Endless Mercy

by Tracie Peterson

  The wagon jolted and bumped its way along the rutted road to the Bundrant farm, bringing Daniel back to the moment. The past couple of weeks had been incredible. He’d worked to help John and Madysen as much as he could with the sheep. The more he worked with them, the more he enjoyed himself. Which had been a surprise.

  So much of his sheep knowledge and experience came back to him. Amazing, considering how long it had been since he’d worked with them. He could almost hear his granddad at his side, instructing him.

  “Remember Daniel, if we care for the sheep properly, they will pay for themselves in wool and milk. If we make cheese for sale, then they bring us a profit. Add to that selling off lambs, then we’re triple blessed.”

  And now he was working with sheep again. Madysen told him how she stole her sheep from Mr. Reynolds in the dead of night, how she struggled for hours to get them back to her family farm. He could just picture her antics.

  Daniel couldn’t keep the smile off his face. Madysen was so easy to talk to. They’d talked for hours that night as he saw her home. Since then, they spent a good portion of each day discussing life. He couldn’t wait to spend more time with her—and the family, of course.

  He looked over his shoulder at the wagonload behind him. Three guys waved at him. It was a good thing they’d been able to come along. He’d been so excited about the Bundrant order coming in that he hadn’t thought it through. He would never have been able to load the heavy stove all by himself, nor could he unload it, so he’d asked a few men to help out.

  He wound the wagon up to the new milking shed John had built for the sheep. Had John finished the new attached kitchen? He was pretty close last week when Daniel visited.

  Madysen waved as she came down the lane, hair flying behind her as she ran. She had a ribbon between her teeth and was wrangling her curls so she could tie them back. That done, she put both hands to her throat. “Is that what I think it is?” She bit her bottom lip in excitement.

  Daniel set the brake and hopped down. “It sure is! By the first of October too. I was sure it would take longer.”

  She ran toward the wagon and gripped the sides. “I can’t believe it! This is what we’ve been waiting for.” She clapped her hands, and the sound filled the air.

  Whitney and Havyn came running from other areas of the farm, with John not far behind. Madysen skipped over to greet them, and though he couldn’t discern what they were saying, Daniel heard their delighted squeals.

  The thought of pleasing Madysen made his heart soar.

  John ate up the distance between them with his long strides and held out a hand to him. “Good to see you, Daniel. I hear you’ve brought our order.”

  “I think the people down in Seattle might have heard everyone’s excitement.” Edward, who drove the other wagon, made the men laugh.

  “True.” John shook his head. “These ladies are quite resonant.”

  Daniel quirked an eyebrow up.

  John stepped closer and lowered his voice. “It’s a musical term. Just go with it. I’ve learned too many of them now, I can’t help but use them all the time.”

  With a slap to John’s back, Daniel laughed. “You might need to teach me some of that.”

  “Will do.” He surveyed the wagons. “I’m sure to owe you a favor after all of this.”

  “Is the new kitchen finished?”

  “Yep. Finished it three days ago. We’re all ready to go.”

  “Then let’s unload.” Daniel rubbed his palms together.

  Between the three ladies and the five men, they had the two wagons unloaded in half an hour. Daniel pulled the bandana from his pocket and wiped sweat from his face as he surveyed the situation.

  “You guys take the other wagon and head back to town. I know you have work there. I’ll settle up with you tonight.” The men nodded and were on their way before Daniel had even turned back to John. He put his hands on his hips. “Where do you want to start?”

  John gestured to Madysen. “Well? You’re in charge of the sheep, thus in charge of this project too. So you just tell us what to do, and we’ll be your hired labor.”

  Havyn grabbed Whitney’s arm. “We’ll go make lunch while you work on it.”

  “Sounds good.” John called over his shoulder.

  Madysen led them back into the cheese kitchen. “We should probably make sure the stove gets up and running properly, then we should set up the tables, shelves, and workspaces. Then sort through all the other supplies.”

  “All right. I’ll work on the stove while you two work on the tables and such. Just beware, there will probably be some smoking since it’s never been used.” John looked at the monster of a new stove and rubbed his chin.

  Daniel crossed his arms and watched Madysen move about the room, tapping her chin. It made him want to chuckle. Stepping this way and that, she mumbled something under her breath. Then she touched her forehead. “I completely forgot! I made a diagram. I’ll be right back.”

  “Hey, Daniel, come help me move this just a couple inches forward.” John had his arms on one side of the stove.

  “This thing is massive. I hope we can do it by ourselves.” Daniel found good arm holds and looked to John.

  “On the count of three, move it toward the wall. We only need a little bit.”

  He and John grunted as they moved the cast-iron beast an inch. Huffing and gasping for air, they leaned over the stove.

  Daniel eyed John. “That enough?”

  “It’s going to have to be.” John let out a whoosh of air. “Because I don’t want to do that again.”

  “Got it!” Madysen chimed as she came back into the kitchen. “I paced off the space the other day so I would know where to put things.”

  “Very smart.” Daniel tried to look at the paper over her shoulder. Even after all the heavy lifting, he was eager to help her. “Where do you want to start?”

  Taking several steps, she counted out the length. “This is where we’ll put the main worktable.”

