A Family Arrangement

by Gabrielle Meyer

  Harry took a leather saddle off the hook. “I think I’ll head on out for the evening.”

  “Charlotte should have supper ready any minute.”

  Harry glanced over his shoulder and scowled at Abram. “I’ll pay for a meal in Crow Wing. At least there I’m not forced to eat with the livestock.”

  “Would it hurt you to go to ch—”

  “I wouldn’t go if it was the last place on earth.” He walked to the stall where he kept his gelding. “Don’t ask again, Abram. I’m getting mighty tired of saying no.”

  “Maybe I’m hoping you’ll get so tired, you’ll finally say yes.”

  Harry continued to scowl. “You’re getting as bad as that woman.”

  Abram buttoned his coat and slipped on the mittens Charlotte had knit for him, enjoying the simple pleasure of their warmth. “Come back alive, Harry.” He paused and gave his employee a serious look. Several murders had happened at Crow Wing recently. “I need you.”

  “You mean you need my help.”

  Abram put his hand on Harry’s shoulder and gave it a brief squeeze. “No. I need you to come back alive because you’re wanted here.”

  Harry pulled away from Abram’s touch and snarled, tilting his head toward the house. “Not by everyone.”

  “Maybe if you gave her a reason to like you, she would.”

  “She’s given me no reason to like her.”

  Abram wanted to sigh—instead he slipped out of the barn and walked up the wagon road toward the Wood’s Trail.

  The bright red stagecoach waited atop the hill with the driver, Andrew, lazily sitting in the driver’s seat. The wheels had been replaced with sleigh runners, and made the conveyance sit lower to the ground. Andrew carried more than passengers in his coach. He also carried mail and gossip from one settlement to the next.

  The side door opened and Timothy Hubbard emerged from the stagecoach. “Cooper!”

  Abram hurried his steps and extended his hand. “What a nice surprise.”

  A lady sat in the stagecoach and Hubbard reached in and offered her a hand. She emerged, her hazel eyes soft and gentle around the edges.

  “Mr. Cooper, may I present my wife, Mrs. Pearl Hubbard?”

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Hubbard.”

  Pearl shook Abram’s hand with robust enthusiasm. She wasn’t a beautiful woman, nor was she homely. She was simply plain, though she had a friendly countenance. “It’s my pleasure, Mr. Cooper. Timothy has told me so much about Little Falls, I’ve been eager to come see it for myself.”

  Abram suddenly felt self-conscious of his home. When he showed it to prospective business partners, he didn’t have a hard time selling its potential. But women were different. They weren’t impressed with lumber output and available waterpower. They wanted churches and schools and gardens. Things Abram didn’t have—at least not yet.

  “We hate to impose,” Pearl said, “but Andrew informed us that he won’t be back this way until Monday morning, and since there’s no hotel, we’re at your mercy to house us.” Her black hair dipped down her cheeks and slipped under her brown bonnet. “I hope you don’t mind.”

  “Mind?” He offered her a smile, which he hoped conveyed his hospitality. “We’d have it no other way.” Thankfully, Charlotte’s housekeeping was immaculate and she was always at the ready to welcome anyone.

  Pearl’s face relaxed and she looked at Hubbard. “You were right. He’s a very likable fellow.”

  Hubbard laughed. “Indeed.”

  “I’ve got a package for Miss Lee,” Andrew said, handing down a small parcel wrapped in brown paper. “It’s from Iowa. Was she expecting something important?”

  Abram took the package. It looked and felt like a book. Could it be the book of sign language she’d asked for? Eagerness filled Abram with the desire to race to Charlotte’s side and give her the early Christmas present. He could imagine the look of pure delight on her face already.

  “Well?” asked Andrew.

  Abram laughed and patted the nearest horse on the hindquarters. “And give you more fodder for your gossip mill?” He shook his head. “I think I’ll leave you guessing.”

