Prologue

Manhattan, Kansas

Early November 1880

“Can’t I have just one more month?” Naomi pleaded with the banker, a portly man with thin to no hair and round glasses on the tip of his big nose. He raised both eyebrows, steepled his fingers on top of all the papers strewn on his desk, which was loaded with files and ledgers, and looked her up and down.

“I’m afraid the answer is no, Mrs. Rabe,” he declared with a flat tone, his deadpan stare cold. “You’ve had two months already, this being the third with no progress. Unfortunately, we can’t hold unpaid mortgages for longer than ninety days. Today is day eighty-nine. Unless you come up with the money by noon tomorrow, plus interest, of course, the bank will foreclose the house that same day, and it will be put up for sale immediately, to recoup any incurred costs on our behalf.”

“But there is nowhere else we can go,” Naomi exclaimed helplessly, defiantly holding back the tears burning behind her eyes. “I have a four-year-old daughter! Do you expect us to sleep in the streets?” The man sighed heavily.

“Look, as sad as your situation is, I can’t help you,” he said, pulling his lips into a thin line. “Your late husband had no provisions in place to care for you and your child in the event of…well, his death. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I do have other customers waiting…” He didn’t finish his sentence, just shot his eyes toward the door.

Naomi got up from her chair, grabbed her daughter’s tiny hand, and walked straight out of the office without so much as a good-bye.

The helplessness of it all was so depressing; their way back home dragged as if they were trudging through sludge. She had sold their horse and buggy weeks ago, just so that they could buy supplies for a month, but walking everywhere took them almost three hours each way to and from town. It made rationing their food all the more difficult.

She looked down at her sweet little daughter, Wendy, who had no idea what was in store for them. She looked so innocent with her little pigtails, her glossy chestnut brown hair bouncing happily as they walked, while she hummed a made-up song. When she looked up at her, her green eyes shone brightly in the late afternoon sun, and she crunched her little nose, which was peppered with cute freckles. People said that she was the spitting image of Naomi, with the same hair, the same face, and button nose. Their only difference were Naomi’s golden colored eyes.

“I want muffins,” she promptly announced, because she’d seen ones with colorful icing on top in the window of the bakery. The bank was located in a fancy neighborhood, so all the things that were sold there were fancy too. And very much unobtainable. “Can we make some?”

Thinking of the few items they had in their home, Naomi knew that they didn’t have the right ingredients to bake anything. The last time she’d seen an egg had been before the fox had killed the last of their chickens six weeks ago, and flour sounded like an unnecessary luxury they simply could not afford. Let alone butter.

“I’ll see what we can do,” Naomi said to her, even though she knew it was a lie, but she didn’t want to crush her daughter’s idea immediately. She felt guilty for hoping that her four-year-old mind would forget about it.

It was a sunny day with a deep blue sky and almost no wind, so it wasn’t too cold. Since it was the first week of November, winter was already on their doorstep, and it wouldn’t take long before the temperatures dropped dangerously low. At this point, Naomi had no idea what they were going to do, or where they’d end up, and if they could survive the coming winter.

Dear God, please! We really need Υour help now. What are we going to do?

Since her husband’s untimely death a little over three months ago, when people had found him outside the saloon, their entire life had come crashing down like an avalanche rolling down a steep mountain. That’s how Naomi felt—buried—because Harrison had left them with nothing but debt and unsolved problems.

Thinking back, she should have never married him.

Losing both of her parents at barely thirteen, she’d been forced to find her own way, but despite her young age, she’d found employ as a kitchen aid in one of those large, fancy homes on the outskirts of town. She’d been safe, she’d worked hard and saved up every penny she earned. She’d managed all right before she’d met him.

At only seventeen, Naomi had been completely innocent and naïve when Harrison Rabe had swept her off her feet, luring her into the woods, all under the promise that he would marry her one day. Unfortunately, that day had come rather quickly when Naomi found out that she was pregnant, and Harrison’s wealthy parents forced him to marry her. She hadn’t known better at the time and thought it was the right thing to do.

