Sadina's Stocking (Strong Hearts, Open Spirits Book 3)

by Danni Roan

  ***

  “You go on into the mercantile,” Ed commented, pulling the buckboard to a halt and stepping down to help Faith from her pony.

  “Nate’s a good pony,” the little girl piped up, tossing her reins over the hitching post.

  “He sure is,” Ed said, smoothing the girl’s braids and turning to her mother and helping her down from the wagon.

  “I’ve got to run over to the livery,” Ed said, running his hand over her upper arm as they stepped up on the boardwalk. “I’ll meet you here when I’m done.”

  Sadie hefted her bag in her hands; it was a good deal heavier than it had been when she’d arrived in Calico Falls. She was looking forward to buying new thread and a bit of extra fabric.

  “Alright.” She smiled, turning.

  “We’ll go for lunch after,” Ed said cheerfully. “Buy a bag of penny candy,” he added, tossing a penny to Faith before trotting away.

  The mercantile was warm and welcoming as Sadie took Faith’s hand and entered. The smell of dry goods, feeds, and implements was familiar.

  “Oh, Mrs. Hampton,” a woman’s voice greeted her. “So nice to see you.”

  Sadie smiled. “It’s good to get to town.”

  “How about you, little bit?” the portly woman asked, leaning over the high counter.

  “I’ve got a penny,” Faith said, looking around her.

  “What can I get you then?”

  “Do you have any apples?”

  The older woman looked questioningly at Sadie.

  “What do you want apples for?” Sadie asked.

  “For Nate,” Faith said, looking at her mother. “Mr. Bayer said he likes apples, but we don’t have any.”

  Sadie’s eyes softened on her daughter. “So instead of candy, you want to buy apples for your pony?”

  “Yep.” The little girl’s eyes were bright. “He’s my best friend.”

  Sadie pulled Faith to her, squeezing her tight.

  “That’s a fine girl you have there. I tell you what, I’ve got some bruised apples that I can’t sell to anyone, so I’ll let you have those for your pony.” She grinned.

  “How are you settling in to town? I’m Mrs. Felps, if you’ve forgotten,” she added, putting some battered apples in a bag.

  “I’m pleased to be here,” Sadie said, rifling through the fabrics on a table and realizing she meant it.

  “Will you be coming to the harvest festival?’ Mrs. Felps continued, “It’s always a fine time.”

  “I’ll have to speak to Ed. It sounds like fun.”

  “Oh my yes, we cook up as a storm and all the children make decorations.”

  Sadie thought the whole event sounded wonderful. She wondered what it would be like mixing with her neighbors for fun.

  “Thank you,” she said. “I hope we can come.” It felt nice to be able to walk about the town without the gossips watching her every move.

  Taking Faith’s hand, Sadie stepped out onto the walk again. “Here, you give Nate an apple while we wait for Ed.”

  “You get everything you need?” Ed asked, walking up to them with a grin.

  “Yes.” Sadie liked the way he looked with the sun touching his chiseled features.

  “Mr. Smith’s asked for six new saddle horses,” Ed continued, helping her into the wagon.

  Moments later he clicked to the team, trotting toward home.

  “Oh, Eddie,” a woman’s voice carried around the bend in the road as the clip-clop of horse’s hooves echoed back to them.

  “Darlene,” Ed said, tipping his hat as they passed, but the young woman swung her horse around, falling into step with the buckboard.

  Sadie looked up at the younger woman who perched prettily on a lean, dun horse, sitting tall and straight on her sidesaddle.

  “I was just out for a ride you see,” she said. “Perhaps Mrs. Hampton would like to ride with me sometime,” she added, with a hard glint to her eye.

  “Mama doesn’t ride yet,” Faith spoke up, her pony ambling up along the wagon. “But I got a new pony.” She smiled. “His name’s Nate.”

  “Oh, how sweet.” The young woman’s voice sounded bored. “Now why don’t you ride?” she said, turning back to Sadie. “Every rancher’s wife must surely be an accomplished horse woman.”

  “I’m sure Sadie will learn when she’s ready,” Ed came to Sadie’s defense, but instead of helping, it only made her feel worse.

