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The three young men traveled almost non-stop back to Wisconsin and the safety of the trading post. Luc stopped only long enough to rest the horses and make sure they had enough water and grass to feed. Tam knew Luc fought pain in his legs all the way, but he'd never give in to a weakness.
A few miles from Hank's trading post Tam recognized Jory's whistle. Years ago, he and his brother worked out a system of different sounds to communicate while out on the range. Today Tam smiled at hearing Jory's welcome home whistle.
Two and a half days after they left the Martel farm in Canada, Tam, Luc, and Josef rode into Howling Hank's Trading Post early in the afternoon. Hank stood at the lodge's porch railing and waved as they entered through the main gate.
They halted their horses in front of him. "We're glad to be here."
"Welcome back. It's nice to see you, Josef."
Josef grinned. "Thank you, Hank. I suppose we missed the noon meal."
Hank chuckled. "Take care of your horses. I'll have Lottie put something together for you boys to eat as soon as you're done."
They turned their mounts toward the barn. Tam was hungry enough to eat a double helping of just about anything Lottie put in front of him. They'd not thought to carry much food with them and didn't take the time to hunt. They lucked out with fish the first night, but after that, pickings were scarce. If they ever took another trip north, he'd be better prepared.
They dismounted at the barn and led the horses inside. Big Dog came around the corner into the building from the corral entrance. "Hey, look who's back." He took three brushes off their hooks and handed one to both Luc and Tam after they'd removed their saddles.
He handed the last brush to Josef. "The name is Big Dog. What might yours be young man?"
He took the brush. "Nice to meet you. I'm Josef Martel."
"Nice to meet you, young man. I'll see y'all later. I'm back to work." He waved as he left the barn.
After the boys finished grooming their mounts, they fed and watered them. Luc returned his brush to the hook on the wall. "Are you ready to go get some of Lottie's cooking, Tam?
"I'm more than ready."
"Josef, let's go." The boy came around the corner of the barn with a smile on his face. "Eatin' time."
The three of them hurried across the quadrant. Hank wobbled along the porch on his crutches. "Do you mind if I join you while you eat? I'd like to hear about your trip to Canada."
Tam held the lodge door open for the older man. They all entered the main room and headed toward the washroom. Once they cleaned their face and hands, they joined Hank in the dining area. He was enjoying a piece of berry pie. Lottie hummed as she set food on the long table. The young men sat and filled their plates.
As they ate, they took turns telling Hank about their trip to and from the farm, the encounter with Mulberry, Gervais and his friends, and what brought them back so soon.
Hank shook his head. "There's no doubt Gervais has a personal vendetta against you, Luc."
"Your brother never accepted Josef and me as part of the Martel family."
"Isabella thought the same thing. She mentioned her concern about Gervais' attitude toward you boys to her parents more than once. Apparently, it did no good, or Sabine and Pascal never bothered to talk with Gervais. I'm sorry he's been so obstinate about you living with them these past five years."
Luc nodded. "The hostility was more than personal this time, Hank."
Tam set his fork on his plate and gazed at Hank. "Their attitude toward Luc is quite volatile. When they started asking me questions and inferring you broke your leg while smuggling, they made me very uncomfortable."
"All of them or just Gervais?"
"The snide remarks came from Gervais."
"Yup, you're right, Tam." Luc nodded confirmation toward Tam. "I brought the history box our father gave us to safeguard. Would you keep it in a protected place until we figure out where we can live without having to worry about Gervais?"
"Yes, I'll see it's kept safe. Take that empty cabin to the right side of the front gate unless you'd be more comfortable inside. It's yours for as long as you'd like to use it. There's no reason for letting it stand empty when you need a place to stay."
Josef clapped his hands. "Yes, Luc, let's do it."
"I have a stipulation before I agree. If Josef can continue his studies with your new governess, I'll say yes."
Josef threw up his hands. "No, I don't need more lessons. I want to be a cowboy and they don't need educating."
Tam cleared his throat. "Josef, get the education that's offered you. My twin and I dropped out of school when our mother died and fought our older brothers' advice to go back. Now we're sorry and I would take lessons with you if Genevieve would allow an hour or so a week. Hell, we'll tell Jory he has to come, too. What do you say?"
