“Why would you do Charlie’s mending?” Kane asked with surprise.
Berniece shrugged. “She hates mending, and I don’t mind it, so I figured she could play with the baby, and I would do her mending. It’s more of an excuse to spend a day with her. I’ve caught up on things around here, and other than making new clothes for the baby, there’s not a lot for me to do.” She frowned. “I don’t want you to think I’m just wasting time . . .”
“I don’t.” Kane shook his head. “I know what this house would look like if you were just wasting time. You do a good job with Ruth, and you feed me constantly. The house is always immaculate. I think you’ve earned a couple days a week with Charlie.”
“Oh, good. I know that’s been a sore spot in the past, and I don’t want you to think I would ever not work hard. I just . . . don’t feel the need to scrub the floors every day. Once a week is enough.”
He smiled. “Once a week is more than enough. There’s no need for you to do it more than that.” He eyed the baby, who was now fully dressed for bed. “You’ll give her a bottle and then put her in her crib?”
Berniece nodded. “That’s the nighttime ritual she had at Charlie’s, and I’ve kept it going here. She seems soothed by it.”
“Let me give her the bottle, then. Is it ready?”
“Yes, I’ll get it for you.” She liked taking care of the bedtime routine herself, but she understood how much he would want to take care of his daughter when he could. She gave him the bottle and walked into the parlor with them. “Would you like me to read another poem or two while you feed her?”
He nodded. “That would be wonderful if you really don’t mind.”
“Not at all.” As she read, she watched him with the baby, always impressed by how good he was with her. He put her on his shoulder and burped her when she needed it, and then fed her a bit more.
Finally, the baby fell asleep with the bottle still in her mouth, and he carefully took it out. “I’m going to put her in her crib.”
Berniece nodded, reading the next poem as he left the room with the baby.
When he came back a couple of minutes later, he sat down beside her and took the book from her, careful to mark its page with the piece of paper she had there, and then he closed it and put it on an end table. Taking both of her hands in his, he squeezed them. “I think you’re right.”
She frowned. “I am? That’s good to know. About what?”
“I think we should have another baby. I think Ruth needs brothers and sisters, and I know I would love to have another child. What do you think?” he asked.
She stared at him for a moment, surprised that he would say something like that so abruptly. They hadn’t even kissed but once. “I think it’s definitely a part of our marriage I would like to explore,” she said softly.
“Good.” He pulled her to him and kissed her slowly and passionately.
She was surprised that he was wanting to start the next baby so soon, but his kisses were intoxicating, and after a moment or two, she couldn’t think at all.
He raised his head, breathing heavily. “Are you sure this is what you want?”
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Now that she could think again, she knew it wasn’t the right time. “I need to know about Veronica first.”
He sighed. “I was afraid you’d feel that way. Soon.” With that, he got up and walked away from her. She did need to know, but he wasn’t sure how to tell her everything. It would happen though. It had to.
Nine
After church the following morning, the two couples went out to lunch with the baby. It was Berniece’s first time to eat out since moving to Montana, and she was uncertain how she felt about it.
“We don’t have to spend money,” she whispered to Kane. “I’m happy to invite everyone to our place, and I’ll cook.”
He laughed softly. “That’s a good idea for next time, but we can afford to eat out on occasion. Don’t worry so much. I think you need a break occasionally just like I do.”
She was a little relieved that he had decided she’d worked enough to deserve a break. “And after lunch you’re going to show me the ranch?” she asked. She wanted time to talk to Charlie first and tell her she needed to know all there was to know about Veronica.
“Yes, if you still want to.”
“I do. I want to help Charlie with something first, and then we can go. Oh, and I suppose we should ask her to take care of Ruth.”
He laughed. “We shouldn’t take her for granted, should we?”
Berniece looked at the woman next to her, who was watching her curiously. “I’m going to show you how to do that thing after lunch, and then we were hoping you’d watch the baby.”
Charlie looked at her with a confused expression. “Of course. And I can’t wait to learn how to do the thing!” She obviously had no idea what Berniece was talking about, and she shouldn’t because there was no thing to show her. She just needed to talk to her.
The café was small, but it was obviously busy. When the waitress came over, she smiled. “I haven’t seen you folks for a while. Been busy?”
Charlie nodded. “Well, Berniece came in from Massachusetts to marry Kane, and now we don’t need to really eat out much. The men were kind enough to give us a break by bringing us out to eat this afternoon.”
“Sundays are good days to take breaks from cooking.” The waitress held her notebook. “Water? Coffee? Tea?”
“Water for me,” Berniece said.
The waitress wrote all their orders down. “Specials for everyone?” When the other three nodded, Berniece nodded as well.
As the waitress walked away, Berniece asked, “What’s the special?”
“Chicken and dumplings today,” Kane said. “Whatever the special is, it’s always the best food of the day, so that’s what we always get.”
“I think you’ve eaten here a lot.”
Charlie sighed. “Before I came here, they ate out every single evening, and twice on Sunday. Not even joking.”
“That’s really sad,” Berniece said, shaking her head. She didn’t even want to think of all the money they’d wasted.
