“Rhubarb is my favorite pie,” Sally said.“I could eat it for every meal.I wonder if we could can some rhubarb pie filling.I may try and see if I can make it work.”
“Let us know if it works,” Belle said.
“I’m making some rhubarb sauce as well.I like it better than apple sauce.Do you ladies want some for you?Or do you want to try it to decide?”
Maggie smiled.“Let’s try it first.I’ve never liked rhubarb, but it may just be the way it’s been prepared.”
“Why are you foraging for it then?”
“To sell,” Belle responded.“Everett keeps telling me I don’t need to work so hard, but I can’t imagine just sitting in the house with the baby all day when I could be making money.I worked too hard for too long to stop now.”
“I feel the same way,” Sally said.“Tom left the choice up to me.I can work or not work.But it feels so much better to work.I couldn’t sit in the house all day.I go a little crazy on the days when it’s my turn with Bertie.”
Belle burst out laughing.“Believe it or not, I do as well.”
“And me,” Maggie said, rubbing her belly.“I’m not sure what I’m going to do when this one arrives.”
Belle shrugged.“What we’re doing now.Someone will watch both babies while the other two work.”
“Only if we’re still doing that when it’s my turn to have a baby,” Sally said.She was feeling more and more like she wanted a child after all.Watching Belle with Bertie made her yearn for a baby who would snuggle into her the same way Bertie snuggled into Belle.
Belle stayed to do the dishes while Maggie went back to her planting.The earlier plants were sprouting, and she worked hard to keep the crops watered and weeded.Watching the baby every three days seemed to work well, and she was still able to do the chores she needed to do around the house.
As she planted carrots, her mind was filled with thoughts of her rhubarb pie.She and her mother had spent countless hours baking together, and every spring, the rhubarb pies were her special treat.
As soon as her planting was done, and she’d watered the new crops, she hurried inside and rolled out two pie crusts.She wanted to be able to serve one pie for dessert that evening and the other with their lunch the following day.She wanted her friends to love rhubarb pie just as much as she did.
The meal she cooked that night was simple, and she hoped Tom wouldn’t complain, but even as she thought the words, she laughed to herself.Of course, he wouldn’t complain.The man never complained.
When Tom walked in the door, he took a deep sniff.“You’re baking something.”
“Rhubarb pie,” she told him.“It’s my favorite thing in the whole world.”
Tom looked hurt.“You mean I’m not your favorite thing?”
She chuckled.“You’re my favorite person.”She walked to him, wrapping her arms around his neck.“I missed you while you were gone.”
“I always miss you,” he said, pressing a kiss to her lips.
When she served the pie, she watched him carefully, hoping he would like the treat as much as she did.He took a tentative bite and then smiled, diving into the pie as if it was his first meal in a month.“This is delicious.I’ve never had rhubarb, so I didn’t know if I would like it.”
“I’m so glad you like it!”She got her own piece of pie and sat down, sipping milk as she ate it.“Just like Ma used to make.”She felt a pang as she ate the pie, but it also made her feel as if her mother was close by.“This pie brings back so many memories.I haven’t had rhubarb in years.”
“I hope Maggie is finding a lot of it.”
“I do too!”
After supper, he suggested they go out together to check on the piglets.As they walked, she said, “I introduced Herbert to Belle today.I offered to introduce Maggie, but she said if she met the piglets, she wouldn’t be able to eat their babies.”
Tom laughed.“I notice you have no qualms.”
“Maggie grew up in an orphanage.She never had the opportunity to hunt or butcher animals.She was the one who always helped in the kitchen, but by the time she was given meat, it didn’t look like an animal any longer.”
“Well, I’m glad you were raised by a pig farmer.It adds one more aspect to our lives for me to enjoy.”They stopped at the pigpen, and as usual, Herbert rushed to the fence to get their attention.The gilts stayed inside the barn, huddled together.
They reminded Sally of a group of old ladies who did nothing but gossip about the people they knew.It was odd how they seemed almost to understand what their purpose was.
“How long before we can breed them?”Tom asked.
