Finding Home (28 page)

“
Not quite that fast,” Nat
said. Nat picked up her old boots and carefully slipped the jars of
chowder down inside them for protection and then added a pack of
the food Marissa had wrapped to add cushioning to the glass jars.
She then tied the boots together using a thin strip of rawhide and
hung them over the bundle of clothing.

Nat walked to the bedroom to dress in
the new breeches Maggie had sewn for her, a new work shirt and the
new boots Maggie had made. Everything fit well and Nat felt good as
she walked from the bedroom.

Nat picked up the small pack and walked
to her cabin to add the final pack to her growing pile. She then
walked out to the barn to saddle Hardy and prepare Buck and Quincy
to carry the packs. She led all three animals to the hitching post
and tied their leads securely.

Nat walked inside and picked up the
largest packs and strapped them onto the harness across Buck’s
shoulders. She returned to the cabin and picked up the remaining
three packs and tied them onto Quincy’s back. She walked through
the cabin to make sure she was not leaving anything behind and with
a soft sigh she closed the door behind her and led the animals down
to Marissa’s.

Nat walked inside to pick up her
bedroll and range coat which she tied onto the back of her saddle.
She then walked back inside to collect her rifle and took it out to
slide it into the sheath tied to her saddle. Nat was just about to
mount Hardy when she had an idea. She turned and walked back into
the cabin and walked to the bedroom. She carefully took the bear
claw necklace from around her neck and placed it on Marissa’s
pillow. The scar on her face would remind her of the bear she had
killed and the cabin where her father was buried and his grave
would remind Nat of her father. Nat was leaving her most personal
possession behind for Marissa and she hoped she would understand
the commitment Nat was making to her.

Pleased with the thought, Nat turned
and walked from the cabin. She placed a foot in the stirrup and
mounted Hardy. She reached down and took the lead for Buck and they
started toward town. Quincy was tethered behind Buck and trotted
excitedly behind the large horse. Gyp took the lead and walked
quickly in front of Nat and Hardy.

Nat turned in her saddle before they
left the yard and took one long last look at her new
home.

Nat rode first to Smithy’s store and
found Maggie and Smithy sitting on the front porch waiting for her.
She smiled brightly when she saw the two of them waiting for
her.

“
Good morning, my friends,”
she said as she dismounted and stepped onto the porch.

“
No chance of talking you
out of going is there?” Maggie asked.

“
No, but I will be back,”
Nat said.

Smithy stood up and handed her a small
cloth wrapped bundle. “I wanted to give you this before you left,”
he said as he looked down at Nat.

Nat opened the bundle and found a
beautifully hand carved knife handle attached to a gleaming new
blade. “This is beautiful, Smithy,” she raved.

“
The handle is made from a
piece of the whale bones you brought back,” he said. “It was
Maggie’s idea and she helped me with the carvings.”

“
You both did a wonderful
job,” Nat said with tears forming.

Maggie had also stitched a heavy sheath
that could be placed on Nat’s belt and she smiled when Nat
unfastened her belt and hung the knife and sheath there.

“
All set now,” Nat said. She
hugged each of them tightly. “Thanks for such a wonderful
gift.”

“
Hurry back to us,” Smithy
said.

“
I will,” Nat said as she
took Hardy’s reins and led him to the hotel to say a final goodbye
to Marissa.

She dropped the reins over the hitching
post and was about to step onto the porch when Marissa ran into her
arms. Nat embraced her and could feel Marissa’s body trembling.
“Come home to me soon,” Marissa said.

“
I will,” Nat
said.

“
Damn you look handsome in
those new clothes,” Marissa said and Nat returned her compliment
with a painful smile.

Nat turned away from Marissa before the
tears began and mounted Hardy. Nat tucked her hair underneath her
hat and smiled at Marissa. “I love you,” she said, as she turned
Hardy toward the road from town

Nat turned and waved at her friends
then disappeared from view as she took a trail that would take her
deep into the woods.

Her heart ached with the sound of
Hardy’s footsteps, each step taking her further away from the woman
she loved. She rode for several hours as the sun traveled across
the sky and dark clouds were ushered in on a cool wind. Just after
a short lunch break, the mist began to fall and by midafternoon
rain was pelting down upon them. Nat stopped to cover the packs
with new ground tarps and slipped her arms inside her range coat.
She mounted Hardy and pulled the brim of her hat down as they
continued their journey to the cave where they would spend the
night.

Nat knew she was about another hours
ride from the cave and she prayed that no one else had used the
cave and depleted the pile of dry wood she had stored there several
months ago when she had left the woods. The rain seemed to have
settled in comfortably and would more than likely last all night.
There would be no chance of finding dry wood in this weather and
Nat knew she may be in for a long, uncomfortable, first night in
the woods.

She was relieved when the surrounding
area began to look familiar and she found the small trail that
would lead back to the cave. There was no sign that anyone had
traveled the path recently so Nat’s hopes for dry wood soared. She
dismounted Hardy at the mouth of the cave and led the animals
inside away from the falling rain.

Nat walked to the back of the cave and
nearly jumped for joy when she saw the pile of wood, just as she
had left it. She took an armful to the fire pit and started a fire
then turned to tend to the animals. She unsaddled Hardy and took
the rifle from its sheath and leaned it against a boulder where it
would be close at hand if needed. Then she removed the packs from
Buck and Quincy and dried each of them off the best she could with
an old saddle blanket. Nat then hung the blanket and her coat to
dry as she watched the rain come down in earnest just beyond the
mouth of the cave.

“
Well this certainly isn’t
the start I had hoped for,” Nat said as she removed her hat and
shook the rain drops from it.

