A Home at Trail's End (24 page)

As Elizabeth rode Molly through a wooded area, she noticed how dirty her fingernails were from yesterday's mud bath. Now if Malinda had allowed her to wash up the breakfast dishes as she usually did, her nails would be clean. Maybe she could offer to wash her mother's dishes or do some laundry, although she was fairly certain that wasn't going to happen. She knew her mother and Jess planned to spend their time sewing and cooking today.

Her mother planned to do a final fitting of the wedding dress and do the finish work on Ruth's dress. At the same time, they wanted to bake some cakes and pies for dessert. Tomorrow, Asa would go early to the church and set up a fire pit to roast venison and salmon. Elizabeth wasn't sure about all the other food details, but she wasn't worried about them either. Her mother had assured her that she was handling them, and Elizabeth trusted her.

She looked up at the sky as she rode. Through the overhead branches, it looked clear and blue. She hoped the fair weather would hold out through tomorrow. Perhaps the road would have a chance to dry out and firm up by then. And if not…well, she expected they would simply make the best of it.

Clara and Jess welcomed her into the snug little cabin, and it wasn't long until Elizabeth was trying on her dress. “That shade of blue is so pretty with your eyes,” Clara told her. “Ruth was smart to pick it out.”

“It reminds me of the color of the river on a clear day,” Jess said. “Very pretty.”

Clara stood back to look at Elizabeth. “My dear, you look just beautiful.”

“Thank you. And this dress is beautiful too. The prettiest dress I've had since…well, since losing James.” Elizabeth sighed as she admired the carefully stitched tucks in the bodice, fingered the delicate lace collar, and smoothed her hands over the silky fabric of the skirt.

“And the fit looks perfect,” Jess said.

“I believe you're right. I don't think we need to adjust a thing.” Clara nodded with satisfaction.

“It's such a lovely dress that after the wedding, I'll probably be afraid to wear it,” Elizabeth confessed.

“Of course you'll wear it,” Clara said as she helped her out of it.

“You can wear it to church,” Jess said.

“And other weddings.”

“But not on a rainy day.” Now Elizabeth told them the details of her harrowing trip home from town the day before.

“My goodness!” Clara gasped. “I had no idea. Eli came by here for the team, but I didn't realize you were in such dire straits.”

“I learned some important things,” she told them. “First of all, we need to be just as prepared out here as we were while traveling the Oregon Trail.” She explained what Malinda had told her about carrying shovels and planks. “I also learned never to take this seemingly mild climate for granted. The weather here can change quickly. From now on I will take a very good look at the sky before heading out in the wagon. Getting stuck in the mud like that was a valuable lesson for me. One that I do not care to repeat.”

“Couldn't you have simply ridden one of the horses home?”

“Not on the road. They were worn out from trying to pull that wagon. And they were slipping and sliding, and I did not want to risk a broken leg.” She shook her head. “Can you imagine how devastating that would be? After getting them safely here from Kentucky only to lose them a couple miles from home?”

“Oh, my.” Jess shook her head. “I plan to tell Matthew about the shovels and planks. Not that we'll be taking our wagon out much.”

“I can understand now why everyone kept telling us to get our houses built before the rains started.”

“Not to mention having roofs over our heads,” Clara said. “It rained so hard here last night that I was very concerned about Brady in the tent.”

“Oh, dear. I forgot about that. How did he fare?”

“He was a bit damp, I'm afraid.” Clara shook her head. “He and Asa and Matthew are working hard to get him a small shelter built, but I doubt it will be as nice as the cabin on your property.”

“He is still welcome to it,” Elizabeth told her.

“He knows that.” Clara smiled. “But he truly wants to be here with us. I have to say, I was very touched. I do hope you don't mind, dear.”

“Not at all. I actually believe it is a sensible idea. But I do wish Brady would have spoken up earlier. Then he would have a nice little cabin all built.”

“I told him that if it got too wet and cold in the tent, he is welcome to come in here to sleep.” Clara pointed to the braided rug by the fireplace. “It's not much, but it would be warm and dry.”

The three of them continued working together into the afternoon. By the time they called it quits, they had finished both dresses and baked three cakes and six pies. “And I made two cakes yesterday,” Clara assured Elizabeth as she handed her the parcel she'd wrapped, containing the two dresses for tomorrow's wedding.

“And I have two more pies at my house,” Jess said.

“And Malinda is making oatmeal and molasses cookies,” Elizabeth told them.

“Your father got a big bag of potatoes from the mercantile,” Clara told her. “He plans to bake them in the barbecue pit while the venison and salmon cook. Besides that, he has several crates of corn. He asked if the children could come to the church early to help with the husking.”

“I'll be sure and tell them,” Elizabeth promised as she pulled on her riding hat. “And now I should be on my way because I promised Malinda I would be home in time to help with supper.”

Clara glanced at Jess. “Say…before you go, Elizabeth,” she said quickly. “Your father wanted you to run down to where they're building Brady's cabin. He wants to ask you something. I believe it has to do with tomorrow. Do you mind, dear?”

“Not at all.”

They all hugged goodbye, and Elizabeth tied the precious parcel of dresses onto the back of her saddle and rode on over to the spot her mother had described. A small stand of fir trees were behind what was the beginning of a very small log cabin. “Hello,” she called as she slid off her horse and went over to where her father was notching one end of a log and Brady was notching the other.

“Elizabeth,” Asa said cheerfully. “What brings you out here—and on the eve of your wedding day?”

“Mother said you wanted to speak to me.” She waved to Brady now. “Looks like your cabin is coming along.”

