Even at that he lost the battle when it proved that the Monroe doctor was in some remote area delivering a baby, and mid-afternoon they again got on “Jeffy” and headed south toward his home.
He’d known it would be a long ride and it was longer than long, but the closer they got to his ranch, the more excited he was to know he was almost home. He loved this piece of dirt with all of his soul. It even smelled like home as they finally got into his valley. He could smell the peaches he’d been thinking of these weeks and Lars must have begun cutting the alfalfa already because the whole valley smelled of fresh cut hay.
Even the steel dust knew they were home and as they came up the last quarter mile, the rest of the horses ran along the south pasture fence nickering in welcome to him as they came. The horses woke her up where she rode in front of him and he could feel her trying to look all around in the dark. He wished it was light so he could show her the beautiful ranch he had worked so hard to build up.
At his ranch house, he helped Brekka down, dumped the gear onto the porch step and then turned the stallion into the corral before coming back to Brekka and opening the door for her. She was so tired she was stumbling and he took her straight into his bigger, nicer room, lit the lamp and dug out a long night shirt for her. Then he turned down the bed before kneeling down to help her off with her high buttoned boots.
It was unbelievably nice to be home. Unbelievably. He was so happy that he leaned in and gave her a big, happy hug before going back out the door to have a look around before going down the hall to sleep in another bedroom. This time, he slept in clean cotton underwear bottoms the way he always did here at his own house in summer and it was marvelous to be so comfortable. Jehosephat, it was nice to be home.
A loud crash ripped him brutally from a sound sleep. He rose straight up in bed, threw on a pair of pants and grabbed his gun belt from the bedpost before slamming out of the his spare bedroom to see who was trying to abduct Brekka right here in his own home. He was halfway down the hall, swinging the gun belt around his waist when he heard Heidi’s high pitched voice squealing his name and then heard Brekka gasp as Heidi burst into his usual bedroom.
He got to the doorway in time to see both girls frozen in shock as Heidi saw Brekka and Brekka came fully awake to find the exuberant seventeen year old charging into her room. He rushed past Heidi, swatting her cheerfully on the shoulder as he did so and went straight to Brekka who was still half asleep, with the bedding pulled up in front of her chin in surprise as he said in English, “Heidi! What are you doing? You’ll scare the wadden out of her. Get out of here. We got in impossibly late and she’s been sick from getting shot by the Indians who stole her.”
He wrapped an affectionate arm around his little sister and ruffled her hair as he asked Brekka in Danish, “You okay? Sorry about this. I should have realized she’d be in here as soon as she saw Jefferson in the corral.”
Both girls were completely speechless. Each of them examined the other with the wide eyes of surprise and Lije yawned and laughed and said in Danish, “Brekka, meet Heidi, my baby sister. And Heidi meet Brekka, a very good friend of mine who’s been taking care of me the last couple of weeks.”
With her usual composure, Brekka lowered the blankets and gave the younger girl a tentative smile and offered her hand. “It’s very nice to meet you, Heidi. I’m sorry. You frightened me.”
Heidi shook her head and answered as if still in shock, “No. No. I apologize for bursting into your bedroom like this. I thought it would be Lije in here. Please, forgive me. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
Both girls were still looking each other over as Heidi slowly backed out of the room and then Lije gave Brekka a reassuring smile before following Heidi out, saying over his shoulder. “I’ll keep her under control for awhile. Sleep as long as you need to.”
He’d hardly gotten the door closed before Heidi squealed again and launched herself into his arms and went off jabbering, “Oh my heavens, Lije! I’m so glad your home safe! We thought you were dead and gone for sure! And you should hear all the stuff going on! Just this morning Patty Anne Reinehold came by Da’s house to find out if it was true that you’d been living in sin with some foreigner. Apparently Mertie Mae came in from Monroe late last night and she’s been all over town declaring about how you’ve been scandalously immoral with some wild mountain girl. She said she’d still condescend to see you happily married to her girls though, to save your soul, bless her heart.
