Captain Jones came riding up to speak to Pa. “We need to get down this steep rocky hill and we will be at Village Creek. You can buy potatoes there.”
“Della did you hear that? You will be able to cook me some spuds tomorrow.”
“I live for your pleasure, Paddy. The highlight of my day is cooking potato mash for you.”
The group laughed at the antics between her parents but Becky couldn’t smile. More than anything she wanted Scott to love her as much as her pa loved her ma. She couldn’t imagine her pa letting something like revenge come between him and his missus.
“How much?” Becky asked.
“Nine dollars a bushel.”
Becky gasped. “What are they made of? Gold?”
Scott chuckled at her attitude but stopped as she looked at him crossly.
“Don’t shoot the messenger. I didn’t set the prices.”
“I hope you told him we wouldn’t pay. That’s robbery,” Becky wrinkled her nose in disgust.
“Sure I did, and he was so upset he said he would give them to you.”
As Becky raised her eyebrow he threw his hands up.
“What do you expect? Wagon trains are always hungry and low on provisions by the time they get to this spot. He knows he has a market. If you don’t buy them, someone else behind you will.”
“Let them. I refuse to pay those prices.” Becky could have bitten off her left hand for some of her ma’s mashed potato but she wasn’t giving in to someone taking advantage of them.
“Since when did I die and leave you in charge, my girl?”
“But, Pa, those prices…”
“Are the going rate. Show me where this farmer is, please, Captain Jones. I could do with some of my Della’s potato mash. Just the thing to put us back on track.”
Scott gave Becky an I told you so look. She stuck her tongue out at him having made sure first her pa wasn’t looking. Scott burst out laughing as he rode off.
Pa got his potato mash but Becky didn’t eat any.
“Sticking to your principles making you hungry yet, girl?”
“No, Pa,” she said just as her stomach decided to grumble loudly. Everyone in the group laughed, even Johanna. She threw a dirty look at Scott who was laughing loudly before storming off to her tent. Men. She was sick of the lot of them.
The next morning, they had to face another trial.
“The slope is dangerous as it is so steep. You need to take things really slow, Mr. Thompson. Slower than slow.”
“What sort of idiot do you think I am? I can drive a wagon.”
“I know that, sir,” Scott said soothingly. “ I’m not trying to be disrespectful. Just trying to warn you is all.”
“Sorry, son, I didn’t mean to bit your head off. I’ll take it easy.”
Becky bit her lip, not because she didn’t trust her pa. She did but the slope was so steep it felt as if she could fall over if she looked down too far. She took Milly’s hand on one side, Johanna was on the other.
“We will be fine if we take things very slowly,” she said reassuringly as they started to walk down. Traveling in the wagon was too dangerous.
Milly was so white she would have blended in with the mountain tops. “Leave me here. It’s too dangerous. I will make you fall.”
“We go together. How many times do we have to tell you? We are all part of this group. All or nobody.” Becky insisted.
“You can do this, Milly, we believe in you, don’t we, Becky?”
Becky was too busy watching Scott to reply. His role was the most dangerous of all. She prayed hard he would be safe. He looked up catching her watching him. He winked but before she could react he had disappeared.
Somehow, they all descended safely without accident. Becky stood at the bottom of the slope wondering just how they’d done it. It looked even worse looking up at it than it had looking down.
“Was that Laurel Hill? It wasn’t too bad was it Captain Jones?”
“No Mrs. Clarke, that wasn’t Laurel Hill. Believe me you will know it when you see it.” He paused. “We are about seven miles away from Barlow’s gate at the foot of the Cascade mountains. I would like to reach that this evening before we make camp.”
Everyone made a greater effort to achieve the goal he set. Becky admired them for their tenacity. She knew they were tired, hungry and fed up of bumping along in the wagons. But it was nearly over. Unfortunately the worst part was yet to come.
“We did well today, didn’t we?” she asked Scott as he passed by.
“Yes, Becky, we did. Everyone did a great job.”
“Scott, can we go for a walk later?”
“I don’t think that’s wise, do you?”
“I want to speak to you. I think you owe me an explanation.” Her heart pounded as she spoke. She was being very forward. If her ma knew what she was doing, she would be in trouble for the rest of her life.
“I guess I do. Later, at the river. Just don’t fall in. It’s cold.”
“I might just push you in,” she returned quickly.
He walked off laughing, leaving her seething. Why did he always laugh at her even when she handed out insults? He was the most maddening man she had ever met.
The river wasn’t large, a small stream, really, just ten or so yards wide. It wasn’t even that deep not that she intended to go in to check. She sat at the edge thinking of everything she wanted to say but couldn’t. She had to let him talk. He knew how she felt. She’d shown him often enough. Her face burned thinking of their previous encounters. If he kissed her tonight, she wouldn’t be able to speak at all.
Scott watched from his hiding place. She was so beautiful even when mad or when her face was screwed up in concentration as it was now. He saw her looking at the river and guessed she was wondering just how deep it was. He hoped she wouldn’t try to check. It was cold, colder than most rivers even at this time of the year.
