Chapter 7
"With a horse!" Lou snapped sarcastically. "Of course, a baby."
Ike stared at her for a moment, then taking Lou by complete surprise, jumped to his feet, grabbed her around the waist to lift her up and smack a big, noisy kiss on her forehead, before hopping out of the wagon and turning several cartwheels and handsprings. Lou moved to the tailgate to watch his exuberant celebration, laughing at his sudden excitement.
Running back, he hopped up on the wagon's tailgate to sit next to her. With almost exaggerated care, Ike wrapped an arm around her shoulders and asked, *How far along are you?*
All the lighthearted laughter slipped away from Lou with those simple words. Looking down at her hands, she began picking at a stray thread hanging from one cuff.
"About two months," she muttered.
Reaching out to tilt her chin up so she could see him, he asked gently, *Jimmy?*
Lou shrugged, again looking away from him. Blushing slightly, she added, "Maybe. Or Kid."
Pulling her tight against his side, he gently kissed the top of her head and placed a hand gently over her stomach. With one hand he awkwardly signed, *It doesn't matter. Either way, this child is a piece of one of our brothers that will always be with us.*
Lou looked up at Ike to see if he was serious. His green eyes bored into hers, and she could tell, he was indeed happy about this news. She didn't understand, couldn't understand.
"How can you be so happy about this? Raising another man's child? A wife who isn't. And you know what they're all going to think once I start showing!"
Ike slid away from her a touch in order to use both hands. *They'll think whatever we tell them, especially if we don't wait until you're showing to announce who you really are. Besides, since when did you care about what others thought?*
Lou shrugged. "Don't know. Just do."
*As for the rest, I've always wanted a big family, lots of children. It's been a pure joy having Resi and Jeremiah around. I can't wait to add this little one to the lot I get to spoil.*
Lou had to chuckle at that. Spoil the children, Ike certainly did, in the best way possible, with lots of love. He was strict, but with such a gentle hand they hardly noticed. Sometimes she wondered how he managed it.
*Besides,* he continued, *"If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child, the wife of the dead shall not marry without unto a stranger: her husband's brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of an husband's brother unto her. And it shall be, that the firstborn which she beareth shall succeed in the name of his brother which is dead, that his name be not put out of Israel."*^
"What was that?"
*Just something Preacher Heath said last Sunday. Guess it sort of stuck with me.*
She was so busy contemplating those words, she completely missed his next comment, *And you're the only kind of wife I want.*
"What's this?" Lou asked when Ike handed her her breakfast the next morning. Next to the cornmeal mush was a handful of some sort of flat biscuit.
*Soda crackers,* Ike smiled at her. *I remember my Ma practically lived on them when she was expecting my little sister. Said they were the only thing she could keep down.*
Lou stiffened. "Where'd you get 'em?"
Ike busied himself with lifting a spoon to his mouth and chewing slowly so he wouldn't have to answer, but Lou wasn't going to let it go.
"Well? I thought we agreed to wait a bit more before.. sayin' anythin' to the others." The decision had come after a lot of fast talking on her part. Ike was ready to have her quit scouting and hunting right away. But Lou had insisted she could continue with her work for the wagon train, at least until she started showing.
Finally, reluctantly, Ike said, *Mrs. Heath.*
"What did you tell her?"
*Just that you were feeling poorly. I didn't give nothing away.*
Still uncertain, but unwilling to break the fragile peace they'd established the night before, Lou let it go. Reaching down, she picked up one of the soda crackers and brought it to her nose. Unlike coffee, bacon and half a dozen other foods they ate on a daily basis, the scent didn't turn her stomach. That was a good sign. Sticking just the tiniest corner of the cracker in her mouth, she bit it off and chewed, slowly. When her stomach didn't protest, she tried a larger piece. Before she knew it, the crackers were all gone, as was half her cornmeal mush.
"Guess they work pretty well," she finally admitted, looking up at Ike as he was about to gather the dishes for washing. "Thanks."
*You're welcome,* he signed, smiling broadly at her.
Pulling out that morning was tough. No one had any heart for the journey after the previous day's events. And the sight of John and Paul Stuart having to pry Peter's mother, Amy, away from his grave so they could leave was heart wrenching.
Lou could only imagine what the poor woman was going through. Many times that day, every time she heard Amy Stuart break into tears again, Lou had to fight the urge to place a hand over her own growing child. The more real this baby became, the more attached to it she was getting. Regardless of whose it was.
"Can I walk with you today?"
Startled, Lou turned to find Emily standing nearby. With a smile, she nodded. "Sure."
"Oh, good," Emily said, relaxing with relief. "I'm getting so sick of talking about nothing but cards and guns with my Pa! Even Ike was boring as all get out, yesterday. He kept going on and on about the merits of oxen over mules for pulling wagons!"
Lou laughed out loud. Although she couldn't say it, she could certainly sympathize. She'd had those days herself, living in the bunkhouse. Lou liked Emily. She was a sweet, straightforward woman, and practical. So practical that after Lou'd started dressing Teresa in boy's pants for safety, Emily'd taken one look and gone and gotten, or made, a pair for herself. She didn't wear them all the time, but certainly on trail days. That had been enough to further scandalize some of the more conservative members of their group of travelers. But Emily had just shrugged and moved on with her life. Lou admired that in her.
Lou shook her head as she silently marveled at just how impractical the other women's dresses were. The skirts were bad enough, one light prairie breeze had them swaying and flapping in such a way as to spook even the calmest of animals. That's without counting all the petticoats that went underneath, or the over bodice that buttoned up to the neck. The dresses, all by themselves, consisted of some 12 to 15 pounds of material. Lou was surprised none of the other women had yet collapsed from heat stroke. She'd seen it happen before, back when she'd been with the Express.
Turning to Emily, she asked, "So, what do you want to talk about?"
With one thing and another, the days slid into weeks, the weeks into months. Slowly, the wagon train inched across the prairie, toward the Rocky Mountains. Lou breathed easier, the further from Rock Creek they got. When they passed the town of Sweetwater, she once again insisted on staying behind with the train, while Ike took the kids into town, again travelling with the Metcalfes.
"Lou, what's that?" Jeremiah asked, from his position behind her on Katy's back.
Lou looked where he was pointing and in the distance saw the smoke rising from the small cluster of buildings that made up Fort Bridger.
"That would be the Fort we've been on the lookout for," she smiled. "Fort Bridger."
"Have you been there before?"
"Sure have, little brother," she said. "Used to ride through it real regular. It's got a Pony Express station there, along with an Army Post and trading station."
"Bully!"
Swinging Katy back around toward the wagon train behind them, Lou said, "We'd better go tell the others the good news!"
That night, they camped just a couple miles away from the Fort, with plans to arrive mid-morning the next day. It would give the tired travelers the rest of the day and all weekend to relax and socialize before picking up their journey west again.
After Jeremiah and Teresa were tucked into their pallets in the wagon, Ike came out to find Lou sitting by the fire, industriously sewing at something.
*What's that?* he asked curiously.
"A dress," she mumbled around the thread in her mouth.
Picking up one end of the material, Ike shook it a little before teasing, *Looks a bit big for Resi.*
"Ha, ha! It's fer me and ya know it."
