Winds of Change (The Surveyor's Daughters Book 4)

by Vicki Hunt Budge

  Mrs. Stribling held the dusty letters to her chest as though the contents were priceless. “These letters are from years ago. I’ve got all her current letters from the past ten or so years in my bed chamber.”

  Mrs. Stribling wiped a few tears from her eyes, and once the bundle of letters was secured in her dress pocket, they all traipsed down the stairs, closing the attic door behind them. It was getting late, and Cora wondered if Mrs. Stribling would now ask her to read the old letters from her sister. The older woman was known to have one of the Gardner girls read her sister’s newest letters out loud to her. She claimed that hearing a young voice read the letters took her back to her younger days when she and her sister would spend hours talking in their bed chamber late at night.

  “Rolla, are you really going to donate these beautiful gowns to Margie and Rose?” Cora asked, when they reached the parlor. She hoped to guide Mrs. Stribling’s attention back to the gowns, instead of the letters. “These gowns must bring back so many precious memories.”

  “Most certainly I am,” Mrs. Stribling answered. “I want my gowns to help create wonderful memories for other young ladies.” She pulled the packet of letters from her pocket. “I’ll have hours of memories to relive for the next few evenings when I read these old letters and eat your mother’s wonderful bread and jam. The memories won’t all be sweet, mind you. Life has had its ups and its downs over the years for both my sister and I, but you don’t give up when life hurls hard times at you. You simply cling to your faith, to your loved ones, and move forward. What are gowns compared to having loved ones to share life’s struggles with?”

  It was a huge relief when Mrs. Stribling indicated that she was going to read her sister’s letters over the next few evenings. “Thank you so much for helping the Howell sisters and for a fun afternoon,” Cora said, thinking it best to hurry and leave Mrs. Stribling to enjoy her letters.

  Mrs. Stribling brought out a well-worn sheet and helped Cora wrap the gowns in the sheet and tie it securely with twine. They hadn’t finished too long before Charlie returned and carried the gowns out to the carriage, securing them in the back.

  “Now I want you girls to have these gloves and pearls,” Mrs. Stribling said, as she and the Gardner girls stood near the door in her entryway. Her offer caused both of Cora’s sisters to light up as though they had discovered hidden treasure. “You can dress up with them now, or save them for a few more years and wear them when you want to impress some unsuspecting boy.”

  Fern and Beth broke into giggles once again as they accepted their gifts.

  “The pearls, at least, will continue to grow in value,” Mrs. Stribling said. “My Walter only bought the best for me. I’ll spare you the slippers. I’m sure you don’t want to put your petite feet in where my big sweaty ones have been. Come and see me again soon, and we’ll see what else we can find that might interest you. Now that you know the secret to keeping spiders away, it won’t be so frightening when we climb the stairs and invade their territory.”

  The girls thanked Mrs. Stribling amid plenty more giggles. Cora gave her a hug before ushering her sisters out the door. She was anxious to deliver the gowns to Margie and Rose so they could get started bright and early redesigning their first donated gowns.

  Mrs. Stribling followed everyone out to the carriage. The last thing she said caused Charlie to turn several shades of red. “We need to find you a wife, Charlie Gardner. It’s dangerous for a good-looking young man like you to still be running around free.”

  Cora and her sisters had a good laugh at Charlie’s expense. Then they waved to Mrs. Stribling when Charlie headed the horses through town. Cora sat close beside her brother and enjoyed the ride toward home. A raccoon scampered across the road and a herd of deer grazed on the edge of a field. Everyone seemed to be caught up in their own thoughts and enjoying the peace and quiet of the countryside. Cora couldn’t help feeling gratitude for all of her siblings and her parents. Charlie was her oldest sister’s twin, and four years older than Cora. Even though he was a huge tease to all the Gardner girls, he was a stalwart in their lives. She couldn’t imagine life without his staunch support.

  As the wagon rolled down the dusty road and the sun lowered in the western sky, Cora thought about Mrs. Stribling and her sister, how they had supported each other throughout the years, even through difficult times. She thought about Horatio Nelson Jackson and his mechanic out in the hot, dusty desert somewhere and wondered how badly they missed their loved ones.