Abel shrugged. “I can cook a few simple things, but I don’t like to eat what I’ve cooked. Before Charlie came, I was a starving bachelor!”
Berniece raised an eyebrow. “Starving? Really?”
“I might be exaggerating, but just a little bit,” he said with a wink.
She shook her head, laughing. “Well, I’m glad that no one eats here for every meal anymore.” Looking at Charlie she asked, “How’s the morning sickness? Is it getting any better?”
“Yes, finally. I thought I would spend the rest of my life with my head in a chamber pot. Thankfully, I can now eat breakfast again. Usually.”
Berniece smiled. “I’m glad you’re feeling better. And I appreciate you being willing to watch Ruth this afternoon. Would you believe the only part of the ranch I’ve seen is the house? Kane is going to show me around today, and we thought it would be best to do it without the baby.”
Charlie nodded. “Are you walking or going by horseback?”
“No idea.” Berniece looked at Kane. “Do you have an answer to that?”
Kane smiled. “We’ll go on horseback. The ranch is much too big to do on foot. Not in one day at least. We could take four or five, but we’d miss the baby.”
“Sounds good . . .” She bit her lip. “My father believed that women shouldn’t ride horseback, even with a side saddle. I’m not sure we can do this. I’ve never been on a horse.”
Kane shrugged. “We’ll ride double, and you can cling to my manly chest and find yourself overrun with passion.”
Berniece turned beet red, and her jaw dropped. “Kane Burton! You cannot talk that way in front of other people.”
Charlie waved away her objection. “We’re not other people. We’re family. Besides, Abel would talk that way in front of other people if he thought I’d let him get away with it.”
Berniece shook her head and took the crackers away patiently. “That’s too much, Ruth. You’re going to choke.” She broke them into smaller pieces and put just two pieces in front of the little girl, keeping the rest out of her reach. “You’d think she hadn’t eaten in a month.”
“She’s always been a hungry baby,” Charlie said, her eyes going soft as she talked about the baby, whom she obviously loved.
“I almost feel bad for taking her away from you,” Berniece said. “I can see how much you care about her.”
“She’s having her own,” Abel said softly. “And it’s not like she never gets to see little Ruth. You bring her by often.”
“Oh, that reminds me. How would you feel if I brought Ruth over on Tuesday afternoon and I did some of your mending while you played with the baby? It would be something of a break for me, because it would be different work, and you wouldn’t have to do your own mending.”
Charlie grinned. “I can only agree with that if you will allow me to fix supper for you to take home. Then Kane will be fed a good meal even though his wife is off working for no pay for his sister-in-law.”
Berniece made a face. “You don’t have to do that. I can put a roast in the oven before I leave.”
“I won’t take no for an answer,” Charlie said adamantly.
“Then I guess you’re fixing our supper on Tuesday night.”
Kane smiled at the arrangement. He liked that the two women got along so well and were so willing to do things for one another. It was another thing that was different about Berniece and Veronica, but there were so many, he just needed to stop comparing them.
When they returned to Charlie and Abel’s house after lunch, Berniece took Charlie into the kitchen and sat down at the table with her.
“I don’t know what thing you’re going to show me,” Charlie said, “but I have a feeling what you really wanted was a private talk.”
“That’s exactly what I want.” Berniece lowered her voice to a mere whisper. “I want to know everything you know about Kane’s marriage with Veronica. He’s ready to be . . . intimate, and I don’t want to take that step before I know exactly what he’s hiding from me about his first wife.”
Charlie shook her head. “I would tell you if I felt like I could, but I fear I’ve already said too much. You need to get Kane to open up about her.”
“It seems too painful for him. Every time I try, he just closes up. He wanted to . . . well, he wanted to last night, but I told him I needed to know about Veronica first, and he went to bed alone rather than talk to me about her. Why won’t he open up?”
“You’re doing the right thing by making him wait until he can talk about it, but I promise, what he’s hiding is not intense feelings for Veronica. She was . . . well, I’ve said too much already. You need to talk to him and get him to say whatever he needs to say.”
Berniece sighed, leaning back in her chair. “I feel like the entire town is in on a secret that I know nothing about. It’s time for someone to break the vow of silence.”
“That someone really does need to be Kane and not me. I’m so sorry. I’d tell you anything else.”
“I know you would. All right. I’ll try to talk to him again today. We’ll have plenty of time alone together.”
“Good.” Charlie got to her feet. “Would you care to stay for supper tonight? Since you’ll be out all day exploring, it might be nice to just know it’s taken care of.”
Berniece pursed her lips as she thought about it. “Only if you’ll come to my house for supper on Saturday night. I’ll cook a feast.”
“I’ll bring a pie! The apples are ripe, and it’s the perfect time to bake an apple pie.”
“Do you want to know something, Charlie?”
“Sure! I like to know things!”
“I think you’re one of my favorite people in the world, and I’m sad I didn’t know you when we were both growing up in Beckham.”
Charlie laughed. “Have you heard the stories about the demon horde that plagued the country school outside of Beckham?”
“Oh, yes!” Berniece shook her head. “There was a big family, and all of the children were monsters. I hear there are still a few that are causing mischief now.”
