5 – New Friends

One hour out. One hour back. The trail that Ranger Ethan Ford had plotted for me was one that might have taken some people less time to do, but Sugar and I stopped often, and I read ever plaque that pointed out an artifact, drawing, plant, whatever. I have such a patient dog. We stopped to watch some cottontail rabbits, of which Sugar dearly wanted to chase, and rested under a budding cottonwood tree. Such a beautiful morning.

I had spent my time at Medicine Lodge reading up on the area, fascinated with the history and angered by the disrespect that the native people had been subjected to. It's universal how superiority is often equated with fire-power and might. The Battle of Little Bighorn Monument in Montana had been a good example of that, and I had spent the entire day there wandering the grounds, listening to the speakers, reading the literature, but had found it commercial and a bit one sided. Here, the land had been bought in order to create a nature reserve and people were discovering artifacts, trying to preserve a fading native culture. It was being done with care and respect, and I was impressed.

Heading back toward the Welcome Center, I spotted Ethan and historian Samantha Burke going over the plans for a new gazebo they wanted to build on the front lawn, materials piled in a heap outside the main building, the form marked out on the ground.

We waved to each other, and I headed in their direction.

"Nice walk?" Ethan asked catching the plans as the breeze tried to take them. He was a solidly built man in his mid-thirties, sun-streaked reddish hair; the type of appearance that makes you think of Opie from The Andy Griffith Show, if you were that old to remember.

"Very nice, thank you." I smiled shielding my eyes from the sun. Gesturing to the plans, I added, "Looks like you have a new project."

Samantha, a thirty-year-old natural bombshell, her auburn ponytail pulled through the back of her State Park ball cap, a line of freckles across her nose, beamed at Nathan who frowned back.

"We made the request a month ago, and the state finally sent the plans and materials, but not the manpower. We have to put it together ourselves."

"Your typical put peg A into slot B," Ethan groaned. "The instructions read like they're written in Chinese." He shook the papers in frustration and gazed with contempt at the pile of lumber and hardware.

"We already have some school groups booked, and three out-of-town tourist groups scheduled to come in. I'd really love to have this finished before we open next week." She looked hopefully at the irritated man.

He sighed, and a crooked smile crept up the left side of his mouth. "How could I turn down that face?" He shrugged at me.

Samantha grinned as her cell phone rang, and she excused herself to answer it.

"You read Chinese?" Ethan snorted to me as he tucked the plans under a beam on the pile.

"A little," I laughed as he wandered back to the main building, shoulders slumped, hands pushed deep into his coat pockets.

An hour later, Ethan emerged to find the lumber and hardware sorted, and the frame of the foundation laid. I was busy screwing the floor slats onto the frame when he came up behind me.

"Holy cow!" he exclaimed. "You do read Chinese!"

I laughed shaking my head. "It's in English," I reassured. "You just have to know how to decipher it. I hope I'm not overstepping my bounds. Samantha showed me yesterday where she wanted to put it."

"It's perfect," he beamed. "You know you don't have to," he explained. "I'd've gotten around to it."

"I know." I smiled back. "Considered it payback for letting me stay. Grab a screw driver. Nothing on this requires a hammer."

Ethan and I worked side by side until the sun was high overhead, and when the platform was done and railing was on, we stopped to rest.

"You're good," he praised taking a sip of water from a reusable bottle. "Where'd you learn to do this? You're dad a carpenter or something?"

"No." I shook my head. "I've just built a few things like this before. Pretty easy once you get the hang of it." Ya, I had a few schools and a multitude of shelters under my belt.

Dust kicked up behind the pale green pickup as it bounced down the 50. The road wasn't a highway, just an empty stretch of asphalt that connected two towns. Someone had named it years ago, but the name never stuck. For too many years it was simply The 50. Everyone knew it.

Henry tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, an old Brooks and Dunn song blasting from the tape deck, My Kind of Crazy. He'd been busy watching over his new charge and trying to fix the sound system at the Red Pony which had conveniently broken after the Kick Shickers played the other night. Something told him that the head-banging country band didn't have too many fans in his establishment, and one, if not more, of the patrons had pulled the speaker wires to shut them up. Henry had to admit, the band proved to be horrible, but he had wanted to give them a chance. Well, the chance was over.

