CHAPTER FOUR

 

 

 

 

 

Jed woke early though he hadn’t slept well with the movements of the two children in his bed. When he moved the blanket to get out of bed, he had to untangle one child from the top of the blanket and take the other one off his leg since she’d decided to use it as a pillow.

The girls only mumbled a little as he moved them enough to get up, and he hurried and dressed as quietly as he could. When he reached the kitchen to make himself an egg, he saw Grace there with her hair down her back instead of up in the twist she’d had yesterday. She was wearing her dress, thank goodness instead of a night dress, but she looked sleep mussed. She had Milo on one hip as she stirred something on the stove. He stopped in his tracks but the floorboards creaked and Grace turned to look at him.

“Good morning, Jed.”

“Morning,” Jed said as he passed her on the way to the front door to pull on his boots. He turned back to see her still focused on the breakfast and was relieved he wasn’t being watched. It felt odd to have her in the house, but it would be her home now just as much as it was his.

“This is almost ready. I couldn’t get Milo to get back to sleep so I thought I’d just come make breakfast. I hope you don’t mind eggs done this way.”

Jed leaned over her shoulder to peek into the frying pan. “Don’t think anyone can mess up eggs. I’m sure they’ll be fine.”

Grace glanced at him, bringing her face closer to his. Jed pulled back and stepped around to the other side. “Let me take Milo for a moment.”

His boy went to him easier than he had yesterday and that helped ease his worry. Milo reached up and pulled on his ear, and made a few happy noises.

“How did you sleep?” Jed asked, looking past the boy who seemed to be well rested.

“Very well, thank you. Milo slept all night and woke about thirty minutes ago.” She took the fry pan off the stove and moved it to the table. “How about you?”

Jed shook his head. “Not used to all the wiggles and movements of those two. Got kicked in the face once I think.” He rubbed his chin and Grace smiled, making her brown eyes sparkle.

“Sleeping children are often anything but peaceful.”

Jed chuckled. “Hopefully they’ll grow out of it soon. Or maybe I’ll just make sure to get them a bed made fast. I’d have to go cut down some smaller trees, but I could get a frame done up easy enough. The mattress would be the problem. I’m not sure if there is enough fabric to put something together.”

“Do you want me to look through the cloth here? I could get started on it.”

“Eventually,” Jed said. “But no rush on that. It isn’t top on the list. There’s a lot to catch up on that I couldn’t do alone.”

Grace nodded. “Should I plan on making you a lunch?”

“I’ll just take some of those hard biscuits I had from before and some of the dried jerky. I’d hate to make you wait for me. But I’d appreciate dinner.”

“Sure thing,” Grace said. “What time do you think you’ll return?”

“Might be closer to five or six.”

“I’ll be sure to have something by then. And it’ll keep until you get here. Be safe and good luck on getting it all done.”

“Thank you,” Jed said. He ate his breakfast quickly after offering a quick prayer of thanks. He fed Milo on his lap as Grace continued to work at the counter. From what he could tell, she was mixing up some bread dough. It would be good to have some fresh bread again. So much better than the hard biscuits he knew how to make. His girls would be excited as well.

“There is some jam still in the cellar if you’d like to use some of that. And Lizzie and I had planned on doing a bee hive. How would you feel about caring for bees?”

Grace turned to face him. “I don’t know much about it. If you had a book or something I could read up on and learn, that would be helpful. Unless you know someone in person that could teach me.”

“I know a bit about it,” Jed said. “I think we might be able to check with the mercantile in Birch Creek to see if there is anything like that they can order.”

“I suppose a lot of things are learned as you go,” Grace said. “Though I do miss the library in New York. I could usually find the things I needed there. And I don’t have many books. I wonder if Birch Creek might someday be big enough for a library.”

“You never know,” Jed replied. “In the five years we’ve been in this valley, it’s more than doubled in size. And since the railroad station was set up, it’s grown a lot. With the boarding house Mrs. Clark set up, I’d imagine there will be a lot more people coming through.”

“I think I might talk to Susan about it. She might know someone who would be interested in coming out and establishing a library. Or a printing press. Wouldn’t that be amazing to have our own books and things printed here?”

Jed nodded, though he didn’t really understand how that would be all that great. What would a printing press do for Birch Creek?

