Hope cleaned up after supper, set out some dried meat, canned peaches, and crackers for breakfast, and then changed into a clean dress—she'd worn the one she had on since they'd arrived at the wagon train. She wondered why she’d packed nightgowns when everyone slept in their clothing, probably because there wasn’t a good place to dress. She'd changed in the crowded wagon but not without scraping her leg on a crate.
Hope went out to build up the fire, and when she did, she noticed the new couple next door, sitting in front of their fire. The husband had his arm around his wife. Hope wondered if they were newly married, too.
However much she wanted to walk over and introduce herself, she could see they were having a poignant moment, and she couldn’t bring herself to disturb them. She’d have plenty of time to get to know them—if Callum allowed it.
She sat before the fire and heard the sounds of the others preparing for the morning and building up their fires. Hope also heard the cattle and horses in the corral. Now and then she heard someone laugh or call out. A dog barked in the distance, and she wondered if it was with someone on the train or from town. Finally, she tucked herself in under the wagon and fell fast asleep.
Hope woke abruptly when Callum returned. Once again, he smelled like beer. He crawled in beside her and put his arm around her, and she tried hard not to stiffen, thinking it would be better if he thought her asleep.
He nuzzled her neck. “It’s time to consummate this marriage, wife.”
Hope lay still.
His hands roamed.
Hope could take no more, she sat up quickly and bumped her head on the underside of the wagon. She held her head in both hands and cried, “Stop it, Callum. We only have a few hours to sleep.”
“Don’t ya want me to make love to you?” His breath was horrible.
“Not tonight, and not in view of the whole wagon train. Now, go to sleep—you’ve had too much beer.”
“Don’t tell me how much beer I can drink,” he said loudly.
“Shh…the others will hear you.”
Callum cursed loudly. “Don’t that beat all? I married a cold, frigid woman.”
“Quiet, Callum, please.”
“That’s fine, woman, I can take my needs elsewhere. The saloon women never complain.”
“Go to sleep!” she whispered loudly.
Within minutes, she heard his loud, cadent breathing.
It took Hope a while to relax enough to fall asleep after that scene.
They jerked awake to the bugle call. It was still dark, and Hope thought she’d been asleep only a few moments instead of a few hours. She dragged herself out of bed and brought out the food she’d set aside for breakfast.
Callum had gone into the woods nearby for a nature call. She'd do the same as soon as he returned.
They ate in silence. Callum didn’t apologize for his behavior the night before, and she didn’t bring up the subject.
“Where do I ride when the train begins?”
“We walk. I walk and lead the oxen, and you walk and pick up firewood as we travel.”
“Walk? All the way to Oregon?”
“That’s right.”
Hope packed up the remnants of breakfast and prepared for her walk. Now, she knew the reason for the sturdy shoes. She fastened her bonnet and waited for the signal to proceed. Callum stood beside the oxen he’d harnessed as the wagons moved into place, directed by Mr. Shank.
Hope took a deep breath. She was about to begin a two-thousand-mile journey, and she felt excited and a bit weary. That they’d have to walk all the way had never dawned on her.
Chapter Four
Hope discovered that she needed friends even if her husband didn’t. It was impossible for a woman on the Oregon Trail to be a loner. She was all right for the few days, but the scenery soon changed and they were out in a flat, barren area. The only way to answer nature’s call was to go off the trail, and when there were no trees or bushes, the women all stood to form a barrier to provide privacy for the person relieving herself.
The first time she needed a natural call in the desolate areas, she called Anna for help. Anna called three other women who helped Hope achieve her goal. She noticed the frown on Callum’s face, but she paid it no mind—there was nothing else she could do.
Hope continued cooking the evening meals, watched Callum gulp them down without so much as a thank you, and then go off to bed. She was so exhausted after a long day of walking in the hot sun, she curled up beside him and fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit the rolled blanket that served as her pillow. Callum wasn’t drinking, but his attitude hadn’t changed. Hope didn’t know if he was angry with her for not making love to him the night he came home drunk, or if he was just an ornery person.
Hope felt trapped legally married to a man she didn’t like and who she knew didn’t like her much either. Hope tried to keep Callum from consummating their marriage so she could have it annulled once they reached Oregon. She knew without a doubt she didn’t want to stay married to him. He didn’t mix with other men in the wagon train and refused to let her have friends, not to mention his manners and attitude. Luckily, the daily drudge of walking, leading the oxen, and hitching and unhitching the team made Callum too tired to bother her. If she freed herself from this marriage, she vowed she’d never marry again unless she was sure they were both in love. There was nothing more