“And there’s been this stranger limping around in town. Luther someone or other who’s been demanding to know what you’ve done with his well-to-do fiancé from Denmark. He claims you’ve kidnapped her against her will and have been holding her captive. He has this weird cough and claims he was shot by your accomplice in the crime and he’s asking Sheriff Olson to arrest you both, although no one has heard who it was who shot him. The sheriff laughed at the idea of you kidnapping someone, by the way. This Luther wasn’t very happy about that.
“There’s another story going around about how Clive Percival is near dead from a gunshot wound in his stomach. It’s all festered and they don’t think he’ll live. Lars thinks he was probably shot by one of his own crowd of the hooligans he hangs around with and that it would be a good thing if he dies because he’s such a bad guy.” She took a quick breath and continued and he just let her go on with her spunky narration. It was great to be home with his adorable little sister.
“And then another stranger from Maryland showed up with these three unbelievably beautiful women from back east somewhere, looking for the girl the Indians stole out in the desert north of here. That must be this girl you saved. They said they’d lost all the gear they had in the wagons out there, but you should see some of those marvelous dresses they were wearing! And for the first time, Lars actually looked twice at a girl. No kiddin’. You should have seen her. You should have seen him! But then he saw how she treated the clerk in the hotel and decided she was spoiled and pouty.
“And the whole band of Paiutes from Grass Valley showed up here in Lauritzen Valley last week seeking Da’s protection. It seems the Utes and some white fellow have been threatening them if they don’t tell them where you took the girl with the shining hair. The Utes have been taking children from some of the other bands to sell again. Da let them camp down on the creek near his orchard. The Paiutes, not the Utes. And then he and Bishop Levan from up to Greenwich went to see about it, but Da’s home again. They got the Indian agent involved although Da doesn’t think it will do any good this time either. He says that Indian agent is a ninny. And Da has one of the hands on look out up on the rock during the day to watch for any Utes, and two hands patrolling at night.
“And there was a huge wildfire up Box Creek Canyon that nearly took out a whole herd of milk cows and burned a Ute man terribly. He hasn’t died yet, but the doctor down there thinks it would be better for him if he did and the cows got so riled up that they quit milking and the farmer is fit to be tied. They say the fire would have taken the whole mountain if a wild rain storm hadn’t put it out.
“And Lars and Josh let me have this adorable baby lamb that was born on the trip home with that sheep herd. It’s sooooo cute!” Her voice rose into this mini squeal at the end and then she went on about it. “It’s so teeny and snuggly and it loves me to death, but Da won’t let me keep it in the house.”
At this her voice dropped and she admitted, “Don’t tell him, but I’ve been sneaking it into my room at night. It hasn’t made a mess or anything. I named him Lambert. Isn’t that perfect! But sometimes I only call him Bertie and he runs to me as soon as I walk out the door. He keeps leaving little droppings on the porch and Da isn’t very happy about that, but you know Da. He let’s me keep him anyway.”
She finally began to wind down and Lije grinned at her, knowing that he had to let her get all of that out before he could begin to question her about everything she’d just revealed. She followed him back toward the bedroom he’d slept in as she f
inally asked in a slower, less enthusiastic tone of voice, “So how have you been anyway? Da would die to see you shirtless in front of a girl. You look a complete mess, although your haircut is kinda cute.”
Lije chuckled as he picked up the new shirt he’d tossed over a chair before retiring the night before. “You think so? You like it? Think Mertie Mae will still let me marry both Gertie and Myrtle?”
She wrinkled her nose. “Oh, ick, Lije. Ick, ick ick. I’d rather you married Patty Anne, even though she has a pear bum. She’s so much more fun. And two of them. Oh my! Are you okay? You look like a bean pole.”
He rubbed his stomach and leaned down and picked up his boots. “I feel like hungrier than a bean pole. How are things around here? When did Lars and Josh get back?”
