Chapter 3

Three

C arson studied the young lady beside him. His heart went out to her. His pa had died over a year ago, and that was unimaginably hard. She’d lost her last surviving parent at fourteen and was thrust in with strangers. He touched her hand.

She jerked back, her eyes wide.

He withdrew. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you.”

Emotions flashed over her face. He couldn’t be sure he read them correctly, but he took them as fear, pain, and then steely resolve.

She gulped from her cup. “No offense taken.” Her taut features suggested otherwise, but he let it go.

Seeking another topic, he turned his attention to Bertie who lay on his back. He’d gotten his two cats from whatever wagon they’d been in and held them on his chest. Alice breathed into his face on one side, Limpy on the other.

“Bertie doesn’t seem near as fearful as he was last time I saw him. Back then, it was about all we could do to get him out of the barn. I couldn’t imagine him traveling across the country. ”

“Ma spent weeks, months convincing him he’d like the journey.”

Hmm. Angela called his mother Ma. Hopefully, it made her feel welcome and part of the family.

Angela continued. “She kept reminding him that, at the end, he’d get to see you.” The look she flashed at him made him sit up taller. “I think that was the deciding factor.”

“Of course it was.” He puffed out his chest and hoped she’d understand he was teasing, not bragging. She rewarded him with a grin.

“Ma’s plans were thrown into disarray when Gabe and his sons decided to join us. To make sure we traveled safely.” She rumbled her lips. “I, for one, was glad to see them. I didn’t think five women and a baby were good odds.”

“And Bertie, of course.”

Their gazes connected in a knowing look over the idea that Bertie would be of any help in a crisis. He’d be hiding in a wagon or trees if there were any nearby.

“Then Louise decided to join us, and Ma hired Joe to guide.”

“Ma told me about some of the challenges you’ve encountered. Bad men. Bad weather. Broken wagon. Prairie fire.”

She rocked her head back and forth. “It hasn’t always been a picnic.”

“Now you’re almost at the fort. Another week if all goes well.”

“Everyone will be glad to be settled.”

His sisters and mother had married on the journey across Canada—well, Ruby was engaged and would marry Robert as soon as they reached the fort. Angela alone was still single. She wouldn’t be looking forward to establishing a new home like they were. He’d purchased a house for his family. Would she want to live in it although the others would need something until they could build their own place? “What are your plans when we get there?”

Her hands gripped the cup. Her head hung down. She drew in a deep sigh and straightened. “I had planned to help Ma. She talked about taking in laundry and mending. Or perhaps opening a boarding house. But now she will go with Gabe.” Her one-shouldered shrug indicated uncertainty rather than indifference. “I’m sure there will be a place for me.”

“You could always get married. Lots of single men are looking for a wife.”

She jolted to her feet so fast that her cup went flying, splashing the last bit of coffee in the dirt. “Am I to be auctioned off to the highest bidder?”

Carson was on his feet, reaching out a hand to soothe her. She backed away.

“I never meant anything of the sort.”

Her eyes flashed. “Who says I want to get married?”

He lifted his hands in a gesture of apology. “I’m sorry. Of course, you don’t have to get married if you don’t want to.”

“I have work to do.” She stepped toward the table holding the cooking supplies but glanced over her shoulder to speak to him. “Shouldn’t you check on the animals?”

Pebbles scattered as he ground around and headed for the livestock.

“Carson, wait. I’m sorry. I was rude. I can’t explain why, but I didn’t like the idea that I don’t deserve to choose whether or not I’ll marry.”

He turned slowly. “I’m sure you don’t have to get married if you don’t want to.” There was always a need for someone to do laundry and mending.

“It’s just that when and if I do, I’d like to choose the man I marry.”

“That’s an odd thing to say. Of course you can pick the man you marry. Why would you think otherwise? ”

“I don’t know. I can’t explain. I’m sorry.”

“Can’t or won’t?”

She rocked her head back and forth.

