Forever by Your Side (Willamette Brides #3) - Tracie Peterson Page 0,61
is Mercy and Adam Browning’s daughter.”
Ann looked at Connie and smiled. “I heard about her coming home. I knew her when she was a very small child, but then I went to Siletz to live. I’m pleased to meet you again, Connie.”
“I’m glad to meet you too, Ann—Red Deer.”
“Connie is working with a young man to write about the culture and heritage of the various tribes. The government doesn’t want your history to be lost.”
“I heard about that. The people are very guarded and uncertain about why the government wants this.”
“I think it’s probably a good thing,” Faith said, looking thoughtful. “The tribes need to ensure that future people will know all about what went on in the past. I think telling the history will help the tribes to remain a part of the future.”
Ann nodded. “I hope that is true and that it is a good thing.”
“I would never do anything to harm the real people,” Connie declared. “They are like family to me.”
Ann nodded again and patted Connie’s arm. “Come in and rest. I have fresh apple cider and warm bread. We can talk more.”
Connie followed Faith into the well-kept house. She was more than a little impressed with how nicely arranged the house was. There was a large open living area with three doors on the far wall. “You have a lovely home.”
“Thank you. We are blessed.”
Faith nodded. “Tell us how it has been with you all these years.”
“It is good. After my husband died, I married Will Orleans—a Yamhill man with a good reputation. He has four sons and a daughter. I helped to raise them, especially his daughter, Ruth. The boys are all married with their own family. Ruth is married and expecting her first baby. She’ll be stopping by soon so that we can work on baby clothes.”
Faith seemed so happy. “I’m only here for a short time with my mother and father. We came to visit my aunt and uncle. If you’d allow me to help, I’d love to stay. Then we could really catch up on all the years.”
“I would like that. And you, Connie? Would you like to stay and help?”
“For a little while, if you don’t mind.” Connie smiled. “You should know that Faith is very good at stitching. She’s now a certified surgeon.”
Ann frowned. “A surgeon?”
“I am a doctor who can perform surgeries,” Faith explained. “When someone is injured inside their body, I can cut into them and fix the problem, then sew them back up.”
Ann nodded. “A surgeon,” she tried the word again. “That is wonderful. I’m sure you save many people. Sit at my table, please.”
Connie and Faith sat down just as a light knock sounded and the door opened again to admit a young woman heavy with child. She looked at Connie and Faith with great apprehension.
Ann brought a plate of freshly sliced bread and a bowl of butter to the table. “Ruth, come in. I was just telling my old friends about you.”
The shy young woman stepped up to the table. She wore her hair in braids but pinned up. Her dark eyes searched the room and then her stepmother’s face.
“This is Faith,” Ann said. “I knew her when we lived on the Rogue River before the great march. And this is Connie, her cousin. Connie’s parents are Adam and Mercy Browning.”
Ruth smiled and gave a slight nod.
“They are going to help us make baby clothes and talk about the old days.”
Seeing her stepmother so at ease, Ruth seemed to relax. She eased onto a chair and sighed.
“Ruth is due anytime,” Ann explained. “I am so happy for her to have a baby of her own. She will be such a good mother.”
Connie smiled. “I’m sure you will be a great mother.”
“And you are blessed to have Ann as your stepmother. She taught me so much,” Faith said. “Her daughter Mary was my very best friend when we lived with the Tututni.”
Ruth looked surprised. “You lived with the Indians?”
“Yes, and it was wonderful. Oh, how I sometimes long for those days. We swam in the river and played in the forest. We were so carefree. It wasn’t like the way the government has made the reservations. We were a part of the Tututni village.”
Ann’s eyes were edged with tears. “It was a good life.”
Faith reached out and touched Ann’s arm. “I am so sorry for all that was lost. It should never have happened.”
“So many people died on the march here,” Ann remembered. “There was