The Star of All Valleys

by Vicki H. Cutler

  Chapter 7

  The next day was Sunday and, following her habit when they traveled, Willy intended to go back into town and find a church to attend. They all needed baths so she started heating some water. There were two trees in their campground close enough together to put a sturdy stick between two branches that could hold the portable shower. She rigged up a rudimentary shelter with blankets to provide privacy and then got the kids up and showered them amid much complaining about the cold air.

  She kept water heating for Aggie and held the towel and clothes while her sister hurried through a chilly shower. Finally it was her turn and she could climb in herself. It wasn't easy to maneuver in such a small confined area. There was no place to put the soap and shampoo, so she had Aggie stand outside to take her clothes when she removed them, hand her the supplies she needed and give her the clothing when she was done. It felt good to be clean.

  Willy wished there was a bathroom in the camper. She had wanted one when they bought it, but Ryan hadn't seen the necessity. After all, he didn't need one and who took showers when they were camping, anyway? Those thoughts brought back the memories of their last argument. He had reminded her that the new motor home would be sure to have a bathroom and shower and that she wanted more comforts. "I'm doing it all for you!" he had shouted at her just before he slammed the door.

  Wishing that only good memories remained, Willy wiped her face of water and tears and dressed quickly, shivering in the cold. It was still chilly in the early mornings because the mountains blocked the sun until much later. 

  Willy dressed the children in Sunday clothes and they drove into town. There were several choices of churches listed in the phonebook so they decided upon one of the Mormon congregations that fit their schedule. The services were inspiring and the children enjoyed the special classes for their age groups. There was even a young women’s group which welcomed Aggie and she made a few new friends. Willy found an opportunity to introduce herself in the women's meeting after the regular services and explain her purpose in visiting the community. After the meeting, several women came up and talked with her. They were very warm and friendly and one kind lady even invited them to Sunday dinner. Willy was touched but declined politely, not wanting to impose.

  After gathering the children, she found a small cafe in town and treated them to lunch. It was very relaxing and restful and the kids were on their best behavior.

  When they returned to camp, Willy put Jeffy down for a nap and then while Aggie and Allison played a game outside, she busied herself making notes of everything she could remember about all they had seen the previous day. She outlined her information and found where gaps existed in her data. She was just listing the things she still wanted to investigate and take pictures of when Jeffy awoke. Ready for a break, Willy invited Aggie and the little ones to go for a walk down the canyon.

  She fixed a small backpack for each one with a drink and a bag of trail mix for a snack. They started off down the road, stopping whenever there was an especially beautiful tree or hillside to photograph. Willy expected that Jeffy would tire quickly, but he trudged along happy as a lark.

  "He loves to be out in nature just like his dad," she thought, a twinge of grief touching her heart.

  They took a short hike up a trail they came across and enjoyed their exertions as it wound steeply up the mountain. They had stopped to rest under some pines when they were startled by a nearby rifle shot. Allison screamed and dove for the protection of her mother. Jeffy, trying to be manly, moved to her side. Willy called out as loud as she could, "Watch out! There are people here!"

  They heard rustling in the underbrush on the next ridge and saw a deer dash through a clearing. Its side was bleeding but it ran valiantly on.

  "It isn't hunting season, is it?" asked Aggie. "They shouldn't be shooting this time of year."

  Willy wasn't sure about the game laws in Wyoming, but didn't think that it made sense to allow hunting at the peak of the tourist season when so many people were camping in the national forests. "We should report this to the ranger station," she decided. "Let's go back down right now and do it."

  "I hate it when people think they can just kill animals for no reason," Aggie commented, contempt in her tone.

  They returned to their campground much faster than they had gone. There was no stopping for pictures this time as they hurried to the ranger station at the edge of the lake to report what they had seen. Willy wasn't good at estimating distances, but was able to give enough details about the location to send a ranger off in a jeep looking for evidence of the culprit.

  They returned to their camper in a more somber mood, saddened by the few who show no respect for life or nature. Willy tried to answer Jeffy's inevitable questions and to throw in a little lesson about caring for our resources and animal life. She was more shaken by the close proximity of the rifle shot than by the law-breaking poacher. She decided that maybe they had better stick to the main road instead of the side trails in the future.