*What happened to that pretty pink dress you had? Or the blue one?* he asked curiously, settling down next to her.
She said nothing for a moment before muttering, "Don't fit no more."
Ike sat up straighter as he looked at her. *Does that mean it's time?*
Unhappily, she nodded, before bursting into tears. Grabbing her hand to get her attention, Ike smiled at her. *It's going to be alright,* he reassured her. *You'll see.*
Lou smiled tremulously up at him, desperate to believe his words.
"Well, I'll be, if it ain't Ike McSwain and Lou Mc-"
"Nice to see you, too, Carter," Lou rapidly interrupted the tall, bluff man who ran the trading station at Fort Bridger. "These are Jeremiah and Teresa, my brother and sister."
"So, ya finally went and picked 'em up, hunh?" he laughed. "Here, why don't you two have a piece of candy?"
The kids eagerly reached out to accept the round hard pieces of horehound candy William Carter* was holding out toward them. Before sticking them in their mouths, both looked at Ike, awaiting his silent permission to eat. Carter watched the interplay in bemusement.
"Why don't you two go outside and play?" Lou suggested, trying to avert any early release of her secret.
"Not with the Express anymore, are you?" he asked, as they watched the children bound out of the store.
"Nope," Lou shook her head. "We're headed west. Going to try our hand at farming."
"Well, I wish you the best of luck. You're gonna need it," he chuckled. "Farming's a fool's game. Why do you think I run a store?"
"'Cause you're lazy and greedy?" Lou guessed good naturedly.
"Precisely! And who are these folks?" he asked, indicating the Nolans and the Metcalfes, clustered in the door behind Ike and Lou.
"Some friends of ours from the wagon train," Lou answered.
"So, what can I do fer ya?" he asked, stepping behind the store's small counter.
Ike pulled out a list of supplies and handed it over. Carter read through it slowly, nodding.
"I think I can handle most of this," he said. "But you're goin' ta have ta talk to Spotted Horse about the moccasins and pemmican."
"That's about what we'd figured," Lou nodded. "If you can fill this order, I'll go see if I can roust out Spotted Horse."
"Sure thing," Carter said. "Me and Ike are old hands at horse tradin', aren't we son?"
Ike nodded with a grin.
*Did you get everything you wanted from Spotted Horse?* Ike asked when Lou walked back into camp with two, obviously well stocked parfleches hanging over her shoulder.
"Yep," she smiled. "And then some."
*I don't know if it's good news or not,* Ike began a bit timorously, *but it might be a good chance to break our news to the others.*
Plopping down onto her saddle, next to Ike, Lou smiled at his roundabout comment. "What might be, Ike?"
*There's goin' ta be a dance tomorrow night. Thought maybe you could go as Mrs. McSwain,* he said, almost bashfully.
Reaching out to pat his hand, Lou smiled at him. He was trying so hard. "I think you're right, Ike. It's time."
"You about ready in there, Lou?" Jeremiah called out from outside the wagon. "I think Ike's going to pace a hole in the ground if you don't hurry it up!"
Lou stuck her head out through the back of the wagon, being careful to keep the edges of the cloth top closed. "Ike, can you come on in here? I need a little help."
Ike nodded and moved quickly toward the wagon. As always when she saw one of the Express boys dressed up, Lou took a moment to admire the fine figure he cut. Turning to Jeremiah and Teresa, she said, "Why don't you two run on over to see if the Metcalfes are ready? If they are you can walk to the dance with them. We'll be along in a bit."
"Yes, ma'am," Teresa said, a twinkle in her eye. She was looking forward to the big surprise planned for tonight. In her eyes it was in the order of a grand practical joke and tonight was the punch line. Lou wasn't quite so unflappable about the whole thing. She watched as the two children scampered off to join the Metcalfes. Then stepped aside to let Ike into the wagon, being careful to keep the edges of the canvas wagon cover between her and public view.
*What do you need, Lou?* he asked as soon as she'd securely tied the cover closed behind him.
She looked up at him through her eyelashes, before turning her back bashfully to him.
"I did the best I could, but I still can't quite get this corset fastened on my own," she whispered, embarrassed, as she let go of the sleeves of the dress and the bodice fell down around her waist. When she felt nothing, she turned her head to look behind her. "Ike?"
He was standing there, staring at her, transfixed by the sight of her bare shoulders and neck.
"Ike?" she repeated. "You alright?"
Shaking his head like a flummoxed bull, he slowly raised his eyes to meet hers. Suddenly he blushed bright red.
"Oh, Ike," she laughed. "You've seen me in less than this plenty."
*That was… different,* he gestured, before stepping toward her and reaching out gingerly to grasp the laces along the back of her corset.
"Once you get it done the first time I won't need help anymore," she chattered nervously as he fumbled with the strings down the back of the undergarment. "I just need someone to do it the first time. I'm sorry if this is embarrassing you, but I couldn't ask anyone else."
"I don't think I've ever been this nervous about a dance," she continued, trying to distract herself from the feel of his fingers as they occasionally brushed against the skin of her back, sending unexpected, unwanted, damnit!, sparks flying. "Not even that first time. You remember? When Teaspoon made us all go with Amanda? Except we didn't know she was Amanda yet? Oh, man! I still remember the look on those girls' faces when Buck told them you were the only man he'd ever scalped. I thought they were going to run screaming to their Pa's to protect 'em."
A soft pat on her shoulder notified her he was done. Without turning around, Lou pulled the bodice of the dress up and shrugged into the sleeves. Buttoning up the front, she swung to face him. Holding her arms out to her sides, she twirled.
"Well?" she asked. "How do I look?"
*As beautiful as the first time I ever saw you in a dress,* Ike signed, smiling at her. *Maybe more. You're glowing.*
"That's sweat," she said repressively. "It's hot as blazes in this get-up. Lord, I thought it was bad getting dressed up as a boy. That was nothing compared to this!"
*Ready?* Ike asked, ignoring her tirade.
She stopped and stared at him, sudden fear flashing through her eyes.
*It'll be alright,* he promised, sweeping her close in a hug. Pulling back, he added, *You'll see. They'll love you. We all did.*
Heaving a huge sigh, well, really just trying to take a deep breath wearing the damned corset, Lou smiled gamely. "Well, let's get this over with."
Ike climbed down out of the wagon, then held up his hand to help her out, just like she'd seen Teaspoon and the boys do for Emma and Rachel a hundred and one times. Heck, she'd even done it more than once herself. It felt odd to be at the other end of the aide. Odd, but kind of nice, too, she reflected.
Once safely on the ground, she reached back into the wagon to grab her handbag, made of material that matched the deep burgundy dress with pink trim she was wearing. Inside she carried only a handful of Mrs. Heath's soda crackers. Just in case.
He smiled back at her, bowing deeply, sweeping his hat off his head in proper courtly tradition. Straightening, he pulled his other hand from behind his back, a gaily wrapped package held in it.
"For me?" Lou asked, astonished. "Ike, you didn't need to get me anything."
Gesturing impatiently for her to take it, Ike continued to hold the gift out to her. Walking to his side, she accepted the gift and began ripping open the wrappings to reveal a pretty pink fan, a perfect match for the trim on her dress.
