Family of Convenience

by Victoria W. Austin

  “I know.” Genie’s tone was so confident that Millie actually laughed.

  Caty was still standing, waiting for Millie to tell her what to do to help. Millie wanted to ask her to play with her dolls, but that wouldn’t be fair. Caty would obey, but she would not be lost in fun play like Genie currently was. Instead, she would worry. Just like Millie.

  “Okay, baby, Daddy said we need sheets. And honey. And anything else we think will be useful. Can you help me with all that?”

  Caty nodded quickly.

  “How about you go and get a couple of the large burlap bags we have? We can pack things in them.” The words were barely out of her mouth before Caty moved to the cabinet where the bags were held.

  Millie looked at her notebook, still on the table. Her hands were itching to sit down. Open it. Write out all the ways this fire could go and what they would do in each circumstance.

  No.

  Millie was still angry that Adam had violated her privacy. Had read what had always been hers alone. But, she had to admit she was also at fault. She had spent so much time and energy on working out the what-ifs instead of working on the right now. Adam had a responsibility to her, but she also had a responsibility to him. And how in the world was he supposed to know what she wanted, what she feared, if she never told him? That was beyond unfair.

  “Got them!” Caty set the bags on the table, right on top of the notebook. It was time to act. She could figure out her notebook and her marriage later.

  “Okay, Caty-girl, let’s get the extra sheets.”

  * * *

  Adam was familiar with how fast things could change. His life had shattered in the time it took him to pick up and read the note his first wife had written when she left him. Everything had changed again when she died. His world had changed in the time it took him to say his vows to Millie. It had changed when he read her notebook and saw all those contemplations of his failure. And now, with a glance in the sky, it was changing yet again.

  That fire had to be massive. Unstoppable. The grass was dry and the wind was blowing. Toward them. Yes, things were about to change yet again.

  Normally, Adam would head to town. That was the most likely place for men to gather. But, his house was between town and the fire, and Adam doubted that men would be moving away from the blaze to gather. Unsure of where else to go, he headed to Mike’s place.

  He saw Mike and Edith as he approached their house. It was almost dark now, but the moon was ironically bright. Cheerful. Mike’s horse was saddled, and Mike was hugging Edith. From a distance, they looked like one person. Adam suppressed his sudden jealousy. He didn’t want that. Or at least, he was resigned to not having it.

  Mike broke away from Edith and waved at Adam. “I’m glad to see you. Neil Cott came by and said the men are all meeting at the Coltridge place. That’s probably the next area the fire will take.”

  The Coltridge farm wasn’t that far away, in rural terms. About two hours. That was much too close in the case of a prairie fire.

  “Okay. Let’s go.” Adam wanted to get out there and see what was going on. Do something to cool the acid boiling in his gut.

  Mike nodded, mounted his horse and waved goodbye to Edith. Adam nodded his own goodbye, trying to ignore how similar the panicked look in Edith’s eyes was to Millie’s when he’d left.

  They made the ride to the Coltridge farm in silence, both men pushing their horses. There wasn’t anything they could say that they both didn’t already know. That smoke had not been there this afternoon. It was there now. The fire was big. It was moving. In their direction. And there was a serious shortage of water and resources to stop it.

  The air was hazy when they made it to the Coltridge house. Adam dismounted and squinted, trying to lessen the sting of smoke in his eyes. Adam saw the same grim look on Mike’s face that he felt on his own. The boiling acid in his stomach had shifted into a solid piece of lead.

  Adam quickly joined the line of men passing buckets of water in a long chain. The end of that chain was a line of ground the group was trying to saturate. The hope was that the fire would not be able to cross the damp ground. That it would be contained and eventually burn out. That it would stop.

  Five hours later, Adam’s arms were one solid ache. His shirt was drenched and his eyes burned as fiercely as the fire they were trying to fight. And it felt like it was all for nothing.

  It wasn’t working. Word quickly came down the chain of men that the fire was crossing the line of water. The wind was simply blowing lit grass over the line. And not just over but several feet past the line. This fire wasn’t just moving, it was actually jumping.

  The men closest to the fire came back to the creek they had been using as a water source. Adam recognized most of them, even though they were filthy from head to toe. Seth Coltridge spoke, his voice hoarse from either the smoke or emotion. Probably both.

  “It’s no use. The fire is coming this way. It’s already eating my fields.” His voice broke, though none of the men drew attention to that. “It’ll be at the barn and house soon. We’re just wasting time and energy trying to fight it at this point.” Tears fell down the man’s face as his wife ran up to him and threw herself at his chest. “Thank you all for your help. But you need to worry about your own places and families now.”

  Adam wanted to argue. To suggest trying it for just a little bit longer. Maybe a wider water line would help. Maybe they could get extra water to where the fire was crossing over and use the water to put out new fires started by blowing grass. Maybe they could dig a trench—too large for the fire to pass. Maybe the winds would die down or change.

  Maybe.

  Maybe.

  Maybe.

