by Joel Baker
Everyone turned and watched as she leaned forward and slid neatly off the back of the horse. She came around to the side of the horse, took the shawl she had over her head and threw it as far as she could. Her shiny black hair cascaded down her back. She then pulled rags from the front of her blouse and threw them on the ground.
“Father,” She said, stamping her foot. “Don’t ever ask me to wear that awful outfit again. It’s hot, dirty, and stupid. I’m not that pretty! I will not wear it again!”
“Okay, okay, Fala,” Tate said. “It’s just I did not trust those people.”
James and Dalton sat watching the exchange between father and daughter. Both men looked at each other knowing what the other was thinking. Yes. Yes, she was that pretty. Fala was shapely, with stunning good looks. James noticed a leather strap around her neck and waist. The handle of a throwing knife could be seen over her left shoulder. A leather sheath hung down the middle of her back. Something told James, she knew how to use the knife.
Without another word, Fala leaped back on the horse, and jerked the reins causing the horse to rear up. For the first time, she flashed a brilliant smile.
“There,” Fala said, stretching her arms over her head. “That’s much better. Now, where are we going?”
***
Molly and Shannon met the new family as they came through the front gate. Nate stepped forward and introduced the family to the women.
“We’re so happy to meet you,” Nina said. “They didn’t tell us anything about you. We were more than a little worried. We don’t want to be a burden.”
“You are all, more than welcome,” Molly said. “We’ll find room for Nina, Fala, and the children in the main house. You men get to camp out, till the cabin is up. Matthew can tent with you, when he gets back from his hunt.”
Shannon took Nina and the others into the house, while Dalton unloaded the pack horse. He was amazed at how little the family was able to bring away with them. They really were starting over. Molly and James were laughing off to one side when Dalton walked up.
“These people have no possessions,” Dalton said. “What’s so funny anyhow?”
“James was just telling me about the outfit Nate made Fala wear,” Molly said. “Well, she is a beautiful girl.”
“Really?” Dalton asked. “We hadn’t notice.”
“Yeah, right,” Molly said.
“Where did Matthew go?” Dalton asked.
“He went over the east ridge after buffalo,” Molly said. “He took two pack horses for the meat, and the hide. He’s been gone two days. He should be back by the end of the week.”
***
The Walker boys showed up, and raised a small cabin for the guests, in a matter of days. The boys had brought two windows with them, so at least there would be a little light in the cabin. Fala stayed out of sight to satisfy her father. She roamed the nearby hills during the days.
Shannon walked with her on a couple of those days. They’d take a basket lunch. Another day, they took Jacy and Copa on the walk with them. On the last day for work on the cabin, Fala walked several miles along the creek running through the canyon.
It was hot when she came upon a curve in the creek. A small, deep pool of water had formed in the bend. Fala decided to go swimming. She washed her hair and then floated on her back, her raven hair spread out across the water. The shadow of a cloud blocked the sun, and the cool water made her shiver. Fala opened her eyes and saw the man on horseback standing over her, smiling down at her.
Fala put her feet on the bed of creek and dropped down, until the water was up to her neck. The man wore tight buckskins, was well tanned, and had long, reddish, curly hair. He had a lopsided grin and white teeth. She saw her knife on the bank, next to her clothes. It was too far to reach easily.
“I hope you got an eye full,” Fala said, shading her eyes with her hand.
“I did,” the man said still smiling. “I wish I could say I’m sorry, but I’m not. Let me take the horses off a ways, so you can get dressed and we can introduce ourselves properly.”
Matthew turned with his two pack horses loaded with buffalo meat and a hide, and walked upstream a hundred yards. He tied the horses in a small stand of trees, and began walking back towards where the beautiful girl had been swimming. At first, the sight of her had taken his breath away. He thought he might be seeing things. But when she stood up, he knew she was very, very real.
