The Widower's Bride: A Golden Valley Story (The Brides of Birch Creek Book 3)

by Laura D. Bastian

  “I don’t think it will get any better than it is,” Grace said. “I had a hard time walking for more than a year after it happened. But I saw a doctor in New York that taught me a few things to do when it hurts a lot. So it’s easier to do things now.”

  “We can walk as slow as we need to,” Missy said. “And Lottie and I can run fast to get the things you need.”

  “I appreciate that, Missy. You and your sister are very helpful girls. I’ll bet your momma is right proud to watch over you from heaven.”

  “Do you think she sees us?” Missy said, looking up at the clouds.

  “I wouldn’t doubt it,” Grace said. “And she would be so happy to know you’re taking care of your papa and your sister and brother.” Grace squeezed the girl’s hand. “I know I’m proud of you, and I just met you yesterday.”

  Missy looked up with joy all over her face. “I’m glad I met you, Miss Grace. And I’m glad you came to be our momma. But I wish our real momma didn’t have to die.”

  Grace nodded with understanding. “It sure is hard. But we do what we can. And I’ll help you as much as I can. It’s okay for you to miss your momma. And any time you want to tell me stories of her, I’d love to hear them.”

  “Momma was the bestest singer,” Lottie said from the other side. “Do you sing?”

  Grace chuckled. “Not much. I like to tell stories instead.”

  Lottie’s expression fell and Grace tugged her hand gently. “But, if you teach me some of those songs, we could sing together.”

  “All right,” Lottie said. She immediately started singing a song that Grace wasn’t quite sure she had all the words right, but Missy joined in and helped with the tune enough Grace figured she might be able to pick it up.

  She started humming along once she was sure she had the melody right. As the girls showed her around the yard, and where to find the places the chickens liked to hide their eggs, she eventually caught onto the words enough to try the song from start to finish. Soon, there were enough eggs they couldn’t hold them all in their hands so Grace held the eggs in her apron while the girls bent down to gather them from the hard to reach places. No wonder Lottie had said there were too many.

  The day passed pleasantly, and by late afternoon when it was time to start dinner, Grace was already worn out. She knew she still had much to do around the house, but since the bread was made, and the cream ready to separate into the butter churner according to Missy, she put it inside the churn and set Missy and Lottie to take turns with the handle.

  Milo played with the blocks at times, and insisted on being held at other times, but Grace managed to make a soup with some of the root vegetables still in the cellar and added some of the dried meat to it to soak and help add flavor.

  She took turns with the girls on the butter and sometimes had Milo hold the handle since he seemed to think it was a game. He loved the way it went up and down, and the girls thought it was more fun to help him pump it than when they’d done it on their own, so Grace figured they would manage to finish the butter before Jed arrived home. Or soon after for sure.

  “Do you think you can keep this going while I go bring in the wash?”

  The girls nodded eagerly, and as Grace got up to leave, Milo reached for her. She loved the fact that he had become attached to her already. She’d worried at first that the children would tire of her, but instead, things had easily fallen into place.

  She handed Milo the wooden split pin that had held the wash to the line and he immediately put it in his mouth. That would keep him occupied enough she could pull the wash down. He didn’t fuss when she placed him on the grass nearby and as she folded the clothes and placed them in the basket to move them into the house, he only pulled out a few of the dresses before she moved the basket. She handed him another one of the pins and he took turns putting them in his mouth.

  As she watched him out of the corner of her eye, she looked for similarities between the boy and his father. There were obvious things like hair and eye color, his light blond hair and his blue eyes. Her whole family had reddish hair and brown or hazel eyes, so seeing Jed’s children with light hair and blue eyes made her wonder what color her children’s eyes would be.

  She shook her head to get the errant thought out of her mind. She wasn’t going to have children with Jed. He wasn’t interested in that kind of relationship with her. They had agreed that she would help him raise his children, not give him any more. And she would be fine with that. She was going to be a mother to these children. And that would be enough.

  The basket was finally full and she gathered the wooden pins from her apron pocket and placed them on top of the clothes, then picked up Milo and looked at the basket. It would be hard to bend down with her bad leg to get the basket while still keeping him in her arms so she took him inside first to let the girls watch him while she went back out to get the laundry. Each extra step made her leg hurt more and more and she was looking forward to sitting down at the table.

  She returned to the house and looked at the clock on the mantle, relieved Jed had one. It was only five o’clock, and Jed should be returning soon. She put the clothes away, and peeked in on the girls still taking turns churning the butter. Then needing a rest, she set the table and had the children join her for their supper.

  “Aren’t we going to wait for Papa?” Missy asked.

  “Did you always wait for him?” Grace asked.

  “Momma never put the food on until he was home.” Missy looked at the table and then up at Grace.

  “He said he wasn’t sure when he’d arrive back. There is a lot of work for him to do. But if you think we should wait for him, we could start doing our reading.”

  “I hungry now,” Lottie said and looked at Missy, then climbed onto her chair.

  “I reckon it’s all right if we eat without Papa for today. Will he be late every day?” Missy asked.

