“I did not,” Hattie hissed at him, swinging her head around to glare daggers at her brother for tattling.
Zelda frowned at her sister. “That was supposed to just be between us Hattie.”
“Zelda wants her beau to come from somewhere else,” Neil went on, his voice adopting a mocking, sing-song quality. “She’s bored with the Utah Territory.”
Mr. Hughes was looking at her incredulously, but he didn’t say anything to her. She knew that a lecture would come in due time, however.
“Really, Neil, that’s enough,” Mrs. Hughes scolded. “And don’t sit on the sofa like that. You’re liable to break it.”
Neil hesitantly stood up from the couch. “Yes, ma’am,” he said. If he was trying to be sincere, he did a bad job of convincing anyone.
Their mother looked back at their father. “But whatever their occupation or wherever they came from, shouldn’t we be hospitable? Maybe if you get to know them, you could sway them from their plans and convince them to build the rail line further away.”
Mr. Hughes considered that, stroking his chin in thought. “You know, that’s not a bad idea. Perhaps we can show them that their plan affects more than just their pockets.”
Zelda excused herself from the conversation in order to feed the chickens some of the fresh grains. She couldn’t understand why her father discussed the railroads with such disdain. She didn’t want him to make a bad first impression on the Cooke family because surely that would affect their opinion of her as well. If he was unkind or unwelcoming towards them, then Zelda might never again see that bright, handsome smile from Tom again.
As she stepped out of the house and made her way to the chicken coop, Zelda gazed out at the sprawling land in the distance and noticed two familiar white covered wagons. From the look of things, the Cooke men were busily constructing a makeshift home. “I should ask Papa… or rather Mama if we can offer them any supplies or assistance.” She looked at the hens, which clucked and pecked at the ground at her feet, who were oblivious to what she was talking about.
Like many settlers in the west, Zelda and her family had a farmhouse made of stone and wood and had used whatever else the surrounding land provided to construct their home. Ralph had enlisted the help of some of the townspeople and together they had built the house as well as its small barn. He wasn’t a carpenter by any means, and that was evident in the home’s rather haphazard construction. But it was sturdy and it had provided the family with room enough for its seven members.
Once she was back inside, Zelda waited until after dinner to get her mother alone. “I had another little idea,” Zelda told her, helping to collect the soiled dishes for cleaning. “What if we offered the Cookes some tools and supplies for their home? They can’t live in that wagon for too long, after all, and the land doesn’t have much in the way of wood for miles and miles.”
Her mother looked at her, mildly exasperated by the whole thing now. “I know that you’ve taken a fancy to the idea of leaving this place,” she said. “But I think it’s ill-advised to continue to mention such things. Your father’s likely to turn his back on the whole thing if you don’t let him be. He’s slow to come around sometimes, you know that well enough by now.”
Zelda frowned. “I know, but it’s December. They’ll catch their deaths if they don’t have adequate shelter. What kind of reputation would Pa have if he didn’t lend a helping hand to our new neighbors?”
She knew that she was being dramatic, but she was concerned for the family that had been so kind and friendly towards her. They likely weren’t used to winters like the ones in Utah. She had no earthly idea what California was like, but in her mind, it was vastly different from the territory she knew.
“I’ll think it over,” Mrs. Hughes said with an air of finality. “But don’t bring it up to your father until I’ve told you it’s alright. You just focus on your own work and home and leave them to theirs. Like you said, you don’t want to get in their way.”
That was true; Zelda had in fact said that. Now she wished that she hadn’t. At least not for her mother to hear. With a sigh, she nodded her head and went to her bedroom to try and get some sleep and clear her mind of such things for a while. It wouldn’t do her any good if she became obsessive over her new neighbors. Oh, but it was exciting to at last meet a family from a faraway town. They had a daughter near her age with whom she could become the best of friends!
Suddenly, she got an idea. Taking out some paper, she decided to write the girl a friendly note of welcome.
