Finally, the boys left for school, and Robert went back out to the barns. The house seemed very quiet. “Well, I guess it’s just you and me now,” Bess said to Anna.
“I guess we’d better get our work started,” Anna said with the maturity of a grown woman. “Daddy already drew the water for you today.”
“Oh, my, that was nice of him. Well, let’s get some water boiling so we can wash up the breakfast dishes.”
Suddenly Anna stopped. Her eyes were large as she turned very quietly toward Bess.
“What is it?” Bess asked with concern.
Anna slowly put her finger to her lips. “Shhhh…listen.”
“Listen to what?” Bess whispered because Anna was whispering.
But as they stood very still, Bess heard it. Robert was whistling out at the barns. It wasn’t one of the frisky tunes he used to whistle sometimes that would dance about in the air creating magic in their feet and fingers, but it was a happy tune all the same and brought with it a sense of contentment.
“I haven’t heard Daddy whistle for a long time,” Anna said with a happy sigh. Bess realized she had not heard him whistle since Anita had taken ill. She knew this was a good sign. She and Anna hugged because it was the only way they could express their joy.
Bess and Anna worked together doing the laundry, dusting and sweeping the house, and baking and cooking food ahead for the family for next week. It was a busy day, but Bess enjoyed every minute.
At lunch she said quietly, “Robert, are you sure you don’t mind the children spending the weekends with me at the Taylors’? I feel bad leaving you all alone out here.”
Robert looked deep into her eyes and then back down at his plate. “I won’t pretend I don’t miss them, but they need a mother, and they love you so much and I know you love them. They look forward all week long to seeing you on the weekends. I would never prevent them or you from this small happiness. Besides, the weekends probably go more quickly for me than the whole week does for you.”
Bess smiled. “Yes, you’re right. The weeks seem to get longer and longer. I try to stay busy at the store so I don’t miss them so much. I really do appreciate you allowing me to continue to be part of their lives, Robert. They feel like family to me.”
Robert just smiled and ducked his head again.
“I know! Miss Bess can just move back with us and take care of us like she used to take care of Mother!” Anna presented her cheerful resolution to the problem.
Robert continued to gaze at his plate, but tears sprang to Bess’s eyes. Oh, if life could only be so simple, she thought. But to Anna she replied, “Then who would help the Taylors at the store? Come on—let’s go read a story for your naptime.” Bess quickly gathered the child, and together they went upstairs to read before her nap.
Chapter 14
Saturday morning, while the boys still slept on their pallets on the floor, Bess slipped out of her bed without rousing Anna, who had been snuggled tight against her body. She placed her warm pillow next to Anna, then took her dress off the hook behind the door and tiptoed quietly down the stairs to the pantry to dress in private. She built up the fire in the stove in the kitchen and was making the coffee when Rebecca came out of their bedroom still tucking her hair up with hairpins.
“I had an idea this morning,” Rebecca whispered with her dimples showing her pleasure and her eyes twinkling.
Bess smiled her question with raised eyebrows.
“Let’s invite the Lewises and Clara and Robert to stay for dinner after church tomorrow. Then the children won’t have to leave us so early in the day.”
“Oh, Rebecca, that’s a wonderful idea! I think the children will be pleased. The two older boys love helping in the store. They could work with Jason today while you and I prepare the food with the help of Philip and Anna.”
Together they began to plan the meal and how they would get everything made. They decided to write a note to the Lewises and Clara and ask Philip and Anna to take it over to their house and wait for a response.
Whenever the Sheldon children came for the weekend, they worked hard. They always noticed chores that needed to be done and pitched in and completed the chores before anyone had an opportunity to ask. They dusted in the store, swept the floors and the front walk, stacked wood and filled the wood box, and brought in water. They were so helpful that the Taylors as well as Bess missed their help almost as much as they missed the children when they left.
