Tina Tracks a Trail Boss: A Historical Western Romance (Brides with Grit Book 8)

by Linda K. Hubalek

  “Farmor made us pancakes for breakfast, then she and Benny packed stuff back into the wagons and drove them to this spot for nooning.”

  Farmor? Why was Robby calling his moder “grandmother”?

  “Why you calling my moder ‘Farmor’?”

  “She said to, because it means she’s a special old lady,” Robby acknowledged solemnly.

  “That she is. How’s Emma doing?”

  “Farmor got her walking this morning without Sissy making her usual fuss.”

  Robby looked proud being able to report the mornings happening to him.

  “And baby Oliver?”

  “Farmor said he’ll be growing like a weed…but I don’t know why when he’s a little boy.”

  “How’s your momma?”

  “Crying again.” Leif gave Robby a gentle squeeze, knowing it was hard on the kids when Tina was still mourning the loss of her husband and the life they’d had.

  “She was crying about some pictures she’d lost.” The family’s trunks burned along with everything else when the train engine’s smoke stack’s sparks lit the broken apart baggage car on fire after it had tumbled down the river embankment.

  “Farmor says we’ll take some new pictures of our family when we get to Kansas, so that cheered Momma up a bit.”

  “Sounds like Farmor’s taking care of everything, isn’t she?” Leif knew his mother would help Tina and her kids when he suggested they join the trail with him.

  “Well, Farfar helped me gather chips for the fire. He showed me how to find the dry ones, instead of the mushy ones.”

  “That’s always good to know.” So his fader is now grandpa to the kids. Leif wondered if Tina knew what his parents were up to.

  Did he mind his parents pulling the Martins into the cattle trail “family”? No, actually he welcomed it, because Tina and the children needed their support.

  Emma toddled up to Leif, so he leaned over to pick her up with his free arm.

  “How’s my pretty flicka, Emma?” Leif asked before giving her a kiss on her dirty cheek. Looks like he needed to find a washcloth to clean her up again.

  “’Kay,” Emma answered before laying her head on top of his shoulder. It didn’t matter if he was covered with dirt and sweat, she always cuddled up to him.

  “Think Farmor will give me some food while I’m in to see you?” Leif asked the question to see if Emma knew the word for grandmother, too.”

  “Yep.” She raised her head and looked him in the eyes when answering. Leif loved the way Emma looked just like her mother, even how she held her head at times.

  “Then let’s go eat.” He swung each child down against his sides and walked into camp with them sideways and giggling.

  He could get used to doing this until Robby and Emma were too big to carry, but then he could do it with Oliver. And maybe more babies in the future?

  Chapter 8

  “How you getting along with my parents?” Leif asked as he rubbed her back. He was in for the evening until his night watch started. He was leaning up against the wagon wheel with Tina sitting between his legs.

  Samson laid calmly under the wagon, watching the drovers by the fire fifteen feet away. Instead of running with the two herd dogs along on the drive, Samson had traveled or stayed by the wagon so far. Leif liked that the dog took watching over the children so seriously. Made Leif feel better when he had to be out with the herd.

  “They are good people, Leif. I know we’re making extra work for your mother, and father since he’s keeping track of Robby when he’s not out riding. But, they seem to delight in it instead of worry about the extra chores and energy two active kids brought into this cattle drive.”

  “The drovers are enjoying the kid’s attention, too. Helps their homesickness.”

  “The children have won over everyone but Hyrum. Emma won’t go near him for some reason, not afraid of him, but just ignores him.”

  Hyrum Belmont was in his late thirties and kept to himself. He was a good worker, but quiet, not saying anything of his past. “Hyrum’s had been on drives with our family before so I trust him.”

  “You never know what’s in a person’s past to make them what they are today.”

  Leif knew she was thinking of herself with that statement. Her life had be turned upside down in a few months’ time.

  “Robby tattled that you were crying today.”

