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“Yes, it was. No one thought anything of her because she’d been sullied, but I saw through it all to the beautiful girl she’d been when we were growing up.” He handed her into the wagon and then lifted Walt up as well, again making the boy giggle. “She went away a month before the wedding with her mother and two sisters to refresh herself. She drowned in the ocean. I’m still not sure if it was an accident.” He lost his voice at the end of the story, and she could tell he was still very hurt by his fiancée’s death.
“I’m so sorry. People can be cruel. If not for my Walt, I’m not sure what would have happened to me when Howard died. Other widows have people lined up at their homes, bringing them meals and fresh baked goods. Instead of that, all the men who had worked for my husband quit on the spot, and I became a pariah all over again.”
Earl picked up the leads and looked over at her. “When I read your letter, it reminded me so much of the love I’d lost, I knew you were meant for me.”
“And you don’t mind my reputation?”
He shook his head. “I didn’t mind her reputation which was all true. Why would I mind yours which sounds ridiculous?”
The rest of the journey was in silence as she thought about what he’d said. He wasn’t going to look down on her. He was there to help. Never had Charlotte thought there would be another man who could be as kind and generous as her Howard. She knew now she was wrong.
Chapter Three
Together, they put Walt to bed, and he stared at Earl for a while, finally putting his hand on Earl’s face, as if memorizing it. “I’m going to be here when you wake up, Walt. I promise.”
Walt nodded very seriously and settled into bed.
As they left the room, Charlotte whispered, “He’s already getting attached to you. You’d better not be planning on going anywhere.”
“I wouldn’t have married you if I was planning to leave, now, would I?”
“I don’t know. I really don’t know what kind of man you are.” She walked toward the parlor, knowing they needed to talk without prying eyes and ears for a moment or two. She could tell he was exhausted, and she was as well, but things needed to be said.
In the parlor, she sat down and waited for him to do the same. “I thought it would be good if we had a moment to talk before sleeping tonight.”
He nodded. “I don’t plan on trying to have relations with you if that’s what you’re thinking.”
“I understand that, and I appreciate it. I wanted to talk mostly about sleeping arrangements. There are two rooms downstairs, one for Walt, and one for me. There are also two rooms upstairs. I wondered if you would be willing to take one of those beds for at least the first few weeks as we get to know one another.”
He nodded. “I’m actually relieved you’re offering. I liked your letter so much because that part of marriage wasn’t part of the arrangement. I still think about my Patsy often.”
Charlotte nodded, glad her suspicions had been confirmed. “Good. The beds upstairs aren’t made up, but there’s a dust sheet over them. Do you mind making up your own bed? There are sheets in the dresser of each room up there. I’ve been up since before dawn, and I’m pretty well done with work for the day.”
“I don’t mind at all. I know the kind of back-breaking work you’ve been trying to do alone, and I can only be impressed by you. I will happily make my own bed. Do you have cows that need to be milked tonight?”
Her eyes widened. “With you coming here, I totally forgot! Sally must be bleating with pain by now. I wondered why she was mooing so loudly!”
“In the barn?” he asked. There was a small barn and a stable as well. He’d been in the stable, but not the barn as of yet.
She nodded. “I’ll do it though. I can’t ask you to make your own bedandmilk my cow. Not at this late hour.”
“You’re not asking. I’m offering. Now go to sleep. I’ll take care of it, and from now on, I will always milk the cow. And hopefully by noon tomorrow, we’ll have a full work crew, and you can be a housewife again.”
She smiled at his words. “I’ve never heard anything that sounded so wonderful.” Getting to her feet, she walked to the parlor door. “Thank you for understanding exactly what I need.”
“That’s a husband’s job.” As Earl went about milking the cow, he thought about the woman he’d married. She was so tiny and frail it was hard to believe anyone had ever seen her as a boy. Of course, she knew how to work hard. There was no doubt about that. He could see the exhaustion in her face from the moment she walked in the door, and she had been utterly pleased to be served supper.
Charlotte was a good woman. There was no doubt about that in his mind. And Walt seemed to be a sweet boy. Hopefully they’d get him talking before too terribly long. He did seem to be able to get his needs across without speaking though.
He put the milk into the ice box and climbed the stairs, finding the sheets and quilt to make the bed. This marriage was so different than the one he’d have had with Patsy, but he felt blessed to be in a place where he could make a difference, where he could work with animals and the land. Montana was the place he’d been searching for his entire life without realizing it.
If only it was Patsy he’d married instead of Charlotte.
Climbing into bed he said a prayer of thanks for the situation he found himself in, making a special request that it would be easy to find men to work with him and Walt would learn to speak quickly. The boy needed a father figure. There was no doubt about that.
He fell asleep quickly, having slept very little on the train. Now, though, he had a place to call his own. Whether he was in bed with his new wife or on an entirely different floor than she was, it was all fine. He was safe and he was warm and fed. Who could ask for anything more out of life?
*****
