EPILOGUE

 

 

Grace looked out at the white field, just waiting to be harvested. She hadn’t been able to come out to the fields for a while now since she had been overly busy at the house and with the children. That was when she felt strong enough to manage. Thankfully, over the last month, she’d started feeling a lot more energy and no longer felt so worn out. Most of her time had been spent working on the garden and preserving or drying their bountiful harvest as they approached the middle of autumn.

She’d learned how to make jams and jellies from a few of the ladies in town after taking a trip in to Birch Creek by herself with the wagon. And Annabelle had shown her a few patterns for some new clothes she’d be making for the coming addition to their family.

Never in her life had she expected she’d feel this free and this needed.

“What do you think?” Jed asked as he stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. He rested his chin at the side of her temple as they looked across the wheat field together.

“I think it will be a lot of work.”

“That it will,” Jed agreed. “But you only have yourself to blame.”

“I know,” Grace sighed dramatically. “I should have just left it only halfway done.”

“Well, I’ll help you harvest it.” Jed turned her to face him and kissed her softly.

“I should hope so,” Grace said. “I’d hate to think you were turning lazy all of a sudden.”

“Lazy?” Jed replied with mock indignation. “Never!”

“Good thing,” Grace said, adjusting her footing to allow herself to stand more comfortably against him. Her round belly was getting bigger and bigger and the little one inside didn’t like being squished. Too bad, because she loved being held tight by Jed.

“With our growing family, it’s going to take a lot of work to keep everyone fed.”

“We can do it though,” Grace said. “You and Lizzie worked hard to break this ground and you, me, and our herd of little ones will keep it going.”

“Sounds wonderful,” Jed replied. “Now, if you’ll go sit and rest for a bit, I’ll start cutting it down and show you how it’s done. But don’t expect me to give you a turn with this scythe. You and the little one are too precious. You’ll just have to be satisfied with the threshing and sifting of the heads.”

“I thought you said that’s the hardest part.”

“Oh yeah, I did.” Jed winked.

“You are such a tease,” Grace said.

“But you love me anyway.”

“I sure do,” Grace said. “More than I ever thought possible.”