  Tina sighed and leaned against his chest. Leif wrapped his arms around her shoulders and rocked gently back and forth a few times.

  “I needed a needle and thread to repair a tear in Emma dress, and thought automatically I’d get my sewing kit out of my trunk. Of course then it hits me, I have no kit, because I have no trunks…Then I think of the portraits of my parents and Robert I’ve lost, the Family Bible which had been in my family for four generations, my grandmother’s jewelry I planned to pass on to Emma…”

  “And it hurt and you cried. Your loss is bound to sneak up on you now and then. That’s natural. I know men don’t give as much stock to portraits and all, but I remember some particular items we had to leave behind in Sweden. Moder had to choose between what we children needed, versus family photos and their wedding gifts. Fader gave her heck later for leaving behind his grandfather’s mantel clock, but they both knew food and coats were more important to pack.”

  “Your mother told me about the decision to leave Sweden and the sacrifices she had to make. Not complaining, but the facts of what had to be done in order to make it happen. It did put things in perspective for me.”

  “Another reason I thought it would be good for you to travel with my moder.”

  Tina patted his arm, apparently feeling at ease touching him. “And you were right. In only two days I feel better being around her.

  “And she’s been teaching the children Swedish words as we travel, pointing out things and saying what they are in both English and Swedish.”

  “Have you caught on to what ‘Farmor’ and ‘Farfar’ mean?” Leif lightly touched his lips to the back of Tina’s head. Maybe he’d ask if he could brush and braid her hair tonight before she went to bed.

  “I’m guessing names for grandparents?” She shyly hinted.

  “Is…that okay with you?” Leif held his breath waiting for her answer.

  “I admit it makes me sad, missing my parents, knowing my children never got the chance to meet them. But I like the fact your parents are already reaching out to the children, giving them love and support.”

  “How about you? What do you need?” Leif softly spoke near her right ear. He squeezed her shoulders once, gently, trying to convey what his heart was starting to feel for her.

  “Time, Leif. It’s…too soon for me to forget what happened with the last man I loved and trusted.”

  Leif slowly dropped his arms to his thighs. He hated she’d said it, but knew it was true. He’d had over a year to work through his grief about Britta. Tina was just starting to work through her emotions about her husband’s murder, and then the accident happened, causing another upheaval in her life. Plus she still have the pain of Robert’s possible cheating to forgive before she could trust another man in her life.

  Tina turned around to sit on her heels and face him. “But don’t pull away, Leif. I know I’m being selfish, but I need you to keep my sane. I’d still be crying, alone in a brothel, if it wasn’t for you.”

  For the first time ever, she cupped his face with her hands and lightly kissed his lips.

  “Thank you, Leif, for everything.” She stood and moved around to climb into the back of the wagon.

  “Good night, Leif.”

  Leif didn’t answer, still thinking of the moment he realized he wanted to pull her into his arms and thoroughly kiss her.

  “Hard north wind is going to make it tougher to get them across,” his fader announced as Leif and Miles sit beside him on their horses. The muddy water of the Red River slapped on the south side of the bank as the wind pushed it along. The three rode ahead of th
e herd before dawn to check the river crossing situation.

  “So you suggest we wait a day then?” Miles asked.

  Leif knew they needed to cross the river sooner than later because this wind could easily mean a storm was brewing for the near future. His fader scanned the sky confirming his thoughts.

  “No, let’s push them straight through today. This wind is only going to get worse as the day wears on. I think it would be best to be on the other side of the weather front by nightfall in case we get a gully washer of a rain.”

  “Leif? You’re the trail boss. You agree?” Miles asked.

  “I always listen to my fader’s advice when it comes to river crossings, so let’s get back to the herd and prepare the wagons. I hope everyone had a big breakfast this morning, because there won’t be a nooning break today.” Leif replied while turning his horse around to head back to the herd, which was two miles behind them.

  Leif’s hat pushed forward now with the wind to their backs. He gripped the leather string around his chin to hold it down.

