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

by Laura D. Bastian

  No, Grace was definitely a gift from God Himself. Her name even proved it. He owed her his life, as well as the lives of his children.

  Jed opened his eyes and turned his head just a little to watch Grace with his family. Her family now too. She was as much a part of this family as if she had given birth to them herself. He could see the love she had for them, and how much his children adored her. But he had promised her he would not demand anything from her as a wife. Not that he would ever force her or anything, but he knew that living with a woman as kind and gentle as Grace would be a blessing, and if he could ever earn her love and affection in return, he would do all he could to be worthy of her.

  He watched her again, paying close attention to the way her voice changed in different parts of the story. Her face lit up and she smiled and showed energy and excitement that helped him feel the emotions tied to the story as well. His children watched her with rapt attention and he was overcome with gratitude.

  Grace looked at him and paused in the story. “Jed, you’re awake. How do you feel?”

  Missy stood up from the chair where she’d been sitting and looked him over. “Do you need some water, Papa? Or some broth? Are you hungry?”

  “Water, please, Missy.”

  Missy ran into the other room and came back in carrying a cup that looked like she’d dipped it directly in the water bucket. Missy tried to pass it to him, but he felt almost too weak to reach for it. Grace put the other two children down onto the rocking chair and told Lottie to rock back and forth to keep Milo happy then came to help Missy give him the water.

  She placed a strong and capable hand behind his neck and helped him sit up enough he could drink the water. The cooling sensation helped him feel so much better and he smiled into her eyes. Grace smiled back and placed the cup down on the small table nearby.

  “Do you think you could manage a little food?” Grace asked. “It’s been so long since you’ve had any nourishment.”

  “I could try,” Jed said.

  “Let me help you sit up a little more. Missy, will you grab that other quilt. We could fold it up behind him.”

  Missy hurried to do as she was asked and soon Jed was propped up and looking at Grace as she sat in front of him with a bowl of broth and a spoon. He wished he could feed himself, but he still felt too weak. After a few spoonfuls of the liquid, he closed his eyes in exhaustion.

  “That was pretty good,” Grace said. “You rest again now, and when you wake we’ll give you more. We’ll leave so you can rest undisturbed.”

  “No,” Jed said. “Please stay here. I liked listening to the story.”

  “If you’re sure,” Grace said. She returned to the rocking chair and put the two children on her lap, then began another familiar story, helping Jed relax and put his troubles away as she eased his concerns. She could probably do anything. And when he was finally better, he’d make sure he showed her how grateful he was for her in their lives.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Grace felt him watching her more and more and she worried he would not be pleased with what she was doing. Missy fed him more of the broth and as the remainder of the day passed, he seemed to be regaining some strength. He was able to sit up on his own and though he couldn’t walk, or even get out of the bed, his color looked better and his outlook seemed to improve as the day wore on.

  Grace gave Missy some more broth, but this time made sure there were some small pieces of vegetable in the bowl as well.

  “Could you see if he’ll eat this?” Grace asked. “I’ll go milk the cow and feed the animals. If he needs anything you can’t help with, call for me, all right?”

  “Yes, Grace.”

  “Thank you, sweetheart.” Grace took the milk pail out and looked into the darkening sky. The coming night didn’t scare her like it had the night before. With proof that Jed was on the mend, she allowed herself a moment to relax her hyper vigilance. He had made it through the toughest part, and now that he was awake and alert, she could talk to him about what needed to be done out in the fields. She was sure she could make some progress at least. She had no idea how long it took for the wheat to grow, but he’d seemed overly eager to get it planted before too much time had passed.

  Once she’d finished milking Tess, she doubled checked the other animals, relieved the pig had not had any piglets yet. Running a farm she didn’t know much about had taken so much of her confidence and shattered it. She was supposed to just be here to take care of the children. Not everything else, yet as she did the work that had terrified her before, she realized she had survived and managed well enough.

  As long as Jed didn’t have any other setbacks and continued to heal, things could return to normal. Or how they should be. Working together instead of all on her own. No wonder he’d needed a wife. And if she was the only thing available, she couldn’t fault him for choosing her. She would do her best to help out and make things as good as possible for this family she was coming to love.

  The house was quiet and peaceful and Grace walked into the kitchen to put the milk on the counter so she could take care of it after checking on Jed. She peeked her head into the bedroom where the children were sitting on the rocking chair with Missy in the middle holding Milo on her lap while Lottie sat at her side, leaning forward and backward to make the chair move.

  “Are you three ready for bed?” Grace asked.

  The children looked up at her and Lottie shook her head. “No. I wanna stay with Papa tonight.”

  “I think he still needs to rest. I’ll keep watch over him, I promise.”

  Missy took hold of Milo around his middle, and slid off the rocking chair. “Come on, Lottie. You can’t sleep on Papa’s bed. You’ll kick him in your sleep.”

  “I will not,” Lottie argued, but she climbed off the rocking chair backward, laying her belly on the seat then dangling her little legs off until she reached the floor. Though she complained, Lottie still followed Missy into the other bedroom and Grace smiled at the children. She helped them dress for bed and tucked them into the bed where they had slept before. Grace’s quilt from Annabelle was still in the room where Jed was. She would use it to cover herself while she kept watch in the rocking chair.