Although Harrison had never treated her with a lot of respect, Naomi had been so very excited to gain a new family with him and his parents, and she’d hoped to win his heart over time. But as it turned out, his parents were just as mean and kicked them out of their big house as soon as the baby was born.

Suddenly being forced to give up his cushy lifestyle back home, having to work for a living, had changed Harrison’s personality drastically. Naomi secretly knew that he’d resented her for all of it, because he’d treated her terribly. She’d spent most nights alone, and whenever he’d shown his face, he’d been drunk and violent to the point that she’d even stopped questioning him, since he liked to answer her with his leather belt.

I’m still wearing the scars from his angry outbursts, she thought bitterly.

There had been plenty of nights when she wanted to take the baby and leave, but she’d had no money and no home other than what Harrison provided. As a young mother, she’d depended on him completely. He wasn’t a good provider. He’d never handed her a penny, forcing her to make do with whatever supplies he gave her, which had never been enough. As she found out later, most of his earnings went for liquor and gambling, which had racked up quite a debt.

Since his death, she’d been forced to sell whatever she could to survive, all the while fighting off debtors showing up at her house, demanding money she knew nothing of and didn’t have. Some threatened to harm her and Wendy, so all of it was a very stressful situation.

She’d even tried to get back on her feet by working again, but since she didn’t have anybody to watch Wendy in the meantime, trying to find employment was impossible.

And tomorrow we’ll lose the house, she thought, defeated. Where do we go from here?

Walking up to the humble little one-story building she and Wendy called home, Naomi released a heavy sigh, but Wendy was smiling up at her with so much love, Naomi fought to suppress the tears that threatened to spill. She refused to show Wendy how bad things had gotten.

At least, her daughter didn’t miss her father very much, because she’d hardly spent time with him. She didn’t know much of what was happening, and that was how Naomi wanted it. She wanted to preserve her daughter’s childhood innocence for as long as she could.

“Can we make muffins?” Wendy asked with big eyes as they walked up the two rickety steps to the front door. “I’m hungry!”

“I know, Sweetheart,” Naomi replied. “But muffins aren’t for dinner,” she explained. “They are a treat and only for very special occasions, you know?” Wendy looked disappointed.

“Today is not special?” she asked with a hopeful expression, which vanished when Naomi slowly shook her head. Wendy mimicked her heavy sigh.

She opened the door, wondering if today was the day it would finally fall off its hinges. By the way the house looked, the bank wouldn’t get much for it. It sat on the northern outskirts of the large cattle ranch Harrison had last worked at, and it was rather practical than pretty with one bedroom and one living space, in which they cooked, ate, and lived. Harrison had never put any money or time into repairing the place, hence the reason it looked more and more like a decrepit shack. At least, the door held.

Walking inside, Naomi could only hope that the mice hadn’t gotten into the porridge she’d made this morning. There was only a little bit left, but it would have to do for tonight. Once they left here, that was it.

She saw that the fist-sized rock still sat on top of the lid of the pot, which was her way of preventing rodents from getting into their cooked food. Naomi took it off the lid, poured the rest of the porridge into a small bowl, mixing it with a little bit of water, so it wouldn’t be too thick, and put it in front of Wendy on the table. Naomi hadn’t eaten in two days, but she would go hungry again, as long as her daughter could eat.

“I’m sorry, angel. This is all we have for tonight,” Naomi said apologetically. Wendy stared at the bowl, her shoulders visibly sinking.

“Are you gonna eat?” she asked, looking up at her. Naomi shook her head.

“I’m not hungry, Sweetheart. It’s all yours,” she said encouragingly, as she ignored the stabbing hunger pains in her stomach. Wendy wasn’t thrilled about the food. She’d been eating it for a week now.

“Are we gonna say grace?” she finally asked, and Naomi kneeled next to her to be at eye level with her child. She couldn’t help it; she had to kiss her cheek.

“Are you going to say it with me?” She asked with an inviting smile, and Wendy nodded. Naomi’s heart was overflowing with love for her daughter, and she had to blink away the sudden moisture in her eyes.

