Ride Away with Me, Calico My Love

By Gail E. Tolbert

Ride Away With Me, Calico My Love is a heart wrenching story of true friendship and tender young hearts that are crushed to the max. Calico and Tyler have grown up together since birth and have never known just how cruel life can be. Until Calicos parents die, her older sister marries an evil man and Calico is discarded in the wilderness by her evil brother in law, all by the age of twelve. Tyler spends nearly fourteen years of his young life searching for Calico knowing in his heart that she is still alive, but not once in all that time finding a trace of her. Calico on the other hand is found by a tribe of Indians and spends the greater part of her life waiting and hoping that Tyler will soon come for her. He is her best friend and she knows that he will not leave her alone in the wild, but Calico fears that Tyler himself may have been dealt the same fate as she by her evil brother in law. Ride along with me now as we try to unite these two young people.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Apr 23, 2007
• ISBN: 9781434309938

Gail E. Tolbert

Gail E. Tolbert grew up in rural Indiana and spent several years as a child and later as an adult in southwest Florida. After returning to southern Indiana in late 1999 she decided to concentrate on her writing. Ms. Tolbert has spent many years compiling her works and has now began to put them in print. This is her second novel, but first in the western category to have published although she has other westerns in the works. Along with these two novels Ms. Tolbert also has another book coming out shortly which will be in the fantasy category. Also Ms. Tolbert hopes to get her many books for children in print. She feels that her writing is very rewarding to herself and hopefully to all that read her books. Look for other exciting novels of Ms. Tolbert, you’re sure to enjoy them all!

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© 2007 Gail E. Tolbert. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

First published by AuthorHouse 4/20/2007

ISBN: 978-1-4343-0993-8 (ebk)

ISBN: 978-1-4343-0992-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4343-0991-4 (hc)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2007902883

Printed in the United States of America

Bloomington, Indiana

Contents

Part 1

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Part 2

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Part 3

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Part 4

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Part 5

Chapter 13

Part 6

Chapter 14

Part 1

Chapter 1

In the 1800’s many families were joining the western movement as was the families of Tyler Gunderson and Calico Weckersaw. Friends and playmates since they were toddlers, Tyler was like an older brother and protector to Calico and she was hardly ever out from under his feet. But Tyler loved taking care of her and watching her happy little face always laughing and giggling.

But Calico’s parents had died in a typhoid outbreak when Calico was barely five, leaving Calico in the care of her older sister Marissa who was now at the ripe old age of ten. The girls were bounced around from one side of the family to the other never having a real place to call their own. It was hard on them, but they survived.

Their cousins, aunts, uncles and other family members would give them shelter for short periods of time as long as they needed them for garden work, attic cleaning and any other hard strenuous work to be done. Marissa was treated like a slave and Calico was treated as if she had the plague. If she wasn’t big enough to work she wasn’t needed and she wasn’t wanted to be hanging around them. But Marissa refused to leave Calico for a second.

The girls were shifted from one place to the other not to know where they would be or how long they would be allowed to stay before being shifted on to another family. Tyler being the big brother type to Calico had always tried to keep track of her to insure her safety. But sometimes he wasn’t welcome around where Calico and Marissa were staying and he had to watch over them from a distance.

But Tyler always made sure that they were being feed and he tried to help them find a warm place to stay in the winter. But sometimes it was hard as things were hard for all the families in this area. That’s why everyone was headed west. They were looking for a better life and hoped to find a better one in Oregon. But it would be a couple of years before they would be able to start west.

Money was tight and it took several years to save enough to join the wagon train. Tyler was doing everything he could to convince his parents to take Calico and Marissa with them to Oregon, but his parents hadn’t gave him a solid answer yet. But he was still working on them. He was sure that his parents wouldn’t leave the girls alone in this dead harsh place. So Tyler busied himself looking after them.

Tyler as well would baby sit Calico so that Marissa could work and try to earn a living for Calico and herself. It was hard for Marissa to work and be able to take care for a five year old tomboy. Calico would rather be with Tyler riding his pony and climbing trees so it worked out for both of them.

Marissa and Calico had a very hard life. By the time Marissa was thirteen she was capable of taking care of a family, doing the milking, and working in the garden all the while worrying about where she and Calico would sleep each night. Calico by this time had started doing work as well trying to make the load lighter on Marissa.

