Amanda felt the blackness all around her. She was afraid and did not know which way to go. Her arms and legs felt like lead, and she tried to cry out but could not make a sound. Feeling her heart pounding, she knew she had to get away but she did not know what to do. Then out of the darkness, came a voice she recognized as being safe and she moved toward it. She felt herself moving out of the darkness and moving toward the light.
Opening her eyes, she saw that she was still in the examination room with sheets hung around the room. She must remember to ask Sarah why they were there. She looked toward the window and saw that the sun was shining brightly. She could feel the warmth on her arm. Turning her head slightly, she was surprised to see Riley on his knees next to the bed. He had his head down on his hands and appeared to be praying, and she realized that his was the voice that she had gone toward in her dream. Gradually, she began to make out his words.
“Lord, I am trying to accept Your will for this. I want so much for Mandy and Will to be all righ,t but I know I have to put this in Your hands. I know it has to be Your plan, not mine. Lord, I never thought that I needed You before, but now I know that I cannot live without You. I thank You for Your help in finding Mandy up on that mountain. I know that You were with me that day and guided me to her.”
“Lord, I don’t want to go on any more without You in my life. I want to know that You are with me always. I do believe in You and that Jesus came to this earth as Your son and as my Savior. I believe that He died for me, for my sins! And I ask You now to forgive me for all of my wrong doings and to come into my heart now. Lord, I don’t know what I will do if it is not Your plan for Mandy and Will to recover, but I know that I can face anything if You are with me. I ask You for that peace that I see in Mandy and Beth and others that I know are Christians. Help me to have what they have. Lord, take away my worry about this and help me.”
Riley continued praying but Amanda did not hear his words. She was overcome with gladness that Riley was asking the Lord into his heart. This was what they all had been praying for. She was so happy for Riley. She moved her hand and placed it on top of Riley’s hand.
Riley’s eyes flew open, and he grasped Amanda’s hand.
“Mandy, are you all right? Let me go and get Sarah. I … we have been praying and praying that you would be all right. “ Riley started to stand, but Amanda shook her head so that he stayed beside the bed.
“Oh, Riley, I am so happy that you have made the decision to follow Christ. It is the most important decision you will ever make – and one we all have been praying for ever since we met you.” Amanda smiled at Riley as she clasped his hand.
Suddenly remembering how Riley and Beth had gone to see his cabin on the day the Indian had taken her, she snatched her hand away from Riley’s. Her face burned with the thought that she had been holding the hand of the man that Beth was in love with and was going to marry.
Riley did not know the direction of her thoughts and smiled back at her before going to fetch Sarah and Beth.
Within seconds both women were beside the bed, and Sarah was examining Amanda.
“How do you feel, Mandy? Does your head still hurt? Are you dizzy?”
Amanda thought before she spoke. “I have a slight headache, but nothing like before, and I don’t think I am dizzy.”
Sarah spoke to Beth while smiling at Amanda. “Her vital signs are normal. I think we might try to see if she could eat some soup. Perhaps we could even let her get up and sit in the chair for a few minutes.”
Beth propped pillows behind Amanda while straightening her covers. Bringing water, she washed Amanda’s face and hands. Hannah brought hot soup for Beth to feed to the patient.
“I feel all right. I probably can feed myself. There’s no need for you to go to all of this trouble.”
Beth simply smiled at Amanda before saying, “Nothing is too much trouble if it helps you to get better. We have all been so worried about you, and we are just so happy that you are feeling better.”
Hannah had gone out of the room, so Amanda began to talk with Beth.
“Beth, before when I woke up and Riley was here beside the bed – he was praying, and Beth, he asked Jesus into his heart! Aren’t you happy? Now you don’t have to worry about marrying a non-believer! It is what we have been praying for so long.”
Beth’s face was puzzled, as she listened to Amanda. “Mandy, I am happy that Riley asked Christ into his life, but what do you mean about me marrying a non-believer? I would not marry anyone who was not a Christian, but I am not going to marry Riley. Where ever did you get that idea?”
Amanda’s face reddened. “Well, that day that Riley came to get you and take you to see his house. I heard him say he wanted you to see it and – “ Amanda looked down at the quilt covering her as her fingers pleated the material back and forth. “I overheard you ask him if I could come, and he said he just wanted you. I thought – well – I thought that he must be in love with you.”
Beth placed her finger under Amanda’s chin, forcing her to look into her eyes. “Mandy,” she said seriously. “I have told you before. I don’t feel that way about Riley. And he doesn’t feel that way about me. I had given him a Bible – it was the one that Joe gave me before we left St. Louis
Beth smiled at Amanda. “He did want to ask my opinion about his house but not because he wanted me to live there with him. I have the feeling that he wanted my opinion because he has his eye on a very good friend of mine.”
“Who?” Amanda asked.
