CHAPTER TEN

 

 

 

 

 

Grace couldn’t believe the difference in how well Jed was doing. He’d been gaining strength daily and by the second day after the rainstorm, he was feeling well enough to insist he could go out and check on the field of wheat.

Grace put her hands on her hips and stared him down.

“Under no circumstances are you going to ride the horse or walk out there. I’m going with you. If you want to see it or teach me better or need something changed, I have to be there. So you’ll ride in the wagon with me.”

“If you say so, Grace,” Jed had said with a smile. “You’ll just have to help hook up the wagon.”

“I can do that,” Grace had replied. Then less than a half hour later, once he had finished showing her what to do, she smiled again at her accomplishments. They put the children in the wagon bed and brought the last sack of wheat. She would show him how thickly she’d spread the seed and make sure things were all right that way. Then he would decide if it was necessary to divert the water to the field or if there would be enough moisture from the rain storm to get it started.

The clouds had come and gone over the last twenty four hours and it was possible it would rain again. She prayed it would and left it to the heavens above to answer it or not. She would do what she could do, and then trust God to do the rest.

Once Jed was seated on the wagon bench and the children were secured in the back, Grace climbed up onto the wagon as well. She nodded to Jed but instead of him flicking the reins to get the horse to move, he passed them over to her.

“I believe you should take us out to show us your handy work.”

“Are you sure?” Grace asked. “I’ve never driven a wagon before.”

“You never ran a farm or planted a field either, but looks like you’ve done a mighty fine job of that.” Jed placed his hand on her knee and Grace’s body ignited in flame. “I trust you completely, Grace. Besides, you might as well learn how it’s done and show your girls how capable and strong of a mother they have.”

Grace looked into his eyes, seeing the respect he had for her. She hadn’t expected anything like that when she’d agreed to marry him only a week ago. She couldn’t believe how blessed she was to have things turn out so well.

Grace took the reins and after an encouraging nod from him, she flicked them gently and used the word she’d heard him say when he’d brought her home from Birch Creek on their wedding day.

The horse moved easily, and Grace soon felt as if she would be just fine driving the horse. She followed the path that had been worn down by Jed and the wagon out to the field. She knew Jed was watching her closely as well as studying his field. When they reached the section where she had started planting, she pointed out what she had done and he nodded.

“Looks good to me.”

Grace continued moving the wagon forward until she reached the section where she’d run out of seed. She handed him the reins and turned to look at him.

“Now you promise you’ll stay put and not try walking around out here yet?”

Jed nodded. “As much as I hate to let you do it alone, I promise.”

“Missy, can you pass out the rake to me?” Grace walked to the back of the wagon to get the sack of wheat. She hefted it out, and put some scoops of it inside the bag she’d made to hold the seed in a way that made it easier to reach in.

The family watched her from the wagon and after she did three yards, she turned and looked at Jed. “This is how much seed I used.”

Jed nodded. “Pretty much how I would have done it.”

Grace took the rake she’d used as a walking aid and began covering the seeds. “Then I did this.”

Jed smiled widely at her when she looked up. “Looks great. I don’t think I’d have done it any differently. Do you want the girls to get down and help you?”

Grace shook her head. “No. I think that would just slow things down. But I wondered if maybe you wanted to look at your options of watering.”

Jed looked into the sky. “I think it might be taken care of on its own tonight. Maybe tomorrow we’ll come back and see about diverting the water. I’ll have to make some furrows every now and again to make sure the water can reach all of the wheat, but I believe we’ll have a great crop this year.”

“That’s a good thing,” Grace said, looking over her shoulder for a moment. “Because with how much you like my bread, we’re going to need more wheat flour.”

“Sounds good to me,” Jed said.

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

Jed struggled to stay in the wagon like she’d insisted. He wanted to be out there and doing the work he should have done already, but he knew she would have his hide if he tried to overdo it too much. He was actually impressed she’d let him out of the house when he’d struggled to walk on his own from the bedroom to the kitchen.

He would make sure he healed completely so he could then be strong enough to run his farm like he should. But as he watched Grace, he knew he’d never again doubt her.

As she neared the wagon again on her way back down the field, he waved her over.

“Do you need something?” Grace asked.

Jed nodded solemnly. “I do.”

“What can I help you with?” Grace asked.

“I needed to thank you,” Jed said. “And I needed a little help with deciding something.”

“Deciding what?” Grace asked.

“On whether we should head into town this week or next.”

“I think that would depend on when you feel well enough to travel that far.” Grace looked at his leg then up at him.

“I want to get you something. A gift to show you how much you mean to us.”

“You don’t have to buy me anything,” Grace said.

“I know, but I want to. What would make you happy? What is something you’d really love?”

Grace looked at the girls in the back. “I want some writing slates for the girls. And a few more books.”

“That’s not for you, that’s for the children. Though I’m happy to get those things. It’s time for that anyway.”

“Good,” Grace said, spinning on her heel to return to the field.

“Wait,” Jed said. “What do you want? What would make you happy?”

Grace turned back to him and smiled. “I already am happy. I’ve been given exactly what I need. I have a family.”

Jed took her hand and pulled gently, encouraging her to climb up into the wagon again. “Since you won’t let me climb down, I need you to hop up here for a moment.”

“What?” Grace asked. “Are you hurting again? Should we have packed some water? Should I run to the creek and get water for you?”

“I am fine,” Jed assured her. “Though I believe it would be a good idea for you to take a bit of a break.” Jed waited until Grace had climbed into the wagon and on the seat next to him before speaking again. “I’d love to hear something about your family. Tell me about your brother. Is he older or younger?”

Grace looked flattered that he was asking questions and slowly, little by little, he was able to get her to open up and talk about her family and what her life was like back in New York. She had actual living family there, yet instead, she was here with him, taking care of a farm and the children.

Taking care of his family had all fallen onto her shoulders, and as she told him about her childhood, he could see why she was such a confident and assured woman.

As she detailed some experiences she’d had with people who didn’t like the way she walked, Jed wished he knew who they were and had some way to find them. If only they could see how incredible she really was and everything she had accomplished in spite of her injury.