The Cattleman's Bride: A Golden Valley Story (The Brides of Birch Creek Book 4)

by Laura D. Bastian

  Though the laundry would need to be done soon. She’d wait until tomorrow to get started on that.

  Mending would be another thing she’d need to do. It wasn’t common for men to take good care of their clothing. They often worked hard and wore through things rather quickly.

  In a small basket on a shelf in the room near the large fireplace, Cora discovered sewing supplies and was happy to know there were tools for her to use while fixing any rips or tears. Beneath the basket in a small wooden chest, she found some fabric. Not a lot, but some that would help make patches if needed.

  Cora checked the bread, but it wasn’t ready to put into the pans and into the oven so she continued working her way through the house, cleaning and wiping things down as she went. Eventually, she went back into the bedroom she’d slept in last night. It was time to unpack her trunk, but she wasn’t sure where to place her things. There was a small shelf along one wall, and a trunk at the end of the bed that probably held Levi’s things.

  She didn’t have a lot of clothes. She had two dresses that were appropriate for Sunday or more festive occasions, the dress she’d traveled in, and her work dress. She would need to change out of this nicer one and into the more threadbare dress, but she didn’t want Levi to be bothered that she was taking up some of his personal space.

  That would be another thing she would have to ask him about when he returned to the house.

  Cora put the bread inside the oven and set about starting a stew. She didn’t know what kind of food the men in the area liked, and she had no clue how hungry they’d be. She had only ever had to cook for her own parents before she got married to Matthew, and then it was just the two of them.

  If she didn’t make enough stew, hopefully the bread would hold them over. But if she made too much, it would be difficult to store it and she hated the idea of wasting food.

  “Just relax,” she told herself. “Levi seems likable enough.” She hoped her new father-in-law would be a good man.

  Cora went outside to the garden to check on the vegetables there. She picked the peas that were large enough, checked the carrots, but they still seemed too small. There were a lot of potatoes in his root cellar and she thought she’d seen some carrots as well under some peat.

  She pulled out a few weeds as she checked on the tomatoes, but there were very few ripe ones. Within a week, there would be a good pile of them judging from the light yellow color beginning to creep into the green flesh.

  It was easy enough to stay busy and once she’d pulled out the bread, she began another batch. In her experience, most times when fresh bread was available it didn’t last long.

  Barking dogs outside brought Cora to the window. Two large and shaggy dogs were playfully nipping at each other in the front clearing and behind them a dozen yards or so were two horses. One she was sure belonged to Levi, especially with the size of the man astride it.

  The other man was a little thinner, but still a well built fellow. As they got closer, she could see a resemblance between the two. Cora was almost certain this was her new father-in-law.

  She stirred the stew, then placed the bowls on the table with the spoons and cups she’d found and quickly sliced some bread. If they were anything like Matthew, they’d be starving after working the fields all day.

  She went to the front door and opened it then stepped out onto the wooden porch and put a smile on her face, hoping it would conceal the worry and nerves that started to work their way up from the pit of her stomach.

  “So this is her?” the older man said as he looked her over from atop his horse.

  “Yup,” Levi said. “This is Cora.”

  “It’s nice to finally meet you,” Cora said. “I have food ready if you two are hungry.”

  The old man’s face lit up. “Picked a smart one, Levi.” He reached over and grabbed Levi’s horse’s bridle. “I’ll go put these two away while you take a moment and greet your new wife properly.”

  Levi cleared his throat. “I can do my own horse.” After a look from his father, he continued. “That way we can both get in there and eat sooner.” He turned the horse away from the house and urged him to a trot toward the barn. His father just chuckled and turned his horse as well. Perhaps she’d been able to school her face enough that Mr. Finch didn’t notice her embarrassment and disappointment.

  “Don’t worry,” he said over his shoulder. “I’ll make myself scarce later.”

  Cora’s face heated immediately and she was grateful he’d turned away again and couldn’t see it. She ducked into the house and headed back to the kitchen. In less than ten minutes, the sound of the water pump outside made her happy to know they were washing up before dinner. When they entered the house through the kitchen door, Cora pulled the stew off the stove and placed the pot on the wooden block in the center of the table then dished them up a bowl and passed them each some bread.

  “And she can cook good, too?” the old man said after taking a bite.

  “Yup,” Levi replied.

  “I just might have to take back what I said about sending for a wife,” the old man said. “This is delicious, girl.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Finch.”

  “Call me Pa.”

  “Are you sure?” Cora asked.

  “Yup.” He bumped Levi’s shoulder and laughed.

  Cora smiled at the man. He was a lot different than she’d anticipated given the stern and quiet nature of Levi.

  ***

  After dinner, Levi stood. “Thanks for the fine meal. I’ll go check the animals.”

  He was out the door before his father could call him back. He didn’t want to stay and have a conversation with the two of them. While they’d eaten, Pa had asked Cora about the different kinds of food she might be making in the next little while. It was almost comical with the way he raved about all the possibilities. Levi was pleasantly surprised that Pa had been so friendly and not as cantankerous as usual.