Opening it up, Lou observed the beautiful lace trim.
"Oh, Ike, you shouldn't have."
He shrugged bashfully. *I saw it and I thought of you, in that pink dress at Emma's coming out party? Do you remember?*
"Do I?" she grinned up at him. "I was so embarrassed she made me do that."
*And so pretty!* Stepping back, he held out his elbow for her. *Shall we?*
Lou fluttered her new fan flirtatiously in front of her face.
"Go for a walk with you this fine evening? Why, I don't mind if I do," she smiled at him playfully as she tucked her free hand into his crooked elbow. Together they began the half mile walk to the fort and the dance.
"Hey, look, here comes Ike McSwain, and he's got a gal with him!" A deep southern twang telling them it was one of the Stuart girls.
"She's pretty," another voice answered the first. This time a deeply timbered lilt indicated one of the older O'Callahan boys.
Ike smiled as he heard this unofficial, but excited, announcement of their arrival at the big room where the dance was being held. The former barracks was empty since the Army had abandoned the fort a few months ago, when hostilities broke out back East.
Lou however froze.
"I cain't do this," she muttered. "I ain't ready."
Ike stopped to face her. Reaching out, he cupped her cheek in his hand for a brief moment before speaking. *Ready or not, you need to do this, Lou. It won't be but a matter of weeks, maybe even days, before you won't be able to hide anymore. Make the revelation your choice, not theirs. You can do it, Lou. You can do anything you put your mind to. How many times did you have to remind all of us that?*
Lou nodded her head and, taking a deep breath, said, "Alright. I'm ready."
Resuming their movement, Lou practically marching in martial precision, they entered the room.
"Hey, Ike, who's yer gal?" William Carter, the sutler, asked curiously. "She looks awful familiar."
Ike smiled proudly down at Lou, then looked out over the crowd. Placing one hand over hers, he took her hand off his elbow so he could 'speak.' At this cue, Jeremiah and Teresa pushed their way to the front of the crowd. As Ike began to sign, Jeremiah translated.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, I'd like to introduce you to my wife, Louise McCloud McSwain."
"That's our sister," Teresa piped up into the shocked silence. "We're really McClouds. But, she married Ike and that made her a McSwain. So, we're McSwains now, too!"
^Deuteronomy 25:5-6, King James Version
Chapter 8
"Well if that don't take the rag off the bush," Carter marveled, with a growing smile. "I must admit I've been hornswaggled but good!"
Carter's colorful comments seemed to awaken the frozen crowd of shocked pioneers. Everyone began to speak at once.
"Louise? Is that our Lou he's talking about?"
"Is he really a girl?"
"Why'd he pretend to be a boy?"
"Why'd he own up to the truth now?"
"What else hasn't he told us?"
"Now folks," Preacher Heath moved to the front of the room to stand next to Ike and Lou, holding his hands out for quiet. "I'm sure if you give them a moment to breath, this fine young couple would be happy to answer your questions."
Ike nodded, Lou simply scooted a little closer to his side and he reached out to wrap one arm comfortingly around her waist. The preacher smiled at them kindly. "I'd like to start off by asking, did you really both ride for the Express?"
"I can answer that one," Carter said with a bellowing laugh. "Lou… ah… Louise…. here rode through quite regular for the Express. Ike was through occasionally, too. But it was Lou what always put the fear of the Almighty in me. Somehow he… uh…. she always managed to walk out of my store with exactly what she wanted at a price that should have beggared me. And that's the Simon pure truth!"
The crowd tittered at Carter's words, giving Lou the courage to begin answering questions.
"Yes, I'm really a girl. Always have been. I pretended to be a boy so I could get a decent paying job that didn't end up with me in a brothel," she paused a moment to cover a shiver of memory. "As for why we decided to tell everyone… well…."
She stuttered to a stop, unsure how to continue. Looking to Ike, she silently begged for help.
"But she's expecting a baby and won't be able to pretend no more," Jeremiah piped up for her.
Lou's mouth fell open in pure shock this time. "How.. how'd you know that?"
"What? You didn't think we'd put it together?" Jeremiah asked. "We aint' deaf, dumb and blind, ya know."
Once again, everyone laughed. The repeated laughter relaxed the group and soon they were breaking up into smaller clusters, getting their questions answered a few at a time. No one noticed a teary eyed Emily Metcalfe sneaking out the back door.
*Shall we dance?* Ike asked an hour later, holding out his hand invitingly to Lou.
"Yes, please," she smiled. As he swept her into his arms and out into the swirling crowd of people dancing vigorously to the upbeat music provided by Mr. O'Callahan and his two eldest sons, Lou continued, "That went better than I feared."
Ike shot an "I told you so" grin her direction as he swung her in a dizzying twirl. Lou laughed at his antics. "But good Lord, the questions! I'm exhausted. I don't think I've ever talked so much in my life. Give me a double run anyday over another night like this!"
"Damned buttons!" Lou grumped as she struggled to fasten her britches. She was in a hurry to hit the trail that morning, before Henderson had a chance to tell her she couldn't do her job anymore. But her steadily expanding belly was getting in the way, already.
"Here, Lou," Teresa said, holding out a string to her, "use this."
Lou let go of her waistband to reach out and accept the offered string. Holding it up in front of her face, she asked, "What am I supposed to do with this, Resi?"
Teresa giggled, happy she knew something, for once, that her idolized big sister didn't. Taking the string back, she tied it into a circle as she spoke. "You loop one end around the button, pass the whole thing through the buttonhole, then loop it back over the button again. It'll let you keep wearing your trousers for another month or two."
Looking at her little sister skeptically, Lou followed the directions.
"It works," she marveled. "How'd you know about that?"
Teresa shrugged. "It's a trick the nuns taught us when we'd outgrow our clothes and couldn't get new ones yet."
Hugging Teresa to her quickly, Lou said, "Thank you, honey bear."
Then, grabbing a handful of the ever ready soda crackers, Ike had bought several more boxes for her from Carter, she hopped out of the wagon and headed to where they had the horses tethered. Moments later, she was flying down the trail.
"Ike, what are you doing here? Why aren't you out riding the trail?" Henderson asked as he saw Ike urging their oxen out onto the road west.
*It's Lou's day to ride point,* Ike gestured.
"What?" Henderson reached up to scratch his head in confusion. "Jest a sec. Jeremiah!" he shouted. "Get over here and translate for me."
"Yes, sir," Jeremiah called back, running over from the O'Callahan wagon two spaces ahead of the McSwains.
"Now, what did you say, Ike?"
Jeremiah watched Ike a moment then said, "Lou's out riding point today. It's her turn."
"Hold on a minute, I ain't gonna have no woman scouting and hunting for me," Henderson began to sputter. "'Specially not one in a delicate condition!"
Jeremiah didn't wait for Ike to respond. "Uh, have you met my sister, Mr. Henderson? You try stopping her from doing something she's set her mind on. Ain't never worked for none of us!"
Ike laughed and ruffled the boy's hair. He'd taken the words right out of his hands.
Henderson hmphed grumpily, glared at Ike a moment, then swung his horse around and trotted off.
When Lou rode in around noon to report on the campsite she'd found for that evening, Henderson listened to her report, then waved her off.
"Go talk ta yer husband," he grumped.