“They came back that next afternoon after you guys left, tired as can be. And with the sheep nearly dead. They’d driven them all night in the pouring rain with one horse riding double because of that mess with the Utes. I think that’s why little Bertie was born on the trail. His mother must have been having a rough time of it. So was she really shot?”
That made him sigh, feeling suddenly tired again, but he grinned anyway and asked, “The mother sheep?”
Heidi rolled her eyes and laughed. “Heavens no, silly! That spankin’ beyootiful, tall, Scandinavian in your room. Please tell me that you weren’t really scandalously immoral with her!”
“Heidi. She was fighting an infection and the fever straight from Hades and had just been abducted by first Clive Percival and then four war painted Ute braves. And yes, she was really shot and nearly died on me up on that mountain. I don’t think she was really in the mood to be scandalously immoral, even if I was that kind of a rescuer and she was that kind of girl. Which she definitely isn’t. So no, I’m still pure as the driven snow. Just much skinnier. After you finish telling me, would you run in and see if Doc Newell can come out and check on her. She’s still not so strong, but we had to get off that hill. The Utes were searching for us. So now why is this guy looking for her? He really said she was his well-to-do fiancé?”
She wrinkled her nose again. “Clive Percival? Oh, that’s awful! Why was she with Clive?”
“This Luther had hired Clive as a guide. So Clive didn’t die? Huh. And did this Luther really say she was his betrothed?”
“He did. But if he is, she’s got ‘scusting taste in men. He’s a pretty thing, but about as masculine as that new school teacher. Long, skinny neck and big ears. With this dainty little shiny scarf folded ever so neatly in his chest pocket. Ick.”
Chuckling, Lije wondered just what Brekka would think about this conversation. He hoped she didn’t understand English if she was listening. Going back down the hall to his own room with Heidi trailing him, he knocked quietly on his door and when there was no answer, he carefully opened it and went inside to get a clean pair of stockings out of the bureau, then came back out and shut the door again while Heidi’s eyes got big at him.
He laughed at her expression as he headed for his kitchen. “Oh ease up, Heidi. I’ve been living beside her in a hole in the side of a mountain for two weeks and she’s completely worn out. And it’s my room. I just needed some stockings.”
Still big eyed, she said, “Well Mertie Mae would have an apoplexy and Da would have a seizure! He sees you doing something like walk into a bedroom with her and he’d make you marry her within seconds! Is she a member?”
“No, she’s not a member. She’d never even heard of the Church until she came out here.”
“Well, then you’d better not get caught retrieving any more stockings. Is she going to be okay?”
“Yes, although she’s had a rough time of it. I thought she was going to die and then the last two days we’ve ridden for about fifteen hours straight, both days, through the pouring rain and she’s exhausted. I would have stayed another night in Monroe to let her rest but Sister Orland was already cutting up about my morals and Brekka insisted we leave to protect my reputation. At least she was able to sleep sometimes in front of me on the horse.”
Heidi’s eyes got big again. “You were riding double on Jefferson? Holy Moses, Lije! Where’s Lars’ horse?”
“It was killed when it slipped and fell down a muddy ravine in the middle of the night two nights ago. Rolled and broke its neck.”
“Oh, my! How did you not manage to break yours with it?”
“She was the one on it when it slipped and she jumped clear, thank goodness.”
“Man, Lije, you are a tough rescuer. No wonder she was already back to sleep. Did Mertie Mae see you riding double?”
He sat down at a kitchen chair and commenced putting on his stockings. “I don’t know. And I don’t even care. We were simply trying to survive. It wasn’t really a question of what was appropriate.”
“Well, you could have bought another horse in Monroe.”
“You know I’m not one to try to appease the old crones, Heidi. And I thought her riding behind me was fine. More than fine. I enjoyed it thoroughly and anyway, half the time I needed to help her be able to stay on as worn out as she was or we’d still be up on that mountain. So settle down, Heidi Matilda.”
“You know I hate that name. You really liked it?”
“Your name?”