  “Temperature dropping now, too?” Miles asked loudly to be heard above the wind.

  “Cold front moving in. Be sure everybody gets their coats before the bedroll wagon goes across. It was warm this morning, so I know some of the riders don’t have them along.”

  Most riders had their coats on and off during the day so had it tied with the saddle strings behind their cantle when not wearing it. Leif noticed Owl and Buck didn’t have their coats along though when they took over for the night watch riders early this morning.

  “Who you want driving the wagons across?” Miles referring his question to Leif this time. They had three wagons to get safely on the other side.

  “Benny can stay with the bedroll wagon. Think Moder should drive the chuck wagon, or ride in the other wagon to be with Tina and the kids?” Leif had never worried about children on a river crossings before, just cattle.

  “I’ll drive the chuck wagon across,” Oskar volunteered. “Annalina and Emma can ride with me. The water isn’t deep enough to have to unload the wagons and float things across, but I can handle the team while Annalina takes care of one child.”

  “Want Hyrum to drive your wagon?”

  The man was a skilled driver, but Leif was hesitant because of Tina and her children. Leif felt like he should take care of their crossing and safety, but he was also in charge of a herd of cattle, horses and several hired hands, too.

  “Hyrum will take care of them, Leif.” Leif nodded at his fader’s words, knowing he had his own job to do.

  Leif was soaked to the skin and the wind made it feel cold through to his bones. Where was the warm sunshine and still air they had only two days ago? He’d rode across the river and back, seeing where the horse had to swim versus walking across to check the water level. Leif dropped in the water up to his chest when his horse had to switch to swimming.

  The Red River had a good rock bottom in a certain spot so they’d try to keep the herd crossing there instead of branching out and getting caught on sand bars or down in sink holes.

  There were five calves, young enough to drown if caught in the middle of the swimming herd, so they were roped, legs hogtied and put in the bedroll wagon. Benny eased the team into the river and the five momma cows stayed beside the wagon sides, starting the cattle procession across the river.

  Beller followed, his bell ringing in the wind until he was wading across the water’s current. Riders funneled the cattle down the bank and across the river trying to keep them moving but not too fast so that they might bunch up.

  The noise was deafening between the bellows of the animals splashing in the water and the riders shouting from their positions and tasks. Leif looked back and forth across the water, watching where horned heads flashed above the water, watching for signs of trouble.

  This wasn’t the first water crossing for the group, but the biggest one so far. And the first one where he wasn’t driving Tina and the kids across himself.

  It took the herd over an hour to cross, then the remuda crossed next. Most of the riders kept moving with the herd, pushing them on, following a divide through an open prairie area which would take them to a branch of Beaver Creek. It was almost fifteen miles to the next camping spot, but the cattle wouldn’t get hot today traveling in the cool weather.

  It was finally the two wagons’ turn to cross. Hyrum slapped the harness straps on the team’s backs, urging them and his wagon down the now slippery slope of the bank. The thousands of hooves had beaten the grass down so you couldn’t even tell there had been any vegetation two hours ago. The canvas top covering the wagon bed was pulled tight at both ends to keep the contents dry so Leif couldn’t see Tina or Robby. Miles rode his horse beside the team as a guide to keep them on track.

  Leif mentally counted the seconds as he watched the team struggle to pull the wagon across the water’s current. Maybe they should have put a second team of horses on the wagon to help pull it across. Luckily the north bank was an easy slope so the team got up the side safely and pulled to a stop to rest.

  Next his fader calmly urged the team to pull the chuck wagon down the bank into the water and start across. Leif’s horse eased down to take his place as an escort. Half way across, Leif looked to the opposite bank and realized they were out of line with where the other wagon had pulled out of the water. The team was drifting to the right as they went across.

  “Fader! Pull left!”

  The team struggled against the current, getting three-fourths across the river when the front right wheel dropped in a hole, pitching the wagon forward at an angle. His moder screamed, startled inside the wagon from the sudden drop, and Emma started crying in response.