  “Wise choice,” Hubbard concurred, his blue eyes filling with mirth. He took their carpetbags out of the stagecoach. “We’ve had our fill of news from St. Anthony all the way to Little Falls.”

  “I’ll be back on Monday morning,” Andrew called as he clicked the reins and the horses trotted north toward Crow Wing.

  Abram led the way down the icy incline toward the house. Several snowstorms had come through in December, burying the house in drifts of snow. Smoke spiraled out of the chimney and frost etched the glass windows.

  “Charlotte will be happy to have some female company,” Abram said to Pearl. “She’s been surrounded by men since she got here in November.”

  “I’m eager to meet Miss Lee,” Pearl said, picking her way carefully along the slippery path. “Timothy tells me she’s your sister-in-law.”

  “She is.” How much did he tell her of their arrangement? “She came in November and only has plans to stay until I’ve established Little Falls and can find a permanent housekeeper.”

  “That’s quite a sacrifice she’s making,” Pearl said. “She must be a wonderful woman.”

  The back door opened and the woman in question stuck her head out the door, George on her hip. She put her hand up to shield her eyes from the bright sunshine reflecting off the snow. “Do we have guests?” Her voice was filled with happiness and disbelief.

  “Yes!” Abram said, anticipation mounting. “And a package you’ll be happy to see.”

  “Guests and a package? I thought Christmas was next week.” Charlotte opened the door wider, clearly glad to see Timothy Hubbard again, and especially his congenial wife.

  Abram made introductions, including little George, and Charlotte took their outerwear and hung it on a hook in the lean-to. “I have fresh-baked sugar cookies just out of the oven, and I’ll have some hot coffee ready in a moment. Then we’ll have a nice, long visit.”

  “I’d be happy to help,” Pearl offered.

  “I wouldn’t hear of it,” Charlotte said. She led them into the main room, where the two older boys were playing on the rug. “Sit by the fire and warm yourself.”

  The boys looked up, and upon seeing Mr. Hubbard, they both rose with smiles. “Mrs. Hubbard, this is Robert,” Charlotte said, a hint of pride in her voice. “And this is Martin.”

  “Charming little boys.”

  Charlotte stood for a moment grinning, her hand on Martin’s blond head. “Oh! The coffee. I’ll be right back.”

  “Here,” Pearl said. “I’ll hold the baby if he’ll let me.”

  “All right.”

  “I’ll help you,” Abram said to Charlotte. He wanted to give her the book in private, so he could enjoy her unreserved response.

  Charlotte led the way and Abram followed, closing the kitchen door softly. She went to the stove and placed the coffeepot over the front burner. She looked almost giddy.

  “I’ve never seen you this cheerful before,” Abram said, enjoying the scene. “I’m happy the Hubbards are here—”

  “Of course.” She paused and turned toward him, the giddiness of the moment slipping from her face. “In all the excitement, I failed to realize what this means.” She studied him, but he couldn’t gauge her emotions. “He must be ready to make you an offer.”

  Abram wanted to see the joy return. “It means nothing of the sort. They could be here for any number of reasons.”

  Charlotte swallowed and reached for a platter.

  The package! Abram took a giant step toward her, thrusting the package into her hands. “Here. This is for you.”

  She pulled back slightly, eyeing the package with a bit of s
urprise, and then she eagerly ripped off the paper. “It’s the book of sign language!” She glanced up and the excitement had returned to her eyes. “It’s here! Now I can teach Robert to my heart’s content and we can all learn and have real conversations. I can ask him questions and he can ask me questions. There’s no end to the possibilities.” She opened the book and quickly began to scan the pages.

  He chuckled. “Are you planning to learn it all in one sitting?”

  “I’m looking for something...” she mumbled, her finger sliding down page after page.

  “What?”

  She didn’t answer—but then she stopped and, when she looked up at Abram, tears filled her eyes. “I love you.”

  Abram’s breath caught in his throat. “Pardon me?”