With dread in her heart, she headed toward her wagon, sliding off Sundancer before he came to a complete halt and tying the reins to the tailgate. Accepting the sandwich Teresa held out to her, she settled onto an upturned log next to Jeremiah. After chewing and swallowing her first bite, she finally looked across the campsite at Ike.
"What's with Henderson?"
"He wanted ya to quit workin'," Jeremiah piped up.
"But Ike told him it was up to you," Teresa said.
Lou smiled gratefully at Ike. "Thanks."
*He said he'd leave it up to us as a family. Figured you'd been doing the job just fine so far. But, he's not comfortable with you keeping it up too much longer, under the circumstances.*
"That ain't fer him to decide," Lou started to bluster.
"That's what Ike said," Jeremiah assured her.
*But, you should start thinking about when you're going to stop working so hard,* Ike continued, undeterred. Crossing to her side, he added, *After all, we want to take good care of this baby.*
He reached out a hand to pat her stomach familiarly.
"Keep yer hands to yerself," she squealed, batting his hands away and laughing. "As I recall, that's the kind of thing that got me into this fix!"
Ike just smiled at her, wistfully.
"Louise, you going to join us this evening?"
Lou started at hearing her full name called out. Turning around, she paused to let a slightly breathless, pregnant to the point of bursting, Mrs. Heath catch up with her. "Join you? Fer what?"
"Why, the weekly Ladies Meeting," Mrs. Heath said.
"Why?"
"Because you're a lady, young woman. And, because you might enjoy it."
"I ain't much fer talkin' 'bout the latest quiltin' patterns an' gossipin' 'bout who done what recently," Lou said. "Somehow I don't think y'all'd be too interested in discussin' the latest developments in pistols or how to track a deer."
"Oh, come on, give it a try. I think you'll enjoy it. We just talk about whatever's on our minds. You might be surprised at some of the topics that come up," Mrs. Heath smiled.
Shrugging her shoulders, Lou assented, "I'll think about it. One meetin' ain't gonna kill me."
The preacher's wife reached out and patted Lou on the back. "That's the spirit my girl. The meeting will be at my camp this week. Come on over after supper."
Lou nodded as she watched the other woman walk, waddle rather, back toward her wagon.
"What's she doing here?" Mrs. Grayson muttered under her breath as she saw Lou approach the Heaths' camp.
"She's coming to the Ladies Meeting," Mrs. Heath said calmly. "I invited her."
"Why? She isn't a lady. She's barely a female," Prudence sneered.
"That's no way to talk about one of God's children," Mrs. Heath gently reproved the girl. "She may have lived an unconventional life, but she's a woman in the middle of the wilderness, just like the rest of us. And," placing a hand on top of her rounded belly to emphasize her point, she added, "she's in a condition where she'll soon need our help. It's our Christian duty to offer it. She's certainly not stinted on helping any of us when we needed it, now has she?"
Even the Graysons couldn't deny that. Mrs. Heath pushed herself laboriously to her feet to walk the few steps over and welcome Lou, with hands outstretched.
"Come on over and have a seat, child," she said, pulling Lou into the circle of light cast by the campfire. "You know everyone here, so relax. You're among friends," she added with a pointed look at the Graysons and a couple of the Stuart women who'd expressed reservations as well.
"Come sit with us," Amy Nolan invited, patting the ground between her and Emily. Lou walked over and lowered herself gracefully to a seat. She rubbed her hands down her pants legs nervously, noticing even Emily had put on a dress for the meeting. Lou hadn't had time to change after a day in the saddle and could feel the accumulated grime announcing her differences from the other women like a flag held high. She hunched in on herself when Emily made a point to scoot a few inches further away from Lou, refusing to look her direction. Lou sighed forlornly. She shouldn't have come.
"How are you feeling?" Amy asked.
"Yes, have you noticed any improvement in the morning sickness?" Mrs. Heath queried.
Lou looked up, surprised. "How'd you know 'bout that?"
Mrs. Heath laughed. "After your big announcement? It wasn't too hard to guess. Ike had already told me you were feeling poorly when he asked if I had any soda crackers. I hope they helped."
"Yes, ma'am. I can't tell you how grateful I am," Lou smiled, relaxing a bit.
"All I can say is I don't know how you two do it," Clara Stuart piped up. "I won't let my John touch me as long as we're on the trail. No way I want to get caught while traveling across country like this!"
"You know, there are ways to enjoy marital relations without worrying about babies," Amy said quietly.
"What?!" Mrs. Grayson gasped. "Interfere with God's plan for you? Why, that's sacrilege!"
"And refraining from marital relations isn't?" Mrs. Heath responded. "I do believe Paul counsels in 1st Corinthians 7:5, "Do not deprive one another except with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control."
"So, what's this method you got of avoiding babies," Kathleen O'Callahan asked curiously. "Does it work better than the rhythm method?"
"One would hope," Lou muttered, placing a hand over her belly. That's what she'd been attempting to use and look how things turned out.
"Oh, yes. Much," Amy smiled. "It's called a 'male shield'. It's-"
"Shut your mouth, young woman!" Mrs. Grayson snapped. "I will not have you corrupting my innocent young daughters with this indecent talk."
"Oh, please," Beth Stuart rolled her eyes. "I've heard worse out of their mouths on a Sunday morning!"
Tuning out the growing argument, Lou began to restlessly look around the group. Thus, she was the only one who noticed Mrs. Heath's uncomfortable shifting. When the other woman suddenly blanched and let out a deep groan, Lou was the first to her side.
"Are you alright?" she asked, worried about this woman who'd gone out of her way to be nice to her.
"I… I think my time's come," Mrs. Heath smiled wanly.
"Your time?"
"Her baby's coming, you foolish child," Mrs. Grayson snapped. "Girls, go home. This is no sight for young, unmarried ladies. You shouldn't have even heard what we were talking about earlier."
"I'll let Mr. Henderson know," Emily volunteered. "We won't be able to pull out tomorrow."
"Do you have a tent?" Kathleen asked, concerned.
"Yes," Mrs. Heath gasped, panting a little. "Mr. Heath has it stored in the wagon somewhere."
"I'll go find it," Lou offered, immediately turning to crawl into the wagon and start searching. At least finding and setting up a tent was something she had some know how in.
Once the tent was up, Lou found herself pressed into service boiling water and warming blankets. The other married ladies kept her busy but wouldn't let her run off.
"You need to have some knowledge of what to expect, my dear," Kathleen O'Callahan smiled at her. "I know this is a sort of trial by fire, but better that than nothing."
Lou wasn't so sure of that. She thought she'd rather have remained ignorant. Childbirth appeared to be a painful, noisy, messy thing. And she wasn't so sure she wanted any part of it. That was, until the new baby was actually born.
She stood, transfixed, watching as the wet, bloodied infant was pulled squirming from its mother's body. Mrs. Grayson held it up by the rear legs, smacking its bottom until it squealed. Then the newborn was placed gently in the warm towel Lou held in her arms, while the other women swarmed around Mrs. Heath, cleaning her up.
Lou just stood there, staring down at the baby boy, unable to believe this child had just come out of another human being.
"Well, wipe it off, hurry," Amy Nolan smiled at Lou. "We need to get that boy to his mother so she can feed him."