"Maybe the teacher won't want three cowboys in her class."
Tam jumped up at hearing Jory's voice coming from behind him. He gave his brother a hug. "I missed you."
"Aw, I'm a darlin' ain't I?" Jory pulled back when Tam threw a pretend sock on his arm. "How's the arm, brother?"
"Much better. I can go back to full time work again."
"Good, because as soon as Josef picks his horse, we have some training to get done before we return home."
Jory leaned toward Josef. "I'm Jory, the other MacGregor who is visiting Hank's trading post."
Josef shook his hand. "Glad to finally meet you. I had no idea you two would look so much alike."
Lottie set a piece of pie on the table and motioned for Jory to sit and eat. He kissed the older lady on the cheek and pulled a chair out. He settled next to Luc and dug into the dessert. "I had no idea it would take so long for you to come back with Josef. Did you have trouble?"
"No, after sleeping for a few hours and sharing a meal with my parents, we started back," Luc said. "We didn't leave on good terms so it might be a while, if ever, for us to return to the Martel farm."
A burst of happy voices and footsteps preceded the Hughes girls into the dining room. "You're here. We heard your voices." Gabby headed for Josef and threw her arms around his neck.
Tam's gaze locked with Caroline's. He nodded and smiled at her.
"It's nice to have you home again. How's your arm, Tam?"
"Good. I'm ready to put in a full day's work." He finally had his fill of food and pushed away from the table.
Caroline smiled. "I'm glad to hear it."
"I hate to leave, but I have something important to do. Jory, if you're done join me," Tam said.
His brother wiped his mouth and set the napkin on the table. "Thank you for the food, Lottie."
Tam rolled his eyes. My brother the charmer. The two left the room and headed toward the main room. They found Matthias in the bar stocking the shelves.
"What did you think of my family and their farm?" Matthias asked.
Tam couldn't lie. "It didn't go well."
"Stay and help him set up for tonight and tell him what he needs to know," Jory said. "When you're done, catch up with me at the corral."
Tam didn't want to talk to Matthias about their time at his family farm. He couldn't think of a nice thing to say. The whole experience was not what he'd expected.
He started arranging the seats for that night's entertainment. Matthias set a glass of ale on the bar.
"Come have a drink with me. I want to hear what you don't want to tell me."
Tam sat on one of the tall chairs at the bar and took a sip of ale. "Your brother Gervais was extremely rude to Luc. I thought at one point he would make an arrest."
"Wasn't my mother there?"
"Yes, she was, but she didn't object to the conversation. It made me feel uncomfortable and, to be honest, I was glad when Luc got up and told Josef and me that we were leaving."
Matthias topped off Tam's glass and poured himself another. "Gervais was a jealous little boy who grew up to be a mean sonuvabitch. He hated the two young Sioux boys who came to live with my family.
"They were terrified to be separated from their family and life as they knew it. Can you imagine the change they adapted to because their father wanted to save their lives? At eleven Luc was proud and already somewhat arrogant. I know he carried that mean-looking knife in a boot sheath. He rarely let Josef out of his sight. My room was next to theirs. Every night I would hear them push a heavy chest of drawers in front of the door."
Tam shook his head. "In a way I understand having a brother like Gervais. Our middle brother carried a grudge on his shoulders until he almost died with our sister-in-law when a gold mine collapsed."
"Damn!" Matthias grimaced. "I hope they survived."
"Yes, they did. Thank you for asking."
"We have a few tunnels in the trading post area, but until now I never feared they could collapse."
Tam stood. "One thing you ought to know, Matthias. I don't think Luc plans on going back to Canada. He and Josef accepted Hank's offer of the derelict cabin outside the post."
"I feared it was coming. Thanks for letting me know. I'll keep watch on them."
"You apparently haven't spent time with Luc lately. Trust me. He's fully capable of taking care of himself and Josef." Tam returned to setting up the chairs. When he finished, he headed to find Jory.
Luc and Josef were at the corral with his brother looking over the horses. Tam leaned on the corral fence alongside them. "You find a horse to call your own yet, Josef?"
