Rebecca opened the door and smiled. “That’s true, Edna, so why are you knocking?” she asked the startled woman, who appeared to have just reached for the door.
Mrs. Brown frowned at her. “This basket’s heavy. Move or take it.”
Rebecca reached out and took the wicker basket from the older woman. It was indeed very heavy. “What did you pack in here, an icebox?” Rebecca turned and walked to the table.
Eliza and Hannah followed the other two women inside. “She tried. I think Mrs. Brown can out-pack any woman I know.” Eliza set another basket on the table. “I saw the Reynolds wagon parked out by the barn. It looks like they are loading it up. Does that mean they are Janie’s family?”
Rebecca didn’t trust her voice as a knot the size of an apple formed in her throat. She nodded and opened the top of the basket. Fresh tears stung her eyes and closed her throat.
Mrs. Brown rested a hand on her shoulder. “Are you going to let them take the baby?”
Chapter Twenty-Three
“Marshal, we’d like permission to camp beside your house for a few days. The women and I can’t seem to agree on what should be done about the babe,” Jack Reynolds said, twisting his worn brown hat in his hands as he stood outside the front door.
Seth looked to Rebecca. How much more of this indecisiveness could she take? He nodded. “On one condition.”
Jack stood taller. “What would that be?”
“Rebecca keeps Janie until your family decides what you will do.” He felt Rebecca’s shocked gaze upon him.
The tall man visibly relaxed. “I think that would be for the best, as well.” He turned to face Rebecca. “But, ma’am, I can’t promise my women folk won’t bug you about holding the baby.”
She gave him a watery smile. It seemed as if she were battling within to speak. “If I were in their shoes, I’d feel the same way.”
“Thank you. You’re a very kind woman, Miss Ramsey.” He nodded to them both and then left.
Seth hobbled over to her. He placed his arm around her shoulder and gave her a gentle squeeze. “He’s right, you know. You really are a very kind woman.”
“I only spoke the truth, Marshal. If the shoe were on the other foot, I’d feel the same way they do.” She pulled away from his embrace. “I want to keep Janie, but I’m also a Christian and I’m trying my best to do the right thing.”
He walked over to the couch and sat. “Then in that case, you are doing a good job, Miss Ramsey.” He’d added emphasis to her name to catch her attention. Did she realize she’d reverted to calling him Marshal? Or had it simply happened from habit?
Her head came up and she searched his face. “Miss Ramsey?” Confusion laced her eyes and her brow furrowed.
Seth smiled. “If you are calling me Marshal again, I suppose I should be calling you Miss Ramsey. But—” he lowered his voice as if telling her a secret “—I’d rather you call me by my Christian name. It comes out sounding ever so sweet.”
Her features relaxed. A graceful blush climbed into her cheeks. Rebecca walked to her bedroom door. He watched the gentle sway of her hips as she glided across the room. Just before entering she said, “Janie will be waking up early in the morning. Good night, Seth.”
His name sounded like soft music on her lips. “Good night, Rebecca.” Did she notice that his voice sounded husky?
Seth waited until her door clicked shut and then made his way out the front door. A question had nagged at him since the Reynoldses had arrived and he wanted the answer tonight.
Jack stood under one of the cottonwood trees, smoking. “Evening,” he said as Seth joined him.
Seth nodded. They stood in comfortable silence for several moments. Crickets chirped and fireflies teased their vision.
“Is there something I can do for you, Marshal?” Jack tossed his cigarette down and crushed it beneath his boot.
Nothing like getting straight to the point, Seth thought. He turned to face the man. “How did you know to come to Cottonwood Springs to find your family?”
Jake lit another hand-rolled cigarette, inhaled and released the smoke from his lungs. Sadness filled his voice. “We’d already checked in Durango. The banker said he’d talked to Ben and was told they were going to stop in Farmington. Just to be certain, I came here to see if they’d stopped for a spell. Now I wish I hadn’t. Sometimes, I think it would be better for the womenfolk not to know. But, then again…” He let the remainder of his thoughts hang in the evening air between them.