She wanted an explanation which was only fair given how he had treated her. His mind flew to the kisses they had exchanged. His body grew hot. If he continued thinking that way, he’d need to take a dip in the river. But what was he going to tell her? Not the truth that was for sure. He didn’t relish telling any woman he was choosing to hunt down a murderer over her, but telling Becky was even worse.
He walked to where she sat, moving slowly. He knew she had seen him but she wasn’t smiling. This was going to be harder than he thought.
“Becky, I…I am not sure what you want me to say. I told you already we can’t have a future together. You have to forget about me.”
“I can’t. I’ve tried, God knows I have but I can’t. I love you with every fiber in my body. I know I shouldn’t tell you but I don’t play games. I think you love me too. I know you do.”
He stared into her eyes. He opened his mouth to deny his feelings but he couldn’t lie to her.
“Becky, I love you…”
Her face blossomed as the worry fell from her eyes, making them sparkle with happiness. Now he felt like a flea on a piece of … “Becky, I can’t. I have to find Mitchell. I have to finish what he started.”
“I’ll wait. However long it takes. I will. I can stay with ma and pa. Help them. Then when you get back, we…”
“Becky, I might not come back. I want you to find someone else. Forget about us.”
“No. You can’t do this. Make a decision now. Him or me.”
She was so beautiful standing there, her defiant pose at odds with the stricken look in her eyes. He wanted to tell her he chose her but he couldn’t.
“I thought you were braver than this. I thought together we could conquer the world but I was wrong. You may love me but not like I love you. I wouldn’t let anyone come between us. Yet you’ve chosen him, haven’t you?”
He didn’t answer. He didn’t have to.
Chapter 40
Johanna and Rick walked to the top of the valley. They were desperate to spend some time alone but it wasn’t possible. At least the children were p
laying some distance from them.
“It’s beautiful up here, isn’t it?” Johanna asked looking at the mountains covered with heavy timber. She spotted pine, cedar and cottonwood trees.
Rick murmured something making Johanna slap him gently. “We are not even married and you are already ignoring me.”
“Never. I was just thinking.”
“I was wondering how I could carry some of this white oak to Oregon with us. It would make a beautiful bed.”
Her face flushed at the look in his eyes. He leaned closer and gently brushed his lips against hers. She looked around her for the children but they were scattered around them, too interested in their surroundings than to be bothered by a kiss.
“Was that what you were really thinking about?”
“No. But it is more interesting than what was on my mind.”
Johanna swatted him gently. “What were you really thinking about?”
He took her hands, looking into her face.
“How long it will take to set up the first school? Where it will be? We should try to find some land close to your parents and your sisters.”
“You mean file a claim?”
“Yes, why not? It would be nice to have our own place away from the school, wouldn’t it? I can see the girls and Almanzo riding horses.”
“Horses, our own place? Do you have bags of gold hidden away you haven’t told me about?” Johanna asked him, her tone playful.
Rick shrugged his shoulders.
“Rick?”
“I have a little money. My grandpa left me some in his will. Well, he left it to Pa but when he died it passed to me. I was going to give it to Sadie to help her get started if we didn’t find Toby. But now it’s ours. I was going to use it to set up all those schools I spoke about but…”
“You’ve changed your mind?”
“Yes, and it’s all your fault. I can’t bear to be away from you for weeks at a time. The two days you spent at the Indian camp were the longest of my life.” He sighed dramatically making her smile. He kissed her gently again. “I know the children of Oregon will need schools but that will have to be someone else’s destiny. I want to be with you and our children all the time. To see you every day.”
She squealed before wrapping her arms around him.
“I take it you agree?” he asked kissing her on the forehead.
“Yes, oh yes. I agree. I want my own home with a pretty garden and a large barn. Horses for the children sound wonderful. Maybe we can get some from Captain Jones. He might even give us a family discount.”
“You still think him and Becky are a match?”
“Have you ever seen two people fight so hard to stay away from each other? I think they will get married just as soon as someone knocks their heads together.”
“Spoken like a true romantic.”
She pulled him down toward her and kissed him, gently at first before increasing the pressure. His blood roared as she dropped butterfly kisses around his face and down his neck before returning to his mouth and kissing him. He tightened his grip on her as she moved closer to him.
“Yuck, they are kissing again.” Carrie’s voice echoed causing them to spring apart.
“You know that house we were discussing. Can you make sure the children’s rooms are on the opposite side of the kitchen to ours!”
She giggled, her laughter bouncing off the mountain walls too. He took her hand, and smiling, they returned to where the children had been picking berries. He scooped Carrie up in his arms as they made their way back down to camp.
“The view from the mountains is amazing, isn’t it, Jo?”
“Yes, Almanzo it is.” She was pleased to see the light in his eyes. He had recovered physically but the sadness in his eyes was taking longer to shift. They hadn’t seen any sign of his parents along the trail. She was torn between wanting to know what had happened to them and hoping for his sake they would never know. She didn’t think his ten-year-old mind could cope with much more heartache. But then, wouldn’t it be better to know if they were dead than to live a life expecting them to turn up at some point? She hoped she wasn’t around if Mr. Price did walk back into camp one day. She was sure she would be tempted to slap him. Hard!
