Mountain Man (Book 2): Homecoming

by Jones, Nathan

  Her excitement only increased when they crested a low shoulder at the mouth of Tom's valley, which provided a good vantage for them to look up at their new home. Kristy wasn't the only one who couldn't help but pause to admire the incredible view when she got there.

  The valley, which was surprisingly green considering the desolate landscape that lay just behind them, was nestled snugly between two tall ridges, their steep, heavily forested slopes leading down to a decent sized stream cutting along the bottom. On the eastern side the slope ran right down to the water for the most part, with no good trails or easy paths, but on the western side it gentled out in several places, including a large meadow that began not far from them near the bottom, another closer to the top, and a long, narrow flat closer to the center.

  On the slopes above the flat marched a series of low cliffs, more than halfway obscured by trees from below. If the mountain man's description was accurate, his lodge would be in two connected caves at the bottom of those cliffs.

  “This is your home, huh?” Kristy asked Tom as he paused beside her, taking his hand and twining her fingers through his.

  “Home sweet home,” he agreed. “What do you think, seem like a place you could live?”

  Actually, it did. “It's beautiful.”

  The mountain man seemed pleased as he gestured to the flat below the cliffs. “Especially when you imagine what we could build there.”

  He obviously meant the ranch, still keeping the idea between them since the others were around. Kristy could imagine that flat filled with neatly arranged barns, sheds, and corrals, with a cabin for the Hendricksons down near the stream. And she could imagine animals grazing in the meadows, and sitting on horseback watching over them.

  After a minute or two Tom gently squeezed her hand, then disentangled his fingers and started forward. “Come on. Won't be long now.”

  It wasn't, only another couple hours or so to make their way down the shoulder, up to the lower meadow, and past it to the flat. There Tom unbuckled his pack with a relieved groan and let it slide to the ground, and they all copied him with their own noises of relief. Vicky ran off to the privacy of a nearby copse of trees.

  Kristy was eager to see the winter lodge, her new home, but the mountain man insisted on unloading the animals and caring for them first. Then, even when the two horses and mule were grazing contentedly, he still hesitated, seeming almost reluctant. “Should we get lunch going?” he asked.

  “After you give us a tour of your home,” she replied, throwing an arm around Skyler's shoulders and hugging him close.

  Tom very nearly sighed, but nodded and slung the bundle of definitely gifts he'd purchased from Brady over one shoulder. “All right, then.” He started across the flat towards a narrow, barely visible trail leading up the treacherous, heavily forested and deadfall choked slope to the base of the cliffs above. But rather than starting right up, he paused at the bottom and turned to look at her, gray eyes thoughtful.

  If Kristy didn't know better she would've thought he looked uncertain, maybe even nervous. “What?”

  He cleared his throat. “Small disclaimer,” he began sheepishly. “Just so you know what to expect when it comes to my lodge.”

  Uh oh. She hadn't taken much time to consider what the place might be like. “I'm sure it's fine,” she assured him. Please, please let it be fine.

  The mountain man scratched the back of his head beneath his hat. “It's just that I left it in a hurry when Si-” he cut off, probably realizing she didn't want to hear the man's name, “when I got hired to guide the convoy. And I pulled some of the furs and other amenities out to use as trade items when we reached Newpost.”

  Kristy was getting a more and more ominous feeling about this. He'd already told her he lived in a snug little cave he'd cozied up for harsh mountain winters, and she'd done her best to imagine it as a charming and rustic home he'd worked tirelessly to make luxurious, for a given value of luxury. Like a cabin with rock walls.

  What if he was, in fact, living in a cave? A cave cave, that is; she had a sudden awful mental image of blankets tossed on a stone floor, a crude circle of rocks for a fire pit, and some bundles of sticks with huge gaps between them haphazardly stacked across the entrance that did nothing to keep out cold winter winds.