Rebecca and Bess told the children their idea as they sat together at breakfast. The children were excited about the plan and were eager to help. Philip and Anna were proud of being asked to run the errand to the Lewis household, and Paul and Conner felt good about helping in the store in a more official capacity.
Philip said very quietly, “When we get back from taking the note to the Lewises, maybe I could help in the store, too.”
Jason was quick to respond. “Absolutely! Those women don’t need you in the kitchen as much as I need your help in the store. I don’t know what they’re thinking.”
Surprised, Rebecca and Bess exchanged glances but were careful not to smile. It was strange thinking of Philip as one of the men instead of one of the children. But of course they should have realized he’d feel left out. They were thankful for Jason’s quick response and they both readily agreed.
Sometimes during the day Rebecca would be called to help ladies with dress goods or notions, and Bess and Anna would be left to the cooking and baking and cleaning together. Bess found herself humming, and Anna was quick to notice.
“Miss Bess, I miss hearing your humming songs. It is such a warm feeling inside when you are humming. It makes me remember when our family was happy before our mother died.” She wrapped her chubby little arms around Bess’s skirts and hugged her fiercely. Bess squatted and, removing the girl’s arms from around her legs, placed them around her neck and embraced Anna tightly.
“I love you so much, Miss Bess. I miss you all week long and can hardly wait for the Friday day to come again.”
Warm tears dampened Bess’s shoulder where the curly head rested. Kissing the back of Anna’s head, Bess said softly, “Anna, I miss you terribly also. I am so very thankful we still get to see one another and spend time together every week. Let’s both try to thank God for what we do have and not think about what we wish we had, all right? And I promise I will hum more often.”
“Yes, I will try, Miss Beth. I promise. I will try.”
“Oh, the cookies!”
They both made a dash for the stove…and the formidable burnt smell.
Opening the oven door, Bess was relieved to see that only one cookie had been placed too near the edge of the sheet, so part of it had fallen onto the bottom of the oven and was burning there. They removed the cookie sheet and quickly scraped the bottom of the oven free of the charred remains of the broken cookie before putting another sheet into the oven.
“Here, Anna, if you eat the half that’s left of this cookie, no one will ever know we messed up on one.”
Anna grinned up at her, but as usual, quickly broke the piece in two, handing half to Bess. “Here. We can share it. Food is always better when it’s shared. Mother always used to say that, and it’s true.”
Again Bess reached out and hugged Anna. How could one little girl be so very precious? Suddenly she realized she loved the boys just as intensely. Is this what motherhood is like? She wished with all her heart she could live at the farmhouse and care for the children all the time. But such wishing was futile, so she tucked the thought far away and got back to the chores at hand.
Before they left for church the next morning, Bess and Rebecca placed all the pans of food in the oven or at the back of the stove, added boards to stretch the table to a larger size, and set the table.
They all left early for the church so they could invite Robert for dinner as soon as he arrived. The children were quite excited as they ran to hug their daddy. They chattered so rapidly that Robert couldn’t understan
d them at all until Jason came over and offered the official invitation.
“I’m delighted to accept.” Robert grinned. “But I don’t know that I really would have had much choice.”
What fun the families had that afternoon. They ate together, laughed together, chatted together, and ate some more. Sometime late in the afternoon, Pastor Lewis said to the group, “I have a feeling we’ve sampled a little bit of what heaven will be like today.”
Bess smiled at the curly head snoozing on her shoulder as she sat in the big rocker by the fire. Yes, she thought as she kissed Anna’s head lightly, I can’t imagine heaven could be much better than this. As she scanned the group, she caught Robert’s eye and he smiled, too. Yes, it was good to see him smile again.
Monday morning, as Bess folded the blankets and stacked the straw mattresses that they used for the children, she reflected on the weekend and how she loved to be at the Sheldons’ house on Fridays. It was a gray February morning, and the upstairs room seemed drab and cold. Looking out the one window onto the street below, she saw only gray skies and muddy, trampled snow. The town looked as barren and cold as she felt at the moment.
