Walter’s wife, Dulcie came in a couple of times a week to clean up the cabin for him. They did the milking, mixed up mush and took care of the pigs, while Walter and the two oldest boys rode the boundary checking the fencing. All he had to do was go to the brickworks each day. Dulcie would send one of the kids down with a saucepan of hot stew or soup and a few biscuits for his supper every day.
He didn’t really need a wife now, but it didn’t stop him from wanting Merry. With the help he was getting now, he wasn’t feeling anywhere near as exhausted although he hated the brickworks.
Dulcie had even volunteered to drive the buckboard into Laramie to get their supplies. She had organized for the boys to attend school. Now that he had help, he was determined to bring Merry home. It wasn’t that he didn’t appreciate all Aggie had done, but he wanted his wife back.
With Dulcie here to keep an eye on Merry he wouldn’t have to worry about leaving her when he went to work. It would probably take weeks for her to return to full health. For a while he could sleep on the bedroom floor in his bed roll, so he wouldn’t accidentally bump her in the night.
He mourned what he’d had with her before, and probably lost forever. Without doubt she would perform her wifely duties, only he wanted the love and passion he had so recklessly thrown away.
Mid-morning, he hitched the horse to the buckboard. He had wanted to go the moment he woke up, just as dawn was streaking the sky with fingers of pink and grey. Following Dulcie’s directions, he had packed a blanket and pillow to make Merry’s trip more comfortable. Hopefully, he wasn’t counting his chickens before they hatched.
After about twenty minutes, he pulled the buckboard up. Too dangerous to take it any closer, not that it would have passed through the narrow passage between the trees. He saw and smelled the smoke of Aggie’s fire.
He broke into a loping run, not daring to go any faster with so many things to trip over. As he broke out of the trees, he spotted Aggie bending over the fire. Her head shot up even before he spoke. “Howdy.”
“Howdy. We be expecting you.”
“How’s Merry?”
“She be okay now.” Aggie waved her finger at him. “See you take good care of her.”
“I will. I swear it.”
“He be here,” Aggie yelled.
Nate nearly dropped to his knees in shock as Merry shuffled toward him. She was wearing Indian clothes, some type of shift-like dress made of skins and with a fringe around the bottom.
Merry glanced at Nate, who looked ruggedly handsome, and warmth spread through her body. She laughed at his shocked expression on seeing her dressed like a squaw. Her clothes had been too ripped and filthy to wear. The shift Aggie had sewn for her was easy and painless to slip into. “You don’t like my attire?”
“Oh, I like it.” He grinned. “Especially as your legs are bare from the calf down.”
“Aggie had to burn my clothes they were in such a state, this is all I possess now.”
“No, it isn’t. Walter, the man I told you about, found your bags. Those evil varmints must have tossed them out when they stole the buckboard.”
She shuddered. “I couldn’t wear anything they might have touched.”
“Your bags were unopened. Anyway, Dulcie, Walter’s wife washed and ironed everything for you.”
“That was kind.”
Aggie handed her a leather pouch. “You be taking this powder like I told you for the next two weeks.”
“I promise I’ll take it.”
“I’ll make sure she does.”
“You tell him, gal.”
“Tell me what?”
Merry had to tell him about the baby; the moment he saw her undressed, he would see her little pot belly. As for the debt she owed Aggie, she would never be able to repay it.
She gave the old lady a hug. “Come over and see me soon.”
“I will. I be missing your company, Merry Quinn.”
“You’re welcome to come over anytime. I could build you a place near ours,” Nate said.
“No, I won’t be leaving here. You can repay me by making sure I be buried here when my time on this earth is done.”
“You have my word on it,” he said.
Carefully, he picked Merry up and she leaned her head against his shoulder.
“Goodbye, Aggie, thanks for everything you did for me.”
The old woman raised her hand in acknowledgement and stood silently watching. Merry kept waving until the trees closed in on them and obscured her view.
“In one way I’m sorry to leave here, in another, you can’t know how I long to sleep in a nice, comfortable bed.”
By the time they got to the buckboard, Nate was breathing heavily. “You’re heavier than I thought.” He panted.
You’re carrying two of us now she nearly said. Now was not the time or place to tell him.
He carefully placed her on the seat, where her bottom could rest on a pillow. He wrapped a blanket around her legs.
“I could get used to this kind of treatment,” she said with a smile.
“Well, get used to it, darlin’, because this is the way I’m going to treat you from now on. You’re precious to me, Merry. I only wished I’d realized sooner it might have saved you from all this pain and suffering.”
For the first time she noticed a few flecks of grey in his hair.
“Comfortable?”
“Yes, thank you.”
“I can’t wait to get you home and have you meet Walter, Dulcie and the kids.”
“It’s a good thing you did for them.” She patted his hand, liking the feel of his warm skin.
“They’ve been a great help to me.”
As they drove along, he told her about how well things were working out for all of them.
