Love's Long Journey (Love Comes Softly Series #3) (22 page)

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Chapter 33

Afternoon Tea

Missie left the house early the next morning, while Nathan slept, to fetch water for her chickens from the spring. She was determined to have eggs for the breakfast table as soon as possible. Already it promised to be a hot day and she thought of the stuffiness of the small house on such a day. Perhaps she should take Nathan to the coolness of the shade bushes near the spring for the most oppressive part of the early afternoon.

She hummed as she walked, letting the empty pail swing to and fro. She felt lighthearted this morning. Willie was home, she had heard news from dear friends; her strange new world was being enhanced, first with fresh milk, then with her bountiful garden and now with chickens. It would soon be easy to prepare good meals. She and her family would be able to enjoy many of the things that they had been accustomed to back East.

As Missie walked she reviewed parts of the letters that she had received. She again felt a pang of sadness about the misfortune of the preacher's wife. And Mrs. Taylorson! What a kind friend she had turned out to be. She had even sent a pair of tiny

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shoes to Nathan for when he began to walk--which wouldn't be long at the rate he was growing. Kathy's letter had been full of news of her young man. Seemed he was Samson, Solomon and the Apostle John all rolled into one. Missie smiled. But the letter that she had read and re-read was the one from Melinda. Knowing that Melinda would one day--soon she hoped--be near enough to be called a neighbor, was special for Missie. Oh, how she wished that Melinda were already here.

Melinda had written much about the town of Tettsford and her activities with the school and the church. She spoke of the lessening of her pain since the death of her husband, even though his memory still brought tears oftentimes. She also spoke of Henry, of his thoughtfulness, his manliness and his faith.
Yes,

Missie thought,
Henry truly is worthy of a girl like Melinda. They will make such delightful neighbors.

Missie returned from the spring with the water for her chickens. She talked to them as she poured it into the trough and then portioned out the feed.

"An' you better start layin' quick-like," she threatened, "or you might find yourselves smothered in dumplin's." The chickens fought for rights at the watering trough, seeming to ignore Missie's speech.

"You are a motley-lookin' bunch," Missie said with a laugh, "but just you wait a week or two. We'll get some meat on those bones an' get those feathers smoothed out an' back where they belong. Right now you look like you're wearin"bout half of 'em upside down."

She picked up her pail and hurried back to the house lest Nathan awaken and miss her.

As she rounded the corner of the cookshack she found Willie and his hands gathered for a briefing. The men lounged around in various positions. Some leaned against the sod shack, others squatted on the ground, or lay propped up on an elbow. Apparently Willie had let the men know that this was a time for "at ease." Cookie sat on his bench near his cookshack door and was the first to notice Missie as she came around the corner. Missie heard Willie's voice.

"--an' as we'll all be livin' an' workin' together, I hope thet

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we'll feel free an' easy with one another. By now I'm sure thet you've all met Scottie, our foreman. Scottie knows all thet there is to know 'bout ranchin'. He will be takin' over the matters connected with the herd. You'll take all orders from him an' he'll be responsible to me. You are his concern an' any requests or complaints thet ya might have are directed to him. He'll see thet I hear 'bout 'em. He'll assign the shifts an' the jobs, accordin' as he sees fit. Cookie here, will feed ya. He'll have yer chow waitin' fer ya at the same time each day. There'll always be fresh coffee on, fer those comin' an' goin'--even for those on the night shift."

Willie noticed Cookie's grin and turned to see Missie standing hesitantly. His eyes lit up.

"An' now fer the bright spot on this here ranch," he said, holding out his hand to her. "I want ya to meet my wife, Mrs. LaHaye."

Missie stepped forward shyly.

"Missie," Willie said, "here're our new riders. Scottie--the foreman." Missie looked into two very kind, blue eyes, a twinkle just barely dared to show itself. Scottie looked as weathered and western as the hills that stood behind him. His small frame spoke of many years in the saddle. Missie felt a confidence in Willie's choice of man. Scottie, she felt sure, was one to be trusted.

He nodded slightly in acknowledgement of the introduction, as if to say, "Iffen ya need me, I'm here."

Missie's brief smile was a silent "Thank you."

Willie moved on. "This here is Rusty." Missie's eyes traveled to a freckled face and a mop of unruly red hair. A wide grin greeted her.

He's no more than a kid,
Missie thought. Her mother heart wondered about this boy's mama and if she was somewhere worrying and praying for her son. She offered a warm smile.

"An' Smith," Willie continued. Missie turned to look into fierce black eyes in a sun-darkened face. His nod was barely perceptible and his gaze dropped quickly to the ground.
I wonder,
Missie thought,
what happened to put all that bitterness into your soul.

"An' Brady," Willie said. Missie looked into another pair of eyes. These were cold and calculating. They raked cruelly over

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Missie, making her want to blush beneath the bold stare. She nodded quickly, then gave Willie an imploring plea with her eyes to move on. She could still feel those unnerving eyes upon her.

"An' over here," Willie said, turning to the man who had risen from the ground to acknowledge the introduction, "is Lane."

Lane looked like he would gladly have allowed the earth to open up and swallow him. He started to look at Missie, changed his mind and looked at the toes of his boots instead; a dark flush spread steadily over his face. His hands sought something to do or somewhere to go but ended up only rubbing against his sides. Missie smiled. Never had she seen a man so shy. She hoped to put him at ease.

Turning from him to the others she said, "Glad to have you all here at the Hanging W," addressing herself to Scottie in particular. "I know that I won't really be seem' that much of you--you havin' your work to do, an' me havin' mine. But should there ever be a need that my husband an' I can help with, we'd be most happy to oblige." She nodded to them all, a shy smile crossing her lips. "Now I'd best get back to my baby," she said, and turned to the house.

