After planning and preparing all summer, their new school opened the second week of September. She was very pleased when eleven students showed up the first day. Ten were very excited to be there, but Ben Wagner was less enthusiastic. Georgia was surprised by this, considering how excited his parents had seemed.
With the exception of the one little boy who had previously had almost two years of school, everyone was attending school for the first time. The one with the prior schooling hadn't been to school at all for the last two years, so he needed to do a lot of reviewing. She started all of them off at the beginning, which was easier for her. She would split them up as the one boy proved he recalled what he'd learned previously, and others excelled.
Things went well for some time. She was pleased with the children's progress, but was concerned about Ben Wagner. He'd begun missing days sporadically. His mother had been true to her word and accompanied him every Thursday. Georgia always took a few moments while her students were having their lunch to go to the house to thank Vera.
Georgia was concerned about his absences, so when he'd missed school on a Wednesday, she asked Vera about it quickly the next day. "Was Ben needed at home yesterday?"
Vera looked confused. "I'm sorry, wasn't he here yesterday?"
Now it was Georgia's turn to be confused. "No. I assumed his father needed his help for something on the farm yesterday."
Vera slowly shook her head. "No. He left yesterday morning the same time he always leaves for school." She paused several moments, obviously thinking. "Has he missed other days?"
"Several, all fairly recently. That's why I wanted to talk to you. I wanted to be sure nothing's wrong, that Ben's been needed at home."
"No, everything's fine at home, and he's left the house every morning at the same time."
"I wonder where he's been going, and why," Georgia murmured. "He's been very courteous to me, but he doesn't seem to be excited about going to school. Am I wrong about that?"
"No, you're not wrong," Vera admitted. "He says he feels out of place."
"But why?"
"He's the oldest one there, but he's in with the beginners."
"Most of them are just starting school," Georgia said. "They're all working together pretty much. There are two boys that are ahead just a little, but not much. One of them had attended school previously, and the other one had never been to school, but his mother worked with him, trying to teach him at home. But the rest are all just beginning. He's doing good. He's catching on really well."
Vera became quiet for an uncomfortably long time, and Georgia could tell something was bothering her. "Vera, what's wrong? Did I say something I shouldn't have?"
"No, you didn't," Vera assured her. "I feel bad because I couldn't work with him and try to teach him at home."
"You shouldn't feel bad about that, Vera. Not everyone was meant to be a teacher. That's a difficult thing to do, and I'm sure all three of you have been busy on your farm. Running a farm by yourself is very time consuming."
"You don't understand," she said quietly. "We weren't able to help him learn to read or write because neither of us knows how."
She was speaking so quietly Georgia had to look up at her to hear her. When she did, she saw tears in her eyes. She pulled her into her arms for a reassuring hug. "Vera, that's nothing to feel bad about. I know you said you and your husband both grew up on a farm. Often times there aren't any schools close to farms, and you don't have the opportunity."
"But knowing that we couldn't help him, we should have made sure we were close enough to a school to give him the chance we didn't have."
"You can't blame yourself, Vera. You and your husband know about farming, so you did what you know how to do to provide a home for your family. You provided your son with a roof over his head, clothes on his back, food in his stomach, and most importantly, you provided him with love. That's obvious. His eyes light up when he speaks of you, and he respects you. You've been good parents."
Vera made a visible effort to pull herself back together. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Barrington. I didn't mean to keep you from the students. I'll talk to my husband tonight and we'll decide what to do about Ben. I'm sorry he hasn't been here all the time."
"You have nothing to apologize for, Vera, and please call me Georgia. I do need to go back to the children, but let me do some thinking, as well. I may have a suggestion, but let me think about it a day or two, and talk to my husband about it, as well. We'll talk again soon."
She went back to the school and finished the day, but Ben was on her mind. She had an idea, but she would need to talk to her husband.
Austin was at the barn, keeping one eye on the little schoolhouse. When two of the boys went out and rang the bell signaling to the parents that school was being let out so they could expect their children home soon, he headed for the school to talk to his wife. He watched with pride as the children ran out, smiling and laughing, more than half of them stopping to ask for and receive a hug from their teacher before heading home.
He noticed Vera standing by the pasture Austin had provided for her and Ben to use for their horses, and went over to thank her for her help. When Ben came out he ran over to his mother and they headed for home.
He looked back to watch the students ending their school day. When the last of them were gone, Georgia looked up and saw him standing off to the side, smiling at her. She returned his smile as he headed toward her. "How was your day?" he asked after giving her a quick kiss on her cheek.
"It was good."
"I saw you go in the house at lunchtime and spend a little time in there. I know you've been concerned about the school Ben's been missing. You wouldn't have been talking to Vera about that, would you?"
"Sometimes I think you know me too well, my dear husband," she answered with a grin. "Yes, I was."
"It's my job as your husband to know when something is troubling you, and see if you need help solving the problem. Did your talk with her ease your mind any?"
