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

by Laura D. Bastian

  “What happened?” Jed asked.

  “I’m sorry,” Grace said when she saw him. “I heard him fussing and got out of bed, but put too much weight on just my bad leg. I fell and scared him.”

  Jed picked up Milo and patted his back, trying to comfort him. When the boy stopped crying, he reached down to help Grace.

  “I’m sorry,” Jed said after he looked at her. “I should have helped you up first.”

  “That’s all right,” Grace said, adjusting herself on the edge of the bed. “Milo needed your comfort first. I just need to let the spasms in my leg relax.”

  “Does it do that all the time?” Jed asked. The skirt of her shift was up to her knee as she rubbed her calf and shin. He tried not to let his eyes stray there, but she had lovely white skin in the very little light there was.

  “Only when I over-work it.”

  “You should have taken it easier today.” Jed looked at her and she frowned. “I don’t want you to hurt yourself, or be too unwell to do anything.”

  “I never know how much it will take to overdo something. Most days I can do what I’ve done here. I suppose the garden part finished me off.”

  “Well, treat yourself better. You won’t do us any good being laid up.” As soon as the words were out of his mouth he wished them back. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”

  “Don’t worry. Just leave Milo to me now and you get back to bed. You need your rest.” Grace reached for Milo who went willingly and instead of putting Milo back on his small bed, she laid him on the bed to the side of her then lay down and began rubbing the boy’s back.

  Milo’s fussing stopped and Grace looked at Jed pointedly. “Unless you plan to stay here and comfort him, perhaps you should head to your room.”

  Jed turned around and left the room, but knew he’d made a mistake in his conversation with her. He didn’t want her to hurt herself, but he didn’t know how to explain it right. He needed her healthy. Running a homestead was hard work that needed two able bodied people.

  ***

  Grace closed her eyes and tried to push away the embarrassment and frustration. He’d seen her at her worst, in pain and half asleep on the floor and unable to even help the crying child. And he’d been upset at her injury and how much it would interfere with the normal daily activities.

  With Milo relaxing back into sleep, she forced herself to stay calm and not let the hot tears stinging her eyes come out. Otherwise, she might not be able to stop.

  She hadn’t felt so worn down and beat up about her problem in a long time. She knew she had overdone it, but had wanted to make sure Jed didn’t regret marrying her and bringing her out to his home. There was a lot of work to do, and she just kept going long past when she should have stopped.

  She would be better tomorrow. A good night sleep always helped and she would take it easy on the leg. There wouldn’t be as much walking as she’d done today, and she could use the handle of the rake, hoe, or shovel to support her weight if she needed help.

  She wasn’t going to let this push her back and she would not let his unkind words defeat her. She was his wife, not his servant, and she would do all she could to make sure the house, children, and garden were well cared for. Past that, he had no right to ask her to do more if she couldn’t manage it.

  The comfort of little Milo nearby helped her relax enough she eventually fell asleep. When she woke the next morning, she left Milo in the bed and climbed out quietly, pulling her dress over her shift and peeking out the door. The kitchen was empty, but Jed’s boots were not by the door any longer. He must have already left for the day. That made things a lot easier on her. She wouldn’t have to worry about talking to him or pretending to be cheerful.

  Breakfast was a simple affair of bread and jam with some sliced cheese. She’d have to ask him how to make cheese soon since they were almost out. Hopefully he knew how to do it. If not, she’d have to go ask Susan or Annabelle or someone in town when they went the next time. Though that might not be for another month.

  After the girls were fed and dressed for the day, she took Missy out with her to help her get the tools out into the garden. It was obvious Jed had done more work last night before he came inside so she’d have more to do today. At least she wouldn’t have to worry about pushing down on the shovel to dig out the big piles of dirt to break up into workable pieces.

  Before lunchtime, Grace made it to where he’d stopped shoveling and then tried a few shovelfuls on her own. Knowing she would hurt the leg more that way, she decided she’d wait until he could dig it more and she’d smooth it out. Inside, she did more cleaning and organizing of the items purchased from the mercantile. She wanted some things closer and easier to reach so other items were removed and put away inside a wooden hutch.

  About the time Grace starting thinking it was time to begin preparing dinner, the dog started barking and Grace turned to the front window to look out. She wasn’t sure what was there but she could see dust along the path leading to the wheat field in the distance. The dog seemed more excited than wary and Grace hoped that meant it was Jed returning.

  Grace kept her eyes on the children and hurried to finish mending some holes in the stockings she’d washed for the girls. She hadn’t seen any rips or tears in their dresses, but she knew she’d need to look into making Milo some longer shirts. He was growing out of the ones that Lizzie had made for him. She searched in the pile of fabric that she’d found when she went in to get the girls up and make the bed they slept on. Grace would double check with Jed and make sure it was all right to use the fabric. If not, they might need to pick up more at the mercantile.

  The dog barked loudly again and Missy ran to the window.

  “Papa’s back.” She went to the door and opened it up and ran outside.

  Grace got up, testing the sore leg and worked her way outside to meet him. He was home earlier than she’d expected and when she saw his face, she knew something was wrong.

