“Kate, could you go fetch Miss Mason’s belongings, please?”
Kate nodded eagerly and ran off in the direction of the house.
Adelia smiled, as Nathaniel reached for her hands. “I could’ve walked back and got it myself you know?”
“Yes, but this way she’s wearing off energy, and she’ll go to sleep sooner.”
“Well, I suppose that’s smart.”
Nathaniel smiled, leaning down to give her a quick kiss on her forehead, before pulling away and glancing around as if to see if anyone had noticed.
Adelia felt the heat rising in her cheeks, as she looked down at her feet.
“I’ll see you for lunch tomorrow?” he asked, letting go of her hands.
Adelia looked back up at him, noticing the sparkle in his eyes, and the way the skin around his eyes crinkled as he smiled. Swallowing hard, she nodded. “Of course.”
Chapter 24
“Are you sure you will be all right?”
Adelia smiled, rolling her eyes. “Don’t worry about me, Timothy. I’m sure I’ll be able to manage here without you. It’s only for two days.”
The truth was that Adelia was actually quite worried about being alone while her brother went to the city for a meeting with the bank. She had never been alone in a house that was farther away from other people than Adelia had seen in her entire life. She didn’t want Timothy to know this, though, because he’d done so much for her. Nor did she want to be a burden on him, when he really owed her nothing, but had still given her a place to stay, and a way out of her life in the city.
“Well, if you’re sure. I just feel bad, but I know you’re more than capable of handling things yourself.”
She stood by the open doorway, as he made his way out to where Mr. Tysen was waiting in his wagon. Mr. Tysen was going to Oakensville as well to pick up something, and it worked out that Timothy would be able to catch a ride.
He’d wanted to leave the team here, so he wouldn’t need to worry about getting them stabled while he was dealing with the bank business.
“If you need anything, remember there is an entire town of people who can help.” Timothy looked over his shoulder as he threw his leather sack into the wagon, his dark hair falling in front of his eyes as he did.
“I know. I’ll be okay. Have a safe trip.” Adelia waited by the door, leaning her head against it as Timothy climbed up beside Mr. Tysen and waved as the wagon slowly got farther away.
Breathing in slowly, once the wagon was out of sight, Adelia turned to head back inside, shutting the door behind her. She needed to get a few things done before she went to work, and she was already running behind because she’d wanted to see Timothy off.
It was going to be a busy day, and she just hoped she’d have enough energy to get through it. She looked forward to seeing Nathaniel again for lunch, as she’d eaten with him every day since she’d gone to his house for supper almost a week ago.
Adelia could hardly remember why she’d been nervous about the idea of having lunch with Nathaniel the first time he’d asked, because now it was the favorite part of her workday. He always made her laugh, and he had such interesting stories about his farm, and the children.
She grabbed her pile of things, before hurrying out the door and in the direction of town.
Adelia covered her mouth as she yawned, and made her way through the long grass, the gentle evening breeze warm against her skin. The world around her was painted a golden orange as the sky spun a beautiful sunset. As the summer was beginning to set in, Adelia had noticed a great change in the temperature each day, and the sun seemed to be brighter than it had before.
It had been a busy day at the café with lots of work to be done. Though, it was her fault for offering to stay right until closing, but she’d figured getting a few extra hours in while Timothy was away. And not having to make supper for anyone would be nice. Now, she was quite ready to crawl into bed, but there was still much work to do around the house.
When she arrived home, she dropped her things off on the table before making her way back out to the barn.
She had never looked after animals before, or done anything related to dealing with them, other than holding the flighty chicken Kate had made her take, and she was a little nervous. Timothy had shown her everything she needed to do, and it had seemed simple enough at the time.
Sliding the barn door open, she stepped inside, instantly aware of the dusty, hay smell that seemed to stick to the wooden walls around her.
The horses were both outside in their pen, which Adelia was grateful for because it meant she could get stuff done with minimal interaction with them.
Reaching for the pitchfork in the corner, she glanced at the large pile of manure lying in the hay Timothy had just put down fresh this morning.
“Okay, this won’t be that bad,” she muttered to herself, as she struggled to slide the fork underneath the pile. As she lifted it, she scrunched her nose at the smell which had become worse, and as she carried it to the barrel outside the door, she held her breath.
Once she’d dropped it in, she let the air out of her mouth and took a deep breath of the fresh air before going to get the bit she’d missed. She was glad there was just the one mess to clean up, because she hadn’t enjoyed that experience.
Leaning the pitchfork back against the wall, she recalled the feeding routine that Timothy had shown her and began to get their oats into the trough.
As she was finishing up, the heavy footsteps behind her made her quickly turn around and face the tall, dark brown horse.
“Hello, you? Don’t hurt me okay? I put your food in your trough, so if you could just move to the side a bit so I can get out, that would be very—” Adelia jumped as the horse snorted, and shook it’s head.
Slowly, she reached her hand toward the horse and grimaced as her fingers made contact with its nose. “Nice horse.”
Pressing her hand against its neck, she squeezed through the gap between it and the stall she’d been cornered in, and let out a sigh of relief when she was safely distanced from it as it shuffled in to eat.