  Were her initial misgivings about following Tom up into the mountains, way back when she'd asked him on the last leg of the trip to Newpost what life as a mountain man was like, correct? What had she gotten herself into?

  Well, no sense panicking until she'd actually seen if there was cause. “Everyone knows it's easier to decorate an empty house,” she said, doing her best to sound upbeat. She started up the hill, Skyler at her heels. “Let's see what we're working with.”

  The mountain man reluctantly followed, seeming to notice the difficulty they had scaling the steep slope. “I plan to find a lot of good flat stones and turn this into proper rock stairs,” he mentioned. “It'll never be an easy climb, but that should help.”

  She certainly hoped so, since between the tangled deadfall, deep bed of pine needles often covering slippery mud, and densely packed trees, the trail was barely passable. Which she supposed helped keep his home hidden from trespassers, but also didn't bode well for what she'd find.

  To her relief, when they neared the cliffs and she got her first sight of the lodge, she saw that at least the drafty bundles of sticks she'd imagined covering the entrance weren't a thing: the walls of the place were sturdy logs, well chinked with clay from the stream, with a solid door on leather hinges with a string latch. It wasn't exactly pretty, but at least it looked carefully built.

  Kristy was surprised to see that the latch string, a long strip of braided rawhide, was out, and confirmed what that meant by cracking open the door. “You left it unlocked?” she asked worriedly.

  Tom snorted. “My biggest protection here has always been secrecy . . . in the event someone did find this place while I was gone, I figured it would be easier to replace whatever they stole than fix the door after they broke it down. Especially since they'd steal things anyway.”

  He pointed down the slope, at an angle from the trail they'd climbed up. “That's also why I cache my most valuable possessions when I head out to wander the Southwest. Speaking of which, I need to dig those up now. Lots of the amenities you're probably hoping to find will be in there, or stowed in the back room of the cave where it's drier. And for the rest-”

  He abruptly cut off, unconsciously hefting the bundle he carried. Kristy hoped that whatever he'd purchased could work a miracle on the disaster she was now certain she'd find behind this door.

  Well, no sense putting this off any longer. Taking a deep breath, she pushed the door open and stepped inside.

  She found herself in a shallow entry cave, only eight feet wide at its deepest and about ten feet long. On the left side, a more simple wall and a door closed the entry off from the second room for more efficient heating. According to Tom, that room was a slightly deeper cave that was roughly ten feet deep but only eight wide. On the right side of the entry room was a nook barely big enough for sleeping in, which she assumed was Tom's bed. Although at the moment it was just bare stone.

  As for the room itself, it had a stacked rock fireplace in a natural chimney in the cliff, which opened out to narrow cracks that would allow ventilation. Near the fireplace was a simple shelf piled with a few cooking items, pans, and utensils that were all worn but clean. Near the middle of the room a small table, maybe enough for two people, was pushed against the inner wall with a single chair. Aside from it and the shelf, there was no furniture she could see.

  Kristy looked around, struggling to keep her face blank as her fears were confirmed. She'd half hoped that when Tom warned her about this place, it had been kind of like the way rich people said stuff like, “Sorry this richly decorated parlor hasn't been refurnished this year.” Humblebragging, that sort of thing.

  It was just that, well, the man was so incredibly compete
nt on the trail, with all the equipment he needed for a journey, and knowing just what to do to make things easy and comfortable. Or at least as much so as possible. She'd sort of hoped that he'd been hiding a cozy place, complete with stove and beds with mattresses and candles and all the trimmings.

  “I know, it needs work,” Tom said, looking even more embarrassed. Possibly a bit ashamed.

  Kristy's heart went out to him. He'd opened up his home to her, and it wasn't as if he'd had a chance to come and prepare it in advance before her arrival. This was how he'd been content to live, and it was selfish of her to expect things to be better for herself.

  Besides, it wasn't that bad. It was snug, which meant it would be easy to keep warm in winter. And the deeper cave that he used for storage, and according to him where he'd stabled Horse during the worst storms and coldest nights, could easily be made into another room.