Dear Miss Cooke,
Please allow me to extend my greetings to you in the form of a brief note.
My name is Zelda Hughes. My family and I live on the nearby land. I have four siblings: eighteen, sixteen, fifteen and twelve years of age. We get along well, though of course, it is mainly the girls that I spend my time with. Are you close with your brother? He seems like a kind and gracious fellow. I was pleased to make his acquaintance, brief though it was.
If you should need anything at all, please do not hesitate to come to me and let me know. I, of course, am not in charge of much here, but that doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t do my utmost to help!
I hope that you have been settling in comfortably and that you will enjoy your time in Ogden. It is my wish that we may become dear friends. I have never had someone in my life who was near my age, excepting my sisters but they do not count.
Best wishes and I look forward to spending some of the holiday season with you. Please do stay warm and write to me if you would like.
Fondly,
Zelda
She knew that the letter was a bit theatrical and that her father wouldn’t approve or be happy if he knew that she had invited any of their new neighbors to come over, but it went against everything Zelda stood for to be rude and not offer friendship and assistance to a new family. “After all,” she said to herself. “They’re a lot like us when we first settled here.”
Though she had written the letter to Diana Cooke, Zelda couldn’t help but cling to the hope that the younger Thomas Cooke might come pay a visit as well. He was just as welcome to come over any time he liked.
Zelda certainly hoped he felt welcome. She bit her lip as she lay in her bed. “Maybe Papa would let me accompany him when he stops to say hello…” Then she remembered her mother’s words of caution. She didn’t want to ruin everything because of her infatuation. She didn’t even want to call it that. She was just being friendly!
Chapter Five
Rather than send the letter through the mail Zelda took the first opportunity to go over to the settlement across the field behind her family’s farm house. In the morning, she took the bucket under the guise of going out and milking the cows like usual. Instead of going to the barn, she continued on, hoping that her absence would go unnoticed long enough for her to place the letter nearest to the front of the Cookes’ homestead.
She carefully set the note down by the doorway of the small lodging and was just about to head back to her family’s farmhouse when she heard a rustling behind her.
“Miss Hughes?” a familiar voice asked.
Turning back around, Zelda discovered Tom coming out of the house. She blushed and smiled, nearly dropping her milk bucket in her surprise and delight. “Tom!” she cried, her voice cracking a bit. “Hello! I didn’t mean to disturb you.”
He smiled that attractive, perfectly white smile like he had before that practically made Zelda go weak at the knees. He really was quite handsome “You didn’t disturb anyone,” he replied. “To what do we owe the pleasure?”
Tom wasn’t wearing the brown cowboy hat that he had been wearing when they first met. His hair was a bit unkempt and he appeared to have been sleeping before she arrived. Zelda was mortified that she disturbed him, but he seemed far too polite to mention it.
“It’s nothing really,” Zelda replied, gesturing a finger awkwardly to the note on the ground near Tom’s feet. “I was leaving a note for your sister. I wanted t
o welcome her – and the rest of you, of course – to town.” She went crimson. “I was trying to be quiet about it…”
Tom chuckled a sweet, carefree sort of chuckle, shaking his head at her as his smile went on and on. “Aww, you didn’t need to worry about being quiet. Thank you for the note.” At that, he bent over and retrieved it from the grass at his feet. “I think Diana will be very flattered that you took the time to leave this for her.”
Zelda returned his smile and bowed a little. She turned, blushing further, and walked the fairly lengthy distance back to the barn. She milked Nessie without incident, too focused on the handsome newcomer to be frightened of the ornery cow.
When she brought the bucket back inside, she realized that she must’ve had a far-off look because her mother regarded her searchingly. “Did she give you trouble again?”
“Hmm?” Zelda asked her mother. “Oh, no. She seems to finally be warming up to me again.”
Her mother tutted a little. “It’s probably because you’ve stopped acting so fearful and strange around her.”
