Laura Abbot (19 page)

Watching the terrifying cloud-creature advance, Lily went numb.
She had never been more afraid in her life. “Lily!” Caleb grabbed her arm.
“C’mon.” He pushed her in front of him out the back door where his father stood
holding open the cover of the storm cellar. From below, Seth reached up and
lifted her into the earthen cave, then Caleb and Andrew jumped in, pulling the
heavy cover shut behind them. In the dark, Caleb found her and nestled her
close, his warmth quelling her trembling. The dank quarters smelled of fresh
earth and above them they could hear the thrashing and thumping of a violent
wind.

Sophie lighted a candle, throwing shadows into the corners. On
each grim face, Lily read concern. What damage might such a storm inflict upon
all the work these three had expended? Lily reached out and touched Mr.
Montgomery’s hand. “Might we pray?” He nodded, managing a half smile.

She sought the words. “Dear God, in Your mercy bless this ranch
and those who have toiled so diligently to produce its bounty. Spare us and this
place that we may go out from this shelter to continue the good work You have
begun in us.” Before she could say “Amen” a particularly loud thump caused her
to jump. “Amen,” the others echoed. Then they sat quietly, each lost in thought.
After what seemed a long time, the winds died. Andrew withdrew his watch and
leaned close to the candle, checking the time. “We’ll wait five more minutes.
Then I’ll check outside.”

When at last he opened the shelter door, a welcome rush of
fresh air greeted them. The men left first, then assisted the women to the
surface. Lily gasped. All around them were downed trees, shingles and broken
fence posts, but, blessedly, the house and the barn still stood. “Praise be,”
Andrew muttered.

Before leaving to assist his father, brother and sister with
the cleanup, Caleb ushered Lily into the kitchen. “You can help by fixing
supper.” He lingered there, seemingly reluctant to leave. Then staring at his
feet, he said quietly, “I guess your worst fears were realized this
afternoon.”

She was speechless. He had voiced exactly what she was
thinking.

“I don’t know how to make it right. You saw what happened,
Lily. There’s no way I can control events like this. Cyclones, prairie fires or
blizzards, it doesn’t really matter. Life on the prairie is perilous. The most I
can promise is to try to keep you safe.” He looked up then, his face pale, his
eyes reddened with regret. “I reckon you’ll want me to make arrangements for you
to leave.”

She thought about the inconveniences, the deprivations and the
outright dangers. Then about these four dear people who had shown her nothing
but acceptance and affection. About the one who loved her. Then a surprising
insight came to her. In that storm shelter, she had not been afraid. How could
she be, surrounded by the Montgomerys and comforted by prayer? With an ecstatic
sigh, she realized
I am home. At last.

“Caleb, dear, I think that might be a bit premature. I haven’t
even seen my first snake.”

He looked at her with dawning incredulity.

“Besides,” she continued, quoting the hymn, “‘our hopes, our
fears, our dreams are one, our comforts and our cares.’”

* * *

Beautiful weather followed the storm—warm days and cool
nights with the gentlest of breezes teasing the petals of the roses climbing the
trellis beside the back door. Lily and Sophie had toiled in the garden to set
things to rights while the men had checked on the cattle, repaired the roof,
trimmed tree limbs and sawed broken trunks into firewood. A week after the
storm, Caleb approached Lily early in the evening. “The almanac predicts a full
moon tonight. Might I invite you for a buggy ride? I have something to show
you.”

Lily smiled. She had enjoyed watching him these past few days,
looking at her when he thought she wouldn’t notice as if checking to be sure she
was still in residence. “I would like that. Let me get a wrap.”

She trembled with delight when he spanned her waist with his
warm hands and lifted her onto the buggy seat. He climbed up beside her,
gathered the reins and clucked to the horse. She laced her arm through his and
snuggled close. Neither the horse nor the buggy occupants seemed in any
hurry.

“Where are we going? What is it you want to show me?”

He chuckled, a warm, throaty sound. “There’s that curiosity of
yours rearing its saucy head. Can’t you wait to be surprised?”

She grinned. “It’s not easy.” She moved away from him briefly.
“But I do like surprises, sir.”