"I have my sight on a couple."
"While he's looking, can I talk with you a few moments, Jory?"
"Sure, what's wrong?"
"Let's sit on the bench down by the lake." They walked along the snow-dusted trail. Tam never tired of looking across the lake. Since they'd arrived here, the calm beauty of this area filled him with peace.
They sat on the bench in silence for a few moments. Tam wanted to collect his thoughts before he said anything to his brother.
"Get it off your mind, Tam. What's eatin' at you?"
"Mrs. Martel made a comment about Hank's desire for son-in-laws. Apparently, he found a way to keep us here because he wants one of us to marry Caroline."
"What? You actually think Hank broke his leg to sucker us into staying?"
"Well, no. It's not exactly what the lady said, but it's close enough."
"Isn't Caroline her granddaughter?"
"Yup. At first, I was shocked at the implication, but the more I thought about it, the angrier I grew."
"It sounds to me Grandma is the one who wants to hook one of us." Jory got up and walked the short distance down to the water. He turned around and shook his head. "I'm not staying if that's what you want to know."
"I'm thinking about it."
"Caroline is a beautiful young woman, but are you willing to give up your portion of the California ranch for her?"
"By the time we're ready to leave I'll have it figured out."
"I hope you know what you're doing."
*****
CAROLINE GATHERED HER sisters into the main room. Her father followed them in on his crutches and took his guitar from Uncle Matthias. He settled on his stool and tuned his instrument.
This was her favorite time of the day. She loved her father's voice. He sang with an enthusiasm that rolled onto their guests.
Another week and a half and they'd cook their turkey supper. It used to be her father's favorite holiday. He always offered to help, but Lottie always ordered him out of her kitchen. Thanksgiving was one custom he never wavered on celebrating until Mama died.
She glanced around the room. Tam wasn't in the audience tonight. His absence took away part of her pleasure in the evening's festivities. Where are you?
"Let's get this party started." Hank started strumming and his deep voice filled the room.
Caroline always thought his ballads showed his talent best, but the younger guests preferred the knee-slapping songs. His energy carried through quite a few of their choices before he stopped to take a break. Uncle Matthias held up a glass of ale and motioned for her to come get it for her father.
She slid off her stool and headed toward the bar.
"Hank sounds good tonight." Matthias handed her the glass.
"Yes, I think he was happy to see the boys arrive home today. I haven't seen much of them yet. Do you know what they're up to?"
"Your father gave the old cabin outside the post to Luc and Josef. The MacGregors are helping them clean it out so they can spend the night there."
"When we're done here, I'll take some clean sheets and blankets out to them. Thanks, Uncle Matthias." She handed her father his drink and returned to her stool.
Danielle handed her a bowl with popcorn. She'd kept eye on the younger sisters while Caroline spoke with their uncle. Gabriella and Francesca handed the popcorn out to their guests. A few of the men stood at the bar drinking, but most of them stayed with their families.
Hank picked up his guitar and finished the night with a mix of ballads and love songs. Caroline gathered her sisters together and headed them to their bedrooms to get them settled for the night.
Before going back downstairs, she knocked on Genevieve's door. When she opened it, Genevieve smiled at her. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm just checking on you. I thought we would see you downstairs for Daddy's music tonight. It's not good for you to shut yourself in your room."
"You're being very sweet worrying about me. I'm fine."
"May I come in for a moment so we can talk?"
Genevieve stepped back and swung the door open. "Sure, I welcome your company."
Genevieve sat on the edge of the bed and let her sit in the chair at the small table.
"I haven't mentioned it to Daddy yet because I wanted to see what you think first."
"All right, what do you have on your mind?"
"Daddy and I came to an agreement the other day. He said if I don't want to attend lessons, I don't have to."
"What have you decided?"
"I don't know. Would you give me a test to see if I still need to take your classes? If I do well enough, I'll prove to myself and my father that I don't need more school."
"What is it that you would rather do with your time, Caroline? You seem so anxious to grow up."
Caroline chuckled. "Daddy wants me married. At first, he gave me until Christmas Eve, but after our talk he changed his mind."
Genevieve jumped off the edge of the bed. "What?"
