by Stella Clark
Collapsing onto the bed, Sarah glanced at the cradle. Matthew was sleeping well. Good, at least one of them was. She glanced away and shook her head as Watt knelt before her.
“Something is wrong.” He furrowed his brow. “Isn’t it?”
When she opened her mouth, her breath came out shakily. “I don’t—it’s just that—I’m afraid …” Sarah looked at their hands as she took his in both of hers. She thought about lying, but she didn’t want that for him. So she forced the bitter truth out. Her words had been left unsaid for long enough. “I can’t stop thinking about how I might have lost you. How I might still lose you. It’s keeping me up at night. I can’t eat, I can’t sleep, I just—I don’t know … what would I do?”
For a minute he didn’t say anything. “Sarah … But I’m here. Right here.”
She tightened her grip on him, making certain that he couldn’t disappear. “For now, yes. But what about when you return to the mines? What then?
“I’ve already lost so many people in my life that I don’t know what I would do this time. Not if I lost you. Matthew needs you. I need you.” Tears spilled down her cheeks, but she didn’t try to hide them this time. Her pillow had hidden most of them in the past. She’d been strong long enough on her own, but their pastor had said that marriage was a partnership. “Colorado is a hard place to be without a husband. We’ve both seen it in the other widows. Those poor families. But I don’t have anywhere else to go if something happens to you. I’m afraid all the time now.
“I just keep imagining the day,” her voice cracked, “that someone else will come here to tell me that—that you’re gone. I don’t know what we would do without you. It would hurt too much. I just—not after all of this, I can’t imagine—I can’t lose you. I love you.”
Sarah felt her chin quiver as she ducked her head. She wasn’t sure she had meant to say that out loud. Not yet. But the words were true and the fire in her heart reminded her how much she needed him. It wasn’t just about the precarious situation that she would be left in. It would be how she’d finally found someone who truly cared for her and who she cared for in return.
At first, Watt said nothing. Part of her wondered if he had even heard. Covering her mouth with her forearm, she forced down the sobs threatening to break free. She was trying to force her breathing back to normal when she felt him lean forward and kiss her forehead. Sarah held her breath, wishing the moment would last forever.
“I love you too,” Watt murmured in her ear.
She hiccupped, jerking back to see his face. She had to make sure he was telling the truth. Eyes wide, she studied him in amazement. The man’s face was open as he looked straight at her. His soft brown eyes met hers boldly. He meant it. Her heart filled up with joy as she sniffled. The last tear fell as she blinked.
He squeezed her hand as his eyes dropped to her lips. She felt her stomach churn, but not in a bad way like when Watt had been carried home. It was a different feeling she hadn’t felt in a while. A burning sensation that flooded through her entire body. Hope.
Matthew started to wail. Jumping, she looked around for her little boy. But Watt patted her shoulder and pointed to the bed.
“Get in,” he told her. “And stay there. I’ll pick him up. None of us are getting out of bed until we all feel better.”
When she shot him a curious look, Watt just winked at her. Sarah reluctantly obeyed, waiting for her boys to join her on the bed. They could worry about church and bread and work another time. Crawling back to the pillows, Sarah tugged at the blankets and obediently waited for Watt and Matthew.
He picked up the boy with his one good arm. She remembered the first moment she had seen her husband. He had broad shoulders but a narrow figure and she had wondered how strong he really was. But time and time again he had proved that he had more strength than she could possibly imagine.
Sarah wiped away the drying tears on her cheeks as Watt came around his side of the bed. She had been so worried for the first couple of weeks that eventually the man would change his mind and toss them both from his home. That he wouldn’t accept the child she’d delivered.
She had been concerned he would act like the other man she had known, Curtis Handel. Sarah tried to never think of him. He was forgotten, his name never to pass her lips again.
Watt had again proved himself a good man, immediately accepting the child and taking care of them. Though she knew she had limited experience, Sarah wasn’t certain how many men could have so quickly adapted to fatherhood like Watt had. He was always ready to help with her every need, making sure she had food, and was there tending to Matthew when she needed rest. Sometimes she still had to convince her husband to hand over the child so the baby could eat.
Setting Matthew down between them, he propped himself up on his own pillow. Watt studied her for a moment, his brow furrowed.
Her next breath was shaky, but she nodded. “Thank you,” she whispered. She wasn’t quite sure what she said it for. Everything and nothing. For the flowers he had helped her plant, for the home he had given her, for the kindness he bestowed upon her constantly.
