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After Rena had settled Scout in the lean-to the teacher used for her horse and given him a portion of feed and a bucket of fresh water, she’d bedded down on a blanket on a pew in the church, staring at the shadowed ceiling before sleep had finally claimed her.
She’d awakened at four that morning and ridden out of town a few minutes later. The early start was the only reason she’d made it to Holiday before dark. Scout seemed as anxious as she felt to reach their destination.
Holiday appeared to be a growing, busy town. The wide main street was a beehive of activity with wagons coming and going. She saw two wagons full of lumber rumble by and wondered if Ian ever shipped lumber up to Holiday. Likely not. Theo had mentioned a lumber mill located near some of the mines.
As she entered the outskirts of town, Rena rode past a beautiful home set back from the road with a broad porch that looked inviting. Across the pasture from it, she passed a livery and blacksmith shop.
Further up the street, a sign painted on a window proclaimed the camel-colored building to be the assay office.
Next door, a little girl with a mop of blonde curls stood on top of a saddle in the window of the saddle shop. She held a doll in one hand and waved at Rena with the other.
Rena smiled and returned the tiny fairylike child’s wave, then fixed her attention on the town of Holiday. Across the side street from the saddle shop was a large hotel with a restaurant sign. The smell of roasting meat made her wish she’d purchased more food yesterday. She’d eaten the last bite of cheese and the remnants of broken crackers hours ago when she’d stopped for a rest at lunch.
She made note of the mercantile, a post office, and a dress shop. The colorful frocks in the window made her think of Ian and Maggie. Rena felt a sense of gratification in knowing if she ever did return to Baker City, she had two friends there who might be pleased to see her.
The sight of the church made Rena look the other way, taking in the stage office, marshal’s office, and the jail instead. She rode on the main street until she reached the other end of town and continued north.
Theo had written that his place was a few miles from town on the east side of the road. He’d told her to ride around a curve in the road, then look for a stump that was shaped like a chair. His cabin—or shack, as he called it—was a hundred yards back in the trees.
Rena removed her hat and tilted her face up to the sun as she traveled along on Scout’s swayed back, breathing in the lush mountain air. She could grow accustomed to the scent of the breeze that carried a hint of pine and smelled like Christmastime.
The peacefulness surrounding her calmed her jittery nerves at seeing Theo again after so many years apart. He had already left home to pursue his own adventures before her world had fallen apart. However, he and his sister, Laura, had always been close to her, more like siblings than cousins. As an only child, Rena had cherished time spent with them when they were younger, even if they’d all traveled different paths as adults.
When Rena happened upon a stump that did indeed look like someone had roughly hacked out chunks of it until it resembled a chair, she turned and rode along a path through the trees.
At the edge of a meadow, she found a weathered cabin she assumed had to be Theo’s home. She stopped Scout near the door, grateful to see a barn that would keep wild critters away from the mule. From the straight lines of it and the fresh coat of red paint, she assumed Theo had built it after purchasing the land last year.
As she swung out of the saddle, she cocked an ear, listening to the sound of water. There must be a creek nearby. If Theo didn’t have a well, a creek would be a handy thing to have on his place.
She tied Scout’s reins around a half-rotten post that was sunken into the ground, patted his neck, then strode to the door. Rena lifted her hand and knocked twice, waited, then knocked two more times. When no one answered, she tried the knob. It turned in her hand, so she pushed open the door.
“Hello? Anyone home? Hello?” Hesitant to intrude in case it wasn’t Theo’s home, Rena cautiously stepped inside. Her gaze followed the dust motes dancing in a beam of sunlight streaming in the window by the door. A table covered by a checkered cloth sat beneath the window. An oil lamp, a stack of books, and a glass sugar bowl with a lid on top rested in the center of the table.
“Hello? Theo?” Rena moved further into the room, taking in the simple furnishings.
The cabin was all one big room. At the far end was a fireplace and to the right of it, a cookstove. A coffee pot on the top of the stove made her long for a cup. There’d be time enough to make a pot later.
A sink with a pump handle to draw water and a small window above it were on the same side of the room as the stove. Two wooden crates with shelves built into them were fastened to the wall on either side of the sink. One held an assortment of dishes. The other crate held tins and jars that appeared to contain spices.
A large bed took up the space to the left of the fireplace. Pegs held a few shirts, a heavy wool coat, and a black hat. On the floor beneath the pegs were a pair of newer-looking boots. Another oil lamp sat on a trunk pushed into the corner that appeared to serve as an end table. The only other piece of furniture on that side of the cabin was a small chest of drawers.
On the opposite end of the cabin were two rocking chairs and another table, this one strewn with papers. A ladder nailed to the wall went up to an open loft area. By stepping into the doorway and tipping back her head, Rena could see a bed in the loft covered by a colorful quilt.
She walked across the room to a bookcase, made of rough lumber, that held numerous books, interesting rocks, and keepsakes. A small wooden box that had once belonged to her aunt brought sweet memories to mind. The letter “M” engraved on the outside of it was unmistakable. Rena opened the lid to see a stack of letters. One she’d written to Theo before she’d left Amarillo rested on top.
Even if her cousin wasn’t at home, at least she was in the right place. Relieved she wasn’t poking around a stranger’s home, Rena returned outside. She led Scout to the barn and settled him in a stall with feed and a bucket of water she filled from the pump she’d found near the barn.
Exhaustion overtook her as she carried her bags and rifle inside the cabin. The only thing she could think of at that moment was rest, but she was filthy. She set her bags on the floor, propped the rifle behind the door, and removed her hat and gun belt, hanging them on a peg behind the door. She then retrieved a clean shirt and pair of trousers. Although they were wrinkled, at least they didn’t smell like sweat, dirt, and mule.
She rummaged through her things and retrieved a comb and bar of soap, then searched the cabin. Towels were stacked on a shelf near the bed. Rena took her pistol from the holster, then carried everything outside and followed the sound of water to the creek.
After looking around to ensure she was alone, she removed her filthy clothes and rolled them together in a bundle, left her pistol on top of them, and stepped into the chilly water that moved with a rapid current. The first feel of the frigid water against her skin made her want to jump right back out, but instead, she waded into the middle of the creek where it came up past her knees, sat down, and scrubbed away miles and days of dirt. She washed her hair and shook away the droplets, then returned to the bank where she wrapped one towel around her and the other around her head. Briskly rubbing her skin dry, she hastily dressed, then combed the tangles from her hair. She sat on a large rock in a pool of sunshine that spilled through the trees, closed her eyes, and immediately fell asleep.
“Right,Papa?Papa?Areyou wooly gathering again?”
A small hand tugging on his sleeve brought Josh Gatlin out of his wandering thoughts and back to the moment. He smiled down at his impish daughter, so vibrant and full of energy. His mind struggled to accept the fact that she would soon turn five.
Where had the years gone? It seemed like just yesterday Gabrielle Joy was learning to walk and talk, and now she raced everywhere and chattered nonstop.