“There’s a big difference.”

Her only answer was a look of misery.

“Perhaps someday you’ll trust me enough to tell me.” He strode away, not looking back. He didn’t slow down until he reached the creek and angled along the bank to where the oxen rested. He focused on them. They were content and healthy-looking.

He leaned against a tree. Why had she reacted that way? There was more to it than a suggestion that she marry someone at the fort. What had Pa said about her when she came to live with them? Very little as he recalled, and when Carson asked questions, Pa had only said her father had recently died. Her mother had passed some time ago, and the girl deserved a chance to start over.

If he remembered correctly, that’s when he’d voiced his disapproval to Pa. It was true. She was an awkward child. And Ma had enough to do. But he would never have spoken those words if he thought she’d overhear them.

But something Pa said resonated. She deserved a chance to start over . At the time, Carson thought Pa meant as a newcomer to the family. But had he meant something else? Something more? All his parents had said about Angela was she was orphaned, and her father had once worked with Pa. Having no one else, he’d asked them to take her and give her a home.

But come to think of it, Carson had never heard a thing about her past—unless she’d shared details with the girls, which was entirely possible. Maybe something in her background might have triggered her outburst.

He gave a self-mocking snort. Or it could be that being a Mountie had taught him to question every word, suspect every action.

Yes, it could be. But if she had nothing to hide, she wouldn’t mind a few questions. When the right time presented itself.

He hunkered down, prepared to stay away until the others returned. After a bit, his legs grew restless, and he straightened them out and leaned against a tree. The sun warmed him. The drone of insects lulled him.

People speaking in the distance jerked him awake. He bolted to his feet and listened. The voices were familiar. The others were back. He picked up his fallen hat and returned to the camp.

Angela stood at the end of a wagon, putting supplies away. As she turned to take a sack of potatoes from Ma, her gaze slid over him. It stopped and returned, pausing briefly but long enough for him to see concern. Still feeling apologetic about her burst of rudeness?

He shifted his attention to Ma. She picked up the water pails and headed toward the creek. He waited until she reached the stream before he joined her.

“I’ll carry those back for you.”

She set down the buckets, but he didn’t pick them up.

“Angela’s so different from how I remember her. What happened?”

A peaceful smile curved Ma’s lips. “She was given a chance to bloom and grow.”

That made sense, but it didn’t answer all his questions. “Pa said she needed to start over. What did he mean?”

“Simply that. The poor girl had been through so much. I can’t even imagine.” Her gaze went toward the camp. “She’s turned into a lovely young woman.”

“Thanks to you and Pa, I’d say.”

“All we did was give her an environment where she could become the person she was meant to be.” A fly buzzed around Ma’s head, and she batted it away. “She’s done very well.”

“You make it sound like her parents didn’t love her.” An unwelcome thought surfaced. “Was she abused?”

“Carson, of course not. Her parents loved her and did their absolute best for her. Now let’s get back to camp.”

“Certainly.” Water sloshed over his boots as he picked up the buckets and followed Ma back to the others. She hadn’t given him a satisfactory answer. Or did he mean he wanted to know more? Something that would explain Angela’s odd reaction to simple questions. Guilt trickled through him. Was it because he’d been so unkind to her when she first arrived? How was he to find out?

He glanced around those gathered at the fire. Irene was the most likely to give him answers. He’d find a way to talk to her.

But first, they ate. Then there were chores to do. And then Gabe got his guitar, and there was singing. After that, Irene and Walt slipped away. The others headed for their beds.

Carson sighed. He was a patient man. He’d find an opportunity.

The next day, Irene sat on her horse and rode at the head of the wagons, Walt at her side.

After the entourage rumbled along, Carson urged his horse forward. He passed the last wagon with Gabe walking by his team of oxen, Ma at his side. They were so engrossed in talking they probably didn’t even notice him. Bertie followed the middle wagon, Limpy and Alice with him, his cats likely riding in the wagon in front of him.

