The Heart's Frontier (6 page)

“You’re a fine one to talk to me about responsibility.” He scooped up his Stetson and set it low on his head. “How long could it take to ride back and let them know where their wagon is? You and the men can handle the crossing. I’ll wager a steak dinner that Bo and I will be back before the herd’s hooves are dry on the other side.”

Jesse peered closely at him. “What’s behind this, Luke? You don’t owe those people anything.”

As an answer, Luke set his jaw. No, he didn’t owe them a thing. Still, something had grabbed hold in his mind, and it had bothered him all night. He couldn’t shake the thought. The Switzers believed the Lord had sent him to help. What if they were right?

“I won’t be gone long.”

Jesse put up his hands in surrender. “You’re the boss, even if you are as stubborn as an old mule. But mark my words, Luke. This good deed of yours is going to end up costing us. You wait and see.”

He shoved the last half of his biscuit in his mouth and tossed what was left of his coffee on the fire. The embers hissed and fragrant steam arose as Jesse strode toward his mount.

It won’t take me any time at all to ride back to Gorham and let the Switzers know where their wagon is
. Still, a small part of him worried over Jesse’s words. He was the boss, and this was his official first cattle drive. True, they were on schedule to arrive a couple of days before the cattle train left Hays and an hour or so delay wouldn’t affect the timing at all.

On the other hand, his pa used to say, “Better early than late. Those what miss a date shouldn’t have started at all.”

We won’t be late. Bo and I’ll run back there, tell Jonas Switzer where to find his wagon, and be back here in two shakes of a steer’s tail
.

“Men,” he called as he strode toward the remuda where Bo had been corralled for the night. “I’m heading back to Gorham on a quick errand. Jesse’s got the reins while you get the herd across this river. It’s slow and shallow, so crossing won’t be a problem. I’ll see you on the other side.”

E
mma sat in one of the rockers on the porch of the boardinghouse and watched Papa pace in the dusty street. Beside her,
Maummi
and Rebecca rocked in silence, their gazes also fixed on Papa. The fourth rocker sat empty. A brilliant sun peeked above the general store at the far end of the settlement, and she squinted against the dazzling rays.

“We must move on to Troyer,” Rebecca said for the fourth time. “Aunt Gerda is expecting us. She’ll worry.”

Frowning, Emma gave her a sideways look. Her sister’s enthusiasm for the journey had more to do with getting out of Apple Grove and into the excitement of a bigger community than concern for Aunt Gerda. Troyer offered far more in the way of frolics and singings and, of course, men, than little Apple Grove could hope to match. From the time Papa had first announced his decision to send Emma to Aunt Gerda, Rebecca had wanted to join her, and not necessarily due to sibling affection.

“‘Hard it is to wait on the Lord,’”
Maummi
quoted from her immense store of Amish proverbs. “‘But worse to wish you had.’”

They rocked in silence for a moment.

“’Tis the Lord’s judgment, to my mind.”
Maummi
gave a decisive nod. “He never wanted us in Troyer to begin with.”

Rebecca responded with a pout and an increase in the speed of her rocking. Emma hid a smile.
Maummi
had not been in agreement with the move to Troyer since the beginning. If it weren’t for the loss of her precious hutch, Emma would almost suspect her of arranging the disaster in hopes that Papa would forget the plan and return home.

Her gaze still fixed on Papa, Emma tried to comfort her sister. “If we go home now, Rebecca, maybe that will give you time to convince Papa to let you live with Aunt Gerda instead of me.”

“If you’re set on returning home, Emma, have you decided in favor of Amos Beiler, then?”
Maummi
’s voice, though carefully even, held a barely concealed laugh.

“No!” Emma replied, too quickly.

The laughter came out, and Rebecca joined in. Emma refused to respond. They would forever tease her about Amos. She sank further into the soft wolly covering of her chair and rocked in silence. It would serve
Maummi
right if she married Amos and filled the house with cross-eyed children for her to tend.

A movement down the street drew their attention. The doors of the saloon opened, and a woman stepped into the street. The morning sunshine caught in an untidy tangle of curls that hung down her back and brightened the abundant lace around the hem of her dress. Emma drew in a gasp when she realized the woman wore nothing but a thin chemise on top, right out in the open for the whole town to see. She raised bare arms and stretched in the sun, and then she called a cheery greeting to a man across the way, standing in the doorway of the general store.

Emma turned to see
Maummi
’s shocked eyes wide, her lips parted. On her left, Rebecca stared with undisguised delight.

“Look at the color of her hair,” the girl whispered. “It’s like a field of yellow buttercups.”

“Don’t stare.”
Maummi
accompanied her sharp retort by snapping her fingers in front of Rebecca’s eyes. “Where the eyes go, the mind follows.”

After a moment of standing in the sun, the woman disappeared into the saloon again. With growing dismay, Emma saw that Rebecca watched the doors for another glimpse. Though it was natural to be curious about different lifestyles, Emma worried that her sister’s interest in the
Englisch
they had encountered bordered on fascination. The sooner they left Gorham, the better.

The odor of freshly baked bread from the morning’s breakfast clung to the air wafting through the boardinghouse’s open window. From down the street, the metallic ring of a blacksmith’s hammer echoed off the buildings. Papa paced away from them to the end of the street, leaned an arm against the sign that had welcomed them to Gorham, and bowed his head. From the porch, Emma watched him pray, and she formed an unspoken prayer of her own.
Lord, guide Papa in this decision
.

