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Mattie breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”
“Save your thanks until we see if I can make anything edible,” the younger girl advised.
* * *
After constructing a temporary enclosure to house his horses for the night, Josiah headed toward the circle of wagons. Slipping between the tailgate of one and the tongue of another, he entered the ring and recognized Matt and his sister at the nearest campfire.
The boy squatted, feeding a piece of wood into the crackling flames, while Adela stirred a boiling pot.
“Evening,” Josiah greeted.
Adela turned toward him, the action sending her skirt swinging into the fire.
“Watch out!” Josiah reached forward, intent on pulling her out of harm’s way. But it was too late. The flames ignited the edge of the material.
A series of shrieks filled the air, and the girl’s frantic movements hindered Josiah’s attempts to extinguish the fire by smothering it.
Grabbing a large pan from the tailgate, Matt yanked the cover off the water barrel and filled the container, then tossed the water over his sister’s burning skirts, dousing the flames. “It’s out.”
Silence fell as Adela finally stopped screaming.
Several people had hurried over to see what all the commotion was about, but with the danger now past, they returned to their own campfires.
Everyone except Josiah’s brother and sister-in-law.
Rebecca’s eyebrows knit in concern. “Are you all right?”
Adela looked down at herself. “My dress! It’s ruined.” No pain showed in her expression.
Was that because she was unharmed? Or was she in a state of shock?
Matt grabbed his sister and gave her a slight shake. “Never mind about your dress!” Fear raised his voice an octave higher than normal. “Are you burned?” Not waiting for a response, he lifted the sodden, fire-damaged edge of her skirt, wincing at what he saw. “You already have blisters forming.”
A moan slipped past Adela’s lips as the pain finally registered. “It hurts.”
Elias knelt for a quick look. “I have some salve that will help. I’ll go get it.” He stood and hurried away.
Rebecca took Adela by the arm. “Let me help you into the wagon. I’m sure you’d prefer some privacy while Elias tends to your injury.”
By the time the two women disappeared between the canvas flaps, Elias had returned, and he followed them inside.
Anxiety crossed Matt’s face.
“Don’t worry. My brother’s a doctor. Adela’s in good hands.”
“It’s my fault she got hurt. She’s never cooked over an open fire before, but I made her do it.” Moving toward the pot suspended above the flames, he lifted the spoon.
“She’s not used to this kind of life, but she’ll adapt.”
Matt tipped the spoon, and a large blob plopped back into the pot. “I guess it’s pretty obvious all of this is new to us.”
“Well, her attire was a bit of a clue.” The picture Adela Prescott had made perched on the bench seat, like a queen on her throne, still had Josiah shaking his head.
Though sensibly dressed, in contrast, it was clear Matt was just as much a greenhorn as his sister. But Josiah wouldn’t hurt the boy’s pride by mentioning it.
Yesterday, he’d wondered if the kid was hiding something. Today, he’d gotten his answer. Matt was trying to disguise the fact that he didn’t know how to handle life on the trail.
But he was smart—observing others to learn the skills he lacked—and had successfully unhitched the oxen on his own and herded them to the area where the other animals grazed.
Now he stirred the contents of the pot, poking at the charred chunks floating in a thick, mud-colored liquid.
It wasn’t recognizable as food—at least not to Josiah. “What’s that supposed to be?”
“I’m not sure. It’s Adela’s first attempt at cooking. We had servants back in St. Louis, and she never learned to prepare meals.”
“She’ll get the hang of it once she’s had a bit more experience.” Although, right now, it was a toss-up whether she would improve enough to produce edible meals before the Prescotts starved.
“Well, this is definitely past saving.” Matt dropped the spoon, and the wooden handle landed against the edge of the pot with a dull thud.
“What’s past saving?” Rebecca questioned as she climbed down from the covered wagon, followed by her husband and his patient.
“In all the excitement, their dinner was ruined,” Josiah excused, seeing no need to mention the food had been inedible even before it was scorched.
