Florence

by Patricia Pacjac Carroll

  Judge Taggart looked concerned. “Your husband broke his leg?”

  “Yes, it’s a slight break, but he is to stay off it for a week.”

  The judge studied her. “If you need help, please let us know.”

  Tears moistened her eyes. “I will. Thank you.”

  Her next stop was the livery. They needed a wagon whether Jay wanted to use her money or not. She saw that it wasn’t far to the livery, so she led the horse down the street. Not seeing anyone, she tied Big Red and walked inside the barn.

  The smell of hay and horse met her at the door. She knew most women of means would be holding their noses, but it was like her old barn in Minnesota and reminded her of home.

  “Yes, can I help you, Ma’am?”

  A man had come from the small office off to the side. “Yes, I wonder how much a wagon, horse, and harness for two horses would cost?”

  He held out his hand. “I’m John Bailey.”

  “Oh, Florence Selmer. Jay’s wife.”

  “How is he, I heard he broke a leg? I really like your husband.” He looked at her in an almost embarrassed fashion.

  “It’s just a slight break, and the doctor thought he’d be up in a week.”

  Mr. Bailey looked around the barn. “I do have a wagon. It needs some work, but I could let it go for forty with an older harness for ten. I do have a horse I could let go for twenty. He’s a bit long in the tooth but sound as a dollar and gentle enough to be ridden.”

  She nodded and looked in her reticule. Florence pulled out her money. With the rest of her dowry, she had enough. “I’ll take them.” She pointed at Big Red. “If you would harness my horse and the new one to the wagon so I can drive them home. I do have to stop at the store first.”

  “Mrs. Selmer, I’m not sure if your husband told you, but he still owes some on Big Red.”

  Florence felt her face grow warm. “I’m sorry. I forgot that. I can go to the bank and get the balance. How much do we owe?” She didn’t want to let on that she hadn’t known about that. She wanted to keep Jay’s honor in a good light.

  “He does have another two weeks. I could wait.”

  “No, I prefer to pay for it.” She figured she had enough for the flour. She hoped Fred would continue to hunt for deer as they would need his help. “I’m sure the sawmill will be making money pretty soon.”

  “Yes, I agree. Are you sure you don’t want to wait on paying for Red?”

  “No, I feel it is best if we clear it up. The wagon is drivable?”

  “Oh, yes. It only needs a few boards of the bed replaced and maybe a few on the sides. The wheels and yoke are in good shape. I’ll throw in a bit of grease for the wheels.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Bailey. I better go to the bank.”

  She left Big Red and felt sorely alone as she walked down the street. She hadn’t realized there were two banks but thought she’d heard someone say to stay away from Adler.

  Florence walked inside the Satchel Bank and went to the teller. “I’d like to withdraw my money.”

  The teller got her information and went to the back office. Soon, a well-dressed man came out. “Mrs. Selmer. I see you want to withdraw some funds from your account. I’m sorry, but the account is only in your husband’s name.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry. I wasn’t sure how it worked.” Again, she didn’t want to show Jay in a bad light. She’d asked him to put her money in an account they could both use.

  “When you’re in town again with your husband, he can get the money out for you.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Is Jay with you?”

  “No, he broke his leg. We can come in again when he is up and around. That should be next week.” She left the bank a little worried about their future. With four children to feed, things would be tight.

  Fortunately, she had the money Jay had given her for the supplies, but the children would have to wait for new clothes and shoes. She would give the rest of her money to Mr. Bailey for Big Red.

  She went back to the livery, and Mr. Bailey had the rig ready, and the horses harnessed. The new horse was a lovely bay that had a gentle look on his face. Florence went to him and patted his nose.

  Mr. Bailey smiled. “I call him General. He’s sturdy and good-natured.”

  She nodded and then turned to face him. “Mr. Bailey, the bank wouldn’t give me the money, but when my husband is able, he’ll pay you the balance.”