  After Allison and Jeffy were in bed, the lullabies had been sung, and the kids were asleep, Aggie and Willy sat for a few minutes talking over the events of the day. "There were two girls from that church who gave me their addresses so I could write to them when I get home," she confided. "They are really nice." She also mentioned a couple of not-too-bad-looking boys who had caught her eye in church. "I hope we are still here next Sunday," she admitted. "I would like to have a chance to see them all again. It was a fun day--except for the shooting."

  Before she went to bed, Willy went out one last time to check that all the food had been put away and the camp area was in order. She looked up at the stars and the beauty of the clear night and was transported in thought to the other night when her admiration of their light had ended in a long sob session and an interlude of utter peace in the strong, comforting arms of a friendly man. She wondered where he was and what he was doing.

  Checking her runaway thoughts yet again, Willy tried to remember Ryan's face and features. Her memory of him was becoming dim and she chided herself that she could forget what he looked like. She always carried a picture of him on trips and had many on the walls at home, but unless she looked at a photo, she often forgot his face. "Ryan, Ryan," she called in her mind. "Why? Why did you have to leave us? What am I going to do without you?"

  Shaking the sorrow-filled thoughts from her mind, she climbed back into the camper and prepared herself for the night. She forced herself to think of her tasks at hand and to plan the activities of the next day. Her willful mind, wandering from grief over someone lost to anticipation of the next encounter with a new friend, kept her awake long into the night. Finally she drifted off into a fitful sleep, her rest broken by dreams of first one man then the other.

  A nightmare of a tense and horrible meeting between the two brought her fully awake. She dreamed they had been ready to fight over her and she had, in characteristic dream-fashion, run in slow motion from one to the other futilely trying to talk some sense into them. Just as they had come to blows, she had been jerked awake by the loud noise. As she sat up in bed, trying to clear her senses, she realized that the noise was real. Someone was pounding on the door.

  "Who is it?" she called, her voice high and trembling as she scrambled out of the warm bed.

  "Max Bell, Ma'am. Can I talk to you?"

  Thinking it had something to do with the poacher the day before, she quickly drew a blanket around her and unlocked the door. "What is it?" she asked.

  "Sorry if I woke you, Ma'am. It’s after eight o’clock so I thought you’d be up. I have to go over to the Grey's River Ranger Station today and I wondered if you'd like to follow me and see the scenery over there. There is a crystal clear lake you might like to photograph and some beautiful country. You can see the other side of the range from where the Intermitting Spring is and get some pictures from that angle. Are you interested?"

  Willy looked at the crisp uniform, the dark hair, and the hat
in his hand. His smile lit up his eyes and there was the look of a little boy’s enthusiasm in them. Shyness, uncertainty, hope, all filled their depths. In spite of herself and her determination to keep him at a distance, she smiled back. "The kids aren't awake yet and we don't want to hold you up. Maybe we can go another time," she said.

  "Please yourself," he said, "but I won't be leaving for about an hour, so you would have time to get ready and have breakfast. I'll check back before I go to see what you've decided." He replaced his hat and strode off, leaving her to mull over what she wanted to do.

  It would be fun to see some country she hadn't planned on and have a guide again so she wouldn't get lost. Why not? The things on her list could wait for tomorrow, she decided. It was best to take every opportunity she could to get more information and pictures. Not everyone was lucky enough as to have their own personal ranger to show them around.

  She got the kids up. They had been awakened by the knocking and voices anyway so they dressed and ate and got ready for the day. When Max returned in just over an hour, they were waiting for him. Willy had wound up the camper jacks and had everything ready to leave. She didn't bother to take down the canopy or pack up the lawn chairs trusting that they would be fine until they got back. She had paid the fee for a whole week in this spot and intended to return here.

  In a cheerful and expectant mood, they climbed in the pick-up and followed the jeep down the canyon road. "Is this an adventure, Mama?" Allison wanted to know.

  "Yes, this is an adventure!" Willy replied.