Due to the flatness of the prairie, it was not long before the tiny shapes of a house and several outbuildings appeared on the horizon. Josephine knew that it was a large ranch, yet the size of the barn and the number of outbuildings surprised her. She could only imagine how many head of cattle they had on the ranch, and how much bigger it would become when Hank’s lands were open to them as well.
As they approached the house, which closely resembled the house Hank was living in, Caleb pulled the sleigh off the road and under an arched sign that read “Stark Ranch.” He pulled the team to a stop near the back door and Hank dismounted alongside them. The sound of a dog barking echoed from the barn.
Josephine saw a young boy, no more than four by her estimation, peer through the window closest to the door. She was about to ask if that was Caleb’s nephew when the door flew open and the boy ran out to greet them with a shout, barefoot and with no coat on.
“Hank! Uncle ‘Leb!” the boy shouted in sheer joy at seeing them, not a care given to the snow or the cold air.
A woman with dark hair and a rather pale complexion appeared at the open door. “George, get back in this house this instant!”
Caleb quickly scooped the boy up and jogged up to the door with his bundle, depositing the boy inside with a stern look on his face. “Georgie, you mind your Aunt Maddy. We’ve told you to never go outside without permission.”
George looked down at his cold feet with an appropriately shamed look on his face. “Yes, Uncle ‘Leb.”
Josephine thought the boy’s response seemed rather practiced, but said nothing. She nervously took Hank’s hand as he helped her from the sleigh. When she turned back toward the house, the boy was hanging on his aunt’s skirts and all but jumping up and down in excitement. She supposed it was not every day that he met a stranger.
Caleb made the introductions just inside the open door. “Madeline, this is Josephine…the one we told you about. Miss Josephine, this is my wife, Maddy, and my nephew, George.”
“Pleased to meet you both,” Josephine said as George grabbed her hand and began to shake it heartily.
“Now shoo,” Madeline told both Caleb and Hank as she began to close the door. “It’s cold, and you need to get back to work.”
Both men grinned and headed out with a “yes, ma’am” spoken in unison. Hank’s gaze lingered on Josephine, at least until the door shut between them.
Madeline saw that George was still shaking the young woman’s hand and sighed in exasperation. “George, why don’t you go and play quietly in the parlor? I need to show Miss Josephine her room.”
“I can do it, Auntie Maddy! I know which one! You just sit,” George said excitedly as he pulled his aunt to one of the chairs at the kitchen table. “You rest.”
George turned to Josephine faster than either woman could blink and added conspiratorially, “Uncle ‘Leb says Auntie Maddy is cooking up a baby and it makes her awful tired sometimes. How long does it take to cook a baby, Miss Jose..Jose…?” George struggled to pronounce her name, then gave up. “Miss Jo?”
Startled, Josephine looked to Madeline, who also had an astonished look on her face. Both ladies stared at one another for a moment in surprise and then burst into laughter. Poor little George looked at both of them like they were insane.
After a moment of laughter, Madeline wiped a happy tear from her eye. “Caleb told George that I had a baby in the oven. I guess he took it somewhat literally,” she explained as she tried to not burst into laughter all over again.
“I guess so!” exclaimed Josephine as she looked down at George with a smile. Leave it to children to freely talk about things society at large considers taboo. Josephine had never really understood why people did not talk about having a baby. It was such a normal part of life. She supposed that maybe it was because so many babies never breathed their first breath.
She looked up at Madeline as she set her bundle of clothes on the table, who did indeed look like she needed to sit down for a bit. “If your aunt doesn’t mind, I’d be happy to come with you. Just let me take off my coat first, all right?” She spoke to George, but looked questioningly at Madeline the entire time.
Madeline nodded her thanks and sank gratefully into the chair. “You can hang your things there by the door,” she said as she gestured to the pegs on the wall. “I’m sorry, I’m not much help this morning.”
