When kindred spirits uni.., p.2
When Kindred Spirits Unite, page 2
Everyone else was beginning to rise and get to work. They would want to cover a lot of ground for this first day, so it was important they worked quickly to start moving.
The two children were up, feeding the animals before they came back to help pack up. Lotse and Pecos were loud and rambunctious children, but they were old enough to understand that today meant everyone needed to help. Lotse was ten and Pecos was eight, mini copies of their mother with rich black hair and honey-brown eyes.
“Nadua?”
She blinked, shifting her grasp on the buffalo skins before turning to Lotse. “Hmm?”
With her hands clasped behind her back, the young girl gave her a curious look up and down. Immediately Nora knew what she was going to ask. Though she was getting older, Lotse was still curious about one thing. Many of the children in the village were. It only took a second for the girl to ask a question that Nora had heard a few hundred times.
“Will your hair ever turn black like ours?”
It used to annoy Nora to be asked this so much until she realized that the children were genuinely confused. Everyone among the Comanche had dark hair. Only the white settlers had hair like her own. But since she didn’t live among the white people, it made sense that she should have dark hair. At least, that’s what the children thought.
“No, it’s not. It didn’t change since the last time you asked, did it?” she added pointedly.
The young girl narrowed her eyes suspiciously before running off to whisper to her little brother. Most likely, they were making up wild stories about her.
Nora was used to that as well. She didn’t blend in with the people here. They knew it, she knew it, and so did the other white settlers they came across.
Her hair was long and kept in plaits, but it was as yellow as corn. She had dark brown eyes like many of the people there, but that was the only physical trait she shared with any of them.
“It is time,” Topsannah told her after a while.
Other people were readying their animals and wagons. Everything was piled up and packed, ready to go. They were going to follow the buffalo into new territory like they did every summer. A few of them waved and nodded when they took the lead.
Inhaling, Nora fixed a knot before going to her horse. The mare was a strong, sturdy animal, albeit shorter than most of the others. Having helped tame the creature herself, she was very attached to the animal. She mounted and rode beside her family. Topsannah’s mother, the medicine woman, soon rode by on her own horse, loudly singing her gratitude to the earth.
It was a beautiful song, something that Nora played repeatedly in her mind over the next couple of days. She was used to traveling two to three times a year. There was something adventurous to it that she enjoyed.
“Where are we again?” Nora asked when their chief, Mukwooru, announced that they had arrived.
She slid off her horse to look around the fields and trees. Tall mountains in the distance rose up to disappear into the clouds. It was beautiful. And yet, she thought, there seemed to be something off about all of this. She fixed her dress and wandered around the nearby grove. Sniffing the air, she sensed something familiar. But what was it?
“This is Little Sky,” Pecos told her. He snuck a piece of fruit out for his horse before his mother could catch him. Wearing an impish smile, he added to Nora, “Pia says they call this land Wyoming.”
The young boy raced off before she could remind him to help with the set up. Most likely, he was off to hide and play a game so he wouldn’t have to work. Her eyes trailed after him for a short while before turning back to the grove.
“What is that smell?” she asked.
No one answered her. She ran her hands over the bark on the trees and wound her way through. Everyone talked loudly behind her, eager to finally arrive at their new home for the summer. They would celebrate that night with a feast and dancing. She always loved participating in that.
Nora just needed to sort out one thing first.
She made her way through the trees. Once they cleared, she looked around her to see a dip into a valley that soon leveled out and was covered in more trees. That went on for two miles before there was a clearing. In that clearing were several buildings, manmade structures that looked very permanent.
Her stomach churned. They were very close to a settlement. She had only been to three since living with the Comanche and had never been interested in staying long. She wondered about going to this town sometime. They would have months to be close.
But there was still something about this situation that bothered her. It was an itch in the back of her mind.
Looking around, it finally dawned on her.
Pecos had said it himself that they were back in Wyoming. She hadn’t thought about it in a long time, but that was the town where she’d enjoyed her childhood. That was why the mountains had caught her attention: she used to have a window that looked right out to them.
That was Minerston, the place where she had been raised.
She hadn’t thought that she would ever return. Inhaling deeply with this discovery, Nora told herself that she didn’t need to worry about this. What was there to be nervous about? That wasn’t her life anymore. The Comanche had adopted her, and these were her people.