  “I don’t think so. We’ll have to learn how to do things together now. I suppose I have a different schedule than your momma and papa did. But it’s all right if people do things differently, I think. I’ll teach you some things, and you’ll teach me some things. It will all work out.”

  The girls sat at the table and Grace dished up a bowl of soup for each of them. They looked in the bowl and at each other. Lottie took a sip from her spoonful first and put her spoon down. “It’s not the same.”

  “I don’t imagine it is,” Grace replied. “But you still need to eat it to grow healthy and strong. You can have some bread and butter to go with it.”

  Lottie seemed to relax at that and took another spoonful. Missy tried hers as well, but didn’t comment. She ate it quickly then asked for another bowl and when Lottie saw her sister ask for more, she took to eating hers faster. They had just finished eating and were on a second slice of bread when the front door opened.

  “Papa!” Lottie called out, climbing off her chair and running over to greet Jed. Grace watched as Jed reached down and scooped her up in one smooth motion. He carried her back to the table and looked at the meal. Lottie frowned. “We ate without you.”

  “That’s just fine, Lottie. I didn’t know how fast I’d be home.”

  Lottie looked at Grace as if surprised he’d agreed with her. “You can eat the soup, and then you can have some bread and butter.”

  “Bread and butter sounds delicious.”

  “We made the butter,” Missy piped up. “All by ourselves.”

  “I’ll bet it tastes amazing, then.”

  Missy nodded. “It does. You should wash up so you can eat.”

  Grace smiled at the girl as Jed walked out the back door by the kitchen to wash his hands at the pump. He returned with his hair and face wet then grabbed a cloth from the counter where she’d placed it. That would be something she’d have to pay attention to. He’d need a cloth he could use and she’d keep the ones she needed for cleaning or cooking away from him.

  Jed sat at the table and she reached over to dish him up some soup. “Ho
w was today?” she asked.

  “Tiring.” Jed reached for the bread and butter then looked at her. “It is almost all plowed and ready to plant in the morning.”

  “That’s good.”

  “Tonight, I’d like your help on the garden. I’ll show you how to get the ground turned and ready. Some things are already planted since they do better in the cold temperatures. But if we want to get the corn and the beans and sugar beets in, there will need to be more soil ready. I’ll plow the area for the corn after I’m done with the wheat. But there are places I need you to work on getting ready as well.”

  “I’ll do my best,” Grace said.

  “Oh,” Jed paused and looked at her leg. “Will that be a problem?”

  “I don’t know yet,” Grace said. “Haven’t had to use a shovel much. Might take a bit of getting used to.”

  Jed nodded and turned his attention back to his food. His eyes closed as he put the first spoonful in his mouth. She hoped he didn’t mind the different type of meal than he was used to.

  “This is good,” Jed said. “Thank you for dinner.”

  “You’re welcome,” Grace replied. “Lottie didn’t like it much at first, but she finished her bowl, then had another scoop.”

  Jed chuckled. “Lottie is always a little skeptical on things. But if she sees Missy do something, she’ll usually try it as well.”

  “Good to know,” Grace said.

  “The house looks nice. Seems like you’ve been busy too.”

  “We have. They showed me a few things, but I’m sure you’ll need to walk me through the care of the animals more. We just did the chickens and I peeked at the pig.”

  Jed nodded again. “Sure thing. But I’m thinking I need another helping of this soup. You have a gift with soup.” He held up the bread with his free hand. “And with bread.”

  Milo grabbed the crust of bread she’d broken into smaller pieces for him and put it in his mouth, then reached for his spoon to bang against the table.

  Grace redirected his hands and finished her own meal in companionable silence with Jed.

  She knew there were still a few hours left in the day, but suddenly, it didn’t seem so worrisome with Jed there. She was actually looking forward to helping him in the garden and hearing his soothing deep voice. She’d never really paid much attention to how her brother sounded when he talked. But there was just something about Jed’s voice that made her long to hear it more often.

  And while she’d lived with her brother and his children for more than a year, she’d always felt at ease and comfortable there. Here with Jed was a completely different experience. His presence both warmed her and worried her. He was a handsome man and a hard worker. Something any woman would want in a husband. And he was her husband for sure, but not in the way she could allow herself to want as a woman. He’d made that clear, and she had agreed to those terms. Embraced them actually. So for her to start having any other kinds of thoughts about this man were completely inappropriate.

  Eventually, she was sure they could come to a routine where they would do their own jobs without needing to interact more than necessary. Meals would be together when he was home, and he’d have to show her how things were done, but soon she’d be able to run the household without his instruction nor input and he wouldn’t likely need her help out in the fields. Not that she could be much for help anyway with her bad leg.

  When they’d finished eating, there wasn’t much left of the soup and she was pleased to know she’d judged right. It wouldn’t be good to waste any of the meal and she didn’t have any way to keep it fresh. This would be given to the pig and she’d wash up the dishes after they worked in the garden.

  “I’ll go gather the tools from the shed and meet you out at the garden.”

  “I’ll be right there. I’ll have Missy keep track of Milo so he doesn’t get out in the dirt before bed. I’d rather not give him a bath tonight.”