"No. Actually, I'm more concerned now than I was before. Ben doesn't feel comfortable being one of the beginners when he's older than the rest of the children. There are two children ahead of him; one because his mother worked with him, teaching him his letters and numbers. Vera said it's very important to herself and Elliott that Ben learn to read and write, because they can't."
They had been walking slowly toward the house as they talked, but Austin stopped at her words. "They can neither one read or write?"
"No. They both grew up on a farm and neither one had the opportunity to go to school. That's why it's so important to them that he learn. But he feels out of place being bigger than the two that are ahead of him, and in the same class with children three to five years younger than him."
"That's a shame," Austin said, thinking. "The sad part is, I can understand how he must feel."
"I know."
Something about the way she responded made him glance over at her. After one quick glance, he stopped and studied her face closer. "You have an idea, I can tell. Are you ready to share it with me?"
"Like I said earlier, my dear husband, sometimes I think you know me too well. No wonder I never seem to be able to hide anything from you or get away with anything."
He chuckled as he kissed her forehead. "Does that mean you'll stop trying?"
"What that means is I can see I'll have to get better at hiding things," she said with a mischievous grin.
"Maybe I better start exercising my right arm then," he said with a grin of his own. "I better get it in shape for all the extra spankings I'll have to be giving you."
She tried to look indignant, but the sparkle in her eyes told him she was enjoying their playful banter. "So, what's this idea of yours? How can we help Ben?" he asked.
"Well, maybe what we should do is help all three of them."
He looked at her with a look of total confusion. "I don't think they'll all three be able to attend school. They do have a farm to run."
"I know
, silly husband, but maybe I could work with all three of them, maybe once a week. It would be difficult for them to leave the farm and come over here, but maybe I could go to their house. I could give them things to work on in the evenings after their work is done on the days I don't work with them, so they could practice."
Austin cocked his head to the side, obviously deep in thought. "I'll have to give that idea some thought, but right offhand I see one problem we'd have to find a solution to."
"What's that?"
"We'd have to find someone to come in here and help you. That would just give you one more thing to do, and I'm already concerned that you're trying to do too much."
"But I'd really like to be able to help these people. They're our neighbors."
"I understand, honey. I'd like to help them, too, and I didn't say we won't. I'm merely saying we need to find you some help with the house so you have time to do this. I've watched you with the children, and I've heard comments from the parents at church. It's pretty clear to me that you're a wonderful teacher, and I'm all for you using that talent. I can see how happy it makes you. Let me give it some thought."
She was still for several moments, then reached up to give her husband a kiss on his cheek. When he saw the unshed tears she was fighting back, he took her in his arms. "What's wrong, Georgia? I thought you would be happy that I'm going to think about it. I'm going to try to find a way so you can do this."
"I am happy, darling. What you said about me being a good teacher, it just—thank you."
Understanding washed over his face, and he pulled her in against his chest and held her tight for several moments. "Watching the children as they arrive in the morning and leave in the afternoon, it's very clear how much they think of you. I don't think there's been a Sunday gone by that at least one parent hasn't told me how happy they are that you're teaching their children, and how much they think of you. That makes me a proud man." He held her face gently in his hands and gave her a real kiss; not just a peck on her cheek. It was a very passionate kiss that showed he meant what he said. "I'm a very lucky man, Georgia. I love you."
The tears she'd been fighting won out, and trickled down her cheeks. He used his thumbs to gently wipe them away, pulling her in against his chest, where he simply held her. No words were spoken, but none were needed. They were both feeling loved, and were neither one ready to break that feeling.
Cord came up behind Austin, but paused when he saw the kiss and ensuing holding. It was good to see, and he certainly didn't want to interrupt such a touching moment. He could talk to his boss later and tell him about the unfortunate accident their neighbor had had. He quietly turned to leave.
Austin broke their very comfortable silence with a quick kiss. He put his arm around his wife's waist and turned her around. "What was it you wanted, Cord?"
His foreman chuckled as he shook his head. "I swear I don't know how you do that. You sure don't miss a thing, do you?"
"No, he doesn't," Georgia answered with a grin.
Cord had to smile, having a pretty good idea what she was thinking of. There had been a couple times he went to the house to talk to his boss, but heard what he was sure had to have been a spanking going on, and went back to the barn instead. He had a pretty good idea that's what she was talking about.
He got serious again as he turned to Austin. "I went into town today to get the supplies we need, and I heard some bad news about one of our neighbors, Juan Gomez."
"He's got the farm next to the Wagner farm, doesn't he?"
"Yep, that's the one. He was breaking a horse yesterday and it threw him. He landed wrong, hit his head, and died."
"Oh, no," Austin said.
"That's terrible," Georgia added. "I'll make some food for Maria. I really like her. They don't have any children, do they?"
"No," Cord confirmed. "I heard they had a son at one time, but he got sick and died, and they never had any more."
"What's she going to do? She can't stay there alone, and they don't have any children she can stay with. I wonder if she has any brothers or sisters."
