by Emily Claire
“Oh,” Boone said. “Now I understand why you were in Vermont and not Massachusetts.”
“Right. I was so glad to know that her husband was gone and I looked forward to being with her again. But when I got there I found her in a very sickly state.” She sat quietly for a moment and then sniffled. She handed the reins to Boone.
Boone saw the tears in her eyes and decided to change the subject. “How long were you there before you decided to become a mail-order bride?”
She closed her eyes tightly and squeezed away the tears that were filling them.
“Not long at all. A week or so, I guess.” Gabrielle wondered if it would hurt Boone’s feelings to know she hadn’t wanted to become any kind of bride.
“Momma died the very day I arrived. I only had half an hour or so with her. It was like she was just waiting for me to get there so she’d could tell me that she loved me.” Gabrielle’s voice cracked and she grew silent.
“How awful for you, Gabrielle. That’s terrible. I’m so sorry for your loss,” he said, shaking his head sadly.
She took a deep breath. “Thank you. So, you see, I had to make a decision fairly quickly. I knew all my roommates made plans to marry as quickly as possible. I took care of the funeral arrangements and contacted Elizabeth Miller as quickly as I could. And, well… here I am.”
Boone was at a loss for words and Gabrielle had stopped talking.
He stared at her profile until she turned her head to face him. “I’m glad you’re here.”
Gabrielle nodded and reached over to retake the reins.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Gabrielle packed a picnic basket with ham, biscuits, and a couple of apples. For a treat, she included cookies she’d baked the day before. Boone and Buck would take it with them when they went turkey hunting with Clyde Williamson later that morning. They got up early and sat down for the breakfast she’d prepared for them.
Unable to keep from chuckling, she observed as father and son attacked their breakfast with enthusiasm. Sure that they weren’t actually tasting it, she was amazed at the speed with which her extra-early-morning offering was devoured.
“I’ll take care of the chores this morning, gentlemen. You two are hardly able to sit still long enough to eat your meal. Hurry up and get on out of here,” she urged.
Buck finished first and deposited his dishes at the sink. “Your pancakes were delicious. I love woman food!” He leaned down impulsively and gave her a quick, one-armed hug.
Gabrielle sat stunned, her eyes widening as she stared across the table at Boone.
His brown eyes twinkled and she noticed two dimples appear as he smiled at her. Buck made his way to the foyer. “He likes you,” Boone whispered with exaggerated voice.
She looked at him and shrugged. “So it seems,” she nodded and sipped at her steaming brew. “He’s a good kid, Boone. You ought to be proud of how he’s turned out with you raising him on your own.”
“I had a lot of help. This community, the church, my close friends… I couldn’t have done it without them. I’m grateful that God brought me here to Texas.”
Boone finished his food and quickly got up, placing his dishes in the sink just as Buck had. He headed toward the door, then stopped abruptly. Making an about face, he walked purposefully toward Gabrielle.
She watched as he walked to her side of the table and stopped just behind her chair. She looked up at him, just over her right shoulder. Planting his hands on her shoulders and bending down, he quickly planted a light kiss on her cheek and walked out of the kitchen.
Looking back at her as he walked away, he said, “In case you haven’t figured it out yet… I like you, too.”
Gabrielle watched as he went about his business, grabbing his coat and the picnic basket as he headed outside. Slowly, she bit her bottom lip and held it between her teeth. Her hand eased up and she placed her fingertips on the spot where he’d kissed her. She reached out and pulled her mug toward her. She had no idea what to do next.
*******
Ever since Boone mentioned they’d be hunting, she’d looked forward to having time completely alone for several hours, and now she finally had it. Thankful for the quiet, she went about her work, humming tune after tune.
The dough she’d mixed and kneaded before the men left had risen, and she slipped it into the oven. She looked outside through the small window over her sink. Gazing over the landscape as dawn approached, she remembered how Boone’s kiss had felt upon her cheek and she pushed the memory out of her thoughts. Quickly, she gathered, measured, and mixed together the ingredients for an apple pie, which Boone had mentioned was his favorite. She calculated the time and put the pie in next to the pan of bread.