“Nonsense,” Josephine said pleasantly as she began to take off her long coat, scarf, hat, and gloves. “If I’m going to be living here, there’s no need for you to wait on me. George can show me around, can’t you, George?”
George puffed up his chest like a proud rooster. “I sure can, Miss Jo!”
Once Josephine had her things hung neatly by the door, or sitting on the shelf above them, she sat on the bench near the door and removed her boots. She did not want to track any more snow into the house. She then walked to the table and unwrapped her shawl. She took her shoes, which were bundled neatly inside, sole to sole, and quickly put them on, wrapped the shawl about her shoulders, and picked up her clothes that had rested inside moments before.
As soon as she had finished, George took her free hand and began leading her through the house, chatting the entire way. Josephine looked back at Madeline as she was led from the kitchen, and Madeline mouthed a silent “Thank you.” The women smiled at one another, and then George pulled Josephine from the room.
As they walked through the door in the kitchen, they entered a formal dining room. A mahogany table sat in the center of the room, surrounded by six chairs. A large china cabinet sat along the wall next to the kitchen door, with two side chairs flanking it. The wall adjacent to that featured a good-sized fireplace with a beautiful hand-carved mantel. Windows framed the fireplace on either side of it, and a large picture window with leaded glass stood across from the cabinet.
Josephine had not expected to find such formal rooms in a house out west. Then again, after living in a one room sod house for as long as she had, having a separate kitchen felt like a luxury.
“This here’s the dining room. It’s just for fancy eatin’, though. We do most of our eatin’ in the kitchen.” George gestured around the room with his free hand as he spoke, and continued to walk quickly through the room toward a large doorway.
Josephine smiled. George clearly took his tour guide responsibility very seriously. He was trying very hard to sound like an adult, and she found it endearing. In fact, he spoke exceptionally well for such a young child. She would have to ask Madeline about it later.
She would have liked to look at the mementos on the mantel, but George already had her exiting the room and entering the foyer. She could look at them later.
“Them’s the stairs going up to the bedrooms,” he told Josephine with a quick gesture as he led her across the hall. She nearly bumped into the hall table sitting in the middle of the room as she was pulled into a room across the hall from the dining room.
Those,” she gently corrected George as he pulled her along. He looked up at her questioningly. “Those are the stairs,” she said with a smile.
George merely shrugged and continued his tour. He led Josephine into the front parlor, where he had a small military skirmish set up before the fireplace. “This here’s the front parlor. Careful you don’t kill my army,” he cautioned as they entered the room.
A fire crackled merrily in the large fireplace along the wall, with an ornate fire screen sitting before it to keep sparks from flying. George’s tin army men were carefully arranged on the floor near the hearth. Josephine could see that he had arranged them so that he could sit or lay on the carpet as he played.
A rocking chair stood at an angle to one side of the fireplace, with a sewing basket resting on the floor next to it. A comfortable looking armchair sat on the other side of the fireplace, while a sofa and low table sat across from them.
Behind the sofa stood a pair of pocket doors, now closed. Curio cabinets stood to either side of the pocket doors, angled caref
ully and built into the corners of the room. Knick knacks and photographs filled the shelves.
George immediately began to pull Josephine back into the hall. Intrigued by the closed doors, she did not follow him. Curious, he looked up at her with a confused look on his face.
“Aren’t you going to show me what’s on the other side of those doors?” she asked bemusedly.
George scratched his head. “Well…that’s the back parlor. Not sure why anyone needs two parlors,” he muttered. “This is the one we use, though.”
Josephine nodded and managed to somehow hold back the laughter that threatened to burst forth. She allowed George to take her upstairs and to show her the bedrooms. She found that her room was across the hallway from George’s.
Once he had shown her the room she would be sleeping in, George suddenly grew weary of showing her the house. “I’ve gotta get back to my war now,” he said earnestly and turned and ran from the room.