  “That’s fine. Like I said, Jay has two more weeks. Are you going to need a saddle for General?”

  “Later. For now, I need the horse to pull the wagon.” She climbed onto the seat and held the reins. She’d driven the old family wagon plenty of times so, she wasn’t worried about getting home. First, however, she was going to stop at the church and talk to Preacher Bret.

  Mr. Bailey kept a hand on the reins. “If you need any help, let me know. And if Jay doesn’t like old General, you can bring him back.”

  “Thank you, I’m sure he’ll do fine. I like him already.”

  Mr. Bailey stepped aside and handed her a whip. “It comes with the wagon.”

  She took it and set it in the holder. Feeling proud of her purchase, she drove out of the livery and to Main Street. The church was up the hill. She thought it a good test to see how the horses did and the wagon held up.

  In a matter of minutes, she’d loaded her supplies in the wagon and was on her way to the church. Unfortunately, the road to the church led past the saloon. She detested the men who frequented such places, but then she thought how her Jay had at one time been such a man. It could be, she had judged others harshly in the past.

  She was almost past the saloon when an unpleasant man grabbed Big Red’s bridle. “Hold up, little lady. You need some help? Someone to drive you around?”

  She shook her head. “Please, let my horse go.”

  “I just want to help you.” He let the horse go and edged toward her.

  “No, thank you.” Florence took the whip out of the holder, not for the horses, but in case he got too close to her. “On Red.” She slapped the reins and passed the man.

  He’d stopped bothering her easy enough, and then Florence saw Deputy Ronan come out of the saloon. He smiled at her and tipped his hat as the man who had stopped her slunk away like a guilty coyote.

  “So, that’s how it is played. The next time, we will go fast past the saloon, right Red and General?” She grinned to herself as she also had her rifle by her side. Florence knew how to take care of herself.

  At the church, she set the brake and tied the horses to the post. With a bit of hesitancy, she knocked on the door.

  Preacher Bret opened it and welcomed her in.

  “There’s no need for me to come in. I wanted to ask you about church.” She pointed to the wagon. “Jay and I have acquired four orphaned children from the mines. We will be coming to church this Sunday. I have taken up praying and reading my mother’s Bible.”

  “That’s fine. Anything I can do to help with the children, let me know.”

  “We should be fine. I was wondering if I could speak in church. I need more seed for my garden, and I know sometimes people have extra plants to share. I would like to ask that after church, those who have extra share their abundance the following Sunday.”

  The preacher nodded. “I think that should be fine. That would help draw the community together. Although most of the people are ranchers.”

  Florence grinned. “We need vegetables as well as meat. And fruit. Does anyone have fruit trees in the area?”

  “That I don’t know. But I like the idea of gathering together our extras to share with those who could use them. That could include clothes that children outgrow, too.”

  Florence nodded. “Yes, we have four children who have little. Thank you, Preacher. I’ll see you Sunday.”

  The preacher looked concerned. “Where is your husband?”

  “Jay broke his leg. He can be on it in a week but must rest until then.”

  “I see
. Are you going to be able to manage until Jay is better?”

  “Yes, thank you.” She glanced at the sun. “I had better go. I don’t want to be driving home in the dark.”

  “You be careful. I’ll be praying for your safety.”

  Florence climbed back into the wagon. “I have a whip and a rifle. What’s more, I have new faith in the Lord. He will see me safely home.”

  The preacher waved at her as she drove back to town to the road that would take her home.

  She prayed more for understanding from Jay than protection. She didn’t want to hurt his manly pride, but they had the children to think about now. They needed to go to church, and soon the children would need to go to school. The wagon was a necessity.

  Florence glanced at the sky and was startled to see clouds gathering to the north. Storms were trouble. She knew a family who disappeared after a tornado swept through their farm and destroyed the house. She would ask if that was a common occurrence in Montana. If so, she would make sure the cellar was built quickly.

  For now, she’d hurry the horses to get home and pray that the Lord would halt the storm from coming to her house. They weren’t ready for storms. As rotten as some of those boards were, she now feared the house would collapse on them.