Gabrielle went to her bedroom and opened the large door to her oak armoire. Removing a small bundle from inside, she removed two gifts she’d hidden there. She’d sewn together scraps of cloth left over from her recent sewing to form large squares that would eventually be made into a quilt. Easily fashioning wrappings for her gifts with the squares and some ribbons, she was pleased with her work and put the two packages back, once again safely hidden.
Next, Gabrielle slipped out of her apron and dress and put on trousers, two shirts and a sweater. She hurried into the kitchen and washed the dishes while waiting for the baking to finish.
She touched her fingertips to her cheek, and then rubbed it vigorously. “No! Nothing but a silly peck of gratitude from a man to his, well, his roommate. That’s all it was, and that’s all we are. Partners in the work of living together! He said he didn’t want romance, and I said I didn’t want affection. We will honor our agreement, that’s all there is to it.”
Yawning, she went into the parlor, deciding to rest for just a few minutes. She wasn’t used to getting up as early as she had today just to help the men get on with their day.
Sighing, it occurred to her that she actually felt happy today for the first time since before the mill had burned. She leaned back in the cozy rocking chair and closed her eyes.
The mill was on fire. She smelled it. Pungent, black smoke was all around her. She was sick, coughing. She had to get away from the building before it came crashing down on her.
Gabrielle woke with a start. Gray smoke enveloped her like a thick fog. She ran across the room and opened the door so quickly that it slammed against the wall as she spun around and ran to the kitchen. Grabbing a towel off of the table, she jerked open the oven and pulled out the pan of burnt bread and tossed it into the sink.
Next she grabbed the pie tin and moved swiftly to carry it over to the counter. The towel she’d used for a hot pad was too thin and suddenly burned her hands. She tried to shift the tin slightly, but it slipped and started to fall. Reflex took over, and she moved her hand quickly to keep it from dropping to the floor. The pie flipped onto her right hand with burning hot apples and light brown sugary ooze covering her palm and fingers. She dropped the whole thing and yelled as she dashed to the sink to pump cold water over her hand.
Half an hour later, the smoke was gone. The kitchen floor had been mopped, and Gabrielle had applied a salve and a long strip of cloth as a wrap to her burned hand. She determined that while a little pain would be decidedly inconvenient, she’d not allow it to derail her from the predetermined mission.
Donning her coat, a warm hat, and one glove on her good hand, she walked outside to the corral. The cold wind whipped her dark hair about her face, but it helped to cool down her body after having mopped the floor.
She had cut an apple into small pieces and approached the horses with it in her hand. She caught sight of the spotted one she’d been keeping her eyes on every time she’d been outside since she’d married Boone. Whenever he left the ranch for any amount of time, she’d made it her goal to come and pet the large brown mare with the star between her forehead and nostrils.
Holding out her hand, she fed it a bit of apple. “I don’t understand why Boone doesn’t want me near you. You’re such a gentle animal!” Reaching up, she scrat
ched the mare’s nose. “This star is so pretty. I think that’ll be your name. Star. Yes, that’s it.” She stayed there for several minutes, making sure the large animal was used to her presence. “You stay right here. I’ll be back in just a minute.” Gabriele hurried off to the barn.
Once inside, she easily located the harnesses and picked one, as well as a bit. Next she looked for a saddle. There was the one Boone was currently working on, laying on top of a sawhorse. Shaking her head, she looked for another.
She noticed a couple more hanging on hooks on the wall and examined them. Choosing the one that looked most worn, she noted more straps and buckles than she realized there would be. She spent a couple of minutes trying to figure them out and decided she would probably be able to correctly attach the saddle to the animal once it was actually on its back.
Gingerly, she grabbed hold of the horn and the high-backed seat. With some effort, she was able to lift it off of its hook. The full weight of the back end landed on the very top and center of her laced-up boot. Dust flew up around her feet and legs. She grabbed her foot and jumped up and down, talking to herself. “Ow, ow, ow!”