As soon as he finished eating, Jed placed Milo on the floor to play with the little wooden blocks he’d carved the first winter after he’d married Lizzie and she was pregnant with Missy. Those blocks had been well used and were still a favorite among the children.

“I’ll milk Tess this morning, then if you don’t mind, I’ll show you how to do it tonight.”

Grace nodded and continued to knead the bread dough. He walked out of the house into the cool early morning air and headed to the barn. Knowing he was no longer alone in all of this brought a sense of relief to him. He hadn’t allowed himself to think of how hard things had been as a single father working the land and caring for his animals as well. Having someone to share the load with gave him a bit of hope they could survive out here on their own.

When he came back to the house again, he immediately recognized the familiar scent of yeast with the bread Grace was making and the homey feeling returned. A house needed a woman. And he was happy to have one in his house. The only downside he could see was that having Grace here, doing the things his wife had done made him realize once again how much he missed Lizzie. If he wasn’t careful, he might get too used to having her here and that could never happen.

She was here to help. Nothing more. He couldn’t betray Lizzie like that. And he’d promised Grace that he would only ask for her help with his house and children. Jed turned around after setting the milk pails down in the corner of the kitchen for Grace to take care of and left out the front door as quickly as possible. He had a lot of work to do.

Once out on the front porch, he realized he’d forgotten his lunch and went back inside to gather it up, but saw a cloth on the table folded up nicely.

“What’s this?” Jed asked.

“The dried meat and biscuits you talked about. Wasn’t sure if there was a jug for water or anything, so I just gathered this for you.”

“I’ll get water from the creek,” Jed said. “Thanks for this.” He picked it up and walked out again, glancing back before he closed the door. Grace was busy moving the dough into the bread pans and didn’t look at him. Which was fortunate because he was sure his study of her would make her uncomfortable.

She was so different than Lizzie, yet still very much the same. A hard working, kind and caring human being. He just hoped he could get accustomed to her soon. He didn’t want to feel like a stranger in his own home. And if she changed things too much from how Lizzie had done things, it might make him feel even more out of sorts.

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

Grace kept herself busy all morning. The girls woke up not long after Jed had left and when they saw she had breakfast ready and had loaves of bread rising for baking soon, they were giddy with joy. The girls happily helped pitch in doing the cleaning. They showed her where the washing bucket and the washboard were and helped fill it with water from the pump.

Grace boiled some pots of water on the stove top to help heat up the water to aide in the washing of the clothes for the children. The laundry took a large part of the morning, and soon they had the clothing hung to dry. After a few days of catch up on the other things around the house and yard, she would tackle the bedding, but for now, the second pair of clothing for each of the children had been finished.

After lunch, she looked at the girls. “While Milo is sleeping, how about the two of you show me what your momma did out in the yard and with the animals?”

Missy took her hand and began walking quickly, but Grace slowed her down. “Give my leg a little time to catch up with you.”

“When will your leg get better?” Missy asked.

“I don’t think it will get any better than it is,” Grace said. “I had a hard time walking for more than a year after it happened. But I saw a doctor in New York that taught me a few things to do when it hurts a lot. So it’s easier to do things now.”

“We can walk as slow as we need to,” Missy said. “And Lottie and I can run fast to get the things you need.”

“I appreciate that, Missy. You and your sister are very helpful girls. I’ll bet your momma is right proud to watch over you from heaven.”

“Do you think she sees us?” Missy said, looking up at the clouds.

“I wouldn’t doubt it,” Grace said. “And she would be so happy to know you’re taking care of your papa and your sister and brother.” Grace squeezed the girl’s hand. “I know I’m proud of you, and I just met you yesterday.”

Missy looked up with joy all over her face. “I’m glad I met you, Miss Grace. And I’m glad you came to be our momma. But I wish our real momma didn’t have to die.”

Grace nodded with understanding. “It sure is hard. But we do what we can. And I’ll help you as much as I can. It’s okay for you to miss your momma. And any time you want to tell me stories of her, I’d love to hear them.”

“Momma was the bestest singer,” Lottie said from the other side. “Do you sing?”

Grace chuckled. “Not much. I like to tell stories instead.”

Lottie’s expression fell and Grace tugged her hand gently. “But, if you teach me some of those songs, we could sing together.”

“All right,” Lottie said. She immediately started singing a song that Grace wasn’t quite sure she had all the words right, but Missy joined in and helped with the tune enough Grace figured she might be able to pick it up.