Beth laughed. “I think that is for Riley to tell.”
Amanda wrinkled her brow as she thought about what else Riley had prayed. “Beth, I think Riley said something about Will in his prayer. Is Will all right? What did he mean?”
Beth’s face was serious. “Mandy, I don’t know if you are strong
enough . . .”
Alarmed, Amanda begged, “Oh, now you must tell me. What has happened?”
“When Riley went to find you, Will went with him. When they found you. . . well, Maouk tried to shoot Riley.”
Amanda’s face was white and she clutched her hand to her throat. “No, did he hurt Riley? Or Will?”
“Will stepped in front of you and Riley, and the arrow went into Will’s arm. Sarah was able to get it all out, and he is recovering.”
Tears ran down Amanda’s face at the thought that Will had been hurt because of her. Beth held her as she sobbed, “Oh, this is all my fault! If I had not gone into the woods that day, none of this would have happened!”
Beth soothed her friend, “It’s all right. Sarah thinks that Will will make a full recovery. His arm seems to be healing without any infection. But, Mandy, why did you go into the woods that day? You know that we had all asked you not to go out alone.”
Amanda was ashamed to tell Beth the truth, but she knew that she had to make this right and ask for Beth’s forgiveness.
“I was jealous of you and Riley. I thought he was going to ask you to marry him. I know that I should not have done it, but I was so upset that I didn’t really realize how far I had gone until it was too late. I’m sorry. Can you forgive me?”
“Of course, I’ll forgive you. And I know the others will too. And, Mandy, even though your actions that day had some bad consequences, don’t forget that this ordeal forced Riley to admit he needed the Lord in his life so some good has come from this as well.”
Amanda stretched her back to ease her sore muscles. She was sitting on a chair in their back yard, watching Hannah and Rebecca work in the garden. Amanda had wanted to help, but Sarah had said she was not yet strong enough. Wanting to be of some help, she had brought a basket of mending outside with her. She looked at the lush garden and felt the warm sunlight on her face and thanked God for her safety and their home. It was now almost two weeks since her rescue, and she felt she was fully recovered. Will had improved a great deal and just that morning, Riley and Mr. Parker had come to get him to move him to the Parker home. The women would continue to nurse him, but several in the community felt that it was improper for a single man to stay in the house with four single women. Sarah had argued that they should look on her home as a hospital and had kept him close until she felt the danger of infection had passed.
Hearing a noise behind her, Amanda turned to see Beth coming through the back door.
“Oh, my! Is it lunch time already?” Amanda started to get up, but Beth motioned for her to remain seated.
“I am a little early, but Ben wants me to work this afternoon. He is closing the store tomorrow because of building the school.”
The town had decided to build a combination church – school and their plans were to build it in one day. Everyone in the community would come together the next day and stay all day. Lumber from the saw mill was already stacked at the site.
The two women were joined by Hannah and Rebecca who had stopped their work as soon as they saw Beth. The four went inside where lunch was ready to be put on the table. With all four working, they were soon sitting and enjoying their lunch.
“We have really been busy at the store,” said Beth. “Many of the trappers and settlers who live up in the mountains have been coming in for winter supplies. It’s hard to believe that winter will soon be here when it’s this hot, but Ben says winter comes early in the mountains. He has placed a large order which should be coming in any day on the Pacific Queen.”
“I have something to tell all of you. It really is funny, but Ben didn’t think so at all. This morning a trapper came in. I had never seen him before, and Ben told me later that he only comes to town a few times a year. You should have seen him. He was huge! I would guess he was at least six foot six inches tall and all of his clothes were made from hides of animals. He has a long beard and long hair too. His name was Jake Rogers. He talks really loud and has a booming laugh. It was hard to tell his age, but I would guess that he was at least fifty years old.”
“As soon as he came in the store, he started talking to Ben, practically hollering out his order. Then he saw me and came right over and asked me to marry him! Ben rushed over and told him to leave me alone, but I couldn’t help but laugh. I don’t think he was really serious. Evidently, he had not heard about the new women settlers. Ben says he asks every woman he sees to marry him! Susan James came in later and said he had been over at the community building asking everyone there to marry him too! Finally, Mrs. Miller chased him away with her broom! He promised all of the women that he would be back soon! I asked Riley about him, and he said that Jake was really harmless. He just likes to have fun with the ladies.”
After lunch, Beth returned to the store and the others cleaned the dishes before continuing their work outdoors. Having finished the mending, Amanda began working on a dress that Beth was helping her make. While she was recovering from her injury, Sarah had not allowed her to do any chores so she had begun a dress. Practically finished, she just had to finish the hem, and she was working on that now. She planned to wear it to the party the next evening. After the church – school was completed, there was to be a party in the community building. Many of the settlers were coming into town and spending the entire day and evening.