He reached over and squeezed her hand. The hope that had entered her chest moments ago continued to grow warmer. Sarah gently shifted until she was lying down alongside her family and wondered how she had grown so lucky.
Chapter Ten
It wasn’t much of a sled. But it would do. Watt scratched his head and finally shrugged. Fixing the rope one last time, he headed down the lane. Again and again he checked behind him to make sure nothing had fallen off.
And nothing did. He grinned. It was a temporary fix until the wagon could get another wheel. But there was the smallest ounce of pride for putting together a quick fix. Watt whistled as he headed down the road. His left shoulder still ached at the strain, but it was doing much better now.
This wasn’t usually a path he walked alone in the morning, but Sarah had been up for most of the night and he wanted to give her a few more hours to rest. Before leaving, Watt had leaned over the bed and kissed her forehead. The young woman was an exhausted heap of limbs with hair flowing everywhere; somehow that made her more beautiful than anyone he had ever dreamed about. She’d stirred lightly in the dark.
“Go back to sleep,” Watt had assured her. “I’ll handle everything.”
Sarah had mumbled something before rolling over to his side of the bed to hug his pillow. She had done it a few times before and it made him grin. Though she protested against her actions whenever she woke up, Watt couldn’t help but tease her about it.
His heart had warmed at the sight as he grudgingly left her side. The hesitation and anxiousness in the beginning of their wedding had dissipated in the last couple of months and he marveled over the close relationship they had built up with one another. He had never experienced anything like it, and now felt her loss every time they weren’t side by side. But, Watt reminded himself, he would see her in a few hours.
His feet crunched over the snow. Springtime was just around the corner; he could feel it.
The town wasn’t awake as he drew closer towards the main street, but the sun was rising. Already there was a little warmth that kept him from shivering in his boots. But he still pulled his jacket tighter and checked on the bundle close to his chest.
Nice and secure.
His eyes focused on the building up ahead. It had been the Wilsons’ house before they left back east. Somewhere in Georgia, but he couldn’t quite recall the name of the town. There was a letter somewhere back at the house with the name. Hopefully, soon there would be money to send their way.
But first, he had to get his new general store set up. After saving up over the winter and managing what they could, Watt and Sarah had put a new plan in motion. He had finished up his final week at the mine. There had been some good ore, and with everything he’d mined in the last couple of months, that would hold them over as they started up the store.
It had taken most of their savings, but they had
prayed and worked hard.
He set the sled rope down and climbed up the steps. The building was small, but they’d made a nice switch from a home to a shop. Unlocking the door, he slipped inside and glanced around.
Sarah must have swept before leaving the other night. He grinned, his heart full. It always warmed him when he saw the little things she did for him. Watt set a chair in the doorway and headed back to the sled to start bringing in the packages. After all, morning had just begun, and he had a full day of work ahead of him.
First, there were the bags of oats. Then the fabric. And finally, he brought in the baskets of canned peaches and apricots. They looked tasty but he managed to ignore his rumbling stomach. It would be lunchtime soon enough. He’d eat eventually.
And there was a lot to get done before then.
Humming, he checked again on his bundle, patting it before turning back. There was tidying to be done, shelves to be organized, and more stock to sort through. He grinned. Though this could be considered backbreaking work, he enjoyed it a lot more than mining in the dark.
Finally, it was done.
Grinning, he nodded to himself and went to the door. Watt switched the sign around and propped the door open an inch.
“Whoo, finally!” Mrs. Timmons rubbed her hands together, making her way into the shop. “About time, Mr. Flynn, about time. Do you have the sugar you promised?”
Taking a step back out of her way, Watt grinned at her. “I sure do. Right back here. Hey, you’re still coming around for supper on Sunday, aren’t you?”
The woman beamed up at him. “We sure are. And don’t worry, we’re bringing my rhubarb pie.”
“Perfect. Sarah will love that.” He gestured ahead down the aisle.
From behind them, Watt heard a light patter of footsteps by the door. “Did I hear my name?”
Watt turned around to find Sarah cocking her head as she trailed towards them. Still bundled up in her winter coat, she pulled her hat off and tugged at her scarf. Her face was flushed as she tried to move her hair out of her face. It was even longer than when they had met and now touched down her back.
His heart warmed at the sight of her. When she was close enough, he reached out for her scarf and pulled her close. The world always disappeared when they had a moment together.
