Ruby appeared sad. “I hope he’ll agree. So far he hasn’t seemed to be put off about raising another man’s baby as his own.”
“I’m sure he’ll be a good father to your baby. Well, we might as well go upstairs now.”
After checking on the children and finding them playing on the floor of Cat’s room, they moved on down the hall.
Olivia paused with her hand on the knob at Mama’s room. “I haven’t cleaned in here before, but Mama said we could. I feel like an intruder, though.”
“Oh, what a lovely room.” Ruby stopped to the center of the rug and turned in a slow circle. “I’ve never seen anything so perfect.”
Olivia scanned the pale green wallpaper decorated with tiny white flowers. “The quilt looks old enough to have been part of her hope chest.” Careful not to brush the cover with her cleaning cloth, she dusted the cherry four-poster bed.
Ruby touched the Chinese screen positioned to hide the chair holding a chamber pot. She ran her fingers over the screen’s carving. “Have you ever seen anything so lovely? And the room is inviting and soothing.”
“I think I’d spend a lot of time here, wouldn’t you?”
After they completed their chores, the women gathered in the kitchen for leftovers from the previous night.
Mama Fraser stood. “Beth brought over a bundle of mending from the ranch hands in case you don’t have anything to do. Clara does some of it, but since she spent the morning helping Beth, she thought we might help out. Ruby, do you need to lie down and have a nap?”
“No, we’ll be leaving tomorrow, and I don’t want to miss anything now. After all, I’ll be sitting down, which is kind of resting.”
Olivia, Mama, Beth, and Ruby mended clothes while Milly kept busy in the kitchen or rested in her room. As they sewed, Ruby, Mama, and Olivia kept conversation flowing. Beth appeared to be concentrating on her stitches, but Olivia noticed her yawning as the afternoon wore on.
Olivia went upstairs to check on the children and found them busy with their games. She knew ranch life could be demanding, but she enjoyed this time with her sisters-in-law and Mama Fraser. She’d definitely miss Ruby when she and Gideon went to Angel Springs.
Later in the afternoon, Beth stood and said she needed a breath of fresh air. Olivia sympathized with the young woman. She owned only the dress she’d worn the entire trip here. Mama Fraser had loaned Beth a couple of dresses, but they didn’t fit her well even after hasty alterations.
On their way here, Olivia had spent a lot of time thinking about what she’d find once she arrived. She’d also pondered each of the other three women traveling with her. She knew why she’d left her hometown and tried to imagine why the other three had agreed to marry a stranger?
Mama Fraser looked at the mantel clock as it chimed. “About time for the men to come home for the day.”
“Help! Help!” The cry accompanied terrorized screaming.
All three of them tossed aside their sewing and rushed for the door.
“Where was that from?” Olivia asked.
Mama Fraser said, “Sounds like the pig pen.”
Olivia opened the door and ran outside. She knew one of those cries had to be Cat. The little girl was fascinated with the hogs, but Jamie had told her to stay away. As usual, she’d disobeyed. Was Jake with her?
When they reached the pen, Beth had Cat and was trying to get her over the fence. An angry boar had other ideas.
“Give her to me.” Olivia took Cat from Beth while Mama and Ruby helped her over the fence.
Sobbing, Cat clung to her. “He was gonna eat me. He tried to eat me just like Papa said.”
Olivia hugged the little girl. “Oh, precious girl, you could have been killed. Papa told you not to go there.”
“I only wanted to touch their funny noses.”
The men rode in as Mama and Ruby helped Beth struggle toward the house.
Ethan rushed toward Beth and scooped her into his arms. “I’ll take you to our rooms and heat you a bath and you can tell me what happened here.”
Jamie ran toward Olivia and grabbed Cat from her arms. He checked his daughter, or as closely as he could through all the mud and muck. “Are you all right?”
Olivia wiped her hands on her dress. “Thanks to her Aunt Beth she is. Cat sneaked out of the house and climbed into the pig pen. Thank Heaven Beth needed fresh air and saw her.”