Zelda nodded. “That’s what Hattie told me.” Then she realized. “No, wait, it was Pepper.” She laughed softly. “I’m starting to get their names mixed up like you.”
This made her Mama smile. “Memory is not as good once you get to be my age. You seem distracted by something.”
Zelda looked down into the fresh milk on the table, feeling bashful. Her cheeks were hot again.
Before she could say anything, her mother put her hand on her hip and clucked her tongue at her. “You’re not still thinking about that boy, are you?”
“Who said anything about the boy specifically?” Zelda asked defensively. She realized as soon as the words left her mouth that her defensiveness made it obvious that it was true; she was in fact thinking about Tom.
Was it that obvious?
Her mother smirked at her some more. “Like I told you, Zelda,” she said. “You’d do better if you let it go for now. You don’t want to anger your father and make him think that you’re not minding his orders.”
Zelda hung her head, but then nodded obediently. She didn’t want to upset her father or make him think that he couldn’t entrust her with important, more adult things. Part of being the eldest child meant that she got to help out more and socialize with the adults in the neighborhood. This was partially why it mattered so much that her father be courteous to the Cookes. “As a grown member of this family, I think that we should be more open and helpful to people, regardless of where they come from or what their job might be.”
After saying her piece on the matter, she quickly left the room. Although she felt frustrated, Zelda decided to leave the matter alone for now. She had extended an olive branch of sorts to the Cookes, and now it was up to them to follow through if they wanted to establish a relationship with their less friendly neighbor.
Chapter Six
Zelda threw herself into her work after the discussion with her mother. Still, whenever she went out to feed the chickens or milk the cows or whatever else needed doing, she would glance off into the distance to try and see what the neighbors were up to. Progress had been made on the house since she’d gone for her short visit. It wasn’t wider, but it was a bit taller. It didn’t look so much like a hunched hut anymore, which had to do wonders for the gentlemen’s backs.
“I couldn’t just let them go on living like that,” Zelda’s father said out of nowhere while they were eating dinner. He banged a fist against the table, as his brow set. “I took some supplies over to the Cookes’ homestead early this morning. There’s snow in the air. I can just smell it. But I don’t want to hear a word out of any of you about it.” He gestured his fork at each of his family members.
Zelda grinned at him, but kept silent. She knew that her papa could be bristly when his children didn’t obey him, and he didn’t take kindly to people getting into his business, but underneath all of that lay the heart of a caring man.
“Oh, Papa!” her mother said instead of her. She was allowed to break the rules sometimes. “I just knew that you wouldn’t leave them out in the cold, even if you don’t approve of them being here.”
“Yes, well,” Mr. Hughes said with a defiant sniff, folding his arms on the table in front of himself. “I can’t rightly know whether I approve of them or not, seeing as I haven’t sat down and broken bread with them yet. It’s true that they’re here to stay, however. At least through the winter, but likely longer seeing as the railroad’s going to take some time to be built. We may as well extend our hands to them, on occasion…”
“Oh!” Hattie cried. “Does that mean they can join us for Christmas?”
Pepper and the boys smiled at that. They hadn’t even really seen the Cookes yet but the prospect of some new friends in town made them light up like Christmas candles themselves. Mr. Hughes, of course, noticed this, and he tutted a bit. He took out his wooden pipe and lit it.
“Don’t forget that I told you all to be quiet about it. I haven’t decided yet how I might approach them.” Mr. Hughes puffed on his pipe. “It might be that they already have plans for their first Ogden Christmas…”
Zelda and Hattie looked at each other and giggled quietly. Who did the Cookes know there outside of their acquaintanceship with the Hughes family? A Christmas together with them was all but confirmed.
Zelda went straight to her room after dinner and opened up her small wardrobe. She didn’t have much in the way of elegant, fancy dresses, but she had a few that would suffice and she wanted to make sure they were ready in the advent of the Cookes coming over for supper, even if it wasn’t actually on Christmas. The last time she had seen Tom Cooke, she’d been caught by surprise and hadn’t prepared herself for it. She wanted to be ready the next time she laid eyes on him, and he laid eyes on her.