  Her thoughts then turned to Gideon and his close-knit family with their strong wagon-making traditions and their wayzgoose celebrations. If the automobile did replace the horse and buggy in the next few years, and orders for farm wagons and rural mail wagons dropped off, it would devastate their whole family. What would happen to their family business then?

  For Cora, bantering with Gideon about automobiles had simply been a fun activity and an endeavor to win him to her way of thinking. Until now. Now that Horatio Nelson Jackson was well on his way to proving the worth of the automobile, she considered the ramifications of Jackson’s success. Progress would stop for no one, not even if it left an entire family in ruins. She could goad Gideon about turning to something in the automobile trade all she wanted, but the truth was, his heart was clinging to his family traditions.

  Cora’s cheeks burned with shame as the sun slipped behind the mountains and the sky burst with hues of orange and red. How could she have selfishly lectured Gideon this past year with no thought for his feelings? Her only thought had been to prove that she was right. Cora determined to never argue with Gideon about the automobile again. He was probably worried sick as it was.

  The question lingered and brought its own kind of anguish. She loved Gideon, but did she really want to marry someone who insisted on staying in a declining occupation? Would someone with an open mind be a better suit? Someone like Milo Henderson?

  6

  Tuesday afternoon, Gideon set his tools aside and saddled Thor for a quick ride out to the swimming hole. A good ride before supper was just the thing he needed. Gideon hadn’t seen Cora since Sunday and he was finding that two days without seeing her was two days too many. It seemed like all he did nowadays was work, work, work and long to be with Cora. All day while he worked on the wagon wheel he was making, he kept thinking of the Saturday night dance, and how Milo Henderson had captured Cora’s attention with his news of Jackson’s road trip. Milo knew everything there was to know about Jackson’s whereabouts and didn’t mind dominating the evening by talking about it.

  Gideon had been so happy when the conversation turned to the Howell girls and their plan to open a dress shop. Especially when Cora became excited about their plans. He hoped Cora became so interested in the new dress shop that she’d quit thinking about Jackson and his automobile so much. He hoped he would quit thinking about Jackson and his automobile so much. The guy was destined to fail, just as two other attempts to cross the nation in an automobile had failed. Jackson had been on the road for eighteen days now and still wasn’t in Idaho. Gideon just wanted life to go on in Clover Creek as it had since he’d been a scrawny kid, with one exception. The exception was that he and Cora would marry and settle into the cabin he planned to build.

  Worrying about Jackson’s road trip was absurd, but Gideon still couldn’t put it out of his mind. No one could drive an automobile clear across the country when there was nothing but dirt roads and cow trails. The guy was rich, used to an easy life, and bound to give up when things got tougher. Nevertheless, when Gideon rode Thor out of the barn, he turned toward the newspaper office instead of toward the swimming hole. As much as he didn’t want to think about Jackson’s road trip, if he had any hope of impressing Cora as Milo did, he needed to find out what was going on.

  Gideon left Thor at the hitching post in front of the newspaper office and tipped his hat to two ladies walking by on the boardwalk. He was almost afraid to walk inside and ask about Jackson’s whereabouts. He hadn’t heard a
nything since Sunday. He secretly hoped Jackson and his mechanic had had more breakdowns. Or ran out of money. Or been given more bad directions and lost more travel days. Anything to get the guy to give up and take the train back to Vermont.

  As much as he didn’t think Jackson and his mechanic had a chance to succeed, and as much as he didn’t want them to, they were getting closer to the Idaho border. Once they reached the old Oregon trail and the railroad lines in Idaho, they would have better access to parts and supplies, plus better roads. Their ability to travel faster and reach their goal was bound to increase. Gideon clenched his jaw, agonized at the possibility.

  Truthfully, Gideon was worried about more than Jackson’s success. The average man couldn’t afford an automobile, but what if that somehow changed? There was something fascinating about the horseless carriage for so many people. Perhaps everyone would want one if they became affordable. If Cora had been right all along, and the automobile became more popular than the horse, what would happen to his family?

  “Good afternoon,” Gideon said to Mr. Weston and Jake upon entering the newspaper office.