  “I found the sign for ‘I love you.’” She flipped the book around and showed him the diagram on the page. It was a hand with the pinkie, the forefinger and the thumb pointed toward the ceiling, while the ring and middle fingers pointed toward the palm.

  She raced around him and flew out of the kitchen.

  Abram frowned as he followed her back to the main room.

  “Robert.” She said his name but he didn’t look up from the book he was studying on the rug.

  Charlotte knelt and put her hand on his shoulder.

  Robert turned and, seeing it was Charlotte, smiled.

  She raised her hand, just like the diagram had said. “I love you, Robert.”

  He glanced at her hand and then her face, confusion tilting his brow.

  Pearl and Timothy sat in the rockers near the fire, both watching Charlotte with interest. Timothy had no doubt told Pearl that Robert was deaf.

  “I love you,” Charlotte said again, making the sign with her hand, but this time she gathered Robert into her arms and hugged him tight, rocking him back and forth. “I love you so much.”

  Robert looked over Charlotte’s shoulder at Abram, his face glowing.

  Abram also made the sign for “I love you” and tears stung his eyes.

  Robert pulled back and Charlotte placed her hands on his cheeks, but Abram couldn’t see her face.

  Robert slowly lifted his right hand and attempted to make the same sign Charlotte and Abram had made. He put his hand in front of Charlotte’s face and then turned to Abram.

  Abram grinned and knelt beside his son, gathering him in his arms, just as Charlotte had done.

  Tears streamed down Charlotte’s face and her hand came up to her mouth. “I think he understands.”

  Abram rocked his son and put his hand on the back of Robert’s head. “Of course he understands. Love is a universal language.”

  They sat that way for several moments, until Charlotte stood and wiped her cheeks. “Look at me, going on like this. I’ll have our refreshments ready in a moment.”

  “There’s no need,” Pearl said with a gentle smile. “This scene was all the sweet refreshment we’ll ever need.”

  Charlotte laughed and they all joined in on her joy.

  Abram held his son, but he couldn’t stop looking at the woman who had made this moment possible. There was no doubt in his mind that Charlotte loved his children. The only doubt he had was how he would separate them once the town was built. Because, despite what he said, there could be only one reason for Timothy and Pearl’s visit.

  They had come to make him an offer, one he was sure he couldn’t refuse, no matter how much it might cost him and his boys—and Charlotte.

  Chapter Eight

  The next afternoon, while the boys were napping, Charlotte and Pearl put on their outerwear and slipped outside for some fresh air.

  “This place really is as beautiful as Timothy told me,” Pearl said, taking a deep breath and exhaling a cloud of fog into the cold air. “I foresee a lot of hard work in front of us.”

  Charlotte had enjoyed Pearl’s company immensely. Not only because it was a treat to have another female, but because Pearl was an authentic woman who had a keen sense of understanding and compassion.

  “Have you and Mr. Hubbard prospected many towns?” Charlotte asked as she led Pearl up the hill, toward the town site.

  “A few.”

  “Do you think this one will be the last?”

  Pearl laughed and slipped her arm through Charlotte’s. “It’s always the last one, dear, and the best, and the most promising.”

  Charlotte frowned. “How do you continue to support him, when you know he’ll grow tired of this place, too?”

  “He won’t grow tired of it, but eventually it will grow tired of him.”

  Charlotte stopped and faced Pearl. “What do you mean?”

  Pearl offered Charlotte a gentle smile and then pointed toward the Mississippi. “Do you see that mighty river?”

  Charlotte glanced at the frozen water. From this vantage point she could see the whole span of the river, including the high island that divided the west channel from the east, where the wing dam and sawmill were waiting until spring.

  “The river is alive and well,” Pearl said with respect in her voice, “and it won’t be conquered easily. It’s been my experience that the land, the water, the very air around us will fight as hard as it can to prevent civilization from harnessing it. There will be setbacks, both physical and financial, that will drain our men until they reach the very end of their abilities.”

  Our men.