Lou walked back to her camp, slowly, in the pre-dawn hours. She was exhausted and elated at the same time. Stopping next to their wagon, she placed a hand over her belly. For the first time, this child felt completely real to her. Not a burden, or a problem to be solved, but a human being to be loved. Finally, she could understand, at least a little, Ike's anticipation and excitement over it.
"Ooh!" she gasped in shock, as she felt an odd roiling and rumbling in her belly. Looking down, she waited a moment. It happened again. "Is that you, little one? Are you eager to come out and play? Well, yer gonna have ta wait a bit longer. Yer momma's got a lot to learn before you get here. But she's learnin' just as fast as she can!"
So caught up was she in the moment, in her wonder over her new understanding of what was happening to her body, she didn't hear Ike rollover on his pallet under the wagon. She didn't see the light reflecting off his opened eyes as he watched her, protectively, lovingly. He was glad she was coming to terms with this pregnancy. Maybe now, they'd be able to move forward and work on something else.
Chapter 9
"Ike, have you seen Teresa?" Lou asked. She'd slept half the morning away, after being up all night helping deliver Mrs. Heath's baby. Now, feeling bleary eyed and fuzzy headed from the odd sleep schedule, she just wanted to know what she'd missed.
Ike shrugged and looked over to Jeremiah, who was playing a game of checkers with his friend, Liam O'Callahan.
Without looking up from the gameboard, Jeremiah said, "She went over to the Metcalfes'. Miss Emily's teaching her how to bake zucchini bread, or some such, in the dutch oven."
Lou nodded.
*I'll go check on her,* Ike said, setting aside the harness he'd been repairing. *You get something to eat,* he added with a pointed look at Lou and then toward their camp kitchen.
Lou snapped out a jaunty salute. "Yes, Sir, husband, Sir!"
Ike shook his head, laughing at her antics as he walked away. Crossing the circle of wagons to the Metcalfe camp, he could already hear Teresa's voice. She was standing next to Emily, chattering away, while Emily was removing the freshly baked zucchini bread from the dutch oven and setting it on a camp table to cool.
Ike knocked gently on the end of the wagon's side to announce his presence.
"Ike!" Teresa called happily. "Come over and see! We made zucchini bread. I helped."
Ike walked over and obligingly inspected the still warm baked goods. He nodded approvingly.
*Good job.* Turning to Emily, who'd moved back over by the fire at his approach, he added, *Thank you for helping her.*
Emily shrugged, refusing to meet his eyes. Ike frowned. Emily Metcalfe likes you. Lou's words floated through his mind.
"I'm teaching her how to sign, so she can talk to you, in exchange for the cooking lessons," Teresa said, proudly. "She says I'm a good teacher."
Ike nodded, keeping his eyes on Emily, who'd now turned her back on him, blushing bright red. *Resi, your sister's up now. Why don't you go tell her about your bread? I'm sure she'd like to hear all about it.*
He waited until Teresa was well out of earshot, before reaching out to touch Emily's shoulder. When she pulled roughly away to move toward the off side of her wagon, away from the sight of everyone else in camp, Ike knew there was definitely a problem. He followed her. Finally, she turned to face him.
"*What do you want?*" she asked, almost angrily, signing carefully along with her words.
*I'm sorry,* he signed. *I never meant to lead you on. I thought we were friends. That's all.*
"*Friends? What kinds of friends are you used to having?*" She started to rail at him with both her hands and her voice. Then she growled in frustration when she couldn't sign fast enough to keep up with her complaints and threw her hands in the air. "Friends don't spend hours taking long walks together, talking about anything and nothing! Friends don't help you when your dad gets drunk or in trouble playing cards! Friends don't lie to you about who they are!"
*The truth wasn't mine to share,* Ike began. *As for the rest, that's precisely what friends do. They're always there for each other, to help out. That's one thing Emma, Rachel and Teaspoon taught us.*
"Do you love her?" Emily asked after a long moment. "She said something about it you getting married so you could get Jeremiah and Teresa out of an orphanage."
There was still a note of hope in her voice. Ike sighed, knowing he was going to have to quash it.
*I love her more than life itself,* he said. *I just have to convince her she can love me. I'm sorry,* he added. *I never meant to hurt you. But I'm married, and happy to be so.*
Unable to stand the pain twisting her features, he tried to soften the blow.
*If I weren't already in love with Lou. If Kid were still alive, even if Jimmy hadn't been killed, and I knew I had no chance with her, it might be different. Under normal circumstances I'm the last man Lou would have turned to. And you're a lovely, sweet girl, Emily. It would be easy to fall in love with you. But, I'm already spoken for.*
At that, she burst into tears. Feeling bad, Ike stepped toward her, reaching out to pull her into his embrace, resting her head against his shoulder. He sighed as he patted her back to comfort her. Why did life always have to be so difficult? There were times after Annie left that he would have killed to have a girl like Emily interested in him. Now? Now, he was just sorry for the pain he'd caused.
"Why? Why couldn't you have met me first?" she whispered through her tears.
Nearing the Metcalfe camp, Lou listened to Teresa's happy description of her morning with only half an ear. She carefully inspected the bread and smiled her approval.
The sudden sound of harshly flung words in a half whisper brought her up short. Turning to Teresa, she said, "I think you'd better head back over to our camp."
Teresa looked from Lou to the wagon from which the sounds were coming. With a nod, she turned and, once again, raced away. Lou stepped toward the side of the wagon and peeked her head around, just in time to see Ike drawing Emily into his arms, resting his cheek against her head.
Lou pulled back and quickly walked away, not wanting to interrupt the tender moment. She was glad Ike was getting closer to Emily. He deserved to have someone who loved him for him, she told herself. She had no reason for this sudden sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.
Lou sighed with exhaustion as she urged the oxen out onto the trail the next morning. She still hadn't had time to recover from staying up all night helping Mrs. Heath deliver her baby. But, needs must when the devil drives. In this case, the devil being the rapidly advancing summer. The train desperately needed to make its way across the Rockies before winter hit. Nobody wanted a repeat of the legendary Donner Party.
Today, they would cross the Sweetwater River. Again. This would be their ninth fording of the river which twisted and turned its way through this part of Wyoming Territory. The river's cold waters would be a welcome change from the sweltering summer heat, Lou thought with a grimace. And, this crossing, at Burnt Ranch*, was their last before they crossed the Continental Divide and officially entered Oregon Territory.
"Wagons Halt," the order came filtering down the line and Lou kept a cautious eye on the Nolans' wagon in front of her. When it began to slow, she called out to her own team, "Whoa, there, whoa I say!"
Even as the prairie schooner slid to a slow, lumbering halt, the wagon master came trotting up on his horse. "We'll be stopping here for lunch. Burnt Ranch is just around that bend. After lunch, we'll line up to ford the Sweetwater."
"Yes, sir," Lou nodded. "We'll be ready."
Although the McSwains' job during river crossings was officially to make sure the other families were able to safely ford the river, by now they were rarely needed. In the last few months, the pioneers had gone from horribly green tenderfeet to well seasoned westerners. They could do their own hunting, even the women and older children. Most had, by now, jettisoned all the excess baggage they'd insisted on dragging along at the beginning of the trip. And they could cross a raging river in their sleep without losing a single bag of beans. She and Ike really weren't needed anymore.