  “Whoa! Whoa!” Leif and Oskar yelled at the same time to stop the team from jerking forward. Leif leaned forward in his saddle trying to grab the left horse’s bit strap to steady the team. It took a second try, almost getting pulled out of the saddle before Leif got ahead of the horse to stop it.

  In the meantime his mother was frantically opening up the back canvas hole, ready to bail out if need be.

  “Hold on, Annalina! Wait for Leif to get you!” Oskar called to his wife. His moder never liked riding in the back of the wagon on water crossings, always preferring to drive or ride across instead.

  Leif looked up as horses splashed in the water. Miles and Buck were urging their horses back across the river to their aid. And Tina stood at the edge of the water, watching the sinking wagon which held her daughter.

  “Hold the team!” Leif yelled as the riders got in front of the horses. He urged his horse to swim around to the back of the wagon where his moder was sitting in the canvas opening.

  “Give me, Emma,” Leif called when his horse was parallel to the end of the wagon. His moder pushed the crying child into his side and he wrapped his left arm around her. Leif exchanged a serious look with his moder before turning the horse around to swim to shore. He knew she was terrified of water, but she wanted the child safely across the river first.

  Tina met him as the horse hopped up the bank, her arms outstretched for her child.

  “She’s fine, Tina, but she’ll need dry clothes. Stay in our wagon while we get the chuck wagon out.” Leif whirled the horse around as soon as Tina had hold of Emma.

  His moder had crawled out of the wagon and on the back of Buck’s horse, and made it to the bank before Leif made it back to the wagon. With the passengers now safe, they could work to get the wagon unstuck, or unload the wagon by transferring bags and boxes of provisions to the bank by horse or the other wagon. Leif hoped the bags of flour weren’t sitting in the front of the wagon, soaking up river water as he decided what they needed to do.

  “Get the other team down here, ready to help pull the wagon out if we need them!” Oskar commanded before Leif could speak up.

  “You sure the wheel isn’t busted?” Miles yelled back.

  “Don’t think so by how the wheel dropped and held. We don’t want to unload
if we don’t have to.”

  Hyrum already had the team unhitched from the other wagon and was walking behind the horses, driving them by their lines to the water’s edge. Hyrum had been through this experience before, just like his family had over the years, so he was ready for what needed to be done.

  “Should we try roping the saddle horses to the team first to pull the wagon out, before hooking up the second team’s traces to the wagon tree?” All three of them had ropes fastened to the sides of their saddles so that might work. Leif hated to try to hook the traces to the tree when it was underwater and you had to feel around to do it, between two sets of agitated horses. Why didn’t they hook up two teams on the chuck wagon before even crossing the river?

  “Hold off!” Miles held up his hand to Hyrum so he’d wait before getting into the water.

  “Yeah, let’s try dragging the team and wagon out first.”

  It took a few minutes with their cold hands to loop their wet ropes between the team’s harnesses and their saddle horns.

  “Ready? Pull!”

  The wagon hesitated a second before lurching forward, only to roll forward a few feet before the back wheel fell into the same hole, jerking the horses to a rough stop.

  “Give them a rest a minute and we’ll go again. Hopefully there won’t be any more holes between here and the bank.”

  “I wouldn’t bet on it,” Buck said under his breath.

  “Ready? Pull!” Leif urged a second time.

  Relief flowed through Leif’s cold veins when all were safely on the north side of the river. Even simple crossings could be dangerous.

  Now they needed to take the harnesses and saddles off the exhausted horses, brush them down, then catch fresh horses from the remuda to ride and hitch up to the two wagons—before they could catch up with the cattle herd. All the while wishing he could get out of these wet, cold, muddy clothes, but all he had time for was to take off and pour the water out of his boots.

  Days like today made him ready for his own warm house, hot food and coffee, and a family to share it all with. Depending on the cattle and the weather, they’d be on the trail for around thirty more days before arriving in Ellsworth County, Kansas.