Love's Long Journey (Love Comes Softly Series #3) (26 page)

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heard the thud of the hoofbeats and saw little smoky swirls of dust. She had missed her ride that morning. She would be sure to take Nathan on out on the morrow. The sting of the wind on her face and the smell of sage in the air always awakened her and sent her home, eager to begin her day of scrubbing clothes or canning vegetables.

"You know," her letter would go on, "how Willie boasted of his land when he came back? Well, it's even prettier than that. I didn't see it that way at first, but I love it now. The air is so crisp and clean, you can almost serve it on a platter. And the distant mountains change their dress as regularly as a high-fashion city lady."

Missie filled her pail, hoisted it up and started for the sod dwelling.

"Willie brought wonderful news today," her mental letter continued. "He says that the railroad which is coming soon will not only haul out cattle but will bring people as well. He says that you'll be able to come right on out here for a visit. Can you imagine that? I could hardly believe it at first, and now I can hardly wait. I never dreamed when I left back east that I'd ever be able to show you my home."

Missie's eyes filled with unbidden tears. "My home," she said softly, realizing that she had never said the words about this place before. "My home! It truly is! I don't feel the awful tug back east anymore--this is truly
my home--mine
an Willie's." Joy and pride filled her heart.

I can hardly wait to show 'em,
her thoughts tumbled over each other.
They'll love it. It's so beautiful--the mountains, the hills, the spring--I wonder if an apple tree would grow down by the spring? I could have Pa bring out some cuttings--it wouldn't hurt none to try.

Missie turned back to the temporary sod shanty that had been her home for two whole years.

"You know," she said to the building, "I'll almost miss you. I think I'll ask Willie to leave you sittin' here. You can be my quiet place an' I can come here sometimes an' think an' remember-- the Christmas dinners when we crammed in here all together; Cookie a-sittin' there on that stool nursin' Nathan back to us; the

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plannin' that Willie did at that little table; the dreams, the tears, the fears that we've shared here. I've done a heap of growin' since I entered this door--an' there's still more to do--I reckon."

Missie looked about her. What else would she tell her Mama and Pa? Maybe very little more. Maybe it was best for them to come and see for themselves. It was hard to put hopes and dreams on sheets of paper. Dreams of a future holding a church and a school for Nathan and his brothers and sisters. Dreams of white curtains and a sunlit sewing room. Dreams of Willie with a herd the size he had always planned for. Dreams of neighbors and friends, laughter and shared recipes.

It would be hard to put her dreams down in neat rows of writing. It would be so much better when she could open her door and her arms to her mama and pa and say, "Welcome! Welcome to my home. There's love here. Love that started growing 'way back on the farm, an' traveled all the way here with us, growin' an' strengthenin' every mile of the way.
God's
love--just as He promised.
Your
love, for us as your children. And
our
love for one another and for our son. Love! That's what makes a home. So, welcome, Mama and Pa. Welcome to our love-filled home."

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Missie's shocking discovery is not the end of the story in...

Love's Long
Journey

After all the planning and dreaming, Missie and Willie LaHaye were actually on the trail west in a covered wagon. Leaving behind the prairie home of Clark and Marty Davis, Missie finds herself caught between the elation of the new adventure and wondering if she'll ever see her family again.

But the hardships of the trail--the rain, the mud, the impassable rivers, and even death--soon force Missie and Willie to become rugged pioneers. Missie must learn how to live her faith as she faces homesickness, boredom, and deprivation. And, then, when they finally arrive at their new home, she is pushed to the limits of her endurance.