A Dream for Tomorrow (44 page)

Elizabeth knew she should count her blessings…and that she should be content and thankful. But as she checked on her horses and livestock, and as she roamed around her wagon and tent, which seemed strangely empty, she felt lonelier than she’d felt in ages—and she had the distinct feeling that she’d made an enormous mistake. First she thought she was simply having regrets about Will…about letting the chance for companionship slip away. But then she realized that she was only trying to fool herself into thinking it was about Will.

The truth was niggling away in the back of her mind, and as much as she tried to dismiss it, she knew that her sadness was over Eli. She went up to the site of her house and sat down on one of the cornerstones. She knew it was over. She would never see Eli again, and the sooner she got over it, the better off she would be. And yet memories of him seemed to be haunting her now, filling her with nearly as much sadness as she’d felt when she’d lost James.

“This is ridiculous,” she told herself as she wiped hot tears with the hem of her skirt. Now she stood, and with great resolve, she walked down to Elk Creek and picked up a rock that was about the size of a large loaf of bread. Lugging the heavy wet stone back up to the homesite, she placed it along the line of what would one day be the foundation wall. Then she went back to the creek and got another. And another. And another.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

T
he children had been in school for a full two weeks now, and Elizabeth’s stone foundation wall was nearly a foot tall and just as wide. Oh, she realized that it would take some maneuvering and fitting of the rocks as well as some sort of mortar or mud to make the wall secure enough to support the heavy log walls of her cabin. But it made her happy to see it taking shape. Not only that, but she’d used a shovel and a broom to smooth out and level the dirt floor on the inside. With a bit of moisture and packing, it was slowly becoming fairly solid beneath her feet.

She knew dirt floors were not uncommon in the frontier, but she hoped that they would eventually have a wooden one. But more importantly, they would have a roof above their heads. For now, she got true pleasure just standing inside what would one day be the front room of the house and looking out over the meadow, past the creek, and down to the river below. Her animals looked contented, already making themselves at home in the lush grasses and ample creek water. A sight better than Devil’s Backbone, she sometimes reminded herself. And Flax did his best to see that the livestock didn’t stray, but she longed for the day when she could put up some rail fences to contain them securely. Perhaps she’d even have a barn someday…although that probably wouldn’t become a reality for years to come.

At least they had a henhouse now. She and the children had started building it from leftover pieces of logs that JT brought home after working on Asa and Matthew’s houses. Using twine and wire to hold it together, they had managed to create a very rustic sort of henhouse. And they hoped it wouldn’t be too long until the hens began to lay. She was also working on a stick fence to go around the spot where she hoped to plant a garden next spring. She and the children had been gathering sticks that they wove together to make fencing to keep the critters out. She knew her improvements were minor compared to what others were doing. But it was the best she could do under the circumstances, and it was satisfying to see even the smallest project to completion.

Her brother’s and her parents’ houses were both slowly but surely coming along—small, sturdy boxes made of logs that they were falling themselves and moving with oxen. Just yesterday, when she was admiring the walls of Matthew and Jess’ cabin, which were already nearly four feet high, her brother had assured her that they would begin work on her cabin by early November. She had teasingly told him that if she had no house by the time winter came, she and her children would simply be sleeping with him and Jess. She could tell by the look in his eyes that her jovial threat might have actually put a spark beneath him. Anyway, she hoped so.

Everyone was busier than ever these days. And fortunately the autumn rains seemed to be holding off. The most recent newcomers had quickly found land to claim. However, the Flanders and McIntires, due to their limited funds, were only able to file for half units. That was all that Elizabeth, as a single woman, had been allowed to file for as well. However, the west half of her unit was still unclaimed. She had considered mentioning it to the Flanders, but Bert was pleased with the location they had found. It was on the east section of Elk Creek and not too far from the mercantile and church. “A right handy spot for a blacksmith shop,” Flo had happily told her. “And close enough to the school that the youngins can’t complain too much. And just think, Elizabeth, maybe we’ll have a real town there someday, and you and me can say we helped to start this place.”

The biggest news in Elk Creek was that Malinda and Will had officially announced their engagement last Sunday after the church service. Everyone seemed surprised at how quickly it all happened—everyone except Elizabeth, now that she’d had time to think on it. Will was a man who was ready to get married. And Malinda was a good woman. And neither of them was getting any younger. The wedding date was set for December. Malinda had confided to Elizabeth that conventions or no conventions, it seemed only proper and respectful not to wed until a full year had passed since John’s death.

Tomorrow night, there would be a barn dance at Malinda’s to celebrate the engagement, and everyone in Elk Creek would be there. The women were bringing the food, and Matthew, JT, Brady, and the McIntires would be providing the music. It would be a joyous occasion, and Elizabeth was as pleased about the engagement as anyone. In fact, she planned to wear one of her best dresses and to kick up her heels—which reminded her she needed to check the clothes on the line to make sure the sun wasn’t fading them. She’d spent most of the morning laundering nearly every garment they’d brought with them. She wanted it all clean and dry before the first rains came, which could be any day now according to Malinda.