Asa's brow creased as he rubbed his chin. “What did she say I wanted to speak to you about?”

She shrugged. “I don't rightly know. I assumed it was something about the wedding.”

He still looked slightly confused. He went over the same details her mother had just told her about the venison and salmon. “Brady and I caught the salmon, and Eli and Matthew got three deer this week. We got several good-sized roasts hanging for tomorrow, and the rest is getting smoked.” Then he told her about the potatoes and corn. “Oh, that's right, I did want the children to come help husk the corn. Maybe that's why your ma sent you over here.”

“But Mother told me that.” She frowned. “So there's nothing else to talk about?”

Asa shook his head. “Nothing that I know of.” Now his face lit up. “Except that I couldn't be happier for you and Eli. And I'm plum delighted that I get to walk you down the aisle again tomorrow. It will be a grand day.”

“Thank you.” She turned to Brady again. “And you will be at the wedding too, won't you?”

He made an uncertain smile. “Well, now…I ain't so sure.”

“Oh, please,
do
come, Brady.” Then she realized the reason for his hesitation. “I mean, I want you to come if you want to come.” She put her hand on his shoulder. “I will understand if you don't want to be in town. But if you don't come, you must promise to join us for a wedding celebration at our new house. That will be just for family.”

“Just for family?” He tipped his head to one side.

She smiled. “Yes, and that means you too, Brady. You know that. And you will have to promise to bring your harmonica too.”

He grinned. “You can count on it.”

“And if you don't make it to the wedding, I'll be sure to bring you home a big plate of food,” Asa promised.

“I'd be much obliged.”

“But I do want you to know that you are very welcome at the wedding,” Elizabeth said as she slipped a boot into the stirrup. “Either way I will understand.”

He nodded. “Thank you, Miss Elizabeth.”

As she rode back to Malinda's, she wished that the laws were more welcoming to people like Brady and the Indians. She felt certain that someday, with the help of education and good Christian values, these laws would change, both in the Oregon Territory and in the United States of America. But she just didn't know how long it would take. She prayed that this change would occur in Brady's lifetime, but considering his age, she realized that might take a miracle.

Chapter Eighteen

W
hen Elizabeth got back to Malinda's, the house seemed to be more lit up than usual, and a lantern was hanging outside on the porch. Very inviting. She was just slipping down from Molly when she saw JT and Bart hurrying from the barn.

“Hello, Ma,” JT called to her. “We'll take care of your horse for you.”

“Thank you very much,” she said as she handed him the reins.

“And Bart and Todd and me got the wagon and Beau and Bella all cleaned up after school,” JT told her.

“They'll look real nice for the wedding tomorrow,” Bart told her. “Those are real nice horses, Aunt Elizabeth.”

“Well, thank you again,” she said as she removed the parcel containing her wedding dress. “And I agree, they are wonderful horses. I felt badly for working them so hard yesterday. That was very thoughtful of you boys to take care of that for me.”

“It was Aunt Malinda's idea,” JT told her.

“Thank you just the same. I'm sure it was quite a chore.”

“And Todd took the oxen team back to your pa,” Bart said.

“Well, I am most grateful to all you fine young men,” she said happily. “I hardly know what to say.”

JT tipped his head toward the well-lit house. “Maybe you ought to go inside now, Ma.”

“Yes.” She nodded. As she went, she thought she heard the boys giggling, but she didn't care to investigate the reason. She was so thankful for the generous help with the team and so thankful that Malinda had thought of it. She pushed open the door and then blinked to see a room full of females. They were circled around the door as if they expected her.

“Surprise!” they all yelled.

“What?” She looked at the merry faces.

“We're having a bridal shower,” Malinda explained as she reached for the parcel and then helped to remove Elizabeth's coat.

“A
what
?” Elizabeth frowned down at her still dirty nails. “I realize I had a mud bath yesterday, but I did intend to clean up before—”

“No, no…” Lavinia laughed as she came over to hug Elizabeth. “Although I did hear about your misadventures in the mud. But no, that is not what a bridal shower is for. I will explain that later. First you must greet your guests.”

“Mother and Jessica—how did you get here before me?” Elizabeth peered curiously at her female relatives. “Ah…so that's why you sent me to speak to Father—so you could beat me back here. No wonder he was confused.”

Clara giggled as they hugged. “I felt terrible for tricking you like that.”

“That's all right. As it turned out, I wanted to speak to both Father and Brady.” She looked around to see not only Belinda, Amelia, Susanna, Emily, and Ruth, but also Evelyn and Flo and Mahala and Hannah and Tillie. Even Mrs. Taylor was there. Elizabeth took time to greet each of them one by one. “What a delightful houseful of women,” she declared.

“Since you were opposed to receiving any wedding presents, I decided to make a plan of my own,” Lavinia explained to Elizabeth.

“Yes, this was all Lavinia's idea,” Malinda told her. “I thought maybe it was her way of drumming up business for the mercantile, but she assured me that had nothing to do with it.” They all laughed.

“Now come and sit here, Aunt Elizabeth.” Emily led her over to the rocker.

As Elizabeth sat, she looked at Lavinia. “You still haven't told me what a bridal shower is.”

Lavinia stood up, folding her hands in front of her as if she were getting ready to recite. “The tradition of a bridal shower comes from Holland,” she began. “According to my mother, who was Dutch, there was a young woman who fell in love with a kindhearted miller back in the 1600s. Now the miller was a hard worker, but because of his kind and generous heart, he often gave bags of wheat away to those in need.” Lavinia chuckled. “Not very profitable for a businessman to give merchandise away for free.”

“Not like our Aunt Lavinia,” Amelia teased.