“I’ll bring one tomorrow.Or I can show you when you come over next week.”
“Whichever.I’d be happy to help you make the shelf though.”
“Thank you!”
The men didn’t return for a good long while, and the women mended Everett’s stockings while they waited.“I swear the man didn’t have a single item of clothing without holes when I arrived!”Belle said, shaking her head.
“James is the same.I’m going to make the shirts and slowly replace everything he owns.I’ve patched what I can.”
“It’s going to take time.And soon I’ll be sewing for the baby!I’m saving that for the dreadfully cold winter months.I know I haven’t spent a winter here yet, and I really can’t say I’ve experienced this dreadful cold, but I’ve read about it, and Katie has talked about it.“
“We both know that winter is going to be brutal.I just don’t want to dwell on it too much.I’m glad our homes are so close.Then I can come over and visit, and we can sew together, or you can knit while I sew.”
“And we can both bake a ridiculous number of loaves of bread every day.Katie keeps telling me that we’re improving the lives of all the men in town.I guess it’s true.”
Maggie smiled.“You know it’s true.You can tell by the sheer number of men who are in the store when we make our deliveries in the mornings.”
When the men came back, they had smiles on their faces.“Were you able to shoot a deer?”Belle asked.
“We shot two of them.They’re hanging in trees outside,” Everett said.
“Then we’re working on meat tomorrow and not hunting,” Belle said.“Did you each shoot one?”
“James got both,” Everett said.“But we’re splitting the meat equally.Same as we’re splitting the meat from the deer you got early in the week.”
“And we’re splitting all of our forage,” Belle said.“I’m so happy to have more venison for the winter!And the chickens that we butchered yesterday.We’re going to be well-fed.”
“I’m sending two chickens home with you,” Everett said to Maggie.“And come spring, we’re going to make sure you have chicks, so you can start your own coop.”
“We don’t have room,” James said automatically.It seemed to be his response to everything.
“The land bordering yours to the east is mine.Build a coop.”Everett wasn’t taking no for an answer.
James shrugged.“I guess.”
“I think we will be adding another room onto the cabin in the spring.We’ll need more room once the baby gets here.Can I hire you to help me?”
“I’ll help you, but you won’t be paying me,” James insisted.
“Sometimes, I think you’re the most stubborn person I ever met, but then I get a look at myself in a mirror.”
“There’s a lot of truth to that,” James said.
“Do you think the deer will be safe overnight?”Belle asked.“Or should we go work on them now?”
“They should be fine.We tied them up high enough that the wolves won’t get them.”Everett shook his head.“This area is getting populated enough we’re not seeing them often anymore.”
“That’s a good thing,” Maggie said.“I don’t fancy myself as Little Red Riding Hood.”
James looked at Maggie and shook his head.“We need to be getting home.Tomorrow is Monday.”
“I used to dread Mondays.Now, I don’t mind any day of the week.I love the work I’m doing.”
“Well, my boss is a bit of a slave driver...”
“Am not!”Everett said.“Go away.I won’t be insulted in my own home.”The words were harsh, but the twinkle in Everett’s eyes told Maggie that he was content to be called anything by James.The two men truly had a special relationship.
As they walked home, James held Maggie’s hand.“Today was a good day,” she said.“Every day here has been good though.I’m working as hard as I worked in Massachusetts, but I get to choose what I want to do.If I want to stay home and sew, I can.If I want to bake, I can.It’s wonderful!I love being married to you!”
