Chapter Seven
Unexpected Arrivals
When Ethan Taylor left the Jensen farm, he rode towards the quarry. He rode around the entrance, looking for hoof prints. His horses had an extra nail on the back horseshoes, so if they ever questioned him, he could identify his horses.
During the war, he lost his naïve outlook on life, which eroded his trust in the world around him. He had seen so much death and depravity in the war. Men would steal a dead man's boots with wild looks in their eyes. Then Ethan had become more suspicious of every man after Rachel's attack. He had lost his trust in mankind until they traveled with the trappers.
These men who lived off the land and by their wits restored his faith in humanity and reminded him that there were still fine men in this country. During the month they traveled with the mountain men, Rachel cooked for them, and Ethan absorb every kernel of knowledge from the men who were eager to share their wisdom of survival.
He turned out of the quarry and rode west on the open road to make up for lost time. Ethan urged Dolly forward and put her to the test with a full gallop down the gravel road. The outcropping was a good twenty miles as the crow flies.
The exhilaration of galloping revived Ethan, realizing he hadn't slept last night. He knew the road well. At the end of the ten-mile stretch, the road turned north into the town of Rockford, Minnesota, where they picked up supplies, got their mail and did their banking.
When the dead end came into view, Ethan slowed the horse down to a trot and then a slow walk until the road came up to a dead end. He headed north across the wooden bridge and then led the horse down the embankment into the river.
Ethan sat on the horse while it drank from the river, and he got his bearings of the land ahead of him. He saw the outcropping of rocks in the distance. When the horse finished, his rider led the mare to the tree line path by the shore as they followed the river around the bend.
As Ethan rode the tree line looking for tracks, his mind questioned his judgement.
Why jeopardize my family by harboring a fugitive, an escaped prisoner I had never met? Lord, am I doing the right thing? Could the man be trusted? How could I have left my family with a man I barely knew?
As these thoughts traveled through his mind, Ethan had to admit there was something about the man; it was like the feeling of a kindred spirit. He felt comfortable confiding in him.
Was it the lack of having another man to talk to? But why this man? Why did he feel such trust, leaving his family with him?
He had lived with his wife and children and kept so many secrets to himself, not wanting to share too much with the neighbors. Ethan quieted his thoughts with his belief in God. He knew God worked in mysterious ways, and it wasn't Ethan's place to pass judgement but to look for the blessings.
He brought himself out of his daydream as he rode the river looking for tracks. When the tree line came to another curve, he dismounted and walked the mare through the narrow path of hanging tree limbs. He stayed on foot, looking at the deer path that led up to the ridge.
Ethan continued to walk until he spotted horseshoe tracks that came from the river. He crouched and recognized his horseshoe mark in the prints. He followed the tracks that led to a deer path.
Baker and Cooper had ridden the horses through the river instead of the tree line path. Then, with a few steps across the dirt path and into the woods, they would disappear. Ethan was impressed: Erik had informed him that Baker was skilled at concealing their tracks, and now he realized he was speaking the truth.
Ethan followed the tracks of his horses as he and the mare walked uphill through the wooded path. When he reached the top of the ridge, he looked to the sun and figured it was approaching noon. On the top of the ridge, he climbed in the saddle, figuring he was less than two hours behind them. He trotted along the well-worn path that many a traveler had used to cover ground.
He thought of the generosity of his neighbor and knew that Carl and Edith would be at his farm to check on his family. They were like grandparents to the children, always so patient as they listened to the children's stories.
Deep down, Ethan wished he could be there to see the reaction on the children's faces when they saw the new puppy. He smiled as he thought of them playing and running around with the dog. He wondered who would run out of steam first, the kids or the puppy. The thought made him chuckle.
He turned his concentration to his surroundings. He slowed the horse down as the mare stepped over a fallen limb across the path. Ethan leaned down and saw the horse prints continue along the path. He urged the horse forward, knowing he needed to cover more ground before nightfall.