Josephine chuckled at his antics. She put her clothes away in an empty drawer she found in the bureau and hurried downstairs, eager to be of some use to Madeline and to get to know her better. She hoped that they would be good friends. She had not had any friends to speak of since she left Wisconsin as a little girl.
When she entered the kitchen, Josephine found Madeline asleep at the table. Caleb had not been joking when he had said that she was tired. She debated on waking her and sending her upstairs to lay down, but decided to leave her where she was. She looked around the kitchen more closely and discovered exactly where Madeline had been in the lunch preparations when she had arrived. She washed her hands and picked up where Madeline had left off, working as quietly as she could.
When Madeline awoke, she found Josephine slicing the bread she had placed in the oven just before Josephine had arrived. She jumped fully awake, startled that she had fallen asleep with bread in the oven.
“Oh, thank heavens you found the bread!” Madeline exclaimed as she jumped up from her seat.
Josephine smiled and continued slicing the warm bread. “It was no trouble at all.”
Madeline hurried to the stove and checked to see that the stew she had been reheating had not burned as well. She stirred the pot and was relieved to see that all was well. The second loaf of bread was cooling on the sideboard, precisely where she normally laid it to cool. “Thank you so much. I can’t believe I fell asleep like that! You should have woken me.”
“You looked so tired before. I thought I’d let you sleep. Will Hank and your husband be joining us for lunch?”
Madeline nodded. “Caleb usually does, at least in winter. Hank normally eats with the men in the bunk house, but I’m sure he’ll be joining us from now on,” she teased with a wink.
Josephine blushed and focused on slicing the bread. “Will they be here soon?”
Madeline glanced at the clock. “Any time, now.” She handed Josephine the basket for the bread and hurried to set the table. She was still berating herself for having fallen asleep as she had. At least Josephine had been there, or there was no telling what trouble George could have gotten into.
“Did George do a good job of showing you around?” Madeline spoke as she worked, both to take her mind off having fallen asleep with bread baking in the oven and in an attempt to get to know her guest.
“He did,” Josephine answered as she set the basket of bread on the table. “Everything except the back parlor.” Her lips twitched in merriment as she remembered him muttering about why anyone would need two parlors.
Madeline grinned. “The doors are too heavy for him to pull open. He probably didn’t want to be embarrassed. It is the back parlor, but it’s actually set up as a bedroom. Caleb’s mother had a hard time with the stairs before she passed, so I’m told. Caleb hasn’t been in there since his parents passed away. I just keep it clean now.”
Josephine was about to ask about Caleb’s parents, and inquire as to George’s age, when the back door opened up and Caleb and Hank filed in quickly.
Caleb took a deep, appreciative sniff and smiled. “Nothing like the smell of fresh baked bread,” he exclaimed as he hung his coat on a peg by the door.
Hank nodded in agreement as he followed suit. He smiled at Josephine as he removed his hat and gloves.
“It would’ve been the smell of burnt bread, had Josephine not been here,” Madeline confessed as she set the butter on the table. “I fell asleep.”
Caleb winked conspiratorially at Josephine. “Told ya we needed your help around here.” He kissed his wife softly on the cheek as he passed her on the way to the sink. His words were playful, but the look on his face showed that he was clearly concerned about Madeline.
Josephine blushed a bit and returned Hank’s smile. “I’m happy to help. You’re all being so kind to me.”
“Well, I hear you’ll be family come spring,” Caleb teased as he washed up for lunch. “It’s easy to be good to family.”
A dark look clouded Josephine’s eyes for a moment and her smile faltered. She quickly averted her eyes and turned her attention back to lunch. “Madeline, will we bring the stew to the table or just fill the bowls from the pot on the stove?”
Madeline and Hank both saw the look on Josephine’s face before she changed the subject so abruptly and exchanged a worried look of their own before Madeline responded.
“I think we’ll just fill them and bring them to the table. Less hassle sounds good to me.”
Josephine nodded and took the stack of bowls to the stove. She set them down on the coolest corner of the stove and began to ladle hot stew into them.