She was just unpegging Ruth’s best red gingham dress when she heard the sound of horse’s hooves not too far off and getting closer. It was too early for the children to be coming home, although she’d let them ride Molly this morning. She reasoned that it was just one of her neighbors or Asa or Matthew. But the sound of someone approaching caught her off guard, sending a chill down her spine. Being alone like this in an area that had experienced Indian troubles not so long ago, she considered running out to the wagon and grabbing her gun, which remained loaded, but she decided against it. Still, she was curious as to who was riding out here in the middle of the day, especially when everyone seemed to be busy working on cabins or other chores.

With Ruth’s dress hanging loosely over an arm, she crept around the wide trunk of the maple tree and, remaining hidden, peered out in the direction of the horse and rider. But what she saw coming was so startling that she nearly fell to the ground. Not Indians, thank the good Lord, but the rider approaching on a tall Appaloosa wore fringed buckskins and a big smile.

“Elizabeth!” Eli called out. “I was told I would find you up here.”

Clutching Ruth’s dress to her chest and with wobbly knees, Elizabeth slowly walked toward him. Was this real, or was she simply imagining things?

“
Eli?
” Her voice came out in a hoarse sounding whisper.

He slid down from the horse and then paused to untie something from the saddle horn. “I have something of yours,” he called over his shoulder.

She laid Ruth’s dress on the stone foundation of her unbuilt house and then, resisting the urge to pat her windblown hair into place, she went closer to see, still disbelieving that it was really him and not just a daydream.

He held out her old canteen toward her. “I do believe this belongs to you.”

Was he serious? “Honestly, you came all the way out here just to bring me
that
?”

A grin lit up his face.

Now she folded her arms across her front, pretending to be offended though she was mostly just suffering from shock. “What if I refuse to trade back with you? What if I’ve decided that I prefer your fancy canteen to my old beat-up one?”

He continued approaching, only stopping when he was just inches from her. “I was hoping you did.” He reached over and cupped her chin in his hand, looking deeply into her eyes. “I have missed you.”

Suddenly it felt like her secure little world was slipping sideways. And she knew deep inside of her that if she let him kiss her again…and if he left her again…she would never be able to pull herself back together. Or it would take a long, long time. And so she stepped back, and his hand fell to his side. But the look on his face showed he was perplexed.

“Eli…” she began carefully. “I have missed you too. More than I care to say. But here is the truth of the matter. I cannot play games with you. And I fear my heart is not strong enough to be toyed with again.”

“Can we talk?”

She sighed. “Certainly. I would love to talk.” She waved over to her stone foundation. “Come on in.” Because the weather had been continuing warm and sunny—a real Indian summer, Malinda was calling it—Elizabeth had set her chairs and table on the rug. And at Ruth’s suggestion, she’d even put a vase of flowers on the table. The general effect was actually quite charming. “I’m playing house,” she told him.

“Nice place you got here,” he said as they sat down across from each other. “Open and airy.”

She nodded. “We like it.”

“Good view too.” He tipped his head toward what would one day be a front room window—if she could get ahold of some glass, which Lavinia had assured her would not be a problem.

“My father and brother and Brady are working on the other cabins first. We thought I was going to stay with my dear friend Malinda.” Now she explained to him that Malinda had been widowed. “It seemed a good arrangement for me to spend the winter with her. Two widows and their children sharing a home together. I was looking forward to it.” She sighed. “But now it’s not to be.” She pointed to the stone foundation. “So, as you can see, I’ve been doing my best to get my house started. Trying to be patient as I wait for the men to come and help me.”

“What went wrong with your friend Malinda?”

“Oh, nothing went wrong. In fact, something went very right. My friend Malinda is getting married.”

He nodded. “I see. But that leaves you and your children in the lurch.”

She made a half smile. “It was actually my own fault. I introduced the happy couple to each other.” She chuckled to remember that night. “In fact I nearly forced them on one another.”

“You did?”

“It was Will Bramford, and he had—”

“Will Bramford?” Eli’s brow creased. “But I thought Will wanted to marry you.”

“Well, yes…he did. But I turned him down.”

Eli’s eyes lit up. “You did?”

“Yes. Everyone, including my mother and even Malinda, thought I was a perfect fool to pass up such an opportunity. But I told Will that although he was a good friend, I did not have those sorts of feelings for him…the kind of feelings a woman wants to have for her husband.” She looked directly into his eyes and then, embarrassed at her own boldness, looked down at the small pink flowers in the vase.

When Eli didn’t respond she looked back up.

“Do you think I made a mistake too?” she asked him.

He just shook his head. “I don’t think so, Elizabeth.”

“So may I ask you a question now?”