He tried to figure out what she was doing in Colter Canyon. He could come up with no good explanation. He reached out to Jake for a reason, and heard silence. Matthew had been gone for almost ten days. With the fall season on the horizon, he knew they had to store meat for the winter. They were already getting frost at night. The trees at the higher altitudes were turning yellow and red.
As he came around the last curve, all Matthew could find was an empty pool of water. The pile of clothes was gone, and so was the girl. He stood, looking in all directions. All he could see was sunlight, grass, and trees. There were splashes of water on the rocks by the bank, so he knew she was real. She was real, but now she was just gone.
***
Fala ran as fast as she could. She made it over the nearest hill, before she stopped and pulled on her blouse and pants. After strapping her knife on and lacing her shoes, she ran with a steady pace all the way back to the cabins. She walked into the Colter cabin as casually as she could, and said hello to Shannon and Molly. She sat down by Jacy and Copa pretending interest in the game they were playing.
“I see your hair is wet,” Molly said. “Did you go swimming? There’s a really nice pool, a little over a mile upstream. James and I swim there all the time.”
Dalton and I tried it,” Shannon said. “But the water was a little chilly for my taste.”
“I think I found it,” Fala said quietly.
Molly stood when she heard sound of a commotion outside the cabin. The sound of men calling back and forth could be heard.
“I hope that’s Matthew,” Molly said. “He’s late getting back, and I’m worried about him. He should have been back days ago.”
“Well, go on out and see,” Shannon said. “As soon as I can stand up, I’ll be right behind you. Fala, why don’t you take the kids and go with her?”
“No,” Fala said. “I’d just as soon stay here and help you up. I’m in no hurry.”
“Shannon gave Fala a funny look, but didn’t say anything. Molly and the kids ran outside where a small crowd was gathering. With help, Shannon got to her feet and headed towards the door.
“Aren’t you coming?” Shannon asked.
“I might as well,” Fala said.
Knowing what she was about to face, Fala bravely marched through the door and into the sunlight. The man in buckskins, leading two pack horses, approached the group gathered in front of the cabin.
***
“Matthew!” Molly called. “What took you so long? I was worried to death about you.”
Matthew dismounted and leaned over to hug first his mother, and then his sister. James came over and gave him a big hug.
“Good to see you, son,” James said quietly. “You had your mother worried.”
“There is nothing dumber than a buffalo,” Matthew said. “The first day over the ridge, I came up on a herd of two or three thousand buffalo. I pulled a blanket over me and started crawling toward the nearest cluster. Just as I raised my rifle to shoot, a flock of birds take off over their backs. It must have startled them because they started stampeding. It took me a day and half to catch up to them.”
“Well, you’re home now, son,” James said. “It looks like we got meat for the winter, too.”
“I don’t think enough,” Matthew said. “It looks like we got a new cabin, and some company to boot.”
Fala looked at the ground, feeling a sense of dread over what was coming. There was nothing she could do. She was embarrassed, but it was best to just get it over with. She was worried about what her father would think.
“Tate? Nina?” Molly said. “This is my son Matthew. Matthew this is Tate and Nina. They’re refugees from a Ute village up north. The village was wiped out by Arapaho.”
“Pleased to meet you,” Matthew said, shaking each of their hands. “I’m sorry to hear about your village.”
“These two scamps are Copa and Jacy,” Molly said.
Matthew knelt down and shook hands with both children.
“I’m pleased to meet you,” Matthew said. “Jacy, maybe you can help me carry this meat into the smoke house later.”
Jacy beamed a smile of new found importance, while shy Copa ran and hid behind Nina’s skirt. Matthew stood, looking around as if he knew what came next.
“Fala, come up here,” Molly said. “Matthew, this is their oldest daughter, Fala.”
The girl moved through the group until she stood looking up into Matthews blue eyes. Matthew looked down into the beautiful eyes of Fala.
“I’m pleased to meet you, Fala,” Matthew said, looking up at the crowd. “In fact, I’m pleased to meet all of you. Jacy, climb up here on my horse, and we’ll go unload this meat. Nate, maybe you can give me a hand stretching this hide.”