  They worked together until all the tables were in place, then he hung the shelves where she wanted them. Soon, all that was left was to sort the supplies. Getting down on their knees, they started unpacking all the crates.

  “I better get back to the cows. I’ll see you for lunch at the house?” John patted the stove. “She seems to be working just fine, but holler for me if you need me.”

  “Will do.” Daniel lifted sacks of salt out of a crate. Then he turned to Madysen. Why was it that his heart did a flip every chance they had to be alone together? “Have you figured out how to work your schedule? I know you were worried about that last time we talked.”

  “I have.” She let out a long sigh. “Thankfully, Amka has found us a few more people to help with all this new work. Inuksuk and Yutu are two of the men who will come three times a week to help. And then Amka’s sister Kireama will help out two days a week as well.”

  “That is wonderful news. And have you started to wean the lambs?”

  “Yes. And oh my goodness, isn’t that just heartbreaking?” She let her shoulders sag for a moment. “It’s hard to hear them wailing for one another.”

  “You’ll get used to it.” Her compassion was endearing, but Daniel loved her feistiness too. More than once, he’d gotten her riled just to watch. “And you know it’s for a purpose.”

  “Cheese!”

  “Yes, lots and lots of cheese.”

  “Apparently word has gotten out around town because we’re already getting more orders. They don’t even care which kind of cheese it is, they just know they want some.”

  Daniel gave her an embarrassed grin. “Should I not have been telling people about it? Dad already agreed to sell it in the store, so I thought that meant it was public knowledge.”

  “Oh, it’s fine.” She shrugged. “But I have to admit that it did make me feel a little worried and unprepared. What if we fail at this?”

  “You won’t fail. You guys are legendary.”

  “Rea
lly?” Her expression said she didn’t believe him.

  “Really. Why is that such a shock to you?”

  “I don’t know. Because we’re just normal people. A regular, hardworking family.”

  “Sure. A regular, hardworking family that also happens to have the only dairy and poultry farm in town, and probably has the three most beautiful and talented musicians in the whole country.” He stacked cans on one of the shelves and looked at the wall. He needed to rein in his mouth.

  Light laughter tempted him to look, but he kept stacking. One at a time.

  “Do you really think we’re the most talented in the whole country?”

  His neck felt hot. “Of course. I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t believe it.”

  They continued working for several minutes. Then she came up beside him and helped empty a large crate. “It was very kind of you to say. I guess I would rather not talk about myself right now. But Granny had a lot to say about you at lunch the other day.”

  He groaned. “She probably told you everything there is to know about my childhood. Hopefully there weren’t any embarrassing stories?”

  “No.” She patted his arm and stacked some clean towels on a shelf. “She thinks the world of you.”

  “It’s mutual.” But the more he thought about it, the more he worried that Granny had probably told Madysen the truth. About a lot of things. His heart sank to his feet. “She told you I’m not walking with God anymore, didn’t she?”

  Her hands stilled. “That’s not why I brought it up, Daniel. I promise. But yes, she told me. You and I had already touched on some of your thoughts, so it didn’t come as a shock.”

  Tension entered his throat. Best to prepare for the worst. “Does that mean we can’t be friends anymore?”

  She scrunched up her face and swatted at his arm. “Why on earth would you ask that? After all the conversations we’ve had?”

  “Because most people who call themselves Christians don’t want anything to do with a person who once knew the Lord and now wants nothing to do with Him.”

  She sat on the floor and gave him her full attention. “I find that hard to believe.”

  “It’s sad but true.”

  “That’s terrible. And not at all what Jesus told us to do.”

  He sat on the floor facing her. “Let me get this straight. You’re fine with being friends even knowing what you know? You’re not judging me?”

  “Of course we can be friends. And no, I’m not judging you.” Her feisty voice was back. “I can’t judge you. I don’t know your heart. Only God does.”

  “All right then. Let’s not talk about it.”

  She held up a hand. “Now that’s not fair. Especially if we’re friends. Look, I don’t want to offend you, but as friends—and I truly mean that, you are a good friend—getting to know you has made me think about something.”

  “Dare I ask?”

  “It sounds like you had a wonderful family. Your heart was broken when your mother and grandfather died, and you were young. Your relationship with God was still in its infancy. You, like all of us when we’re young, probably based that relationship on the relationships the members of your family had with God. So when you got angry at God for what felt like Him taking away your family, you thought you couldn’t have a relationship with Him anymore. How could you without a strong faith of your own to fall back on? You didn’t know what to do, so you walked away.”

  “Yes, I walked away. I trusted God. Put my faith in Him. And He let me down.” As much as he tried not to allow it, agitation filled his voice. A change of subject was in order. “I don’t want to talk about that anymore. I hear you all went to see the new show in town?”

  Madysen tilted her head and studied him for several seconds. Her soft look changed to hurt, and she looked down at the floor, then back to him. Her smile was different now. Forced? “We did. And I thought it was absolutely brilliant.”

  “Oh. Well, Mr. Merrick has been in the store several times, and he does nothing but sing your praises. It’s almost like he wishes you were part of his show.” The thought was ludicrous.