  “Of course she will,” Darlene snipped. “Well, have a nice day and if you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to drop by, Edward.” She wheeled her horse and galloped off in the other direction.

  Ed slipped his hand over Sadie’s when it began to fidget. “Don’t listen to her,” he said kindly. “You’re the perfect wife for me Sadie.”

  Sadie forced a smile and nodded, making her hands go still, but couldn’t find words strong enough to overcome her inadequacies.

  Chapter 10

  “Mama, is it almost time?” Faith called as she pranced into the kitchen, excitement shining in her eyes.

  “Yes, it’s almost time,” Sadie answered with a smile.

  “The wagon’s ready.” Ed stomped into the kitchen from the side door, smiling at his wife and new daughter, then smiling wider as he noted Sadie’s quick blush.

  Ed liked that even after a month as true newlyweds, Sadie could blush.

  “You got everything you need?” he asked, moving to the table and lifting a heavy basket.

  “Yes, I’ve made loads of cookies…”

  “And a cake,” Faith chimed in with a grin. “It’s chocolate.”

  “My favorite,” Ed grinned.

  “You say that about everything,” Faith giggled. The little girl skipped to him, taking his hand.

  “This will be the best harvest festival yet,” Ed said, squeezing Faith’s hand.

  “Aren’t you gone yet?” a taciturn voice came from a room at the back of the kitchen, followed eventually by Mrs. Crumps.

  “We’re on our way,” Ed replied, winking at Sadie, who tossed her wrap around her shoulders. October was growing chilly and she knew she would need it as afternoon turned to evening.

  Things were looking up as Ed helped his girls into the buckboard, loading the heavy basket in the back while Sadie held the cake box on her lap.

  “I was worried we’d be late, you took so long coming in.”

  “We’ve got fifteen horses nearly ready for sale,” Ed said, chirruping to his team and heading toward town. “That takes time. Bayer and the other men will deliver the horses to various business in a week or two.” He smiled, feeling happy and content.

  The town was hopping when they arrived. Farmers, shopkeepers, ranch hands and anyone else who could make it had turned out for the festival.

  The afternoon activities started with competitions where fresh produce, canned goods, and baked goods were judged by a panel from the town council and awarded prizes.

  Afterward people tended to barter over the items on display, trading, chatting and sometimes arguing over whose produce was the best.

  Then the real fun began as the food tables were laid and everyone enjoyed a sampling of all Calico Falls had to offer.

  One of the big ranchers always donated a steer, which was roasted over hot coals for the town’s folk to enjoy.

  Overall, the entire festival was fun, productive and helped to bond the people of Calico Falls together, steeling them for the long winter ahead.

  “Look at the pretty colors,” Faith said, studying the bunting and streamers of gold and orange that decorated tables and posts alike. “It’s so pretty Mama.” The girl smiled.

  “Yes, it is.” Sadie’s eyes misted with joy at how happy her child was and once again, she lifted a silent prayer of thanks that she had said yes to Ed’s wild proposal.

  “You look beautiful,” Ed said, his lips close to her ear as he helped her out of the wagon. She'd made a new dress for herself that week, something soft and bright for the festival, all golds and br
owns, with a dropped waist line and simple scooped collar.

  Sadie beamed at the complement. She knew she wasn’t beautiful but in that moment, she felt that Ed truly liked the way she looked and her heart expanded toward him.

  Together they headed in the direction of the food tables lined up at the end of Main Street. Several women Sadie had met a few times at church took their baskets and began putting things in their proper place.

  “What can I do to help?” Sadie asked with a smile.

  “Oh, you don’t need to do nothin’,” one of the women spoke. “This is your first festival, you go on and enjoy it. Let Ed show you ‘round,” she finished with a smile.

  “What’s that?” Faith was practically bouncing as they started their walk along the street. A group of children was spinning on a twirling contraption, laughing and squealing with delight.

  “That’s old Moody’s carousel,” Ed answered. “He drags it along every year.”

  “Go on,” Sadie said, giving permission to the unasked question and laughing as Faith dashed off to join the other children.

