Threads of Change (19 page)

The wagons lumbered down the grassy path in single file. Colt drove the lead wagon and had taken over the scouting duties when they reached the Texas border.

As they pressed forward into her new home state, Liz recalled the first night she’d met Colt. He had scared her half to death, coming into the camp looking like trouble, wild and unannounced with several guns at his side and his long, unruly hair covering his badge.

Colt slowed his wagon while the others rolled up close to him. They stopped on the top of a hill where they could see far into the distance where a thick grove of trees and a few old wooden buildings came into view.

“Fort Worth,” Tex shouted. “And we’ve made it without Indians, stampedes, or outlaws. Might be a first!”

Tex nodded his head at the two lawmen who rode with him. His curly brown hair, cropped short under his sweat-stained cowboy hat, gave way to tanned, leathery skin reflecting years of riding under the hot, Texas sun. Jackson and Colt, the other two rangers riding with him, slapped the reins and clicked their teams to move on. Thomas grinned at her as he followed suit.

Liz thought she might not have been able to handle any more misfortune, so she remained thankful that Tex and his fellow Rangers had managed to lead them into Texas without encountering the dangers Tex spoke about. The hardships they’d experienced had been difficult enough. It occurred to her that she’d discovered a full measure of perseverance that she hadn’t known she possessed, and she silently thanked the Lord above that her faith continued to hold strong.

The past is behind, and now is the time to move forward
, she thought with a twinge of excitement.

She felt rather proud of her ability to dive into this new adventure with such confidence. She wanted to cement all of the accomplishments of the last weeks in her mind as a living stone so that she might return to the experiences and gain strength from them as needed.

“I can do all things through Christ which strengthenth me. Philippians, chapter four, verse thirteen,” she recalled aloud, reminding herself that most people quit when the battle is almost won. Perseverance is a trait most individuals never know they have until it’s tested. It had been her responsibility to get the group to their new home and not disappoint her grandfather, and she hoped Grandpa Lucas would feel some gratification all his own for taking the chance and entrusting her with the task.

“That’s one of my favorite passages of Scripture,” Thomas commented, and she jumped back to the present. She hadn’t noticed that she’d spoken the verse aloud.

“Mine, too,” she replied timidly.

“You’ve persevered through quite an undertaking,” he observed. “Done it all through Him who keeps you strong.”

Liz gave him a weary smile. Looking at the grove of trees and the rundown, wooden buildings, however, her relief and joy was somewhat overwhelmed with a gray shadow of disappointment and disbelief.

“Do you suppose Grandpa Lucas knew what a tired-looking settlement Fort Worth would turn out to be?” she asked Thomas. “I fear he’ll be very disappointed.”

“Not much to look at from up here, is it?” he commented, and Liz shook her head and sighed.

The wagons drove into the quiet, abandoned little town, so unlike Lecompte that the difference seemed to scream at her. No hustle or bustle or business going on, and no settlers milling about. Liz felt a little confused and somewhat saddened by the thud of defeat squeezing her heart.

Was this a trick? Was Grandpa aware of what this place was like? How could they make a living here? She didn’t even see a town dog!

A sudden surge of hopefulness crested, and Liz looked at Thomas. “Are you sure this is the right place? Could we have missed Fort Worth somewhere.”

“No, this—”

A rider appeared suddenly from the trees and headed straight for them, whipping the reins back and forth on the flanks of his mount.

“You’re here!” he exclaimed as dirt kicked up behind the pony. With a huge toothless grin, he pulled back on the leather bridle and came to a stop in front of Tex and Abby’s wagon.

Liz twisted to look behind her. Luke flailed his arms at her, grinning from ear to ear, and she forced a smile to her face as she returned a wave of her own. In the foreground, she noticed Megan’s dark hair, smooth skin, and sparkling green eyes providing a remarkable contrast to the somber surroundings.

Megan leaned over toward Chet and spoke something that Liz couldn’t hear, and Chet let out a hearty laugh. When Megan noticed Liz looking, she lifted her chin and called out, “Looks like this place hasn’t seen a human in years!”

“You must be the Mailly family,” the toothless rider said to Tex. “Are you Lucas?”

