by Zina Abbott
“Miss Flora was the madam. She and I had us a real nice talk, woman to woman, seein’ as how I didn’t learn much from Jim Dodd. Right interestin’, though what was missin’ with Jim Dodd ain’t been an issue with Val.”
“But, you’ll make sure I know, won’t you, Bethie, just in case?”
“We’ll speak on it, but we ain’t havin’ that talk until right before your weddin’. Don’t need you thinkin’ on it too hard and lettin’ the desire get ahead of what’s right.” Beth shook her head and mumbled. “Hope this young’un of mine don’t come early. Don’t need no old biddies countin’ the months and shakin’ their heads.”
Sophie Anne chose that moment to shout a squawk of protest at being ignored. Hazel rushed back to her side and offered her a piece of the biscuit the baby had dropped in her lap.
Louisa turned to her friend. “Go up to your room and rest, Beth. Hazel and I can manage to get supper on the table, especially with it only being the eight of us for Christmas Eve. The dinner tomorrow for all the ranch hands and Hank will be the big meal to prepare.”
Hazel turned back to her sister. “Beth, you told Val yet?”
“No. Wanted to make sure this baby stuck good. Don’t want to disappoint him none if I miscarry.”
Louisa cocked her head and raised her eyebrows to signal she questioned Beth’s reasoning. “I think you better tell him, Beth. No matter what may happen, he needs to know. He may not be happy if he found out we knew long before he did.”
Beth sighed as she rose from the chair and started for the stairs leading up to hers and Val’s bedroom. “I’ll think on it.”
CHAPTER 20
That night Beth looked around the dinner table at the people. Those enjoying the holiday with her were now among the people who meant the most to her. The family gathering was small.
Edwin would not chance bringing his family over the Sierra Nevada Mountains by train and stagecoach this time of year. Beth didn’t blame him, especially with children along. Even if the rail was clear, stagecoach travel from Reno down to Bridgeport would be miserable. Most of the stages switched to ski runners to manage the snow, but Beth knew from her own experience taking the stage up to Lundy the previous January how cold it could be traveling by stage.
As for Barbara, since her family had come for both the wedding and Thanksgiving dinner, they had chosen to spend Christmas with Barbara’s in-laws.
Beth’s gratitude knew no bounds that she was now married to the most perfect husband in the world—perfect for her, anyway. And, although the nausea left her feeling exhausted most of the day, she looked forward to being a mother again. Val knew about her baby fathered by her first husband. Although Val had commiserated with her over her loss, it had given him confidence she might someday bear his children. Although she made decisions based on her determination to secure her future for both her and her sister, Beth had not known Val long before she also desired to give Val a house full of sons and daughters. Beth smiled at her sister and then at Josh, who felt more like a little brother than a farm hand, but there was nothing like looking forward to having her own child created with a man she loved as dearly as she loved Val.
During the months she had lived and worked with Louisa in Lundy, Louisa had become like another sister to Beth. Forced into prostitution to survive, Louisa surprisingly had not become jaded like so many upstairs girls. She cautiously, but gratefully, moved back into mainstream society. At the time she had made her offer to help the young woman leave the brothel, it had not entered her mind how close the two would become. Then, Beth knew, Louisa’s every dream had been fulfilled once she discovered that the man she had fallen in love with, the stubborn, grumpy German who thought he would never marry, also loved her and wanted to be a papa for baby Sophie Anne.
Then there was Luther. Practical jokes and all, Beth recognized Luther was a good sort at heart, even if he did rub her the wrong way too many times to count. Hazel loved him, so Beth knew she would just need to learn to bite her tongue with Luther for her sister’s sake.
Beth only half-finished her dinner before her stomach warned her she better stop eating or there would be embarrassing consequences. She excused herself from the table, promising to return in time to help clear it. In the kitchen, she put on her heavy coat she bought just before she left Reno for Lundy just a year earlier and wrapped her shawl around her head. She passed through the dining room without a word on her way out the front door.