Wendy had been learning to pray with her since she’d started to speak, but in recent weeks she’d begun to ask for prayers more and more, which was one of her favorite things Naomi loved to share with her precious child. It was most important to her to instill a deep faith in God in her, and by the looks of it, Wendy seemed to enjoy praying.

“Speak after me,” she said as enthusiastically as she could when she took her daughter’s hands, and both lowered their heads.

“God is great, God is good,” Naomi began.

“God is great, God is good,” Wendy repeated solemnly.

“Let us thank Him for our food,” Naomi said, which Wendy also repeated.

“The Lord will keep us all well fed…God gives us our daily bread. Amen,” Naomi continued, and Wendy followed after each pause, but then she clamped her fingers tighter around Naomi’s hands, so she couldn’t pull them away.

“God gives us our daily bread…” Wendy repeated, but then she kept going. “Can you give more? Mummy always gives me all the food. But she doesn’t eat. I think she’s hungry. So, God? If you can hear me? Please give more for my mummy. Thank you. Amen.”

Naomi had to turn her head, so Wendy wouldn’t see the deeply emotional expression she couldn’t suppress. Her daughter had seen too much already, and Naomi didn’t want her to know that she was skipping meals to feed her. Apparently, Wendy was smarter than she’d thought.

Wiping a pesky tear trying to escape from the corner of her eye, Naomi looked back at her with a smile.

“Thank you, that was very sweet of you,” she said with a croaky voice.

“Can He hear us?” Wendy asked, looking at her with curious eyes. Naomi nodded and finally managed to swallow the lump in her throat.

“Yes, He can,” she confirmed with absolute conviction. “He can hear us, see us, He knows what we feel, what we think…He even knows our most secret dreams,” Naomi explained, trying to sound more cheerful. “And He loves us even more than we love Him.”

“Then He will give you more food,” Wendy concluded with a nod, as if she was satisfied with Naomi’s answer. Looking at the bowl of porridge, she hesitated for a second, but then she took the spoon and slowly started to eat.

Naomi’s heart broke for her because Wendy had learned the hard way that she’d go hungry if she didn’t eat whatever was given to her. Her father had thrown her dinner outside in the dirt, if she’d just looked at it the wrong way—regardless of whether it was their only meal. They’d often been forced to eat the same beans for weeks, because that’s all Harrison would get them, while he mostly ate at the ranch.

While Wendy ate, Naomi went outside and around the house to get some firewood, because the chill inside started to creep into their bones. Given the late hour, the sun was already disappearing behind the rolling western hills, and this time of the year, the lack of its warmth could be felt instantly. Not surprisingly, there weren’t many logs left, but they should be enough for tonight. Tomorrow didn’t matter anymore.

Rushing back inside the house with an arm full of logs, Naomi started the fire in the stove, instead of the fireplace, which she hadn’t lit in months. The cast iron stove didn’t burn as much wood and held the heat much longer, which was sufficient to heat the tiny house. It was also closer to their bedroom, radiating more heat in there.

While the fire began heating up the stove, Naomi filled the kettle with water to make some tea.

One thing Harrison had never been able to take away from Naomi were her smarts and knowledge about local herbs and plants growing wild in the area. Before her parents’ deaths, Naomi had been able to read and learn about many things—one of which was making teas, which were not only aromatic but medicinal and nourishing for the body. So, for tonight, Naomi was looking forward to a lovely cup of wild nettle and mint tea, which had the added benefit of calming her growly stomach.

Meanwhile, Naomi kept wracking her brain about how she could best explain to her daughter what would happen to them the next day. That they would have to take all of their belongings and leave their home forever. Naomi wondered if Wendy would miss this place—as rundown as it was—since it was the only home she’d ever known.

But more importantly, Naomi didn’t even know where they would go. She didn’t know anybody in town who would take them in. She had no family left, and since she’d been married to Harrison, she’d lived so isolated that she’d lost all of her friends from a previous, happier life.