Seth understood. Pain and sorrow filled the Reynolds women’s eyes. He hated to see it there. It might have been easier on them not knowing, but, like Jack Reynolds, he pushed that thought aside. Now they knew and he worried at the pain and sorrow he might soon see in Rebecca’s eyes.
* * *
Rebecca shut the door. Edna’s soft snores filled the room. She walked to the window and looked out into the moonlit yard. The way Seth had said her name caused her stomach to flutter like hummingbird wings.
Since the Reynoldses’ arrival, things had changed again between her and Seth. He’d tried to protect her and even tonight had taken a stand for her and Janie.
Her gaze moved to the twinkling stars and a yawn escaped her lips. Today had been exhausting. Rebecca should go to bed but didn’t want to. She looked over at Janie’s sleeping form. The urge to pick the baby up and cuddle her almost overwhelmed her.
Instead she decided to take a moonlit walk. Rebecca pulled her shawl from the hook, draped it about her shoulders and quietly left the house through the kitchen door. She didn’t know where she was going but knew it had to be someplace quiet.
The Reynolds wagon sat beside the house. Rebecca picked up her skirt and inched past. She could hear the sounds of children and adults preparing for bed. How did they all sleep in that wagon? She could only imagine how cramped they were.
Rebecca walked farther up the hill and sat down in the grass. With the stars and moon shining so bright, she could almost make out the town below. The chirping of crickets and the gentle breeze slowly eased the tension in her shoulders. She looked up into the heavens and tried to imagine God looking down on her. What did He think about her dilemma?
He’d known what would happen today even before it had occurred. So it stood to reason God knew what all her tomorrows held, too. Looking up at the thousands and millions of stars, Rebecca poured her heart out to her Heavenly Father.
Peace covered her like a warm blanket and she smiled. God was in control. No matter what happened, Rebecca knew she would survive because He was her strength. She pulled her shawl tighter around her shoulders.
“May I join you?”
The softly spoken words came from behind her. Rebecca turned to find Ruthann standing a few feet away. She smiled at the older woman. “Please do.”
Ruthann spread her skirt out on the ground and leaned back on her elbows. “The heavens are beautiful out here.”
“Yes, they are.” Rebecca leaned back to enjoy the view with her. “I find it peaceful when I lie out under them.”
The older woman glanced across at her. “Do you do this often?”
Rebecca grinned. “Not as much as I’d like, but sometimes, like tonight, I just need to get away from the house and pray.”
Ruthann looked toward the house and where her family’s wagon sat. “I imagine our arrival has given you much to pray about tonight, hasn’t it?”
“Yes.” Rebecca inhaled the sweet smell of grass and night air. She wondered what had brought Ruthann to her but didn’t ask. The other woman would tell her when she was ready. Until then, she’d enjoy the peace God had hung about her shoulders like a warm shawl.
Ruthann sighed. “You and I are a lot alike.”
Rebecca turned to study her face. She still felt as if now was the time to remain silent and so said nothing.
“I came up here to pray, also. You see, I love my daughter and her family, but I don’t feel like I belong with them. I agreed to travel to California, but I’ve
never felt as if I’d make the complete journey with them.” She sat up and hugged her knees. “I should have come with Sadie, but I thought Cora needed me more.”
“Because of the children?” Rebecca asked.
Ruthann nodded. “Yes. I wish I had gone with Sadie and Benjamin.” She lowered her head to her knees.
Lord, give me the right words to comfort Ruthann. Rebecca laid her hand on Ruthann’s shoulders. “If you had gone with them, you wouldn’t be alive today to see Janie or your other grandchildren grow up.”
She raised her head. Tears rolled down her cheeks and her voice quivered. “The only way I will see all my grandchildren grow up is if we take Janie on to California with us.”
So that was it. Ruthann wanted her to see how important it was for them to have Janie. How important it was for the little girl to grow up with her family. Rebecca looked to the heavens.
“But I don’t want Janie to go on to California. I want her to stay here, with you.” Ruthann’s words shocked Rebecca. How could she say that? Knowing she might never see the baby again?