Moving to the back of their wagon, Lou pulled out the camp bread, cold beans and dried bacon that would make up their lunch.
"What's for lunch, Lou?" Jeremiah asked as he came bounding up.
"Well, you have two choices," she smiled at him. "Cold beans and bacon or bacon and cold beans."
Jeremiah laughed, accepting the plate from her and sitting down to eat. Lou looked around when Teresa didn't immediately show up. While eating the same foods day in and day out could be…. boring, to say the least, they were all always hungry and eager for the next meal. Spotting Resi's braids disappearing around the back of the Heath wagon, two places ahead, Lou walked over to see what was going on.
Teresa was seated on a camp stool, the Heaths' baby boy cradled in her arms, while Mrs. Heath bustled around the wagon getting together their lunch.
"Everything alright?" Lou asked.
"No," Mrs. Heath snapped shortly.
"Anything I can do to help?"
"Only if you can figure out a way to either stop time or get us over the mountains faster," the harried new mother muttered. "Here!"
She practically threw the plate of beans, bacon and bread at her husband, who shrugged apologetically at Lou before digging in.
"What's the matter?"
Mrs. Heath sighed, trying to regain her composure, her shoulders slumping in dejection. "Oh, I didn't get any sleep last night. The baby kept me up, demanding to eat every 20 minutes or so. I'm just sooo tired. I'd give my best Sunday dress for a full night's sleep!"
"Why don't you take a nap over the lunch hour?" Lou suggested. "Resi and I can watch the baby for you. And you can get more rest while waiting for everyone else to cross the river this afternoon."
"Would you? Oh, thank you!" Mrs. Heath said, already climbing into her wagon. Turning around, she handed out a pile of clothes to Lou. "Here're some nappies, in case you need to change him or he spits up. If he gets hungry-"
"We'll feed him a little cow's milk," Lou smiled. "It won't hurt him and you need your rest."
"Alright. Thanks again."
With that, she pulled the curtains at the end of the wagon emphatically closed. Lou could hear a moment or two more of rustling inside, then all was silent.
"You're doing God's work," Preacher Heath said from behind her. "Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."
"Don't know 'bout that," Lou said, turning around to face him. "I'm hardly the handmaiden of Christ here. I'm just doin' the neighborly thing."
"And that's God's work," he smiled at her. "Believe it or not, He can use anyone he chooses. And rarely does he choose the perfect person. In fact, I believe he only did that once in all of history."
Lou laughed with the kindly man who'd changed her mind about preachers in general.
"Seriously, though, I can't thank you enough. She wouldn't listen to me. I offered to watch over little Joey, but.."
He let the sentiment trail off and Lou nodded. Although she was just now beginning to show in her own pregnancy, already she could understand the new mother's intense possessiveness of her son.
"Alright, Ladies and Gents, you know how this is done. One wagon in the water at a time. Take it nice and steady all the way across. DO NOT, under any circumstances, allow your animals to slow down until you are out of the water on the other side. Once out of the water, get clear of the exit as quickly as possible. McSwain will show you where to set up camp. The next wagon doesn't enter the water until his missus says its time. Any questions?"
No one had any. By now, the instructions were old hat to the weary travelers. All were ready to simply get the crossing over and call it a night.
Soon the first wagon, the Graysons', was entering the water. Lou stood knee deep in the frigid river water, watching as they moved quickly across, waiting for the signal from Ike that they were clear of the exit. When his piercing whistle drifted across the water, she turned to Emily Metcalfe and nodded. Emily waved to her father, seated, for a change, on the wagon's seat, and he started their mules off.
It took about 20 minutes for each wagon to safely ford the rapidly rushing, three foot deep waters of the river. A couple hours later, the O'Callahans were ready to go. At Lou's signal, Shaun O'Callahan, the eldest son, urged their oxen into motion. The rest of the family was going to wade across. Bryan, the patriarch, was helping his wife Kathleen across, with the others strung out behind him.
Suddenly, Kathleen slipped and started to fall. Bryan tried to catch her but got caught in her skirts and went down too. Shaun, seeing what was happening, started to slow their oxen in an effort to help.
"Don't you dare slow down, Shaun O'Callahan," Lou shouted at the top of her lungs, snapping her own bullwhip expertly across the backs of the lumbering oxen to keep them moving.
Ignoring the distressed shouts of the other O'Callahan boys and the screams of fear from the shore, Lou waved to Jeremiah to send Katy out to her. Grabbing onto the saddle horn, she swung herself up onto the mare's back one armed, already reaching with her other hand for the lariat hanging from the saddle.
She didn't need to look to know Ike was doing his job of making sure Shaun got all the way across and safely out of the water, before joining her and Henderson in the rescue effort. Urging Katy into motion, Lou galloped downriver toward the rapidly disappearing bodies of the O'Callahans. Once in sight of them, she raised the lariat over her head and began twirling it for all she was worth. Sighting her target, Kathleen, she let the rope fly, settling it over the woman's upper torso, clamping her arms to her side, and, with a slight push of her heels urged Katy to begin backing up to pull the rope tight.
"Hold on," she ordered. Even as she began to drag the bedraggled, half drowned woman to shore, the wagon master went flying past her on his horse after the other victim. Heading for the far side of the river, Lou could feel the rope pulling tight as Kathleen continued to struggle and scream. "Stop fighting it," she yelled to her. "I'll have you out of there in a minute."
Once on shore, Lou leaped off Katy's back and ran to free Kathleen from the rope. Still not really aware of her improved situation, Kathleen's arms went flying with extreme force, hitting Lou in the face and sending her soaring backwards into the frigid waters.
Lou gasped in shock as the ice cold liquid closed in over her head. Fighting her way to the surface, she found the current had already carried her several feet further downriver. And no one knew where she was. Struggling to force her lungs, partially paralyzed by her sudden immersion, to inhale oxygen, Lou fought to keep her head above water. Finally, she was able to get her legs back underneath her and begin to make slow progress, half walking, half swimming, toward the river's edge. When she crawled out of the water, she collapsed on the river bank, gasping for breath and shivering.
That's how Ike found her when he rode up on Lightning. Leaping off the horse, he slid to his knees next to her, clasping her to his chest and rubbing her arms briskly to warm her.
"I'm alright," she gasped. "I'm alright."
Lou sat staring into the leaping, dancing flames of their fire, going over and over those frantic few minutes in the river. Though she'd never once stopped fighting, there had been a second, or two, where she'd thought she might not make it out of the water.
Ike, seeing her shiver, moved closer to her, in a silent offer of comfort and warmth. Lou smiled at him gratefully.
"You know," she said, "I've never been so glad of those swimming lessons Emma forced on us after Jimmy almost drowned as I am today."
*Wish I could've seen Jimmy's face after he realized Emma'd rescued him!*
Lou laughed. "Yep. That sure would've been worth the trip to Fort Reunion all by itself!"
Sobering, she realized she'd just spoken of Jimmy without thinking, without pain, without tears, for the first time in months. Turning, she looked at Ike in surprise. He nodded and smiled at her, reaching out to cover her hand. Turning hers palm up, she slid her fingers between his in response.
