‘‘Merry Christmas, Linc.’’ Rand smiled over the top of his coffee cup when Linc burst through the door. ‘‘What’s wrong?’’
‘‘Boss, Little Squirrel is some sick. Can Miss Ruby come see to her?’’ Linc had never talked so fast in all the time Rand had known him.
‘‘No, she had the baby last night.’’ Rand set his coffee cup down and stood. ‘‘You want Mrs. Robertson? Is Little Squirrel having the baby?’’
‘‘No. Yes. I don’t know, Boss. She’s sick, not de baby. Don’t know what to do.’’
‘‘All right. I’ll send Joe over for Mrs. Robertson.’’
‘‘No, I need de preacher man worse.’’ At Rand’s questioning look, he added, ‘‘Shoulda married dat woman long ago, but going to do so now.’’
‘‘I thought you
were
married.’’ Rand’s eyes widened.
‘‘Was by Indian way, but I want a proper Christian way before . . .’’ Linc’s voice trailed off. He stopped to blow his nose.
‘‘If you say so. Joe can go on out to relieve him early. Soon as he eats. Since you can’t leave to take Chap’s place, he’ll have to stay put.’’ Rand turned to Opal. ‘‘How long until it’s ready?’’
‘‘Soon as the biscuits are done.’’
‘‘Good. I’ll get the men and harness the team. Linc, you want to take some breakfast out to Little Squirrel?’’
‘‘She can’t eat. Heavin’ up all night.’’ Linc buttoned his sheepskin coat again. ‘‘Thanks, Boss.’’ He turned to the door and let in a blast of cold air as he slipped through the opening.
Rand shrugged into his coat, all the while giving instructions to Opal. ‘‘If Ruby wakes, tell her what is going on, but we’ll let her sleep as long as possible. I hear Per. You go on and get him.’’
Opal pushed the pan of scrambled eggs to the back of the stove and hurried down the hall, tiptoeing so her boot heels would be silent. She swooped Per up, grabbed his clean clothes, and hustled him out to the kitchen in time to give the eggs another stir.
‘‘Merry Christmas, Opal, Per.’’ The men came in, scraping snow off their boots and shrugging out of their coats.
‘‘Merry Christmas. Give me a minute while I change this little guy, and I’ll have the breakfast on the table.’’
‘‘You go ahead. I’ll take care of the food.’’ Beans moved toward the stove.
‘‘Biscuits are in the oven. Ham in one skillet, eggs in the other. Oatmeal cooking in the big pot.’’
‘‘Where Ma?’’
‘‘Sleeping.’’ She stripped him and, taking a rag and warm water, wiped him down and dried him before pinning another diaper into place. She pulled up his soakers and slipped a clean shift over his head, then stuffed his flapping arms into a cardigan sweater. ‘‘You hungry?’’
‘‘Ya, hungy. Bread.’’
‘‘Biscuit.’’
‘‘Bread.’’
‘‘You are one stubborn fella.’’ She set him in his seat on a chair and tied the towel around his middle.
‘‘Hey there, Per.’’ Joe sat beside him. ‘‘You need some help?’’
‘‘Where Pa?’’
‘‘Out in the barn. He’ll be back.’’
Opal set a bowl of oatmeal and a biscuit with jam in front of Per. He promptly licked all the jam off the biscuit and held it out.
‘‘More?’’
The hands sat down at the table.
‘‘Good thing that snowstorm quit during the night. We can get out to the line shacks.’’
‘‘You riding or taking the sledge?’’
‘‘Sledge.’’ Joe shoveled eggs and biscuit into his mouth.
‘‘More.’’
Opal handed Per another biscuit with jam. ‘‘Should just give you the jar and a spoon.’’
‘‘He’d like that right fine.’’ Joe pushed back his chair. ‘‘I’ll go help Rand harness up the team.’’
‘‘I’ll fix a box of cookies and things for you. Sorry you’ll miss Christmas dinner.’’ She stopped a moment. ‘‘Maybe I should send one of the geese with you.’’
‘‘No decent oven to bake it. We’ll make do.’’ Joe tickled Per under the chin. ‘‘There’s a box out on the porch. For under the . . .’’ He nodded toward the tree.
‘‘Thanks. This sure isn’t the way we planned Christmas Day.’’
‘‘From what I hear, babies don’t go along on anyone’s plans but their own.’’
‘‘Seems that way.’’ Opal set two plates on the counter and piled cookies and doughnuts on top of the remaining biscuits. She tied a dishcloth around them and set them in a box, along with dried apples, thick slices of ham, and raw potatoes. ‘‘You better cook these before they freeze.’’
