by Zina Abbott
Beth had been around Edwin Caldwell and his family less than an hour before she decided she definitely did not care for her future brother-in-law. Luther was golden compared to the bossy, pretentious, blowhard of a man who started criticizing and calling out orders to Val and Luther before he even stepped into the house. Beth was glad she witnessed it from the front window of the large living area, the more casual of the two parlors in the Caldwell house. If she had been on the front porch, she feared she might have given the man a piece of her mind.
Beth stepped back into the kitchen while she fought to contain her annoyance and smooth her scowl into a pleasant, if not smiling, countenance. Edwin may have made a terrible first impression on her, but she hoped for Val’s sake that his first impression of her would be to her fiancé’s credit. She waited as the family, Edwin and his wife, Rosamond, and his three children, Edwin Junior, Matthew and Amelia, made their way into the house followed by Val, Luther, and some of the ranch hands who carried in the family’s luggage.
Beth took a deep breath as Val called to her from the kitchen doorway to come out to meet the family. She followed him out, but quickly came to a full stop by Edwin’s comment upon seeing her.
“I see you finally have been able to get decent help for the ranch house, Val. It’s about time. Rosamond is accustomed to a maid and a cook. She would have had a time of it trying to manage things by herself.”
Beth pursed her lips and straightened her spine. His words rubbed her the wrong way, but, as she thought about it, she could see how they could have made the assumption. Under the large apron she had used while working for Gus in the chop shop, she wore her plain black work skirt free of the swag and bustle of the current fashion. Her white shirtwaist blouse that had been clean and neat when she had put it on that morning had been crushed under her coat on the trip over from her house, and now, after several hours of working in the kitchen, hung limp on her from steam and perspiration.
Beth knew Edwin was ten years older than Val, and his gray temples and wide girth advertised both his age and his tendency to live well. Rosamond, in her late thirties, was an attractive woman, although her extra weight caused her to appear more matronly than her years.
Val shook his head. The man who seldom showed his annoyance around others, glared at his brother. When he spoke, his irritation at Edwin’s assumption bled into his quiet clarification. “No, we still haven’t found a housekeeper for the ranch, Edwin. Please allow me to introduce my fiancée, Beth Dodd. Beth is an excellent cook, and had graciously agreed to spend the day here and prepare our supper for tonight.” Val then proceeded to introduce her to Rosamond.
“How nice to meet you, my dear.” Rosamond offered a gracious smile which Beth suspected was slightly strained.
Beth forced a smile in response. “Right pleased to meet you, I’m sure.”
Rosamond’s eyebrow rose as she listened to Beth. She sweetly inquired, “You don’t sound like you are from around here. Val hasn’t told us much about you. Why don’t we all sit down, my dear, and you can tell us what part of the country to you hail from.”
Just then, Louisa, with Sophie Anne on her hip, entered the room from the kitchen. At the sight of Edwin and Rosamond’s family, she came to an abrupt halt and gave Beth a hesitant look. “I’m sorry to interrupt, Beth. I saw your company arrive, and I just wanted to know if you needed any help in the kitchen before I go to help Gus.”
An irritated Edwin snapped at her. “We aren’t company, young woman; we’re family. This is my home, too.” The man then turned to Val. “I thought you said you still didn’t have hired help. Who is she, and why is she here?”
Val swallowed and forced himself to remain patient. “Edwin, may I please introduce Mrs. Herschel. Louisa, this is my brother, Edwin, and his wife, Rosamond, and their children.” Val turned back to Edwin. “If you recall, I wrote you about them. I hired Mr. Herschel to cook for the hands this winter. They are staying in the married foreman’s cabin.”
“If she’s staying here with her husband, why isn’t she taking care of the house?”
Val fought showing the annoyance he felt. “She’s busy helping her husband, since she does all the baking for the men. And sometimes for Luther and me. She helps Beth. They worked together to get the rooms aired out and dusted so they would be ready for you. But, as you can see, she has her own family to take care of.”
Concerned Edwin might meddle more and try to ferret out Louisa’s history, Beth turned to Louisa. “Thank you kindly, Louisa, but I reckon Hazel and I can manage it from here until time to set things up for the weddin’.”