Matthew looked down at Fala, giving her a wink. He lifted Jacy into his saddle. He led the horses and boy up to the log smoke house, behind the cabins. It took more than an hour to offload everything and begin the smoking process. It would take at least the ten days to finish. But until freezing temperatures arrived, it was the only way they had to preserve their primary food source.
Chapter 19
The smokehouse was new. But the storage shed, was part of the original Winchester spread. It took James and Matthew over three days to build the smokehouse. It was constructed from logs too thin for the cabins, and too crooked for use as rafters. The building leaned decidedly to the left. It looked like it might fall over at any time.
After digging a hole in the side of the hill below the smokehouse, Matthew lined it with rocks. He then dug a shallow trench into the center of the shack. Matthew then covered both the fire pit and trench with large flat rocks. At the end of the trench, in the center of the smoke house, they built a chimney from stones about four feet high.
The meat was hung from the roof rafters. A fire was built in the fire pit, and once lit; the smoke would travel through the trench filling the smokehouse. James preferred to use ash or birch. Matthew and Dalton liked mountain alder. Once the smoking process was complete, the meat was moved to the storage shed.
“How long will these smoked buffalo haunches last?” Matthew asked.
“Four or five years, if we do it right,” James said. “That’s what makes the smoked meat so valuable for trade, Matthew. We need supplies like flour, coffee, tea, baking soda, beans, rope, and a whole list of other things. We’ll be taking a wagon load of smoked haunches to Pueblo as soon as this batch is done.”
“Can I go?” Matthew asked.
“Not this time,” James said. “I have to take Dalton with me. We don’t know what Pueblo is like, I’d feel better if you stayed here and looked after everything.”
“Why can’t Dalton stay?” Matthew asked, obviously disappointed in not being able to go.
“We‘ve never been to Pueblo, and don’t know what kind of reception we can expect,” James said. “If there’s trouble, we both know Dalton should be there. He’s better than both of us in a fight. We can’t afford to lose either the smoked meat or the supplies. We wouldn’t survive the winter.”
“I’ll stay here,” Matthew said. “But I won’t be happy about it.”
“Maybe you’ll get a chance to get to know Fala,” James said. “That could be good. Or you could take a run down and see the Walkers and Miss Rachel.”
“Okay, this is getting better,” Matthew said with a smile. “But I don’t expect Fala will want to have anything to do with me, not anytime soon.”
“Why?” James asked. “She just met you.”
“Call it a hunch, Dad,” Matthew said, thinking of the river. “Besides, I want to check on the dogs, anyway.”
“What’s wrong with the dogs?” James asked.
“There’s nothing really wrong,” Matthew said. “There’s a new dog about a year old named Max.”
“What about him?” James asked.
“He’s not even a year old and he’s bigger than Jezebel,” Matthew said. “He’s almost as big as Jake.”
“So?” James asked.
“At this rate, he’ll end up half again larger than Jake,” Matthew said. “That would make him a one big dog!”
“What does he say?” James asked.
“He doesn’t,” Matthew said. “Jake said he can understand me, but he hasn’t communicated with either me or Shannon yet. He may not be able to.”
“That’s not good,” James said. “But, between little Rachel and big Max, it sounds like you’ve got a lot to keep you busy.”
***
Low clouds clung to the hills and lowered over the Colter cabins. A cold drizzle fell for the second day, and the fire in the fireplace blazed cheerfully. The smoke from the fireplace and smokehouse hung over the cabins as a thin layer. It added to the gathering dusk of the setting sun.
Molly and Nina sat watching Nate scrap the hide of the buffalo. Shannon and Fala were in front of the fireplace, sewing baby clothes. The temperature was dropping and Molly didn’t think Matthew would make it back from the Walkers tonight. It only concerned Molly because of Rachel. She thought that girl was capable of anything.
The children were playing some game involving stones and a checkered board.
“Nina, can I ask you a question?” Molly asked.