Ruthann wiped at the tears and tried to laugh. The sound came out choppy and broken. “I know that doesn’t make sense, but I’ve seen the love in your eyes.”
“I do love her, but I also see the reasoning in keeping her with her family.” Rebecca’s voice cracked.
The older woman nodded. “See, you and I are a lot alike. We can see both sides and we want what’s best for my granddaughter.”
They sat in silence. Rebecca watched Jack climb down from the wagon and spread a blanket under it. A few minutes later the boys joined him, each carrying a blanket.
“That man loves my daughter too much.” Ruthann sighed.
Puzzled, Rebecca asked, “How can a man love a woman too much?”
Ruthann smiled at her. “He didn’t want me to come along. Mary hears everything and told me how her mother threatened not to move on to California if Jack didn’t see to it that I came, too. The child is young and doesn’t know how it broke my heart to hear those words.”
How could Jack not want his mother-in-law to go with them? It seemed cruel to want to leave her behind.
“Before you start judging Jack, remember I’m here. Jack is a sensible man. He knew the journey would be hard for me. Jack also knew that he and the boys would end up sleeping on the ground. And, he was wise enough to know I didn’t want to come.”
Rebecca frowned. “And yet, you are here.”
“Because Cora is spoiled and we have given her her way for too long.”
They watched as Jack tucked each of his sons in and kissed them on the head. “I’m staying here, Miss Ramsey. That man deserves to sleep in the wagon and so do my grandsons.”
“Please, call me Rebecca. If you are staying, I’d like to be friends.” She meant it, too. This woman seemed to be a God-fearing woman, a sister in Christ.
“Thank you, Rebecca.” She looked up into the heavens and closed her eyes.
Rebecca started to get up and leave her to what she thought were Ruthann’s prayers.
Ruthann’s hand grabbed her arm. “Please stay. I would like to discuss something else with you.”
She eased back onto the grass. “All right.”
“I know this is none of my business, but I have to say it.”
Rebecca looked into the woman’s face. She looked to be in her early sixties, the same age as Mrs. Walker and her fellow gossips. Had the women spoken to Ruthann about her? Given her reasons to send Janie on with Cora and Jack? “Please, go on.” The words tasted bitter in her mouth, but she felt God easing her onward.
“I’ve been approached by a group of women who have shared your story with me. I’m not proud to say I listened. Come to think of it, I’m not proud of my scolding lecture that I gave them on gossip either, but I digress.” Ruthann brushed a wayward strand of light brown hair from her face. “I understand you are a mail-order bride whose groom died suddenly.”
Rebecca nodded. “It’s true.”
“Is it true that you are living with the marshal?”
Rebecca felt heat fill her face. “Yes, but not in the way I’m sure they led you to believe. Mrs. Brown—Edna—is staying there as well until the marshal gets better.”
Ruthann patted her leg. “Yes, I knew that, too.”
Rebecca didn’t understand why she’d even asked then. She waited, sensing Ruthann wasn’t finished talking.
“They also tell me that you used to reside with Mrs. Kelly, the owner of the hat and dress shop in town.”
Rebecca sighed. “That is true, too, and as soon as the marshal is able to walk without the cane, I will be moving back in with Eliza.”
“I thought as much.” Ruthann glanced back down at the wagon. “This may sound crazy to you, but I think I know how we can both be happy.”
“I’m listening.”
Ruthann patted her leg again. “Thank you. I have money of my own. I’d planned on buying a house once we got settled in California, but now I want to settle here. Mrs. Porter told me her husband has a small house on the edge of town for sale. I asked how much he wanted for it and bought it.”
Rebecca came fully awake. Her voice squeaked out. “You bought it already?”
The older woman grinned and nodded. “I’ve been thinking on this all day and it just made sense, so while Cora fed the children and Jack was inside talking to you and the marshal, I bought the Porter place.”
Didn’t Ruthann realize her whole family was leaving for California? They might even be taking Janie. What would she do for money? Had she used all her savings to buy the place?
