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She gaped at him for a moment. “Do you remember me saying that I’m going to need to do some of the work?”
Earl shrugged. “I helped my mother with hers a lot, and I was always working in the fields with my father. Farming is in my blood.”
“I understand. Let me milk the cows and gather eggs then. You shouldn’t have to do all of it.”
He frowned. “But it’s my job to milk the cows. We’ll compromise, and you can gather eggs.”
She chuckled. The easier of the two jobs would be left for her. “I don’t mind milking.”
“I grew up being told it was the man’s job to milk the cows. Most of my sisters don’t even know how.”
“But you cook!”
He shrugged. “I’m a rebel.”
Charlotte could tell when she’d been defeated. She hated milking cows anyway. “How many men were you able to hire?” she asked.
“I hired twenty-five to get us through until we’re all caught up. I told them all they’d be judged and the ones who did their job best and treated my wife the best would get to stay on permanently.”
She laughed. “You’re bribing them to treat me well!”
“Something has to work. I told every one of them that if they disrespected you, they’d not only lose their job, I’d knock them into next week.”
Without thinking, Charlotte left the pot she was stirring and walked over to him, kissing him square on the mouth. “Thank you!”
“You’re very welcome. I don’t like the idea of anyone treating you with anything but the utmost respect. You had a harder childhood than most, and you don’t need to be treated poorly because of it.”
Blushing, she hurried back to the stove and continued stirring the cream sauce into the potatoes she’d made. She’d chopped up chunks of bacon, fried it, and added it as well. It was a quick, easy lunch that would leave him full throughout the day.
And she would be able to catch up on the laundry. It had been a couple of weeks since she’d taken the time to pull out her scrub board. “I’ll be doing laundry this afternoon,” she told him, relieved to finally have the opportunity to do so. “Make sure you leave any dirty clothes out for me. I’d love to get the laundry all caught up.”
“Will do.” Earl was pleased to see she was willing to go back to being a fulltime wife, and not insist on continuing to work so hard on the ranch. He accepted a bowl from her and waited as she and Walt got their food. Then he prayed over the meal, asking God to watch out for them on this first day.
He took a bite and sighed. “Just as good as my ma makes.”
She smiled at the compliment. “It’s my favorite thing to fix for a quick lunch.”
“I could eat it every day.” Minutes later when he left the house to go out and deal with the men he’d hired, he had the list she’d made in his hand. The men were going to work the ranch and respect her at the same time. Or they wouldn’t be working for him.
Chapter Four
Charlotte felt odd staying in the house and doing women’s work after so much time working the ranch alone. A couple of times she considered riding out to where the men were and checking on them, but she knew better. She had to let Earl establish authority over them, and for him to do that, she needed to remain unseen. At least for the first little while.
She and Walt spent the afternoon doing the laundry, and she made her son’s favorite meal for supper—chicken and dumplings. It had been a favorite of his since he was tiny, and she knew he hadn’t had it since before Howard had died. She’d had no time to cook something that took as much time as chicken and dumplings did.
As she cooked, she talked to Walt about each step she was taking to make the meal. “We have to make the dumplings small, so they’ll puff up just perfectly, and make the broth taste delicious. This is my favorite way to eat chicken, and I know it’s always been yours too. Do you remember eating chicken and dumplings?” Charlotte so used to talking only to Walt that she barely remembered how to have a conversation sometimes. She just always talked and talked and talked, knowing there would be no response.
Walt kept looking toward the door, and finally Charlotte understood. “Are you waiting for your new papa?”
He nodded.
“He should be home in about an hour. So, when it’s time to eat, he’ll come in the door, all tired and sweaty.” Why she liked the idea of sweat on Earl she didn’t know. She could picture him shirtless as he was in her kitchen the night before with sweat dripping from his face. Her face heated up at the very idea of it. She certainly didn’t like sweaty men, but a sweaty Earl was something to be desired apparently.
After dropping the dumplings into the boiling broth, Charlotte folded the laundry she’d brought in earlier. She knew it should be ironed, but she typically only ironed her church clothes. If Earl was fussier about his clothes than that—and she had a strong feeling he wouldn’t be—then she would put more effort into it. For now, just getting her house back under control felt like a monumental task.
Walt put his own clothes away as she’d taught him, and then he carried Earl’s clothes up and put them on his bed. When he came back down, he had a look of pride that warmed Charlotte’s heart. She loved that Walt was already so taken with Earl. It boded well for their future.
Charlotte checked one of the dumplings for doneness as she heard the door opening. Walt ran into the dining room and threw himself at Earl, who gathered him in his arms in a huge welcoming hug.
