by Danni Roan
The sudden whoosh and loud clunk, snap and clatter of the big iron skillet flying through the air and making a percussive impact with the snake’s head had Benjamin Smith throwing his large frame out the door and into the bright sunshine. Quickly jumping to his feet again he dashed back into the soddy pistol at the ready. On the floor near the door the long form of the rattler writhed and twitched, its broad head shattered by the impact of the skillet.
Benji gaped at his new bride who stood near the stove calmly waiting for the side winder to realize it was already dead. She showed no signs of distress or even fear. He blinked at her trying to find words. Finding his voice after several attempts, he opened his mouth. “Are you alright?”
Cathleen offered him a small smile. “Yes, I’m not daft enough to get near the thing though.” She began. “My father taught me how to deal with snakes as a child.” Her matter of fact words trickled into his brain. “We used to get them around the pastures especially in the spring when calves are very vulnerable to snake bite.”
Again Benji blinked at her. “What a woman.” He whispered. He was surprised to see confusion on her face.
“It’s just a snake.” She offered matter-of-factly. “I’ve killed dozens of them.”
As the writhing form of the snake stopped twitching Benjamin Smith stepped around the table and took his wife in his arms. “You just saved my life.” He said then kissed her soundly.
Cathleen clung to him suddenly realizing he truly could have been bitten by the creature, as he let her go she smiled at him mischievously. “I may have saved your life but just look at the mess I’ve made of my kitchen.”
Benji kissed her again.
Chapter 7
After being kissed until the blood pounded in her ears Cathleen straightened her dress and looked up into the bright eyes of the man she’d married. “What are you doing here anyway?” she asked. Wondering why he’d come back in the middle of the day.
“You didn’t come up for lunch and I thought you might be sick.” His eyes were worried.
Cathleen blushed. “I’m afraid I was sewing and lost track of time.” She admitted. “I’ll go right up to the house and help out now.
“No one was worried about you not helping, they was just worried that something was wrong.” He shivered and grasped her hand thinking about the big snake that still lay on the sod floor behind him. If she had started to leave not realizing it was there it could have killed her. Once again he pulled her into his arms. “I’m glad you’re alright.” He said softly into her ear, making little shivers run from her neck to her toes.
“We’d better get up to the house.” Cathleen finally said, “before everyone comes looking for us.”
“I’ll get this mess cleaned up.” the big cowhand offered giving her hand one more squeeze.
Once Benji had disposed of the snake, lifting it carefully on the head of shovel and then burying it behind the vegetable garden, He and Cathleen walked to the house hand in hand.
Lunch was winding down as the couple arrived, several people had already left to get back to their chores and Cathleen blushed at their lateness but no one seemed to mind. Instead they made room at the table and passed the dishes around.
Benji had just filled his plate when he innocently mentioned to Joshua that Cathleen had killed a large rattle snake in the sod hut, with nothing but a frying pan. Silence fell like a stone as every eye at the table turned toward the couple. Cathleen felt her face go scarlet.
“Don’t make a big fuss,” She said softly, “it was just a snake.”
All at once everyone was asking questions; the women turned to Cathleen shocked that she hadn’t been terrified, while the men bombarded Benji for the details. Once everyone’s curiosity had been satisfied Joshua spoke.
“There must be a whole somewhere in the foundation.” He stated, obviously thinking the problem through. “With this heat the critter’s probably been coming in there to hunt and now you two moved in he didn’t know what to do.”
“We’ve only been using the soddy to store supplies for years.” Bianca said obviously still shocked at the discovery. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that dear.” She added as if it were her fault.
“Mrs. Leone…” Cathleen began only to be interrupted by the older woman.
“You call me Bianca like everyone else.” She said reaching a hand across the table to pat the other woman.
“Bianca then.” Cathleen started again. “I think everyone here has gotten the wrong impression of me.” She swallowed looking to Benjamin for support, then continued as he nodded. “I’m just a simple farm girl from Ohio. My father worked on a large dairy farm my whole life and I was no more than a milk maid. I’m used to keeping house and doing chores just like you, so please don’t worry about me.” she gazed around the table to be sure that everyone understood. "I've had to kill snakes many times when out watching the cows, so please don't make a fuss."
For a moment everyone was silent then Bianca stood and walking around the table wrapped her arms around Cathleen’s shoulders.
“You may think that you are only a simple farm girl but to us you are the beautiful lady who has made Benji so happy.” She paused and smiled. “Not to mention saving his life today. We are so glad to have you here.”
A bright tear spilled from Cathleen’s eye. “Then I guess you’ll let me help with the dishes today.” She offered with a grin.
After lunch the men split up to various tasks while Joshua, Benji and Iss went to the soddy to find and patch the hole the snake had gotten through.
“I’ll see you at supper.” Benjamin offered, planting a kiss on Cathleen’s cheek before leaving.
“You’ve made him very happy.” Bianca said later as she dried dishes while Cathleen washed.
“He’s a good man.” Cathleen replied, “I like him.”
“It’s always good to like the man you marry.” Bianca said with a smile. They both chuckled.
