Life on the Miller farm fell into a routine over the next three weeks. Josiah went to work each morning after a hearty breakfast. While he was gone, Anna Mae cleaned, cooked and created Christmas gifts for her family.
While the girls napped she worked on Josiah’s gifts. She had managed to crochet him a scarf and was in the process of piecing the blue-and-white nine-patch quilt together for his bed. While she worked, Anna Mae imagined his surprise at the gifts.
In the evenings, while Josiah read to them all from the Bible, she worked on the little girls’ dresses. They were so small that she was sure they didn’t realize what she was doing, but still kept the rag dolls and clothes a secret from them, working on them only after everyone went to bed. It felt good to have a family to create Christmas gifts for.
It saddened Anna Mae that her mother and father hadn’t written back to her. She’d hoped to have their blessings on her marriage, but wasn’t really surprised. Father was busy with his business and Mother her social life. Time passed fast when you were busy, and her parents stayed busy.
A glance at the clock told her Josiah would be home soon. She went to the kitchen and stirred the stew she’d had simmering on the stove all day. Corn bread sat at the back, warming. She scooped out stew for each of the girls and set their bowls off to the side to cool. A sense of pride burst forth as she put fresh butter on the table.
She heard him stomping up the porch steps, and hurried to finish setting the table. “Rose! Ruby! Papa’s home!”
The sound of the little girls scrambling from their room caused her to smile. They loved the room she’d created for them and spent most of the day playing in it.
Josiah had praised her on the job she’d done and suggested a way to finish the room. He’d asked Levi Westland to build the girls each a small bed that they would receive Christmas morning. Rose’s would have tiny butterflies along the headboard and Ruby’s little birds. Anna Mae couldn’t wait to see them up and ready for the girls to sleep in.
“Papa! Papa!” they squealed, stumbling over themselves and each other as they attempted to race for their father.
Emily Jane had told her that the girls were small for their age. Anna Mae remembered laughing and responding, “Yes, but what they lack in size they more than make up for with their vocabulary.” They’d developed so much since that fateful snowstorm.
Living out on the farm was lonely sometimes. She missed seeing Emily Jane every day, but the little girls were plenty of company when they weren’t napping.
Anna Mae set the last spoon on the table just as squeals of laughter burst from the front door. Without looking she knew Josiah had grabbed up his girls and was kissing their faces. She smiled at him as he entered the kitchen.
“Something sure smells good in here,” Josiah said, coming over and giving her a hug.
Anna Mae pretended the hug didn’t make her feel shaky inside. “It’s rabbit stew. I hope you like it.” She hurried to help Rose up into her chair.
“I’m sure I will. I’m as hungry as a starving coyote.” He lifted Ruby into her chair and patted the girls on the head. “Were you two good today?”
The twins nodded and grinned at each other. From the mischievous expressions on their faces, Anna Mae wondered what their room looked like.
Within a few minutes, she had the stew, corn bread and their drinks on the table. As soon as she took her seat, Josiah said grace. The sounds of Rose and Ruby smacking their lips while they waited for him to finish made her smile.
“Amen.” Josiah looked at the girls. “The way you two were smacking those lips, I’m not sure the good Lord even heard my prayer.” He placed their bowls in front of them and inhaled. “From the smell of this, I really can’t blame you.”
The girls immediately began to eat. Anna Mae wondered if they were about to hit a growth spurt. Their appetites indicated they probably were. She made a mental note to add lace to the bottom of their Christmas dresses. More than likely they would need it to help cover their little knees.
She turned her attention to Josiah. “How was your day?”
He blew on his spoonful of stew. “Worrisome.” He sighed. “Caldron found another dead cow today.”
Anna Mae buttered a slab of corn bread and passed it over to him. “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.” She thought about Jersey out in the barn and worried that she might be in danger. Although it seemed the cows closer to town were more at risk than Jersey.
“Yeah, me, too. I had hoped since there hadn’t been any incidents in over a week that the thieves had moved on, but now I know they haven’t.” He spooned the stew into his mouth and his eyes opened wide. Once he’d chewed and swallowed Josiah smiled. “That rabbit is so tender.”
She couldn’t hide her pleased expression. “Good, that’s what I had hoped for.”
He took a large bite of the corn bread and chewed with gusto. It did her heart good to see him enjoying her cooking. She nibbled at the edge of her corn bread, savoring the sweetness. Emily Jane had told her that adding a little sugar would make the best corn bread and she’d been right.
“You really are a good cook, Annie. I’m blessed to have you for a wife. Truly blessed.”
