One of Josiah’s horses shifted restlessly, and he moved a few steps to the side, out of boot-stomping range. “What can I do for you?”
“You can keep your mouth shut from here on out,” she gritted through clenched teeth.
His head jerked back at her vehement attack against him. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“Don’t try to feign innocence. Your brother just offered to drive my wagon across the river. Now, one might ask why.” She put up a hand, forestalling his explanation. “And before you try to use my shoulder as an excuse again, let me remind you that he already knows it’s all healed up, since I returned the liniment to him the day before yesterday.”
“I wasn’t going to use your shoulder as an excuse,” he refuted. “I was just going to say that Elias’s offer wasn’t my doing.”
“Stop lying to me! I saw you two talking, then not two minutes later he approached me. There’s only one reason why he would feel compelled to make an offer like that.” Her hands balled into fists at her sides. “Did you think I wouldn’t work it out that you’d told him the truth about me?”
Only now did Josiah fully comprehend what had sparked her fit of temper. “Stop hissing and spitting at me and retract your claws, little tiger. I didn’t tell him.”
But his words didn’t mollify her. She paced a few steps, agitation evident in every line of her stiff posture, and then pivoted back toward him. “Were you or were you not discussing me with your brother a few minutes ago?”
“Yes, I was,” he admitted, then rushed on before she let him have it with both barrels. “But not you you.”
Her eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. “What?”
Little wonder she didn’t understand; he wasn’t explaining this very well. “What I mean is that we were talking about ‘Matt.’”
Doubt remained heavy in her features as she crossed her arms in front of her. “Why?”
“Elias saw you looking at the river and believed you were apprehensive about making the crossing. He said he could see it in your expression. That’s why he took it upon himself to offer his aid.”
She stared him down. “So, you had nothing to do with it? You didn’t say something to him that put the thought in his head that I couldn’t handle it myself?”
“No, I didn’t,” he stated with absolute honesty.
He’d said he wouldn’t reveal her secret, and he hadn’t. And that included any sneaky maneuvering that, while technically following the letter of his promise, would have been in violation of its true spirit.
Mattie couldn’t have made it any more clear, however, that she didn’t trust him to keep his word, even though he’d given her no cause for doubt. The thought struck a nerve, mirroring too closely the way his good deeds as a boy hadn’t made a lick of difference in people’s opinions of him.
He strove to be a man others could respect and admire, but every now and again, doubts about his worth ambushed him when he least expected it. But he pushed his wounded pride aside. It didn’t matter what Mattie thought of him. He’d never held with living down to others’ low expectations of him.
Still, he wouldn’t allow her misconceptions to stand. “Elias sees you as a young man with a heavy weight of responsibility on your shoulders. He was simply trying to lighten the load.” Just as he’d done for Josiah years ago.
Elias was likely reminded of Josiah’s younger self when he looked at “Matt” and the result was Elias treating “him” like a younger brother.
The older man hadn’t realized how Mattie would misconstrue his well-meaning kindness. “I told him you’d likely refuse, but he wouldn’t be swayed.”
When his explanation failed to smooth her bristling fur, Josiah decided to try humor, instead. It had worked the other night, after all. “You shouldn’t blame Elias. It’s not his fault. He has what I like to call Big Brother Syndrome.”
She looked askance at him. “And what is that, exactly?”
“Nasty disease.” He shook his head and tsked. “Its symptoms include taking charge without an invitation and sticking one’s nose where it isn’t wanted. Sadly, it’s incurable. Though, thankfully, nonfatal.”
The corners of her mouth curled up, although she tried to fight it. “And, apparently, it’s contagious.”
“Excuse me? Surely, you don’t mean me. I don’t have any younger siblings.”
“And yet, you seem to have caught it, regardless.”
“Well, then, you can’t hold it against me—I’m not at all well.”
She huffed out a laugh and unbent enough to offer an apology. “I’m sorry I jumped to conclusions.”
“Apology accepted.”
But he couldn’t forget the fact that she’d questioned his honor in the first place. It left a familiar ache deep inside his heart.
If he was a fine gentleman, like the ones she’d no doubt grown up with, perhaps she’d believe him trustworthy. But a fine gentleman wouldn’t have been able to help her on the trail the way Josiah had. And that counted for more in his book than fancy clothes and pretty manners.
It shouldn’t matter to him that Mattie didn’t appear to share that view.
* * *
Mattie sat on the wagon seat next to Adela, who gripped Mattie’s arm with one hand and the edge of the wooden bench with the other. Her nails dug into tender flesh as their heavy covered wagon lumbered down the bank and the water level rose up the wheels. Mattie gritted her teeth against the pain and focused on her task.
She’d made numerous river crossings in past weeks, though this was the most difficult one she’d faced thus far. About twenty families, including the Dawsons, had already made it without incident and now waited on the opposite side. There was no reason to imagine she wouldn’t soon join them, unharmed and with the wagon intact. No reason to expect she’d encounter problems when others hadn’t. To do so was merely borrowing trouble.
