“Thank you, Mr. McDougall,” Jonah said.
Their saddlebags were crammed full, and Daniel’s mule carried provisions for the journey home. “Do we have enough food for the four of us?” Daniel asked.
“We might need to hunt or fish along the way,” Mac said. “But with four able-bodied men, we should survive until we reach the steamboat in Eugene.”
And the four of them rode out of Fort Klamath toward Jacksonville.
They followed the same route they’d taken to get to Klamath—west to Jacksonville, then north on the Applegate Trail to Eugene. They left Klamath on Thursday, October 20, and reached Eugene on Friday, October 28. They traveled hard, riding until dusk most days. Once they stopped early to fish, and another day Daniel left them briefly to shoot grouse for their supper. Otherwise, they ate food purchased in Klamath—hard tack and bacon or jerky.
Mac rode alongside Will when the trail was wide enough, though Will seemed disinclined to talk.
“It’s too late for Harvard this fall,” Mac commented one morning. “But maybe next year.”
“Maybe.” Will pushed Shanty ahead as the trail narrowed.
Mac kneed Valiente to catch up to Shanty when the path widened a bit. “Have you given your education any thought while you’ve been away?”
“Not a lot.”
“What do you plan to do next?” Mac asked.
“I don’t know.”
Mac wondered what it would take to get more than a three-word answer out of Will. After a moment he said, “You mentioned you’d discovered some things about yourself. Care to expand on that?”
“Not really.”
“What more do you hope to learn?” Mac asked.
Will shrugged without a word.
He was getting nowhere with the boy, Mac decided. And so they rode in silence for the rest of the morning.
They saw early snows in the Cascade peaks to their east. Mac had packed warm clothing for himself, but he wished he’d brought another coat or blanket for Will. The boys left home in late April when the weather was warming. Now, each night seemed more frigid than the last. He offered Will one of his blankets, but the lad shook his head. “I’m all right.”
On their last morning before reaching Eugene, they awoke to a campsite covered with snow. More snow fell as they ate their morning meal and packed their belongings. Mac was glad he and Daniel found the boys when they did—much later would have risked serious weather.
Will knew Mac wanted him to converse as they rode, but Will had no desire to talk. The last six months might have taught Will something about himself, but he still didn’t know how to handle the fact that Mac was not his father. Nor how to live in a family that was not his.
Mama was his mother, and the other children therefore his half-siblings. Except for Maria, of course. But the rest of the family seemed like a unit—Mac was their father, and the youngsters all clamored to be with him.
Will had been like that once, wanting Mac’s approval for everything he did. No longer. He would make his own choices now, though he didn’t know how he would spend the coming winter, nor the rest of his life. Could he work with Jonah and Daniel, maybe live in that cabin Jonah wanted to build until Jonah and Iris married? Or would he have to work with Mac in an office? He had liked scrivening for Drew, though he didn’t see any appeal to spending all day with Mac, not with their relationship so ill defined.
He glanced over at Jonah, who rode as quietly as Will did. Daniel, too, attempted conversation from time to time. Jonah responded as sullenly as Will supposed he did himself.
Nothing had changed, Will thought. Nothing. He’d done a man’s job on the expedition, yet he knew no more about his future—or his past—than he had in April.
They rode the steamboat downstream from Eugene to Oregon City. Jonah perked up once they were on the boat—he’d never ridden the steamboat before. Will chose not to roam the vessel with Jonah. He sat on a barrel and stared at the shore. The cottonwoods had lost most of their leaves, though other trees still wore their fall colors.
Sooner than Will expected, they arrived at the Oregon City dock.
The kitchen door opened, and Jenny rushed to see who it was. She startled at every sound these days, hoping Mac and Will had returned.
“William,” she exclaimed when she saw her son, rushing past Mac to hug her firstborn. Then she turned to Mac and embraced him. “You brought him home.” She returned to Will and squeezed him again. “William, you’re home.”
They were both dirty, and the scent of horse and wood smoke wafted around them. “We need baths,” Mac said.
“Let me feed you first,” she said. “Are you hungry?”
“We can wait for supper,” Mac said. “I’m going upstairs to change.”
“Oh, William,” Jenny said, hugging him again. “Let me look at you.” She stepped back, still clasping his arms. He must be three inches taller than when he left in April. And broader. He looked like a man, instead of her little boy. Her eyes teared. “You’ve grown so.”
“I’m sorry I ran away, Mama.” Will enveloped her in a bear hug. He even smelled like a man.
The younger children raced into the kitchen. “Will!” They all clamored and clustered around him. Maria hung back, holding a swaddled infant. Will stepped over to Maria and took the baby from her arms. “So this is Andrew.” The infant yawned, unimpressed at meeting his oldest brother.
Jenny watched the children, her tears falling freely. Her family was together. Life would be perfect now.
Chapter 60: Late Autumn Blues