“I’m one of the original demon horde members. Still wish we’d been friends?”
Berniece laughed after a moment of shock. “Yes, I still do. I think your antics would have been fun to watch.”
“I’m not so sure . . .”
Kane poked his head into the kitchen then. “Are you ladies finished with your private talk?”
Charlie laughed. “There’s no pulling the wool over your eyes, Kane. Yes, we’re finished. Take her away. Supper is here at six sharp. That way you can spend all day exploring, and your sweet wife won’t have to worry about feeding you.”
“You sure you don’t mind?” Kane asked.
“Not at all. And we’re coming to your house on Saturday for supper, so don’t think it’s wrong of you to let me cook. Berniece is cooking for us in return.”
Kane smiled. “You know too well how I think.” He reached for Berniece’s hand. “Let’s go see my ranch. I think you’re going to be amazed by our operation.”
“Well, now you have me confused, Kane. Is it yours or ours?” Berniece grinned at him saucily.
“It’s ours. Now, hush, and I’ll tell you about it as we drive.”
On the way, he talked about the size of his ranch and how many head of cattle he ran. He had twenty-five men working for him, and only three were staying behind to help him during the cattle drive that was starting on Monday.
“How many cows are you selling?”
He grinned. “I’m selling all the steers and keeping just two bulls. And I’m keeping most of the cows. I need them for breeding next year.”
“That makes sense. I had no idea you had so many men working for you. Do you enjoy managing men?” she asked.
He shrugged. “Sometimes I do, and sometimes I don’t. Last year I had a couple of men who were competing for the same woman’s affections. Everything they did was a contest to see who was better, and it made me just a little bit crazy. I felt like I spent more time keeping the two of them from killing each other and outdoing each other than I did working.”
“And I’m sure it was hard when Veronica died. Did you have to take much time off work?”
He took a deep breath. “I don’t want to talk to you about Veronica, but after talking to Abel today, I can see that I need to. Why don’t we go home and talk about everything you need to know, and then if we still have time before supper, I’ll show you around the ranch. If we don’t, we can do it next week. Snow’s going to start soon, but you’re a Massachusetts girl, and I would think you can withstand a little cold.”
She smiled. “I probably can. I’ve been known not to freeze into a solid block of ice when winter came around.”
He grinned at her, but his mind was on the conversation they were about to have, a topic he’d hoped to never have to speak about with his new wife. She had to know, though. He would try really hard to keep her from paying for Veronica’s sins in his mind, but she’d already suffered more than she should have to. It was time she knew why.
When they got to the ranch, she went inside and made a pot of coffee while he unhitched the wagon. He spent a good ten minutes talking to his dog, Clyde, trying to explain to him why this was so difficult for him, but Clyde just looked at him as if he’d lost his mind. He was on his own in that arena.
Walking outside the stable, he spotted some late-blooming flowers that he couldn’t give the name of if his life depended on it. He picked a small bouquet and took it inside to his wife. While she put the flowers in water and fussed a little, he drank coffee, trying to get up the courage to say what he needed to say to her. How did you tell a woman that he had been
a terrible husband to his first wife, but she’d been an even worse wife? He wasn’t sure it was possible to do it without losing his mind.
Berniece sat down across from Kane at the table and waited for him to speak for more than a minute. Finally, she decided it was her job to start the conversation. “So, I’ve gleaned a bit of information from things people have told me. Veronica didn’t cook at all. And she didn’t particularly care for cleaning either. I’m under the impression she expected everyone around her to do the things a wife should do while she sat back and watched. And then she died in childbirth, and everyone rallied around you to help the baby, but I can’t even imagine what your emotions must have been like. Did you love her so much you just couldn’t stand it?”
Kane grinned a little and shook his head. “I’m going to have to start at the beginning, and this isn’t a short story. But you need to know how it all came about.”
“I think I do need to know, and I’m sorry I’m making you talk about such a difficult thing.” She reached over and took his hand, squeezing it in her own.
He took a deep breath and started talking, watching her carefully for any adverse reactions. The story was a difficult one.
Ten
Berniece was so happy Kane was finally willing to talk about Veronica she couldn’t express it. She was determined to let him say what he needed to say, and she would simply listen to him. It didn’t take her long to get angry as he told his story.
“Veronica lived in a small town near here, and her father was a banker. When he lost all his money, he gave her a piece of jewelry to sell, and she was on her own from that day forward. That wasn’t Veronica’s fault, of course, but it was how everything started. She moved into the hotel here in Missoula, and she set her sights on the richest man in town. When he made it clear he wasn’t interested, she moved on to Abel.”
“Abel? I had no idea there was ever a courtship between Veronica and Abel.”
Kane nodded, moving on. “Abel was flattered that a woman so beautiful was interested in him.” He stood up and walked over to a portrait of the baby, and he reached behind it in the frame, pulling out a picture of a beautiful woman. She had blond hair and looked particularly fetching in the dress she was wearing. Taking it to his wife, he handed it to her. “Veronica had a way of making any man feel twenty feet tall when she turned her gaze on him and acted like she was interested in a relationship.”
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