Inside, she glanced up at the underside of the store roof above her head. She was thankful for this room and thankful for Jason and Rebecca’s kindness in sharing their home with her, but she realized that she had no real life of her own. She had been content and happy working at the Sheldons’ and had assumed she would grow old there as part of their family.
At this moment she missed her dear friend Anita very much. Oh, life was so hard. She tried to think of happy things, but the tears started, and she felt helpless to stop the flow. She sat on the side of the bed, put her face into her hands, and cried and cried. She knew she should hurry downstairs and help Rebecca in the store, but for a few minutes she really didn’t care about anything at all. Her life felt so very hopeless.
Finally the tears subsided. Bess still had some fresh water in the pitcher, so she poured some into the washbowl and splashed her face with the cold liquid. It felt good on her burning eyes. She held the cold water on her face for a little while to erase some of the puffiness from her swollen eyes. But studying her reflection in the mirror on the wall, she knew she could not hide the traces of her crying.
I need to start making a plan for my life. Perhaps I should ask Clara if I could help her with her boardinghouse. Now that I have learned to cook for a family, I should be able to cook for a boardinghouse also. Hmmm…I know Clara doesn’t know how to cook and even hates cooking. I wonder what she plans to do for meals there. That would certainly keep me busy, but I would not want to give up my Fridays at the Sheldons’. I will talk to Clara and Rebecca and see what I can work out so that I have a definite plan for my future. Perhaps that will help me feel like I still have a purpose.
That very afternoon Clara stopped by the store on her way back from the Tergozas’ house. “It’s official,” she said with a grin. “I’m the owner and plan to move there tomorrow. I have purchased quite a lot of furniture from them, as well as some kitchen supplies. But I’m sure I will need to purchase some kitchen items as well as other items from here. But first I must find a cook. Right now I wouldn’t even know what was needed in a kitchen.”
“Bess is a wonderful cook,” Rebecca commented, but then looked as though she wished she hadn’t mentioned that out loud. “I sure wouldn’t want to lose her from here, though.”
Bess was stunned. “That’s amazing you would say that. I was just thinking this morning that I would ask Clara if she needed a cook. The only problem is that I wouldn’t want to give up my Fridays at the Sheldons’ house or my weekends with the children. So I don’t know if I would be much help to you, Clara. Rebecca, you and Jason are wonderful to share your home and your work with me, but I can’t live off of you forever. I don’t feel as though I am contributing much at all here, though I love being with you.”
“Please don’t ever feel that way. It is so much more fun having you here with us. We truly appreciate your help and creativity, but we love your friendship even more. But, Bess, I realize you have no real identity here. If you need to do something different, I will certainly understand. We will still always be friends.” Rebecca’s eyes were moist, but her look was sincere.
Bess reached over to hug her, and the two women embraced warmly. Bess remembered how lonely and helpless she had felt only that morning and thanked God in her heart for these two dear friends.
Clara seemed thoughtful. Aloud she said, “Bess, perhaps you could show me some easy things to make on Fridays. Or perhaps you could make a pot of soup ahead or some such that I could serve on Fridays. Or maybe I could find someone else to cook on the weekends. And of course the children would be welcome to spend their weekends with us there. The attic room would make a wonderful huge bedroom for the boys. It’s a lovely room with a window at each end.”
Bess quietly thanked God for the miraculous ways He provided for His children. And especially that He had accepted her as one of His own.
Suddenly the gray skies didn’t seem nearly as gloomy as they had that morning.
Chapter 15
Bess hummed as she hung the sheets on the clothesline. She watched as a couple of robins built a nest in one of the trees. She breathed deeply. The cherry, apple, and pear trees were in full bloom, and the beauty and fragrance filled her heart with joy.
May was nearly half over now, and the boardinghouse had been open for over a month. It had started out slowly, which was nice, as it gave the women a good opportunity to smooth out some rough spots. But all in all, it was going quite smoothly.