“Oh, dear. I can see by the expression on your face that you think I’ve done the wrong thing.” Her gaze returned to the wagon. “And if you think so, I can only imagine Cora’s expression tomorrow when I tell her that Janie and I are staying right here.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Two mornings later, Seth groaned as the child again ran from the kitchen, out the front door and then back through the kitchen. At least he thought it was the same child. Who knew for sure? There were so many of them.
His stomach growled at the tantalizing aromas of bacon, sausage, eggs and fried potatoes that filled his house. Children’s laughter and squeals were becoming a part of life in the Billings home. How much longer would it last?
“Here, Marshal.” Jack Reynolds handed him a plate. “I’m sorry we’ve taken over your house, but Cora’s insisting the children sit at the table for their meals. Thankfully, she still allows me to say the blessing.”
Seth chuckled at Jack’s pun. “Much obliged.” Seth looked down at the eggs, sausage, potatoes and biscuits on his plate. He had two of everything.
Rebecca carried a cup of coffee to him. The rich aroma preceded her. She set the cup down on the end table and smiled. “Can I get you anything else?”
She was up to something. Rebecca had her old bounce in her step and her eyes twinkled. As far as he knew, the Reynolds family still hadn’t made a decision as to whether they were taking Janie or leaving her. Cora carried the baby around as if she were her own, only giving her up when Rebecca said it was nap- or bedtime.
Ruthann Shepherd also seemed to be up to something. She shared glances and smiles with Rebecca when they thought no one else would notice. The older woman had disappeared several times with the excuse of going shopping, but she never returned with anything. Had the others noticed this? If they had, they weren’t saying anything.
Jack smacked his lips. “That young gal can sure cook. If I weren’t already married, I’d beg her to marry me quick.” He patted his stomach.
“I heard that, Jack Reynolds.” Cora stood in the kitchen doorway.
Jack turned to Seth. “You heard her, Marshal. If I’m dead by this evening, you’ll know who did it.”
Cora shook a spoon at him. “And make myself a widow with this passel of children? I don’t think so. You are stuck with my bad cooking for many years to come.” The teasing glint in her eyes
told everyone that she wasn’t truly angry.
“That’s why I love you, Cora Beth. You are a sensible woman.”
“Ma! Naomi spilled her milk again,” Mary cried from the kitchen.
Cora turned back to tend to her children.
Seth looked to Jack. “There for a second I thought you’d done yourself in talking about another woman’s cooking like that.”
Jack laughed. “Cora knows I’ll never look at another woman. She holds my heart.”
The sound of Rebecca’s laughter drifted from the kitchen. Did she hold his heart? And if so, what about Jesse? What about Clare? Even if she held his heart, would she crush it when she learned he was the cause of both their deaths?
* * *
As soon as breakfast was over, Cora sent the children outside to play. Ruthann caught Rebecca’s eye. She smiled and nodded. Rebecca’s heart picked up a beat. Now was the time. She’d talked Ruthann into waiting to tell the family of her plans until she could get her home ready to show them.
Ruthann wiped her hands dry on the dishcloth. “Ladies, let’s go join the men. I have an announcement to make.”
Cora’s eyes narrowed and she looked to Rebecca. As they followed Ruthann, she hissed to Rebecca, “Do you have something to do with this?”
Rebecca ignored her and entered the sitting room. Seth and Jack were playing a game of checkers. Seth looked up and met her gaze. She looked down. He wasn’t going to like Ruthann’s announcement, at least not her part in it.
Ruthann moved to the center of the room. She picked up Janie, who had been playing on a blanket. “I have an announcement to make.” Her gaze moved about the room as each eye turned in her direction.
“Ma, what is this about?” Cora placed her fisted hands on her hips.
The older woman glared at her daughter. Her sharp voice chastised the young woman. “I raised you to respect your elders and I’ll thank you to keep quiet.”
Cora dropped her gaze. Her cheeks turned pink and she dropped her hands to hang limply by her side. “Yes, ma’am.”
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