“No, I’m with the Texas Rangers, accompanying the Mailly family to Fort Worth. Who’s in charge here? Can you take us to them right away?”

“Yeah, they’re all out at the fort. Follow me, this way.”

The rider started west and continued motioning for them to follow.

“What do you call this place?” Liz called out after the rider.

He had already moved too far away to hear Liz, but Tex answered her in a baritone bellowing voice.

“This is the old outpost, the one they used before they built the fort. Did you think this was it?”

Tex and the other rangers laughed as they realized the women thought the rundown outpost was their new home. Liz let out a sigh of relief and squeezed Thomas’s arm as they rode past the shabby, splintered buildings with wild vines growing through the broken windows.

“Oh, thank You, sweet Jesus,” Liz muttered when the real fort appeared in their view, humming with life.

“Liz, did you really think that was where we were going to start up?” Thomas quizzed her with a chuckle.

“Yes,” she replied, “and it’s not amusing! I was really concerned for a moment.”

She smiled when she saw a little church with white double doors and a steeple on top. A lovely young woman with long coal-black curls stood out front on the small steps, waving.

“I suppose that’s Pastor Parker’s wife, Anna,” Liz said with childlike excitement. “Oh, Thomas, this is really happening. They’re here waiting for us!”

“Of course they are.”

A few townspeople began to appear from several directions to greet them, all of them friendly and anxious to help get them settled in their new home. They offered water for the horses, and Tex stood by to offer assistance to the women as they each climbed down from the wagons. The woman from the church grinned at them with animated enthusiasm.

“I’m Anna Parker. Welcome to Fort Worth. We are so excited to have you here!”

The four Mailly granddaughters gathered around Anna and introduced themselves, one by one. She gave each of them a hug as she welcomed them.

“Please don’t be too overwhelmed by our excitement of your arrival. We’re just anxious to get our little community up and going again. It has been quite disturbing with the fort post moving on west. You and your family represent life to our town, and we are so thankful to you,” Anna gushed.

Liz knew Grandpa Lucas had said they’d be welcomed to the area, but she had not fully realized the importance of their arrival. The wide eyes and beaming smiles surrounding them told her that she and her family represented an infusion of lifeblood into the ailing town. The responsibility seemed as daunting as it was exciting.

“Let me show you around!” Anna began, and she led them in the direction of the buildings, explaining as they walked down the board sidewalks of Fort Worth, Texas. A small group of the town’s people followed and listened to every word, and Liz searched the area for a glimpse of her son. When she finally spotted him, Luke suddenly appeared so much older than his years as he leaned casually against one of the wagon wheels, chatting with Blue and Colt.

“The army kept supplies in the large building. It would work well for the mercantile, I think,” she said as she glanced at Liz, and then at Megan. “Megan, you’re planning to open a dress shop, is that right? You may want to claim this smaller one for your purposes. I don’t think either building is in much need of work.”

Anna grinned tentatively, awaiting their approval. She seemed relieved when Liz returned her smile and nodded in agreement.

“There’s a small living quarters above the mercantile, and the captain’s house is around the curve to the left. I think you will find it most comfortable. You may do as you wish with all of these buildings. Just make yourselves right at home.”

Anna paused to let her words soak in as she searched each face in hopes of their approval, looking for some indication of their thoughts.

Liz didn’t want to admit that she almost felt more scared than excited. Her mercantile stood before her. She could see it with her mind’s eye, visualizing burgeoning shelves with an abundance of supplies. Her imagination placed yard goods, threads, lace, and buttons in the center. On the back wall, she painted in the sugar, coffee, beans, and hardtack. Small red checked curtains appeared on the windows, and two double doors with a fresh coat of red paint swung open as a warm greeting to every customer. Over the porch, she would hang a sign reading MAILLY MERCANTILE, and beneath the sign a row of rocking chairs just waiting to be rocked!

Liz came out of her thoughts as she heard Anna’s voice again.

“We would love to have all of you for supper tonight. I will have some meat and bread sent over now so you can eat a little while you start to unpack and settle in. Does that sound acceptable?”

Liz realized that Anna looked to her for an answer.

“Yes! Oh, yes. You’re most gracious, Anna. Thank you.”

