Mandy decided she should stir up the fire, put some more logs on, and see what time it was. But by the time she had closed the bedroom door, cold air blasted from the back door, and Deidre was practically blown in with her arms full of wood. She, too, had thought to add wood to the fire, only to discover there was merely one piece of wood in the cabin and a few sticks. With all their plowing and visiting, they had used up all the wood from the back porch, and Deidre had had to go out to the woodpile to bring in wet wood. She was soaked to the skin and shivering.
“Go get some dry clothes while I build up the fire,” Mandy encouraged her friend.
But Deidre shook her head. She wanted to bring in more wood before she changed so it could begin to dry before they would need it. She was already soaked, so there was no reason for Mandy to get cold, too. “This storm is goin’ to last all day long from the looks of it, so I’m goin’ to bring in enough wood to last the day and night. Then I’ll warm my body up. Guess we ain’t goin’ to be doin’ any planting for a while. It’s dumpin’ buckets of rain and hail out there.”
While Deidre carried more wood onto the porch and into the cabin, Mandy put the few dry sticks on the coals and carefully propped their one piece of dry wood on top. Soon the sticks were crackling and the flames licking the dry piece of wood. Carefully Mandy laid the wet wood on top of it all in a crisscross pattern to dry out in time to burn and make some heat in the cabin.
By the time Deidre had carried the wood up to the house Mandy had a good hot fire going. She pulled a rocker near the fire, told Deidre to get out of her wet clothes and into something warm and dry, and to come sit by the fire. She heated a cup of milk and had it ready for Deidre to warm up her insides, too.
As they sat by the fire together, both were disappointed that they would be unable to plant the garden—not only that day, but probably for quite a while the way it was raining. It was also going to be too wet to get out for a while. Both sighed, becoming quite gloomy.
Suddenly Mandy looked at Deidre. “We must stop this. We’ll turn into two old grouches not fit to be around. Let’s think of something good about all this.”
“You’re right. We don’t need to act like the world’s endin’ just ’cause we can’t plant that garden. God’s been good to us. We must stop complainin’ and start praisin’. Let’s think of all our blessin’s!”
So together they spoke of all the good things they had and realized even more how thankful they were that Ned and Thomas had come over to finish their plowing. If it had not been finished that day, they would have had to wait a long time before the ground would be dry enough to plow. Before long they were thanking the Lord for all the good things in their lives. They decided to go back to bed and then, after the morning chores, they would declare a holiday and play all day. They hadn’t used the chess and checker games that Ned and Edna had made for them for Christmas since Christmas Day. Excited, they returned to their beds and slept soundly while the rain and hail drummed its steady rhythm on the roof and windows.
“Mum-mum-mum,” Daniel cooed as he sucked his thumb and kicked his blankets. Mandy opened her eyes in the gray light of morning and was sure it was way too early for him to be waking. She waited a few moments to see if he would go back to sleep, then couldn’t resist getting up to hug him. She took him out by the fire to change his diaper. When she looked at the clock, she was amazed it was after eight o’clock already. She chuckled. “We sure are having a holiday,” she whispered to Daniel as she kissed his neck and ears. “We’re going to do nothing but play all day today.” And he seemed to catch her spirit as he slobbered all over her cheek.
She was just finishing nursing him as she heard Jedediah climb out of his big boy bed and call for his mommy. She quickly went over to Deidre’s door and knocked gently, saying, “Deidre, I’ll do the outdoor chores today. You got so wet and cold in the night, it would be better if you stayed in today and kept yourself warm and dry.”
Deidre quickly opened her door and took Daniel in her arms. “Then I’ll have a holiday breakfast ready for you as soon as you’re done. Thanks for taking my turn.”
With that, Mandy turned and went to dress in her warmest clothes. Then she trudged to the barn to get the chores over with so they could get on with their holiday.
