Elizabeth had managed to drift off when she heard the first yell.
“Ahhh,” she squeaked as she bolted straight up in bed. She wondered if she’d imagined the yell, but then she heard the banging of tin—was it tin cups? And then another yell. And some heavy bells. Were they cowbells?
Elizabeth stood up and pulled a blanket off the bed to wrap around herself. She’d heard similar sounds not so long ago when the men got paid at the fort. There must be a bunch of drunken soldiers outside. She couldn’t begin to guess what they were doing here, but she intended to find out.
Elizabeth was at the door of the cabin when she heard Spotted Fawn climbing down the rope ladder. The girl had slept in her clothes.
“Don’t open the door,” Spotted Fawn whispered as she reached the floor and then looked around wildly before racing to pick up one of the cast-iron skillets from the shelves.
“It’s okay,” Elizabeth said as she arranged the blanket around her so that none of her nightclothes showed. “It’s just some foolish drunks.”
Elizabeth figured the soldiers would be sick as dogs come morning, but she couldn’t do anything about that. She’d put a stop to their noise tonight, though. She opened the door and stepped outside.
“Oh.” She almost turned to go back inside. The moon was shining and she could make out two hulking men sitting atop two equally massive black horses. The men were waving their arms and banging on things. The horses were rearing up and stomping their feet. It sounded like a fort full of men and there were only the two of them.
Elizabeth heard the door to the lean-to open and saw Jake step outside. If she hadn’t been so worried about those strange men, she would have been concerned about Jake catching a night chill. She could feel the frost on her feet. He must be freezing. Jake had taken time to reach for his rifle, but he hadn’t bothered to pull on any of his shirts.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Jake yelled at the men.
Elizabeth was mesmerized. She forgot all about the fearsome horses and the men who rode them. Jake was beautiful in the moonlight, the muscles in his arms defined and strong as he moved. She was relieved to see he didn’t raise the rifle he held in his hands. That must mean he at least knew these men.
“Heard you got yourself married,” one of the men called down from his horse. The man was grinning at Jake. “We didn’t have a present handy so we thought we’d give you a proper shivaree.”
The horses and the men were all facing the lean-to. Elizabeth was going to turn around and go back inside when the other man noticed her.
“Well, this must be the bride right here,” the man said as he turned his horse to face her. He tipped his hat. “It’s all my pleasure, ma’am. Jake, here, he’ll make a good…” The man’s voice trailed off in puzzlement as he looked over at Jake and then back at Elizabeth. “Did we get it wrong? We heard the wedding had happened already.”
Elizabeth felt a blush crawl up her neck and she pulled the blanket closer to her. The men were wondering why Jake wasn’t sleeping in the cabin with her since they were married. Well, she supposed it was a logical question even if it was none of their concern.
“You heard right.” Jake’s voice was strong and held more than a hint of warning. “Come back another day and I’ll introduce you.”
“Breakfast,” Elizabeth added brightly. She didn’t suppose Jake liked his friends knowing about their arrangement, but it was too late for that. “Why don’t you come back for breakfast? I’ll make you some raised biscuits.”
“With molasses?”
Elizabeth nodded. “All the molasses you want. And jam, too.”
“You don’t have to ask us twice. We’ll be here.”
Elizabeth hoped the thought of biscuits would make those two men forget all about the Hargrove sleeping arrangement. She’d fry up some salt pork, too. And maybe soak some of the dried apples she had in the wagon.
“Just let the sun come up first,” Jake called after the men as they started to ride off.
Then he turned to Elizabeth. “You didn’t need to do that. We could have just sent them away.”
Elizabeth shrugged. “They’re your friends. They meant well.”
Jake walked closer and grinned. “They meant to wake us up is what they meant. And they did a pretty good job of it.”
Jake stood there for a minute, just looking down at her.