* * *
Rachel took Ethan's advice and stayed busy the rest of the morning, making beef stew, and taking care of the morning milking, straining, separating, and churning. Grace was furious that they had stolen her apple pies. She prided herself on her baking. She stirred up dough for bread and buns and set it to rise on the stove. Then she laid out the ingredients to make two more pies.
When she retrieved two jars of apples from the shelf, she saw their dwindling supply. Apple pie was their Sunday treat. It was the only day of the week they enjoyed the luscious dessert. During the week, the family ate other bake goods. Sunday meant apple pie with whipped cream.
Within the hour, Grace put the finishing touches on the pies and set them aside to bake after the roast came out of the oven when the kids burst into the house, announcing they had company. It was the Jensen's. The women wiped their hands, brush off their aprons, and rushed outside to greet their neighbors.
"Hello, everyone," shouted Carl from the top of his buckboard.
He brought his team to a halt and jumped down to greet the children. Hugs surrounded him, and his wife laughed at the children's enthusiastic greetings. Carl walked around the end of the wagon with children vying for his attention and helped his wife down from the buckboard seat.
The children greeted Edith Jensen with hugs and a barrage of new information. Rachel and Grace emerged from the back door of the house and hugged them both with greetings.
"Kids, I have a surprise for you," announced Carl.
Carl reached into the wagon bed and brought out a wooden crate with straw. He set it on the ground, and the kids peered into the box and saw the puppy. Screams of excitement rose from the children, which startled the puppy from his slumber.
"His name is Duke. Your father picked him out of Queenie's litter of pups."
"He's ours?" said Edwin in disbelief.
"Yes, son. He now belongs to the Taylor family."
Carl lifted the puppy out of the box and held him for all the children to pet him. The puppy became squirmy with excitement, trying to smell all the unfamiliar smells surrounding him. He set the puppy on the ground and the adventure began as the children ran and played with the puppy.
"Edith, take your food basket to the kitchen. Rachel, will you walk with me while I take care of the horses?"
"Of course," said Rachel.
"Here, let me help you, Edith," said Grace as the women carried the extra dessert and the over-flowing food basket to the house.
With children playing in the grass and the women in the house, Carl led his team to the barn, and Rachel followed, knowing Carl had a lot of questions. When they reached the barn, Carl walked over to Rachel.
"Ethan asked us to stop by and check on you."
"I knew he would."
"After such a frightful experience, he has a right to be worried. How are you doing?"
"We're doing fine, considering everything. Thank you, Carl, for the puppy. You are so kind to the kids."
"Ahh, it wasn't nothing. I got to ween the puppies because it's time. Now tell me what really happened."
Carl had been so kind to Rachel, almost like a father. Rachel's father was a stern man who made harsh decisions, never allowing input from the family. Carl Jensen was different. He listened, provided comfort when needed, and always saw the bright side of any situation.
"The escaped prisoners came to our house early this morning. Ethan was in the barn delivering a calf."
Rachel walked into the barn to show Carl the new calf. When he peeked over the stall, he saw the new little girl nursing.
"She is one healthy little girl. Did Ethan have much trouble?"
"Yes, he did. But one man in the group helped him deliver the calf. I only saw the three of them that came to the house. They asked for clothes, food, and they took Ethan's shotgun."
"That must have been a fright to you and Grace. Did they hurt you?'
However, a man did threaten to remove the children's tongues if they went downstairs. The children closed their doors, and we didn't hear a peep. Then the men took the supplies and our horses and left in two different directions."
"Ethan explained his decision to go after the two horses and how he told them about the outcropping and the caves. Don't worry, Rachel. Ethan is a good mountain man; he knows his way around the woods, and he is an excellent tracker. He knows his landmarks."
"I know, but I still worry," said Rachel.
"Worrying ain't going to do anyone any good, especially yourself. Go help the women. I will take care of the horses and be in for dinner."