  Cora had happily gone into detail about the different kinds of meals she regularly made and Pa had promised to be sure there were plenty of supplies for her to do it all. Of course, it should have been Levi that had made the offer to provide for her. He’d make sure to check with her on what she would need.

  But for now, he would go check the animals and be sure they were prepped for the night. When he reached the barn, he could tell the cows had already been milked. That was a huge relief.

  The remnants of the feed in the stalls looked fresh as well. He wondered how long it had been since she’d done the evening chores.

  He cleaned out a couple of the stalls of the manure and made his way out to the garden.

  There would be more work to do on the weeds tomorrow, but she’d made a start to it. Since there wasn’t as much for him to take care of as he’d anticipated, Levi returned to the house before the sun had completely disappeared behind the hill. Cora and his father were in the main room with Cora sitting in Levi’s favorite chair with some mending on her lap as his father sat nearby reading from the family bible.

  “Levi,” Pa said. “Get me a pen and the ink well will you? I want to write Cora’s name in this.”

  Cora’s head lifted and she looked at Pa first, then over to Levi. She seemed surprised, but not upset. And Levi found himself liking the idea.

  He headed to the desk that was against the other side of the room and pulled out a small jar and a pen nub.

  “Spell your name for me, girl.” Pa looked at Cora expectantly. “All your names. I want to have them all in here.”

  Cora slowly spelled out her given name, then her maiden name as well as her first married name.

  “And your first husband’s name was Matthew?” Pa asked.

  Cora only nodded. But the look she gave Levi hurt. She was obviously still mourning her husband and he could understand that she would be uncomfortable with him. At least Pa was here to help make things a little less awkward.

  And Pa knew how to talk to women. He finished with making the entry int
o the front of the Bible, blew on the ink so it could dry, then Pa began reading from where he’d been before Levi entered the room.

  Cora quietly worked on the mending while Levi used his knife to trim some leather straps into the lengths he would need to mend a few of the bridles.

  He allowed himself to get immersed in his work so he wouldn’t moon after Cora. It wasn’t until his father had stopped reading for a few moments and softly spoke his name that Levi looked up.

  “She’s tuckered herself out, looks like.” Pa placed the Bible on the small bookshelf.

  “She did a lot of work around here,” Levi said.

  “You did good, boy.”

  Levi didn’t know how to respond to that. He’d lucked out if truth was told. He had hoped to find a good wife, but when he’d read her first letter explaining she was a widow, he had thought she might be older, or a little more homely looking. That was nothing like what had arrived on the train and now belonged to his family just as surely as Levi and his own father did. She was small, only coming to the center of his chest at her tallest point. But she seemed to pack a lot of strength in her little frame.

  And she was a kind and soft spoken thing.

  If only she wasn’t so emotionally connected to her deceased husband. He would give her as much time as she needed. It was only right. He just wished he knew how best to treat her and how much space to give her.

  Sharing a room with her made it kind of difficult. And with her asleep in the chair, her head lolled to the side against the chair back, she looked completely adorable. Her hands lay limp in her lap with the mending still under one hand against her leg.

  Pa stood up and stepped over to Cora. “I’ll get the mending and the needle. You help get her steady enough she can head to her bed.”

  Levi looked at Cora. It would be simple to just scoop her up and carry her in, but he didn’t want to make her worried or surprise her out of sleep like he’d done before. Levi placed his hand on her shoulder and whispered her name.

  She didn’t respond and Levi tried again. “Cora? Can you walk? Do you want me to help you get to the bed?”

  Cora’s eyes fluttered a bit and when she saw him looking down at her, she sat up straighter and searched her lap for the missing supplies.

  “Pa put them away.”

  “I’m sorry,” Cora said, wiping her hand across her cheeks. “I wasn’t finished. I’ll get it done before I turn in.”

  “There’s time tomorrow, Cora,” Levi said. “We’ve gone this long without mended clothes. A few holes will be nothing.”

  Cora smiled, making him happier than he’d been all day. Her sweet smile held so much in it. “All right.”

  “You did good today,” Levi said as he offered his hand to help her stand.

  “Thanks,” Cora spoke softly and looked around the room. “Where is your father?”

  “I suppose he went to bed. Did you need to ask him something?”

  Cora shook her head. “No. Though I suppose I need to know what your plans are for tomorrow. Do you need help with anything, or should I continue on the household things?”

  “We’ll both be around here for the day to take care of some of the bigger chores.” Levi motioned for her to follow.

  Cora didn’t follow him immediately, but eventually took a step toward the bedroom where he had paused at the door with the lantern held up.

  He moved inside the room to the far wall to give her space when she entered.

  “It looks like you haven’t unpacked your trunk yet.”

  “I wasn’t sure where to put my things. I didn’t want to take up space you needed.”

  Levi shrugged. “I don’t have too much. I can make some hooks for you to hang your dresses on if you’d like. Or you could keep them in your trunk against this wall.”

  “Some hooks would be helpful,” Cora said. “Thank you.”

  Levi hated feeling so unsure of himself with this woman. He was standing there just offering to build her things instead of speaking the words he wanted to.