For a moment, as she held out her hands over the heat radiating from the stove, Naomi was utterly lost and scared for the both of them.

She tried not to fear for their future, but with no money, no job, no roof over their head, and no food or supplies for the upcoming winter—it looked bleak.

God, help us! she prayed. What are we supposed to do? Please tell me where to go!

A short while later, both of them sat snuggled up in a blanket on the only rocking chair close to the stove. Even though they had to pack up their belongings to leave tomorrow, Naomi wasn’t in a rush. Apart from their clothes, they didn’t have many things to pack. To go where?

An image of an old cabin near the woods appeared in her mind.

She had completely forgotten about it. Walking into town, on their way past the huge ranch, Naomi had noticed it along the tree line on the way there and on their way back, and both times it had looked unoccupied. Could this be something to consider? It had looked completely abandoned, but she couldn’t be sure if it was indeed empty.

The more she thought about it, the more it seemed like a viable option, and it wasn’t too far.

It was worth a try.

Hope bloomed in Naomi’s heart.

Now she just had to prepare her sweet little girl about their impending move.

“How about we go on an adventure?”

Chapter One

Naomi woke up from a restless slumber when the first faint light began to push away the inky darkness of the previous night. She hadn’t slept well at all—knowing that from today they were officially homeless.

Despite her plan to check out the cabin, that fact still didn’t feel good.

Last evening, she had told her four-year-old about “the adventure”, which had gotten Wendy so excited that she’d jumped up off the chair, wanting to start packing and leave immediately. She’d been so enthusiastic about it—it had taken the sting out of the reality of it even for Naomi.

But right this moment, in the waking hours of the early morning, said adventure didn’t sound so enticing anymore. Naomi wished she didn’t have to leave the bed at all today. She hadn’t eaten in a few days, and the exhaustion was getting to her.

Wendy was still fast asleep next to her, and her warm little body didn’t make it easier to lift the blankets and slide out of the comfort of their warm bed into the cold. Lighting the small oil lamp proved to be a bit more difficult because there wasn’t much oil left in it, and Naomi’s fingers shivered a little too much to get the match lit immediately. The small flame finally took, and Naomi got dressed as fast as she could.

The chill in the air had a real bite to it, and Naomi noticed the white clouds forming in front of her face with every breath she took. The water in the small basin was frozen solid, so she skipped washing her face and made herself busy lighting a fire inside the stove to heat some water to make porridge for breakfast. Milk was another luxury they couldn’t afford.

Looking at their supplies, all they had left were a few handfuls of oats, a couple of cups of corn meal, and a few cups of beans, which would last them two weeks if they stretched it as much as they could. She would really need to find other means of getting food. She needed better resources.

She’d tried foraging and looking for leftover wild berries and fruit, and Naomi knew that this wasn’t really a feasible option anymore. It was too late in the season, and she had looked everywhere already; there wasn’t anything around anymore.

At this rate, Naomi should skip breakfast again to try and eat even less than she had the week before.

Her stomach complained with a loud growl at the thought of it. The constant weighing of whether she should or shouldn’t eat was so stressful, Naomi was getting a throbbing headache. Maybe she should eat just a little bit today to preserve her strength, seeing that they had to move to a different place today, and she would have to carry all of their things.

Defeated, she stuffed their remaining supplies into a satchel and packed up the rest of their clothes. It wasn’t much.

When Wendy finally stirred, the sun was shining through the still frozen window, though it kept disappearing behind gray clouds. Would they have bad weather today of all days?

“Good morning, Sweetheart!” she greeted her, making sure that her voice sounded cheerful. Whatever happened, Naomi would make sure that Wendy had a positive experience today.

“Good morning, mummy!” she mumbled sleepily, as she stretched her arms high above her head. Her wavy chestnut brown hair was a complete mess, but her green eyes shone brightly as she climbed out of the bed. Naomi hurried to get her dressed, because the house was still freezing cold. An icy breeze kept blowing inside from beneath the door.