  “She’s happy.” Ed’s statement was half question.

  “We’re happy.” Sadie squeezed his arm slightly as they walked, stopping at the various tables with an array of freshly harvested vegetables, sparkling canned goods or other treats fashioned from the bounty of the year’s harvest.

  Ed’s arm straightened as they meandered their way through the booths and tables, and he took her hand in his as they’d done so many times before as mere kids.

  Sadie felt herself blushing slightly at the intimate gesture but didn’t remove her hand. She was surprised at how free she felt in Calico Falls, at how hope had grown into something more.

  For the first time in years, she was accepted. Her fingers closed a little tighter on Ed’s hand and he grinned, the boy who was shining through on the face of the man walking at her side.

  “We never had anything like this back home,” Sadie said.

  “No, folks here are a bit more open, I think,” Ed’s voice was soft. “They accept people for who they are with few questions.”

  Sadie felt a contentment she hadn’t known in a long time, a sense of belonging.

  “Now don’t you look pretty?” An older woman standing behind a table smiled. “I heard tell you was good with a needle and thread.”

  “Sadie’s pretty handy alright,” Ed answered, his voice full of pride.

  “And bein’ married seems to suit you both,” the other woman said.

  Ed grinned from ear- to-ear as Sadie blushed.

  It was a sweet day, a day of fun and laughter, food and fellowship.

  “I’ll fetch the buggy,” Ed said as the first bright stars appeared in a deepening sky.

  Faith snuggled up to her mother, yawning and smiling sleepily.

  “You had a nice day?” Sadie asked.

  “Yes Mama, it was wonderful and I made so many friends. I can’t wait until I start school in the spring and can see them every day.”

  Sadie collected the basket and blanket they had brought along as her daughter enthused about the day’s activities.

  Lifting the final item, she turned toward the road to wait for Ed but what she saw made her heart go cold.

  At the end of the street, Ed, the boy she’d known and trusted, was locked in a passionate embrace with Darlene.

  A deep, shattering pain pierced through Sadie’s breast and she spun, blocking her daughter’s view, shielding her from the realization that her mother, once again, was not good enough.

  ***

  “Darlene, what the devil’s the matter with you!” Ed shouted, wrenching the woman off of him and holding her at arm’s length. “I’m a married man.” His eyes blazed. “A very happily married man.”

  “But Eddie,” the woman mewed, “you can’t prefer her to me.” Darlene batted her eyelids and leaned toward him.

  “I love Sadie,” Ed hissed, the truth rolling over him in a way he hadn’t expected. He’d always loved Sadie on one level or another, but now that love had grown into something more, something rich and full.

  Edward Hampton gave the young woman a shake, his temper rising. “Go home, Darlene, and stay there until you learn what a real woman is.”

  “Whoa,” Ed called a few minutes later as he rolled up to where Faith was chattering to her mother.

  Jumping from the wagon, he lifted the little girl into the back then turned for her mother, but Sadie had already climbed into the wagon seat, smoothing her skirt nervously.

  “Are we all ready?” Ed asked, bounding into the wagon once more and grinning at his girls.

  “Ready, Eddie,” Faith chirped, but Sadie only stared a head.

  “That was fun. Wasn’t it?” Ed said, aiming the team toward home. His heart was full of joy as he drove along with his small family. Things were looking up at the ranch, the men were happy. A sense of satisfaction seemed to permeate him.

  “She’s asleep already,” Ed commented, smiling brightly at Sadie and glancing back at Faith, who’d snuggled into the blanket against the chill of the air.

  “She’s very young,” Sadie commented, her eyes never meeting his.

  “Did you have a good time?” Ed switched the reins to one hand, laying the other over Sadie’s, where they fidgeted nervously in her skirt.

  Sadie’s hands stilled but she still wouldn’t look at him.

  “Is something wrong darlin’?” he asked, confused.

  Sadie turned haunted eyes to him. “I saw you with Darlene.” Her voice was a strangled whisper.

