Colin's Quest (2 page)

“Da!” Colin clung to the rail, wrapping both arms around it, peering overboard and around the deck. His father was nowhere in sight. “Help!” His scream died on his lips as strong arms pulled him away.

“Get him below. Now.”

Kicking and squirming, trying to pull away, he found himself shoved down the steep ladder, landing with a thud on the tween deck’s floor. Colin swiped at tears streaming down his face.

“Where are they?” His uncle Gillis knelt beside him.

Lifting a face full of anguish, Colin closed his eyes tight, then shook his head. “He—”

“And don’t think of coming back up until the storm has passed.” The angry voice preceded Angus, who landed in a heap at the bottom of the ladder, rolling to his hands and knees, coughing up water.

“Da!” Colin wrapped his arms around his father’s neck, pulling tight.

“Loosen up, laddie. You may choke him.” Gillis positioned himself on one side of Angus, Ewan on the other, both lifting him to his feet.

“I couldn’t find them.” The pain in Angus’s voice ripped through his brothers. He turned to climb back up when two sets of hands pulled him back.

“You won’t be going up there now. When the storm passes, we’ll help you search.” Ewan clasped Angus on the shoulder, giving him a grim nod.

An hour passed before the storm moved on and the ship quieted. Angus, joined by Colin and his younger brother, Blaine, refused to move from the base of the ladder. The rest of the MacLarens sat on the bunks, their faces full of grief, not accepting the fate of Kyla and Camden.

“I’ve waited long enough.” Pushing to his feet, Angus grabbed the rails of the ladder, taking a step up as Gillis stood behind him, peering toward the opening above.

“Angus, look.” He pointed overhead seconds before a long skirt began to descend, followed by a small boy.

Angus’s throat closed at the sight of Kyla and Camden. Holding his arms wide, he wrapped them both in a relieved embrace, Colin and Blaine joining them. Other than being soaked, they appeared to be unharmed.

“Where have you been?” Angus couldn’t keep the relief out of his voice.

Settling a hand on his arm, Kyla looked up into his tormented face. “A crew member took us below deck the moment the storm began, then disappeared. No one else knew where we were.”

Wrapping her in his arms, Angus let out a shaky sigh. “Promise you’ll never put yourself in danger like that again.”

“Only if you swear to me that once we reach Philadelphia, we’ll never move again.”

“I give you my word, Kyla. Our travels will end as soon as we set foot in America.”

Chapter One

Independence, Missouri, 1859

Five years later…

“Colin, Blaine, Camden.” Angus cupped his hands around his mouth as he called to his three sons. Colin responded first, jumping down from the back of the prairie schooner and running up to his father.

“Yes, Da.”

“The wagon master says we’ll be ready to leave within the hour. Let your uncles know.” Angus brushed his dirt-encrusted hands down his pants before wiping an arm across his forehead.

“I’ll do it now.” At eighteen, Colin had grown into a handsome young man. Tall and strong, his dark auburn hair and green eyes made him a favorite of the young girls, who whispered and giggled whenever he approached. Yet he seemed oblivious to their interest. Well-read, he’d focused on nothing except learning and helping the family build their farm. Other than his cousins, his social life consisted of one or two local boys, even though their time together was infrequent.

Stopping at each of the six MacLaren wagons, he spoke to his uncles and aunts, relaying the message, and getting an earful of how they did or didn’t want to make the journey. He’d lend a sympathetic ear, shrug, then move on.

They’d made the painful decision to leave the family farm east of Philadelphia when it became clear they’d never make enough to do more than survive. The four brothers had voted to move west. It had been a costly choice for Angus. He and Kyla had fought bitterly over the decision. She accused him of breaking his promise to never move again, but he implored her to understand their situation. The brothers wanted more for their families than just survival. Leaving a legacy to their children and grandchildren came second only to providing shelter and food. They wanted to fulfill the dreams each held when they made the decision to leave everything behind in Scotland to start new lives.

The brothers sold all they owned, bought heavy Conestoga wagons, popular in the east, and traveled to Independence, from where hundreds of settlers left each year as part of the growing stream of wagon trains. Angus had secured the name of one of the best wagon masters, reserving spots in a train leaving Missouri in late spring.

Their meeting with the wagon master gave the brothers their first setback. They listened as the man told them their wagons would need to be replaced with lighter and more maneuverable Prairie Schooners. The change also allowed them to use fewer horses or oxen—a major advantage over the Conestoga. They’d been told at least half of their personal belongings had to be sold or left behind. He refused to take them otherwise. Also, the supplies they’d brought weren’t adequate for the long journey. Food items needed to be repacked to last longer, such as storing bacon in barrels of bran. Tools, buckskins, spare axels, coils of rope, and additional weapons needed to be purchased. Each wagon had to be waterproofed using linseed oil on the canvas.

“Hey, Colin. You must come with us.” His brother Blaine, two years younger but almost as tall, shot him a wide grin. Standing next to him, Quinn and Brodie, two of the older cousins, tried to hide smiles.

“Ah, so what have you lads gotten yourself into now?” The four were the closest in age and had always been tight. Their bond had grown stronger during the weeks at sea and over the last five years. They were almost inseparable.

“A family, much like ours, at the back. They have four wagons and another for supplies.” Quinn shoved his hands in his pockets and studied his feet.

“And?” Colin’s brows knitted together. Unlike Colin, fifteen-year-old Quinn thrived on the attention the girls bestowed on him. As tall and handsome as Colin, he’d already experienced the favors a local farm girl offered before they’d sold out and moved.

“Well, they have mostly girls….” Quinn let his voice trail off as his father, Gillis, approached.