  “Some of them will give up,” Pearl continued, “but some will stay and fight. Eventually, this land will be settled. What remains to be seen is how long it will take, and who will be standing at the end.”

  Abram and Mr. Hubbard stepped out of the barn at that moment, deep in conversation.

  “How do you do it?” Charlotte asked Pearl, wrapping her arms around her waist.

  “I love him.”

  Charlotte studied her companion. “That’s it?”

  “That’s all there is to it. I love him, and I will stand beside him during the good and the bad. I’ll encourage him and believe in him and do whatever it takes to help him succeed.”

  Charlotte let out a long sigh. “My mother and sister had the same devotion and both of them died standing beside their husbands.”

  “I’m sorry, Charlotte.”

  Charlotte pointed toward the town site. “My sister’s grave is just over there, by the birch trees.”

  “Life is all about risks. Love is simply one of them.”

  It was a risk Charlotte wasn’t willing to take—not again, not after being jilted by Thomas and disappointed by her father, time after time.

  Charlotte glanced back at the barn and saw Abram and Mr. Hubbard walking toward them.

  Abram’s sparkling blue eyes gazed upon Charlotte and her pulse sped up at the sight.

  “It’s final,” Mr. Hubbard said, coming alongside his wife with a grin. “I’ve made our official offer and Mr. Cooper has accepted. By this time next year, there will be a town standing on this very ground.”

  “Congratulations,” Pearl said to both men. “This will be a merry Christmas, indeed.”

  Charlotte offered Abram the faintest smile. “Congratulations.”

  “Thank you.”

  Pearl caught Charlotte’s eye and she nodded. “Now we shall see what happens.”

  The land was asleep beneath the winter winds, but what would happen once it woke up? Would it comply with Abram and his dream, or would it put up a fight and prevent him from having a teacher, a preacher and a doctor here by the first of September?

  There was nothing to do but wait and see.

  * * *

  Charlotte stood with her hands on her hips surveying the table she had set for their Christmas meal in the main room. Yesterday, Abram had brought in a balsam fir and put it in the corner. Charlotte had shown the boy
s how to string popcorn and make stars out of paper. She’d baked gingerbread men and helped the boys hang them on the tree, savoring every moment, afraid it would be the one and only Christmas they would enjoy together.

  Tonight, George and Martin sat on the rug near the Christmas tree looking through a picture book Charlotte had brought with her from Iowa. It was filled with Bible stories and illustrated with beautiful paintings. They had spent hours looking through the book over the past two months, asking her questions about Jonah and the Whale, David and Goliath, Daniel in the Lion’s Den, and so many others.

  Robert sat at Susanne’s desk, making a necklace out of old buttons. He had gone through the box of buttons countless times, sorting and arranging them, picking out his favorites and then exchanging them for others. Finally, Charlotte had given him a needle and thread and shown him how to string the buttons together.

  The lean-to door opened and the sound of male voices filled the festive air.

  Charlotte took George into her arms, not trusting him to stay away from the fireplace or the Christmas tree without her supervision. “Martin, remember what I told you about not touching the tree.”

  Martin looked up at her, his blue eyes blinking, inviting her to trust him. “I remember, Aunt Charlotte.”

  Charlotte turned her attention to the kitchen. Had Harry stayed home and decided to join them for supper? It couldn’t be. He had left yesterday for Crow Wing and planned to stay with friends for several days. So who had come in with Abram on this bitter cold Christmas evening?

  “Charlotte, we have a surprise visitor!” Abram said.

  Charlotte entered the kitchen with George on her hip and watched as a man in a long buffalo robe strode into the room. His face was covered by a scarf and his eyebrows were white with snow and ice. It was his eyes that looked familiar.

  “Charlotte, you remember Reverend Lahaye.”

  He took off his hat and scarf and offered her a handsome smile. “It’s nice to see you again, Miss Lee.”

  Despite the reminder of their frightening introduction, she couldn’t help but return his smile. “It’s nice to see you, too, Reverend Lahaye.”