Still, she had to fight against mounting panic when the oxen reached a point where their hooves couldn’t touch the bottom, and they began to swim. Caulking the covered wagon had made it watertight and allowed it to float, but it bobbed on the rough current like a ship in storm-tossed seas.
She gave a thought for the wisdom—or lack thereof—in refusing Elias, but quickly pushed such musing aside. Her present situation required all her concentration.
Water splashed up over the sides of the wagon and soaked into her clothes, leaving large damp patches. Adela let out a terrified moan, but Mattie didn’t glance her way.
Instead, she kept her eyes pointed straight ahead toward dry land. Why did it suddenly seem farther away now than it had when she was standing at the river’s edge a short time ago?
“Look out!” a voice shouted over the roar of the water.
Mattie saw people pointing upriver, and she turned her eyes in that direction.
But it was too late.
She had only a second to watch the large tree branch hurtling at her and Adela. Only an instant to realize there wasn’t nearly enough time for them to get out of its path.
Then the branch slammed into the side of their wagon.
The jarring impact overbalanced Mattie. She made a wild grab for something to hang on to, but she couldn’t arrest her fall and plunged into the churning waters.
“Matilda!” Adela shrieked in terror.
Then the water closed over Mattie’s head, muffling sounds.
Had Adela fallen in, too? The thought sent panic racing through Mattie’s veins. Adela couldn’t swim! Neither could Mattie, but that didn’t stop her from thrashing her arms and legs as she fought her way to the surface to check that her sister wasn’t battling, too.
Though water blurred her vision, she caught a glimpse of Adela still safely atop the wagon’s seat—clinging so tightly that Mattie doubted a full-blown gale would
dislodge the girl. She snatched in a relieved breath of air before the current pulled her under again.
She flailed her arms and legs, but she couldn’t break free of the current’s power, and the struggle sapped her energy. Her limbs felt heavy as she grew weak and her lungs screamed for oxygen. Fear, unlike any she’d ever known, took hold. Was she going to die? Was this how her life ended? How could this be what God intended for her?
Despite her sins, she refused to believe this was His punishment for them. He was a merciful God.
She sent a silent prayer heavenward. Please, Lord, help me.
Simply thinking the words brought her peace and the strength to keep fighting.
Fear not, for I am with you. The verse echoed through her mind.
Her fingers brushed against something. She grabbed it like a lifeline and used it as leverage to pull her head above water. Locking her arms around the object, she gasped and coughed as she gulped in huge lungfuls of precious air.
When her head cleared a bit, she looked down and registered the floating object was a tree branch. Was it the same one that had put her life in peril to begin with? She didn’t know or care. It had been used to save her from certain death.
But she was still caught in the current, being carried ever farther downriver. Lord, I could use just a little more heavenly intervention.
The branch suddenly snagged on some rocks, and it was all she could do to maintain her grip on it as the force of the river tried to drag her away. Her fingers ached from the strain. How long would she be able to hold on?
Her eyes darted around and she noticed the nearby rocks seemed to form a bridge of sorts, offering a way to get out of the deepest part of the river and closer to safety. But she would have to let go of the branch first. An act that required more daring and strength than she seemed to have at the moment.
Though she was losing her grip, the rest of her body had frozen and refused to follow the dictates of her brain.
She heard shouting and turned her head to see men running along the bank toward her. Josiah was in the lead, several paces ahead of the others. But even he was still a ways off. She couldn’t count on him for rescue. He might not get there in time. If she didn’t do something to save herself, she very likely wouldn’t survive.
Would anyone take in her sister, if Mattie drowned? What would become of poor Adela, out here without any family to sustain her? Mattie couldn’t leave the younger girl all alone facing an uncertain fate.
This last thought gave her the courage to do what she must. Letting go of the branch with one hand, she reached out and gripped the rock. The sharp edges dug into her fingers, and she feared she wouldn’t be able to maintain her hold. Ignoring the pain, she quickly transferred her other hand to the rock.
The force of the water pushed her toward the rough surface, and she fought to avoid being slammed into it as she pulled herself close enough to the next rock to get a handhold on it.
Working this way, hand over hand from one rock to the next, she slowly towed her body toward the riverbank. Once out of the fast-flowing current in the middle, she was able to gain her footing on the sandy bottom. Still, she maintained her hold on the rocks to keep her balance as she waded through the water.
Josiah was the first to arrive on the scene. He jumped down from the bank and splashed through the shallows, reaching out toward her. “Here, take my hand.”
She released the rock and latched on to him with relief, finding immense comfort in his warm fingers wrapping hers in a strong, sure clasp. He hauled her out of the deeper water that reached to her waist and pulled her right into his arms.
The embrace only lasted a moment before he moved to put some distance between them. Though she wanted to cling, she let her arms drop to her sides.
He didn’t set her away, however. His hands remained at her waist as he looked into her eyes.
Jumbled emotions swirled in the blue depths of his gaze, too many for her to pick out any single one. “Are you all right?” he demanded.
At her nod, he breathed a deep sigh and lifted his fingers to brush a strand of wet hair off her cheek. Her skin heated beneath his touch, warmth spreading out from the small point of contact.