Eyeing the contents of the pot, Rebecca’s eyebrows arched, but she didn’t challenge his claim. “I left a delicious stew simmering over the fire, and there’s enough to share.”
“That’s very kind,” Matt began. “But we couldn’t—”
“We’d love to join you,” his sister cut across him.
His cheeks reddened. “Adela, we can’t impose on the Dawsons.”
“It’s not an imposition,” Rebecca assured. “It will give us a chance to get better acquainted.”
A moment of silent communication passed between the siblings, but finally Matt turned away from his sister’s pleading eyes and nodded his assent. “Thank you for your kind offer, Mrs. Dawson. We appreciate it.”
“Please, call me Rebecca,” she invited. “Come on over whenever you’re ready.”
Josiah walked with Elias and Rebecca back to their covered wagon. By the time Matt and Adela arrived, Rebecca had five bowls of mouth-watering stew dished up.
Everyone took seats around the campfire. Elias said grace, and they dug in.
Matt offered Rebecca a compliment on her cooking.
Adela added her agreement with an appreciative smile. A moment later, the happy expression slipped from her face. “I’ll never be able to make anything half as good as this.”
“Of course, you will,” Rebecca encouraged her. “It simply takes a little practice.”
Adela looked unconvinced, but she didn’t argue, and the conversation turned to other topics.
“Did you get your horses bedded down for the night?” Elias questioned.
Josiah nodded. “One of the mares is a bit skittish with so many other animals around, but Miles asked me to take first watch, so I’ll be able to keep an eye on her and make sure she settles.”
Elias turned to the Prescotts to explain, “Josiah plans to start a ranch and has a string of horses he’s taking to Oregon Country.”
“They’re only green broke and have a tendency to spook at unfamiliar noises,” Josiah elaborated. “But they come from hardy stock and will make good saddle horses with a little more training.”
Elias clapped his hand on Josiah’s shoulder. “He’s already got them eating out of the palm of his hand, just like the high-strung bloodstock he worked with outside Nashville.”
Josiah didn’t want to be reminded of the past, and all he’d left behind in Tennessee.
He was determined to focus on the future, instead. “Thoroughbred racers are best left in the East. Practical mounts are what’s needed out west.”
“My baby brother has a special knack with animals. Like your oxen. They followed him like great big puppy dogs this afternoon. And I bet they were much better behaved for you afterward, too.”
Matt’s head bobbed up and down. “It’s a handy skill to have.”
“It’s a way to earn a living,” Josiah conceded. “But not like Elias, here, who can use his medical skills to help people. Now, that’s a talent in short supply in Oregon Country.”
Rebecca nodded. “My parents and sister moved out to the Willamette Valley two years ago, and they arranged a doctoring job for him in Silver Springs.” She beamed with pride at her husband. “The townspeople are building a clinic and house for us that should be completed by the time we arrive.”
Finished with his stew, Josiah set the bowl aside. “While the rest of us will have to scramble to put up some sort of makeshift shelter before winter sets in.”
“Being a doctor does have some perks,” Elias allowed.
Just then, a small dark-haired boy raced past their campfire. He giggled in glee as if playing a game, while his frazzled mother, the preacher’s wife, chased after him.
“Henry Linton, slow down,” she called out. “And watch where you’re going!”
But the little boy paid her no heed. He was still going full speed when he reached his father, a man in his late twenties with a neatly trimmed beard.
The preacher snagged his young son and swung him up into his arms to prevent Henry from barreling over his little sister, who was sitting on the ground playing with a doll. “Whoa there, young man. I think you and I need to have a talk about minding your mama. And having a care around Lizzie.” He sat down with the boy on his lap and spoke in low tones, his expression stern.
Tessa Linton brushed a straggling lock of red hair off her forehead. “I apologize for my son’s behavior. He’s been dashing around all day. I expected that he’d have tuckered himself out by now. I’m certainly worn-out from running after him.”