Once she’d settled down, she looked at her shoes and realized she’d forgotten to change into the old boots she’d started using for outside work. These were her good shoes, and she frowned at the dust now covering them.
Hurrying out of the barn and into the house, she quickly found the boots and chastised herself for forgetting to put them on in her excitement to get outside and ride while Boone was gone.
She wrinkled her nose. The smell of burnt bread still lingered. She hoped it would be gone by the time Boone returned.
Back to the barn she ran, arriving a little out of breath. Reaching for the saddle’s horn, she clasped it with one hand and placed her other on the back end. With great effort because of the pain in her hand, she lifted the heavy saddle high enough to use her hip to help hold it up. After a few steps, she tripped on a strap and stumbled. Her momentum set her to falling, and she landed crosswise on top of the saddle, hers rib crashing onto the horn. Gasping in pain, she rolled off the saddle, breathing hard. After catching her breath, she stood up and dusted herself off.
“I will get this saddle outside if it’s the last thing I do!” Muttering to herself, she wrapped both hands around the horn and alternated between dragging and pushing the saddle with her feet from the barn to corral. Sheer determination had gotten her there. She willed herself to believe her pain was minimal.
Huffing and puffing, she pulled on the saddle until it was leaning on the wooden fence. With her hands on her hips, she stared at the bulky apparatus.
“All right then. Now… to get you onto the fence.” She used her knees and her back and tried with all her might to hoist the seemingly massive bundle of leather and straps and buckles. Her throbbing hand and aching ribs kept her from accomplishing the task with ease. Talking to herself repeatedly, she was sure she could get the job done.
“You have to do this. You won’t be able to lift it onto Star if you don’t get it onto the top of the fence.” She grunted as she used one last surge of strength to heft the saddle onto the top beam of the corral.
Just as quickly as she’d heaved it up, it kept moving and slipped right off, landing with a thud and no small amount of dust in the dirt on the other side of the rail.
With shaking limbs, Gabrielle sat on the ground and let the tears trickle down her now-dusty face. “Oh, nooo!” she cried, cradling her right hand close to her aching ribs.
She sat there fully aware of the fact that she couldn’t go through it again. She simply didn’t have the strength. Her throbbing hand sealed the impossibility of there being even the slightest attempt to do so. As she pondered her options, something caught her eye off in the distance. It was a buggy! Someone was approaching their lane.
Gabrielle willed the horse and buggy to continue down the road, thus bypassing her lane, but to her chagrin it seemed to be slowing down. She used the fence to help pull herself into a standing position.
With a surge of energy she didn’t know she had, she quickly climbed over the fence and once again grabbed the saddle horn. Keeping her eye on the buggy, she dragged it toward the gate, hoping to reach the barn before the unexpected guest arrived. Her right hand burned with the effort.
She’d made it as far as the gate before the buggy had turned down their lane and was halfway to the corral. Quickly opening the gate and swinging it outward, she dragged the saddle through.
“Good morning, Mrs. Dillingham!” she heard the slightly familiar voice call out.
Standing up straight, Gabrielle pushed at the gate and watched, out of breath, as Mattie Williamson climbed out of her buggy. She reached into the space behind the seat and pulled out a basket, covered with a bright blue checkered cloth.
Gabrielle swatted at her trousers and saw the puffs of dust the effort created. Seeing the futility, she patted her hands together gently to wipe them off and frowned, seeing the bandage was brown with dirt.
Lifting up her good hand, she tried to push the loose tendrils of hair behind her ears. The wind and her actions this morning had completely loosened her bun.
“Hello, Mrs. Williamson,” she greeted her, with all the cheer she could muster at the moment, but her voice fell flat.
“Gabrielle! What—? Wait. Please call me Mattie. After all, I was the only other woman at your wedding. We should be on a first-name basis, don’t you think?”
Gabrielle gave her a pitiful look. “Well, with you seeing me in these dirty clothes, messed-up hair, and I’m guessing a filthy face, I guess we should be greeting one another by our first names.”