With the door closed behind her, she stepped to the edge of the front porch railing and stared up at the skyline. The steep Sierra Nevada Mountains, blanketed in snow that glowed even in the waning evening light in spite of the quarter moon, jutted to the sky before her. The sight brought her a sense of peace she had not experienced in years. This may not be Ohio, the land where she grew up, but it held everything important to her. She’d found land here. She’d found love here. She’d found Val. She was home.
Beth didn’t turn when she heard the door softly open and close behind her. She didn’t turn at the smell of the sheepskin jacket trailing scents of hay, cattle and horse, the elements of Val’s work life. She didn’t flinch as strong arms circled her waist and pulled her back against the solid chest of her husband.
Val leaned his head forward and nuzzled his bearded chin against her cheek. “I love you, Beth.”
Beth smiled. “I love you, too, Val. Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas, sweetheart. It amazes me to think that just last Christmas I had no idea that within a year I would receive the greatest gift I could have ever dreamed of having—finding you for a wife. You have no idea how special you have made this Christmas for me.”
“Reckon I feel the same, Val. Last year I had no notion my life would fill up with all I ever wanted.”
And one of them I ain’t told you about yet.
“I’m glad we have these few moments to be alone, Beth. I’m worried about you, sweetheart. Please tell me what’s wrong.”
“Ain’t nothin’ wrong, Val.”
“Yes, there is. You’ve been off your feed the last couple of weeks. When I came in just before supper, Hazel and Louisa said you were taking a nap. That’s just not like you, Beth.”
“Ain’t nothin’ to worry about.”
“But I do worry. What if you’ve caught a disease, something serious?”
“What I got ain’t contagious, Val.”
Except I caught it from you.
“Then you do have something. Please, Beth, tell me what’s going on. We’ll face it together. Do we need to take you to see Dr. Sinclair?”
“Don’t need no doctor.”
Expect to use a midwife.
“Now, Bethie Rose, please stop being so prickly with me. Just—please—tell me what’s going on so I can help.”
Beth shifted in his arms. Val loosened his grip enough for her to turn to face him. As she raised her arms to circle his neck, he drew her toward him. Beth lifted her parted lips and closed her eyes. Val quickly rewarded her with a kiss she felt clear down to her toes. It warmed her until she no longer felt the crisp winter air brushing the exposed skin of her face and hands.
Beth relaxed and enjoyed the kisses that, as far as she was concerned, Val could continue to give her all night. Too soon for her, he broke away and tucked her forehead into the curve of his neck, holding her head tight to him. Beth had no idea how much time passed before she felt more than heard Val heave a sigh. He leaned back and held her head in both of his hands. He waited until she looked into his eyes.
“Please, Beth. I don’t know what I would do if something happened to you. Tell me.”
“There ain’t nothin’ wrong, Val. It’s just the best things in life don’t come without no struggle.”
Beth sensed more than saw Val’s grin. “Like you, Bethie Rose. I sure didn’t get you without a struggle. What other best thing in my life might you be talking about?”
“Val, there’s somethin’ I been meanin’ to tell you.” Beth reached u
p and pried Val’s left hand free from her face, gently pulling on it until he relaxed it enough for her to move it downward. She turned and slid his hand inside the front of her coat, positioned it so his palm rested across her abdomen just below her waistline. She smiled as she watched his eyes intently study her face.
“What, sweetheart?”
Beth watched as understanding dawned on Val. In the light that remained, she could just barely see well enough to know his frown had turned into an expression of joy. He pulled his hand free of her coat and she felt his arms once again tighten around her, pulling her tight to him.
“Oh, Beth. You have made me the happiest man in the world. To think I not only have you for my wife this Christmas, but to know you already carry our first child—I love you with all my heart, Beth.”
BRIDGEPORT, CALIFORNIA - JUNE, 1885
EPILOGUE
“Hazel, you got that weddin’ dress laid out flat so it don’t get wrinkled on the way in?” Two-and-a-half months away from delivering, Beth was beginning to feel awkward in her body.