Her unexpected action startled Caroline.
"I didn't know you have a sweetheart. I'd like to meet him."
"Good luck."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I don't have a sweetheart or know a man I would even consider as a husband. Nor do I want one unless I choose a man I can love and respect."
"Your father is very demonstrative in his love toward all you girls and it warms my heart to see how proud he is of each of you. My own father wasn't affectionate toward me, but yet I knew he cared." Genevieve returned to where she was sitting on the bed.
"I'm sorry you didn't have a happy childhood, Genevieve."
"What I don't understand is why your father would make such an outrageous demand of you, Caroline? Has he even told you why he wants to see you married?"
"Actually, yes he has. We were sitting in front of my mother's grave a short while ago when we both opened up and talked about our thoughts, hopes, and dreams. He told me he wanted me to have the joy of being married and having a family like he and my mother had. Daddy was so sweet talking about my mother and how much he loved her."
"Do you want to get married some day?"
Caroline shrugged. "I don't really know anymore. I got so angry with my father for pressuring me that I provoked him by refusing to even consider marriage."
"You've changed your mind?"
Caroline could feel her cheeks warming. She couldn't help but think about Tam. "Maybe, but it isn't going anywhere."
"Why not?
"It's Tam."
"Oh, I thought I saw something going on between the two of you. Is it serious?"
Her cheeks started to warm. "He's kissed me a few times."
"You're blushing."
"Yeah, it was nice."
"He gave you your first kiss?"
She nodded.
"You're afraid he's not going to stay beyond the spring?"
"In my heart I know he's probably flirting with me to pass his time here. He would never give up his family partnership in the ranch. I don't blame him."
"What are you going to do then?"
"I don't know. I suppose I'll ignore him and stay busy making holiday plans like Mama used to do for us."
"You're planning to celebrate Christmas this year? The girls told me you don't do it anymore."
"I hope so. I need to discuss it with Daddy. He stopped us from celebrating all holidays after Mama's death."
"The little ones are beginning to get excited. You need to make a decision soon because if he says no, I need to know how to handle the situation."
"They're starting to forget what Christmas is about. I hope you'll tell them why we celebrate and also have them make decorations for a tree."
"Do you think he'll let you bring in a tree?"
Caroline shrugged. "I'm hoping that Daddy won't be able to say no this year. I'd like to see the candles everywhere. It used to be such a fun celebration. It won't be the same without Mama, but it's time to celebrate again."
"Candles? What's the meaning of them?"
"Mama loved having lots of different kinds. Over the years she gathered a variety of holders to place around the main room. When we had the tree, we had small metal holders that clipped onto the boughs. Of course, she worried about us getting burned so we didn't light them for long. Daddy always feared she'd burn the lodge down."
"What a lovely custom. Do you do something about gifts?"
"What we used to do was have our names written on a small piece of paper. Mama would put them into Daddy's hat, and then let each of us take one out. We would make that person a gift. It's so hard for some of us to keep a secret. You'll see what fun they have trying to discover who their secret gift giver is."
"Thank you for sharing this custom with me. I'll see what I can do to help them. I can't wait to see what they come up with."
Caroline got up and hugged Genevieve. "Thank you for listening." She turned to leave. "Do you know how to sew?"
Genevieve snickered. "No, with the exception of being able to sew on a button and make simple alterations, I can't sew.
"I'll tell you about a funny situation that my 'sewing circle friends' and I used to do. We'd meet at my house once a week and pretend to have a project meeting. One of the girls could actually sew, but the rest of us just carried the baskets back and forth without opening them."
"You didn't want to learn?"
"My mother considered me too good to do menial jobs. It's why after my father died and we lost everything, I had no way of providing for us. Mother would never consider working for rent and food money. I didn't have any talents except for all the useless information I learned in the fancy schools where my parents sent me."
"So, you came to the Northwoods to teach my sisters and me the same useless information that you were taught?"
"Yes," she said, and then a wide grin spread across Genevieve's face. "It'll help you hook that husband your father is pressuring you to provide."
"Ha ha, you're very funny."
"I'm sorry, I couldn't resist. Look how well it's helped me catch a man."