When Deidre had dressed, she began to make their special breakfast. When the breakfast was ready, she looked out the window to see if Mandy was coming yet. There was no sign of her, so Deidre brought more wood in from the porch to dry out by the fire. She played with the boys a little, and when Jedediah could wait no longer, she let him begin his breakfast while she continued to wait for Mandy. Soon she realized it was getting closer to lunch than breakfast, and still she had seen nothing of Mandy. The knot of fear forming in her stomach would not go away until she had checked on her.
Deidre turned to look at the boys, trying to figure out how to care for them and at the same time go check on Mandy. Daniel was sound asleep on the rug by the fireplace. Carefully she picked up the baby and laid him in the cradle. She hurried to bundle Jedediah, and was pulling on some warm clothes herself when the back door burst open.
Mandy ran in and excitedly laid something small and warm in her arms. “When I got to the barn, I heard the ewe crying,” she said breathlessly. “And when I went to check on her, I saw she was lying down trying to give birth. She seemed to strain and strain. I tried to comfort and calm her, but she would only stay quiet for a few minutes. I kept trying to get the milking and other chores done, but she cried and cried until I finally knelt beside her. I knew it was taking too long, and she was tiring, getting weaker and weaker. I had to help her, so I massaged her stomach firmly to try to turn the lamb if it was twisted. She finally gave birth to a little lamb. While the lamb was trying to nurse, the ewe continued to heave and cry. Then I realized she was still giving birth…to twins! She never would accept this first little one, and it’s getting weaker.
“Take this lamb and clean it up while I go bring in the milk. Then we’ll see if we can get it to drink milk from a baby bottle. I brought some baby bottles in the trunk in case I would ever need them. Now I guess I will need them.” Placing the lamb gently in in Deidre’s arms, Mandy ducked back out into the rain and was gone.
Deidre and Jedediah slipped out of their coats and made a warm bed by the fire for the baby lamb. Deidre washed the lamb with warm water and talked softly to it. When it was clean and dry, the lamb was snowy white. Soon it nuzzled her hands, searching for food. Leaving the lamb in Jedediah’s care, she went to find the baby bottles.
As she was warming some milk, Mandy came in, wet and cold. “How’s the baby doing?” She shivered.
“Just fine. Go get yourself dry and warm, then come help with this little one.”
Throughout the day they continued to cuddle and feed the little lamb until it soon stood on its wobbly legs. Jedediah clapped and squealed. Daniel watched him and then clapped and squealed, too. The women laughed at him. What fun to play with the little lamb and watch and care for it. It was so soft and white they started to call her “Angel.”
The day passed quickly, and before they knew it, the time had come to do the evening chores. Mandy was eager to check on the ewe and the other lamb, so she pulled on her coat and wrapped a scarf around her face to shield it from the driving, icy rain. She welcomed the warmth of the barn as she felt her way through the dusk to find the ewe. The other lamb was nursing and being licked by its mother, so Mandy knew it would be all right. She finished the chores as quickly as she could before darting through the driving rain back to the house. As she stepped onto the porch, she realized they had used quite a lot of the wood Deidre had brought in during the night, so she trudged back to carry more up onto the dry porch.
After stacking the wood, Mandy entered the warm cheery cabin to take off her wet, cold coat and scarf. She warmed herself by the fire, thinking again how much she appreciated all that Ethan had taken care of when he was here and how much she missed him and his pr
otection. She was thankful for Deirdre’s company and help, but it would never be the same as having her Ethan.
While she was drying and thawing, her nose told her Deirdre had not been idle while she was out in the barn, and her stomach was more than ready to accept some delicious nourishment.
So after thanking God for their many blessings, they ate their meal and talked of their exciting day until it was time to put the little boys to bed. After Jedediah was laid in his bed, Angel began to cry. Deidre and Mandy tried everything to quiet the lamb, until Jedediah toddled out and lay down on the rug beside her. Soon the lamb curled up next to Jedediah, and both fell sound asleep by the fire. From that time on, every evening Jedediah lay down with Angel until the lamb went to sleep, and then the women would push a warmed rolled-up blanket next to the lamb as they took Jedediah off to bed.