Turning away, Nora told herself this was nothing to worry about. But she thought of her nightmares in the back of her mind. She hastened back to her people while trying to ignore the hammering of her heart.
“It’s fine. It doesn’t mean anything,” she told herself quietly.
Chapter 2
Theodore Anderson pulled his horse up to a stop.
Tugging his hat off, he paused to look around the landscape. He had never been to Wyoming before. It simply had never been necessary to be there. Though he had traveled around in many directions, this territory was new to him.
He wondered how this was possible. The view before him was absolutely stunning. Having come from the murky Mississippi River, he knew that any sort of change would be pleasant. But there was something brilliant about this area before him. It was breathtaking. The greenery went on forever. He felt as though the skies were much bluer here than anywhere he had been in the last couple of years.
“This is it,” Theo told his horse with a sense of pride filling his chest. “I think we’ve made it to the promised land. If we’re lucky, we’ll never leave.”
He brushed his hands through his hair. Though he’d just cut it himself the other day in an attempt to calm the unruliness of it, already it seemed to be growing out of control. It was a soft brown that turned light in the sun.
Light shined down on his face and kept him warm.
He felt as though he was always working out in the sunlight. His family had owned a farm when he was a kid. On his own by fourteen, he had taken any job that he could get his hands on.
For the last couple of years, he had spent his time on a steamer riding the Mississippi back and forth. It had been fun at first. He grew up enjoying hard work and keeping himself busy. And yet, as he always did after a couple of years, he had begun to grow restless with this life of his.
And then the letter had come.
He had met his uncle once when he was young, perhaps ten years old. The man was on his way to some sort of army base. Theo had thought he was intimidating––stern with dark eyes and a continuous frown.
But time had passed. He was older now, and so was his uncle. They hadn’t seen each other since, but that didn’t matter. They were family.
His uncle had since retired from the army to build himself a successful ranch. That’s what the letter had detailed: a beautiful four-hundred-acre ranch that needed some more support now that the man was getting older.
It was an opportunity that Theo couldn’t ignore.
He thought it might be nice to be around some family after eleven years. Having felt the need to move on in his life, Wyoming sounded like the perfect opportunity to start all over again. Though he had no experience on a ranch, his uncle didn’t seem to mind. The man wanted that family connection, to have someone he trusted to take over the land as he grew older.
How old was he now?
Theo put his hat back on his head as he tried to think. The man was his mother’s older brother, older by at least five years. Yet that still didn’t give him that much to go off of.
Nudging his horse to start moving again, he led the two of them down the hill. The town was off to his right, with more mountains surrounding them. Trees were everywhere. He tried to memorize every shade of green that they passed.
It was going to be nice, he decided.
He wound his way past the town until he reached a dirt path just big enough for a wagon. Seeing a few planted stakes to the side, he knew he was in the right place. His uncle had been kind enough to provide very clear descriptions on how to get to the ranch. Taking the road west, he went until he saw a property with an archway leading toward buildings.
“The Racer Ranch,” Theo mumbled under his breath. “Huh.”
Being so close to his new job and home––as well as family––he straightened up in his saddle. He rode with his shoulders back and his grip loose on the reins.
Most of the time, Theo didn’t particularly mind what happened with his jobs. Folks always needed hard workers and he liked traveling. There was something invigorating about meeting new people and learning new skills. He liked to think he made friends rather easily along the way.
He didn’t want to admit it, but he was eager for this opportunity.
It only took him another minute before he was close enough to tell the buildings apart. The one right in front of him was a tall house, two floors with an attic, with a large wrap-around porch. Shutters were painted white with a fine blue trim. Beautifully set up against the natural backdrop behind it, the house seemed to still belong in a city more than anywhere else.
Two structures were built behind the house within a few hundred yards. One was painted red to be the obvious barn. As for the other, he was considering it might be a store house before the door to it opened, and he saw two men step out. Most likely, Theo supposed, that was the cowboys’ bunkhouse.
He had a feeling they glanced his way, but they gave him no notice.
Theo wasn’t certain of what else to do. Stopping his horse, he paused and looked around. Most of the windows were closed or had curtains in the way, so he couldn’t see inside. Would his uncle be home? Although he had provided the rough date of his arrival, there was no way for him to be specific about it.