“You’ll catch cold,” Elizabeth finally said. The moon had gone behind some clouds, but she could still see Jake like a shadow in the dark night. If it wasn’t so fanciful, she almost thought she could feel the heat of him as he stood there.
He gave her a half smile. “I was just thinking that I never did give you the present I bought for you today.”
“You bought me a present?” Elizabeth asked in soft astonishment. No one had ever given her a present. Not even on her real wedding day with Matthew. “Oh, you mean the tea.”
Jake shook his head. “There’s more. Let me get it. I slipped it into the back of the wagon. Go inside and get warm. I’ll bring it in.”
Elizabeth nodded. This was a most extraordinary day. Someone had bought her a present.
The inside of the cabin was dark, but Elizabeth could feel her way to the table and then to the fireplace. She reached into the box that sat next to the fireplace and pulled out a short log. She gently placed it onto the fire and sparks flew up and then died down as the fire took hold again. Once she had the fire going, she used a small stick to light the coal oil lamp.
When Jake opened the door a few minutes later, the cabin was glowing with light.
Elizabeth smiled up at him. She had smoothed back her hair and pulled an old calico dress over her nightgown. It might look strange, but it was more decent than just sitting there as she was.
Jake was carefully holding a wooden box as he walked into the room. He set the box on the table and then sat down in one of the chairs himself.
“I hope you like it,” he said.
“I’m sure I will,” Elizabeth said.
She sat down in one of the chairs and Jake slid the box over to her.
The box was open on the top and newspaper was stuffed in the corners of the box, covering whatever was there.
“Go ahead,” Jake urged her.
Elizabeth pushed the paper aside and there it was—the round china teapot with the delicate pink roses that she’d seen in the mercantile earlier. She’d never had a teapot before in all her life. She pulled the pot out of the box. It even had a lid that fit right on top so she could brew her tea properly. She’d never touched anything so fine and it was hers.
Jake figured he had done it now. His bride sat there looking as if she was on the verge of tears. “Don’t cry.”
“I never cry,” Elizabeth whispered and then she cleared her throat. “Never.”
“I shouldn’t have gotten the one with the roses,” he said. “I didn’t mean to remind you—I thought you’d like it best.”
“It’s beautiful.”
“You’re sure. We can take it back. They had one that was plain.”
“I love roses.”
Jake smiled. There was no mistaking the sincere gratitude in his bride’s eyes. “Oh, well, then—I’m glad you like it.”
Elizabeth put the teapot back in the box. “I’ll treasure it forever.”
She started to replace the paper that had been packed around the pot.
“You are planning to use it, aren’t you?” Jake had felt something inside him relax when he knew she liked his gift. But now he had the feeling that she was going to keep the teapot in a trunk somewhere.
“But I don’t want it to break,” she protested.
“If it breaks, I’ll buy you another one.”
Jake watched Elizabeth’s face color up in astonishment and then go flat again.
“Yes, of course,” she said, the joy gone from her voice. “I’ll leave it on the shelf.”
“You can make tea in it whenever you like.”
Eliz
abeth nodded. “It is a great addition to the kitchen here.”
Jake wished he knew a little more about women. He was beginning to think his mother wasn’t the best example to go by. This woman didn’t fret about the things that had upset his mother. He’d given Elizabeth a gift and she’d accepted it with pleasure. And then—
“What’s wrong?” he asked softly.
She looked up at him and her eyes were stricken.
“I’ll need to leave it with you when I leave,” she said. “It’ll only break on the road and—I don’t even know where I’ll be and you’ll be—”
Jake grinned. “It doesn’t matter where you are. Just get me word if the thing breaks and I’ll bring you a new one.”
“But I could be miles from here.”
Jake nodded. “Still, you have my word. I’ve got a couple of good horses. I’ll bring you a new one.”
He would do it, too. He liked thinking Elizabeth would call on him someday in the future if she needed something. “You can call on me for anything.”