A throat cleared behind Josiah, and he quickly lowered his arm.
She peeked around him to see that other men had arrived and were standing on the bank.
Josiah shifted to the side. “Come on, let’s get you out of here.” With a hand braced at the back of her waist, he helped her climb the slight incline until the others could grasp her hands and pull her the rest of the way up to solid ground.
Her knees suddenly gave out, and she collapsed onto the grassy slope. Sitting back on her heels, she bowed her head and braced her hands on her thighs, laboring to catch her breath and slow her heart rate. She shivered, but it was more in reaction to stress and residual fear than from cold.
Thank You for sparing my life, Lord.
She felt a touch on her back, rubbing up and down along her spine, and shifted her gaze to the side without raising her head. A pair of pant legs, wet past the knee, identified Josiah as the one squatting next to her. But though his caress was soothing, she saw a dozen pairs of boots crowding close, and it felt as if they were pressing in on her, cutting off her air.
“All right, everyone, back off and give him some space,” Elias’s voice commanded.
Once the others moved back, the doctor dropped down beside her and took her wrist to check her pulse. “A little fast, but that’s only to be expected under the circumstances. Does anything hurt? Did you hit your head or get scraped on any of the rocks?”
She shook her head.
“You were fortunate. You don’t seem any the worse for wear. But the adrenaline could be blocking the pain right now. If you notice any problems later on, you’re to come straight to me. Understood?”
She was in no fit state to argue just now. “Yes, Doctor,” she meekly replied.
Finally, feeling somewhat recovered, she straightened and climbed slowly to her feet.
Josiah placed a hand under her elbow to steady her. “Are you up to walking back to the covered wagons yet, or do you need a few more minutes?”
“I’m—Adela!” she gasped, suddenly realizing she didn’t know what had happened to her sister after that one brief glimpse she’d managed, when the younger girl was out in the middle of the river, clinging to the wagon seat for dear life. “Is she all right?” Mattie fisted her hands in Josiah’s shirtfront, fearing he’d tell her the worst.
Guilt and shame filled her that she’d put her sister’s safety at risk when she refused to accept Elias’s offer. Had Adela been forced to pay the ultimate price for Mattie’s stubbornness? If anything had happened to her, Mattie would be solely to blame. She was supposed to protect Adela. How could she live with herself if she’d failed in that duty?
* * *
Josiah placed his hands over Mattie’s and stroked her white knuckles.
“Adela’s fine,” he assured her, indicating back upriver with a nod of his head. “See for yourself.”
She turned to look in that direction, but her fists remained bunched in his shirt.
Though not yet safe and sound on dry land, the Prescotts’ team had reached the shallow, slow-moving part of the current near the end of the river crossing. By this point, the water only reached halfway up the wheels, and even as Josiah and Mattie watched, the oxen plodded up the slope, pulling the covered wagon onto the bank.
“Thank You, God,” she breathed, her hands relaxing against his chest.
And thank God you’re all right, too, Josiah silently added. He’d prayed to the Lord to protect Mattie, and He had delivered her from harm.
The possibility of accidents was ever present on this journey, and it was an accepted fact that not everyone who started out from Inde
pendence would make it to Oregon Country. People got sick or injured, sometimes fatally, and grave markers were a common sight.
For a terrifying eternity Josiah had believed that Mattie would become another cross on the side of the trail. His heart had been in his throat when he’d feared he wouldn’t get to her in time. That she’d be swept away, carried beyond his reach as the river claimed her. It was gut wrenching to think of how close she’d come to losing her life.
His eyes rested on her face, soaking up the details he’d feared never to see again.
Through God’s grace, she’d escaped tragedy. Josiah was both relieved and grateful.
But he reminded himself that he would have experienced the same emotions for anyone in the same situation. His reaction certainly didn’t mean he felt something special for Mattie. It couldn’t. There was no room in his heart for another woman. And a lady such as Mattie wasn’t meant for the likes of him anyway.
Mattie abruptly dropped her hands to her sides and moved away. He wondered if she’d somehow sensed his thoughts, until he noticed that Adela had gotten down from the wagon seat and was rushing to meet her sister.
Josiah trailed behind Mattie. With Elias’s earlier words replaying in his head, it didn’t seem wise to let her roam too far yet. At least not until he was reassured that she would take it easy for a while and try not to overdo things. But that was merely the concern he would show for anyone who had been through such an ordeal.
Adela threw her arms around her sister. “Thank the Lord you’re all right, Matilda!”
A gasp sounded behind Josiah. Glancing over his shoulder, he found that several of the other men were only a few steps away from him. And every one of them had heard Adela’s revealing remark.
Their expressions showed varying degrees of surprise and confusion while they struggled to make heads or tails of the mortar shell that had exploded without warning in their midst.
Josiah turned back toward Mattie and Adela. Neither sister seemed to notice anything amiss as yet. They embraced for long moments, while additional people arrived from upriver and joined the men already gathered.
Wed on the Wagon Train Page 10