"Please, kin ye come look at me wife? She's doin' poorly," Brian O'Callahan said timidly, standing at the edge of the circle of light cast by their fire.
"What's wrong?" Lou asked, concerned.
"I dunno, she's after throwing up her entire innards, and I'm thinkin' there's summat else what she isna tellin' me," he said, fiddling nervously with the brim of his hat.
"We'll be right there," Lou smiled at him. Ike was the closest thing they had to a doctor on the train. Although she was pretty sure she knew what was going on.
Moments later, they ducked into the tent the O'Callahan boys had set up for their parents that night.
"How are you feelin', Kathleen?" Lou asked familiarly, Ike standing just behind her.
The woman, pale and sweaty, moaned as she rolled over to wretch into a bucket. After several moments, she fell back onto her cot with a thud. Lou knelt beside her to pick up a rag and wipe her face off. That's when Kathleen noticed Ike standing there.
"No," she moaned. "Make 'im leave. 'Tis no place fer a mon, here tonight."
Lou looked at her, a frown creasing her brow, before turning back to Ike. "Why don't you go see if you can calm down her husband," she suggested. "While I try to figure out what's going on?"
Ike nodded and ducked back out of the tent.
"There," Lou said quietly, dipping the rag in clean water and once again wiping it across the distressed woman's brow. "Now, you want to tell me where it hurts?"
"I'm after losin' me babe," she mumbled. "T'ain't the first time, so's I know what's happenin'. Ain't nothin' the menfolk can do 'bout it."
"Alright," Lou said, sighing. "Let's see what we can do to make you comfortable."
"I didn't even know she was expecting," Lou said the next morning over breakfast. "And there I am helping her through losing the babe." She shivered. "That could have been me."
*But it wasn't,* Ike reassured her.
"Not this time." She paused, then looking up at Ike, she said, "I think it's time."
*Time?*
"Time for me to back off a bit, stop working, take it a little easier."
*Good,* Ike smiled at her. *I was beginning to worry a bit too much about you.*
"Alright, Kid!" she laughed, pushing at Ike with her elbow. Ike smiled, glad she could tease him like this about her lost love. He wondered if she even realized what she'd done. "Thing is," she continued more soberly, "I ain't sure I want to keep going."
*What do you mean?*
"I like it here. This is pretty country. Good soil. Lots of game." Turning to Ike she said, "We could have us a real nice place right around here, somewheres. We don't have to go all the way to Oregon."
Ike felt a large grin begin to blossom across his face. He liked the sound of the way she'd unconsciously used the term 'we'. Nodding, he said, *I'll start looking around while scouting.*
*The name Burnt Ranch didn't come into usage until the late 1860s, after the Sioux had burned down the facilities, twice. Before that it was referred to simply as The Last Crossing or The Upper Sweetwater Crossing. I used Burnt Ranch simply for recognition's sake.
Chapter 10
*Lou, what do you think about going on a picnic?* Ike signed tentatively. This was important to him.
"A picnic?"
*Yeah, you know, food? In a basket? You go somewhere outdoors and eat it, together with friends and family?* Ike smiled at her. *I want to show you something.*
"Alright, I guess we could all use a break," Lou said, rubbing her aching back. At six months pregnant, she was really starting to show. Although she hadn't given up wearing her pants, thanks to Teresa's little string fastener, she had taken to wearing Ike's shirts, instead of her own. They hung down nicely over her burgeoning belly.
*I'll go get Jeremiah and Teresa,* Ike signed, already turning around to look for the children.
"But…" Lou let the protest die unspoken. Muttering to herself, she said, "Get pregnant and slow down and suddenly you're stuck with all the kitchen duties. Men!"
When Ike returned with the children and all four horses, saddled and ready to go, Lou was sitting on the open tailgate of the wagon, a packed picnic basket next to her, swinging her legs back and forth. Seeing the others, she started to hop down, then paused as her belly got in the way.
*Let me help you,* Ike said, dismounting and moving quickly to her side, holding up a hand to her.
Lou grimaced as she accepted his hand and crawled down off the wagon. "I don't know how Mrs. Heath managed all those months on the trail like this!"
*You'll figure it out,* Ike signed, before helping her up onto Lightning's back, something else that grated on her nerves.
"Alright, I'm ready to go," she said, sighing a bit in pleasure as she settled back into the familiar feel of the saddle. She hadn't ridden in a week, but it felt like much longer than that to her.
Ike remounted his horse and began to lead his growing family away from the wagon train camp. They rode for about half an hour through a small pass between two tall mountain peaks. Lou passed the time admiring the scenery, the craggy rocks covered with deep green moss, trees clinging precariously to the side of the steep slopes, a creek rushing down the middle of the pass, burbling cheerfully as it went. This was what they meant by food for the soul, she thought, feeling a tightness she hadn't even known was constricting her chest slowly release, inch by inch, with every hoofbeat.
Suddenly, Lou realized Ike had come to a stop at the edge of a clearing. Riding up beside him, she looked at him questioningly. He raised his arm to indicate the valley before them and asked, *What do you think?*
Turning, she took a long, hard look. The valley had a reasonably flat floor, with a creek running down the middle of it. The valley floor was carpeted with large wildflowers in every color of the rainbow. The sun sparkled off the snowcapped peaks of the mountaintops that towered above them. Tall trees surrounded the edges of the valley, providing cooling shade from the hot summer sun.
"It's… beautiful, Ike," she breathed. Smiling at him, she asked, "How'd you find it?"
*I was tracking a bull elk a couple of days ago, and it led me straight here.*
"You haven't brought back any elk meat this week."
Ike shrugged. *Couldn't kill it, after it led me here.*
Lou laughed.
*So? Do you think it'll do?* he asked, unable to wait any longer.
"For a picnic?" Lou teased. "It's perfect."
Laughing, she spurred Lightning into motion, and the chase was on. Soon, they were racing each other around the hidden mountain valley, the bright laughter of all four of them echoing off the mountains rising around them as they played a sort of mounted tag with the children. Lou finally slowed Lightning to a stop near a small copse of trees at the far end of the valley, not too far from a waterfall that was the source of the creek's water.
Dismounting, carefully, she sucked in a deep breath of the crisp, fresh air and smiled. Leaning down, she dug her hand deep into the ground, pulling out a handful of dark, rich earth. Letting the dirt trickle through her fingers, she turned to Ike as he approached her, leading his own horse.
"Yes, it'll do. It'll more than do. It's perfect Ike! We're home."
Ike grinned happily, walking up to her and wrapping his arms around her disappearing waist, to lift her up and spin her around and around until they were both dizzy and, once again, laughing for all they were worth. Jeremiah and Teresa added their own dance of happiness nearby.
"There're plenty of good tall trees for the house," Lou was saying, speaking animatedly as they rode back to the wagon train that evening. "We'll need to start cutting them down quickly. It'll take at least 15 to 20 good sized logs if we're going to have a decent cabin before winter."
"Teresa and I can start the vegetable garden," Jeremiah offered. "We spent plenty of time helping with the orphanage garden back in St. Joe."
