The wagon ride to Redemption took over a week. The landscape was magnificent. The colors of spring were everywhere. There were brilliant pink, red, purple, orange, and white flowers sprinkled all over the carpet of lush greenery. Taylor was overwhelmed by the beauty of the wilderness. Every afternoon she would collect a sampling of flowers she'd never seen before, and at dinner, Hunter would tell her what they were called. There were wood blossoms, Indian paintbrush, arnica, and white monkeyflowers and others he didn't know the names of and so he called them just plain wildflowers. There wasn't anything plain about the area. It was a kaleidoscope of color. Taylor felt as though she had been dropped into God's paradise. With each turn in the trail, there was something new and wonderful to see and appreciate. Sometimes she would become so overwhelmed by the sheer beauty of it all, her eyes would become teary and she would speak in a whisper.
The children were in awe of the animals they spotted. They laughed when they saw a mule deer because of his funny, giant ears. Georgie chased a whitetail doe and Daniel boasted he'd gotten close enough to almost touch one of her fawns.
The air affected Taylor as well. It was so pure and light, it made her dizzy. She felt such tremendous peace. Although she had never been to Redemption, she was already calling it home.
There were a few irritants, of course. Taylor wore white gloves to protect her hands the first day, but her fingers were still rubbed raw from gripping the reins. The following morning she put on a pair of old work gloves Hunter had. They were too big, brown in color, and really quite unattractive. She loved them.
Daniel had been a sweet, uncomplaining child until Taylor put Georgie in Hunter's wagon to ride with him for the morning. Allie wanted to sit next to Taylor and have a turn helping to hold the reins. The little boy couldn't be in two places at the same time and pitched a fit worthy of applause when his sisters were separated. His show of temper astonished Taylor. He was furious with her because she wouldn't change her mind. He kicked the wheel with his bare foot and then let out a howl of pain loud enough to scare a grizzly bear away. Taylor lifted him onto her lap and soothed his temper while Victoria rubbed the sting out of his foot. Daniel didn't want to be placated, however. He wanted things done his way. He ended up sitting in the back of Taylor's wagon and wouldn't talk to anyone for over an hour.
Taylor was secretly pleased with Daniel's behavior. He was obviously feeling safe and comfortable enough to let his guard down. The pretense of being a perfect little gentleman was finally wearing thin, and the real child was emerging. Daniel could be as obnoxious as any other seven-year-old, and she couldn't have been happier.
After the second day out, Hunter got stuck with Georgie. He didn't realize it was deliberate until the fourth morning. The little girl would squeeze herself up next to him on the seat, her baby doll in her lap, and talk from the minute the wagon started moving until they stopped for lunch. He was usually considering putting a gag in her mouth by then. Georgie rode with Taylor every afternoon and always took a long nap with her sister.
Victoria and Taylor both loved the evenings, for it meant they were another day closer to their destination. They prepared supper together over the fire Hunter started for them. They were terrible cooks and so they only fixed simple dishes. Taylor made pan biscuits every night. They weren't too bad if they were loaded with strawberry jam. Victoria fried and burned the fish Hunter caught and deboned for her. It was usually trout and incredibly delicious. They added apples from their store of supplies and whatever else they could think of that was easy to prepare.
Daniel and Georgie would eat anything Taylor put in front of them. Allie was the persnickety one. She wouldn't eat any food that touched any other food on her plate. If the biscuit were accidentally placed too close to the fish, the two-year-old wouldn't eat either offering. She was specific about her apples as well. Taylor had to peel it, core it, and then cut the apple into four sections, just like she'd done the first time she'd fixed the fruit for the child. And God help them all if Allie's fingers got sticky. The usually sweetnatured child would carry on something fierce until her hands were washed and dried.
Each one of them had his or her own peculiarity. Victoria always got a burst of energy as soon as the sun went down. Daniel still insisted on sleeping with his boots in his arms, and Georgie always talked until she fell asleep. The sound of her voice became her own lullaby.
Hunter became cantankerous every evening. He'd feel it was his duty to once again remind them that it still wasn't too late to turn back. When Taylor and Victoria wouldn't agree, he'd lose his patience.
Taylor was usually in a good deal of pain by the end of the day. The muscles in her shoulders and back would feel as though they were on fire. She didn't want to listen to Hunter's comments about how foolish she was, and on the night before they reached Redemption, her temper exploded. She told him she was pretty certain she had already aged at least twenty years, that she was sure she looked a fright, and that she ached from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. She couldn't do anything about her appearance or her pains. She could do something about his behavior, however, and if he didn't stop reminding her she was crazy, she just might have to prove him right.
She was too distraught to think of anything substantial enough to threaten him with. He wouldn't have believed her anyway. She turned around and walked back to her wagon. She hurt so much she wanted to cry, but she didn't give into the luxury because it would have required too much energy.
Hunter must have realized he'd been too hard on her, because the next morning, he didn't shake her awake at the crack of dawn. She and Victoria both slept until after nine o'clock. Georgie's laughter woke them up.
Victoria stayed behind to wash and dress, but Taylor put on her robe and went looking for the children. They were easy to find. She simply followed the sound of Georgie's voice.
Hunter had taken the trip to the creek. He sat on the bank, his rifle next to his side, watching over the children. Daniel had just put on his socks and pants and was struggling to put on his boots.
"Always turn your boots upside down and shake them real good before you put them on in the morning," Hunter advised.
"Why?" the child asked.
"Critters sometimes crawl inside during the night," Hunter explained.
Taylor ducked under a branch and walked forward. Her eyes widened when she saw the twins. They were both stark naked and soaking wet. Allie was sitting in the stream combing her baby doll's mop of hair while Georgie jumped up and down so water would splash up around her.
The water was as clear as air. Hunter had chosen a spot deep within a grotto where the water level was only a couple of inches. Further down the line of trees, the creek spilled into a much deeper pool.
Neither twin was shivering. Taylor assumed the water wasn't too cold for them. She suddenly wished she could join them. She longed to wash her hair and smell like her rose-scented soap instead of horses and old leather.
Allie was the first to spot her by the trees. "Mama," she cried out. "I'm washing baby." Taylor smiled. She took a step forward. "I can see you are," she called back. "Good morning, Mother."
Taylor turned to her son. "Good morning, Daniel. Did you sleep well?"