“So how are you finding the Broken J?” The older woman asked, and Cathleen found herself opening up for the first time in a long while.
“It’s a beautiful place.” She began. “I think I could be happy here.”
“Did Benji say when you’d be going to his cabin?”
“No, he only mentioned it. Is it far?” Suddenly she was afraid of being completely alone with the man who was a virtual stranger. What would it be like to only have Benji to talk to all day? What if he didn’t like the woman she really was? She shivered at the thought.
“It’s not far at all, just over the creek and up the hill in a grove of trees. I’m sure you’ll get over here all the time. Either way me and the girls will drop in now and then.” She smiled as if she liked the idea.
“I am sorry about not being here to help prepare lunch.” Cathleen offered out of the blue.
“Well I think enough happened that it’s understandable.” Bianca chided.
“Oh no, it wasn’t the snake that made me late. I was sewing and completely lost track of time.”
The older woman took the last plate from Cathleen, dipped it in the clean water of the second tub then wiped it with a cloth before speaking again.
“You like to sew?”
“I love it.” Cathleen replied with a big grin. “My mother taught me before she passed away. I’m afraid I haven’t had much time recently though.” She glanced down at her rather worn attire.
“We’ll make some new curtains for the soddy together then.” Bianca said already excited about the thought. “It always seems that there is just so much to keep up with here at the ranch some things get neglected.”
After the dishes were washed and the kitchen tidied Bianca encouraged Cathleen to return to her own home to continue work on her dress. “I’ve got more than enough help around the kitchen.” She offered kindly then with a wink shouted for the girls to come and help her.
As the days wore on at the Broken J Cathleen began to feel more confident. She could tell that Benjamin liked her
and being alone with him was no longer so awkward. He was attentive and seemed to actually enjoy spending time with her. After the episode with the snake and her pronouncement that she wanted to do her fair share she even felt more a part of the ranch and was quickly becoming friends with Bianca Leone’. It was a joy to have another woman to talk to. She also reveled in the time she had to sew and found time to do it every day.
Cathleen had been sitting on the bed sewing again when a soft tap sounded at the door. Glancing out the window to check the time she determined that it couldn’t be supper time yet then scooted off of the bed, wondering if Mae was popping in again before opening the door.
Katie stood at the door in a lovely yellow dress, her golden hair piled on her head in a loose bun.
“I just made fresh cookies and thought you might like some.” Katie said in greeting holding out a small plate covered by a cloth.
“That’d be lovely.” The other woman said and directed Katie to the small two-person table by the miniscule cook stove. “Won’t you come in for tea.”
“I hope you’re settling in alright now.” Katie said politely as she placed the cookies on the table and sat herself in a chair.
Cathleen’s soft laugh was her initial reply, as she placed cups and saucers on the table then pulled a tin of tea off of a shelf. “I won’t say it’s been easy but yes I think I am. It’s such a beautiful place and Benjamin says we’ll be moving to his own cabin as soon as the snow arrives.”
“Oh, I hadn’t thought of that.” Katie said as she watched Cathleen sit and pour the tea. “Isn’t it terribly hard being so far away from everyone, family and friends, I mean?”
“I don’t really have any family left.” Cathleen said wistfully “and as for friends I think I’ll make my fair share here. I’m learning that life is all about your attitude and not your circumstances.”
Katie pondered the other woman’s words while she munched a sugar cookie. She found that she truly liked Cathleen and that despite the woman’s bumpy start as a member of the Broken J’s odd family, she thought that someday they could be real friends. Cathleen was quiet and reserved, but also had a quick humor hidden just below the surface.
“I don’t think I could ever just leave home like you did.” Katie began, thinking out loud as she sipped her tea. “I mean my whole family is here and they need me. I’ve Pa, and all of my sisters, and Nona, Grans, and Ye-ye Chen Lou aren’t getting younger. They need me to look after things.”
“I’m proud to see a young woman with a sense of responsibility.” Cathleen said, smoothing her skirts and looking across the table at her young guest.
“But what does it really mean to care for your family? Before my father passed…” she paused taking a steadying breath “… he insisted that the only thing that would make him rest easy was to know I was taken care of. It’s the biggest reason I decided to become a mail order bride.”
For a moment her eyes took on a faraway look. “Sometimes what we think of as being selfish or self-serving is really what our family wants for us. What they really want is for us to be happy and safe, that’s all.”
For some reason Cathleen’s words made Katie feel uncomfortable. She had always known her place. Her whole life she’d known that as the oldest she had to watch over her family and see that they had everything they needed. Her wants and desires were secondary to theirs. Up until recently everything she had ever wanted had been right here; she’d been content, happy, satisfied in her role. Why did she feel so restless now? Finishing her tea, she thanked her new aunt for the visit and excused herself. But once she left the cheery confines of the tiny sod shack she couldn’t shake her feeling of unease.