Hearing a knock on the door, she went to see who had come to see them. She was delighted to see Riley and her broad smile told him so even though she was sure that she hid her feelings about him. She would have been quite surprised if she had known that the others all suspected how she felt about Riley.
“Riley! Come in. Hannah and Rebecca are working out in the back and I was sewing. Would you like something to drink?”
“No, I just stopped by to see how you were.”
“Oh, I’m fine. I think I am completely recovered even if Sarah says I still have to take it easy for a while. Come, sit down. Or do you want to go out back?”
“No, this will be fine. I wanted to talk with you for a moment. You know that the inquest was held this morning.” Riley noticed that Amanda’s face paled at the reminder of her ordeal. He wished he did not have to even discuss the matter, but he knew that she needed to hear the facts.
“I am happy to tell you that the board agreed that I acted in self-defense. If I had not shot at Maouk, there is a good chance that he would have killed both Will and me. And you might still be under his control.”
Amanda breathed a sigh of relief. She had worried far too much over the outcome of the inquest, and she was happy that the board concurred that Riley was not guilty of any wrongdoing.
“There is something else I wanted to tell you too. As you know, the board is made up of the town leaders and after the inquest, they decided that the town has grown enough that we need some type of law enforcement.”
Amanda agreed, saying, “It would make everyone feel safer, and we would not have to wait for the town meetings in order to do something. We need someone who can take charge when something goes wrong. Just like that day, when Maouk. . . “ Amanda stammered a bit as she thought of her capture but bravely went on, “They did not want to go after him, but had to come back to town and meet before they were ready to come save me. I am so thankful that you and Will did not wait but came right away to help me. You saved my life!”
Amanda’s feelings for Riley shone in her blue eyes. This made it even more difficult for Riley to continue, but he made himself say, “They asked me if I would be the new sheriff. I told them I would have to think about it, and I would let them know.”
Amanda’s eyes widened at the thought of the danger that Riley could face as the town sheriff. Not wanting to reveal her true feelings for Riley, she remained silent.
“What do you think I should do? I had planned to continue working at the saw mill and farming. But I am proud that they think enough of me to ask me to take the job. It would be a steady income, and I think we do need someone to take care of trouble here in town.”
Amanda tried to be calm as she answered, “Riley, it scares me that you would be in danger in that job. But I cannot make that decision for you. I would suggest that you pray about this to see if the Lord is leading you in that direction.”
“I plan to do just that. I want you to pray about it too. As a new Christian, I am not sure that I will know what the Lord wants for me.”
“Riley, it doesn’t matter how long you have been a Christian. I believe that God will make His way known to you. Don’t rush into anything. Just take your time, and I feel sure you will know what is best.”
Riley smiled at Amanda. “Thanks for talking with me about this. I also wanted to ask if I could accompany you to the festivities tomorrow. I hope you all are packing a large basket of food. All of that work will make everyone hungry.”
“We have already baked four apple pies and we are going to take fried chicken and biscuits along with other dishes. I am really looking forward to it. It will be the first time Sarah has allowed me out of the house! We will be glad for you to go with us – and join us for lunch!”
After Riley left, Amanda went back to her sewing. The other two women finished in the garden, and all three began cooking in preparation for the building of the church - school the following day. Amanda shared the outcome of the inquest and told them that Riley had asked if he could walk with them on the next day. Busy making corn bread for supper, she did not see the smiles the other two exchanged, thinking that there was only one person that Riley wished to accompany.
The next morning dawned bright and clear, and there was a large crowd at the site of the new church – school. It had been decided that the building would be right at the edge of town, near the Taylor
Amanda was pleased to see that Estelle Taylor had been allowed to attend. Sarah had said she could come as long as she did no work and remained seated for the whole time. She was to go back to her house after lunch. Amanda made time for a short visit. She had not seen Estelle since the day Maouk had taken her.
Estelle immediately apologized, “Mandy, I feel responsible for what happened to you that day. If you had not been visiting me, you . . .
“Nonsense! I was the one who wandered off into the forest. It had nothing to do with you. Please don’t blame yourself,” Amanda reassured her.
Sarah had warned Amanda that she should not exert herself so she was happy to sit with Estelle and talk with her. Estelle said that she felt stronger and was looking forward to the birth of the baby, which was due in October.
Plans for the building had already been discussed, and the work began. It amazed Amanda how quickly the walls went up. By lunchtime, all four walls were up, and the men were ready to start on the roof.
The women placed the food on the tables that had been made of boards on top of sawhorses and the men began to eat. All of the women were busy serving food and bringing drinks to the men. It seemed to Amanda as if there were piles of food and, in a matter of minutes, much of it was eaten. The men returned to their work while the women served their own plates and sat down to talk and eat.
By late afternoon, the building was complete. Amanda looked on the building with pride, knowing that she would be teaching here in the fall. Only one more month until classes began.