There were times when they would have to sleep in the barn of an aunt or uncle not knowing if they would have food to eat or be allowed to stay another night. Both of them had been sick and nearly died one winter when they had to sleep in a barn with no heat and very little covering or blankets. Tyler’s mother had taken them in until Marissa had to move to the next family to work. She refused to be a burden to the Gunderson’s.

Calico wouldn’t stay without Marissa and went along with her sleeping in barns and attics with no heat. After the girls had lost their parents Calico would hardly let Marissa out of her sight. She was afraid that Marissa was going to leave her the way their parents had done. Little Calico couldn’t loose her sister too, so stayed close to her sister and stayed where Marissa would stay.

But Calico wouldn’t ever have to worry about Marissa leaving her. Marissa was totally devoted to Calico and tried to protect her from all the evil and uncaring people and things in the world. And Marissa did do those things for the most part, but no one ever knows how life turns you in circles and makes you loose all aspect of life in general. Even the slightest ray of light looks like a golden sunlit day when your ever day has been so dark and bleak.

Marissa was seventeen when she met a man by the name of Dwight Habbersham. Mr. Habbersham was a lowly lout looking for a wife and housekeeper. He was planning to join the wagon train headed west going to Oregon. He said he purchased land there and had some stock in an up and coming shipping company. He seemed to be so grand and swept Marissa off her feet.

Habbersham was convinced that he was exactly what the two young girls needed. He convinced Marissa to marry him and the three of them would join the wagon train in the summer next. Marissa agreed, marrying Habbersham in less than two months. She and Calico moved into the rented apartment with Habbersham where he lived above the general store. It was a tiny dirty little place barely big enough for one much less the three of them. But Marissa thought that she and Calico would be safe.

At first Calico and Marissa thought that they were in heaven. But Calico learned very quickly that this set up wasn’t as wonderful as Habbersham had led them to believe when he first asked Marissa to marry him. Calico was only twelve years old, but already was starting to develop into a young woman.

Habbersham had noticed this right from the first time he saw Calico and decided that he was getting two for the price of one. But Calico didn’t intend to go along with his ideas of how he was going to be her stepfather. She hardly remembered her father, but she didn’t think it was anything like what was going on here. Calico tried to endure the ugly remarks so as not to upset Marissa. She loved her sister and would endure a look to protect Marissa.

Marissa had always been the one to cook, clean and do the housework, but since her marriage to Habbersham, Marissa was kept busy taking care of him. Calico was left to assume the regular household duties of cooking and cleaning. Even though Calico was only twelve she had acquired the experience of taking care of a household and Marissa decided it was time Calico took on the responsibility.

Marissa herself was kept busy taking care of her new husband and being at his every beck and call. From all the crying at night Calico heard Marissa doing and all the bruises Marissa would have some mornings Calico didn’t think Marissa was at all a happy bride. But Marissa would say, "Callie girl sometimes a person has to endure a lot of hardships in life in order to survive.

As far as Callie was concerned she was sure that Marissa had endured just about enough hardships. Especially the way Marissa had worked and suffered the past seven years taking care of them both. Callie wanted Marissa to be happy and not have to worry so much. But Marissa was more worried and unhappy than she was when they had had to sleep in barns and near freeze to death in the winter.

It seemed that Marissa was in worst shape than when she worked all day and half the night. Now Marissa hardly ever came out of the back room and was so nervous most of the time she was afraid to even talk to Callie for more than a few minutes at a time. And even then Marissa only had time to just give Callie a hug and then drag herself back to bed. Habbersham demanded that Marissa be with him every second!

Callie thought that poor Marissa wasn’t in this kind of condition after having to fight off mean uncles and cousins that tried to do bad things to Marissa. Marissa used to just put her head up and walk away. Now she looked more like a dog that had been kicked and made to lie under the porch. Callie just couldn’t understand all of this and didn’t like any of it. Callie loved Marissa and this was killing her to see Marissa so sad.

Callie recalled one of her uncles had caught Marissa in the barn alone one night when Marissa was doing the milking. Callie had heard Marissa screaming and trying to get away. But that uncle just twisted Marissa’s arms behind her back and was trying to, ugh, kiss her while putting his hands places where Marissa had told her to not ever let a boy touch. Well, this ole ugly drunk uncle was a boy wasn’t he?

Using her twelve year old knowledge and logic, Callie did just what Marissa had taught her to do in order to get away. She kicked that ole mean uncle right where he was trying to put her sister, right between his legs. He let Marissa go, but threatened to make them both sorry that he didn’t get what he wanted. And he was true to his word.