“Where’s your brother? Or sister?” Adelia wiped her dusty hands on her apron as she stepped out to the pasture where the other horse stood at the far side, right beside the fence.
“Come here. It’s supper time. Here…horse?” Adelia shook her head, wishing she’d paid more attention when Timothy had told her their names. At the time she didn’t think it was important, but she remembered how effortlessly he’d called them, and they’d come running.
He was fearless around them, and Adelia felt silly for feeling like cowering when they were so close to her.
She just didn’t like that they were bigger than her. They could easily knock her down and trample her.
The horse just looked at her briefly, as if mocking her, before going back to eating the grass by its feet.
“All right then, you just come eat when you’re ready,” Adelia called out, rolling her eyes at herself as she realized she was having a conversation with a horse that couldn’t care less about her presence.
She was happy to get out of the barn, and back into the safety of the house. She found it strangely peaceful to have it to herself, and she smiled at the small room around her.
She had never felt like she’d had a real home before. The orphanage hadn’t felt safe. She’d always been on the lookout for danger, and her short time with the Winstons hadn’t felt like home either.
Perhaps she had finally found her home, even though a year ago she could’ve never imagined where she would be right now. Maybe all along, she hadn’t wanted to escape the life she had, but had just been searching for a place that felt like this. That felt safe, and like a warm hug every time she came inside.
Chapter 25
Nathaniel looked up from his coffee to where George was still working on his homework. He’d sent Isabella and Kate to bed once they’d finished, and as he looked across the table at his son, he saw nothing but frust
ration etched on his face.
Nathaniel knew the feeling well, as his face had often displayed the same expression when he’d been doing schoolwork many years ago.
“Do you need help with that?”
George looked up from under his thick, brown hair and nodded. “I don’t understand it.”
“Well…” Nathaniel stood, moving to stand behind his son. “I can’t promise I’ll understand it either, but we can struggle with it together.”
“Thank you, Pa.”
On the slate in front of him was a sequence of fractions, and he slowly worked the problem out, showing George what he was doing with each part. Once he was done, Nathaniel slid the slate back in front of George.
“Does that make sense now?”
George nodded eagerly, wiping the chalk off with his fingers. “I’m going to try the next one now.”
“If you need help, let me know.” Nathaniel returned to his coffee and gazed into the crackling fire beside him.
Outside, rain pounded on the roof and thunder shook the walls. He often enjoyed stormy nights like this, and he hoped Kate wouldn’t wake up because of it. She hated storms, and always got herself quite worked up over them. For him, though, storms were peaceful, as long as it didn’t start to hail. The crops needed a good rain, and Nathaniel hoped this storm would suffice.
By the time he’d finished the contents in his mug, George had finished his homework, and now made his way up the ladder.
Nathaniel smiled, standing to take his mug to the basin. He looked out the window at the dark night, where the sky would briefly light up as lightning rippled through the clouds.
Pulling one of the chairs from the table closer to the fire, Nathaniel sat down slowly, his back aching as he did. Today had been his first day working at the sawmill again, as he had finished seeding and the work for the farm had slowed down.
The sawmill was somewhere Nathaniel could earn extra money, but the work sometimes made his whole body ache.
He looked back into the fire and began to think as he always did when he was by a bright flame. He thought about Adelia, and her bright eyes that sparkled when she smiled. He thought about her past and wondered how he would’ve coped if he’d gone through what she had.
He wondered why her grandparents had chosen to only take her brother in after her father’s death.
He also thought about the loan he needed to pay back soon, and the current crop prices for the ones he’d planted. He hoped the yield this fall would be plentiful, and that this winter wouldn’t be as difficult to get through as last years had been.
Nathaniel started as a soft rap sounded on the door, and he glanced at the clock on the mantle, showing nine o’clock. He’d been sitting by the fire for almost an hour, and as he stood, his back protested.
He wasn’t sure who would be calling this late at night, but he imagined it was just Matthew wanting something.
As he opened the door, he furrowed his eyebrows as he realized it was Adelia.
“I’m sorry to bother you so late, but I didn’t know who else to ask.”
“Adelia? Are you all right?”
She nodded. “It’s just, one of Timothy’s horses is hurt and broke the fence, and I don’t know exactly what to do.”
“What happened?”
“I don’t know, but I looked outside after the storm and one of the horses was standing next to the house and the other one was limping.”
Nathaniel held the door open, and motioned for her to come in. “I’ll just let the children know where I’m going, and then I’ll come see.”
“You don’t need to come. I just wondered what I’m meant to do, because this wasn’t included in Timothy’s instructions before he left.”
Nathaniel smiled, stepping on to the first rung of the loft ladder. “It’s okay, I don’t mind coming. Plus, you’re not walking back in the dark.”
When he reached the loft, he quietly walked over to the bed Isabella and Kate shared. Kneeling down next to Isabella, he gently tapped her arm. “Isabella dear?”
She opened her eyes quickly, starting a little. “Pa?”