  Adam looked from where he had been focused on the wall of smoke in the not so distance. The men were seemingly all talking at once, throwing out the ideas Adam had thought of along with several other options. Good men, who were hot and tired and scared. Men who had effectively just been told that they needed to stand by and watch their dreams literally go up in smoke.

  “Excuse me, men! Excuse me!” Pastor Willis was almost yelling, trying to be heard over all the voices. The pastor was every bit as hot and tired as the rest of them, having come to help his congregants even though his own home in town was likely safe. The fire was heading in its direction, yes, but it would have to cross a large river to actually get there.

  The group quieted down and the men turned to the pastor. Adam could hear the sound of Mrs. Coltridge crying, but he tried not to focus on the sound. Or imagine similar noises coming from Millie before the day was through.

  “Okay. We need to stay calm. And organized.” Though he looked as grimy as the rest of them, the pastor’s voice carried clearly and with that hint of authority that came from addressing groups of people on a weekly basis. “If we can’t fight this fire, we need to make sure we do as much damage control as possible.”

  Adam found himself nodding with the rest of the men. He wanted to fight the fire, too. But at the end of the day, there were forces that were actually beyond their control. And if the fire was going to come either way, they might as well be prepared to the extent possible.

  Pastor Willis continued, “We can’t save crops or houses. But we can save livestock and people. And some possessions.” Though he was a pastor, Eric Willis had grown up the son of farmers. He knew about the reality of living out here beyond the town limits.

  “We should gather the livestock and get them on the other side of the river, into town,” Mr. Sinclair spoke up, his comment met with general murmurs of approval.

  The water line had been ineffective. The small creeks and ponds dotting the landscape had similarly had no real impact. But the river dividing the fire from town was quite large. Worst-case scenario, they might have to destroy the bridge that spanned it to keep it from carrying the fire acros
s. That would leave people stranded on the town side, but would also keep the fire away.

  A few of the older men conferred quickly, and Adam was content to let them come up with a plan. His entire body was starting to feel tingly, a sense of unreality about this entire situation seeming to grow up from his feet and bloom at his head.

  Lord, this isn’t fair. It just isn’t fair. Why?

  There wasn’t an answer. Not even the sense of one.

  Finally, all the plans were made. Pastor Willis prayed, and men started moving out in groups. Mike and Adam mounted their horses and headed back home. Mike’s ranch hands would move their livestock toward town. Adam’s house was on the way to town, so they would meet up with Adam’s remaining hands there and take Adam’s livestock, too. All the livestock should easily make it to the property on the other side of the river that others had agreed could be used to shelter the animals so long as necessary.

  Mike would go home. He and Edith would pack a wagon full of as much stuff as they could. Then Mike would send Edith toward town, stopping first at Adam’s house. Adam would go home and help Millie pack. Then, he would send Millie and the kids with Edith, all heading to safety in town with as much stuff as they could bring.

  Adam and Mike would stay at their homes, each with a horse. They would fight as long as possible to protect their homes from the fire. Maybe lessen the damage somehow. Then when the flames were closing in, they would go to town and join the others.

  It was a plan. One that filled Adam with dread, but a plan nonetheless. And moving surely felt better than waiting. Or staring at the ever approaching wall of smoke.

  Chapter Seventeen

  To Do:

  Wait

  Wait some more

  Worry

  Lose my mind

  Wait

  Worry

  Oh, and wait

  Millie couldn’t do it. She couldn’t just wait for Adam to come home anymore. She was absolutely going to lose her mind.

  Millie had filled two hours preparing supplies. Waiting for word of where to go and how to be of use. Waiting for some kind of update about the smoke that seemed to cover every bit of sky, covering the pale blue of dawn with deathly black.

  A rider had come hours before and told her that Adam was fighting the fire. But it was okay, because so far there had not been any injuries so her supplies and help were not needed.

  It was okay. Because Adam was fighting a fire. The thought of her husband being close to the blaze was anything but okay. Of course, the man left before Millie could correct him of his misperception.

  Eventually, Millie had put the children to bed. They had protested. Resisted. But once Millie got them to actually stay still for a few minutes, they had both fallen asleep. That left Millie free to sit at the table and brood. Stare at the notebook. The one that had brought her so much comfort. The one that had brought her so much pain.

  Millie was alone. Her husband just wanted to be her friend. And the world was on fire. She reached for the notebook and opened it. Ripped out the page that had caused The Fight. Tore it up into tiny little pieces. Turned to a clean page.

  It didn’t take her long to make a brooding list. Petty as it was, the list made her feel better. Millie was resisting the urge to start crossing off some of the listed ways to worry to show that they had been accomplished when she heard a rider come up to the house.

  Millie didn’t even make it the door before it opened, and Adam walked in. Him not properly brushing down or stabling his horse was not a good sign. He looked so tired. Wet with sweat, covered in dirt and soot. She wanted to ask a million questions. Yell at him for making her stay here and wait for answers. Instead, she just stood there like a fool and waited for him to speak. Clenched her hand to keep from brushing his hair back where it was almost matted against his forehead.

  “Daddy!” Caty’s voice made Millie jump. She and Genie seemed to almost jump straight into Adam’s arms. She hadn’t even realized they were awake. Just as quickly as they appeared, Adam seemed to sink from standing to sitting on the floor, still clutching both kids.