Anna Mae looked up and found him looking down on his plate. Did he really mean that? Was he happy to have her as his wife? Her heart raced at the thought. She quickly tried to subdue it. Don’t read more into his words than what he said, she mentally warned herself.
* * *
The next day, Josiah stomped his feet before entering the general store. The snow had all melted, but mud remained and seemed to coat everything in sight. Especially his boots. The sole had worn thin on the right one and he’d soon have to buy a new pair.
But not today. Today he was Christmas shopping for Annie and the girls. The smells of cinnamon, leather and pipe tobacco warred for his attention.
“Hello, Sheriff. Are you out of coffee over at the jail already?” Wilson Moore asked. He held a broom in his hand and wore a green apron.
Josiah shook his head. “Not today. I’m looking for gifts for Annie and the girls.” He saw Carolyn come out of the side door and into the store. Josiah walked over to the counter where she stood pulling an apron over her head. “I’m glad you’re here, Carolyn. Has Annie mentioned anything to you about what she’d like for Christmas?”
Carolyn’s forehead crinkled and then cleared. “Oh, you’re talking about Anna Mae. Took me a second to make the connection. Annie, that’s cute.”
He raised an eyebrow and waited for her to answer. Josiah leaned his hip on the counter and looked at the penny candy. The girls wouldn’t mind having some of that, he felt sure.
“Well, she bought a lot of that blue fabric. She might like a blue ribbon to go in her hair that would match it.” Carolyn moved around the counter and headed to where the ribbon was located.
Josiah followed. “I’ll take some of that, but I thought something a little more...”
She picked up a spool of the ribbon and turned to face him. “Personal?”
He had the impression she fully enjoyed his discomfort. “Yes, but not anything frilly.”
Carolyn laughed. “We just got some new necklaces in. Would you like to see those?”
Josiah leaped at the idea of a necklace. “Yes, please.”
She continued to chuckle as they walked back to the counter. Carolyn moved behind it to where a glass case sat at the far end. “Here they are.” She pointed down through the glass.
His gaze swept the necklaces. What he had in mind wasn’t there. He wanted something that would suit her delicate beauty. Something good, wholesome and sweet. These were big flowers. Flowers were nice, but they just weren’t what he wanted.
“Not what you had in mind, huh?”
Josiah straightened. “No, they are a little too big.”
“Well, we also have these. No two are the same.” She pulled out a small tray of rings.
They were simple gold bands, each with a different swirl or pattern on it. Josiah’s gaze immediately fell on one that had an intricately woven vine engraved in the gold. He pointed to it. “How about that one?”
Carolyn pulled it from the tray and handed it to him. He slipped it on his little finger. “Do you think this will fit her?”
“Let me see it.” She held out her hand.
He dropped it into her palm and watched her slip it onto her ring finger. “It’s a little snug, but I think her hand is just a bit smaller than mine, so it will probably fit.” Carolyn smiled up at him.
“I’ll take it.” Surely it will fit one of her fingers, he thought.
“Good. I’ll find a pretty box to put it in while you decide what you want for the girls.”
Josiah turned to the toy section. He’d already gotten the twins stuffed animals, so he eyed the other items. What else could he get Rose and Ruby? Anna Mae had shown him the rag dolls she worked on each night, so he wouldn’t get them a doll. They had blocks and pull toys. Each of them had a favorite blanket. He sighed.
Maybe he’d choose something more practical, like a new pair of shoes for each of them. He walked to that section of the store and found little black shoes, but then realized he had no idea what size the girls wore. Mary had always taken care of their clothes and shoes, not him.
His thoughts turned to Mary. This would be his and the girls’ first Christmas without her. She had enjoyed Christmas, but not in the same way Anna Mae seemed to.
Anna Mae went about the house humming Christmas hymns and talking about Christmas gifts. He was surprised she hadn’t asked for a Christmas tree. Josiah realized he was grinning and frowned. How had his thoughts moved from Mary to Anna Mae?
He ran a hand around his collar. It was natural, he told himself. Anna Mae was his wife now. She was with him every day. They were friends. He nodded. Yep, that was it.
They were friends, only friends. A new and unexpected warmth surged through him as it slowly dawned on Josiah that Anna Mae had become his best friend. The one he shared his day with over the supper table each evening. Who helped him get the girls ready for bed every night. He thought of things during the day he wanted to tell her; things he knew would bring a smile to her face or cause the little crease in her forehead when she puckered her face into a frown.
Wilson walked up beside him. “What’s wrong with the shoes, Sheriff?”