Louisa welcomed the family, then took her leave.
Beth felt a wave of relief wash over her once she got Louisa away from Edwin’s interrogation. Staying by Val’s side, she followed the family into the main living area. She sat next to her sweetheart on one of the settees. “I come from southern Ohio, where my pa had a farm until he up and sold it to my first husband. But my folks come from Kentucky, after the war.”
“How interesting, dear,” Rosamond exclaimed. “And how did you find your way to California, especially this part of California? It’s not as though Bridgeport is on the main thoroughfare leading west.”
“I followed my first husband, Jim Dodd, out to Lundy, only to find him dead and under ice waitin’ to get buried come spring thaw. That’s where I met Val.”
Rosamond’s voice quavered. “Oh. So you have been married before.” Although she tried to mask it, a look of distress flitted across Rosamond’s face. Between that and the disgruntled expression on Edwin’s face, Beth could tell her future in-laws were not happy Val was marrying a widow. Beth had to force herself to not choke up in response to their next question. “And do you have children from your first marriage, dear?”
“Only the one, but he died afore he wasn’t much more than a day old. Ain’t got no livin’ young’uns.”
“I’m so sorry my dear. I know it won’t replace your loss, but I hope you and Val have an opportunity to raise several children.”
Beth felt the woman’s sincerity in her last statement, although she suspected there was a sense of relief that the Caldwell family did not need to deal with step-children from her marriage to Jim Dodd. As Edwin, no doubt bored with his wife’s delving into the family’s future member, began to grill Val regarding conditions on the ranch, Beth took the opportunity to size up the rest of the family.
The oldest boy had been introduced as Edwin Junior. Beneath his veneer of proper politeness, the young man Beth guessed to be about sixteen—between Josh and Hazel in age—exuded an attitude of boredom and impatience. The handsome young face with dark eyes below dark brown hair looked around restlessly. His tall, lanky figure dressed in citified clothes contained enough Caldwell features that Beth could easily identify him as being related to Val and Luther. Earlier, when she had been watching from the window, Beth had caught the glare he shot towards the back of his father’s head when Edwin had called him “Junior.” She wondered if he resented being dragged to the ranch, or if there was another reason behind his discontent.
Three to four years younger than Edwin Junior, Matthew’s face still bore the soft lines of childhood. He more closely resembled his mother with her soft, round figure and face graced with light brown hair and blue eyes. Beth bit back a grin as she realized he was carefully taking advantage of his parents’ distraction to pester his sister.
Amelia looked like she could be a younger twin to Matthew. Although she appeared to be a sweet child, Beth suspected if Matthew provoked her too much she would turn into a cry-baby. It was probably part of their ongoing family life.
Wonder how Val and my young’uns will act towards each other. No doubt they’ll plumb keep things stirred up.
Beth brought her attention back to the conversation as Luther stood up. “Glad you and your family made it safely, Edwin. If you’ll excuse me, I need to go over to Beth’s place and check on Hazel. I’ll bring her back in time for supper.”
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Edwin Junior quickly leaped to his feet. “May I change real quick and go with Uncle Luther, Father?”
“Junior, you have traveled enough for one day. Please, sit back down and show some proper manners,” Edwin decreed.
“Maybe next time, Eddie,” Luther said. He grinned in response to his brother’s grimace at his use of the nickname for his oldest nephew. Before anyone could object, Luther darted out of the door. His long strides took him quickly to the corral where he retrieved the horse Val had given Beth to use, and he quickly hitched it to the wagon.
“Oh!” Rosamond turned to Beth. “I hope you don’t mind my asking, dear, but who is this Hazel that is staying at your place?”
“She’s my sister. She stayed home to work on my dress for the weddin’. She don’t have no sewin’ machine, so it’s takin’ her a mite longer than she wanted.”
“Yes, I imagine so. All the extra detail and handwork involved in a wedding dress can be very time-consuming. I marvel that you didn’t have it made by a seamstress who specializes in formal attire.”
