When Ben was gone, she turned back to Andrew. “Is the town really in that bad of shape?”
“It is. I wouldn’t even bother trying to get you home, but I’m sure your family is worried.”
“If they’re all right themselves. I hope the storm didn’t cause them as much trouble as it did me. How widespread was it?”
“I can’t tell you that. I suppose no one will know for a while. Word has it there’s neither a telegraph line in place for miles nor an open rail line. The river is full of debris, making it too dangerous to head out. We’re stuck right here, with no word in or out to let us know how the rest of Oregon fared.”
“I’ve definitely endured worse quarters and company,” shesaid, smiling. She wouldn’t tell him what an effort that smile took.
Andrew returned the smile. “I’ve never met anyone quite like you. You even have me reconsidering God.”
“It’s not me. God is calling you back. He must have some need of you—some desire for communion with you. You know He truly does want that with each of us. At the very core of our existence, we were made from love—His love—and He longs for us with a protective nature that speaks to the deepest longing in us.”
“You are a strange woman, Faith Kenner. I’ve never met anyone who talks about God like you do.”
The throbbing in her head was nearly impossible to bear, but Faith was encouraged by Andrew’s willingness to speak about God. She wouldn’t stop now.
“I’ve done a lot of studying, Andrew. I started reading when I was two years old.”
“Two? That’s impossible.”
“Not at all. I wanted to know what those letters were and the words they made. Mama said I learned so fast, she could scarcely keep up. Anyway, when I was a young girl, I was encouraged to read books. All sorts of books. I think sometimes people just wanted to keep me occupied, but other times, I think they pushed me that direction because they knew that I had so much longing to know everything—at least as much as I could.
“One of the places I was able to borrow books from was a minister friend of the family. He had a library of history books that related to the church. I used to pore over them. He would see me reading them and then reading the Bible and puzzling over something far too grand for my ten-year-old mind. Eventually he asked me what I thought of all that I had read. Had I learned anything valuable? Had I figured out the meaning oflife and the universe around us?” Faith could almost hear the old man’s questions.
“And what did you say?” Andrew asked, looking as if she might impart the answer to that very question.
“I told him that while the books were interesting, I was constantly going back to the Bible. No matter what one man or another had to say, if it didn’t agree with God’s Word, I wasn’t interested, and when it did agree, it only served to draw me deeper into God’s Word. Does that make sense?”
Andrew sat for a long time and said nothing. Faith thought, from the frown on his face, that he must think her mad. Finally, however, he looked at her with an expression of wonder. “What did your friend say?”
She smiled and shrugged. Again, the pain of moving reminded her of her predicament. “He said he’d studied his entire sixty-seven years to discover what God had revealed to me in ten. He told me that God must have a powerful work laid out for me. It terrified me.”
“Here’s some tea,” Ben said, coming into the room with a mug of steaming liquid. “It will help, and you can sleep until you go home.”
“I really should go as soon as possible.” She took the mug and sampled it. Willow bark, honey, and something else she couldn’t identify. She wasn’t worried, however. Something about Ben made her feel as if she were with family. “This is very good, Ben. Thank you.”
“You plenty welcome, Miss Faith.” He gave her a smile, then looked at Andrew. “You can stop worrying now. She gonna be well soon. She very strong.”
“She is that,” Andrew said, glancing back at her as he stood. “I need to check on a few things. I hope you don’t mind. Just rest and drink your tea. I’ll be back in a while.”
“What time is it?” Faith glanced around the room for a clock.
“It’s nearly four-thirty. I promise I’ll get you home before much longer. After I see to the ship, I’ll figure out a way to get you back to your family.”
She nodded and took another sip of tea. Already she could feel the pain diminishing. It was probably more the company than the willow bark, but it was welcome no matter the source.
“She looks good,” Ben said as he and Andrew made their way down below.
“She might not even be alive if not for you. You did a good job, Grandfather.” Andrew put his hand on Ben’s shoulder. He spoke in Nez Perce, knowing it pleased the old man. “I am grateful for your skills. You have helped my friend, and it has made my heart glad.”
“She is more than a friend, I think. I think your heart is glad for reasons that you will not speak.” The old man smiled and turned to leave. “I think your heart has found love.”
Andrew watched his grandfather walk away and knew he had spoken the truth. He had fallen in love with Faith Kenner. He had carefully protected his heart all of his life, for all the good it did him. He knew the limitations and problems he could face as the laws of the land became more and more stringent in regard to bloodlines. The Civil War had only deepened the hatred of races mixing, and now most states had laws about people of various races intermarrying. Oregon’s laws were quite strict.
Andrew’s father had been half Assiniboine or Hohe and half English, a fur trapper who’d fallen in love with a woman who was part white, part Nez Perce and Cayuse. Her father was Benjamin Littlefoot. That left Andrew few choices when itcame to marriage, and none of them included a white woman like Faith Kenner.
He drew a deep breath and thought of how much she fascinated him—how quickly she’d managed to win him without even trying. He wanted to spend his life with her—to never leave her side. He wanted to watch her use her skills as a fine surgeon. He wanted to talk to her about all those great books she’d read and how she’d come to understand in ten years what it had taken a schooled man of God decades to learn.