She started humming along once she was sure she had the melody right. As the girls showed her around the yard, and where to find the places the chickens liked to hide their eggs, she eventually caught onto the words enough to try the song from start to finish. Soon, there were enough eggs they couldn’t hold them all in their hands so Grace held the eggs in her apron while the girls bent down to gather them from the hard to reach places. No wonder Lottie had said there were too many.

The day passed pleasantly, and by late afternoon when it was time to start dinner, Grace was already worn out. She knew she still had much to do around the house, but since the bread was made, and the cream ready to separate into the butter churner according to Missy, she put it inside the churn and set Missy and Lottie to take turns with the handle.

Milo played with the blocks at times, and insisted on being held at other times, but Grace managed to make a soup with some of the root vegetables still in the cellar and added some of the dried meat to it to soak and help add flavor.

She took turns with the girls on the butter and sometimes had Milo hold the handle since he seemed to think it was a game. He loved the way it went up and down, and the girls thought it was more fun to help him pump it than when they’d done it on their own, so Grace figured they would manage to finish the butter before Jed arrived home. Or soon after for sure.

“Do you think you can keep this going while I go bring in the wash?”

The girls nodded eagerly, and as Grace got up to leave, Milo reached for her. She loved the fact that he had become attached to her already. She’d worried at first that the children would tire of her, but instead, things had easily fallen into place.

She handed Milo the wooden split pin that had held the wash to the line and he immediately put it in his mouth. That would keep him occupied enough she could pull the wash down. He didn’t fuss when she placed him on the grass nearby and as she folded the clothes and placed them in the basket to move them into the house, he only pulled out a few of the dresses before she moved the basket. She handed him another one of the pins and he took turns putting them in his mouth.

As she watched him out of the corner of her eye, she looked for similarities between the boy and his father. There were obvious things like hair and eye color, his light blond hair and his blue eyes. Her whole family had reddish hair and brown or hazel eyes, so seeing Jed’s children with light hair and blue eyes made her wonder what color her children’s eyes would be.

She shook her head to get the errant thought out of her mind. She wasn’t going to have children with Jed. He wasn’t interested in that kind of relationship with her. They had agreed that she would help him raise his children, not give him any more. And she would be fine with that. She was going to be a mother to these children. And that would be enough.

The basket was finally full and she gathered the wooden pins from her apron pocket and placed them on top of the clothes, then picked up Milo and looked at the basket. It would be hard to bend down with her bad leg to get the basket while still keeping him in her arms so she took him inside first to let the girls watch him while she went back out to get the laundry. Each extra step made her leg hurt more and more and she was looking forward to sitting down at the table.

She returned to the house and looked at the clock on the mantle, relieved Jed had one. It was only five o’clock, and Jed should be returning soon. She put the clothes away, and peeked in on the girls still taking turns churning the butter. Then needing a rest, she set the table and had the children join her for their supper.

“Aren’t we going to wait for Papa?” Missy asked.

“Did you always wait for him?” Grace asked.

“Momma never put the food on until he was home.” Missy looked at the table and then up at Grace.

“He said he wasn’t sure when he’d arrive back. There is a lot of work for him to do. But if you think we should wait for him, we could start doing our reading.”

“I hungry now,” Lottie said and looked at Missy, then climbed onto her chair.

“I reckon it’s all right if we eat without Papa for today. Will he be late every day?” Missy asked.

“I don’t think so. We’ll have to learn how to do things together now. I suppose I have a different schedule than your momma and papa did. But it’s all right if people do things differently, I think. I’ll teach you some things, and you’ll teach me some things. It will all work out.”

The girls sat at the table and Grace dished up a bowl of soup for each of them. They looked in the bowl and at each other. Lottie took a sip from her spoonful first and put her spoon down. “It’s not the same.”

“I don’t imagine it is,” Grace replied. “But you still need to eat it to grow healthy and strong. You can have some bread and butter to go with it.”

Lottie seemed to relax at that and took another spoonful. Missy tried hers as well, but didn’t comment. She ate it quickly then asked for another bowl and when Lottie saw her sister ask for more, she took to eating hers faster. They had just finished eating and were on a second slice of bread when the front door opened.

“Papa!” Lottie called out, climbing off her chair and running over to greet Jed. Grace watched as Jed reached down and scooped her up in one smooth motion. He carried her back to the table and looked at the meal. Lottie frowned. “We ate without you.”