Almanzo was very gentle and kind with Carrie but seemed in awe of Sarah. He stayed as far away from her as he could but his eyes followed her everywhere. Rick thought he might have a crush on his niece. Johanna hoped that was all it was as he reminded her a little of a young David Clarke who had fallen for Eva a long time ago. If Almanzo came to live in the same house it could make life a little difficult.
She gave herself a mental shake. There was no point in borrowing trouble as her granny would say. They had yet to reach their new home.
Chapter 41
They couldn’t pull out the next morning as a storm blew up. There was no way Scott was taking the wagons across a dangerous path in the middle of a storm. He told them it was a rest day. He knew they didn’t believe him but they played along. The women got caught up on laundry while the men hunted and were surprisingly successful.
“Are you certain we are facing a storm? I don’t mean to question you but rations are so low, we need to get to Oregon as soon as possible.”
“I know that Mrs. Thompson and believe me I would not be taking this precaution unless I deemed it necessary.” At the worried look on her face, he continued in a kinder tone. “You are a good woman and a wonderful wife and mother. We will make it through. You just have to trust me.”
“Oh I do Captain Jones. If it wasn’t for you, I think we would all be buried on the trail. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“You didn’t Mrs. Thompson, those clouds did that.”
He pointed at the sky and suggested she get under the canvas cover for shelter. The storm came as he had predicted, the rain coming down in torrents. Scott toured the camp making sure all were present and as much as possible protected from getting wet.
“Getting wet ain't going to kill me,” Stephen protested when he told him to get back under shelter.
“No but freezing to death certainly will. I am not taking any risks young man now get.”
Stephen looked as if he wanted to argue but reconsidered his position at a glare from Scott. Just then he caught Mrs. Thompson looking at him and smiling. He smiled back before checking on the rest of the wagons.
The next day it was as if the rain had never happened. The sun was high in the blue sky, not a cloud in sight. Mt Hood was gleaming in plain view from the camp. Despite the sun, it was cold. There was a cutting wind coming across the mountains. Everyone wore as many layers as possible to stay warm. Becky was very thankful to Winona for the cured hides she had given them. They kept them warm at night.
“Tomorrow we will reach the foot of Laurel Hill. You will need to be brave and not let the sight of the hill intimidate you.”
“You’ve crossed it before haven’t you, Captain Jones?”
“Yes Mrs. Newland, more than once.”
“Well if you can do it, so can we.”
It was lovely to hear the older woman sounding so confident but a quick glance at Scott’s face told Becky, he was worried.
“Descending this hill is the worst part of the journey. We need to inch down as carefully as possible. The wagons will slide down the hill, the wheels locked to curb their speed. Rick, David and myself will secure them each with a 40ft tree behind them to slow them down.”
“I assume we won’t be traveling in the wagon will we?”
“No you won’t Milly. You will walk down with the other women and children. You will have to be careful, but you know that already.”
Becky knew he was trying to reassure Milly but as she had found out, it was pointless. Milly would only feel better once it was all over.
“Does anyone have any questions?” Scott asked.
Nobody responded so he sent them to make camp early. They needed their rest for the trial to come.
The next morning the c
amp was full of bleary eyed travelers. It looked like nobody got any sleep. Becky tried to prepare herself for the trial ahead. They had no choice but to travel down the hill.
“Is that it?” Milly shrieked. “Alright for him to say we should be brave but look at that. It’s almost perpendicular. There is no way a wagon can travel down it. How does he expect an ox or us to walk down?”
“We could always sit on our bottoms and sled down.” Becky’s attempt at humor partially worked.
Everyone laughed apart from Milly who looked scared stiff. She didn't blame her friend. Despite her joke the hill was scary. It was about a mile long.
“The stream runs down one side, and as you can see there are large loose rocks here and there, so be careful. I don’t want to have to fish anyone out of that stream, it’s cold.”
“Yes Captain Jones,” they chorused. Well, all apart from Milly who’d been struck dumb.
“The men will bring the oxen and horses. The animals will get distressed but I want you ladies to concentrate on nothing but getting yourselves and the children down. You are the most important.” He looked at the group. Becky felt his gaze linger on her but she refused to look at him.
“Mrs. Thompson, how on earth are we going to walk down?”
“Milly, you have to trust Captain Jones. He knows what he is doing. Now come with me.”
Rick carried Carrie, behind him Johanna walked with Sarah. Becky was with Almanzo, Eva following with Stephen. Becky kept a close eye on her ma and Milly but despite a few close calls, they all made it down safely. The women waited at the base as the animals were next to travel down.
Becky didn't think she would ever forget the frantic struggling of the horses as they made their way down. Their frightened eyes staring at her as if to ask why they had to take this route. She had to close her eyes to their suffering and that of the oxen. She wasn't the only one if the sound of weeping around her was any indication.
It was a long, trying day but they all survived. Every animal, wagon and most importantly of all, her family and friends. They owed it all to one man. The man she loved with every fiber of her body.
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