‘‘I know. The nearer I can get with the horses, the better.’’
Rand came in the door. ‘‘You have a good day for traveling.
Be careful.’’
‘‘I will. Merry Christmas, all.’’ Joe headed out the door.
Rand followed. ‘‘Remember to tell Chandler to come on over here.’’
‘‘I will.’’
‘‘When you see Chaps, tell him what happened with Linc and apologize that he didn’t get the break. Let him know I’ll make it up to him.’’
‘‘Will do.’’
Opal and Rand watched Joe drive off, harness bells jingling and the wagon bed swooshing along on the sledge runners. Hay half filled the wagon bed, providing feed for the horses while they waited for the return of the men in the line shack. Weather permitting, Rand rotated the men every week or two, not like many of the ranchers who left men in the line shacks most of the winter without a break.
‘‘Guess I’ll clean up and start stuffing those geese.’’
‘‘You know how?’’
‘‘Ra-nd.’’
‘‘All right. Just checking. I’m thinking we should bring Little Squirrel up here where it’s warmer.’’
‘‘What if she is contagious?’’
Rand clapped a hand on Opal’s shoulder. ‘‘Young lady, you have a mighty good head on your shoulders. Why don’t you go check on Ruby while I take care of this boy of mine.’’
Per looked up from smearing jam all over the table as far as he could reach.
‘‘Pa, see.’’
‘‘I see. Looks like you need a bath.’’
Opal grinned at them both. ‘‘As you said, I’ll go check on Ruby. Then I’m going to eat breakfast. How about you?’’
Merry
Christmas, everyone, and please, God, take care of Little Squirrel
.
‘‘Hiyup!’’ Jacob swung his rope, trying to convince the cattle heading east that they’d rather return west. It was Christmas Day, and except for the cattle and the horse he rode, he felt mighty alone on this vast prairie. Off in the distance he could see the thread of smoke rising from the other line shack, letting him know he was not totally alone in this sea of white.
Being out on the horse was much better than being tied up in the cabin by the snowstorm. He’d already figured that out. Thank God for a kerosene lamp, plenty of wood and food, and his Bible. He’d studied the accounts of Christ’s birth and the various visitors to that crude manger, filling him with wonder all over again at the intricate plan God laid out for His people. A newborn baby sent to earth from heaven to bring His people back to himself.
‘‘Because He loves us.’’ Jacob leaned forward to clap a gloved hand on his horse’s shoulder. He and Ned were getting to be fairly close companions, or perhaps it was that he was finally learning how to talk horse. They drove the cattle back to the breaks and watched them make their way down into the valley. Looking over his shoulder, he could still see the smoke rising from his shack. He turned and headed north to see if any animals had strayed through that section.
It was slow going through the new snowfall of the last several days, at times up to the horse’s knees. Where the wind had swept it off the frozen layers beneath, Ned picked up his feet and even tossed his head once in a while, a slight show of spirit that made Jacob smile.
‘‘You’ll get an extra helping of grain when we get back to the shack. Most likely that’s the best Christmas present you could ask for—other than a warm stall in a real barn.’’
Ned pricked his ears, looking off to the south, then whinnied, the sound shattering the silence, which suited Jacob more than the constant whining and shrieking of the wind. No wonder people went stir crazy out here.
‘‘Someone coming?’’
Ned whinnied again, this time receiving an answer that even Jacob could hear.
‘‘Company.’’ He wouldn’t be spending the day alone with his books and the growing stack of letters, some of which would most likely never be read by the young woman to whom they were written. As he and Ned made their way back to the line shack Jacob thought of the pages he had written to Opal. Perhaps they were for his own enlightenment, as he had started with his life on the farm, the second son of six children. He had written of the good times, like fishing in the creek and chasing his little sister with a garter snake, and he’d written of the sad time when she had died of the croup. He would never forget the sound of her coughing and choking. The family had gathered around her bed, praying for God to make her well again. He had, but she lived with Him, not them.
By the time he reached the shack, he could see the team pulling the sledge with one man aboard. Guess he was to leave Ned at the shack.
‘‘Sorry, old boy, I thought you were to get a break too. You still get the extra oats I promised.’’ He unsaddled the horse, threw him some hay, and poured two measures of grain into the feedbox. ‘‘Merry Christmas,’’ he called as the jingling team stopped, steam blowing from their flared nostrils.
‘‘Merry Christmas to you too.’’ Joe climbed out of the bed of the sledge. ‘‘Get your stuff. You’re needed at our spread.’’
‘‘What’s up?’’
‘‘Linc’s squaw is some sick. He came in saying he wanted to marry her, like right now. So I came for you a day early.’’