Chapter 20
It continued to rain for two more days and nights, and the members of the little household were all quite glad when the sun finally warmed the world with its brightness. Within a few more days, tiny leaves poked out on the trees and bushes, and the grasses started to turn from brown to green.
One day, on her way back from the barn, Mandy noticed a whole mass of yellow, purple, and white crocuses in full bloom. She wanted to walk over to see them closer, but the ground was still soft and mushy to walk on when she stepped off the hardened path. She couldn’t help sighing. They still hadn’t been able to plant their gardens. Soon her sigh turned into a prayer. “Please, God, let us get those gardens planted soon.”
Several days later, the ground had warmed and dried enough that they could begin the planting. They took deep breaths of the fresh spring air. The fruit trees were bursting with blossoms, and the early flowers were breathtaking. Mandy thought she had never seen the world look so beautiful—and expectant.
After they had planted the gardens, she and Deirdre took the boys into the woods, meadows, and down by the creek. They dug up flowers and carried them back to the cabin. They made beautiful flower beds all around their home, adding more to the flowers Mandy already had growing there. They even made a cutting bed out by the barn. Finally they realized they must stop, or they would never be able to keep the beds all weeded and pruned. But they couldn’t help admiring the beautiful gardens and anticipating all the rich color.
A few weeks later they decided they must make plans to go to the Brownings’ and take the soaps to the store to sell. How quickly the days had passed from winter to spring; soon it would be summer. Once the gardens started to bear their produce, they would need every day to preserve their bounty for winter.
So plans were made, and a day was set. When the day arrived, the women rose earlier than usual to take care of the chores that needed to be done for the day. They packed a breakfast they could eat in the wagon, loaded the baskets of soaps, the children, and Angel. They were on their way just as the sun started to light their path through the woods. Their spirits were high as they ate their bread and jelly and drank their milk bouncing along the trail.
Arriving at the Brownings’ home, they were greeted with excitement and warm hugs. Edna said they all had been wondering when Mandy and Deidre would be able to come with their soaps. The family had been planning for the excursion and was as eager as Mandy and Deidre to see if the project would be received well at the store.
Betsy Browning had asked if she could go to the store with Mandy and Ned, and Mandy was glad for the company. Mandy could hardly believe her eyes as they neared the small town. Many new buildings had been built. In addition to the lone store that had been there when Mandy went with Ethan, there was now a hotel, a livery stable, several other buildings, and quite a few houses with a roadway running down the center. Down at one end was a building that looked like a schoolhouse or church—probably used as both. Neither Mandy nor Betsy had anticipated a whole town and were suddenly rather shy.
Ned was quick to assure them that because there was a whole town, the soaps might be more likely to sell. Mandy knew that was true, but she was suddenly conscious of what she was wearing and how long it had been since she had been among other women. However, as she looked about, she saw a woman throwing dishwater out her back door, and she didn’t look any more refined than Mandy was. Before long, she relaxed once again, realizing that they were all part of the frontier, and no one would be particularly fashionable.
When they entered the store, the sounds and smells made Mandy remember back to the store in Boston where she had met Ethan. She almost thought she would hear Ethan’s voice and warm laughter any minute. She had to shake herself and remind herself where she was and why she was here.
Since the storekeeper was busy with another customer at the moment, it gave her time to look around a bit. Along one end of the store were bolts of fabric and all sorts of sewing notions. She walked over that way with Betsy close behind. How fun it was just to look at all the beautiful things on display.
Soon Betsy tugged at her elbow and whispered, “Look over there, Mrs. Evanston,” while she nodded in the general direction of a display at the end of the rows of fabrics. Together they walked down that way and saw lace gloves, ornamental mirrors, perfumes and lotions, and some beautiful filigree fans. “If ladies are buying those things, they surely will buy your beautiful soaps!” There was guarded excitement in Betsy’s voice.