Rachel thanked him for his kindness, and she left. As she walked through the barn, she noticed the clean bedding in the stalls. Edwin had swept the barn clean and laid down fresh bedding. She needed to tell her son how proud she was of him and what a helpful young man he was becoming.
* * *
Edith Jensen was the queen of the kitchen and in all her glory when she had a crowd of people to feed. She was petite, but hearty as an ox. Carl once described her as a toy top in the room that spins faster than the rest of the tops.
"My dears, when I heard the news, I told Carl we need to go now and comfort our neighbors after such a fright. So, I packed up our noon meal, and we came right over," said Edith as she bustled at the stove.
"Thank you for coming over. You are both so kind," said Rachel as she hugged the small women with the silver hair.
"Edith, you must have been cooking all morning," said Grace. "Everything looks so delicious."
She brought a bowl of potato pancakes batter and was frying them in a pan. Grace had placed the casserole of green beans in a cream sauce along with the pan of sliced ham. Grace found the cherry sauce to pour over the ham slices in Edith's food basket.
Rachel added to more place settings to the table. She set out pickles and a small crock of butter on the table. Then she sliced the bread Edith had brought, placed on a plate, and covered it with one of her embroidered hand towels.
Edith had brought a peach cobbler for dessert. Grace moved her apple pies to the pantry to bake for afternoon coffee. Rachel had her beef stew simmering on the back corner of the stove.
The back door opened, and Edwin walked in carrying the puppy. Carl followed him with the wooden crate, and the rest of the children ran into the kitchen. Their mothers herded them to the sink to wash their hands. Carl set the crate next to the stove, and Edwin laid the puppy on the straw.
"Can I feed him some milk or beef stew broth?" asked Rachel as she peered into the box.
"Sure, he's been drinking water and milk. The beef broth might put him right to sleep," said Carl.
Rachel selected a small wooden bowl and ladled in a spoonful of broth and set it on the floor. Carl moved the puppy to the floor and used his fingers wet with broth to entice the curious puppy. Duke's nose smelled the broth and licked Carl's fingers, which led to the bowl. They both laughed at the slurping sounds as he slicked it down. Duke turned his dark brown puppy eyes to Rachel.
"I think he wants some more."
Rachel picked up the bowl and added a healthy size ladle of broth along with some carrots. She set the bowl down and petted the dog. She had to admit Ethan had made an excellent choice; he was a beautiful puppy.
Grace helped the children to sit at the table, and Carl gave the blessing. The family enjoyed a feast of green beans, ham, potato pancakes, and slices of bread with jam. For dessert, they ate peach cobbler with cream poured on top.
As they carried the dishes to the stove and cupboard, Rachel checked on the puppy, who was sound asleep on the straw. The dish was empty, and she added it to the sink.
After the women put away the leftovers and did the dishes, it was time to gather for Sunday services. The adults meet the children under the oak tree in the backyard. Ethan had made wooden benches, adding one more every year for the growing family.
When they were growing up in Illinois, Rachel and Grace had a dear friend named Catherine, whose family gathered every Sunday afternoon to worship as "Friends" of the Lord. The girls spent Sunday afternoons with their neighbors and enjoyed the services. The women had continued the practice here on the frontier, where they were ten miles from the nearest church, which was in Rockford.
With Ethan's absence, Rachel began the services with a prayer of gratitude. Then the church service continued in silence as everyone settled into a time of solitude. It was time to pray, reflect, and thank God for his blessings. Carl and Edith had come to enjoy the reflective time during the services, but their silence broke when they heard the approach of horses in the driveway.
Rachel stood and said, "Amen."
She had been holding the puppy in her lap as he slept. She handed him to her son and told him to take the children to the sand pile to play. Carl went to greet the riders.
"Let's walk down and look at the garden," said Edith as she took Vivian's hand.
Rachel and Grace walked up to the men. They both were handsome and rugged looking. The women listened to their deep voices as they introduced themselves to Carl Jensen. They showed their badges to him and the women.
"Afternoon, ladies. We have some unsettling news for you."