by Rose Dumont
***
Jarrod stopped the wagon before they ascended over the last hill where the new cabin was.
“Why did you stop?”
“We’re getting close and I want to put a blindfold on you so you can’t see ‘till we get there.”
“My heavens. You really want this to be a surprise, don’t you?”
“Yes. Now let me put this on you.” Jarrod took his bandanna and wrapped it tightly around Charlotte’s eyes. Then he waved his hands in front of her face. “You can’t see anything, can you?”
“No. Not a thing.”
“Good.” They proceeded down the road until they got to the cabin. He guided her off the wagon and walked her up to the front of the house. “Ready?”
“Yes already!”
Jarrod took the blindfold off. Charlotte looked at the house, but didn’t know what to think.
“How do you like it?”
“Who’s cabin in this?”
“Ours!”
“Ours?”
“I started building it not long after you left. It’s been kind of a slow process ‘cause I only could work on it in my spare time, but I finally finished it last week. I’m so glad it was finished before you came.”
“Oh, Jarrod. It’s beautiful. Just beautiful. I can’t believe you built this for me.”
“It’s for you, me and our family to be.”
“This is just perfect. I never had my very own home. How kind of you. It’s more than I could have ever imagined.”
“I was hoping you would like it.”
“More than like. I love it! But why did you build it? You didn’t even know I would return.”
“I knew you would come back to me. It was written in the stars, that night we sat together and gazed at the sparkling sky. I knew in my heart that very moment you were mine to love for the rest of my life.”
“I think I knew it too. It just took me longer to figure it out.”
“Well I’m sure glad you did, otherwise I’d sure be lonely in this big house all by myself. I’d probably starve too. I’m hoping you can cook.”
“I can and I will cook you lots of meals in this house, as long as you’re hungry.”
“No problem there. Not at all. And I promise you I’ll never be late for dinner.”
“I’ll keep you to that, among others.”
“Yes, Ma’am!” Jarrod picked Charlotte up and carried her up the porch stairs.
“Now wait! Don’t carry me across that threshold yet. We’ve gotta wait until we’re married.”
“Well alright.” Jarrod put her down on her feet. “But don’t you want to see inside?”
“Of course. If I walk in on my own, then that’s okay.”
Jarrod opened the door, “After you, Madam.”
Charlotte walked in the spacious foyer. Her eyes got big. She couldn’t believe how nice it looked inside, even without any furniture. “You did this all by yourself?”
“Well Grayson helped me here and there when he could. But I designed the layout all by myself.”
“It’s just beautiful. So beautiful.”
Jarrod took her by the hand and guided her from room to room. “See, here’s the kitchen…And here’s our room…And this room is for the baby and the next baby….”
“It’s just wonderful. I don’t know what else to say.” Charlotte gave Jarrod a big hug. Tears rolled down her cheeks.
“Hey, I hope those are happy tears.” Jarrod gently wiped the tears from her cheeks with his thumb.
“Yes, very happy tears.”
“Good. I don’t ever want to see you cry.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Jarrod and Charlotte were married the next day at the church. They wanted a simple wedding. Only Grayson, Cheryl, Jenni, Michael and Miss Jean were present.
After the ceremony, Jarrod drove Charlotte and himself back to their cabin. “May I now carry you across the threshold, Mrs. Charlotte Lee?”
“Yes you may, my husband.”
Jarrod lifted her up effortlessly and carried her into the cabin and eventually to the bedroom that night… One month later, Charlotte was talking to Miss Jean on the porch when suddenly she ran back into the house and got sick.
“Miss Jean, I haven’t been feeling so good lately. I’ve been dizzy, queasy and tired.”
“Here we go again. Let’s go see Doc Turner, but I’ve got a feeling that we don’t need his diagnosis, Dear.”
“Why’s that?”
“I think all you’re gonna need is a dress with more belly room real soon. While we’re in town, we might as well get some more yarn too.”
“More belly room? And more yarn for knitting….? Oh!”
“That’s right, Dear.”
Just then, Jarrod came in on his horse from rounding up the cattle. “I sure am hungry. Lunch ready yet?”
“I need more yarn!”
“More yarn? What does that have to do with anything?”
“Don’t you see? More yarn! And a bigger dress!”
“Woman, you’re talking nonsense. Miss Jean, what she talking about?”
“I think she should tell you.”
“Tell me what?” Jarrod took off his hat and wiped the sweat from his brow.
“We’re gonna have a baby!”
“Baby?” Jarrod looked at Miss Jean and then at Charlotte. “A baby…a baby! Yeehaw!” Jarrod threw up his hat and ran up to the porch to give Charlotte a big hug.