“What are you boys up to now? No good, I’m certain. Get on with you. We’ll be pulling out soon.” Gillis crossed his arms, hiding a smirk. He knew perfectly well what his oldest son had seen and shared with the cousins. He also knew something the boys didn’t. The family traveling at the back consisted of members of the clan MacGregor. In the old country, the MacLarens and MacGregors held no love for each other, their feud legendary over more than two centuries. The MacLarens no longer cared about old insults and misunderstandings, but the MacGregors had never been so forgiving. He’d speak to Angus, Ewan, and Ian. The four would decide how to approach the MacGregors to make certain they had no trouble during the trip. They’d left much behind in Scotland, including blood wars better left to past generations.

The boys had done as Gillis asked, except they’d made a slight detour, passing the line of waiting wagons on their way to the end.

“I’ve got work to finish, Quinn. I’ve no time for your antics today.” Colin stopped, shooting his cousin an exasperated look. Blaine and Brodie stood aside, wise enough to keep their thoughts to themselves. “There will be lots of time to meet the others after we leave.”

“A few more minutes, Colin. Two at most. Believe me, you won’t be unhappy.” Quinn turned his back on Colin and kept walking.

Colin let out a sigh, but followed. “Ach, he’s going to lead us all astray someday,” he muttered, shaking his head at his cousin’s propensity for causing havoc.

“There.” Quinn hid next to a wagon, pointing to the one behind it.

Colin followed Quinn’s gaze. What he saw caused his breath to hitch, and as he’d tell others later, his heart to stop. Not twenty feet away stood the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen, laughing and gesturing with her hands as the other girls around her giggled.

His jaw dropped open as he watched tendrils of golden brown hair escape the tight bun to fly around her face. She brushed them away, her movements quick, yet graceful. Even from here, he could see a smattering of freckles across her nose and cheeks. And her smile…he’d never seen anything more radiant.

He couldn’t stop staring, couldn’t move if he wanted to, feeling as if he’d been nailed to the ground. Then she turned, saw him watching her, and froze. The brightest blue eyes he’d ever seen stared back. If it were possible for one’s heart to stop and keep on living, he was an example.

Turning toward him, she took a few steps closer, never dropping her gaze.

“Sarah, I need your help in the wagon.” An older woman, Colin guessed to be her mother, came up beside her. Noting the direction of Sarah’s attention, she spotted Colin, sending him a scowl. “Off with you, lass. You’ve wasted enough time already.” She grabbed Sarah by the arm and pulled her along.

Just before Sarah disappeared from view, she turned her head, sending him the brightest, most glorious smile he’d ever seen. At that moment, Colin saw his future as clearly as if it had already happened. Sarah would be his.

The first week on the trail after leaving Independence proved uneventful. Good weather kept the wagons moving at a steady pace. The MacLarens used their oxen to pull the heavier wagons and horses for the others. The men walked alongside, prodding the animals and clearing the trail when necessary. The women alternated between walking with the men and riding in the wagons. All except the youngest. Seven of the children were five and under, unable to keep up for longer than a few minutes. Instead, the older girls kept them inside the wagons, playing games and reading most of each day.

The older boys helped the men keep the wagons moving, while the younger ones tended the small herd of cows they used for milk. Everyone had a job, and within days, a routine settled over each member of the MacLaren clan.

Their first stop would be Fort Kearny. Built in the late 1840s, the wagon master said it wasn’t much to see. What they most looked forward to was Dobytown. Established close to the fort, it had become a hub for westbound settlers, those in search of gold, gamblers, and assorted outlaws.

The wagon master had called a meeting the night before they arrived to prepare them for what to expect.

“I’m advising just the men travel into town, while the women and children stay behind.”

“Why?” Ewan asked, knowing how much his wife had looked forward to a touch of civilization.

“It’s a rough town without much law. The last time I came through, there were more saloons and brothels than stores catering to the ladies. ‘Course, it’s up to you.”

After much discussion, the MacLarens decided to send the four men in for supplies, leaving the older boys in charge of keeping the others safe. The MacGregors and most of the others did the same, except for Dougal’s wife, Robena, who refused to stay behind.

“Be back before dark,” the wagon master cautioned as the group either rode horses or walked the half-mile into Dobytown.

“What do you say we walk around camp?” Quinn suggested to Colin, Brodie, and Blaine after the men left. “It’s time we got to know our neighbors.”

They all knew what Quinn meant by neighbors. The wagons contained a good number of boys and girls around their age. With all the work each day, they’d had little time to visit.

“You three go. I’ll stay with the women and children.” Colin’s acute sense of responsibility kept him from much of the activities considered normal for most boys.

“Nae, you’ll do no such thing, Colin MacLaren.”

He whipped around, surprised to see his mother and twin sisters a few feet away.

“But Da said we should stay close to you.”

“Look around. There’s nowhere to go that you can’t see the wagons. It’s barren land as far as you can see. Who’s going to bother us?” Kyla strolled up to him. “Go. Meet some of our neighbors while you have some time.”

Quinn cuffed him on the back of the head. “Let’s go, Colin, before your ma changes her mind.” He flashed Kyla a brilliant smile, grabbed Colin’s arm, and pulled him along. “What say we start at the back and go forward?”

The others nodded, following behind Quinn to the last wagon where several of the younger MacGregor children sat, their faces somber.

“What do we have here?” Quinn jumped inside, the heat oppressive. Seeing their sweat-soaked clothes and faces, he knew none could be older than nine. “Ach, you lads should be outside where there’s a breeze. Come on now.”

The older ones jumped down while he handed the younger boys to Colin.

“Where are the lassies?” Colin knew there were at least three.

The oldest stepped forward, his chin tilted up. “They’re over there.” He pointed toward a group of low bushes fifty yards away. “We didn’t want to go.” His voice held a hint of disgust.

“And why not?” Colin’s eyes widened when he saw Sarah with the group of girls.