Mud and worse covered Cat and Beth and now the other women as well as Ethan and Jamie. Jamie carried his daughter into the house via the back door. In the mud room, he stripped Cat of her grimy clothes and then set her in the large dish pan in the sink.
Olivia touched her husband’s shoulder. “I’ll draw hot water from the range’s reservoir. You pump cold to mix with it. I think we’ll have to wash her twice to get her clean.”
Mama brought towels. “We all smell like pigs. I’ve always hated that odor. Except for Cat, we’ll have to make do with washing our face and hands for now.” She pulled down a smaller pan and filled it with hot water too.
Ruby rinsed her hands. “I’ve never been so scared. I thought that big hog was going to get Beth. Part of her skirt ripped off.”
Mama sat down. “I nominate him for sausage. He’s one mean animal.”
Jamie glared at Olivia. “You were supposed to be watching her.”
As she soaped Cat, Olivia glanced over her shoulder. “Oh, no, do not try to blame this on me, Jamie Fraser. I had just checked on her and Jake. They were playing in Cat’s room. How was I to know she’d sneak out the minute my back was turned?”
Jamie turned to Jake. “Did you know your sister was going to see the pigs?”
Eyes wide as saucers, Jake shook his head. “Cat tricked me, too. You know how stubborn she is when she wants something. She’s been talking about those pigs for days.”
Cat still sobbed. “I just wanted to touch their noses and see if they were soft. I wasn’t gonna hurt them.”
Jamie said, “All right, Cat, everything’s okay now. You know not to do that ever again, don’t you?”
Olivia could not believe her ears. Fuming, she turned and stared at him. “All right? Is that all you have to say? Ask Beth if it’s all right. Ask your mother or Ruby or me.”
She turned back to Cat. “No, Catriona Fraser, what you did was not all right. You could have been killed. Your Aunt Beth could have been killed trying to save you.”
Cat cried, “I want my Papa.”
Jamie rose and picked up his daughter. In doing so, he transferred some of the grime from his clothes to her. Heedless of the mess he’d created, he dried her with a towel and wrapped her in a clean one.
Without looking at anyone else in the room, he said, “Let’s go upstairs and get you some clean clothes so you can eat supper.”
Olivia wanted to scream like a banshee. She fisted her hands and leaned on the sink. Anger constricted her chest like a vise.
Mama hugged her shoulders. “Don’t be discouraged, dear. Jamie’s a good man and he loves his children. He just needs guidance.”
She met her mother-in-law’s gaze. “I’m not a miracle worker. He may need more than I can give him.”
***
The next day, Olivia waved goodbye to Ruby and Gideon. Accompanying them was a woman named Desiree LaRue. Apparently Caleb had hidden her in the foreman’s house while Pete moved into the bunkhouse temporarily. Olivia could imagine what Lily thought of that situation.
She’d bet the other three brothers had known about Caleb’s guest and had kept quiet. Although she wasn’t shocked Jamie and Ethan were in on the secret, she was surprised Gideon had gone along with the plan. From the look on Mama Fraser’s face, she shared Olivia’s distaste of hiding the woman.
Mama stood on the front porch with her arms crossed. “I’m so disappointed in Caleb. That woman works in the saloon.”
“You heard him say he wasn’t married when he brought her here, Mama. I’m sure he’ll settle down now that he’s wed to Lily.” Privately,
she wondered if the womanizer would actually change.
Mama Fraser’s face wore a fierce look of determination. “He’d better or I’ll take Jim’s gun and fill Caleb’s backside full of buckshot.”
Olivia asked, “Do you think Beth and Ethan will move into the house now that Ruby and Gideon are gone?”
Her mother-in-law appeared surprised. “No, his rooms in the loft are much larger than the one bedroom here would be. Even though Beth dislikes the smell there, I expect she’ll get used to it and adapt.”
Olivia didn’t think so, but that wasn’t any of her business. She took Mama Fraser’s arm and led her inside. “Let’s go upstairs. I want to ask you about something I found packed away in Jamie’s and my bedroom.”
“All right. Lead on.” Mama fell in behind her as they climbed the stairs.
