It was two days before Luke was able to get up. He had caught a bad cold and was more than happy to lie in bed and drink the hot soups and herbal teas Kris concocted. Micah teased him unmercifully. "If only Doc Burrage could see you resting! When I think of the number of times he wanted you to take it easy and you just got up and did what you wanted…"
Mark agreed. "Now we know how to keep him down, Micah. We'll just send for Maren and Karen."
Luke would sneeze and glare but he had to admit all the pampering felt good. "Next time I catch a cold, son, I'm going to just lay in bed and let you do all the work. Don't forget the extra dishes from all the bone broth you'll be making."
"Oh, Pa…" The boy's face fell but then he grinned mischievously. "I guess that's fair. You always said it's important to be fair, right?"
His father's eyes narrowed. "Right."
"So it's only fair if I catch a cold, I get to lay around and you can do all the dishes," said Mark innocently. Micah caught this exchange and they all laughed, Luke coughing but his eyes twinkling.
The home they had found themselves in was a constant source of fascination to Mark. The two younger boys, Klemma and Simit, were out with their father, but the older sons, Mihkil and Jorgen, took him to help with their reindeer.
"Reindeer?" It was Luke's first time sitting at the table with everyone and he was enjoying the story of how the family came to be at North Fork.
Kris nodded. "We are Sami. What you call Laplanders. My family came to America when I was quite small, but my husband's family has been here for many years, in Wisconsin. They are the largest reindeer herders in the country."
"What are you doing here?" Luke bit into a hot buttered roll.
"My husband wanted to teach our boys the traditional ways of our people." Kris passed a bowl of mixed vegetables to Mark and bit back a smile when Luke looked sternly at his son until the boy took a heaping spoonful. "In our homeland we follow the reindeer year round. We have a fine ranch in Wisconsin, almost forty thousand acres…"
"We have 4100 acres," Mark put in.
"Eat your vegetables," said Luke.
Now Kris did smile. "The reindeer have plenty of room to roam but my husband wanted something more for our family." She looked fondly around the table at her children. The oldest girl, Silva, was the image of her mother. Next to her were the twins, Maren and Karen, and across the table sat the sons, Mihkil and Jorgen. They were towering men almost as tall as Luke, with dark hair and eyes and cheerful faces.
The older one, Mihkil, said earnestly, "You see, America is a very great country, Mr McCain. It has given us the opportunity to work hard and to grow strong, but your ways are not our ways. My father says the best contributions to this country will be made by men with strong roots who know where they come from."
Jorgen nodded. "So three years ago, we began to follow a small herd of reindeer. We found this line shack the first year and we stay in it while the reindeer rest after the journey. We bring them down here and then take them back home."
"Every year at Christmas?" Micah was passed a platter of sliced venison, took a portion, and served some to Luke.
"Oh, no!" Kris laughed. "No, we are usually home well before Christmas. This year some of the herd broke off when we crossed the first river on the way home. My husband took our two younger boys to catch them and Mihkil and Jorgen brought us back here to wait."
Luke smiled. "That was a misfortune for you but it's very lucky for me."
"We would have found you, Pa," said Mark stoutly, reaching over to cut up the meat for his father. "Micah and I were right on your trail."
"I know, son." Luke took a bite of venison and nodded his thanks. "But then we would have missed meeting Kris and her family."
"You still have not met my husband and our other two sons." Kris looked hopefully at Luke. "You will stay? I am sure they will be here soon."
"Well…" The big man considered.
Mark said impulsively, "Can we, Pa? I'd like to have Christmas here."
His father hadn't seen the boy look so happy at Christmas since the last one they had celebrated with Margaret and he smiled. "We can have Christmas any way you want it, son."