“Do a kind deed for someone and God will reward you,” she said.
As they crested a rise she gazed down on the cabin and saw smoke drifting skyward. She decided this was the right time and place to tell Nate that in a few months he would be a father.
“Stop here.”
He pulled the horse up. “Are you unwell?” His voice rose with anxiety.
“No, I’ve got something to tell you.”
“What is it?” The light faded from his eyes his jaw tightened as if he was expecting bad news.
“It’s nothing bad.” Smiling, she picked up his hand. “We’re having a baby.”
“What!”
“We’re having a baby.” She placed his hand on her slightly swollen belly.
He grinned. “How? When?”
“Well, as to the how, you would know better about that than I.”
Red tinged his cheeks. “And when?”
“In about five months.”
“Really?” He gave a holler.
“You’re pleased?”
“Yeah, I sure am. You can’t know how I’ve longed to have a family again.”
“Me too.”
He leaned in and kissed her on the mouth. As he went to pull back, she clasped a hand on either side of his head so he couldn’t move away. With a groan he deepened the kiss and she returned his caress, wantonly, joyously. How she had missed his touch, the fiery passion they had shared.
Finally, when they parted, they were both breathing heavily.
“Let’s go home, darlin’,”
The endearment was music to her ears. “Say that again.”
“Say what?”
“Darlin’. I’ll never get tired of hearing it.”
“Darlin’, Darlin’, Darlin’. I’ll never get tired of saying it. I love you, Merry.”
“I love you, Nate, probably have from the night you truly made me your wife. The night I conceived our baby.”
A reception committee waited for them on the porch of the cabin. A thin, slightly stooped man and several flaxen haired boys and a plump, motherly looking woman with her hair drawn back tightly from her face.
When Nate pulled the buckboard up and climbed down, one of the older boys dashed
over. “I’ll take care of the horse.”
“Thanks.” Nate patted the boy’s head. He lifted Merry into his arms and strode toward the cabin while the boy led the horse away.
“Merry, meet Walter, Dulcie and the boys.”
“Howdy, Mrs. Quinn,” they all chorused.
Merry smiled. “Nate told me how you’ve all been helping him.”
Dulcie shooed her brood away, but she and Walter followed Nate into the house. Merry was surprised and pleased at how clean and tidy the place was.
“I can see you’ve been working hard here, Dulcie.”
“I was glad to do it. I’ll never be able to thank Nate for all he’s done for us. Walter couldn’t have lasted at the brickworks for much longer, even with Nate helping him fill his quota of clay.”
“It sounds like a horrible place. I don’t want Nate working there, either.”
“Take her into the bedroom, Nate, she needs rest,” Dulcie said. “Those bruises must have been really bad. Even after all this time I can see how vicious those varmints must have been.”
“I would have died if it hadn’t been for Aggie. You can put me down, Nate. I can walk to the bedroom from here.”
“Are you sure, darlin’?”
“Yes. I do feel bone weary I have to admit.”
“I’ll help you change into a nightgown and bring you in a hot drink,” Dulcie said.
“Thank you, I’m still a little stiff and sore.”
“We’re having a baby,” Nate announced with a wide grin.
“I know,” Dulcie said.
“You do? How?”
Dulcie laughed. “You, foolish man, another woman can easily see the signs.”
“There’s no arguing with a woman’s logic,” Walter said. “I learned that very early on.”
They all laughed.
“Get about your business,” Dulcie told her husband with the wave of a hand. “Men, you can’t live with them and you can’t live without them.”
Merry was quickly warming to this cheerful, talkative woman who was obviously thankful for Nate rescuing her family from their dire situation and didn’t mind showing it.
Inside the bedroom, Dulcie bustled around, turning down the bed clothes and retrieving a nightgown from the dresser. She helped Merry out of her dress and slipped the nightgown over her head.
“Those fiends must have just about beaten you to death. Your back looks to be the worst affected.”
“It was, I rolled that way to protect my stomach because of the baby. In the end I had to throw myself down an embankment into the river then pretend to be dead.” She shuddered. “I couldn’t let them kill Nate’s baby.”
“A mother protecting her child is the strongest force in the world, I sincerely believe that, Merry. Sit on the bed and I’ll brush your hair for you. Tomorrow I’ll help you have a bath.”
“Oh, yes please, that would be so good. Aggie looked after me well, but her place is so primitive. She’s half Sioux and lives like an Indian.”
“Mm, I can see. Your hair has been rubbed with oil by the looks of it. She undid the long plait and started brushing the loosened tendrils.
“Aggie gave me all these special potions. They tasted foul but worked. I was near death when she found me and lucky to have survived.”
“There are a few white women who dabble in herbal remedies, so I’ve heard,” Dulcie said.
“Nate mentioned your husband’s terrible cough.”
“Yes, and all the dust at the brickworks made it worse. He’s improved even in the short time we’ve been here.”