Inside the master bedroom, Olivia walked to a chest under one set of windows. She raised the lid. “I think these must be Lucy’s.”
Mama picked up the one on top. “Shame they’re too small for Beth.”
Olivia held up a red dress and noted the garment would have been almost at least six inches too short for her. “Lucy must have been a tiny woman.”
“Yes, but too high and mighty by half.” Mama’s eyes widened and she blushed. “Oh, my, I shouldn’t have said that.”
Although she didn’t consider herself a jealous person, hearing a disapproving tone and statement about Jamie’s first wife pleased her. She should be ashamed of herself, but she wasn’t.
“We’re the only ones here so it doesn’t matter. What I wondered is if I can cut a couple of them down to fit Cat? I thought she might enjoy wearing something that had belonged to her mother.”
“Oh, I’ll bet she would and that might encourage her to wear dresses instead of Jake’s hand-me-downs. The children think their mother was perfect. I haven’t told them otherwise because there’s no point speaking ill of the dead.”
“Then I have your permission to use these?”
“What? My dear, you are the mistress of this house. You don’t need my permission, but I appreciate your asking.”
“Then I’ll let Cat choose. She’ll be more likely to wear a dress if she chooses the one to be cut down.”
“First, let’s remove any made from unsuitable fabric. Children don’t consider whether or not something is easily laundered.”
“Good idea. I noticed some of these are, um—”
“Flashy?” Mama nodded. “Not designed for ranch wear, that’s certain.”
The women sorted through the chest. When they’d stashed those they deemed unsatisfactory out of sight, they still had several nice dresses from which Cat could choose. Olivia returned those to the chest.
“I’ll find Cat and let her select her favorite.” Olivia left to summon the little girl.
Cat and Jake were involved in moving his toys back to his room, which was the one previously assigned to Gideon and Ruby. Olivia watched them file down the hallway. Except for Cat’s braid, she looked like a boy. Olivia was determined to get her stepdaughter to wear a dress to church and at dinner each evening.
Jake carried a bundle of his clothes. “Careful, don’t spill anything from the box.”
Cat screwed up her face. “I won’t drop any of your stupid soldiers.”
Olivia helped Cat transfer her load to a shelf in her brother’s room. “Now, Cat, come with me for a surprise.”
Jake looked up. “Can I have a surprise too?”
“Not this time. This is only for girls. Jake, you have fun getting your things exactly the way you want them while Cat and I are busy.”
Obviously curious, Cat walked with her hand in Olivia’s. In the master bedroom, Mama Fraser waited in one of the rockers. Olivia led the child to the chest, the lid of which was open.
“I thought you might enjoy wearing a dress more if we sewed one from one of your mother’s. You choose your favorite and I’ll remake her dress to fit you.”
Cat touched the dress on top as if it were delicate spun glass and might break. “These were my mama’s?”
“That’s right. Grandma said she’d help me if you want to have one or two for your own.”
“I don’t like dresses.” Cat fingered the fabric as she thought over the idea. “But if I wore one of these, I’d be like a big girl then, right?”
“Yes. These were for a beautiful grown lady.”
“Then I want this one.” She tugged on a red dress. “But I don’t want any sissy lace scratching me.”
“You’ll be so pretty with that color.” Olivia took out her sewing supplies and retrieved her tape measure. “Let me write down your size you so I can be certain the dress fits properly.”
Reluctantly, Cat submitted to minimal measurements.
Olivia sat back on her heels. “Now you can go play with Jake while Grandma and I work magic here.”
The girl’s eyes widened. “Magic? You can do magic?”
Olivia held up the chosen garment. “Yes, see how big it is now? The next time you see this dress, it will have shrunk to be just your size.”
Cat ran down the hall. “Jake, guess what? ‘Livia and Grandma are gonna do magic.”
Chapter Six
Olivia set to work taking apart the skirt seams. The low cut top was easy to separate from the lower half. She cringed at the thought of wearing something cut in that manner.
Mama Fraser rose from the rocker. “I have a pattern if you want to use it for a start. Although, she’s grown since the last dress I sewed for her.”