  “Well, hi there, Gideon,” Mr. Weston said. “Are you here to find out where Horatio Nelson Jackson is? If so, you’re about the twentieth person to walk through that door today and inquire.”

  “Do you know where he is?”

  Mr. Weston chuckled. “Not exactly, but we know he finally made it to Vale, Oregon. He had some kind of trouble and had to backtrack somewhere along the way to find more fuel. We’re just waiting for word of his whereabouts before we print our latest edition. This road trip of Jackson’s has been the best thing for newspaper sales since James Jeffries KO’d Bob Fitzsimmons last summer for the heavyweight boxing title.”

  “Vale, huh? So close to Idaho.” Gideon’s voice did not hide his disappointment. “Do you think he’s going to make it into Idaho soon?”

  “Absolutely!” Jake said, grinning his enthusiasm. “Nothing will stop him now!”

  “Do you think he’ll make it all the way to New York?”

  Mr. Weston rubbed his chin. “At first I figured Jackson was simply an upper-cruster who lords his wealth over others and who’d walk away from his automobile when things got tough. But he’s already been through the worst of it with all his breakdowns and lost time, and he hasn’t given up yet. Honestly, I’m starting to change my mind. If he makes it through Idaho and Wyoming, he’ll go all the way for sure. The roads are so much better in the midwest. I don’t think Jackson cares about winning his bet so much as he cares about forward thinking for this great nation of ours, and him wanting to be a big part of it. He is wealthy. If all he cared about was money, he would have quit by now.”

  “You’re right,” Gideon said with a heavy sigh. He headed for the door. “Thanks for sharing your news. I’d better get back to work.”

  Once outside, Gideon mounted Thor and turned him toward the swimming hole. “Vale,” he said again. “If Jackson was in Vale when the news came in, he’s in Idaho by now. Has to be.” As Thor ambled down the street, Gideon thought of Cora. If she knew Jackson was in Idaho, she would be ecstatic. In fact, if she knew Jackson was in Idaho, she would have already rushed over to the wheelwright barn to share the news.

  Suddenly, Gideon forgot about his work and the swimming hole. He turned Thor around and took off at a gallop toward the Gardner homestead. If Cora didn’t know Jackson had made it to that little community next to the Idaho border, he wanted to be the one to tell her. As the wind whipped against his face, he wished he had asked Mr. Weston if Milo Henderson had been in earlier to hear the news. If Milo had been in, he would have ridden out to Cora’s homestead to take her the news. Gideon was sure of it.

  After a short time, Gideon stopped at the creek to let Thor drink and have a rest. He walked his horse the rest of the way until he drew near the Gardner homestead. Then he gave Thor free rein. Gunner, the Gardner’s dog, met them half way to the house, barking and carrying on as though Gideon might be a highwayman. As Gideon pulled up to the house, he smiled, realizing there was no sign of the banker’s carriage. His smile broadened when Cora stepped out the house, a totally surprised look on her face.

  “Gideon! What brings you out this way?”

  Gideon dismounted and petted Gunner, taking time to scratch behind the dog’s ears and down his neck. “I wondered if you’d heard the latest about Jackson,” he said casually, a slow grin spreading across his face.

  Cora rushed from the porch and reached for Gideon’s arm. “I haven’t heard anything since Sunday,” she said. “What have you heard?”

  “Well, the Westons don’t know where he is for sure, but they know he made it to Vale and is probably in Idaho by now. I thought you’d like to know.”

  “Oh, thank you, Gideon! This is the best news ever!” Cora threw her arms around him and kissed his cheek. Then, after turning a rosy red, she backed away with a shy smile and motioned for him to come and sit on the porch next to her. “You’re so thoughtful for coming all the way out here to tell me. We’ve been canning plums and rhubarb so I couldn’t leave and go to town.”

  Gideon mentally kicked himself for not returning Cora’s hug. He could still smell the sweet fragrance of roses in her hair. There she was, practically in his arms, and he’d been too stunned to return the affection.

  “Do you know which way Jackson’s taking through Idaho?” Cora asked. “I want to go watch him drive his automobile through our state so badly.”