They had to move the next morning. The uncle had said that Callie was a little touched and couldn’t be trusted. Yeah, like she was the one doing the bad thing to poor Marissa. But as before Marissa said not to tell anyone because people would surely blame them and they may have to become beggars.

Shucks Callie thought, that’s just about what we are now, beggars! Here they were begging Mr. Habbersham to be kind to them, which wasn’t working according to the way he was treating Marissa. And would he please take them on the wagon train with him to Oregon so he could make Marissa cry more. This just didn’t seem right to Callie some how.

Callie didn’t like what Habbersham must be doing to make Marissa cry at night and lose her breakfast every morning. That just didn’t seem right some how either. But thought Callie, maybe she could understand if Tyler would explain it to her. She would have to ask him about it. But sometimes Tyler seemed embarrassed about things Callie asked him these days. Callie sure didn’t understand what was going on around here any more. Everyone was so edgy and nervous.

After the ordeal with the uncle in the barn Callie told Tyler about it and he got so angry that it scared her. Callie heard later that the uncle had been beaten up when he was staggering home form the saloon late one night. He should have been shot Callie thought as she listened to the story of how the uncle had been beaten.

Callie didn’t ask Tyler if he was the one that did it, but she was sure that he had taken part in it because the backs of his fingers were scraped and bruised. She was sure that Tyler had wanted to pay the uncle back for hurting Marissa and making them move out and be homeless again. Tyler hated it when people were mean to them.

She was eleven when Marissa married, now that Callie was twelve it seemed more wrong than ever and they would be leaving on the wagon train soon. She had to talk to Tyler and as soon as possible before anything else happened to Marissa. She just couldn’t stand to see Marissa unhappy.

Poor Marissa was always sick and never smiled anymore. She used to be so happy kidding Calico and making things seem as they weren’t so bad. But now Marissa seemed to be sadder than when their parents died. Or when they were both sick that winter and had to sleep in an old barn and near froze to death. Calico knew she had to talk to Tyler or Mrs. Gunderson and soon.

Tyler and his family would be over on Saturday to make the final plans of the big trip west. Callie could hardly wait to see Tyler. She sure had a lot of questions to ask Tyler. Especially this business of, ‘keeping your man happy and all.’ It just didn’t sit right with Callie the things Marissa had to do or the way she was being treated.

Tyler had turned fourteen two months ago and he was near as big as his Pa now, except Callie thought, Tyler’s Pa wasn’t a very big man to start with. But she could now tell that Tyler was growing up and being responsible the way he was doing everything he could to help his Pa and taking care of his parents after his Pa had that accident.

Mrs. Gunderson, Tyler’s mother, was a very nice person and she loved Callie and Marissa and hated to see them being shoved from place to place. She as well thought that Tyler had taken part in the beating of the mean uncle, but never asked him about it as she thought the uncle got what he deserved. Mrs. Gunderson agreed with Callie, she too thought that the uncle should have been shot for what he tried to do to Marissa!

Tyler’s parents had tried to help Callie and Marissa, but they were poor and only had a tiny one room cabin themselves and no room for the girls. But Mrs. Gunderson had promised to try to keep track of the girls and help them when she could. As the way she had done the really bad winter when she took Callie and Marissa in until Marissa was able to work again.

Mrs. Gunderson had cried when Callie and Marissa had moved out and went to another job. She begged them to stay even though there was hardly room enough for all of them to be in the same room together. The girls had slept on a pallet on the floor in front of the fireplace. Tyler also had to sleep in that room, but he let the girls sleep close to the fire. Mr. and Mrs. Gunderson had a bed near the back wall.

The room was hardly big enough to have a small table and a couple of chairs. But with two more people to squeeze in, it was very crowded. Tyler and the girls had to sit on the hearth in front of the fireplace, as there were no other chairs. But even as crowded as it had been they were all happy.

Mr. Gunderson didn’t think much of Mr. Habbersham and asked Tyler to keep his eye on him and the way he was treating the girls. Mr. Gunderson was afraid that neither of the girls were being treated fairly and feared that great harm would come to them. He had heard rumors of how Habbersham treated women and hated that Marissa had married the man not knowing what she was getting herself and Callie into.

Tyler had promised his parents that he would keep his eyes on the girls as he intended to do it anyway. He had been keeping his eye on Callie since before she learned to walk. As a matter of fact Tyler was the one that used to walk her around holding her hand teaching her to walk. Callie would follow Tyler anywhere and learned to walk early trying to follow behind him.

By teasing Callie and promising her that she could ride his pony if she could get