The third floor of the house was one large room, with long storage rooms built under the eaves on either side of the long room. Clara had thought she would use the third floor to house the cook and possibly a maid, but instead Bess had claimed the little room behind the kitchen and they used the large third-floor room for the Sheldon boys when they visited on the weekends. They had added a bed for Anna upstairs also, but Anna had looked with such sad eyes at Bess that Bess had quickly offered to share her bed with Anna again.
Anna said quietly, “Or I would even sleep on the floor beside your bed, Miss Bess, but I would love to sleep in your room if I may.”
Both Bess and Anna were happiest when they could be together, so it worked out well that way.
As Bess hung out the sheets and hummed, she remembered Anna’s delight at her humming. But as she thought about it, Clara hurried out the back door, with Rebecca close behind.
“Bess, do you want to come with us?” Clara was huffing as she trotted toward the clotheslines.
“Come where? What’s happened? Where are you going?”
“To the Lewises’.” Rebecca was breathless as she stepped up beside Clara. “Pastor Lewis was just in the store and told us that their son-in-law has been killed in some kind of horse and wagon accident in the Dakotas. We are taking a cake over to the Lewises’ and want to see if we can help them in any way. He said Marita is taking this pretty hard. They haven’t seen their daughter and son-in-law for several years since they moved out West, and she wants so very much to be with her daughter now.”
“Oh, my! I hope they won’t think of moving West now.” Bess stated what was obviously in all of their minds. “I guess that is terribly selfish, but I can’t imagine what would happen to our church without them.”
Bess finished hanging up the last sheet, gathered the basket, and headed back for the house. “I’ll go with you,” she said as she untied her apron with one hand. “Clara, I have a large pot of chicken and noodles cooking. Let’s dish some up to take to the Lewises’ along with Rebecca’s cake, all right?”
“That’s a great idea.” Clara held the door open for the others, wanting them to hurry.
This beautiful day felt suddenly cold.
The women sat around the table in the Lewises’ sunny kitchen, but their hearts were heavy. Marita said their two sons had convinced Timothy to move with them when they
headed West. All three of the Lewis children and their spouses were very close friends. Therefore, all the grandchildren were more like brothers and sisters than cousins. Rose and Timothy had had three children when they moved West but had added two more in the years after moving that Edwin and Marita had never met. Marita longed to be with her children and grandchildren sometimes, but now more than ever she wanted to have some time with her daughter.
“Are you thinking of moving to the Dakota Territory to be with them?” Bess asked cautiously.
“We have talked about it,” Marita said, “but both Edwin and I believe God has us here for this church, and we do not feel free in our hearts to leave. However, this morning Edwin asked if I wanted to ride out with the groups headed West this spring to visit the children for a while. He would stay here, but I just don’t feel right about leaving him here alone. So for now, I will pray for Rose and the children and wait to see what God wants from me.”
“We would miss you terribly if you did go,” Rebecca said thoughtfully, “but please know that we would all help care for Pastor Lewis in your absence.”
Clara smiled. “He would probably have more food than he could eat. Everyone loves you all so very much and would be happy to help care for him. But I agree with Rebecca. I don’t even want to think about what our lives would be like without you here for a while.”
“Oh, Marita, what will Rose do out West with five children to raise alone? Does she have much land? What will she do?” Bess felt the heaviness of Marita’s concern.
“Our sons, David and Isaiah, will help, I’m sure. Eddie is fourteen now and has helped his dad with the farming for years. Her two youngest children, Richard and Allen, are ten and eight and will help when they can. They are good with the animals, but I think they would not be able to help much with farming the land yet. David and Isaiah have their own farms to care for, so I don’t know how they will all manage. I find myself trying to imagine, but I don’t know how they are actually set up and what the distance between the farms is. I do know their farmlands are adjoining, so I hope this will work out for them. I know God will take care of them.”
The Long Road Home Romance Collection Page 19