“Well, thank you then. Instead of setting it on the shelf, I might leave it out on the table. That way the girls can enjoy the roses, too, and—” Elizabeth stopped and looked around. “Oh, dear—”
Elizabeth pointed to the window. It was partially opened. “I think Spotted Fawn—
“Spotted Fawn,” Elizabeth stood up and called toward the loft. “Spotted Fawn, are you there?”
There was no answer from the loft.
“She must have gone outside,” Elizabeth said. “She was frightened by your friends.”
Jake stood up, too. “I should have thought of that.” He started to walk toward the door. “It must have reminded her of being with the tribe when—” Jake looked at Elizabeth. He didn’t want to upset her any more than she was already. “Stay here. I’ll find her.”
Even though Jake had asked her to stay in the cabin, Elizabeth would have gone to help him look if the baby didn’t need someone to stay with her. How had she forgotten about Spotted Fawn? The girl had been so upset, Elizabeth knew she should have checked on her the first thing when she stepped back inside the cabin. That’s what a mother would have done.
A mother would have known what was bothering the girl, too. She should have known the terror in the girl’s eyes earlier was enough to make her bolt.
Elizabeth had usually worked as a cook. Of course, she’d also done more than her share of laundry and scrubbing floors. But she’d never been in charge of children before. Or small animals, either. For some reason, it had never occurred to her that she’d avoided taking care of anyone or anything that needed mothering—until Rose.
She wondered if that was why God had taken Rose from her. Maybe He knew she wouldn’t do it right. Being a mother required constant attention. The worst that would happen if she was inattentive in her cooking was that something would burn. But being a caretaker meant something serious could happen if she was daydreaming about teapots instead of making sure someone was where they were supposed to be.
Elizabeth knew Jake needed a mother for the girls more than he needed a cook, but she wished she was only in charge of feeding this family. She would have to do better if she hoped to keep up her end of the bargain. She had known the baby would need her help, but she hadn’t thought about the girl.
The fire had burned down to embers before Jake brought Spotted Fawn back. He was carrying the girl and, if it wasn’t for the shivering, Elizabeth would have thought the girl was asleep in her uncle’s arms. Her calico dress was too light for the night air and she wasn’t wearing the animal pelts around her legs as she had been earlier in the day.
“I should have seen to it that she had a blanket with her, at least,” Elizabeth said. She’d make sure of it next time, somehow. “Here, let me get the fire going better.”
Elizabeth stood up and put a small log in the fire before walking over to the bed and pulling some of the covers off of it. “These will help.”
Jake took the blankets she handed to him and set himself in the rocking chair, with Spotted Fawn in his arms. He covered the girl. “We’ll just sit here for a while until everyone is warm.”
Elizabeth sat back down at the table and watched Jake rock his niece. She felt miserable. If she had failed so completely at a task for one of the families who had taken her in when she was Spotted Fawn’s age, Elizabeth would be packing her mother’s old satchel about now, getting ready to move on to the next family.
But there was no next family here. She’d be here for the winter.
Elizabeth wondered now if she had chosen to spend her time in the kitchens of those various homes so she wouldn’t be called upon to take care of the children of the households. Elizabeth knew her heart had been broken when Rose died, but she was beginning to wonder why she hadn’t had a lesser heartbreak years ago when she left the children of some household. She couldn’t even remember being sad about leaving a kitten behind. She had never let herself be responsible for any living thing. The closest she had come was tending her garden every summer. But then, no one grew overly fond of a carrot or a tomato.
Elizabeth looked over at Spotted Fawn as she cuddled against Jake’s shoulder. The girl was gripping Jake’s buckskin shirt even in sleep. Whatever was troubling her, it probably didn’t have an easy solution.
No child except Rose had ever clung to Elizabeth.
Not that it would be wise to become attached to this family. They had more problems than she could solve. Elizabeth reminded herself that she was only here because the baby needed to nurse. Spotted Fawn resented her and Jake had been all too willing to say she could leave in the spring. No, this was not the place to form any attachment, but when she left here she might just look for a simple family who had children who needed care.