  Chapter 14

  Jay thought she should be back. He looked outside and, for the hundredth time, saw an empty road. “Billy, go run up the drive and see if you see her.”

  The little boy smiled and patted Scout. “Come on, boy. Let’s see.” The two of them ran off together.

  Jay chuckled. One thing was for sure, the kids were attached to the dogs.

  Paul started to get up. “Maybe I should go with him.”

  “Nope, you’re with me. The doc said we were both supposed to rest for a week. How’s your head?”

  The boy sat back down. “It doesn’t hurt anymore.”

  “That’s great. Soon you’ll be out there running with your brother.” Jay looked in the other direction and saw the girls in the garden. Their latest game was to find earthworms and put them in the garden to help things grow. The funny thing was Peck and Cluck, the two hens, ate the worms as fast as the little girls could put them in the dirt.

  Fred and Curt had promised to take care of the mill.

  Jay leaned back against the wall to his bedroom and pondered how he had acquired such a large family in a short time. Florence was his jewel. She amazed him with how she stepped up to whatever needed to be done and did it with such grace and joy.

  Yes, he’d put a smile on her face and a spark in her eyes. It hadn’t taken long at all, and he loved her more than life. That had happened quicker than he’d thought possible. But where was she?

  Then he heard a whoop and holler from Billy along with the creak of a wagon. Thinking they must be having more company, Jay grabbed his crutch and struggled to stand. Florence was sitting proud as can be driving a wagon and hitched to it was Big Red and another horse.

  She drove expertly into the yard, set the brake, and climbed down. “Billy, get the flour from the wagon.” She pulled a small bag from her pocket. “Paul, here are some treats for you and the children. You are in charge of giving them out.”

  More shouts and joyous screams erupted from the children as the girls had now joined in with their little girl ear-splitting squeals. They surrounded Paul and eagerly quieted as they chewed on the candy.

  Jay hobbled down the steps. “What have you done?”

  Florence grinned. “I have bought myself a wagon. You told me to get myself something. This is what I wanted and my own horse. Meet General. He’s the best-mannered horse in Montana. A little old, Mr. Bailey warned me, but healthy and sound.”

  Jay rubbed a hand on the rough wood of the wagon’s side. “It needs some work, but I can do that. Wheels look good.”

  “I am no tenderfoot. I know a thing or two about wagons.” She walked over to him, felt his forehead, and kissed him. “I hope you’re not mad.”

  Jay hid his worry and returned her kiss. “I guess if my wife wants to buy a wagon for herself, then that’s what she should do.”

  “This way, we can go to church Sunday. I talked to the preacher and told him I had some ideas.”

  This woman was intent on taking over the world. Jay hugged her to him. “Then we will all go to church. The skies darkened. With a worried glance, he motioned to the house. “I think we’re in for a storm. We better get inside.”

  “First, I must unharness the horses. They deserve a good rest, and I see General looking at that meadow. He was kept in a stall, and I am sure he would like to stretch his legs.”

  Jay wanted to argue, but he knew it was hopeless. He helped where he could, but she had to carry the heavy harness to the house.

  Then she went to the wagon and took out the saddle. “Later, we can get another saddle, so we can take those rides together.”

  He loved her. She’d thought of everything.

  A cold gust of wind warned them the storm was nearing as thunder rumbled in the hills, and soon a gentle rain began soaking the land.

  Florence gathered the children into the house and had to shoo the chickens outside. “Puppies can come in for now, but I draw the line at chickens and moose.”

  Jay laughed. “It doesn’t look like a bad storm.”

  She stood beside him. “No, it is perfect for the garden. Soon, you will see that we will have an abundance of food.”

  He hugged her. “I believe it. Why look, in just a few days, we now have four children.”

  She laughed. “I talked to the judge, and he said he would start things for the adoption process.”