“Ain’t no call for no fancy weddin’ dress, Missus Caldwell, this here bein’ my second weddin’. She’s makin’ it out of wool so I can use it for Sunday best after. And, Hazel is a right smart seamstress when it comes to fancy work. I’m right proud she’s doin’ it for me.”
“I see. And please call me Rosamond, as we are to be sisters-in-law. Do you have any other family members who live in the area?”
“Reckon it’s just me and Hazel. Our ma and other brothers died when I was still in short skirts. I worked the farm until Pa up and died of the consumption a few years back. Ain’t got no close family left back in Ohio or Kentucky.”
Val broke into the conversation, a grin on his face as if he knew how his sister-in-law would take the next bit of news. “You’ll have plenty of opportunity to get to know Hazel, Rosamond. Luther is quite taken with her and is courting her. I’m sure he will have her over often while you and Edwin are here.”
Rosamond lifted her eyes to the ceiling in supplication, before she pressed her eyelids shut and mumbled. “Oh, dear. Two of them…”
Impatient with Rosamond’s snobbery, Beth blurted out, “Hazel and I was raised to be hard-workin’ farm women. We ain’t got no call to be uppity, not livin’ in no big city and all. We’ll do right smart in Bridgeport. Val with his cattle and me with my chickens will get along fine. Same for Hazel and Luther, if they have a mind to marry.”
Had no call admittin’ Luther and Hazel may up and marry. Ain’t goin’ to hear the end of it when Luther hears I said so.
“Now, Bethie Rose…” Val cautioned her.
Flustered, Rosamond quickly sought to cover her blunder. “Oh, dear, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to imply…”
After a brief silence that followed, Edwin slapped both hands on his knees. “Enough of this ladies’ chit-chat, Val. How about we go outside and you tell me what you and Luther have been doing with the place since I was here last.”
Young Edwin made it to his feet before his father. “May I come with you, Father? I would like to walk around the ranch for a bit.”
The senior Edwin reluctantly agreed. As the men started towards the door, Amelia turned to her mother and broke into a wheedling whine. “Mama, can I please go upstairs to my room and see all my toys up there?”
“It’s ‘may I,’ Amelia.”
“May I please, Mama?”
“It sounds like it may do you well to have a short nap before supper, my dear.” In response to Amelia’s protesting pout, Rosamond continued. “Perhaps you should change out of your good dress, Amelia. If you are unable to sleep, you can work on your studies. You and your brother don’t want to get behind your classmates because of this trip.” Rosamond looked over at Matthew. “That goes for you too, son. If you like, you may change out of your suit into your school clothes and work on your schoolwork.”
Both children quickly rose and agreed to do as their mother asked. Beth was unsure if they were anxious to get to their schoolwork or they were more concerned with escaping the boring adult conversation. She was ready to escape, herself. But, if she was going to be a Caldwell, it was better to get all the questioning over with and learn how to get along with her future in-laws.
“Reckon you might want to change into something more comfortable, too.”
“No, dear, I’ll settle my things in my room, but I’ll be fine until after supper.”
“Then if it won’t put you out none, Rosamond, we best do the rest of our talkin’ in the kitchen. I got me some bread risin’ that needs to go in the oven and some rolls ready to bake up for supper. I need to finish up the chicken and dumplin’s we’re eatin’ tonight. Reckon we can talk in there where I can get my work done.”
CHAPTER 10
Beth cast a glance at Hazel across the dining table. As much as Luther had tried to smooth the way for her, she could tell her sister felt uncomfortable around Edwin and Rosamond. The dinner conversation had been more like an inquisition, as Rosamond pried into Hazel’s education, her work on the farm, her stay with her former guardian, Agnes Dodd, and her trip out to California. Beth had hoped it would end as they finished dessert, but still Rosamond continued to question Hazel.
“And how delightful that you are now here and have been reunited with your sister. And you are staying in Beth’s place that she moved to, now that she’s left Lundy?”
“Yes, ma’am. Beth fixed up a right nice place for us.”
Rosamond turned to Beth. “Did you find a nice room in a boarding house in Bridgeport, dear?”