  Once the children were occupied, Grace walked stiffly to the front porch. She would need to move around a bit more to stretch out her stiff leg. It always hurt after a long day, but keeping it moving usually helped ease the pain until she sat down again and let it rest.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Jed took the shovel and started turning the dirt over in the garden. It needed a lot of work, but with the larger shovel he could get most of the soil workable for gardening. The hoe and rake were against the log fence that lined the outer edge of the garden. When Grace came out of the house and walked to the garden he watched her move stiffly. Hopefully she’d be able to do the work out here as well. That would be such an ease to his burden.

  Grace stepped closer to him. “Tell me what you need me to do.”

  “I’m breaking up the soil so it will be easier to plant the seeds. If you’ll take one of those tools over there and work the dirt even more, that will make it smoother for planting.” Jed pushed his foot on the back of the shovel to make it dig deeper into the dirt, then turned it over and smashed the larger chunks up.

  Grace nodded and retrieved the hoe and began poking at the clods he’d already lifted. They worked in silence and Jed kept glancing at her on occasion to see how she was managing. She looked tired and still moved with obvious discomfort, but didn’t quit. Sometimes when she moved, she used the handle of the tool to help her make her steps.

  Jed checked their progress and walked over to her.

  “I think this might be enough for tonight. Tomorrow, you can get Missy to help you break this up more. Lottie and Milo can play together. Then after dinner tomorrow night, we could come turn over the rest of this. I think on Thursday evening we can plant the potatoes if we don’t get to it tomorrow night.”

  Grace wiped her brow with her forearm and nodded. “Where do you keep the tools?”

  “We can just put them on the front porch for tonight. It’ll make it easier for you to access them tomorrow.”

  “Sounds good,” Grace said, walking with the help of the tool’s long handle until she got to the house. She went through the door and Jed watched her movements, surprised she never complained about the obvious pain. Once she got inside, he broke up another couple yards worth of soil and then grabbed the rake and took the tools to the porch. When he got inside, he saw that Grace had cleaned up her hands and face and was sitting at the table with the girls. She had the Bible open and was reading to them from the beginning.

  Jed was surprised, but not displeased. He cleaned up on the back porch, leaving the door open so he could hear her reading, then joined them at the table to listen. Lottie climbed up onto his lap and tucked her head against his chest, helping to bring him back to home and release some of his cares of the day outside.

  When Grace reached the end of the section she closed the book and lifted Milo, who was sitting on her lap, up and onto her hip then moved toward her room.

  “Time for bed, girls,” Jed said, taking Lottie and carrying her while reaching for Missy’s hand. The girls were already in their night clothes which made things even easier for him, and a sense of gratitude came over him. Once the girls were in the bed, he went back to the main room and approached the door to where Milo and Grace were. It was open so he knocked softly and looked in. Grace was just finishing putting Milo’s night clothes on and looked up at him.

  “Yes?” she asked.

  “I wanted to thank you for all you did today. I was able to accomplish so much in the fields because of you.”

  “I’m happy I could help,” Grace said. “It’s been a good day. I hope tomorrow goes even better for you.”

  “Have a good night, Grace.” Jed smiled at her and moved away as her soft voice replied.

  “You too, Jed.”

  It was much easier to prepare for bed tonight. The animals had been taken care of, including Tess since Grace had milked her before he’d arrived home for dinner. He couldn’t imagine going back to the way things had been before. Even having her there to read to them tonight had made things feel mostly normal again.
>
  A new normal, but a good one none the less.

  He still missed Lizzie. Ached deep in his soul for her, but his girls were happy, his son was cared for, his house was clean, and food was made. He was even able to do the hard labor of the farm because of Grace. She truly was a blessing.

  ***

  Grace lay down on the bed and her leg immediately complained of its poor treatment throughout the day. “Get used to this,” Grace said as she rubbed the sore area between her knee and her ankle. She rummaged through her trunk that she had still not fully unpacked to find the liniment that had always helped ease her aches. She unscrewed the lid, and dipped her fingers into the concoction and rubbed it between her fingers to warm it up.

  With her other hand, she pulled the skirt up, and undid her stockings then pulled it off to give her free access to her leg. She moved in practiced motion and slowly the pain lessened to the point she figured she could sleep through the night. She didn’t want to stand and make her leg hurt again, so she undressed while sitting on the bed. Her shift would work well enough for her night dress tonight and she tossed the dress onto the chair near the bed.

  Milo was already asleep, and she lay down on her back, hoping the massage of her bad leg would allow her enough time to fall asleep before any aching returned.

  She pulled the blanket up to cover her chest, but left her leg uncovered. She was almost asleep when she realized she’d left the bedroom door open, but was too tired to bother with it now.

  ***

  Jed heard a noise and sat up in his bed. From the other room, he heard Milo crying. Jed looked at his girls and both were sleeping soundly. He left the bed and walked to the door of his room, then opened it up. The door to Grace and Milo’s room was open and he heard fussing from inside. Not sure if she needed help with Milo, Jed walked over to the door. Grace was on the floor to the side of the bed, struggling to get up while Milo stood against the bed crying.