  Gideon blinked, trying to clear his mind of her lips on his cheek. What was her question? “Uh, oh yes, the Westons said Jackson’s planning to follow the original Oregon Trail through southern Idaho, heading for Wyoming. So, we’d have to travel south of here to see him.”

  Cora frowned. “I wish he’d take the northern route, and come through Clover Creek, but I know that’s out of his way.”

  “Another problem with us having to travel south to see him, is that we won’t know the exact time when he’ll drive through certain towns. I’d like to take the time off from my work and accompany you to go see him, but I don’t know if I can take a whole day off. And even if I do, we might sit around just waiting and waiting and somehow miss him.”

  “I can’t wait to see his automobile!” Cora said.

  Gideon rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, speaking of work, I need to get on back to the barn. Ma will have supper ready and then I’ve got a wheel to finish.”

  When Gideon stood, Cora joined him, taking hold of his arm. “Thank you, Gideon, for thinking of me.”

  A reddish color crept into her face, and Gideon wondered if she was thinking about kissing his cheek. He certainly was. He hoped she’d do it again. Instead, she smiled and stepped back, watching him mount Thor.

  Suddenly Cora held up her hand and motioned for him for him to wait. She ran into the house, and when she returned, she held out a jar of bottled rhubarb. “I think you’ll love a dish of this with some bread and butter,” she said.

  Gideon reached down for the jar and wrapped his fingers around her hands as he did so. “I know I will,” he said. Neither of them moved their hands for several moments. Gideon wanted to get back off Thor and sweep her into his arms like he should have done only a few minutes ago. But finally, Cora slipped her fingers away from his, and gave him a most endearing smile.

  “I’ll be thinking of you when I eat this rhubarb,” he said.

  Cora backed away, a glow radiating from her face. “I’m coming into town Thursday to clean house for Mrs. Stribling,” she said. “If you can get away, come over and have dinner with us. I always fix dinner for Mrs. Stribling when I clean.”

  “Thursday, huh? I’ll be there.” Gideon cradled the jar of rhubarb like a baby as he nudged Thor forward. He turned and waved, and Cora waved back. He had the most serene feeling as Thor trotted toward town. His serene feeling didn’t even disappear when he saw Milo Henderson’s carriage racing toward him. He waved, and Milo waved back.

  “You’re too late,
Milo,” Gideon said as Milo passed him. With a chuckle, he swatted at the dust that filled the air. “I already told her the news and received the sweet reward.”

  Gideon and Thor went on down the road, Gideon cradling his jar of rhubarb and thinking about Cora’s kiss.

  7

  Two days later, Cora stopped at the neighbor’s home on the way into Clover Creek to clean for Mrs. Stribling. The sun, still low in the eastern sky, promised another beautiful day, and the air smelled like lilacs and freshly cut alfalfa. Cora had talked to the Gardners’ closest neighbor on Sunday, and told Mrs. Tanner about the Howell sister’s plan for their dress shop. Mrs. Tanner had requested that she stop by to pick up her outgrown dresses.

  “Come in, my dear,” Mrs. Tanner said when she opened her front door. She led Cora into her parlor where two of her former best dresses and one dark blue skirt lay across the sofa. She scooped a lovely pink pastel with red and pink applique into her arms and caressed it. “Oh, I hate to part with this dress. This dress was like a dear friend to me. I always felt so pretty when I wore it.”

  “Mrs. Tanner, if you’d rather not—”

  Mrs. Tanner laid the dress in Cora’s arms. “Don’t give it another thought, my dear,” she said, standing back and placing her hands on her hips. “I’m just a silly old lady being sentimental, that’s all. As much as I love this dress, I’ll never lose all this weight I’ve gained and fit into it in a hundred years. Why, the seams aren’t even wide enough for one of the Howell girls to remake it for me.”

  “You’re very generous,” Cora said, not knowing what else to say.

  “The material is in perfect condition, and I’m sure those girls can gussy this up with a newer style and trimming.” Mrs. Tanner stood back and eyed the dress as though she had visions of her own about how the remade dress would look. “I was tempted to snip all these mother-of-pearl buttons off and keep them, but I decided not to.”