  Yet he couldn’t bring himself to ask her for a time-line on when she would no longer think of her dead husband.

  “I usually sleep on the side you were on last night. Would it bother you if I took that side?” Levi asked after a moment.

  “No, of course not. I’m sorry I took your personal place. Is that why you slept in the chair?” her voice trembled and Levi nodded.

  “Yes. I didn’t sleep all that well and I’m sure I won’t move a muscle tonight. You look exhausted too.” He hoped that would assure her he would keep his hands to himself. But he really wanted to sleep in his own bed so he’d actually get a decent night’s rest.

  “I am rather tired. Hopefully neither of us will disturb the other.”

  “That’s my hope.” Levi nodded and cleared his throat. “I’m going to the outhouse. You go ahead and get ready for bed in private. I won’t bother you.” He turned and walked out the door, certain that the only way he could manage to climb into the bed next to her was if she was asleep before he got back.

  Maybe he’d go for a long walk around the pasture fence line to give her enough time.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Cora slipped into the bed and lay there in silence, wondering when she’d feel comfortable enough with Levi to talk to him normally instead of the two of them stepping so lightly around each other. She was glad his father was in the house, but at the same time, it made things a little weird. Things had been so different with Matthew. So natural and easy. Levi was a good man, but he would take some getting used to.

  Cora closed her eyes and tried to keep herself from dwelling on her memories of the past. It was out of her reach and she couldn’t afford to waste her time and energy wishing for something impossible like that. The best she could hope for was that someday, she and Levi could have something similar.

  She kept expecting Levi to return, but her eyes got too heavy to fight and she drifted off into sleep. In the surface of her dream, she was almost certain Levi had arrived and climbed into the bed, but he didn’t touch her or get close. She sunk deeper into her dream, and while things started out feeling peaceful and relaxing, the sound of breathing next to her tugged at her memories and the dreams turned to nightmares. Matthew’s lungs had struggled for breath so often that she had learned to hear even the slightest change in his breathing. Cora sat up and immediately reached over to check Matthew’s breathing only to once again realize it wasn’t him.

  His pain and suffering had come to an end. Hers was still there, showing up at times like this.

  Her movements had thankfully not startled Levi, but as she tried to lay back down, his deep, yet gentle voice spoke.

  “Are you all right, Cora?”

  Cora sniffed and wiped her eyes. “Yes,” she finally managed after laying back on the bed on her side.

  “Did you have a bad dream?” Levi’s voice, full of tenderness and concern, helped ease her worries.

  Cora took a slow breath. “Not really a dream. No.”

  “Do you want to talk about it?” Levi asked.

  “Matthew died of something wrong with his lungs. Toward the end, I would awaken at the sounds he made and did my best to soothe his pain, or make sure he was still breathing.” Saying this to her new husband felt odd, but at the same time helpful.

  “Did I wake you with my breathing?” Levi asked.

  “I think that it must have sounded similar enough.”

  “I’m sorry,” Levi said. “I’ll try to be quieter.”

  Cora sighed softly. “You aren’t a noisy breather. I just learned to be a light sleeper. I’m sure eventually I’ll get used to you.”

  “Would it help if I slept somewhere else?” Levi asked.

  “No,” Cora said. “This is your home. Your room. Your bed. You don’t have to sleep anywhere else.”

  “Good,” Levi said with a chuckle. “Because that chair is not comfortable in the slightest, and Pa snores like you wouldn’t believe.”


  Cora smiled, then felt herself free enough to laugh softly. “I appreciate your patience with me, Levi.”

  “It’s only right,” Levi said. “You have experienced an incredible hardship. I wouldn’t want to add to it.”

  “Still, you are very understanding.”

  “We can take our time to get used to each other.” Levi reached out and took her hand in his, but only held it still without a hint of a caress or a squeeze.

  “Thank you,” Cora whispered. “You are a good man.”

  ***

  The next morning, Levi woke before Cora. He dressed quickly and left the room to take care of the milking and feeding of the animals. He was surprised he had slept as well as he did. At first, when she’d woken him with her startled response to his snoring, and they had talked for a moment, he had considered leaving the bed to give her space and silence. But she’d allowed him to hold her hand, and he had felt so connected. Something he hadn’t ever felt before.

  There hadn’t been a lot of times in his life he had been physically close to another person like that. He’d worked side by side with his father since he was old enough to walk, and there had always been touch and help from his mother, but this was completely different.

  It was as if they were sharing a connection that went deeper than just touching her hand. And the fact that she had relaxed into sleep again was impressive too. She trusted him and wasn’t worried for her safety or comfort.

  When he returned to the house after the morning chores, Cora was in the kitchen preparing a meal. His father was at the table talking to her about what to expect as the summer would draw to a close and the work that would go into harvesting the fruit trees and the main crops.

  “We’ll also soon be taking the cattle to Boise to sell,” Levi said. “It’ll take about a month there and back.” He poured the milk from the small buckets into the milk pail. What they didn’t drink this morning could be used for cooking.