  Jay looked at her. “Aren’t we moving a little fast? I’m fond of them, but we don’t know if they have kin somewhere.”

  Florence nodded. “I don’t believe they do. We will see. God will work it out.” She helped him to the wall. “Now, I better get dinner started. Will Curt and Fred be joining us?”

  Jay grinned. “I would think so. I think they’re fond of you and the kids, not to mention the food.”

  “I’ll plan on it.”

  Jay watched the rain, prayed there’d be no lightning to start fires in the forest. He needed those trees. He’d already decided how he’d go about cutting the timber. They’d do a section at a time and replant as they went.

  He glanced at Florence. He sure hoped everything worked out in the time that he needed it to.

  ***

  Florence cooked enough food to feed an army, and she was pleased when Curt and Fred rode into the yard. They were soaked from the rain, but the sun had come out, and with the fire going in the fireplace, they and their clothes would dry out. Still, one couldn’t be too careful.

  “Billy, go and get a couple of blankets from the room. Curt, Fred, you two need to get out of those wet clothes and dry off. I can put them by the fire, so they can dry.”

  The two looked at Jay, who nodded.

  The men took the blankets from the boy and went to the other side of the house for some privacy. Soon, they were back and handed the clothes to Florence. Soon, she had their worn clothes hanging up and drying by the fire.

  “It is clear that as soon as I can get some extra money, I will have to buy material and sew clothes for this crew.” She laughed. It felt so good to be able to do things for her own family.

  Jay cleared his throat. “How is the mill?”

  “We got everything done you wanted. The rain came right through the yard, though.” Curt shook his head. “We’ll have to dig some trenches to keep it from the yard, or it will be too hard to get the logs into the yard and to the mill.”

  Fred nodded. “We were figuring some things out about that. We’ll get on it soon as we can. This isn’t the only storm we’re going to see.”

  Florence glanced at Jay and saw him write in the little pad he kept in his pocket. He was so worried. The carefree, joyous man who had met her at Bridgette’s had been replaced by a man laden with burdens.

  Jay frowned. “The
first logs are due on Friday. Think the road will hold them?”

  Fred glanced at Curt and then nodded. “It should. If not, we’ll have to haul them from the wagon by mule to the loading docks. But we can make it work.”

  Florence studied Fred and Curt. Something was different about them. She’d been so preoccupied with the filthy wet clothes she’d not noticed their faces. They had shaved and looked like different men.

  She brightened. They needed haircuts now. Give them a set of new clothes, and they’d look like prosperous men.

  She stirred the stew and checked the biscuits. “We’ll need another deer in a day or two. Curt, Fred, I must say you look nice with your faces shaven. Would you like me to cut your hair? I have scissors for such a thing.” She glanced at Paul and Billy. “And you boys definitely need a haircut. We are going to church this Sunday.”

  The children groaned, but Curt and Fred nodded. “We’d appreciate that, Mrs. Florence.”

  Jay laughed. “Is there anything you don’t do?”

  She grinned. “When I find what that is, I will learn to do it.”

  They all laughed.

  Florence settled down beside Jay and ate her fill of the tasty dinner. Already, she was teaching Lorraine how to churn the milk to make butter. Florence was thankful that she’d been able to buy more buckets when she’d gone into town. She’d had to use one in the kitchen to catch water from a leak in the roof.

  The rain had stopped, and the clouds rolled away, revealing a smiling sun. Florence looked out into the pasture. In the dying light of the day, General was rolling in the meadow. “He is a happy horse.”

  Jay snuck a kiss by her ear. “He should be. The most wonderful woman in the world bought him.”

  Florence kept it secret that she knew he’d still owed for Big Red. Jay would see to their needs. He had the logs coming in and soon would have lumber to sell. Things would work out.

  Chapter 15

  Jay made it through the week and was ready to get back to work. The doctor said to keep the leg bound and not to stand on it too much. Well, the doctor didn’t know what kind of bills Jay needed to pay and the work that needed to be done to pay it.