Pulling off the road and into the spacious parking lot of the Medicine Lodge State Park, Henry drove straight up to the Welcome Center.

"Good Lordy, Henry, don't you ever work?" Ethan dropped his screwdriver and met the Indian half way, clasping his hand and giving it an energetic shake.

Henry smiled broadly. "I am constantly working. I merely have too many jobs." Nodding to the half built gazebo, he added. "It looks like you have different jobs, too? Impressive. A nice addition. Who is your helper?"

Ethan turned back to the gazebo. I was on my hands and knees, cap down over my eyes, leveling a bench that we were about to attach. "Julia." He smiled as I glanced over my left shoulder. "A guest. Knows her way around these stupid things." He gestured to the structure. "Don't know if I would have had the patience to do this without her. Samantha abandoned me." He comically huffed.

Henry chuckled. It was well known to everyone except Samantha that Ethan had a crush on her. "I did not think you were open for guests yet?" Henry pointed out.

"We're not, but she needed a place to stay." He shrugged. "She's nice, and Samantha took to her. I didn't see any harm in it."

"Henry!" Samantha emerged from the large, glass doors of the main building, the excitement radiated from her. "Come. I have something to show you." She grabbed his arm and dragged him into the Welcome Center. "I wanted you to see it before I sent it out to be processed." She eagerly ushered him through the information center and open museum in the main building to the artifact room in the back.

For the next hour, she chattered about the ancient, beaded bag that had been uncovered, in impeccable condition she prided, where it had been found, how old it might be. Henry examined the beadwork and established that it was probably Lakota. Even though the Lakota were presently further north in Montana, the tribes back then, before reservations, had been nomadic. But, the beadwork was distinct.

Samantha was thrilled with the discovery, had logged the find, and was ready to send it to the state science center for official documenting before it could be returned to the site museum.

As Henry strode back to his truck, he spotted Julia with Sugar playing fetch along the park road taking a break from the construction work. Julia favored her right leg as the Lab excitedly bounced around her feet wanting the stick in her hand. The dog gave chase as she launched the stick into the air. Retrieving it from the ground, and happily trotting back to her owner, Sugar dropped it at her feet waiting for another toss.

Henry leaned on the door of his truck watching, debating whether he should go talk to her again or not. He wanted to. She had said that she was just passing through. Well, camping at the state park would qualify as not being here permanently. He could just go say hello.

"So, what are you waiting for?' Ethan grinned looking back and forth between Julia and Henry, his hands back in the pockets of his park jacket. "Come on, I'll introduce you."

Leading the way, Ethan bent to pat Sugar's head as she came to greet him. Stopping about a yard from Julia and with a slight flourish of his right hand, he began.

"Julia," he stated formally, "This is Henry. He does some consulting work for us at the museum from time to time. Henry, Julia. Umm, I'm going to go check on Samantha." He clapped Henry on the arm, smiled at Julia, and walked back to the main building, whistling.

"Hello, Henry," Julia smirked playfully. "Subtle, isn't he."

"At least I got your name this time. You were elusive the last time we met." He took the stick from Sugar and tossed it down the road. The dog happily gave chase.

"Sorry. I travel a lot, and I've learned to be careful around strangers." I explained. He was a handsome man, I noted, couldn't have been more than forty, forty-five, it was hard to tell. Tall, slim, short black hair, heart-shaped face, high cheek bones, deep, dark eyes. The kind that shine into the soul. And, that voice… so smooth.

"I would like it if we were not strangers anymore. You are still around, and it looks like you have some work ahead of you. The offer for a drink…or a meal is still open. Maybe tonight or tomorrow? When did you plan on moving on?"

I chuckled lightly. "Tomorrow," I said seeing his face drop. "However, as you've observed, I've started something, and I don't want to leave it unfinished." I gestured to the gazebo. "Ethan and Samantha have been kind to me. I'd like to have it done before they open next week."

Henry nodded, a slight upward curve to his thin lips. "Good, so, you will be around for a while longer?"

I nodded back. "A while."