“That’s just fine, Lottie. I didn’t know how fast I’d be home.”

Lottie looked at Grace as if surprised he’d agreed with her. “You can eat the soup, and then you can have some bread and butter.”

“Bread and butter sounds delicious.”

“We made the butter,” Missy piped up. “All by ourselves.”

“I’ll bet it tastes amazing, then.”

Missy nodded. “It does. You should wash up so you can eat.”

Grace smiled at the girl as Jed walked out the back door by the kitchen to wash his hands at the pump. He returned with his hair and face wet then grabbed a cloth from the counter where she’d placed it. That would be something she’d have to pay attention to. He’d need a cloth he could use and she’d keep the ones she needed for cleaning or cooking away from him.

Jed sat at the table and she reached over to dish him up some soup. “How was today?” she asked.

“Tiring.” Jed reached for the bread and butter then looked at her. “It is almost all plowed and ready to plant in the morning.”

“That’s good.”

“Tonight, I’d like your help on the garden. I’ll show you how to get the ground turned and ready. Some things are already planted since they do better in the cold temperatures. But if we want to get the corn and the beans and sugar beets in, there will need to be more soil ready. I’ll plow the area for the corn after I’m done with the wheat. But there are places I need you to work on getting ready as well.”

“I’ll do my best,” Grace said.

“Oh,” Jed paused and looked at her leg. “Will that be a problem?”

“I don’t know yet,” Grace said. “Haven’t had to use a shovel much. Might take a bit of getting used to.”

Jed nodded and turned his attention back to his food. His eyes closed as he put the first spoonful in his mouth. She hoped he didn’t mind the different type of meal than he was used to.

“This is good,” Jed said. “Thank you for dinner.”

“You’re welcome,” Grace replied. “Lottie didn’t like it much at first, but she finished her bowl, then had another scoop.”

Jed chuckled. “Lottie is always a little skeptical on things. But if she sees Missy do something, she’ll usually try it as well.”

“Good to know,” Grace said.

“The house looks nice. Seems like you’ve been busy too.”

“We have. They showed me a few things, but I’m sure you’ll need to walk me through the care of the animals more. We just did the chickens and I peeked at the pig.”

Jed nodded again. “Sure thing. But I’m thinking I need another helping of this soup. You have a gift with soup.” He held up the bread with his free hand. “And with bread.”

Milo grabbed the crust of bread she’d broken into smaller pieces for him and put it in his mouth, then reached for his spoon to bang against the table.

Grace redirected his hands and finished her own meal in companionable silence with Jed.

She knew there were still a few hours left in the day, but suddenly, it didn’t seem so worrisome with Jed there. She was actually looking forward to helping him in the garden and hearing his soothing deep voice. She’d never really paid much attention to how her brother sounded when he talked. But there was just something about Jed’s voice that made her long to hear it more often.

And while she’d lived with her brother and his children for more than a year, she’d always felt at ease and comfortable there. Here with Jed was a completely different experience. His presence both warmed her and worried her. He was a handsome man and a hard worker. Something any woman would want in a husband. And he was her husband for sure, but not in the way she could allow herself to want as a woman. He’d made that clear, and she had agreed to those terms. Embraced them actually. So for her to start having any other kinds of thoughts about this man were completely inappropriate.

Eventually, she was sure they could come to a routine where they would do their own jobs without needing to interact more than necessary. Meals would be together when he was home, and he’d have to show her how things were done, but soon she’d be able to run the household without his instruction nor input and he wouldn’t likely need her help out in the fields. Not that she could be much for help anyway with her bad leg.

When they’d finished eating, there wasn’t much left of the soup and she was pleased to know she’d judged right. It wouldn’t be good to waste any of the meal and she didn’t have any way to keep it fresh. This would be given to the pig and she’d wash up the dishes after they worked in the garden.

“I’ll go gather the tools from the shed and meet you out at the garden.”

“I’ll be right there. I’ll have Missy keep track of Milo so he doesn’t get out in the dirt before bed. I’d rather not give him a bath tonight.”

Once the children were occupied, Grace walked stiffly to the front porch. She would need to move around a bit more to stretch out her stiff leg. It always hurt after a long day, but keeping it moving usually helped ease the pain until she sat down again and let it rest.