Angela sat on the wagon seat, guiding that team with reins. When he slowed, she flicked a glance his way and tipped her head to acknowledge his presence before focusing on the oxen though they trudged along placidly, well used to travel.

With no encouragement to ride with her, he trotted forward until he rode at Irene’s side. If he asked about Angela right away, Irene would wonder at his curiosity. “How does it feel to be a married woman?”

She flipped her long braid over her shoulder, still very much the little girl who’d often run along after him, egging him into trouble. “Better’n I could have dreamed possible.”

Bright spots flared in her cheeks. She looked toward Walt. Their gazes were so claiming that he felt like an intruder and shifted his attention in the other direction.

“I’m glad to see you happy.” This sister had always been so restless.

“Thanks.”

“It’s strange that all the ladies are married except for Angela.”

“Her time will come.” She seemed so certain.

“Do you know something I don’t?” Maybe she had a beau. He hadn’t considered that. That would explain part of her reaction but not all of it. She’d insinuated she might not want to get married.

“No. But you see her. She’s a beautiful woman. And knows how to work hard. Someone will snatch her up.”

“Do you remember when she first came?”

Irene squinted at him. “Of course I do.”

“Didn’t she seem—” He couldn’t find a word that didn’t sound unkind.

“Unsettled? Scared? Yes.”

“I don’t remember knowing anything about her family except?—”

“Except her parents were dead and we are now her family.”

Maybe he should consider that enough.

“I was wondering—” Would she understand his curiosity? See it as concern? That’s what it was. Wasn’t it? “What happened to her parents?”

“Besides dying?” Her look was as incredulous as her tone .

“I can’t help but wonder about what she’s had to deal with in the past.”

“Ask her.”

“Fine.” He wouldn’t be doing that. Not after her previous reaction.

She shifted in the saddle to look more closely at him. “You wrote to Walt, didn’t you? Did you know Walt from before?”

“Before what?”

“I was thinking from when the Millers used to live in Bruffin.”

“I was only two when they left.”

“So how?—?”

“I met him by accident when he came to visit his ma’s grave a spell ago. He inquired after our family. We wrote back and forth a few times after that.” He didn’t want to talk about Walt but could see no way of getting her to answer his questions.

He slowed the horse. Ruby walked by the wagons, Hazel at her side. Carson dropped to the ground beside them.

Maybe this pair would have something to say.

Angela held the lines steady. Anyone watching her would think she saw nothing but the oxen in front of her. Thought of nothing but keeping them in line. But they’d be wrong—very wrong.

She’d glimpsed Carson talking to Irene. There was no reason for that to concern her. They were brother and sister. Had grown up together. No doubt they had a lot of memories to share.

Yet her nerves tingled.

It wasn’t like he would find out anything about her past from them. Thanks to the kindness of his parents, that part of her life had never been revealed. Yet she couldn’t dismiss the way her hands clenched without her permission and her mouth grew dry.

Why had she reacted so strongly to his comment about marriage? She had nothing against Althe institution. But it was the thought that she wouldn’t have a say in her choice of groom. That she didn’t deserve the same consideration the Woods sisters did.

No one said that. Only her own dark memories put the notion in her head.

She was Angela Lowe. Daughter of Noreen Bigalow. Stepdaughter of Obed Lowe. She was now known as Angela Woods—adopted daughter of Marnie and Norman though, to her knowledge, no legal papers had ever been signed. Nevertheless, she was happy to accept the role and leave her former life behind.

Except, for some unfathomable reason, shadows of the past had risen up to plague her.

When Carson dismounted to walk beside Ruby and Hazel, those shadows grew larger, especially when all three glanced in her direction.

Her jaw ached from the pressure of clamping her teeth together.

The trio continued for several more turns of the wheels before Carson remounted and rode into the distance. Only then did her jaw relax and air rush into her lungs.