Heidi gave him a look. “No, Elijah. Riding double. You like this girl?” He only grinned at her as he finished tying his boots and she shook her head. “My goodness, I never thought this day would ever come. It’s about time! Can you get her to join the church?”
Lije got up, shaking his head. “She lives in Denmark, you little loco weed. And apparently, she’s betrothed, although she never mentioned that to me. As soon as she’s able, I need to help her get back home. Sorry to ruin your fairy tales. Has anyone started to pick the peaches? I’ve been dying for a sweet, juicy peach.” This conversation was making him depressed and he’d been honest enough with Heidi, he didn’t need to tell her why he’d been craving peaches.
His sister laughed and almost skipped back over to the front door. “I’ll go bring you some right now. Fresh as this summer morning. Be right back.” She went flying out the door and there was indeed the sound of a lamb that followed as it closed behind her. Lije chuckled again and shook his head at her. There wasn’t another one on the planet like Heidi. That was for sure.
His front door opened again. This time it was Lars and he could hear his father’s footsteps coming up onto the porch behind him. His brother walked inside and didn’t say anything, just looked at him for a long second and then their handshake became a great hug. Finally, Lars said, “I was praying for you, brother. Like I’ve never prayed before. Welcome home.”
His father came in just then and strode across the living room to envelope him in a bear hug and then stepped back and looked him over thoroughly and said, “You nearly gave me gray hair, you two did. I kept holding out hope, even after this long. I must say that I have never been so glad to have someone accuse you of immorality in my life. At least it meant you were alive and well. How is the girl? They said she was okay in Monroe.”
“She’s tired and she’s been horribly ill, but she didn’t die. Although I thought she was going to. She has a bullet hole in her back that festered ugly. Then she’s been through it getting home. Heidi’s going to go get the doctor in a while when she wakes up.”
“The doctor is good. You’ve got this town buzzing on its ear. Maybe if folks know she’s ill they won’t be so quick to believe all the gossip. How did you fare? You’re nigh stringy. You weren’t shot as well were you?”
Lije pulled his shirt off his shoulder and showed them the thin red scab that was all that was left of the bullet burn from that night. “Just this. I was fine. Just worried and wet and hungry. What’s the gossip?”
Lars chuckled. “Trust me, you don’t even want to know. It started with you living with her in the mountains and has progressed to you fathering an unknown number of children.”
Lije looked at him in disbelief and
laughed. “In two weeks? Dang, that’s impressive! I had no idea gossip could get that out of control that fast! I could be legendary at this rate!”
Lars laughed again as his father grimaced. “Well, son. I’ve had great hopes for you your whole life and you know that, but legendary in illegitimate children wasn’t really what I was thinking of. This isn’t truly a laughing matter.”
Lars shook his head. “It isn’t truly a matter at all, Da. He can’t control what these biddies say and do. Leave him alone. It’s been a rough couple of weeks. You know Lije. He’s as clean living as ever he was. Let it all go.”
Gerhardt Lauritzen still frowned. “I wish it were that easy. You know how ticklish being the bishop can be. And he was alone with this girl nearly the whole time. Even in the hotel, Mertie Mae said that they shared the same room. I’m afraid it looks bad, son.”
Lije finally quit smiling. Jehosephat! What did these people expect? He’d been trying to save her life and he had. He’d done his best. Turning back to his father, he said, “I did what I had to do. And between me and the good Lord, we’re okay with it all. The rest of them can’t matter. Not to me. It was a matter of survival.”
“Yes, but what about her reputation?”
That made Lije step back and think. Still, he couldn’t see how he could have done anything differently. “I’m sorry things look bad for her, Da. But I couldn’t help that and she’s going back to her friends soon anyway, either back east or back to Denmark, so it’s water under the bridge.”
“Where a reputation is concerned, there’s no such thing, Lije. Once there’s a shadow, there’s always a shadow. As unfair as it is.”
Into the Wind_A Love Story Page 7