Cathleen pondered her visit with Katie. The girl needed to follow her heart, but even as she thought of it she wondered if she could follow her own. Every day she was becoming more aware of her feelings for Benjamin Smith. Initially she had thought he was simply a kind man who wouldn’t leave a woman stranded and alone, but now she wasn’t sure. Did she dare hope he could actually care for her?
As the days turned into weeks an easy routine was established and Cathleen felt useful as she helped out in the kitchen or with the mending. Each night after supper the family would retire to the parlor to read or do mending and other small jobs. Then she and Benjamin would retire to the soddy where she’d make tea and they would spend time sitting together before turning in.
Tonight was no different but instead of easy conversation Benjamin seemed distracted.
“Benjamin is everything alright?” she asked after several minutes of silence.
He raised his eyes to hers. “I’m just thinking about Katie and Will.” He replied.
“They do seem to be smitten with each other don’t they.” Cathleen smiled. “I don’t know why they resist so hard.”
“None of knows what to do for them.” He continued, “you’d think two young people would just sort of grow together. When Josh came up with this idea of findin’ husbands for his girls…” he stopped suddenly realizing what he’d said and smiled at the surprise on Cathleen’s face.
“He didn’t?” she gaped a bright smile spreading across her face.
Benji nodded. “We didn’t know what else to do. The girls are here and not only don’t we want them to go away some like Katie couldn’t be pried off the place. We had to do something.”
Taking her hand, he explained the situation as best he could, delighted at her giggles over the whole affair.
Suddenly Cathleen stopped laughing, and Benji looked up into her serious face.
“What about us Benjamin?” She asked her eyes steady.
“What do you mean?” He asked bewildered.
“Are we growing together?” Cathleen’s heart raced even as she boldly asked the words.
“I don’t know how we’ll get along in your cabin all alone if we’re not.” She added hope waring with doubt in her breast.
Benji’s eyes softened as he gazed at her. Could she really not know how much he cared for her? Hadn’t he shown her again and again.
“Are you saying you don’t care for me Cathleen?” he asked softly afraid of the answer while desperate to know.
“I do care for you.” The woman across from him said her voice just a whisper, her dark eyes glowing now. "That's what I so afraid of."
Taking her hand, he pulled her upright and brought her around the table until she rested in his arms. The feel of her had become so familiar to him. Her soft curves, her silky hair, the smell of honey and lemon on her skin. He loved her plump folds and each time he took her in his arms he felt like a young man again.
“Don’t you know how much I care for you?” He asked resting his chin on her head as she leaned into him, he felt more than heard her response.
Holding her close he drew her toward the bed, pulling her down onto the mattress beside him. “Do you believe in love at first site?” he finally asked.
“I think it’s something you just read about in stories.” She answered her voice shaky.
“That’s what I thought as well,” his voice was rough “until that day in Casper when I saw you standing by the depot.”
Cathleen gasped, could he be saying what she thought? What did he mean?
“The moment my eyes lit on you I was smitten.” He continued. “I couldn’t think of anything else and almost got run down by a mule team crossing the street just to get to you. There’s no other way to explain it. As soon as I saw you my heart was gone.”
Cathleen pulled away from him. “Are you saying you love me Benjamin Smith?” her voice was startled; hopeful.
“Yes, but apparently I’m not doing a very good job of it.” He chortled before looking her in the eye.
“Cathleen Malone Smith, I love you and I’m just praying to the good Lord that he’ll let you come to feel something for me along the way.”
Cathleen giggled even as tears began to stream from her eyes. “Oh Ben, I love you too. I thought you were just being kind to me, that y
ou were the kind of man who wouldn’t leave a woman stranded and alone. I’ve been falling in love with you this whole time and was so worried you’d get fed up with me.”
Benji wiped her tears away with a callused thumb. “I’ll never get tired of you.” he said leaning in to kiss her. “I love everything about you and if you don’t believe that let me prove it.” He chuckled again then fell to kissing her.
Cathleen gazed at the oil lamp still burning brightly on the small table in her new home. She knew she should get up and put it out but she didn’t want to move from where she lay wrapped in her husband’s arms feeling felt warm, content and loved.
Epilogue
Cathleen walked into her new home. The cabin was absolutely beautiful to her. Simple but well set up. It wasn’t as grand as the big ranch house at the Broken J and it didn’t have a pump but it was hers. She smiled at Ben. Somehow she’d lost the need to be formal with him, shortening his proper name. There were other names she called him now as well, and she blushed thinking about the endearments.
“What do you think?” The man himself spoke concern evident in his voice.
“It’s perfect.” She replied confidently. “It does need a good scrub though.” She added, but not critically.
“I built it ages ago thinking that someday I’d move here but it never seemed like the right time, there always seemed to be a little bit more to do. Now with Will settled as the new foreman and things changing on the ranch I feel like I can call it home.” He smiled at her hoping she’d be happy.
Cathleen turned and wrapped her arms around him. “I truly love it Ben. I know we’ll be happy here.”
To Benji’s surprise she turned and pulled a picture frame out of her valise then scanned the room. “I know just where to put this.” She said walking toward the fire place on the far wall of the three room log cabin, and propping the frame on the mantle.