"She doesn't," Austin replied. "I talked with Juan when they first moved here, welcoming him to the area. He said he and Maria moved up here when a fire swept through their little town. They both lost all their family, and they escaped with just the clothes on their back. They moved to Texas and worked on a ranch while they saved enough money to buy their own little farm."
Georgia looked confused. "They both worked on the ranch?"
"Yes. She was the cook and helped take care of the house, while he worked as a ranch hand."
"Can we go visit her tomorrow? I'll take some food for her. I feel so sorry for her. She's got to be rather scared now, all alone."
"Maybe we can help her, and she can help us," Austin said. "We could see if she would like to be our cook and help with the house. We wouldn't be able to pay her a whole lot right now, but we have those two rooms off the kitchen that would give her a comfortable enough place to live. It's on the opposite end of the house as the rest of the bedrooms, so she would have her privacy."
"Then I could help Ben and his parents?"
"Exactly. I can tell you're much happier teaching than taking care of the house, and teaching takes a special talent, which you have. Now that I've seen that, it would be selfish of me to ask you to spend your time taking care of me and our house instead of teaching."
She flung her arms around his neck. "Thank you. I love you, Mr. Barrington."
"As if that wasn't obvious," Cord replied with a chuckle.
Georgia's face flushed when she heard Cord's reply. "Sorry, Cord. I forgot you were here."
"Don't apologize to me. It's good to see you two this happy. I know it's none of my business, but I've got to say, I like that idea. I'm sure it would ease her mind, knowing she has someplace to stay, and I'd hate to see you stop teaching. The men here sure have been singing your praises. I told Austin if word spreads about there being a school here and the men keep talking about the good teacher it's got, he's going to have all kinds of men wanting to work for him so their kids can go to school here."
She blushed again as she quietly said, "Thank you, Cord."
"I don't know who Ben is or what help he needs, but if Mrs. Gomez was here to help you with the house, I'm sure it would give you a little more time."
Austin stepped in quickly. "Ben Wagner has been going to school here, but he's older, and his dad needs his help on the farm. Georgia is thinking maybe she could go to their home once a week to work with him. That way he could help his dad during the day and do his studies in the evening after supper."
"That's nice that you're willing to do that, Mrs. Barrington."
She blushed yet again and tried to change the subject. "I'll go on into the house. Will you be long?"
He smiled, knowing what she was doing, and allowing it. "I'll be about an hour. We'll talk more about this then, but I think it might work out well for us and for Maria."
Chapter Eight
Austin and Georgia did indeed discuss it further at supper that evening, and decided to go visit Maria the next day. They would offer their condolences, and offer her a job as their housekeeper.
He was also going to talk to her about their little farm. It was about eighty acres. If she wanted to rent it out, he would offer to help her find suitable renters for it. If she wanted to sell it, he would offer her the going rate for the land, since it joins his property in the back. If she preferred to sell it to someone else, that was fine with him, as well. If she wished to sell the farmland and keep the house and rent it out, he would help her find a renter for that, as well.
Georgia was happy about their plans, but also a little worried. "Are you sure you're okay with this?"
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"It is going to be an added expense for us. I know most of her pay will be room and board, which won't really cost you a whole lot, but you are offering a small salary. Will that be a hardship for you?"
&n
bsp; "For us, not just for me. We are in this marriage and this ranch together, my dear wife. And to answer your question, we will be fine. We can afford a small salary. More importantly, I will feel better. I very much like having you teaching the children on this ranch. It's important that children get the opportunity to attend school, and I know I've lost some good ranch hands because there was no school for them to attend. Beyond that, though, I've seen how good you are at it, and how happy you are when you're teaching."
She smiled. "I do like it."
"That's easy to see." He picked his wife up and carried her to the bedroom so he could show her just how proud he was of her and how happy a man he was. She was soon a very happy lady, as well.
***
Maria was very happy, and relieved, when Austin and Georgia asked her if she would consider coming to live with them and serving as their housekeeper. Austin bought the livestock she and her husband had and added them to his. It gave her a tidy little nest egg to take with her. She wasn't sure what she wanted to do about her farm yet, so Austin suggested she take some time to think about it. In the meantime, he and his men would harvest the crops that were already planted, and pay her for half of them. After she had time to decide what she wanted to do with the farm, he promised to help her.
She moved in a few days later, on a Saturday, and although everyone was a bit nervous at first, they all hit it off well from the day she moved in. Austin and Georgia loved her cooking, and she loved the privacy of the two rooms they had fixed up for her. Since they lived on a farm, she was used to the early morning routine, and within a few days they all felt at home.
Now that they were all settled in, Austin and Georgia went to talk to Ben and his parents. Ben was still attending school, but she could tell he wasn't comfortable there. Elliott and Vera were rather surprised to see them at their door, but invited them in when they asked to speak with them.
Vera got coffee and cookies for them while they visited.
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