Mandy had to admit it did give her more courage to approach the owner. She realized the customer had left and that Ned was speaking with the storekeeper, so with a prayer in her heart she approached the counter. Ned was quick to introduce her and Betsy. When Mandy told the gentleman about the soaps, he waved with a friendly smile toward a door behind him. “You’ll have to speak to my wife about those things. She takes care of that end of the store. She should be back any minute. She just stepped out for some fresh air.”
At least the storekeeper, Mr. McDonaugh, looked to be a gentleman. He was clean shaven except for a tidy mustache. In spite of broad shoulders that made him look shorter than he really was, he was dressed nicely and had a clean apron on. His eyes crinkled at the corners, and deep dimples almost turned into creases in his cheeks. Mandy wasn’t sure if the fair hair made his eyes look so blue, or if it was the freckles, but he did seem to have a perpetual smile, which made her a lot less nervous.
Ned suggested she have her list filled while she waited for Mrs. McDonaugh to return, and then he could fill his while she was visiting with the lady. So, hesitantly, Mandy handed over her list, knowing her funds were very limited. While Mr. McDonaugh prepared her stack of purchases, she heard a door open and close somewhere behind the store.
Mr. McDonaugh excused himself and slipped through the rear door but was back shortly. “Mrs. McDonaugh will be with you in a few minutes.”
He continued to fill her order, asking questions occasionally, weighing the coffee beans, sugar, cornmeal, and salt, talking all the time. Mandy was thankful he was such a friendly man. She hoped his wife was as jovial. Soon a plump little woman bustled into the store from the back, looking every bit like a china doll. There was a hint of a flush on her ivory cheeks and again the blue, blue eyes. A few golden curls escaped the combs in her hair and danced merrily on her perfectly shaped neck, almost hidden in soft ruffles and lace. She looked like she had just stepped from the pages of a fashion magazine, but there was nothing reserved about her. She gracefully glided straight for Mandy and Betsy and introduced herself. Eagerly she asked the ladies to join her in the back for tea, so they could talk in private, all the while ushering them around the counters to the door that she and her husband used to enter their home behind the store.
As soon as Mandy was through the door she gasped with surprise. Dolly, as she had asked them to call her, laughed a dainty laugh. “Everyone is surprised the first time they are here, but I just had to bring a wee bit of the old country, and Hiram is very generous with me. Now make yourselves at home. The kettle is on and should be singing any minute.” And she bustled through a graceful arched doorway to a r
oom beyond.
Mandy and Betsy stood perfectly still, filling their eyes with all the beauty around them. The room was mostly windows, with flower boxes on the outside of each window overflowing with beautiful red, yellow, blue, and white flowers. Inside were laces and china vases and teapots and plump pillows and soft rugs. It looked like they had stepped into an entirely different world. To one side of the room was a beautiful table sitting in a small area bumped out of the wall with windows on three sides. Each of the three large windows surrounding the table was filled with smaller panes in rows of four, and then draped with lovely lace curtains that spilled into puddles onto the gleaming wood floor. The walls were papered with a pattern of vines, ribbons, and small roses and rosebuds.
The sun poured into the cheery room, filtered by the layers of white lace hanging at the windows. Mandy wanted to walk around the room examining everything but found herself rooted to the spot. After a few minutes, she heard a small gasp behind her. “Just look,” whispered Betsy. “Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?”
While they were still standing there looking, Dolly bustled back into the room pushing a tea cart laden with all kinds of beautiful dishes, a steaming teapot, and little cookies and crackers and cheeses. As she set the pretty dishes on the table by the windows, she invited Mandy and Betsy to sit and have tea with her.
As they sat to tea, she inquired why they had wanted to see her. Mandy had almost forgotten her reason for being here. She handed the large basket to Dolly that she had brought in with her, explaining that she was a widow needing some income and wondered if they would sell her soaps for her in the store. “I would appreciate it very much if you would accept one as a gift, and if you like it, perhaps you would be willing to sell some for me?”
The Long Road Home Romance Collection Page 9