Rosamond’s false cheer grated on Beth, and it was all she could do to remain civil. “Ain’t livin’ in town. Hazel’s livin’ with me on my farm out along Robinson Creek.”
“Oh, dear. You were serious about having a house out in the middle of nowhere? And your sister will be living there by herself after you and Val marry this Saturday? Will she be safe out there?”
“No, ma’am, Hazel ain’t one to stay there by herself for long. Reckon she’ll stay here on our weddin’ night. But after that, she’ll come live with us at my place, too. Got me a ranch hand out there to keep my chickens took care of, but still need to live there to prove it up.”
Beth glanced at Rosamond and Edwin and their children. They each wore bewildered expressions—all except Eddie who leaned forward fascinated with the tale. Beth continued. “We’ll be there until Josh knows his way around and I teach him to cook. When we come to the house to stay a spell come spring, Hazel will come with us.”
Beth cringed at the sound of Rosamond’s shrill voice. “What do you mean you’ll be staying there? Surely, you plan to move to the ranch house as soon as you marry.”
“No, I ain’t. I’m homesteadin’ my land. To prove it up, I got to live on it six months each year for five years and fix it up. I already lost three months gettin’ my house built afore I moved in. Got four more months I aim to live there before July.”
Edwin turned his head away with a snort of derision. Rosamond gasped her disbelief. “But, dear, surely you understand that is not how it works. Once you and your husband marry, your responsibility is to him. Your responsibility is to this ranch. You need to move here so you can fulfill your duties.”
Fire shot from Beth’s eyes. “I been takin’ care of feedin’ these ranch hands and Val and I ain’t even married yet. He knowed before I agreed to marry him I’m gettin’ my own place.”
“But, once you marry, you won’t need your own place. This will be your home.”
“Last time I done that in Ohio, my husband up and sold the farm out from under me. Somethin’ should happen to Val, I don’t aim to find myself again with no husband and no place to live.”
“But, dear, once you and Val marry, even if you should become widowed…oh, what a dismal topic when we should be speaking of your wedding and your future life together as a family…you would still be living at the ranch and taking care of your part here.”
“You married a Caldwell. Why ain’t you here takin’ care of the ranch?”
Rosamond blustered and stumbled over her words. “Why…be-because my husband’s responsibility to the ranch isn’t to see to the day-to-day operation of it like Val and Luther. He handles the business management…”
Beth noticed Val lean forward with a questioning look on his face at her statement. Edwin’s wife may think her husband was in control, but Val, mostly, and Luther handled the business of the ranch.
“…and…and the legalities involved,” Rosamond continued. “In addition to the ranch, he is an important attorney with a busy clientele in Sacramento. My place is by his side there, just like your place needs to be at Val’s side, here.”
Beth recalled Val having told him that after law school, Edwin had gone to Sacramento to work for Rosamond’s father in his law office. After he married the boss’s daughter, he became full partner. The man’s untimely death left the legal practice solely in Edwin’s name. Being first a daughter, and then a wife, of an attorney, and living in the society that supported that lifestyle, was probably all the woman knew.
“I aim to be at his side, just like I figure on him bein’ at my side. That was my terms afore I agreed to marry him. Ain’t no one forcin’ him to be my husband.”
Ignoring the women, Edwin turned to his brother and chuckled. “Val, are you really planning to spend most of your life living in her cabin? Or, is this your plan to increase the holdings of the ranch?”
Edwin’s attempt at humor rang false in Beth’s ears. She frowned at his suggestion that her land would eventually become part of the Caldwell Ranch. “Applied for my homestead as a single woman. Law says the land stays mine, even after I get the patent.”
There was no mistaking Edwin’s depreciating tone of voice. “I’m a lawyer, Beth. I know what the law says.”
In an attempt to smooth over the tense moment that followed, Rosamond continued her argument. “But, dear…you don’t need to have your own land. There is plenty of room on the Caldwell Ranch—all the space you could ever need. And, I never have felt the need, or the desire, to raise chickens, but I’m sure if that is what pleases you, Val can find a suitable space for you right here.”