Shrugging, he climbed down off his horse and tied the reins to the hitching post. He climbed up before rapping on the door to see if anyone was home.
It took a minute before he heard anything.
Thudding steps eventually headed his way, stopping when they reached the other side of the door. Then it swung open to reveal an older man. Although Theo had only met his uncle in person once, he knew instantly that this had to be him.
Lawrence Stevens Racer. He used his full name in his correspondence. The man had the same rigid frame and dark gray eyes. His brown hair was thinning and turning gray. Holding himself like a soldier, the man tilted his head with a frown.
“What is it?” he said with a sharp sneer. “I’m not looking for more workers. Mind your way and stay off my property.”
Theo hesitated, almost ready to walk away. But he caught himself and raised a hand before his uncle could close the door on him.
“I’m not looking for work. You already hired me, remember? It’s Theo. Well, Theodore. Marianne’s son, the one you’ve been writing to for the last couple of months,” he added to be helpful.
Racer wavered with a hand on the door. “Huh. You’re late.”
“Am I?” Theo asked, mildly amused. He knew not to take folks seriously. Things never went well when people did that. And he didn’t want to mess this opportunity up. Taking off his hat, he then reached into his jacket pocket to show the second and last letter that his uncle had written. “I recall writing about arriving around this week, but it’s hard to tell when you’re on the road.”
His uncle studied him with that partial sneer still on his face. But he seemed to slowly soften, tilting his head to the side. “Well. You do have your mother’s eyes. All right, I suppose it must be you. Come in, then.”
Keeping a smile on his face, Theo nodded and followed after his uncle. “It’s a nice place you have here. Did you build it yourself?”
“Designed, yes. Built, no. I’ve worked long enough and hard enough to not have to use my hands like this anymore. I was going to put you in the bunkhouse with the other men, but it’s full up and I have the space. First bedroom on the left will be yours. It will let you come and go without being disruptive. Use the side door to leave,” he added.
Theo peeked his head down the hall and then nodded. There were three doors in total, and he wondered what the second led to. “I can do that.”
His uncle continued, leading the way without looking back. “You’ll work odd hours, as we discussed. But the men know what to do for the most part. You can have today to look it over and then tomorrow, well, you can get to work. The harvest will be here before you know it. It always is.”
The man spoke gruffly and matter-of-factly. He pointed out the main rooms in the house and mentioned the cook he had brought over twice a week to prepare meals.
It seemed that Racer was settling down in his life and making it as comfortable as possible. Theo wondered if his uncle would always feel comfortable just sitting there. But this wasn’t his business. He was a hired hand, and he would act responsibly.
The more Theo looked around and heard about the great ranch that his uncle had built up, the more he was impressed with all of this. There was a lot of potential here for him. What if he could build a real future here for himself? He could come to be friends with his uncle and settle in this beautiful place.
A smile climbed onto his face, and it wouldn’t come off. He could hardly wait to get this new life started.
Chapter 3
Laughing, Nora let go and spun in circles until she collapsed.
There were giggles all around her. It was a musical sound that brought a smile to her lips. She opened her eyes to find the sky above her. It was a bold blue with a brightness she could hardly stand to look at.
It was a beautiful, brilliant sunny day.
Climbing back up onto her knees, Nora tried to brush some of the grass from her hair before looking around at the children.
She was good at many things and had picked up useful skills. In the tribe, people were placed where they did their best work. There were days where she craved hunting or wanted to sew the beadwork, sometimes they let her. Other times, however, she was assigned to the work of handling the children.
“Nadua, Nadua, Nadua,” they chanted before crawling over to her.
Today, she was watching fourteen children. There was one strapped to her chest because the mother was ill. Then there were thirteen in varying ages who all poked her and then tossed grass on top of her.
She laughed and then brushed it off. Putting out her hands for aid, she let the little arms wrap around her to help her sit up properly alongside all of them.
“It’s your turn,” the eldest of the lot told her. She was the youngest daughter of the chief and was bold in everything that she did. “You have to answer a question now!”
The game was fairly simple. Back when she was still learning the language of the Comanche, Nora had found a way to gather knowledge. All the children would hold hands and run around in a circle. Whoever fell down first would be asked a question. If they answered it correctly, everyone started it all over again. If the answer was wrong, then they had to do a silly little dance.