  Her eyes brightened. “Really?” She put both hands on his arm and got to her feet. Daniel rose as well. “Oh, wouldn’t that be glorious? To sing and play for different crowds all around the world!”

  He rolled his eyes and turned back to the inventory.

  “I saw that, Daniel Beaufort.” Her tone had changed. She was miffed at him. Good grief.

  “Saw what? I didn’t do anything.” He placed the last few items on the shelf. No matter what he said, he couldn’t make this better. Especially since she seemed enamored with that silly show.

  “I saw you roll your eyes. You obviously don’t think much of Mr. Merrick and his show.”

  The conversation wasn’t going the way he wanted it to go. “Let’s not talk about that. Do you know how to milk the ewes?”

  “You like to change topics, don’t you? It might help if you gave folks a list of what they can and can’t talk about with you. Is that the way you always work with your friends? If so, maybe we can’t be friends.”

  Whoa. Where had that come from? “Now wait a minute.”

  “No, you wait a minute. You may think it’s acceptable to go around sulking and brooding because God didn’t make your life all roses and cherries. You may even convince yourself that you have a right to ignore Him because of it. You may also think that Mr. Merrick or his show isn’t worth a second glance, and that’s fine. I am of a firm opinion that everyone is entitled to think whatever he or she chooses. But when you desire friendship with me, that doesn’t give you the right to dictate to me what I can and can’t talk about or care about. Understand?” She put her hands on her hips, her expression fierce.

  No one had ever been bold enough to push back with him. Even Dad backed away when Daniel demanded he not talk about God.

  Demanded.

  He had been making a lot of demands lately. “I’m sorry. You’re right. I don’t have the right to dictate what you can talk about.”

  “Friends ought to be honest with each other and talk about anything. Sometimes lingering on the uncomfortable places in your life will help you get over them faster. Sometimes not talking about them will actually make the problem bigger. I know because I have a lot of uncomfortable things going on right now, and I think I’ve made a bigger mess of them by burying them.” Her expression softened. “I like you, Daniel. Your friendship has been an unexpected surprise, and I cherish it. Your help with the sheep has been wonderful too. But I won’t walk around on eggshells trying to figure out what I can and can’t say to you. So if you want to be my friend, and I hope you do, I would like you to try trusting me with those uncomfortable places in your life.”

  He dared a question of his own. “Will you trust me with yours?”

  Madysen didn’t hesitate. “It may seem silly, but yes. I will.”

  “All right then, I’ll trust you.”

  “And you won’t try to shut me up or storm off when you feel out of sorts or annoyed?”

  She was asking for more than he’d ever been willing to give, but somehow it seemed right, and he knew she would guard his heart and not seek to damage him further.

  “I promise. It might be hard at first, and you’ll have to be patient with me.”

  She nodded. “And you with me.” She grinned. “I can be very trying at times.”

  He laughed out loud, and the heaviness of the moment passed. “I’ll bet you can be.”

  “Now what was that you asked me about the sheep?”

  He had to pause a moment to remember. “Oh, do you know how to milk the ewes?”

  She wiped her hands on her apron. “No, I can’t say that I’ve learned that yet.”

  “Well, since we’re done here, why don’t we head over to the milking shed, and I will help you learn. With the lambs being weaned, you’re going to need to know.”

  They walked out of the kitchen and around to the milking side of the bui
lding.

  He was looking forward to this. “I was quite an expert at milking the sheep when I was younger.”

  She laughed. “Oh? Well, how hard can it be, right? I know how to milk cows. Should I go get a stool?”

  He chuckled at her. “No stool. But we will need a head gate. It will keep the ewes from maneuvering around while they’re being milked. Otherwise you’d have to tie them off and hope for the best.”

  “That sounds a bit challenging.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll help John build one. And if we build a ramp up to the head gate, that will help so the milker can have the ewe at a height that won’t require bending over.”

  She walked to the far end of the milking shed. “Would this be a good place for it?”

  “Brilliant! That’s the perfect place for it.”

  A wide grin filled her face. “I’m actually full of brilliant ideas. What do you need to build it? Do you think we could get it done today?”

  “Build what?” John entered the shed. “I came back to let you know lunch is ready, but if we need something else built, you’d better tell me quick. Supplies will be hard to get once the harbor freezes.”

  Daniel explained everything he’d told Madysen. John nodded and scribbled on a notepad. “I’m sure glad you’re here, Daniel. There’s a lot we need to learn when it comes to Maddy’s sheep. I’ll grab the supplies from the other barn after we eat, and we can start right away.”

  Madysen bounced on her toes. “Will there still be time for you to teach me how to milk them today?”

  “Sure, we can definitely get started once we get the gate and ramp built.” Her excitement was such a delight.

  “Oh, this is going to be so much fun!” She came over and gave his arm a pat. “Thanks for all your help with my sheep. I know you haven’t exactly had the greatest experience with them—or with me.”

  He grinned. “But you’re worth it.”

  She blinked several times, then looked away. “Once we get the milking under way and all the lambs weaned, how long will it take for cheese production?”

  “Not too long. Just depends on the variety of cheese and how long you want to age some of them.”