Chapter Seven
A blanket of snow had fallen overnight. Zelda made sure to lace up her black leather boots – boots which she shared with Hattie and would likely share with Pepper when she was bigger, too – before heading outside to take care of the animals. Now that it was so cold and snowy outside, all of the animals had been brought into their respective pens. As she was walking to the barn to contend with Nessie the cow, her father trudged towards her from the fields beyond.
Zelda nodded her head to him vaguely. “Father,” she said. “Good morning.”
He stopped when he got close to her and looked down at her, into her green eyes. Eyes which she had inherited from him. “It will likely please you to know that I’ve gone and done what you wanted. I’ve invited the Cookes over for the holiday. They’ll be coming soon to stay with us in our house. They can’t last the winter in that little shack of theirs.” At that, he shook his head, almost as if he was ashamed of himself for ever thinking that they could make it on their own in this bitter weather.
Nodding back at him, Zelda did her best to keep her smile hidden from him, gritting her teeth inside her closed mouth. “I see,” she said. “Thank you for letting me know. I shall go help Mama with the preparations as soon as I’ve fed the animals.”
Mr. Hughes nodded at his eldest child and then trudged back through the snow. The wind was picking up some, sending swirls of snow through the air and making it difficult to see.
Zelda worked swiftly to give all of the cows and horses their oats and cud. She also laid out some blankets on the floor for them, so they could nestle in and keep warm. “Merry Christmas,” she told them, knowing that she wouldn’t go out to visit them again until after the storm had passed.
When she got back to the farmhouse, she threw off her coat and kicked off her boots. Pepper immediately put them on her feet and headed out to tend to the garden, trying to harvest whatever could possibly be saved.
“Do we have enough blankets for four more bodies?” Zelda’s mother asked no one in particular. She was in a bit of a panic just thinking about the additional numbers that would be coming to stay this Christmas. She was good at handling a large group of peopl
e, obviously, but adding to her normal brood threw her into a temporary tizzy.
Zelda went around to all of the wardrobes, pulling out as many spare blankets as she could find, encircling her mother like a whirlwind. “It’s going to be okay,” she said. “We’re going to have an extra-blessed Christmas this year. You know what? I’ll begin making a quilt out of some old clothing. I’m sure I can scrounge up enough fabric.”
“I’ll help!” Hattie announced, coming into the room. “It won’t be ready in time for their arrival, but think of what a wonderful gift it would be for the Cookes once it’s done.”
Mrs. Hughes smiled at them and wrapped her arms around both of their shoulders. “Oh, my girls. Where would I be without you two?”
Zelda handed her mother the stack of blankets that she had assembled and then she and Hattie got to work on their quilting project. It turned out that Pepper had quite a few garments that didn’t fit her anymore. As did the seemingly ever-growing Neil and Daniel. The Cooke family wasn’t going to arrive right away, due of the nasty weather outside, but they were surely going to be at the Hughes’ front door before the quilt was complete.
“Maybe Miss Diana Cooke will want to help,” Zelda said with an affectionate smile, just thinking about the little lady she had briefly seen huddled up in the front seat of the wagon.
Her mother raised an eyebrow at that. “Just make sure that you let her offer. Don’t ask your guest to help make her own gift.”
Zelda reddened a bit. That was a good point. “Of course,” she replied. “I think it could be a fun past time for us, but I wouldn’t dream of putting her to work if she didn’t want to. After all, she might not even like sewing.”
Zelda herself was not the best or most enthusiastic when it came to sewing, but she always did her best to help where help was needed or necessary. Hattie was better at stitching, which became all the more apparent as they went along with their quilt.
Annie: A Bride For The Farmhand - A Clean Historical Western Romance (Stewart House Brides Book 3) Page 17