Beth shook her head as she glanced down at the light green with a thin cream-colored stripe cotton fabric with which Hazel had made into a dress that accommodated her expanding girth. Lightweight, it was just right for the early June weather. Beth knew there were still many women who entered confinement—self-imposed prison at home—before they reached her stage of pregnancy so that the “public” would not be exposed to the embarrassment of viewing an expectant mother. Beth did not have time for that. She had a farm to run, a homestead to improve, and a family to care for. Besides, she refused to miss her sister’s wedding over a trifle like an expanding mid-section.
“Yes, Bethie. And Josh helped lay plenty of blankets underneath to keep it clean, plus I got it all wrapped up in a sheet. If it wrinkles, I figure Eliza Leavitt will let me use an iron to work them out.”
Beth sighed. What Hazel said was true. It was also true it would have been much easier to have held Hazel’s wedding at the ranch house, but Hazel set her heart on being married in town at the church. Luther had agreed, and rented a room at the Leavitt House so Hazel would have a place to bathe and get dressed before the wedding. Hazel had been thrilled at Luther’s plan, since she also hoped to have a few minutes to talk to her specter friend, Charlotte—the White Lady—before the wedding.
“We need to hurry, Bethie, so we can get to town before Luther. He ain’t supposed to see me on our weddin’ day before we get married.”
Beth pursed her lips. Wedding traditions went only so far with her. She called out to her ranch hand. “Come on, Josh. Reckon we best get the bride to the church. And tell that dog he ain’t comin’ with us. He needs to stay and guard the chickens.”
Beth took her place at the front of the church. It was only her and Josh as members of the bride’s family.
On the Caldwell side, Beth took note of the family. Barbara came into Bridgeport that morning and sat on the far end with her husband and young daughter. Next to Barbara sat Rosamond and her children.
Beth knew Edwin and his family had come into Bridgeport the night before and had taken rooms at the Leavitt House rather than make several trips between town and the ranch. Val had brought Luther to the church with him, but he had arranged with the livery to rent a surrey for Edwin and family to use to travel to the ranch after the wedding.
Rosamond appeared happy, and encouraged her two youngest to sit still without pestering each other while they waited for the wedding to begin. She had loaned Hazel the same white Bible and lace-edged handkerchief Beth had carried in her wedding. Only, with Hazel marrying in June, she also carried a bouquet of spring flowers.
Eddie sat slightly apart, seemingly disinterested until the organ music began. Then he was among the first to crane his neck around to watch Hazel enter the church on the arm of his father. Beth studied him, wondering if he still held on to his infatuation of Hazel, or if it had passed as such things normally do with youth.
Val stood up as Luther’s best man. In a peace-offering gesture, Hazel had asked Edwin to give her away. Beth had told Hazel she would stand up for her as her witness, but under no circumstances would she agree to waddle down the aisle in front of the beautiful bride. It was only after Edwin had turned Hazel over to Luther and the couple turned to face the minister that Beth rose and, keeping her back to the congregation, stood next to her sister.
Beth felt tears threaten to form as she watched Hazel say her wedding vows. Soon, she was no longer Hazel Jessup, but Mrs. Luther Caldwell. She watched Hazel and Luther kiss without feeling one shred of annoyance for her brother-in-law who was now doubly her brother-in-law.
Ain’t no tellin’ how long feelin’ pleased about Luther will last.
Beth knew she would miss having her little sister live with her.
After the wedding was over, Beth grabbed Val’s hand and pulled him away from the crowd surrounding the happy couple. “Reckon we best get a head start back to the ranch. Louisa will need some help in the kitchen afore everyone shows up for dinner.”
“You need to take it easy, Beth. I’m not sure all this traveling and activity is good for you at this point in time. We hired Gus and Louisa to handle the food, plus you know our neighbors and friends will pitch in. Please, don’t overwork yourself.”
“Ain’t got but one sister, Val. I aim to see her get the best weddin’ day I can manage.”