“Sure,” Nina said.
How old were you when you had Fala?” Molly asked.
“We adopted Fala, when her mother died in child birth,” Nina said. “She came to live with our tribe pregnant, and alone. She was Spanish I think. Nate? Do you remember?”
“What?” Nate asked, looking up from the hide he was scrapping.
“Was Fala mother Spanish?” Nina asked.
“Yes she was,” Nate said. “She was a real beauty too. Fala looks just like her. That’s why we named her Fala. It means Fire in Ute.”
“Who was her father?” Molly asked.
“We don’t know,” Nina said. “She was close to labor when she came to us, and only spoke Spanish. We never found out.”
“Was Fala difficult as she grew up?” Molly asked.
“Oh, no,” Nina said. “She was a beautiful angel.”
“The boys bothered her because she was so pretty,” Nina said. “But she didn’t put up with any nonsense.”
“Nate made a knife for her,” Nina said. “It was a throwing knife with a deer antler handle. She practiced throwing it hour after hour, until she could stick it anywhere. The boys left her alone after that.”
“Is that the knife she wears in the sheath on her back all the time?” Molly asked.
“No,” Nina said. “She’s had many knives since then. She is very good with the knife.”
“She seems to get along with everyone,” Molly said. “But she may have a problem with my Matthew. Did she mention anything to you?”
“I noticed a little tension between them also,” Nina said. “But I don’t know what it is. I asked her and she said I was imagining it.”
“I just wish Matthew was back from the Walkers,” Molly said. “I don’t like him spending so much time around that Walker girl.”
Fala got up from the floor and stretched. She smiled over at her mother and Molly. She then walked to the front door, and out on to the porch. Rain dripped from the eaves of the house, and the gray drizzle continued.
Fala stood with her hands on her hips, staring down the road leading up to Colter Canyon. She came back in and walked back to where Shannon sat and picked up her sewing.
“Maybe you’re not the only one missing Matthew,” Nina whispered, nodding toward Fala.
Molly looked at Nina and then at Fala. Ma
tthew, wherever you are, please come home, Molly thought.
***
Matthew was in over his head and knew it. He’d turned twenty last month. It was about the time he saw Fala swimming in her altogether. He still smiled, when he remembered. He knew he shouldn’t, but he couldn’t help himself.
He looked up at Rachel, sitting across the table from him. She was trying to teach him a game he had no interest in learning. All he wanted to do at this point was get on his horse and start for home. He didn’t see any way he could do it, without being rude to his hosts.
“Matthew, can I get you anything more to eat or drink?” Elsie called from the kitchen.
“No thank you, Mrs. Walker,” Matthew called back.
“What about you Rachel?” Elsie asked.
“I got everything I need, Mother,” Rachel said, pointing at Matthew with a smile.
Matthew gave Rachel a faint smile in return. Matthew felt Rachel’s bare foot on his right calf. It moved up the inside of his leg, until her foot was on his inner thigh. Rachel smiled at him the whole time. Matthew pushed his chair back from the table.
“On second thought, Mrs. Walker,” Matthew called. “I could use a glass of water.”
“You kids finish your game,” Elsie called from the kitchen. “I’ll bring you some water in a second.”
“You know you’re going to be sleeping right across the hall from me tonight,” Rachel said smiling. “I just may pay you a visit, Mr. Colter.”
“Listen, Rachel,” Matthew said. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. We’re moving a little fast here, don’t you think?”
“You’re moving?” Elsie asked coming into the room with a glass of water. “Where are you moving? It’s almost winter. You can’t move this time of year. I thought you people liked Colter Canyon, for Lord’s sake.”
“The family’s not moving, Mrs. Walker, I am,” Matthew said, standing up. “My dad and Dalton went to Pueblo to do some trading. I’m supposed to look after the place while they’re gone. I can’t do that from here.”
“But it’s raining and cold out there,” Rachel said, a pouty look on her face. “Momma, tell him he has to stay.”