“I am so glad to have you here safely,” Anna cooed. “We’ve planned a good old-fashioned Texas cookout for you all, and we’ll get word out for Sunday when we’ll introduce you to all the lovely families of Fort Worth!”

Anna was even sweeter than Liz could have hoped she would be. Megan’s eyes glistened as Liz caught sight of them, and her sister rushed over to her and squeezed her wrist.

“Oh, Lizzie, it’s really happening!” she murmured. “Don’t you just love her?”

Liz nodded. Anna’s soft, soothing voice eased her fears, and Liz thanked her again. Anna adjusted the gold hair comb holding back her beautiful dark hair into a storm of curls that tumbled down her back. Their new friend seemed beautiful and sweet, still untouched by the hard ways of the West. Mrs. Parker seemed like she might be around Abby’s age, or so Liz guessed.

“Anna, my cousin Abby is the new teacher Pastor Parker has hired.” Liz placed her hand on Abby’s arm.

“Oh! In my excitement, I completely forgot about the school. I’m sure you would like to see your classroom. Do you mind waiting for my husband to catch up with us? He is out on a call right now,” Anna said to Abby. “But he shouldn’t be long.”

Abby beamed at Anna’s excitement about the school. “We have plenty to do. I can wait,” she replied.

“I will send him over as soon as he returns. This is so exciting. I have waited for a very long time to have more women here!” Anna reached right over and gave Abby a sudden hug. When she finally released the new schoolmarm, she noticed that the men stood at the ready to start unloading the wagons, dusty from the Louisiana trail.

“This is Smithy,” Anna said, pointing out the older man standing across from them. “He has several men to help you fine gentlemen get unloaded.” She smiled at Liz as she added, “Just direct them to do whatever you need them to do.”

Anna waved goodbye and walked back down the street toward her home and the church that her husband pastored.

John turned to Blue with a smile and muttered, “Oh, Liz can direct them all right.”

“I heard that,” she quipped, and the two of them cackled with laughter.

A dirt road out front disappeared in both directions. On each side of the mercantile, wooden buildings stood empty, left behind by the cavalry. A huge pecan tree extended branches reaching twenty feet or more in each direction across from where she stood. Two squirrels played in the lush grassy area beneath the tree, stopping only long enough to survey the new group of dusty arrivals before one chased the other straight up the thick trunk.

The church and the new schoolroom were on down from the pecan tree. On the same side of the street where Liz stood, and to the right, stood the smithy, and next to it was a set of corrals where two mules and a stallion with a long black mane peered out at them. The stallion pawed at the edge of the gate and shook his head. His beautiful mane shone in the sunlight but looked like it needed a little attention.

At the end of her boardwalk and to the left, the street turned toward the captain’s housing that Anna had pointed out. Liz stepped to the end of the sidewalk to get a better look. A few steps more, and she gazed upon a lovely, freshly painted white house with grass and lush green trees spreading around it. Her Louisiana home had been much larger, but this one seemed to welcome passers-by and appeared manicured and—somehow—well loved. The small, flat porch sat close to the ground, surrounded with colorful flowers. A vegetable garden could be plainly seen off to one side of the house, and Liz turned to go back and tell the others of the pleasant discovery.

In her delight, she hadn’t noticed that several of the others had followed. When her eyes met those of a tall man she remembered from the crowd of greeters, she immediately sensed that he, and many of the others, seemed to await her approval that Fort Worth was acceptable, and perhaps that they would be staying after all.

“Lizzie,” Megan squealed, “it’s charming, isn’t it?”

“Did you see the vegetable garden?”

“There’s a garden?” her sister exclaimed, and she hurried off toward the house.

“Mrs. Bromont,” the tall, somewhat handsome stranger spoke as he stepped from the crowd toward her. “Samuel Smith, ma’am.”

She hadn’t been introduced to many of the strangers now milling around expectantly. She reached her hand out toward Samuel Smith, remembering her manners.

“Please excuse me, Mr. Smith. I was lost in thought and I saw the garden …”

She bounced from one emotion to another, visualizing her new mercantile, admiring her new home, meeting new people, and now this very handsome man before her extended his hand toward her. Liz felt herself begin to melt as he held her hand.