She was still smiling as she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him. “Good morning,” Sarah murmured. “You’re here. The shop looks great.” Standing close, she reached out a handle to touch the bundle tied to his chest.
“Always here,” he assured her of his promise as he did every day.
Only then did he loosen his jacket to reveal the baby still curled up against him. Matthew squirmed lightly but didn’t wake. The mass of curly dark hair on his head shifted lightly as his parents carefully touched him. His chubby cheeks and arms were hard to resist, and they loved any chance to put their hands on the boy.
Sarah raised her eyebrow when he didn’t wake up, and Watt smirked. “He likes me more,” he explained quietly.
As she shook her head, she chuckled. “Yes, but I’m the one with his food, aren’t I? Hand him over. He’ll get cranky.”
“Give him a minute,” Watt insisted, stealing another kiss from her. “He’s not crying yet. Go take a seat and rest up, would you? You’re always on the run.”
“Someone has to keep up with you,” Sarah pointed out.
But she took his advice. The young woman made her way around the aisles to the counter. After she had rearranged a few baskets of treats in the front, she went around the table and took a seat. Once there, she yawned and settled in comfortably.
Watt meant to follow after Mrs. Timmons, but his eyes trailed after his young wife. It was hard to take his eyes off her. She was a beautiful woman who had grown more stunning in her time with him in Colorado.
Having a baby had brought a tender softness to her cheeks and a warmth that made her shine like the sun before him. Though she was still shy, Sarah had made a few friends in town and was growing a little comfortable with herself. She preferred being at the house but was eager to help him set up the store.
It had taken them a while to come to this decision. But when Sarah had made herself sick with worry, Watt had forced himself to take another look at the world before him in reconsidering his choices.
He had a family to take care of and needed to consider what was best for everyone. While he had wanted a wife who could live the hard life out west, he realized it wasn’t fair to expect that she be willing to be left behind should anything happen to him. Tending to the families who had lost a husband had shown him how hard those lives were, and he couldn’t do that to his own wife and child. That wasn’t something he was willing to risk.
So, he turned the search for gold over to everyone else. He’d already found something worth more than the gems and rocks in all of Colorado. Watt thought back to how he’d left a home he’d outgrown and had come west to seek his fortune.
He had found it in Sarah.
Their first winter had been hard. All three of them had burrowed up in the little house. He’d worked partial shifts in the mines as she’d knitted clothes to sell around town. To change their lives around had taken effort to get to where they were now, but already he knew it was going to be worth it.
“I was wondering where you might be,” Mrs. Timmons cheered from across the room as she hurried over to the counter. Watt shifted his son against his chest as he looked over the aisles to watch his wife talk to the other woman.
They exchanged pleasantries as he made his way over. But he hung back, not wanting to interrupt. As Mrs. Timmons kept talking and Sarah was unable to finish the lady’s purchase, Watt decided to amuse his wife.
He turned slightly so Matthew could face his mother and used his chubby little arm to wave. The little baby still slept as Watt wiggled his eyebrows towards his wife.
Sarah met his eye and grinned, unable to focus on Mrs. Timmons. His heart skipped a beat at the sight of his wife and her sparkling blue eyes.
After Matthew was born, she had confessed that it was her friend Karen who had written the letters for her. That had made Watt rethink everything for only a second before she explained herself. It had been a jarring moment of truth, but he was over it. Karen, they had both decided, had done the right thing. Shortly afterward, they wrote a letter back east to thank the girl and let her know that all was well.
And all was well. More than well. Watt grinned at his wife, still waving his son’s arm to the beautiful woman. She stammered her way through the purchase at last, shaking her head as the woman finally left.
Alone at last, Watt set the baby’s arm down and went over to the counter to see his wife. Before he could kiss her, however, she elbowed him with a shake of her head.
“I didn’t do anything,” he protested, shifting Matthew slightly.
“You did too,” Sarah chuckled. “And you know it.”
He wanted to kiss her right then and there, but his bundle started to wiggle. Watt grinned as Matthew squirmed, his head rolling to the side as he peeked an eye open.
The kid was finally waking up. He had his mother’s beautiful eyes. The baby smiled back at him and Watt pulled the little tyke out of the contraption they’d tied themselves up in.
“Good morning,” Watt greeted his son. Though they weren’t blood, it didn’t matter. They were family. The only other person he felt connected to was his wife. Sarah wrapped an arm around him, and Watt thought about how lucky he was. Already he couldn’t wait to continue building their family and lives together. “It’s about time you joined the fun.”
The End
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