  She didn’t want to run the risk of being too far away in case he needed her. Hopefully, it wouldn’t bother him if she stayed in the room. She could always take the quilt and go lay on the floor in the main room. That would allow her to get to anyone who might need her.

  Milo had slept well and only needed to be soothed once the night before. She hoped things would be the same tonight.

  When the children were tucked in, she kissed them all on the tops of their heads and left the room to clean up the kitchen from the meal she’d made earlier. It was nice to finally have some quiet time and looked forward to sitting down and resting.

  “Grace?” The voice was faint and at first she thought it was one of the girls, but when it came again, she knew it was Jed. Grace left the pot on the stove and went to his door.

  “Do you need something?” she asked.

  “I wanted to say I’m sorry. This has been too much for you.”

  “You couldn’t help what happened,” Grace said, coming closer into the room.

  “I know, but you’ve had to do it all alone. I wish you didn’t have to.”

  “Just rest up and get better. You’ll need your strength. I have some questions for you tomorrow about the things I’ve done here.”

  “What did you do?” Jed asked.

  Grace met his eyes. She wasn’t sure if he would be bothered by her taking charge or if it would matter to him. “I planted the garden with Missy’s help. She showed me where you picked the plants during last year’s harvest.”

  “That was a lot of work,” Jed said. “Thank you.”

  “It helped keep my mind off my worries.”

  “I can understand that. It was hard for me to be still while Lizzie was so sick. I wanted to be busy all the time to keep the worries away. It didn�
��t help. And I felt like I had failed her by not making her better.”

  “How did she die?” Grace asked, unable to help the question. “Missy told me she had an infection.”

  Jed nodded. “She was thrown from the horse, and broke her leg. It broke through the skin, and she ended up getting an infection. I rode through snow drifts to the nearest neighbor and asked them to find a doctor that could come amputate the leg, but by the time he arrived, it was too late. She fell asleep and didn’t wake up. Doctor thought it might have been too much for her heart to take.”

  Jed wiped his eyes and Grace felt her own heart break for him. “I’m so sorry, Jed. I can’t imagine your sorrow.” She placed her hand on his arm.

  Jed took her hand and patted it where it rested on his arm. “I wasn’t sure I was going to make it through this. I was so worried for the children.”

  “I was too,” Grace whispered. “I had no idea what I was doing. I’m sure there was help from above and you were strong and healthy enough to fight it. Now that you’re awake and alert again, do you want me to go find a doctor?”

  “Don’t think it would help,” Jed said. “We don’t really have anyone trained enough. And anyone who’s survived a snake bite probably wouldn’t know much more than you’ve figured out.”

  Grace was relieved she wouldn’t have to try to saddle the horse or hook it up to the wagon. She’d taken the saddle off the horse late in the evening after Jed had returned. She’d worried that all her fumbling had upset the poor animal and she hadn’t wanted to try riding the horse anywhere with her complete lack of knowledge.

  Jed’s hand still rested on her hand and she watched him as he breathed in slowly and exhaled slowly. But it was a healthy motion instead of the shallow and struggled breathing he’d had before. She hoped she never saw a rattler in her life and prayed Jed would avoid them all in the future. Knowing how dangerous the west was made Grace worried about her chances here. But even so, she had found a purpose in life. Something she felt was worth her time and that meant she was needed. Sure she’d been helpful to her brother, but it just didn’t feel the same as the love she’d developed for Jed’s children.

  And while she knew there wasn’t really love between herself and Jed, she found she was growing very fond of him. She felt her heart flutter every now and then when he looked at her.

  But she needed to put those emotions to the side since she knew he still loved his departed wife. If she was lucky, someday he might be able to think of her as more than just a mother for these children. She might find herself regretting her words to Susan that she didn’t need the love of a man.

  Seeing his eyes go all soft when he talked of Lizzie made her wish that she could have that kind of effect on him.

  Jed’s hand relaxed and she knew he was asleep, but she didn’t want to move. She wanted to stay right there with him even though there was no comfort she could give him now.

  At least she didn’t have to leave the room. He wouldn’t mind if she fell asleep on the rocking chair. Though after multiple nights in that chair, she felt like sleeping on the floor would be better. She made sure the floor was clean enough she could put her quilt down, then lay on top of the blanket, using one of the other blankets she’d found as her covering. She kept her dress on since she didn’t know what kind of help she’d need to give or how long she’d even be able to sleep.

  ***

  Jed woke up to the sound of snoring. He rolled to the side of the bed, wondering where it was coming from. His bed was empty, but he heard the sound again. With care, he rolled to the other side, careful of his injured leg and peered into the darkness. He was almost certain it was coming from the floor.

  Jed reached down and touched hair first, then a face and the snoring stopped immediately and turned into a startled snort.

  “What’s wrong?” Grace gasped. “Do you need something? Are you hurting?”