***
Nine months later, Charlotte gave birth to a healthy baby girl. They named her Jeanine, after Miss Jean who passed away a few months earlier.
Charlotte cradled Jeanine in her arms as she sat on the blanket with Cheryl who was taking out the food from the basket. Michael, now almost two, crawled around on the blanket while Jenni, now five, picked wildflowers in the meadow. Grayson and Jarrod were down by the stream fishing.
“Could you ever have imagined us sitting here together in this beautiful meadow with our precious children and adoring husbands?”
“It would have been just a dream. We’ve come a long way since our Boston days.” Charlotte sighed.
“Mom and Dad would have been proud.”
“They are. I know they’re looking and smiling down on us right now.”
“We certainly didn’t plan it this way. There are definitely easier ways, but I’m glad it all worked out between all of us.”
Jeanine started to fuss, so Charlotte put her over her shoulder and patted her gently on the back. “Easier doesn’t always mean better. It isn’t easy giving birth, but the reward for doing it is worth all the pain in the world.”
“Yes. Enduring pain has provided us with our husbands and our children…Wait, I don’t know if that came out right?”
Charlotte laughed. “No, you’re right. They’re a pain sometimes.”
“But worth every second of it. Speaking of…” Cheryl yells over to the men, “Hey you two! Come and eat!”
Jarrod yells back, “Alright! Just one more cast!”
“It’s always just one more, isn’t it?”
“Just one more kiss too. And that’s why Jeanine is gonna have a baby sister or brother.”
“Really? Congratulations!” Cheryl reaches over and gives Charlotte a hug.
Grayson and Jarrod return from the stream and sit down on the blanket, both giving a kiss on the cheek to their wives. Grayson picks up Michael and puts him in his lap.
Jarrod rubs his belly while looking at all the food. “I’m starving!”
“What else is new?” Charlotte reaches over to give Jarrod a piece of chicken.
Cheryl yells over to Jenni who is still picking flowers, “Jenni…Come on back. It’s time to eat.”
“Okay, Mom.” Jenni comes skipping back and gives the bouquet of daisies to Charlotte.
“For me?” Jenni shakes her head. “Thank you. How did you know that daisies where my favorite?”
“My mom told me. Just like your ring.”
A month earlie
r, Cheryl told Jarrod she wanted to give her daisy pattern ring to Charlotte, knowing it was really meant for her. Grayson understood, but Jarrod didn’t want to give Grayson’s ring to Charlotte as it was. To make it more special, he sent it back to Tiffany & Co. and asked that the center diamond be removed and replaced by a yellow diamond. So now the yellow center diamond was surrounded by the eight white diamond “petals” to form a perfect gem daisy.
Grayson had another ring made for Cheryl from the remaining center diamond. Cheryl said she didn’t want anything more than the one diamond on her ring. It represented the joyful simplicity of her new life in the country and the only thing that mattered - her family.
Charlotte and Cheryl went down to the stream with the children while the men continued to eat on the blanket.
“Could you ever have imagined us being out here like this?” Grayson leaned back on the blanket and looked down towards the stream.
“Yeah, this chicken is so good.”
“No, you numbskull. I mean here with our two beautiful wives and children?”
“Oh, yeah. Right. Naw. I kind of just figured I would be fine being a single cowboy forever. Until, of course, I met Charlotte. Then everything changed.”
“Well it wasn’t easy getting to this point, but it sure was worth all the pain.”
“Yeah, like when you hit your thumb with a hammer kind of pain.” Jarrod lifted up his bruised thumb.
“Exactly. It isn’t easy building a house. But the reward for doing it is worth all the pain in the world.”
“Yeah. Women don’t even know all the pain we have to go through as men."
“I’m sure women have some kind of similar pain that’s worth it too.”
“Like hammer-thumb pain?”
“They say childbirth isn’t exactly a bowl full of cherries.”
“Oh, yeah. I’m guessing childbirth is right up there with hammer-thumb pain.”
“Yeah, that’s probably it.”
They both chuckled and then grabbed another piece of chicken.
Grayson yelled to the women, “Hey ladies, come on back to the blanket with us.”
“We’ll be right there. Just one more minute,” Cheryl replied.
“It’s always one more minute, isn’t it?”
“And always worth the wait, every time.” Grayson smiled and Jarrod nodded in agreement.
Grayson, Cheryl, Jarrod and Charlotte sat on the blanket together with their children. They ate, talked and laughed as the warm gentle breeze blew soft waves across the deep green meadow. The babbling stream in the background flowed constant, as did the love between the two families.
Miss Jean was right; everything wasn’t going to be all nice and easy with smiles all the time. But no matter what obstacles laid ahead, no matter what hardships they had to face, nothing would ever come between them again—because family always came first.
~The End~
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Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
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