In a week’s time, she was due to leave by train to join her great-aunt in Kansas City for the grand tour. Her bags were mostly packed, her ticket and passport arranged. Everything was in readiness for a journey any young girl would envy.
So why did she look as if she’d been crying her heart out?
Cradling the baby against her shoulder, Hanna made room on the settee. “Come and sit down,” she said. “You look as if you could use someone to talk to.”
“Thanks.” Kristen sank onto the cushioned seat. “I’m sorry. I know I should be dancing with excitement, but I’m thinking that I shouldn’t go. If I wire Aunt Elvira tomorrow, she should be able to find another companion. Then I could spend the summer here and leave for school in the fall.”
“But think of what you’d be missing,” Hanna said. “You may never have an opportunity like this again.”
“Oh, I know . . .” More tears welled in her eyes. “But it’s Alvar. We both know that when I leave, we’ll likely be saying goodbye for the last time. And I love him, Hanna. If I didn’t take this trip, we could have three more months together.”
As Hanna weighed her answer, the only sound in the room was the baby chomping on her collar, making little sucking noises. She and Kristin were close in age, but because Hanna was a wife and mother now, it was as if she were years older.
“And how does Alvar feel about all this?” she asked.
“I haven’t told him that I’m having second thoughts. He’s encouraged me to go and have a great adventure. But I can tell how much he’s hurting. When I go away to school, I’ll most likely be gone for years. Anything could happen. We know we can’t promise to wait for each other. But three more months with Alvar would mean more to me than three months in Europe with an old woman I barely know.”
“I know this is a delicate question,” Hanna said. “But I need to ask. Have you and Alvar . . .” She let the sentence hang when Kristin began to blush. There was no need to say more.
Kristin shook her head. “There were times when I wanted it to happen, but Alvar is stronger than I am. He wouldn’t hear of it. So no, I’m as virgin as the day I was born.”
“You know that another three months might make things even harder, for both of you.”
“That’s what I’ve told myself. But there’s something else. Something that worries me. I haven’t wanted to mention it to you, with the baby and all, but—”
“There’s no need to protect me, Kristin. If it concerns Alvar, I need to know.”
“Alvar and your father, and some of the other men, have formed a vigilante group to fight against the raiders—not just to defend their homes but to punish those men. Franz Kreuger is the leader, and you know what a hothead he is. He goads them into taking dangerous chances with his talk about going up against the raiders, beating them, even killing them. I’ve tried to talk Alvar out of pushing things too far, and I like to think he’s listening to me. But if I leave now, the situation could get out of control. He could get end up getting himself arrested, even killed—and if I were half a world away, I wouldn’t even hear about it.”
Hanna stroked the baby’s back to soothe him. “Kristin, I’m no older than you are. I can’t tell you what to do. But there’s one thing I’ve already learned about men. You can try to make them listen, but in the end they’ll do whatever they want. I know you love Alvar. I love him, too. But you can’t hold yourself accountable for the decisions he makes. And you can’t let his actions control yours. You have to do what’s best for you.”
“But it’s so hard, and I’m so afraid for him.”
“I know. But I know what Alvar would tell you to do. He would never want you to miss out on an experience that would enrich your life. He wants the best for you—but this has to be your decision.”
“I just wish I didn’t love him so much. But this trouble with the raiders is changing him. He seems almost angry, almost like he’s trying to drive me away.”
“Maybe he’s just trying to make it easier for you to go, and easier for him to let you.”
“Well, I can’t say it’s working.” Kristin sighed, stood, and walked outside to the porch. The baby had fallen asleep on Hanna’s shoulder. Rising carefully, she walked back to the bedroom and laid him in his bassinet.
Kristin’s words lingered in her mind. She hadn’t seen much of Alvar lately, but like Kristen, she’d noticed a change in him. He seemed conflicted and on edge, even when there was no evident reason for it. Was it because of the raids, because Kristin was leaving, or both? And how much did Blake know about what was going on?
Blake had been working long hours at the lumber mill these days, coming home tired and out of sorts. Hanna knew that the fomenting violence had him worried. He probably knew about Alvar’s involvement as well. But he’d said nothing of it to Hanna. Maybe, like Kristin, he didn’t want to worry her. But Hanna was no longer a child, and she wouldn’t stand for being treated like one. If the raids and reprisals involved members of her family, she needed to know.
That night Blake arrived home at suppertime, a deep weariness lining his features.
“What’s wrong?” his father asked him. “Is there trouble at the mill?”
“Not at the mill. But Hans Peterson, whose boy works for me, got hit by the raiders last night. They burned his barn, shot two milk cows, and then rode over the wheat fields, smashing the new sprouts and shooting their guns in all directions. Hans’s five-year-old son was almost hit by a stray bullet.”
“Oh, no!” The exclamation came from Hanna. “I know that family. My father and Alvar worked on their barn. They’re good people.”
“I take it the drylanders are pretty riled up over that,” Joe said.
Blake nodded. “Alvar told me something in confidence, but I can share it with you. There’s a girl on one of the ranches who’s seeing Christian Sorenson’s son. She warned him that the raiders will be hitting the Sorenson farm in the next few nights. Kreuger’s vigilante band will be standing guard waiting for them. I tried to talk Alvar into staying away, but he said that he and Lars would be standing with their neighbors. He says that if they don’t fight back, the raids won’t stop until every homesteader is gone.”
Kristin had gone pale, but she didn’t speak. Hanna knew how worried her sister-in-law must be. She was worried about her brother and father, too.
“I don’t like it,” Joe said. “Sooner or later somebody’s going to get hurt again.”
“I don’t like it either,” Blake said. “But you can’t argue with their right to defend their families and property. The only way to stop this mess from becoming a war is to shut down the raids. I’ve asked the Calders for help, but even if they’re not supporting the raids, they’re all for the settlers leaving.”
“So what can you do?” Sarah asked.
“I’ve been trying to find out who’s paying the raiders. So far, I’ve got my suspicions, but no evidence. I may go to Miles City tomorrow and see what I can find out about the property Doyle’s been buying up. Something tells me he’s involved, but there’s nothing to connect him with the raiders.”