  Jed pulled his hand back as she sat up. “Nothing’s wrong.” He thought for a moment then said. “Except for the fact that you’re sleeping on the floor. You don’t have to do that. It can’t be at all comfortable.”

  “It’s fine,” Grace said, but he could see a faint outline of her standing up and moving over to the rocking chair she’d been on before. “Did I wake you?” Grace asked after a moment. “My brother used to tell me I snored so loud it shook the house.”

  Jed laughed, loving the way she was so matter-of-fact about it.

  “I could go into the other room. Most times if I lay on my side I don’t snore. I suppose I must have rolled to my back.”

  The concern in her voice was more apparent and Jed hurried to ease her worries. “I don’t mind. Honestly. Lizzie would snore on occasion too. I’m usually the snorer though.”

  “Really?” Grace asked. “I don’t think I’ve heard you snore yet.”

  “Well, that first night you were here, the girls kept kicking me or rolling around and it wasn’t a very peaceful night. The next night you didn’t sleep well because of your leg. Then this happened.” He pointed at his leg.

  “Goodness,” Grace said with a chuckle. “Your poor kids sharing our rooms will never stand a chance of sleeping well if both of us snore.”

  Jed knew there was a solution to that. But he wasn’t sure if he was ready for it yet. Or if she would ever be willing to share his room.

  Grace leaned down and pulled her quilt up onto her lap as she sat on the rocking chair. She rested her back against the head rest and he could hear her yawn.

  “This should help keep me from snoring,” she said.

  “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable,” Jed said. “But I don’t think you should sleep there.”

  “I could go out into the main room.” Grace stood up. “There’s a good open spot near the table.”

  “That’s not what I mean,” Jed said quickly to prevent her from leaving. “There is enough room for you to fit on the bed here. I promised I wouldn’t touch you, and that’s still my intent. I just think you should have a more comfortable place to sleep. You’ve been working so hard for these last few days. You need a good night’s rest.”

  “I couldn’t do that,” Grace said.

  “Why not?” Jed asked, genuinely curious.

  “I wouldn’t want to bump you if I moved in the night. I would feel terrible if I bothered your leg.”

  “Now that I know you won’t be sleeping comfortable because you’ll be on the cold hard floor, or on that chair, I won’t get any rest. As a gentleman, I should let you have the bed.” He made to get up and Grace squeaked in protest.

  “Don’t you dare get out of bed. You are the one who needs the rest.”

  “Grace,” Jed said. “I need sleep, sure. But you need it just as much. I’ll be here in this bed most of the day tomorrow is my guess. But you only have a few precious hours that you can sleep. Those children of mine will be up before long and you already know what’s in store for you. Please just do as I ask and climb onto the open side. There is enough room. And with my bad leg on this side, you wouldn’t touch it even if you did move in your sleep.”

  “Are you sure?” Grace asked.

  “Yes.” Jed reached over and patted the bed where Lizzie had always been. And though he missed her, he knew that this was now Grace’s home too. While he was in no hurry to move to more intimate relations with her, he knew eventually it would come to that. Grace was beautiful, kind, caring, and hard working. Everything a man could want in a wife. And once his heart healed enough to hold more than memories, he was sure Grace could fill it.

  It took her a few moments to finally move, but she stood from the rocking chair and walked around to the other side of the bed. There wasn’t a lot of room between the bed and the wall so she placed the quilt on the end of the bed before she climbed onto the covers that were pulled over him. He smiled, knowing it was a good idea, but completely unnecessary. She lay down stiffly and he could tell her back was toward him.

  Either she didn’t want to snore again, or she
wanted to keep as much distance between them as possible. It didn’t matter. At least she would get the rest she rightfully deserved.

  “Sleep well, Grace,” Jed said after she lay still enough he was sure she had finished getting comfortable.

  “Thank you, Jed. You too.”

  As he listened to his new wife’s breathing slowly change from awake to asleep, he felt like he was one of the luckiest men alive. He was grateful to have beaten the odds.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Grace woke feeling mostly rested and she listened to the sound of the rooster in the side yard. When her mind became fully aware of where she was, she was surprised to discover an arm across her own. She nearly jolted, but realized in time that it was Jed as he slept next to her. He was still resting and she carefully slid off the bed and studied him.

  His coloring was so much better than before and she breathed another sigh of relief. It was such a blessing that he had made it through.

  The sounds of children pulled her out of the room and she left him to keep sleeping. Missy had already gotten dressed and was helping Lottie put her dress on as well. Grace took care of little Milo and took them all into the kitchen.

  “I’ll whip up some breakfast, and hopefully your papa will feel like eating more today.”

  “Momma always made eggs.” Lottie pointed at the shelf where the basket of the remaining eggs from yesterday’s gathering were.

  “She sometimes made flapjacks too,” Missy said.

  “Should we do both?” Grace asked.

  Lottie clapped her hands together and Grace took that as a yes. She had the meal ready before Missy and Lottie returned to the house after gathering the eggs for the day.

  “Can I take the food to Papa?” Missy asked.

  “Sure,” Grace said, handing her the plate. “Tell him not to eat too much if it hurts his stomach. But hopefully he’ll be very hungry.”