“While she’s in Jake’s room, I’m going to slip in and measure her dolls. Wouldn’t she love having them dressed to match her?”
Her mother-in-law turned, excitement shining from her hazel eyes. “What a lovely idea. Lands sakes, I’m so used to boys I don’t think of things to please a little girl. No wonder I can’t convince her to dress properly.”
By the time Mama had returned with a paper pattern in Cat’s size, Olivia was ready to fashion the new dress.
Mama handed her folded papers held together with a pin. “I didn’t even ask what style you plan? This pattern may not help at all.”
“Something simple. Nothing binding or she won’t want to wear the dress.” She turned over the paper on which she’d written Cat’s measurements and sketched a simple dress. “My former students wore this design and I made several of this type for my nieces. Long sleeves, dropped waist, and not too long so she doesn’t trip.”
“Are those tucks you’ve drawn down the front?”
“Yes, and I can reuse the lace on the cuffs and collar, but not touching her skin so she can’t complain of itching.”
“What will you use for the belt?”
“Hmm, one of the dresses we hid is red plaid. That will work and we’ll have enough left over for a bow at the neck.”
Mama returned to the rocker. “Olivia, I can’t tell you how nice having you here is. Milly is a lovely woman but I’ve dreamed of a daughter I can share things with.”
Olivia’s basked in her mother-in-law’s praise. Perhaps someday Jamie would feel the same way. “Thank you, Mama.”
“Of course I wanted each of my sons to marry a good woman, but Jamie’s wife is especially important because we live in the same house and you’ll be in charge of Jake and Cat.”
“Having a home and children and a kind mother-in-law has been a dream. I just hope I can make Jamie happy.” Olivia sighed. “His heart is locked tight against love. Perhaps he loved Lucy so much he believes he has no more to share.”
Mama’s face turned somber. “I’m sure you’ll win him over, dear. He doesn’t like change, so give him time to adjust.”
Olivia had cut the dress and started sewing.
Mama dug out the red plaid and cut a strip from the hem. “I know we decided the panes of this plaid are too large for a child but I can make a small ruffle for the bottom of Cat’s dress as well as the belt and bow at the neck.”
Olivia nodded as Mama held the fabr
ics against one another. “That will unify the trim and look lovely, won’t it?”
“I know it’s none of my business, but I can’t help wondering. Have you written to your family yet to let them know you arrived?”
“I sent a letter to town with Ruby and Gideon. He promised to mail it for me. I hadn’t written since Denver.”
“They must have hated to see you leave.”
Her parents had asked her to remain, but she wondered if they were doing so from duty or wishes. “I suppose, but I have three sisters and twin brothers who live near them. They won’t be lost for family company.”
“Are you the youngest?”
“One sister and the brothers are older. All my siblings are married, though, so I was the family spinster.” Her cheeks heated with the memory of being an object of pity among her family members, especially at the last.
Mama grinned. “Not any longer because you’re married with two children.”
Olivia stitched seams as carefully as if they were for a dress to last forever. She took pleasure in her needlework skill. Sewing kept her hands busy while allowing her time to think. Her own father had told her she thought too much to ever be happy. Perhaps that was right, but she clung to her dreams.
When they broke for lunch, Cat asked, “Is the magic done?”
Olivia tugged on her daughter’s braid. “Not yet, but probably by the time your father comes home. You can surprise him.”
Cat clapped her hands and giggled. “That will be fun. Papa will like the way I look, won’t he?”
“I’m sure he will. You’ll be lovely as your mama was.”
Beth, who had come to the house to share lunch after milking and gathering eggs, asked, “What is this magic you’re talking about?”
Olivia widened her eyes to send Beth a message. “Mama Fraser and I are creating magic for Cat. While you’re having your cooking lesson, we’ll be creating a lady’s dress for Cat from one that belonged to her mother.”
Beth nodded and smiled. “Cat, I’ll be looking forward to your magical surprise.”
As soon as the meal ended, Olivia went back to her sewing. Mama came up an hour later to help.
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