Everyone was packing up their tools and belongings when Pastor Taylor called for their attention. Amanda was curious to see what he had to say because the plans were for everyone to go to the community building for the party. Supper would be served there.
“Please, may I have your attention! I have an announcement! First, I want to say thank you for this beautiful building! It is a blessing to have friends and neighbors like you who will give of their time in order that our community would have a church and a school. I thank God for you! “
“But, that is not the announcement. We traveled here with a group of ladies and more women have joined our community. I am happy to announce that the first wedding will take place tonight!”
Everyone gasped and looked around at each other, wondering who the couple would be. No one had heard of anyone getting married and, for a moment, Amanda wondered if Jake Rogers had gotten someone to say yes.
Pastor Taylor went on, “I am happy to announce that the happy couple is Jane Walker and Jacques Dubois! They will be married right now!”
There was clapping as everyone turned to find the couple in the crowd. Jane was blushing, and Jacques was smiling widely. Amanda and the others were as surprised as everyone else. Jane had not given them a clue of her feelings. Jane and Jacques made their way to Pastor Taylor who performed the ceremony.
Amanda and Beth walked over to Jane and Jacques and waited their turn to speak with the couple.
“Jane, what a surprise! Why didn’t you tell us?”
Jane looked down, hiding a shy smile.
“Oh, my Jane es so shy! I ask her and ask her and she would not agree but finally I convince her that Jacques loves her very much. When she says yes, I don’t want to wait. I am afraid she change her mind again! We will be very happy, oui?”
Riley joined them and congratulated Jacques on his beautiful bride. This made Jane blush even more, and Amanda thought that she did look beautiful. Perhaps it was true that love made every bride beautiful.
The group walked back to their house to dress for the party. Riley and Ben were coming to walk with them to the community building.
The party that evening seemed to be the most festive since their arrival. Everyone crowded around the happy couple to offer their congratulations, and many came to tell Amanda how happy they were to see her safe and unharmed after her capture.
Amanda heard Jake before she actually saw him and at her first glimpse of him, she saw he was exactly as Beth had described. He seemed to be having a wonderful time, dancing with one woman after another. Riley had stayed close to Amanda’s side most of the night, and she had danced with him several times. Sarah had advised her to sit out at least half of the dances, and Riley seemed determined to make sure that she followed doctor’s orders.
The band had begun to play the last song of the evening when a disturbance was heard on the floor. Amanda craned her neck in order to see what was causing the problem. It seemed as if Jake Rogers and Leon Edwards both wanted to dance with the same partner. Riley went over and, after talking with both of them, escorted them out of the building. Amanda had to admit to herself that Riley would make a good sheriff. He was calm and seemed to be able to settle problems easily. She remembered the way he had handled Mr. Zimmerman in St. Louis
Riley and Ben walked with Hannah, Beth, and Amanda on the way to their house after the party. Hannah, Beth, and Ben were several yards in front of them when Riley took Amanda’s hand and tucked it into his arm. Amanda was glad of the darkness that hid her blush. For some reason, she seemed to be tongue tied tonight and was at a loss to think of a topic of conversation.
“Mandy, were you surprised about Jacques and Jane?”
“Yes, I really was. I had no idea they even knew each other that well.”
“Well, I think sometimes a person just knows that another person is right for him, but I think they grew closer when you and Will were sick. All of you had been taking care of Jacques so when Hannah and Beth were busy with you and Will, Jane started helping Cora Parker with Jacques. Jacques is a likable fellow, and I think he will make a good husband for Jane. I know that he has talked with Will about renting a house. I heard that they would stay at the boarding house until they can get a place.”
Amanda looked and saw that the others had gone on and she and Riley were a short distance behind them now. She was a little surprised when Riley came to a stop, and she turned to see why.
Taking both of her hands in his, Riley looked down into her eyes.
“Mandy, do you think you will feel like taking a ride up to my house tomorrow afternoon after lunch? I can get a horse and wagon from the livery stable. I really would like to talk with you.”
“Yes, I would like that. Beth has told me that your house is wonderful and that the view of the sound is beautiful.” Amanda hoped her voice did not betray her nervousness. She felt her heart began to beat faster and faster at the thought of spending time alone with Riley.
“Is it all right if I come by in the morning to walk with you to church?”
“Of course. That will be fine.” Amanda nodded her agreement.
“I think you know that I have not made a public announcement of my decision to follow Christ. I wanted to wait until both you and Beth could be there, because you both were good witnesses to me and helped me to see that I needed to follow Him. I have already spoken to Pastor Taylor, and I plan to go forward after the service tomorrow.”
Amanda squeezed Riley’s hand. “Riley, that is wonderful. I believe that decision is a personal one, but I also believe that God would have us claim Him as our Savoir publicly. I believe this is a good witness for others. You did not have to wait for me, but thank you for doing so.”
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