*That's good,* Ike teased. *Because I'm not sure your sister knows the leaves from the roots!*
"You better watch it, Ike McSwain! Or I just might get the willowbark mixed up with the cascara bark," she threatened. "Don't blame me if you suddenly get the runs!"
Ike cowered in mock fear. *Please, no! Not that! Anything but that!*
"I'm going to shoot that uppity, no good, lazy nigra! How dare he think he can get away with messing with my girls?!"
The sudden fierce threats being bellowed from the wagon train camp put a stop to their play. Ike and Lou looked at it each other in sudden worry and fear, before urging their horses to a full gallop. Thundering into camp, they pulled the animals to a stop amidst protesting whinnies and stomping hooves.
The fragile peace of the wagon train had obviously been disrupted during their absence, and the train had degenerated into two camps, now ranged against each other, and all shouting at the top of their lungs.
"You've got a mighty high opinion of yourself, mister," Amy Nolan was screeching. "My husband wouldn't touch one of your prissy daughters with a ten foot pole. He's got better taste than that!"
"Couldn't prove it by me!" Mrs. Grayson sniffed vituperatively. "He's already proven he's got a taste for white women, stead of sticking with his own kind like he ought!"
"What's going on here?" Lou asked. When her words were lost in the ongoing fight, she pulled her gun and fired it once into the air. All heads swiveled in her direction as the sound brought instant silence. "That's better," she said. "Now, what's going on?"
Everyone started yelling and shouting at once, pointing to various other members of the train on the other side of the argument. Lou sighed, shared a look with Ike, then fired once more into the air.
"One at a time! Mrs. Grayson, you seem to have the loudest complaints, why don't you start?"
"That, that.. nigra… attacked my daughter. He violated her… and now she's expecting."
Lou raised a disbelieving eyebrow at this claim. So far as she knew, the Nolans, all of them, had kept as much distance as possible between them and the Graysons for the entire journey. Looking around the angry faces, she pointed to Amy Nolan, standing protectively in front of her husband.
"And what do you have to say?"
"It's impossible. He wasn't anywhere near her! He never had the opportunity, let alone the desire," Amy gritted out, obviously struggling to hold her temper in check.
"Anyone else have something to add?" Lou asked, leaning forward to rest her arm on her saddle horn. Tipping her hat back with her other hand, she swept the entire crowd with a glare. "No innuendos, only facts!"
No one said anything. Blessing all the times she and Ike had helped Sam and, later, Teaspoon in the Marshal's office, Lou asked, "When is this attack supposed to have happened? Just how far along is she?"
When several people opened their mouths to speak, Lou held up her hand and glared. "I'm speaking to the 'victim'," she growled. "She can answer for herself!"
Mrs. Grayson, Constance and Charity pushed Prudence to the front, forming a line behind her.
"Well, uh… I guess it was about a month or so ago," Prudence stammered.
"You guess? I thought you were violated? I'd think that'd be a date that would stick with you," Lou said.
Prudence looked around for help, but Lou's glare and Ike's cocked gun held easily in his hand kept everyone else silence. Realizing she was on her own, she finally said, "It was three and a half weeks ago. Yeah. When we stopped at Soda Springs for the night."
Lou sat back in her saddle, relieved. "Well, then, if you were violated, it certainly wasn't by Mr. Nolan."
"What?!" screeched Mrs. Grayson. "Why, how dare you!"
"I dare, Mrs. Grayson, because I was out hunting that night with Tim, Ike and Bryan O'Callahan. There was no possibility any of them could be responsible for your daughter's condition."
At that announcement, several people began to shuffle off, realizing they'd been mistaken in their assumption and suddenly ashamed of their behavior.
"Now, does anyone else have anything to add?"
When no one spoke, Lou nodded. Turning to Mr. and Mrs. Grayson, she said, "I'd suggest you take your daughter back to your camp and have a long heart to heart with her. I do believe there's something she's not telling you, and I believe it might involve a certain young man in the Stuart household. Meanwhile, leave the Nolans' alone!"
The next morning, Lou watched with detachment as the rest of camp packed up and prepared to depart. She'd be glad to be rid of much of the strife between the various members of the wagon train, though she would miss some of the friends they'd made.
She turned at the sound of a clearing throat.
"Ma'am?"
"Mr. Nolan, how are you?" Lou asked.
"Just fine, ma'am," he said, smiling at her. "Thanks to you."
"What can I do for you?"
"Well, see, the Missus and I, we were wondering, is it true?"
*Is what true?* Ike asked, returning to the camp from feeding their stock with Jeremiah.
"Is it true you are leaving the train? Not moving on with us?"
"Yes, it is," Lou smiled. "We've found a good spot to settle not too far from here. We're staying. We never really planned on going all the way to Oregon, anyway."
Amy Nolan stepped up to stand proudly beside her husband. "Would it be possible for us to stay with you?"
Ike quirked a surprised eyebrow. This he hadn't expected. Lou looked at him in question. He shrugged his shoulders. He didn't mind. The Nolans were good people in his book.
Turning back to the Nolans, she eyed the couple. They were a study in contrasts. He was tall, darker than Noah, with tightly curled black hair. She was short, with brassy red curls and pale white skin. Her small hand rested on his arm, clenching tightly as they nervously awaited Lou and Ike's response.
"It won't be easy," Lou finally said. "Nothing like living in the city. There are no houses on site to move into. You're going to have to build your own. We'll help a little, but we've got a house to raise as well. And you'll have to at least put in a garden for winter vegetables."
*Tough as sticking with the train might be, it'd be easier than going it alone,* Ike added, Jeremiah translating for him.
"I doubt that," Amy said. "After last night, we just don't feel safe with the train. You folks have always treated us right, like there isn't anything different or wrong with us."
"Oh, please, can't they stay," Teresa begged. "I like school with Mr. Nolan, he's fun. And smart!"
Lou laughed. "That's endorsement enough for me! You're welcome, if that's what you want."
The tense couple relaxed and smiles began to burst out on their faces. "Oh, thank you. Thank you ever so much," Amy Nolan said over and over again.
By the time the wagon train departed later that morning, the Metcalfes and the Heaths had also decided to stay behind and settle in what they were already calling McSwain Valley. Lou shook her head in wonderment as she surveyed the group, not quite sure how it had happened.
"So, when do we leave?" Carl Metcalfe asked.
"This is beautiful, Lou," Mrs. Heath said as they rode up to the valley. Since this was to be their last day on the trail, Lou'd offered the horses to the women, letting the men drive the wagons. "How ever did yo find it?"
"I didn't," Lou said, smiling back at the wagons slowly lumbering up the pass toward them. "Ike did. I just told him I wanted to stay in this area. I was tired of traveling and ready to settle down. He found this place all on his own."
"You are so lucky," Amy smiled.
"How so?" Lou asked.
"Most men wouldn't care so much about your opinion on things," Mrs. Heath said. "Let alone go out of their way to find you the perfect spot."
"I know Pa didn't ask me if I wanted to stay here, he just said, we're stayin'," Emily muttered.
"I don't think you realize just how lucky you are to have a young man who loves you so much," Mrs. Heath said, urging Lightning forward, into the valley. The other women followed her on Katy and Sundancer. Lou, mounted on Ike's bay mare, looked after them, confused. What were they talking about?