“I didn’t mean to scare you,” he whispered. “I’m just letting you know that I’m going to Miss Mason’s house because one of their horses is injured.”
“All right, Pa.” Isabella rubbed at her eyes.
“Okay, just go back to sleep. I’ll be back to make breakfast, and if you need anything while I’m—”
“Go to Uncle’s.”
He nodded, running his hand over her tangled hair. “Yes, exactly.”
Pushing himself to stand, he returned to the main floor where Adelia was still standing where he’d left her.
“I feel silly,” she said, shaking her head.
“Why?”
“Because I’m creating all this trouble for a horse, when I could’ve left it until morning.”
Nathaniel reached for his coat and threw it over his shoulders. “Leaving an injured horse to itself can make it worse. You did the right thing.”
“Thank you, Nathaniel.”
“Of course,” he said, opening the door. “Come on. I’ll get the team ready and then we can go.”
Adelia stepped outside, her dark red dress trailing behind her.
Nathaniel shut the door softly, and walked across the yard to the barn, Adelia close beside him.
“I can’t believe you walked all this way. What if there had been a bear or something?”
She let out a breath, smiling. “Trust me, I thought of that many times, but you were the nearest person that I knew of.”
“Well, you can just wait by the fence there while I get the horses ready.”
“Thank you so much. I really appreciate this.”
Nathaniel smiled at her, before pulling the barn door open. He was glad she had come to him for help, and he just hoped the horse would be all right. Horses were expensive, and he also had a feeling Adelia would feel bad about this happening while her brother was away.
Reaching for the reins which hung on a nail, he hurried to get his horses ready and attached to the wagon. He helped Adelia up into the seat, and they began in the direction of her house.
The dark night seemed to suffocate them, as there wasn’t one star in the sky. The lingering rainclouds blocked what little light they would’ve provided, and there was a strong breeze that had the soft smell of rain, and wet grass.
He glanced at Adelia, who was staring straight-ahead of them, her long curls cascading down her back. Reaching for her hand which was folded in her lap, he ran his thumb over her fingers. “I’m sure the horse will be okay. They sometimes get spooked, and if you say the fence is broken, it likely ran into it.”
She looked to him, and then down at their interlocked hands. “I hope so. Timothy is very fond of them.”
As Nathaniel drove down the uneven road, he felt Adelia’s head rest on his shoulder.
“Thank you for always being someone I can count on.”
Squeezing her hand, he smiled. “Thank you for letting me be someone you can count on.”
Chapter 26
Adelia leaned against the barn wall, as she watched Nathaniel lift the horse’s foot. When they’d arrived, he’d helped get them back into the barn, tied up in their stalls, and had briefly looked at the broken fence.
“Could you bring the lantern closer?” he asked, looking up at her.
Nodding, she hurried to grab the lantern which gave a faint glow in the otherwise dark barn, and she held it above him, so the light shone on the horse’s leg.
“The good news is, it’s not broken. He just cut it pretty badly, I’m assuming on the fence. He likely kicked it when he spooked.”
“Well, that’s good. So, what do we do?”
Nathaniel set the horse’s foot down and scratched the back of his neck. “I’ll put some kerosene on it, that’ll take out the soreness and wrap some bacon fat and cloth around it. It’s just so he doesn’t get any dirt in it until it’s had a chance to h
eal. Then, leave him tied up in here. Could you go get water, kerosene, bacon fat, and some cloths, please?”
Adelia nodded, setting the lantern on the ground beside him before heading to the house. She found some torn cloth in one of the cupboards which she often used for cleaning and grabbing a handful, along with the other things, she hurried to get the bucket of water from the counter.
With everything in hand, she made her way back to the barn where Nathaniel was now standing beside the injured horse, stroking its neck.
“I still can’t believe how you had them tied up.” He chuckled, reaching for the water bucket.
Adelia scowled, following him back to the horse. “I was just proud of myself for getting them tied up at all. I have no experience with horses, okay?”
“I mean, it worked I guess.”
“Exactly.” Adelia smiled, thinking of the panic she’d been in upon realizing the horses had escaped and not knowing how to get them back in, or how to halter them. She’d just found some rope to tie around their necks and tethered them to the fence posts.
She had then hurried to Nathaniel’s house, because she had no idea what to do or if the way she’d tied them would last long enough.
Adelia knelt down beside Nathaniel, as he dipped one of the cloths into the water, and with the other hand, lifted the horse’s foot up slightly. She reached for the lantern and held it as close as she could.
Nathaniel gently wiped the cut that Adelia now realized was quite deep, and as he did the horse whinnied, trying to pull its foot away.
Adelia jumped, but Nathaniel just clicked his tongue a few times, and said softly, “It’s okay, boy.”
She looked at Nathaniel now, noticing the line on his forehead as he drew his eyebrows together while focusing on the horse’s leg.
His light brown hair was neatly combed back, and his dark eyes glistened from the light of the lantern.
She watched in amazement as he applied the kerosene, then wrapped it with bacon fat and some cloth, ripping the end in two, and tying it off to secure it. “How do you know how to do that?”
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