  “Jed, what happened?”

  “Rattler. Boot stopped most of it, but it still got me.”

  “You got bit by a snake, Papa?” Missy cried out in panic.

  “It’s gonna be all right, Missy. I’m big enough and it only got a little venom in me. I just need to get inside and rest.”

  Grace stared at him in shock. She’d never heard of a rattler snake. What kind of damage could it do? She watched as he climbed off the back of the horse and hobbled to the post that kept the shade up on the outer porch.

  “I don’t think I can manage getting in on my own. The swelling is too much.”

  Grace moved over to him and placed her shoulder under his arm to prop him up. Missy hurried in front and opened the door.

  “Grab the chair, Missy,” Grace said as they entered the house.

  She did as she was told and Grace helped Jed onto the chair. He dropped into it as if he could barely manage to hold himself upright anymore.

  “Gotta take the boot off and check the swelling.” He reached for his boot, but couldn’t manage, so Grace helped him. As the boot came off and she pulled the pant leg up to study the injury, she felt faint.

  Jed put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed tight. “Hold on there, Grace. Don’t go passing out on me. I need you.”

  Grace looked up at him, ashamed that she was so weak. “I’m sorry. Tell me what to do. I have no knowledge of any of this.”

  “I don’t know,” Jed said. “I’m feeling mighty sick. And the swelling is hurting something fierce.”

  “Do we put you to bed and let you rest? Is there some kind of treatment for you?” Grace studied the bite marks. They weren’t very deep but his leg was swelling and there was bruising underneath the skin as if he were bleeding inside.

  Grace moved over to the cupboard and grabbed out the things that she thought might help. There was some alcohol and cloth she knew she could use to clean it up. She tried thinking of anything she’d ever heard or seen about taking care of injuries.

  Know
ing he couldn’t just stay there on the chair, she convinced him to get up and move into the bedroom. Once on the bed, she removed his other boot to check the difference in his legs and feet. The swelling had made his leg almost half again as big and she worried she wouldn’t know what to do.

  Grace looked at Jed and he met her eyes.

  “I don’t know what this will do, Grace. But please take care of my children if I don’t make it.”

  Grace moved over to him and touched his forehead. He was feverish and felt hot, but there was no sweat. “Don’t worry, Jed. You’ll be fine. It’s just a small bite. Your boot stopped most of it like you said. We’ll get you fixed up in no time.”

  She looked at the wound again and took the cloth and the alcohol and wiped the wound. He cried out in pain, but did nothing to move his leg away from her. She cleaned it again, then looked at the bite marks.

  Missy stood in the doorway with fear evident on her face.

  “Sweetheart, why don’t you come sit with your father and hold his hand. I want to check what there is that might help him. Did your mother have any herbs or things to help with injuries?”

  Missy nodded. “She used things in the cellar. Onions and garlic when she had her infection.”

  Grace thought for a moment, considering what she’d heard about onion. She knew some of the doctors that would make house calls often did something with an onion poultice. Maybe it would work.

  She carefully worked her way down to the cellar and found the pile of onions and the garlic, thankful not all of it had been used up over the winter. She returned upstairs and chopped it up in small pieces and mixed the onion and the garlic together then carried it into the bedroom. She couldn’t let Jed die. Though she had no idea if this would work, she had to try something. And if it could help draw out infection, maybe it could help with the effects of the venom inside.

  Missy was kneeling down to the side of her papa’s bed and Grace could hear the fervent prayer of the little girl. She added her own prayer for health for Jed and set herself about caring for him.

  “Missy, while I put this on his leg, could you go check on the other children? We need to make sure they don’t get into anything.”

  Missy nodded and went to find the others. Grace mostly wanted to keep the sight of Jed’s leg from scaring the girl. It had continued to swell and the bruising underneath had spread. She felt his forehead, and was relieved the fever hadn’t gotten any worse.

  He moaned in pain and Grace did what she could to make him comfortable. She placed a scoop of the onion and garlic poultice on his injury, then wrapped it carefully with some cloth. It would work best if it could sit there and draw out the impurities.

  Once that was taken care of, she got him a drink of water and tried to feed him little bites of bread and butter, but he turned away from it.

  “Don’t think I could manage right now. I just want to sleep.”

  “Get as much rest as you can, Jed.” Grace said. “I will keep an eye on you. Don’t let anything worry you either. You will be fine.”

  As she said the words, she prayed it would be true. Those children needed their father. And though she’d only known him for two days, she didn’t want to lose him. She knew he didn’t love her the way a husband loved a wife, but she had begun to feel something for him and wanted a chance to know him better. To be the kind of help meet he needed.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Jed hurt more than he’d ever hurt before and called out for Lizzie time and time again, but she never came. He felt kind hands touching him, but they weren’t hers. Voices spoke, and though he thought they sounded familiar, he couldn’t place them. The sound of crying children pulled him out of the pit of despair he found himself in and when he opened his eyes, sad blue eyes under light curls stared at him.

  “Lizzie,” he whispered, his throat too dry and parched to get more than that out. The blonde hair and blue eyes that looked so much like his wife’s came into better focus and he recognized his daughter. “Missy. It’s you.”