They rode in silence for several minutes, watching while the
fading sun slipped behind the faraway hills. The only sounds were the regular
clip-clop of the horse’s hooves, occasionally punctuated by the call of a
mourning dove. They began an ascent through a patch of trees and emerged on top
of one of the lower hills. Caleb stopped the buggy at a point where it faced
east. Below, a lazy stream wound its way among the rocks. “Do you like this
view?”

“It’s beautiful,” she said, and in her heart she knew it was
so. “Your Flint Hills are beginning to charm me.”

He cuddled her closer. “Just you wait,” he whispered.

Almost without warning, an orange ball rose in front of them
glazing the landscape with moonlight. Lily shuddered with delight. “Caleb, I’ve
never seen anything more lovely.”

“I have,” he said softly. He turned and gathered her in his
arms. “You.”

In the pause that followed, she thought she might expire if he
didn’t kiss her, but then his lips lowered to hers and all the moons and suns
and stars in the skies couldn’t ignite in her the sheer joy of his kiss. “Oh,
Caleb,” she murmured when they parted. She drew his face to hers to repeat the
bliss.

Abruptly, he leaped from the buggy and came around to her side
to help her down, pausing in that effort for yet another kiss. Then he took her
hand and walked her a ways down the hill. Locating a flat rock, he sat her down.
“It’s time,” he said quietly.

Lily glanced up at him, dismayed by his serious expression.

“I need your answer, Lily. You have been here long enough to
know your mind, and I cannot go on living beside you, all the time wondering
whether you will stay. Either you love me enough to endure what you call a
wilderness or you don’t.”

She rose and took both of his hands in hers, gripping with all
her might. “I know all about wildernesses now. I’ve lived in them. Here is what
God has revealed to me.” She drew in a quick breath. “A wilderness, my dearest
love, is any place without you.”

He reeled a bit, then cupped her face in his hands, searching
her eyes. “Does that mean you can’t say you don’t love me?”

“I could never say that because it would be dishonest. I, Lily
Kellogg, love Caleb Montgomery with all my heart.”

She was crushed then in his embrace, and if she didn’t know
better, she would think he was stifling a whimper. Finally, he whispered, “I’ve
waited so long for you.” He drew back and held her by her arms. “Now then,
please,
do me the honor of becoming my wife.”

Arms outspread, she whirled around and around, shouting to the
moon resting over their heads, “Yes, yes, yes!”

After more kisses, she looked up at him, her expression turning
serious. Her next words, she knew, had to be said. “Caleb, before we say
anything further, I want you to know that I understand, as much as it is
possible for a woman, how your experiences in battle have affected you and how
they will always haunt you. You did what you had to do then, but this is a new
day. God knows your heart, and I know your heart. You are a good man. On this
earth, we will never escape the bad things that happen or fully comprehend God’s
plan, but perhaps we can agree to live each day in the hope of His grace.”

Caleb placed his hands on her shoulders and fixed his eyes on
hers. “You are part of His plan. Right now, that’s proof enough for me. Faith
will grow as, together, we put our trust in Him.”

Sensing, the need for a lighter mood, she said, “You mentioned
a surprise. Is it time now?”

“Follow me.” He took her hand and led her around a large clump
of bushes. “There,” he said, pointing to a stone foundation.

She walked closer to examine it. “What is it?”

“Our house.”

“Our house?” She spun around, her hand to her mouth.

For a brief moment, he looked dubious. “You did say you liked
the view.”

“Yes, but—”

“Hoping for the best, in my spare time, I’ve been working on
it. Here is where our dream can begin—having babies, raising a family, growing
old.”

“It’s perfect,” she said, and knew it was so.

“Perhaps I can make it a bit more perfect,” he said grinning
mischievously.

“It couldn’t be.”

“You doubt me, Miss Kellogg? I have one more surprise for you.”
He reached in his pocket and withdrew an envelope. “Read this.”

Had it not been for the light of the full moon, Lily could not
have recognized her father’s bold hand nor read the astounding message.