The fire grew quickly as she spread out
her bedroll and then pulled a bundle of food from her spare boots.
Nat and Gyp feasted on fried chicken and corn bread while their
companions ate oats from their feed bags. After their meal, Nat sat
with her back resting against her saddle with her hand buried in
Gyp’s fur as she stared into the flames and listened to the falling
rain.

Marissa had a miserable day and took
off early from the hotel. When she walked into the cabin she
immediately sensed how empty if felt without Nat and Gyp there
waiting for her. Her heart sank as she pushed the door closed
behind her and stoked the fire. She wondered how Nat and her
traveling companions were faring as they holed up for the
night.

Marissa ate a light meal, even though
she did not feel much like eating and then walked into the bedroom
to change clothes. She lit the bedside lamp and her eyes sparkled
when she saw Nat’s gift lying on her pillow. She picked up the
necklace and slipped it over her head holding onto the bear claws
that until recently rested against Nat’s skin. Marissa sat down on
the bed and picked up Nat’s pillow and held it to her face
searching for the familiar scent of her lover. Marissa cried
herself to sleep that night still clutching the pillow while her
heart ached for Nat.

Nat felt her head nodding and stood up
to remove the feed bags from the animals. The rain was still coming
down and she hoped it would let up before the morning came. Another
day’s ride would bring her to the cabin and she didn’t look forward
a ride in the rain. She put several large logs on the fire and with
Gyp curled up beside her lay down to sleep. “Good night, my love,”
she whispered to Marissa as she closed her eyes and let the sound
of the rainfall lull her to sleep.

Nat woke the next morning to the sound
of Hardy stomping his feet. The rain had stopped during the night
and he was anxious to get on the trail. Nat quickly replaced the
packs on Buck and Quincy and then saddled Hardy. “I know, I am
eager to get going too,” she said as she took a ham biscuit out and
tossed it to Gyp. She took two others out and mounted Hardy. She
would eat her breakfast on the trail to save a little more
daylight. As it was, it would be near nightfall by the time they
reached the cabin.

With the rain gone, Nat listened to a
chorus of birds and animals as they sang or called to their mates
in the woods. Her spirits lifted as she listened to the soft creak
of leather from her saddle and the gentle jingling of the metal
traps packed on Buck.

The trail turned into small hills after
a momentary stop to water the animals and eat another of Marissa’s
ham biscuits. Soon Nat knew she would cross a small river and then
be just a few miles from the cabin. Her spirits lifted even higher
when she heard an eagle cry as it soared over head. Not far from
the cabin was an outcropping of rocks that had been home to a
family of eagle’s for several years. Even Hardy’s steps seemed
quicker after he heard the cry. He knew exactly where they were
headed and she could feel the excitement quivering in his muscles
as they grew closer.

“
It won’t be long now boys
before you are grazing on some sweet clover,” Nat said as the sun
started to fade.

Even Gyp seemed excited, even though
she had been such a young pup the last time she was at the cabin.
She ran ahead of Nat and would rush back to hurry them on. Nat had
not given any thought to anyone else being in the cabin, so as they
got closer she looked for signs of recent travel. There were no
hoof prints or boot prints that would indicated anyone had taken
over the cabin, but still she cautiously rode into the small front
yard.

There was no fire burning in the fire
place or in the outdoor fire pit. Nat’s eyes drifted to the end of
the cabin where she had buried her father and was grateful that his
grave was undisturbed. The small cross she had placed at the head
of the rock mound was still securely in place. She smiled and
dismounted Hardy. She would have to work quickly to get unpacked
and tend to the animals before darkness overtook them.

She carried the first of the large
packs inside and lit the wood she had left in the fireplace. If
anyone had followed her last visit, at least they were kind enough
to lay a fire. Nat carried in the remainder of the packs and then
took the saddle from Hardy’s back. She led the animals into a small
fenced corral and closed a small gate behind them. The fence would
not be a deterrent if any of them wanted out, but Nat knew that
they would not wonder far from the cabin and a loud whistle would
bring them trotting back.

As she walked back to the cabin, Nat
stopped at her father’s grave. “Hello, Father. I cannot begin to
tell you how much I miss you,” she said. “My life has changed so
much since you died and I have never been more confused in my life.
I hope some time out here with you will help me sort through who it
is I have become and where my life shall lead me.”

Nat bent down and ran her fingers over
the rough wood of the cross. “I love you, Father.” Nat then walked
into the cabin and began to sort through her packs as she set up
house in the small cabin. The small cots she and her father had
slept on were still in place, much to her delight. She spread her
bedroll out across it and began to unpack her food
supplies.

She located the small grate that fit
into the fireplace and took the lid off a jar of the chowder to
warm over the fire. She and Gyp would finish off the chicken and
corn bread while the chowder would give them something hot in their
bellies. Nat then picked up the bucket and made her way down the
path to the small creek for fresh water. It had grown dark, but Nat
had traveled the path so many times she knew exactly where to go.
She dipped out a bucket of cold water and walked back to the cabin,
with Gyp close on her heels.

Tomorrow she would survey the streams
and surrounding areas to determine if the beaver and other wild
game seemed to be plentiful. Nat had hoped that she could reap her
bounty here without having to travel any further away from
Marissa.

Nat and Gyp ate their meal and after
cleaning up their dishes decided to call it an early night. The day
on the trail had been long and they were both tired from their
travels. Nat pulled the empty cot next to hers and laid a saddle
blanket out for Gyp. She placed more wood on the fire to keep the
fire going through the night. Nat took off her boots and belt
holding her new knife and laid them on the cot beside Gyp. She
stretched out onto the cot and stared up at the shadows dancing
across the ceiling until the call of dreams enticed her to drift
off to sleep.