Mrs. Taylor announced that school will officially begin next Monday.”

“That means one less hand working on the houses,” Elizabeth said quietly. “JT will need to be in school.”

“Yes, but Asa says they’re coming along just fine. He expects they’ll both be finished by late November.”

“And will that be too late to start a house for me?”

“I thought you were going to stay with Malinda.”

So now Elizabeth spilled the story of Will and Malinda, and Clara actually had the audacity to laugh.

“I fail to see the humor,” Elizabeth told her.

“That was just happy laughter, Lizzie. And it’s only because you helped bring those two together. And I’m just so happy for the both of them. They will make a fine couple—don’t you think?”

“I’m not sure what to think.”

“Surely you’re glad for them…”

Elizabeth made a sad sorry excuse of a nod. “Yes, of course.”

“But you’re feeling a bit put out?”

She shrugged. “Where will the kids and I stay now?”

“With us…or Matthew.”

Elizabeth wanted to protest that neither option was ideal. But that seemed silly considering that nothing in the frontier was particularly ideal. Well, except for the land. She pointed to the basket of mushrooms, explaining what Malinda had said. “And now I think I’ll go look around my own property…try to come up with a plan for getting a roof over my own head.”

“Don’t worry, dear, your family will help you when the time comes.”

That was just the problem, Elizabeth thought, as she walked over to her piece of land. When would the time come? Next summer? When everyone was busy with crops or building barns? Or maybe it would be the year after that? Elizabeth had never been the most patient person—she knew this. But it seemed unfair that she would have to wait longer than everyone else to get her cabin. After all, it had been her idea to come here in the first place. Besides that, Brady was her hired man—he was supposed to be helping her. And JT her own son. She knew she was being silly and selfish and childish as she continued to rant and rave in the privacy of her own mind.

If this was what life on the frontier was going to be like, isolated and lonely and at the mercy of her family to help her, maybe she wasn’t cut out for it after all. Suddenly she remembered being on the wagon train, and as crazy as it seemed, she missed it. She missed the simplicity of packing up each morning and rolling along. She missed the thrill of exploring new places, and she missed having people nearby. Mostly she missed the freedom of having only two goals—to survive and to keep moving forward.

Of course, she knew that life here wasn’t all that much different. Like all things, it would take some getting used to…and some patience.

She reached her homesite and walked the perimeter that she’d mapped out. She tried to regain some composure as she imagined where a window might go someday—if it was possible to get window glass out here. And as she stood where she wanted the front door to be situated, it hit her. She realized that she was going about this all wrong. With everything else, whenever she got frustrated and impatient like this, she knew that it was simply a signal. It was time to give her worries and anxieties over to God.

She knew that just as he clothed the flowers and fed the birds, he was going to take care of her and her children. She just needed to trust him. She sat down on one of the stones she was using as a marker. In due time, it would all get done. In the meantime, she and her children would be just fine because, as always, God would take care of them.

“Mama! Mama! Mama!” screamed Ruth’s voice, causing Elizabeth to jump to her feet, her heart in her throat.

“Over here!” she yelled as she ran toward the sound of Ruth’s voice. Suddenly she was imagining Indians on the attack, just as Malinda had described. But when she saw only Ruth racing toward her, she figured she was wrong.

“What is it?” Elizabeth cried out as she continued running to Ruth. “Has JT been hurt? Did he fall off the roof or did Grandpa—”

“No, no, Mama.” Ruth paused to catch her breath. “It’s nothing like that.” She held onto her sides, puffing.

“What is it, child? Tell me.”

“The rest of the wagon train…” Ruth huffed. “They made it!”

“The rest of the wagon train?”

“The ones on the Applegate Trail, Mama. They’re here right now. At Malinda’s farm. Come and see.”

Elizabeth grabbed onto Ruth’s hand. She too was tempted to run, but Ruth already seemed out of breath. “Did you see them all?” Elizabeth asked.

“I saw the Flanders and Tumbleweed Tillie,” Ruth said happily. “Her hair is almost long enough for pigtails now.”

Elizabeth laughed. She wanted to ask Ruth if she’d seen Eli, but she also didn’t want to get Ruth’s curiosity aroused. Besides, Elizabeth assured herself, she would know soon enough.

When they got there, they exchanged hugs and welcomes with the Flanders and the McIntires and some of the others, but Elizabeth did not see any sign of Eli. And truly, why would he come this far?

“So you had no problems on the Applegate Trail?” Elizabeth asked Flo. “No Indian troubles?”

“Not at all.” Flo looked around and nodded. “This truly is beautiful country, Elizabeth. We’re so glad to be here.”

“No problems finding the place?” Elizabeth was glancing around the wagons and animals, still hoping to spy a certain Appaloosa…and a man in a fringed buckskin.

“Not at all.” Flo removed her bonnet, shaking the dust off. “Eli took us right to the road that comes alongside this pretty river. And he told us it would take three days. And here we are.”

“And welcome you are.” Elizabeth hugged her again.

“Well, Bert’s bound and determined to have a look around before dark,” Flo told her. “And Malinda has offered us one of her boys to show us some of the land. If Bert has his way, we’ll be staking a claim before the sun sets.”

“Don’t be in too much of a hurry,” Elizabeth told her. “There’s plenty of land for everyone.”

“I know, but we gotta hurry if we want to get a cabin up before winter,” Flo said.

“From what I hear, winters aren’t too harsh in these parts,” Elizabeth assured her.

“Yeah, I heard the same, but I also heard it can get mighty wet. ’Specially if you ain’t got a roof overhead.”

Now Susannah had joined Ruth and Tillie, all three holding hands in a circle, doing a merry little jig and acting like they were old friends.

“Mama,” Ruth came over with a hopeful expression. “Susannah is asking if Tillie and me can spend the night at her house. Can we, Mama?”

“Can we?” Tillie asked Flo.

“Makes no difference to me,” Flo told her. “Makes more space in the wagon.”

“Mama?” Ruth asked eagerly. “Please?”

“Did your mother give you permission?” Elizabeth asked Susannah.

She nodded with the same serious gray eyes as her mother. “Mama said we girls can sleep in the loft and the boys will sleep in the barn. She told Bart to go and ask JT if he wants to come too.”

“Maybe Walter can come too,” Ruth said, referring to Tillie’s brother.

Before long it was all arranged, and the children were thrilled at the prospects of an evening of fun and games, celebrating their new friends and the news that school would start on Monday. The Flanders and the McIntires set off to explore the countryside, and Elizabeth went back to her own land…to think.

It was reassuring to know that she would have even more neighbors now. The school would certainly be a lively place for Mrs. Taylor. She hoped she was up to it. In some ways their little settlement would be similar to the wagon train—except that they wouldn’t be moving every day. And truly, Elizabeth reminded herself, that had gotten wearisome at times. How often she had wished to simply stay put. And now she could do just that.