“Then you deserve a rest.” Rebecca glanced toward the dark-haired preacher. “It looks like David has things well in hand.”
“For the moment, at least.” Tessa’s expression was wearily resigned, but it was edged with affection. “I’d best take advantage of the calm while it lasts.” She moved toward her own campfire and sat down next to her husband.
“What adorable children.” A soft smile tugged at Adela’s lips as she watched the Lintons, her opinion plainly unaffected by the boy’s misbehaving.
The corner of Elias’s mouth curled up in a lopsided grin, then he picked up the thread of their interrupted conversation. “What are your plans for when you reach Oregon, Matt?”
“We have an aunt and uncle in Oregon City and will stay with them to start.”
Adela nodded and her eyes lit up. “Our relatives own an elegant hotel. The dining room’s paneled in solid mahogany, and the lobby has a large crystal chandelier ordered from New York. Although I’ve never seen it, I imagine it’s magnificent.”
“It certainly sounds lovely,” Rebecca acknowledged. “So, you’ll be living in the hotel, then?”
“Oh, no. Uncle Ephraim has a grand two-story house a few blocks from the hotel.” Adela twirled a lock of dark hair around her finger. “The drawing room is big enough for social gatherings, and the dining table can seat a party of twelve.”
“You’re looking forward to a lifestyle similar to what you had back in Saint Louis.” Josiah didn’t bother to phase it as a question since the answer was obvious.
Adela immediately concurred. “Of course. There will be entertainment and music, and we’ll have a string of handsome beaus—”
“We?” Rebecca’s brow pleated in puzzlement.
“Oh! I meant me. And the friends I’m sure to make,” Adela hastily clarified, with an overly bright smile.
Matt spooned the last few bites of stew into his mouth as if suddenly in a hurry. “It’s getting late. Adela and I better head back to our wagon.” He placed his empty bowl in Rebecca’s outstretched hand. “Thank you for a delicious meal, Mrs. Dawson—Rebecca,” he quickly corrected.
“You’re welcome,” Rebecca replied with a smile, then moved to collect Adela’s bowl and stack it with the other one. “Why don’t I come by in the morning to give you some pointers on how to prepare breakfast?”
Adela’s mouth dropped open at the words. “I have to make breakfast, too?”
“Certainly. Our men need food to fuel them through the long day of travel and work. But don’t worry. I’ll show you how easy it is.”
Adela offered a weak smile, clearly not looking forward to another cooking attempt so soon after tonight’s disaster. “Thank you.”
Josiah’s eyes followed the Prescott siblings as they crossed to their own dying campfire, and yesterday’s conversation with Miles replayed in his mind. The wagon master had expressed concern that the Prescotts might prove a burden to others.
To ensure that didn’t become an issue, Matt and his sister had to be self-sufficient. Though it wouldn’t happen overnight, a little guidance might speed up the process.
Whatever you did for the least of My brothers, you did for Me.
If he accompanied Rebecca on her visit in the morning, he could offer his assistance should Matt encounter any problems rounding up his oxen or hitching them to the covered wagon.
* * *
Dusk had fallen, and a cold wind blew into the camp, cutting through the thin fabric of Mattie’s cotton shirt. But worse than the chill in the air was the creeping uncertainty she couldn’t shake. Had she and Adela revealed too much to the Dawson family?
Glancing back, she found Josiah’s gaze on her and quickly turned away to build up the fire.
A yip sounded in the distance.
Adela jumped and peered into the gathering darkness. “What was that?”
“I’m not sure.” It wasn’t a sound she’d ever heard before.
Several answering cries followed, seeming much closer than the first.
“Are they going to attack us?”
It would only add to Adela’s fright if Mattie admitted to her own. “I’m sure they won’t come near this many people. And the guards will keep them away from the livestock. You should try to get some sleep. We have to be up early in the morning.”
“I don’t think I can sleep.”
“You’ll be safe in the wagon.”