  “It has potential,” she told him, resting a hand on his arm.

  His look was somewhere between wry and grateful. “Well, that's probably the best I could've hoped for.”

  “What a dump!”

  Kristy fought the urge to slap her forehead, whirling on her son, who was standing in the doorway staring in at the lodge. “Skyler!” she scolded.

  But to her relief Tom just laughed, seeming more at ease now that the reality of the place's less than ideal condition had been acknowledged. “It's kept me alive for several years now, but I can't say it's done much more than that.” He leaned against his table, which if roughly carved at least seemed sturdy. “Want to hear a secret?”

  Skyler nodded cautiously.

  “Well, in the days of the Wild West you'd find a lot of men going out into the wilds to seek a new life. The ones that found a way to survive long term did all right, but guess what?” Her son just stared at him, waiting, and the mountain man snorted. “Most of the time, they'd reach a certain level of comfort, just what they could stand day to day, and for efficiency's sake they'd call that good.”

  “How is that a secret?” Skyler asked.

  Tom glanced at Kristy, looking sheepish again, and she realized where he was going with this. And probably that he'd realized she might think it was presumptuous. “He hasn't got to the important part,” she told her son. “That if those men living on their own ever decided to get married and start a family, they changed their situation right quick. Suddenly what was good enough wasn't good enough, and they started paying a lot more attention to making things as comfortable as possible.”

  “Not necessarily married,” the mountain man hedged. “Just if they happened to find women and children living among them.” Kristy did her best not to roll her eyes, although some of her impatience at his cautious nature must've shown through because he coughed and hastily added. “But it's true . . . women bring civilization with them.” He clapped his hands. “Which means we've got our work cut out for us, doesn't it?”

  “I'll say,” Skyler muttered.

  “You already did.” Tom turned to her with a rueful smile, hefting the mysterious bundle he'd purchased at Brady's that morning. “On that note, I got a few things which should hopefully help make this place livable.”

  Kristy followed him to the table, where he set the bundle down and unrolled it, revealing the contents. As planned, she did her best to look suitably surprised and delighted at his gifts; although just as she'd hoped, the latter wasn't difficult.

  Neatly packed inside the bundle were things like candles, soap, plates and cups, and utensils, dishcloths and towels, heavy cloth sacks that could be filled with grass or other soft materials to make mattresses and pillowcases, a bigger cooking pot, and several other amenities.

  On impulse she threw her arms around Tom, secretly enjoying his pleased embarrassment. She could've kissed him right then. “Thank you, Tom. You didn't have to do this.”

  “But I'm glad you did!” Skyler piped up, making them both laugh. The boy trailed his fingers across the items, one of which was a skinning knife in its own sheath which to his delight Tom confirmed was for him.

  The mountain man hugged her back for several enjoyable seconds, looking down at her so intently she felt her heart begin to race, certain he was finally going to kiss her. But maybe having Skyler there embarrassed him, or his cautious nature won through, because he eventually stepped back with some reluctance and cleared his throat.

  “Let's go get lunch, then we can show the Hendricksons the lodge and get started fixing it up. I figure you guys can all share it, split your families between the two rooms, and I'll camp out on the flat.”

  The offer was generous, but she couldn't help but feel guilty. “We can't kick you out of your home!” she protested.

  The mountain man snorted. “Sure you can . . . I'm no stranger to sleeping outdoors. Besides, it'll only be temporary while we build a cabin for the Hendricksons.” He hesitated, then continued in an almost questioning tone. “And, uh, one for you and Skyler.”

  Kristy immediately shook her head firmly, looking around the humble cave. “No, Tom. Bob and Vicky will want their own place, of course. But if you're willing to have us, this is our new home.”

  With him.

  Chapter Three

  Laying Foundations

  Tom was up early the next morning, wanting to get out into the mountains and set snares, maybe do some hunting. Although admittedly, it hadn't been easy to drag himself out of his tent.