Thank you, Caleb, for your kind offer to establish a medical
practice in Cottonwood Falls. Rose and I have discussed the situation, so if, as
I suspect she will, Lily accepts your proposal, we will make plans to relocate
near you later in the summer.

Lily sank to the grass, dumbfounded. Gathering her wits, she
said, “You’ve planned this all along?” She shook her head in bewilderment. “How
did you know I would say yes?”

“I didn’t, but prayer can work wonders.” He held out his hand
and assisted her to her feet.

She leaned against him, knowing she would always feel safe in
his arms. “Captain, you have thought of absolutely everything.”

“Caleb,”
he reminded her with a
lilt in his voice.

She laughed out loud. “Oh, yes,
Caleb.
My darling, dearest man. Caleb.”
The
love of her life.
It hadn’t been an easy journey, but Fannie had been
right about love. When a woman knows, she knows. And, thanks be to God, Lily
knew.

* * * * *

Keep reading for an excerpt from
The Baby Compromise
by Linda Ford.

Dear Reader,

What a blessing it is to write for Love Inspired, a change that has both reinvigorated my storytelling and freed me to explore some of the many ways God acts in the lives of people.

I do not believe it was by accident that several years ago I found myself at Fort Larned, Kansas, a National Park Service Historic Site and a well-preserved example of a frontier fort. In the visitor center, I was captivated by a faded photograph of two young women who lived there for a time following the Civil War with their father, an army chaplain. My imagination rioted: What challenges would an isolated existence among soldiers present to females? How might the men stationed there react to them? Could romance flourish in such constrained conditions? Images of those two young women stayed with me for many months and ultimately gave rise to the characters of Lily and Rose Kellogg. This book is my response both to the uncanny sense of immediacy I experienced at the fort and to my ongoing speculation about the role of women in such a place and time.

Into the Wilderness
is Lily’s story. Rose’s must wait. Lily has her future neatly planned—she will escape to the cultured urban life about which she has long fantasized. Cavalryman Caleb Montgomery, scarred veteran of the Civil War and Indian Territory campaigns, looks forward to leaving the army and establishing a home and family. Their divergent paths collide, thanks to the unexpected power of love. The challenge for both is to determine how God’s will and their individual goals can come into harmony.

Certain events in the book can be historically documented—the Battle of the Washita River, General George Custer’s service at Fort Larned and the role of the Buffalo Soldiers. Where I have exercised literary license, I have made every effort to depict events in a way consistent with the historical background and setting.

I hope you find promise in the ways in which God works in Lily’s and Caleb’s lives.

Blessings,

Laura Abbot

Discussion Questions

1. How have Caleb’s military experiences influenced his character? What obstacles have they put in his path? In what ways, if any, do those experiences parallel current events?
   
2. How does the thread of grief throughout the story affect the characters? How do they deal with their grief? What do they learn from their losses?
   
3. What role do idealized visions play in the story? In your life, where have you found your dreams clashing with reality? What did you learn from such experiences?
   
4. The Fort Larned of the story presents a narrow, closed society. How does this setting limit the characters and/or affect their behavior? In what ways do they adapt to the situation?
   
5. How do Effie Hurlburt’s gifts of empathy, common sense and leadership affect characters and events in the story?
   
6. In what ways does Lily defy expectations for young women in her time and place? How does Rose contrast to Lily? Is there someone in your family who is quite different from you? How does that difference hamper or enhance your relationship?
   
7. Caleb is scarred by events in his past, which both trouble him and yet make him the man he is. How does he attempt to deal with and rise above those difficulties? How do you manage to overcome past disappointments and hurts in order to flourish in the present?
   
8. In what ways does St. Louis fulfill Lily’s expectations? What are the factors that ultimately disillusion her? What does she learn from her time with the Duprees?
   
9. It is often said, “God helps those who help themselves.” How is this true of Lily and Caleb?
   
10. Despite their obvious differences, Lily and Caleb have much in common. What factors contribute to that harmony?
    
11. God often uses other people as his messengers. Can you think of characters in the story whose behavior might have furthered God’s will for Lily and Caleb? Can you think of a time in your life when such a messenger influenced you?