“Are we going to the secret house? Where the wild forest creatures live?” Wendy asked excitedly, as she shoved one of her arms into the sleeve of her thick woolen dress.

Naomi remembered the fairytale she’d told Wendy the night before. At some point during her storytelling, the abandoned cabin in the woods had turned into a secret hide-out where bunnies, deer, fox cubs, and colorful birds lived—just to make it enticing for Wendy to leave their home.

“Well, yes of course!” Naomi confirmed, trying to match her daughter’s enthusiasm, which earned her a happy nod. As soon as Wendy was dressed, she climbed onto the chair and inhaled the steam rising from her bowl of porridge. She smiled brightly when she noticed the second bowl standing there.

“Let’s have breakfast together, mummy!” she exclaimed happily. “But first we say grace.” Wendy stretched out her tiny hand to take Naomi’s to pray. “Can I say it today?” she asked. Her excitement was contagious, and Naomi couldn’t help but smile.

“Of course!” she replied, as she sat down next to her, holding both of her hands again. Wendy closed her eyes, and her face took on a solemn expression.

“God!” she said. “Thank you for listening yesterday! Thank you for mummy’s food. We need it. We’re going on an adventure today! We’ll see bunnies and foxes. And deer babies. It’s a secret house. I’m so excited! Thank you. Amen.” Then she pulled her hands back, grabbed the spoon and piled a big portion onto it, which she shoved into her mouth as if it was the most delicious food she’d ever eaten. Naomi chuckled.

“Amen,” she said with an amused smile, and the porridge really did taste good. It warmed her from the inside, and Naomi felt a little less nervous about the day ahead.

Shortly after, when they were ready to leave, Wendy bounced toward the door, and when she opened it, she cheered excitedly.

“Look, mummy! Look! It snowed!” she exclaimed, jumping up and down. It wasn’t deep, but deep enough to pull a sled—the only thing Harrison had ever built. This changed things because now they could move their belongings by pulling rather than carrying them. Naomi looked up at the sky, which thankfully was still only partially cloudy.

“Thank you, Lord! I appreciate your help very much today!” she said gratefully, before she trudged toward the side of their house, where the sled was leaning up against the wall. Wendy kept singing and dancing, and made snow angels, giggling happily as if this was the most perfect morning and nothing was amiss. Naomi couldn’t help it; her daughter’s excitement got to her, and the day started off so much lighter than she’d anticipated.

When they were all packed up, Naomi closed the door of the house and didn’t look back. This chapter was finally over, and she would not waste another minute dwelling on it.

Wendy bounced around her, singing yet another made-up song. The sun broke through, and it felt warm on her face as Naomi led the way toward the small cabin, which was only about an hour away along the tree line. The more time passed, the more it really did feel like an adventure, and when they finally arrived at the small building, Naomi was pleasantly surprised.

Though it was abandoned, it was in almost better shape than their old house. The roof was solid, the walls were sturdy, and the door closed fully with no chance of it falling off its hinges. There was even some firewood, which had been stacked up against the outside wall. Naomi was so relieved, she was almost happy.

Maybe all of this is God’s doing and He led us here for a reason, she thought.

Naomi made it purposefully exciting when she told Wendy to carefully open the door to the inside, just in case the bunnies were sleeping. Her daughter’s wide eyes were full of wonder when she gently pushed the door open.

Naomi already knew that there wouldn’t be any woodland animals sleeping inside—or at least she was hoping that they wouldn’t—but she was happy to see that there was some furniture. It was crude, but there were a table with two chairs and two separate cots, which led Naomi to believe that this was some kind of hunter’s cabin. If that was the case, then she could only hope that those hunters wouldn’t suddenly show up in the middle of the night.

All in all, it was a decent enough shelter, and Naomi was a little less anxious about their overall situation. It wasn’t perfect, but it would work.

Things didn’t seem too bad, right then. They didn’t seem bad at all.

“Thank You for Your guidance and all Your help, Lord in Heaven! We couldn’t be more grateful!” she said into the cold air. Time to make a fire.