‘‘What about Chaps?’’
‘‘He’ll stay out since Linc can’t come. I’ll tell him when I see him.’’
‘‘Come on in while I get my stuff together.’’
‘‘Nah. I’ll pitch some of this hay into your shed and feed the horses. How’s the kerosene level?’’
‘‘Adequate, but we can refill the can if you brought some.’’
‘‘I’ll do that.’’
‘‘I got rabbit stewing. Snared one yesterday.’’
‘‘Miss Opal is roasting goose. Oh, Ruby had her baby last night. A little girl.’’ While the men talked, they forked the hay into the shed.
‘‘All is well?’’ Jacob asked over his shoulder as he swung open the door, letting stew fragrance freeze on the air. He gathered his writing and reading supplies, his few clothes, and stuffed them all into a satchel, since he would be using the sledge and needn’t use only saddlebags. While he left blank paper, he was careful to gather up all the written sheets, laying his Bible on top.
Lord God,
don’t take Little Squirrel away from Linc, please. Lay your hand of healing
on her, and let this marriage last for many years
. He stood with his eyes closed a moment longer, then sighed. Here he’d been thinking on his own plight, and Linc might be losing the one he loved.
He glanced around the single room to see that all was in order and checked to see if the coffee was still warm. Though the stew bubbled gently, the coffee had gone cold. Not surprising, since he’d been gone several hours. He fed the woodstove maw, moved the coffee to the heating front, and took two cups down from their hooks on the wall. No cupboards, only shelves, pegs, and hooks lined the wall.
‘‘You ready?’’ A blast of freezing air announced Joe’s entrance.
‘‘Coffee will be ready in a minute.’’
‘‘That’s all right. You drink it, then you better be on your way.
Merry Christmas.’’
The team headed for home at a good clip, harness bells singing a song of winter. Jacob kept up a litany of prayers for Linc and Little Squirrel as the loose snow swooshed around them. He drove the team into the barn and tied them to a hitching post.
‘‘Thank you for comin’.’’ Linc met him at the door of their home and helped him out of his coat. ‘‘You really be a preacher man?’’
‘‘Yes. I served a parish in Pennsylvania before coming here.’’
Jacob dug in his satchel for the Bible. ‘‘How’s Little Squirrel?’’
‘‘She’s awake.’’
A knock on the door caught their attention. ‘‘Linc, it’s Opal.’’
‘‘And Rand.’’
Linc opened the door and stepped back. ‘‘Gettin’ right crowded in here.’’
‘‘How’s Little Squirrel?’’ Opal carried a basket over her arm. ‘‘I brought you some things. Ruby sends her love. She’d be here if she’d not had the baby.’’
‘‘Ah knows that. Let’s get on wid it.’’
‘‘Good. Miss Torvald, you can be the witness for Little Squirrel.’’ Jacob jerked his attention back from the rosy-cheeked young woman and moved to the side of the bed where Little Squirrel lay beneath a stack of quilts topped by a buffalo hide. ‘‘Little Squirrel, do you want this marriage?’’
She nodded, her eyes huge in her shrunken face. ‘‘Linc say good for us.’’ The words fought past the phlegm in her throat.
‘‘Have you eaten anything?’’ Opal asked softly, kneeling beside the pole-and-post bed frame.
‘‘She finally keep down warm water.’’ Linc stood beside Opal.
‘‘I brought some broth. Ruby said we have to get some nourishment into her.’’
‘‘Preacher, say yer words.’’
Jacob nodded. ‘‘You sit beside her on the bed and take her hands.’’ While Linc did as told Jacob found his place and cleared his throat. ‘‘Dearly beloved, we are gathered here in the sight of God and this company to witness the marriage of Linc and Little Squirrel. God says that where two are joined together, let not man put asunder. Marriage is a holy institution, blessed by God, and given to us as a gift. Do you, Linc, take this woman for your wedded wife?’’
‘‘Ah do.’’
‘‘Do you promise to love her and protect her as long as you both shall live?’’
‘‘Ah do.’’
‘‘Little Squirrel, do you take Linc for your wedded husband?’’
Her ‘‘I do’’ came like a breath.
‘‘Do you promise to love him, honor, and serve him as long as you both shall live?’’
Oh, Lord God, let this marriage continue
.
‘‘I do.’’ Stronger this time, she clenched his hands.
‘‘Then in the sight of God and this company, I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.’’
Linc bent down and kissed his wife with such love and tenderness in his eyes that Jacob blinked several times. He looked up to see tears streaming down Opal’s cheeks and heard Rand clearing his throat.