Chapter Ten

MARCH 1931—ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO

“I hope you don’t care, but I taught William to walk,” Katiann announced out of the blue.

Gretchen looked up from preparing supper. “Oh really? You taught your nine-month-old brother to walk when he just started pulling up last week?”

“Will is really smart. I can’t help that,” Katiann said with a shrug.

Gretchen laughed and threw a questioning look at her husband. “What are your thoughts on the matter?”

Dirk put down the Albuquerque paper. “I have a feeling if he wants to walk, he’s going to walk. He’s been headstrong in just about everything else. Besides, I was walking at eight months.”

Gretchen rolled her eyes. “You’re absolutely no help.”

Katiann gave another shrug. “Well, it doesn’t matter, ’cause he’s doing it.”

“Maybe you just were lucky and he took a few steps,” Gretchen said, turning her attention back to the onions.

“You just wait here, and we’ll show you.”

Gretchen wiped her hands on her apron. “Very well.” She stepped away from the counter. It had been a year and a half since the floodwaters had devastated San Marcial. The Santa Fe had relocated Dirk to Albuquerque, and Gretchen had resigned from the Harvey House in order to be a full-time mother to Katiann. Within a month, she found out they were going to add a baby to their family, and everyone was over the moon. Around that same time, San Marcial had another flood, and this one sealed its fate. The town was no more.

Katiann returned to the kitchen with the baby in her arms. William’s cherub-like expression broke into a big smile at the sight of his mother. The little cotton dress he wore was hiked up to reveal chubby legs that pumped back and forth in perpetual motion.

“There’s my big boy!” Gretchen cooed.

Dirk got up from the table and stood beside his wife. “All right, let’s see this feat.”

Katiann nodded and placed William on the ground. Next she took hold of his arms and helped him stand. Holding on tight, she walked him forward. “See, he’s really good, and in a minute, he’ll just do it by himself. I just have to remind him of what he already knows.”

And true to her word, that was exactly what happened. Gretchen watched in awe as her son took off across the tiled floor, arms flailing at his side and a squeal rising up from his throat.

“Well, I’ll be. She really did teach him,” Dirk said, shaking his head.

William plopped down on his backside and looked up with a grin. Gretchen clapped for him, then scooped him up. “That was wonderful. What a brilliant boy.” She smoothed down a cowlick of his sandy brown hair.

“That was pretty amazing,” Dirk admitted. “Katiann, you’re a great teacher.”

“I know.” She danced in a circle.

“Katiann, what have we said about that?” Gretchen deposited William in her husband’s arms.

“To say ‘thank you.’” Katiann gave an exasperated sigh. She put her hands on her hips. “Thank you. Now I’m going to go help my friend Rachel. She wants to teach her baby brother to walk.”

Gretchen started to laugh, then remembered the baby in question was only six months old. “Katiann, he’s a little too young to be walking. You should probably wait a few weeks.”

Katiann nodded. “I know. I tried to tell Rachel that, but she said it shouldn’t matter. He’s got two legs.” She raised her arms and shrugged. “You can’t convince some people, no matter what you tell them.”

Gretchen stared after her as Katiann trudged from the room as if going on an expedition into the desert.

Dirk waited until she was gone to break into laughter. “You know, we had that postcard from Bubba D. the other day—the one from the army.”

“I remember.”

“Well, Katiann declared that she thought girls should be able to join the army too. She said she figured she could run just as fast for just as long as any of those boys. I reminded her that they had to carry heavy packs and shoot guns, and she just shrugged and told me that Harvey Girls had to work just as hard.”

“Did you remind her that nobody is shooting at Harvey Girls while they’re working?” Gretchen threw him a smile.

“I did, but then she reminded me of the time we were at the Harvey House in Belen and some drunken cowboys shot up the place. She told me every job could be dangerous—it was just a matter of learning to deal with it.”

“That girl is something else.” Gretchen went to the stove and began to stir the concoction of simmering vegetables.

Dirk left William on the floor with one of his toys and came to put his arms around Gretchen. “So are you.”

Gretchen set down her wooden spoon and turned to face him. “And why would you say that?” She never tired of his praise and words of love.

“Because it’s true. But like Katiann said, sometimes you do have to remind people what they already know.”

Gretchen wrapped her arms around her husband’s neck. “I’m glad you reminded me of just how much I love you.”

Dirk grinned. “My pleasure.” He kissed her, then pulled back to gaze into her eyes. “My very great pleasure.”