Though
Maummi
and Rebecca both held their own hopes for their destination, Emma wasn’t sure what she thought anymore. She’d much rather stay in Apple Grove forever, but if Papa said the move to Troyer was God’s will, then how could she disagree? In Troyer she might find love and her future. What girl didn’t want to find a godly husband and start the process of building a home?

But what if
Maummi
was right? Was this disaster the Lord’s way of changing their plans? Returning to the comfort and familiarity of home would be wonderful, and if the Lord wanted, He could send a husband to Apple Grove. God had a plan, she knew that for sure. All she must do was surrender to His will and submit to the authority He had placed over her. At the moment that authority was her father, and the decision on where she would go rested with him.

Papa lifted his head and strode toward the porch, his feet kicking up dust around the bottom of his trousers with every step. Had he reached a decision? Emma sat straight in her chair, her feet on the wooden planks beneath her, waiting for his approach. Beside her, Rebecca and
Maummi
did the same.

“Well?”
Maummi
demanded when he stood before them. “From which direction will we send for help?”

Papa straightened his shoulders and replied, “The decision is not yet made.”

Emma clamped her teeth together and gripped the arms of the rocker. A whole night and part of a morning, and still he didn’t know the Lord’s direction? Was the Lord silent, or were Papa’s ears stuffed too full of indecision to hear? He had ever been overly cautious and slow moving, like the time he took two weeks before deciding whether to hang her swing on the tree in front of the house or the one nearer the barn. Many times during those weeks of waiting she’d wanted to stomp her foot and shout that if he didn’t decide, she would. She fought the same desire now.

Guilt flooded her mind at the uncharitable thought. She folded her hands in her lap and lowered her gaze to them so he couldn’t see the irritation on her face. Papa was a good provider and she loved him. He did his best to follow the Lord’s leading. Obviously she had not yet mastered the lesson she needed most to learn—patience.

Judging by
Maummi
’s tightly pressed lips, Emma wasn’t the only one who hadn’t learned tolerance. The old woman’s jaws bulged with the effort of keeping her mouth closed as Papa mounted the two wooden stairs and sat in the unoccupied fourth rocker.

“We will continue to pray,” he announced. “Soon we will have an answer.”

Silence returned to the porch, broken only by the quiet squeak of the chairs as they rocked back and forth on the wooden planks. Emma sent a new request heavenward.

Lord, we can’t stay here forever, so please send Your answer
soon
. You know how Papa is. You might need to do something obvious in order to get his attention
.

She opened her eyes to see a horse and rider enter the settlement on the far side of the street. The cowboy’s lean body sat tall in the saddle, his shoulders broad beneath a leather vest. Though he was still too far away to be seen clearly, Emma’s heart flipped inside her chest. Could this be the Lord’s answer already?

When he neared enough to be recognized, her rocking chair came to an abrupt halt. What was that cowboy doing here again?

Lord, surely You didn’t send
him
again. What makes You think he’ll be any more help this time than before?

Luke nodded a greeting at the storekeeper as he passed. Though the morning was half over, there was very little activity on the street. A movement through the blacksmith’s open doors caught his eye. Somebody was working, anyway. He spared a longing glance at the bath house. No time for that. At least he’d only have to make do with streams and rivers until they got the herd safely to Hays. That was just three days away.

He glanced ahead, toward the boardinghouse, and almost lost his grip on the reins. In the shade of the porch the Switzers were all in a row. What were they doing just sitting there? Four pairs of eyes fixed on him as he rode up the street.

“Mr. Switzer?”

“Good morning, Mr. Carson.” Jonas rose from his chair and stepped to the edge of the railing. “Your sleep was good, I hope?”

Luke didn’t answer at first. The man didn’t even sound surprised to see him. It kind of spooked him, the way they sat there, as though they had been waiting for him. From the look on Emma’s face, she wasn’t thrilled at his arrival. Not surprised, but not happy about it either.

Well, she’d change her attitude in a minute.

“I did, thanks.” He dismounted and lashed Bo’s reins over the post. “I have some good news for you folks. Jesse found your wagon this morning.”

The women jumped out of their chairs and ran to the edge of the porch.

“My hutch is still there, yes?” Mrs. Switzer’s eyes pleaded for him to agree.

“Yes, ma’am. I didn’t see it myself, so I don’t know what shape it’s in, but Jesse said it was there.” He glanced at Emma. Her rosy cheeks shone with health after a good night’s sleep. “Said a chest was in there too.”

Hope flared in her round eyes. She raised clasped hands beneath her chin. “Are our belongings inside?”

She must have something important packed in that chest. He would have loved to assure her that the contents were safe, to see a smile break out. Instead, he had to shake his head. “I don’t know, but I wouldn’t get my hopes up. Jesse mentioned some empty crates were scattered around.” He looked away from her disappointed expression and spoke to Jonas. “He also said the wagon is mired down in a river about a half mile beyond where my herd camped for the night. Looked like the thieves looted whatever they could and deserted the heavy stuff.”

“
Ja
, that makes sense.” The round straw hat bobbed up and down with a nod. He turned to address his family. “This is why the Lord did not give an answer earlier. He knew we did not yet have all the information we needed. We will get our wagon, and then our destination will be made clear.”

“We’ll go to Troyer,” Rebecca said.

Jonas cocked his head but didn’t commit. “Perhaps.”

A wide smile brightened the girl’s face, and she clapped her hands. Mrs. Switzer regarded her son with a scowl but remained silent. Luke couldn’t stop his eyes from straying to Emma. Her expression remained impassive, her lovely lips parted enough for him to glimpse a set of even white teeth. He found himself wondering what her hair looked like when she brushed it out at night.