Slowly it began to seep into the young men what Leah planned to do, and their eyes started to shine.
“Do you think you can wash dishes without breaking them?”
Bud gave her an indignant look. “We have repaired robins’ broken legs; we can do your dishes.”
Wesley returned to see Bud and Cal doing women’s chores and Leah cutting huge pieces from yards of heavy blue cotton. With a smile, because he knew something had happened, he asked if he could help.
Leah didn’t get to bed until three in the morning. The shirts were done except for the buttonholes, but she figured the boys could wear them unsewn for one day. Tired, she crawled into bed beside Wesley and he sleepily pulled her to him.
“All done?”
Yawning, she nodded.
“Next time you adopt somebody I hope they’re smaller than those two. I have to work three hours longer every day just to feed them. Couldn’t you adopt stray cats instead of stray people?”
Leah wasn’t listening to him because she was already asleep.
With a smile he pulled her closer and went back to sleep.
For Leah, daylight came much too early. She was so nervous she cracked an egg directly into the fire, completely forgetting to use a skillet, and Bud and Cal, who’d come for breakfast, were so jittery they each ate only four pork chops, six eggs, half a loaf of bread, three fried apples, and a partridge. A pittance.
“Hope neither of you faints from hunger today,” Wesley said as Leah cleared the table, but no one responded. Oliver, Cord, and Slade went to work while Wesley packed the wagon with food for the noon meal. He was determined to spend the whole day in Sweetbriar and show the three of them that things weren’t as bad as they thought.
Leah and Wes sat on the wagon seat on the ride into town while Bud and Cal sat stiffly in the back, their eyes glum.
Sweetbriar wasn’t very large; a few houses, a livery stable, a general store, a ladies’ clothing store, a blacksmith shop, a few more shops here and there. Nothing that looked especially frightening, but the eyes of the people milling about were all on the newcomers.
“They’re watching us,” Leah whispered.
“Of course they are,” Wes snapped. “They’ve never seen you before.”
As they stepped down from the wagon a woman in her fifties came toward them and Leah drew back, but Wesley pushed her forward.
“You must be Leah Stanford,” the woman said, smiling. “I’ve heard so much about you from Abe.”
“Abe?” Leah said stupidly.
“I’m Wilma Tucker and maybe you haven’t heard, but my daughter Caroline is engaged to your brother. We’re all going to be family. My son Jessie—he’s a senator now,” she said proudly, “he’s coming back for the wedding. Floyd and me are real proud of your brother and you don’t look a thing like him.”
Leah began to smile and at the same time she started to relax. “I haven’t seen my brother for a while but Wesley told me about the wedding. May I introduce some friends of mine?”
Bud and Cal were still sitting on the edge of the wagon. With a glare Leah motioned for them to rise.
“My goodness,” Wilma said, looking up at them. “How nice and big you are.”
“This is Bud and Cal…” Leah had no idea what their last names were, but as she looked at them they were smiling down at Wilma. Obviously they liked the woman because she wasn’t afraid of them.
“Haran, ma’am,” Cal said softly.
Wilma smiled. “Oh yes, you bought the land near Wesley’s. Abe was saying—. Oh, here’s my daughter now.”
Leah was glad she was prepared for the sight of Caroline Tucker. Caroline seemed at least as wide as she was tall, with a pretty, freckled face. Perhaps she appeared outrageous, but Leah found herself liking Caroline right away.
“You’re Leah,” Caroline said, holding out a fat little hand. “Abe said you were the prettiest woman in the world.”
“Did he?” Leah was genuinely pleased.
“I was supposed to meet him today, but I haven’t seen him anywhere.”