Forever by Your Side (Willamette Brides #3) - Tracie Peterson Page 0,11

these two. Nancy and Faith wouldn’t even hear of leaving me in the hospital. Once the doctors had me stabilized, they whisked me home to take care of me with the help of all the other ladies who live here, including my sister.”

“You are blessed to have so many who care about you,” Clint said.

“We were just discussing Connie and Tom’s work. Clint is concerned it will stir up warring thoughts amongst the Indians,” Faith said.

“I suppose he makes a good point,” Seth replied, much to Faith’s surprise. “You can never tell how remembering the past will affect a person.”

Clint smiled, appearing content that someone finally understood his point of view. “I don’t think it has to be a bad thing, but you folks don’t live with them like I do. The Indians are always looking for a reason to hate the white man. In fact, they don’t even need a reason. They just hate, and that hate eats them up until they want to make someone else suffer for their pain.”

Faith shrugged and put a peeled potato aside. “Well, we did rob them of their land and homes, force them to dress and act like us, and make them change their entire way of life. I think they have a right to be angry—even to hate us.”

Faith saw a flash of what could only be anger in Clint’s eyes. She’d obviously irritated him. “I’m not trying to be contrary.” He paused a moment, then continued. “You need to understand the importance of the changes we . . . forced. Those people’s only hope is to become like us. No one is going to tolerate them running around half-naked and moving from place to place, trying to live on land they don’t own. They don’t have the same concept of land ownership we do. They have to change, or they’ll never fit in with the white population.”

“Maybe they shouldn’t have to,” Faith replied. “Maybe there’s a way we can both live in harmony and still hold on to our heritage and the things that matter to us.”

He studied her for a moment and shook his head. “You can’t mix oil and water and expect it to blend. It’ll separate every time.”

Faith nodded. “That’s pretty much my point, Clint. You’re trying to force them to be oil when they are water.”

“That’s why we need to find a way to allow for both,” Seth interjected. “Maybe we need to focus on being American rather than worrying about the color of our skin.”

Jack let out a wail of a cry from down the hall. Nancy smiled and moved past the men. “I believe Jack would like us to refocus our energies on something of a more personal nature—food and a dry diaper.”

Seth chuckled. “I just figured he was agreeing with me.”

Nancy rolled her gaze heavenward. “I can hardly wait until he’s old enough to debate you and tell you exactly what he thinks.”

Chapter 4

Connie had never been happier to arrive at a place in all her life. She was weary from the long days on the train to San Francisco, then the ship to Astoria, and finally the riverboat to Portland. It was truly a wonder of modern innovation to be able to journey across the country in such a short time. It had been fascinating to see so much of America, but it was exhausting, and Connie was more than ready to settle down.

Each time she started to feel sorry for herself, however, Connie remembered her mother’s stories about leaving St. Louis and traveling west on the Oregon Trail. It took months and months of walking and camping in all sorts of weather. Living in fear that sickness or attack would come at any minute. How very brave she must have been, and yet she was only a child at the time.

“A trip like that makes or destroys your faith,” Mama had said.

Connie was glad it had made her mother stronger in spirit and body. How easy it would have been to give up and turn back, especially after the only man in their group died. Of course, Connie also remembered her aunt Grace, who had been married to that man, saying that life got easier after he was gone. What a terrible epitaph. Connie prayed it would never be said of herself.

“Connie!” someone called. She looked up to see her cousins rushing across the dock platform.

“I’m so happy to see you both,” Connie said, hugging first Nancy, then Faith, and then