She hunched over, staring at the oxen’s broad rumps. Their tails switched as they lumbered onward. Patient creatures with nothing to worry about except good grass and sweet water. In fact, it was their owners who did the worrying. The oxen depended on the humans, trusted them.

Maybe she should be more like the oxen. Letting the One in control of the universe lead her. God, You are my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer. In You will I trust. I will call on You. You are worthy to be praised. So shall I be saved from mine enemies . The words were part of Second Samuel chapter twenty-two. Pa Woods had read her the verses when he saw how frightened she’d been upon her arrival. Not knowing what to expect. Nor how she would be treated. Her welcome into the family had been beyond her dreams.

Pa Woods’s gentle voice whispered into her memory. “Angela, no matter what your life has held in the past or what it will bring in the future, God will always be there for you, ready to help, to deliver, and to save. Never forget that.”

She’d promised him she wouldn’t and had memorized the portion, often praying it back to God.

As always, the words comforted her. “I can face the future because I have a Guide and a Shepherd. Thank You.”

Another verse he’d pointed out to her filled her thoughts. “Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.” She smiled as she mentally gave the place where it was in the Bible. Ephesians chapter three, verse twenty. Pa had always said it was important to know the location in case you ever wanted to check the wording.

Pa’s faith was an echo of Father’s.

Peace infused her. She sat up straight and smiled, noticing how blue the sky was and taking in the dull green of the leaves on the trees they passed.

By the time they stopped for the noon break, she’d almost forgotten her concern about Carson talking to his sisters. Her past was no longer a threat. Or even a worry. She planned to walk confidently into the future knowing God was leading.

Carson strode over to help unhitch the oxen and take them to water.

She thanked him though it was a task she and Ruby had learned to do. Then she hurried to help Ma put out the food. Thanks to all Angela’s baking yesterday, there were lots of biscuits and cookies to accompany the cold beans and cooked venison roast.

Angela and Ruby found a quiet spot under the shade of a poplar tree and lay down on the crunchy grass.

A long, impatient sigh rushed from Ruby. “I wish Robert would have stayed, but no, he said his duty was to go with the horses.”

“It was.”

“I know but I miss him.”

“Carson says we’ll be at the fort in a week if all goes well.” Angela kept her attention on the dancing leaves overhead.

The air shifted as Ruby sat up. “Carson wanted to know about your parents. I said all I knew was they had died. I suggested if he wanted to know more, he should ask you.” She lay down again, shifting her skirt to cover her legs.

“Why does he want to know?” Angela managed to sound curious rather than annoyed.

“I can’t say. Maybe because he’s a Mountie. Like Robert, they have to check out every detail.” Ruby sat up again and looked down on Angela. “Or it could be because he’s Carson. He always was nosy.”

“I suppose.”

“Angela, if you don’t want him asking about you, tell him it’s none of his business.”

“That’s what I mean to do.” She propped herself up on her elbows, ignoring the twig digging into her arm, the man far more annoying. Where was he, anyway?

“He’s with the oxen.” Ruby stretched out with her eyes closed. “Go find him.”

Angela didn’t move.

“You can either tell him to cease and desist or answer his questions. I know my brother. He’ll keep probing until he finds some deep dark secret.”

Angela’s hands spasmed. “What makes you think there are secrets?”

“Look. I’m sorry you lost your parents. But you are now my sister. I don’t need to know anything else.” Her eyes still closed, Ruby waved a hand. “Go find him.”

“I will.” Angela ducked from under the low-hanging branch and skirted the trees as she went toward the pond where the oxen, having drunk their full and satisfied their hunger on the grass, now rested.

The air hummed with insects. Ducks swam across the water, quacking to each other. Fluffy white clouds reflected on the surface. The scene was so peaceful, she didn’t want to disturb it.

“Hello.” Carson’s soft voice came from her right.

Very well. This was it. Time to make a few things clear.

“Carson, I don’t like you asking questions about me.”