“I’ll go get Georgie,” Caleb said as he dried his hands on the towel and threw it over Hank’s shoulder. He gave his wife a quick kiss on top of her head as he passed her on his way to the parlor, where he knew George always played before lunch.
Hank quickly washed up and returned the towel to its proper place alongside the dry sink. He then stood by his normal spot at the table and waited for Josephine to be seated before he took his own seat.
Josephine filled the men’s bowls to the brim and set them at the table. She assumed Caleb would sit next to Madeline and set Hank’s directly in front of where he was standing. She then filled two more bowls about two-thirds full for herself and Madeline. When she got to George’s bowl, she put a small scoop in and then showed it to Madeline.
“Is this good for George?” She knew that children had much smaller stomachs than adults, but really had no idea how much a small boy would eat.
Madeline glanced in the bowl and nodded. “That’s perfect. Thank you, Josephine.” She moved her own bowl to the side and took the bowl for George. She began to cut the meat and vegetables into smaller bites for her nephew.
A squeal of delight erupted from the front of the house, which made everyone smile. Caleb soon sauntered into the kitchen with his nephew held upside-down over his shoulder.
“I wrangled the young-in,” Caleb said with a grin as George continued to laugh and squeal in delight, twisting around in a half-hearted attempt to break free.
Madeline shook her head as she smiled. “Make sure he washes up first.”
Caleb shifted his grip to George’s ankles and lifted him high in the air over the bucket of sudsy water in the sink. “Hear that, Georgie? Time to wash up,” he teased as he pretended to lower the boy head first into the bucket.
“Noooo!” George tried to scream in fear, but was laughing far too hard for it to have much effect.
Josephine watched the events unfold with a wistful look on her face. Her father used to do similar things to her when she was around George’s age. It reminded her of how a family should be, and she hoped that she and Hank would have a similar happy family experience one day.
Caleb set George down on the floor, then pulled out a step stool for the boy to use so he could reach the bucket to wash his hands. Once he was finished washing them, Caleb inspected George’s hands before handing him the towel.
George dried them quickly and then
rushed to his seat at the table, which was located between his aunt and uncle. He nearly sat down, but stopped when Hank cleared his throat pointedly at him. He looked up at Hank questioningly.
Hank nodded his head toward Josephine, who was at the stove retrieving a pot of coffee. They had been working on George’s manners for some time now. He knew that the boy knew to wait for the ladies to be seated before he took his own seat.
George nodded solemnly at Hank and waited fairly patiently for Josephine to pour coffee for the men. He started to fidget as he waited for her to pour some tea from a kettle for herself and Madeline, and was getting downright antsy when she poured a small cup of milk for George.
Finally Josephine sat down across from Madeline, and the men took their seats as well.
“Thank you for being so polite, George,” Josephine told him with a smile. She saw how hard it had been for him to wait.
George nodded. “You’re welcome, Miss Jo.”
Everyone smiled and then bowed their head for the blessing. As soon as Caleb said the blessing, the men dug into their stew with gusto. Josephine noticed Madeline merely picking at her stew and moving it around and looked up into the other woman’s face. Madeline’s lips were drawn tight and she looked tired and sickly.
Josephine guessed that the morning sickness was to blame. She tapped Madeline’s foot gently with her own to get the other woman’s attention.
Madeline glanced up with a quizzical expression on her face.
“Sip some tea. I made some ginger tea while you rested. My grandmother always used wild ginger when I had an upset stomach, but I think regular ginger will work just as well.” Josephine smiled encouragingly and took a sip of her own tea in encouragement.
Madeline smiled her thanks and took a sip. She waited a moment to make certain it would stay down and then took another.
Josephine watched Madeline out of the corner of her eye as she sipped the tea. Color slowly returned to her face and her jawline relaxed. Soon Madeline was reaching for some bread, and Josephine knew that her tea had helped.
Hank's Runaway Bride (Brides of Chimney Rock Book 1) Page 6