The floor of the cabin was nothing but hard dirt, but that suited Elizabeth. She walked back to the bed and leaned down by the head of the bed so she could draw a series of lines in the floor. She would mark her days in this household. Four months should be enough for the baby. Elizabeth guessed the infant was already a few months old. It wouldn’t be long before it could survive on soft food like well-cooked potatoes and mashed carrots.
Elizabeth would set aside the canned goods that could be used for the baby. And, when the time came, she would start to look for an uncomplicated family who needed someone for their children.
She glanced back at Jake and his niece. She still didn’t know what had upset Spotted Fawn and it didn’t look as though she’d learn anything tonight. They were both sitting in the rocking chair, dozing. The blankets had fallen to the floor. She walked over and picked up the heaviest blanket, tucking it in around them both.
She hated to say it, but she was bound to this family for the moment. Until she left, she’d do her best to take care of them.
Chapter Six
Mr. Wells was sincerely interested in breakfast, Elizabeth decided as she slid a second batch of biscuits onto the tin plate she’d found on the shelf. It turned out most of the bulk she’d seen on him last night had been from his buffalo coat. The man himself was tall and something in the way he moved reminded her of a stalk of wheat, bending this way and that with his head looking down half of the time. She decided the man must be shy. Or just not used to being around women. Or maybe not interested in talking to anyone, period.
Jake’s other friend, Mr. Higgins, was definitely not shy. He reminded her of a grizzly, both because of the size of him and the kind gruffness that was evident in his voice as he talked and laughed. He didn’t just talk to her, either, for which she was pleased. He also included a few comments to Spotted Fawn, trying to get the girl to smile back at him. For that alone, Elizabeth forgave him for interrupting their sleep last night.
The men were sitting at the table in the middle of the room. Spotted Fawn was in the rocking chair, holding the baby. Elizabeth was moving between the stove and the table.
“The apples are almost ready,” Elizabeth said. She had crushed some cinnamon to
put on the sauce she’d made of dried apples and walnuts. She’d cooked the soaked apples, but she wanted to be sure the spices didn’t overpower the taste of the fruit so she’d waited to add the cinnamon until she pulled the pan off the stove.
She’d gotten up at first light and started the fire so she’d have the stove hot enough to make her biscuits. She’d pulled an apron out of her satchel to cover the old calico dress she had been wearing.
“It sure smells good,” Higgins said.
Elizabeth nodded and tried to smooth down her dress with her free hand. She didn’t want Jake to be ashamed of his new wife so she had planned to change into her gray dress before the men got here. She’d practically slept in the old calico one and it was wrinkled. But the stove had given her some problems. And she hadn’t found any flour so she’d had to go out to the wagon and get some of hers.
And then she had remembered that the men who were coming to breakfast were wolfers. Biscuits and applesauce didn’t seem like enough to feed men like that, not even when she added some salt pork to the frying pan. In the end, she’d pulled out a jar of her sour cabbage to use with the salt pork in case the men wanted more than biscuits. This was the first meal she’d made in Jake’s house and she wanted him to be proud of her.
“Yes sir, this is a mighty fine meal, ma’am,” Higgins said. He lifted his shaggy head and looked at Elizabeth as she set the applesauce on the table. “I don’t know when I’ve tasted anything as good as what you’ve got right here.”
“Thank you,” Elizabeth said quietly. She was wondering if she should have forgotten about the sour cabbage and changed her dress. Jake was scowling. Oh, he was sitting at the table as if everything was fine and, when she looked at him square on, his face was pleasant enough. But when she turned, and he couldn’t see that she saw him, he was definitely scowling.
It had to be the dress. Matthew had never liked it when she wore old clothes, either. She should have invited the men for dinner instead of breakfast. At least then she would have had all day to prepare the food and make sure she was well-dressed.
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