  “Papa, please don’t die!” Missy clung to him and he reached up to pat her back but found himself almost too weak to manage.

  “I’m here, baby girl.” Jed spoke, managing to speak a little.

  “Grace!” Missy hollered, surprising Jed. “Papa’s awake. Come quick!”

  Movement sounded in the distance and Jed tried to turn his head to look at who was coming. He knew the word, grace. But he was sure there was something more to it. As his eyes focused on the woman entering the room, he finally understood. Grace. His wife. She had cared for him instead of Lizzie.

  “He’s awake, Grace. Papa is awake. He said Momma’s name.”

  Jed caught the wince of pain in Grace’s eyes, but she reached out and touched his head. “His fever has broken. Let me get a look at his leg.”

  The movement of the bed caused him to grunt in pain. “I’m sorry, Jed. I will probably need to change the poultice. I think it’s helped to draw the infection out and keep you from having more damage to your leg.”

  “Snake?” Jed asked, trying to piece together what had happened. “Lizzie?” He looked at Grace. “You’re not Lizzie.”

  Grace shook her head. “No, sorry. I’m not her. You were bit by a snake. You’ve been sick for two days.”

  “Field,” Jed said as he struggled to remember it all. “I didn’t plant it yet.”

  “You need to get better first, Jed. The planting can wait. There is still time.”

  “No time to wait. Can’t do it alone,” Jed said laying his head back. “Lizzie’s gone.” He still hurt too much to think and with Grace doing something to his leg he couldn’t keep his mind on his work. The pain took all his energy to endure it. When she finally left him alone, Jed felt himself falling back into a fitful rest.

  ***

  Grace finished changing the bandage and once she was sure he was asleep and still breathing, she turned to Missy and smiled as brightly as she could, though her heart felt as if it were torn in pieces.

  “Thank you for letting me know. I think he’s on the mend. I’m sure he’ll start feeling better soon. You keep watching him. And if he wakes again, you can try to feed him some broth.”

  “Thank you, Grace. Thank you for keeping my papa from dying.”

  “I’m doing my best, Missy. But sometimes there isn’t anything anyone can do. If it’s their time to go, sometimes you just can’t stop it from happening.”

  “It can’t be my papa’s turn to go.” Missy looked at her father, and Grace’s eyes filled with tears. She knew the girl needed him. If he didn’t make it, Missy would be the one that remembered the most about her mother and father. She was too young to lose them both.

  “Keep watch,” Grace said again. She left the room and returned to the garden to water the seeds she’d put in. She’d managed to finish overturning all the soil and softening it enough to plant. He’d mentioned he wanted the potatoes, beets, beans and corn in the garden. When Grace had talked with Missy on what it had looked like last year, she was able to get enough information from her that Grace felt mostly confident in planting the garden.

  What worried her was the wheat. The sacks of wheat that had been in the cellar were gone and she was sure he’d planned to plant them. She’d gone out to the field just in case, and found one empty sack and three full ones. From what she could tell, he had only begun to scatter the seeds. If only she knew how to do it. Maybe when he woke the next time, she could ask him about it.

  Grace returned to the house and picked up Milo who reached for her. Lottie held onto her skirt and she took the two of them into Jed’s bedroom. She’d brought in the rocking chair that had been in the main part of the house so she could read or tell the children stories while they all kept watch over Jed.

  Now that he had woken once, she hoped to be in there when he woke again. If he saw his children and listened to them, it might help him fight the effects of his snake bite.

  She didn’t know what kind of long term damage t
here would be. His leg was still very sore looking, but the swelling had gone down and the areas around the bites no longer looked like the skin was going to fall off.

  It might take weeks for him to regain his strength in the leg and he couldn’t overuse it or he might risk more damage to the healing tissue. She just had to convince him to let her try to help with the planting then watering. But with the way he had been so bothered by her own injury and lack of ability to use her leg for long periods of time, she doubted he’d be willing to sit back and let her do it.

  Being so far away from neighbors and help was dangerous and she wished there was someone closer to help.

  Lottie climbed onto her lap and Grace moved Milo to one thigh while Lottie sat on the top of her other leg. She began to rock back and forth and told the story of David and Goliath. She hoped Jed could come out the conqueror against his own foe.

  ***

  Jed listened to the soft and sweet voice as it spoke while he slept. He began to wake and realized it was a story from the bible and he allowed himself to remain still, just listening. It helped to not move, but he wanted to know how his leg was doing. Memories of the snake bite brought back all the fear he’d felt as he worried he would die and leave his children without him. The only thing that had eased his worries was the knowledge that Grace would take care of them.

  She might not be cut out for the life of a farmer’s wife. Not with her bad leg, but she could move them back into Birch Creek and find work there. She’d insisted on teaching his children so it was obvious she was educated. She could be the school teacher. But now that he felt like he might actually make it through this snake bite effects, he realized he was jealous of the idea of her going anywhere else.

  She had cared for him and kept him from dying. He knew if it had just been him and his three children, he would never have made it. Then his poor daughter would have had to find some way to get back to Birch Creek with the two younger ones.