“Huh?”
“You’re staring at them as if perplexed. I just wondered what was wrong,” Wilson answered.
Josiah shook his head. “There’s nothing wrong with them. I just realized a few moments ago that I don’t know what size to get the girls.”
“Would you like for me to call Carolyn over here? She might know,” he offered.
“No, I think I’ll just wait and ask Annie if she thinks I should get them anything else for Christmas,” Josiah answered, wishing he was out on the trail of an outlaw right now instead of in a store thinking about the women in his life.
“All right. Is there anything else I can help you find?” Wilson swept a clump of dirt out from under the shelf.
Josiah shook his head. “Naw, I think I’m about done for the day.” He walked back to the counter, where Carolyn waited. He paid for the ring and the ribbon and slipped them into his pocket.
The cold air felt good against his warm cheeks as he stepped outside. He walked back to the jailhouse. The air tasted of snow and sent a shiver down his spine. Josiah decided to check in with Wade, and if everything was fine, he’d head home before the snow hit.
“Glad to see you back, Sheriff.” The young deputy stood by the stove warming his hands.
“Why’s that?”
He poured a cup of coffee and handed it to Josiah, then poured a second cup for himself. His boots clomped across the wood floor as he walked over to the desk. “These just arrived in the mail. Thought you might like to take them home and study them.” He handed Josiah two wanted posters.
Josiah read them. “Looks like these’re the fellas suspected of holdin’ up the banks in these parts.”
“That’s what I got from reading them, too, but I don’t think they’re right,” Wade said, leaning against the bars of the only cell.
Josiah moved to his desk and sat down. “No?”
The young man shook his head. “I think the cattle butchers and the bank robbers might be one and the same. And if that’s the case, then we’re looking for four or maybe even six men, instead of just two.”
“What makes you think that?” Josiah leaned back in his chair and propped his feet up on the desk.
Wade sipped his coffee. “Well, it seems to me that a couple of days go by and during that time a bank gets robbed, thankfully not ours.” He paused as if considering his words. Josiah had learned to just wait him out. “Then the next day we find a dead cow someplace.”
Josiah had to agree that that was the way it seemed, but that still didn’t mean they were the same men. He studied the wanted posters and waited. Wade would continue as soon as he got his thoughts together.
“If I was a robbin’ them banks and I didn’t want people to think it was me, I’d do something else to throw them off the scent. I think that’s what the robbers are doing. They rob the bank and then butcher a cow to confuse the law.” He took another sip of his coffee, then stood up straight. “’Course, I could be wrong. It might be different men, but my gut says I’m right, even if I ain’t makin’ a lick of sense.” Wade finished his coffee and set the cup down.
Josiah pondered what the young man had said, then nodded. “Well, you could be right. I’ve learned to listen to my gut and if yours is saying they might be the same, well, they might just be.” He folded the wanted papers and placed them on the desk. “We’ll continue to keep our noses to the ground. They’re sure to slip up somewhere along the way.”
Josiah dropped his feet back down on the floor, took the ring box from his coat pocket and dropped it into the lap drawer of his desk. “When they do, we’ll be there to get ’em.” He tucked the blue ribbon deeper into his pocket to take out at home.
Wade nodded. “That sounds good to me, boss.”
“Don’t call me boss,” Josiah scolded as he stood. He picked up the wanted papers and stuck them in his front coat pocket. “You ready to take over the town?” he asked, walking toward the door.
“Just for the night, Sheriff. She’s all yours come morning.” Wade pushed away from the bars and followed Josiah to the door.
“I’ll see you then.” Roy snorted as Josiah climbed up.
“Sheriff?”
Josiah turned to see what his deputy wanted now. “Yes?”
The young man ran his hand along the back of his neck. Josiah grinned. The lad was picking up his bad habits. Wade looked him straight in the eyes. “You be careful heading home. No tellin’ where those mangy thieves are hiding out.”
Josiah nodded. It pleased him that Wade cared enough to offer a warning. “Will do. You watch yourself, too.” He turned the horse toward home. “Let’s head home, boy. If I know Annie, she’s got dinner on the stove and a fire in the fireplace.”
Roy knew the way to his warm barn, oats and hay. The gelding wasted no time getting there.
For the next half hour, Josiah let Roy have his head while he thought about the robbers, the butchers and Wade’s comparison of the two. Was it possible they were one and the same? If so, was his little family in danger out on the farm alone every day?
A bitter thought entered his mind. He hadn’t been able to protect Mary in town. What made him think he could protect Annie and the girls out on the farm?