At the end of the celebration for Hazel and Luther’s wedding, Beth felt satisfied that it had turned out better than her expectations. She also realized she was exhausted. Suddenly, a few months of confinement struck her as a good idea. She would focus on her farm and not worry about anything other than her husband and her chickens, her farm hand and the pair of hogs she was raising for hams and bacon in the fall. The rest of the pork she didn’t use she planned to sell to Gus so he could make his bratwurst.
♥•♥•♥
ROBINSON CREEK, CALIFORNIA
On August 28, 1885, Beth delivered a healthy baby boy.
As soon as the midwife allowed Val to join his wife and new son, he leaned over and gave Beth a kiss. Then he sat on the edge of the bed to study his son’s face. He shook his head in awe. “He’s so beautiful, Beth. You still want to call him James after your brother?”
“Reckon so. I figured on savin’ the name James for Hazel’s first boy, but she said she’d favor me namin’ this young’un James.”
“I like Charles. Do you like Charles for his middle name?”
“I’m partial to James Charles. Charles brings to mind Charles McLean. Right pleased he was the Lundy justice of the peace and helped me settle Jim Dodd’s affairs. Taught me what I needed to know to get my own land.”
“Do you want to call him Jimmy or Charlie?”
Beth wrinkled her forehead as she considered the matter. “Reckon we can call him J.C.”
Puts me in mind of a certain Bridgeport lawyer.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Zina Abbott is the pen name used by Robyn Echols for her historical novels.
The author currently lives with her husband in California near the “Gateway to Yosemite.” She is a member of Women Writing the West, American Night Writers Association, and Modesto Writers Meet Up. She enjoys any kind of history including family history. When she is not piecing together novel plots, she pieces together quilt blocks.
This is the author’s fourth book in her Eastern Sierra Brides 1884 series.
Eastern Sierra BRIDES 1884
BIG MEADOWS VALENTINE
Some men left the civilized settlements of the east to risk life and limb in the lawless gold and silver mines of California and Nevada for wealth. Beth Dodd left behind her little sister and the civilized farming region of southern Ohio that she loved to travel to those same gold and silver regions in search for her scalawag of a husband who deserted her. In Lundy, Beth finds rancher named Val Caldwell with a heart bigger than all the gold in the Mono County mountains of the eastern Sierra-Nevada. She stays, kno
wing she has a responsibility to settle affairs with her husband. But, having lost almost everything she valued due to the decisions forced upon her first by her father and then by her husband, can she ever again trust a man to have any degree of influence or control over her life?
Bitter over laws that favor men over women and determined to start a new life for herself and her sister on her own terms and through her own efforts, Beth resists the attraction she feels toward Val. Can Val make any headway in his quest to persuade Beth to consider a future with him someday? AMAZON LINK
A RESURRECTED HEART
Gold miners are pouring into Lundy, California for the Resurrection Day celebration. Val Caldwell drives a herd of cattle up from Big Meadows to Lundy—and he can’t wait to see Beth Dodd, the woman he hopes to marry.
Beth unexpectedly finds she must convince the new miners that, though she is a widow, she expects to be treated with respect—and she holds her own amongst the roughest of the bunch with the help of her derringer and her pa’s hunting knife.
A woman of many talents, Beth receives a frantic request from the madam at the Blue Feather to help with the birth of a prostitute’s baby—an experience that calls up emotions from her own past, and reveals her own heart’s desire—something she’s tried to forget.
Val, anxious to convince Beth to marry him, is willing to help her any way he can. But, just how much will the independent woman be able to give of herself after the pain of her first marriage? Can Beth ever trust him enough to give him the love of A RESURRECTED HEART?
AMAZON LINK
HER INDEPENDENT SPIRIT
Beth Dodd has made a promise to help “Lulu”, a young prostitute at the Blue Feather, keep her baby if she decides to leave the whorehouse and become a respectable woman. But Beth hadn’t counted on the obstacles she and the new mother will face from society in the mining town of Lundy. From the obstinate landlady, Mrs. Ford, to her intractable German boss, Gus Herschel, Beth must fight for the woman she’s promised to help. But Beth Dodd never gives in, and she keeps her word with a stubbornness that Lundy folks are not accustomed to seeing from a woman.