“I’m glad. Maybe Aggie might have something to help him.”
“She might do. I would be prepared to try it. Walter was in Andersonville during the war, he was almost dead by the time he eventually got out of that hellhole.”
“He was lucky to survive. I’ve read about how awful the conditions were. You’ve all been so helpful to Nate. I hope we can be friends.”
“I’m sure we can. Now you rest, dear, it’s the best medicine for you now.”
She sounded so like Blanche tears pricked Merry’s eyes.
“I’ll come back later and bring you soup for supper.”
“Thank you.” Merry was glad to close her eyes and slip down into the comfortable bed. The sheets smelled of lavender and fresh sunlight. Dulcie had obviously washed them.
She had forgiven Nate for the cruel words he had flung at her, knowing they were fueled by shock and anger at being duped. Carrying grudges and resentment would eat her away until there was nothing left.
Forgiveness was written throughout the pages in the bible. They had both forgiven each other for what they had done. For a marriage starting out on such shaky ground, it was a miracle it had now grown strong. She was confident they had years of happiness to look forward to.
EPILOGUE
One Year after Merry’s arrival in Laramie.
Merry stood in the Laramie cemetery staring down at her father’s final resting place.
“I’m sorry to have taken so long to visit you, but I’ve finally made it. I hope you like the wooden cross Nate made for you.” She leaned down and placed a bunch of flowers on the grave. Glancing over to the buckboard parked under a tree, she waved to Nate who was waiting with baby Jonathan in his arms.
“Pa, I couldn’t get here before. After I recovered from the beating, I took at the hands of those convicts, I was too far along with my pregnancy to risk walking on this rough uneven ground, but now I’ve recovered from the birth, I’ll come regularly to visit you. I’ll even bring your grandson along when he’s a little older. Ma’s gone now, and I can’t mourn her after what she became. I only want to remember how she used to be. For years it was our mission to come here one day and find you, and I have.”
It was silent here, peaceful in keeping with the somberness of the place. “I’m happy now. I’ve got a caring husband and a beautiful baby boy, and I’ve made quite a few friends.
Walter and his wife Dulcie have settled in well on the ranch. His cough and lung problems have improved with a combination of fresh ranch air and Aggie’s herbal potions.”
With Walter and his boys to help, Nate’s ranch was prospering. Aggie was still, well Aggie, although she did visit them more regularly than before.
She had heard from Maryanne who had married her beau and moved to Colorado. What a strange thing fate was. It had been a million to one chance her and Maryanne meeting at the diner and exchanging places. Each of them had ended up with a loving husband.
Her dear friend Blanche had recovered from Zeke’s savage beating and was now being courted by a lovely widower who had moved to Winslow to be closer to his married daughter.
Everything had turned out well for all of them. “I can’t stay long today, I need to feed the baby, I think I can hear him crying.” She couldn’t really, yet her mother’s instinct alerted her that Jonathan needed her now. Nate was a doting father who would do anything for the baby except feed him. “He just doesn’t have what it takes.” She gave a soft little laugh. “If he could. He would. Pa, I’ll say goodbye for now. I’ll stop by another time for a chat.”
She rubbed a tear from her eye, turned and picked her way carefully over the rough, uneven ground, hoping she wasn’t walking on some poor soul who didn’t have a marker on their grave.
By the time she made it to the buckboard, Nate was walking up and down patting the baby on the back, trying to pacify him.
“Thank goodness you’re here, darlin’. He won’t stop fussing.”
“He’s a hungry boy, aren’t you, sweetheart. “I’ll give him a feed before we leave here, then we can have a peaceful trip home.”
“Yeah, good idea.”
“Thank you for making the cross for my father, it looks really nice.” She climbed into the buckboard and he handed the baby up to her. Once Jonathan’s hungry little mouth clamped around her breast, silence reigned again.
After a rocky start to their marriage they only had good thin
gs to look forward to now.
“I love you, Nate,” she said softly.
“I love you too, darlin’.”
And thank you Mrs. Crenshaw, your matchmaking skills made all this possible for us.
The End.
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About the Author:
Margaret Tanner is an award winning, bestselling Australian author, who mainly writes Historical Romance and Historical Western Romance. She loves delving into the pages of history as she carries out research for her novels. No internet site is too boring, no book is too old or tattered for her to trawl through, no museum too dusty.
Her love of Westerns came about because of the movies and TV shows of her childhood. Some of her favorites were Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Wagon Train and Little House on The Prairie.
Many of her novels have been inspired by true events, with one being written around the hardships and triumphs of her pioneering ancestors. She once spent a couple of hours in an old prison cell so she could feel the chilling cold and fear.
Apart from her family and friends, writing is her passion.
Margaret is married with three grown up sons and two gorgeous little granddaughters.
Other books in the Westward Home and Hearts Series:
Lacy’s Legacy – Elaine Manders
Ruby’s Risk – Marisa Masterson
Merry's Mission Page 10