Scottie took over the meeting and Willie walked to the soddy with Missie.

"Think I found out 'bout yer mysterious neighbor." "Maria?"

"Yeah."

"How did you find out?"

"Scottie's already been out scoutin' the range. Says they're 'bout seven miles to the south of us. They're Mexican." "Mexican?"

"Yep. The man speaks some English--but mostly Spanish. Prob'ly had him his own reasons fer strikin' out so far north."

"Couldn't be too serious a reason--it jest couldn't. I just know that Maria would never marry a man--"

" 'Course."

"Maybe they just wanted to be on their own--to make their own way. Lots of people feel that way, all hemmed in like by. . . ." Missie let it drop. "An' only seven miles?"

"Yep."

"That's not so far, is it, Willie? Just think! Our first neighbors--

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and so close. Why, I could even ride over an'
see
her--if I knew the way," she finished lamely.

Willie laughed. "Yeah--iffen ya knew the way. An' iffen ya didn't have to ford a river to git there. An' iffen ya knew some Spanish.
Then
ya could make a visit. But I shouldn't tease. I promise thet I'll do my best to take you over to our new neighbors. In the meantime, why don't you learn a little Spanish? It would be a real nice surprise for Maria."

"But, how can I?"

"Cookie. Cookie knows 'bout everything there is to say in the Spanish tongue. He worked fer a Spanish family when he was little more'n a kid. I got the feelin' when I heard him talk 'bout 'em he kinda wishes thet he'd stayed with 'em--but at the time he was young an' had the wander bug. He's 'bout crossed the whole continent on horseback since, it seems, workin' on spreads as he's traveled."

"Oh," said Missie, alarm showing in her voice. "I do hope that he won't decide to leave us. I--"

"Not much chance of thet. He's not as young as he used to be, nor as adventurous, either. An' I'm a thinkin' thet he don't sit a horse near as comfortable-like since he had his fall."

Missie, relieved, asked, "And he knows Spanish?"

"He sure does. Mind ya, though," Willie teased, "thet he doesn't teach ya
all
the words thet he knows. Some of 'em ain't very lady-like."

"Do you think he would--teach
me,
I mean?"

"I'm sure thet he'd be glad for an excuse to git off his bad leg occasionally."

So Missie timidly approached Cookie with regard to Spanish lessons. She had only advanced as far as
Buenos dias
and
Adios,
when Maria arrived again.

Maria cuddled Nathan, all the time directing a steady stream of flowing Spanish in turn to the baby and then to Missie. When Missie smiled and nodded, Maria's Spanish flowed even more rapidly. At length Missie could bear it no longer.

"Wait," she said to Maria. "Don't you go away--I'll be right back. You just sit right down and hug my baby. I'm gonna get us both some help."

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Missie hurried out the door. She realized as she ran to the cookshack that Maria, like herself, had not understood one word of the exchange.

"Cookie," Missie said, her eyes pleading, "would you mind, please--please, would you have tea--with two ladies?" Cookie's eyes were horror-filled.

"Oh, please," Missie begged. "Maria has come again and I can't understand her Spanish--not one word, but 'Hello.' An' she can't understand me. An' we're just dyin' to say somethin' to one another. Please, could you just--please? I'll make you coffee," Missie quickly promised.

Cookie's good-natured face crinkled into a begrudging smile. He wiped his hands on the greasy apron which he removed and cast aside.

"Iffen it means thet much."

"Oh, it does, it does."

"Fer a few minutes," Cookie agreed. "Gotta git back to the steak I'm a poundin'. But I can spare a few minutes. An' I reckon, I can pass up the coffee an' drink yer tea--long as it ain't in one of them fancy little cups."

Missie hurried with him to the sod house.

"Maria," she said triumphantly, "Here's Cookie! He knows Spanish!" When Cookie turned to Maria with a fluent welcome in her own tongue, Maria clasped her hands with a merry laugh and there was a flow of silvery-sounding Spanish.

Cookie turned to Missie and shrugged, "She says thet this is gonna be more fun than a fiesta," he said, but the look in his own eyes still indicated that he was doubtful. Missie poured his tea in a big mug and passed him some fresh bread and butter.

Cookie fell into the spirit of the game and soon seemed to be enjoying his visit almost as much as the two young women. Missie was careful to keep his mug of tea replenished and to make sure that the bread was within his reach. He didn't seem to mind even their chattering girl-talk which he had to translate coming and going.

When Maria prepared to go, the two truly did feel like
neighbors.
Missie gave her promise, through Cookie, that Willie would bring her over sometime soon.

"And Cookie?" Maria teased. Cookie muttered and grinned,

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and Missie and Maria laughed.

Cookie put Nathan down, whom he had been bouncing on his knee, and declared that his time was up. But, Missie noticed, he still didn't hurry to go.

"I know you're busy, Cookie, an' I thank you so much for takin' the time. It's okay. We'll let you go now."

"Muchas gracias," Maria said, and Cookie shuffled out to return to his cookshack.

Maria's question came with actions rather than words-- "Prayer?" Missie nodded.

Again the two young women of different races, different cultures, different religious backgrounds, knelt together in the small kitchen and poured their hearts out to the one true God. Missie could feel that Maria's need and longing for fellowship in the faith was as real and deep as her own.

Missie prayed, "Please, dear God, may I quickly learn enough of Maria's tongue to be able to tell her about my deep faith in You, about the life promised through the death and life of your Son. I long so much to tell her about this, to talk 'bout You, Your love and forgiveness, Your promises an' blessings. Help me, God, to learn Spanish soon." Missie added one more thought, "An' dear God, help Cookie to know the right words to teach me."

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