  Ed Hampton’s temper rose so fast he pulled the horses to a stop with a lurch. He was almost ready to turn the wagon around, go back, and make Darlene admit what she’d done as his heart constricted at the look of pain and anger on Sadie’s face.

  Taking a deep breath to keep the own ire from his words, he turned fully to his wife. His smart, beautiful, amazing wife.

  “Sadina,” his words were a silken sigh, “I am not Roger.” His eyes bore into hers, trying to make her see into his own soul. “I’m no mewling mama’s boy who can’t stand up and do the right thing.”

  Sadie looked up at him, her eyes a storm of doubt and confusion, but he continued anyway.

  “You are going to have to find it in your soul to trust me.” He brushed a strand of hair from her face as she looked away, a hard expression on her soft features. “I can’t make you trust me, or the love I have for you,” he finished, picking up the reins and heading for home.

  The ride home was silent and Sadie was out of the wagon and up the stairs before they’d come to a complete stop.

  With a heavy heart, Ed lifted Faith gently from the wagon, taking her to her room, but when he turned to his own space the door was firmly closed.

  “Lord,” he whispered outside the door, “help her. Let her know the depth of my love.” On silent feet he moved away to the spare room next door.

  ***

  Sadie staggered to the bed on leaden feet, collapsing in a heap as the tears burst from her. What was she to do? How could this have happened? The questions rebounded through her mind like a tornado, picking up debris as it battered her mind.

  “This is Ed, for Pete’s sakes,” she gurgled. “He loves me.”

  Some darkness wriggled inside her, tugging and pulling her into its depths. Ed would never hurt her, but what about what she’d seen with her own eyes? She couldn’t live through this again, she couldn’t.

  Sadie sat upright, the lump in her throat growing larger. “Faith!” she said in a shocked whisper. “Faith won’t understand.”

  Collapsing back into the pillows, she wept again. What could she do? “God help me,” she finally sobbed, all of the hurt she’d held back for so long pouring out as she wrestled with her darkest thoughts.

  ***

  It was well past the witching hour before silence once more surrounded Ed. He had heard Sadie crying for hours, but was helpless to do anything for her. Words could never mend the tear in
her heart, only God and faith could do that.

  As the house fell silent, he climbed from the narrow bed in the small room next door. First, he checked on Faith, still sound asleep in her own room, her stuffed rabbit tucked under her chin. For several moments, he stood next to the room he’d been sharing with his wonderful wife, listening to her soft, even breathing. He opened the door and stepped inside.

  Soft moonlight pooled on the bed from the open curtains, outlining the huddled form of the woman who had so completely stolen his heart. Sadie was curled into a ball in the middle of the bed, the pretty dress she’d worn that day tangled around her.

  With gentle hands, Ed lifted a quilt from the end of the bed, spreading it softly over her sleeping form, as he fought the urge to pull her to him. Swallowing the sorrow in his chest, he turned and headed back to the lonely bed on the other side of the wall.

  Chapter 11

  “Something’s wrong with that woman of yours,” Mrs. Crumps barked as she walked back from the bunkhouse with Ed. “She pregnant or what?”

  “Leave her be, Mrs. Crumps,” Ed stated, his voice flat.

  “Well she ain’t been the same since yuns come back from the festival, ain’t hardly eatin’ or nothing.”

  Ed could see by the dower look on the woman’s face that this was a terrible sin in her book. She cooked, so you ate, and that was all there was to it.

  “Did you do something to make her mad?” Mrs. Crumps continued walking, her skirts hiked up above the dusty grass.

  Ed huffed out a breath, watching as the housekeeper realized he wasn’t with her anymore.

  Turning, Mrs. Crumps looked at his face then stepped back to him, laying a rough hand on his arm. “I didn’t mean to be so biting,” she said. “I like that girl and it pains me to see her struggling.”

  Ed turned weary eyes to the woman he’d known for several years. “All I can do is trust God to see her through,” he said, and veered off toward the barn.

  ***

  “Mighty dry this time o’ year.” Bayer spoke as he tightened the girth on Faith’s shaggy pony.

  “Yeah,” Ed said non-committedly, fishing out a rope and heading toward the corral.