Mattie surveyed the corral and then spotted the saddle on the ground. “Oh, dear,” she said quietly. “Should I ask what you’re doing?” She looked at Gabrielle’s face, the misery speaking volumes. “You look like you could use a cup of tea, or even a glass of water. Care to take a break from this and have a little visit? I thought I’d bring some lunch, since our menfolk are out hunting.”
Gabrielle shook her head, swallowing hard and fighting back the tears that were just under the surface.
Mattie looked at her. “No?”
Shaking her head again, the pathetic young woman spoke quietly as she pointed to the saddle a few feet away. “I can’t. I’m sorry. I have to get that—,” she paused and glared at the saddle, “That thing has to be put up in the barn before Boone comes home. And I don’t know when that’ll be.” She took several steps back over to the saddle and bent down, starting once again to drag the burdensome and now dust-covered thing away from where she’d left it. She winced with pain, but kept silent about her burned hand.
Mattie set down her basket and looked up at the sky. “At least there’s some sunshine for warmth, in spite of the wind. I might as well take my coat off. It’ll just be in the way.” Rolling up her sleeves, she walked over to Gabrielle and stood at the opposite end of the saddle. “How about we lift this thing together?”
Half an hour later, Gabrielle sat silently on one end of her sofa in the parlor and allowed Mattie to serve her some hot tea following the lunch Mattie shared with her. “I should be serving you,” she mumbled sadly.
“My dear, don’t you worry about it. I’ve served tea and coffee in this house many times over the years. It’s always a pleasure,” Mattie said as she made herself comfortable. “Are those cookies I saw reserved for a special occasion? Christmas Day, maybe?”
Gabrielle stood up and hobbled over to a counter. Mattie started to protest, but Gabrielle waved her off. “I’m fine. Just a little sore.”
She rejoined Mattie and told her she would have had a piece of apple pie to offer, save for the unfortunate accident that caused her hand to be burned.
When there was a break in the conversation, Mattie spoke up. “You’ve been here a few weeks now. How have you settled in? Feel like home yet?”
Gabrielle choose her words carefully. “It feels more like home than anywhere els
e I’ve ever lived.”
Mattie smiled warmly. “I’m so glad.”
The older woman had a gentle spirit about her that made Gabrielle feel comfortable.
“There have been some hard things, but I think I’ve adjusted well considering how different my life was in Vermont and Massachusetts.”
“Vermont? I thought you came from Massachusetts?” Mattie asked.
“I was born in Vermont and lived there until I finished school. Hearing about jobs in factories led me to move away to work in Massachusetts as soon as I could. I lived with roommates ever since that time. The feel of the apartment we lived in was always changing with the various preferences of the girls who came and went. I called it home, but it was never anything like this.”
Gabrielle looked around the room.
Mattie followed Gabrielle’s glance before standing up and walking over to the large picture window. “You’ve certainly made a lot of noticeable changes here. The curtains are beautiful, and everything is spotless. I had no idea the floors in this house had such intricate inlays. I daresay you’ve made some great improvements by relocating a few collectibles,” she laughed. “You’ve made it perfectly lovely. I’m sure Boone is very appreciative of all you’ve done.”
Gabrielle smiled. “He seems to like m—,” she stopped. “He seems to like the changes.”
Mattie studied Gabrielle’s face. “Clyde tells me Buck has come home. We’ve sure missed him these last months. He’s one of Clyde’s favorite kids, you know.”
“I noticed Buck spoke of Clyde with affection.” Gabrielle clarified. “Have you known him all of his life?”
“No. Buck came to live with some relatives in Coltonville when he was seven or eight. Boone came a bit after that.” Mattie was quiet for a few seconds before changing the subject. “How do you like having a son?”
Gabrielle laughed. “He doesn’t seem like a son. More like a guest, frequently coming and going, and leaving the occasional mess here and there. He tells us that he’s working on setting up some type of music business, but he’s been pretty vague. We don’t really know his plans.”