  “You smell like smoke, Daddy,” Caty’s voice was muffled as she pressed her face into his neck, but Millie still heard the words and smiled.

  Genie leaned back and put a little hand on each of Adam’s cheeks. “Dirty!” His grin covered his entire face, and he looked like he had discovered a stash of candy.

  Adam’s chuckle was warm. “I know. I am smelly and dirty. I definitely need a bath.”

  “No bath!” Genie looked horrified by the thought, and Millie smiled again. Two smiles in less than a minute. She wasn’t angry anymore. Just tired. Weary, actually. Millie had never understood the difference in those words until this very minute. Now, she felt it in her bones.

  “No,” Adam agreed. “No bath. Not right now anyway.” He looked up at Millie, and she sat back down in her chair. It felt too awkward standing over the rest of her family.

  Her family. These three people sitting on the ground had become her family. She loved them. And they were in danger. Adam looked at her and the children grew quiet, probably picking up on the air that suddenly seemed as thick as the smoke outside.

  “We tried to stop the fire, but couldn’t.”

  Millie nodded, unsure of what else to do in response.

  “It’s coming this way. We can just be grateful, all things considered, that no one has been hurt. And we all have enough time to prepare, so that’s another blessing.”

  Millie nodded again, dumbly. Numbly.

  Adam leaned down to kiss both kids on the head, then stood and joined Millie at the table. He leaned across and took hold of both her hands. His hands felt too warm, and Millie turned them over to look at the palms. He had blisters in hot red rows across each one. She looked at him with wide eyes.

  “It’s okay, Millie. It’s from all the buckets of water I passed trying to put out the fire. I had gloves, but they didn’t exactly hold up to the task.”

  Millie abruptly let go of his hands and went to get the salve and bandages she had placed in the burlap bags with the other supplies.

  “My hands can wait. I need to tell you what’s going on and then I have to get going. Our time is limited by the fire right now.”

  Millie felt irritation bubble over out of nowhere as she got a bowl of water and some clean toweling cloth. Yes, she was scared. She had no idea what they were going to do. But, she wasn’t helpless. And she could certainly take care of her husband when he was hurt. “So talk, Adam. I can do this and listen at the same time.”

  Both kids looked at her with open mouths. They’d never heard her use that tone of voice before, not even on their most unruly days. Adam also looked at her like he was in shock. Well, good. At least she wasn’t alone.

  Millie sat back down at the table and began to clean the blisters, being as gentle as possible despite her irritation. She felt Adam’s fingers jerk and looked at him before speaking, her voice much softer this time. “I’m sorry, Adam. I’ll try to be quick. Please tell me what’s going on.” By the time she had his hands bandaged, he’d fully explained everything to her. Dawn had turned to day, and Millie refused to look out the window where the wall of black was still coming for them.

  She wanted to argue that there had to be another way, but did not. Her husband would not have made this decision lightly. If Adam believed they needed to leave this house that he’d built with his own two hands, then that was what they needed to do. And her job was to make it as easy as possible on him.

  Adam went to hitch the wagon, and Millie looked around the house considering what would count as items important enough to bring. Millie picked up her notebook and began sorting the possessions in her sight into two columns. One for items to bring and one for items to leave behind. Her hand shook as she wrote, but she managed to
fill both columns.

  The door opened as Adam came back inside. “Okay, the wagon is ready.”

  His look darkened when he saw her holding the notebook. Feeling self-conscious and defensive, Millie set the notebook down on the table and busied her hands in her apron. “Okay. What do you want to load first?” She didn’t dare mention the list she had been making.

  Adam surveyed the room. “We’ll do the large pieces first and then fit the smaller pieces in around them.”

  “Will everything fit?” Millie had zero experience with wagons and moving entire households.

  “No. But we can take the most important stuff. We’ll leave behind things that can be easily replaced. Things that take up more space than they are worth, comparatively.”

  Time moved quickly after that, which was almost a relief after an entire night of time feeling like it had stopped. They loaded her bed, dresser and rocking chair. The kids’ bed and dresser. The kitchen pots, pans and dishes.

  Adam managed to fit all the of kids’ bedroom items into the wagon. That was good. Both children were sitting on the grass out front, watching the loading process without saying a word. Their eyes were wide, and they were unusually quiet and still. Even Genie. If the fire destroyed the only home they had ever known, the children would be devastated. Hopefully, having familiar items with them, wherever they were, would help lessen the pain.

  Millie wiped her hands off on her apron and surveyed how much room they had left in the wagon, trying to picture how much else they had left inside the house. They hadn’t even touched Adam’s room or the family room yet. Her bedroom still had all the smaller items. There was no way, to Millie’s eye, that it would all fit.

  Adam was looking at the smoke and frowning. Millie looked, too. It was still there. Still black. Still coming at them.

  “Adam?” Millie was conscious of the children listening, so she tried to keep her tone light and calm.

  Adam turned and brushed his hands off on his pants. “Just checking. It’s still coming at us, but we still have time.”