  They'd been up late the previous night, after a busy day of work just to make things suitable for short term living as they made longer-term plans, especially for the winter. That involved thoroughly cleaning out his winter lodge, dusting and sweeping and even washing the rock walls, hanging up the few remaining furs he had left in the living spaces to insulate them from the stone drawing the heat away, and stuffing grass into the straw ticks and pillows.

  That last had been fun for the kids, who were assigned the task of going to the lower meadow and gathering up huge armfuls of grass to bring back. It also helped give the adults a reprieve from finding them things to do as they ran and played underfoot, or reluctantly helped with the less enjoyable tasks.

  After a bit of conversation about sleeping situations, with the Hendricksons also reluctant to boot Tom from his home when he'd adamantly insisted he'd sleep outside, they'd agreed that Kristy and Skyler would sleep in the entry room, Kristy in the sleeping nook and Skyler on a temporary bed near the fireplace that could be moved out of the way every day, while Bob and Vicky and Lisa would take the back room.

  While the two families got to work unpacking their things, Tom spent a few hours clearing away the path up the steep slope from the flat to the winter lodge. In lieu of a rock stair, he also used a shovel to gouge out proper steps. He didn't finish even that in time to make things easier for his guests struggling to bring their meager possessions up the mountainside, but at least they could use them in the future.

  There was still plenty to do to make things comfortable inside, and Kristy had hinted, looking apologetic considering the pains he'd taken to buy his gifts for her and her son, that when they had more funds available they'd need to purchase a few more things if they could find them. Stuff he hadn't even considered, and apparently neither had Brady, or at least hadn't suggested.

  Well, if Miles's cache panned out he'd buy her anything she wanted. Or, well, she'd buy herself; he still had a hard time reconciling her husband's treasure as being his, even though he'd kept up his end of the deal to earn it.

  Along with making the lodge livable, they'd also needed to create a small, simple fenced in area for the horses and mule. It had taken some work to get the fence strong enough that the animals wouldn't simply nudge their way through a weak point and wander off, although the end result certainly hadn't been anything fancy. Still, it would do until they could make a proper corral and barn.

  Tom had plans there, to build to accommodate far more than three beasts of burden. Something he'd have to bring up with the others once they got to that point.
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  In any case, between all the preparations to be done just to have beds and shelter ready for everyone before full dark, they'd been so busy that he once again hadn't had a chance to watch the sunset with Kristy like usual. After making it their routine for weeks now, he missed those quiet few minutes with the young woman more than he'd expected.

  Hopefully, now that they were here things would settle down and it could become a habit again, even if it meant climbing all the way across the valley to the eastern slope, or at least down to the flat, to find a good vantage for watching the sun set behind the mountainside the winter lodge was on.

  Which was all to say it had been a late night and now an early morning, but Tom couldn't complain. He was eager to get back to his usual routine, and looked forward bringing Skyler along for the morning's work to show him the ropes, get him a good start on his new life in the mountains. The boy had seemed eager at the prospect on the trip here, and to be honest Tom was kind of looking forward to teaching him.

  So he climbed up the slightly less treacherous path to his winter lodge to fetch the kid. But just as he was about to open the door he abruptly paused, reconsidering.

  An early start was all fine and dandy, and it would do Skyler a world of good to plunge immediately into life in the mountains. What he'd failed to take into account, though, was that his lodge was currently being occupied by four other people who might not be as eager about an early start. All of whom, it had to be said, were in a fragile state after what they'd been through. Not to mention exhausted after a long journey and still adjusting to their new circumstances here.

  Tom barging in at the crack of dawn wouldn't do much for frayed nerves.

  Then there was the whole issue of privacy; his home wasn't currently his, so it would be polite to knock instead of just walking in. Except knocking would certainly wake everyone up and get them all in a bad mood.

  Well, shoot. He settled back on his heels, staring at the dark outline of the door in the dim predawn glow.