Chapter 5
Chapter Five
Morning came way too early. It was still dark outside, for gosh sake.
“Are you awake?”
Ben’s voice was gravelly from sleep.
“Yes, but I don’t want to be.”
He chuckled.
“I know. Me, either. I’d rather be able to spend the day in bed with you…but the work on a ranch won’t wait. The animals need taking care of, and the people fed. Get up and I’ll show you what you need to do every morning.”
“All right. I’ll have to unpack sometime today.”
Ben sat up on the edge of the bed.
“After breakfast, you can unpack. Then you can help Mother with the house work.”
“That’s liable to be hard…on me. You know she’ll give me the worst things to do.” She’ll make the day as tough for me as she possibly can hoping I’ll go away, but she’s wrong. I didn’t live with stubborn nuns for eighteen years for nothing.
“I know but try to get along with her.”
“I won’t be abused by her. You should know that now. I will simply come up here if she starts anything.”
Ben stood, walked to the dresser and got clean clothes. By the time he’d finished dressing, she’d put on everything but her boots. She was glad she had them as they would definitely be more practical for the work she was to do.
She opened the trunk and found a clean dress. Tonight she would have a bath but today clean clothes.
“I’m ready. Ben, I’d like to take a bath tonight. With the travel, I haven’t had a decent bath in more than a week. Can you arrange for that?”
“Sure. We bathe in the kitchen, but I’ll see you get privacy…except from me. I’ll wash your back.”
She smiled. It was nice having someone who appreciated her and wanted her. It had been her dream while she was at the orphanage, that someday, someone, hopefully a husband would realize what a gem he had in her and take care of her. Maybe someday would even love her.
“I’m ready to go.”
When they got to the kitchen, Doris Logan, Emily simply couldn’t call her Mother, was already up. Coffee was on the stove and she was putting bacon into two large cast iron skillets.
“I assumed that you’d be teaching the woman how to do the morning chores.”
“That’s right, Mother and good morning to you, too.”
His mother flushed a little.
“Good morning.”
“And Mother, her name is Emily.”
“Hmpft.”
He walked over to his mother and turned her to face him.
“You will treat Emily with respect or I’ll build you a small house and you can live by yourself.”
“You wouldn’t.”
“I would. Now greet Emily as you should.”
Begrudgingly she complied with his ultimatum.
“Good morning, Emily.”
“Good morning, Doris.”
Ben put his arm around Emily’s shoulders.
“It may take a while but she’ll come around,” he said softly.
Emily looked up at her husband and rolled her eyes.
“I doubt it but am willing to give her the chance. This is after all, new to her and I’m willing to try if she is,” she whispered.
He nodded. “That’s all I can ask. Let’s get our coats. It’s cold outside.”
They retrieved their coats from the little room off the kitchen. Ben reached up to the shelf above the coats and pulled down two of several lanterns stored there.
He lit the lamps, handed one to Emily and headed out the door with her following. When they reached the open yard, he took her hand with his right one and held the light with his left and she her right.
“I know you won’t believe me, but she’s really not a bad person. You should see her with her grandchildren. She dotes on them though Jane doesn’t let her see them very often. She doesn’t want to give mother the chance to treat them as she treated us.”
“Will she dote on our children? We could have made a baby last night. Will she accept that child since I’m not Melissa?”
Emily was mad at herself. She was close to tears and couldn’t tell why other than the fact that her mother-in-law hated her. It wasn’t even just dislike, she full blown hated her.
She looked up at Ben and he saw the tear that escaped.
“Ah, come here.”
He held his arms wide for her.
She rushed into them.
“Don’t worry. She’ll dote on our kids, too. Things will get better when she sees what a nice woman you really are.”
“I hope you’re right. Sally said patience was one of my qualities and one that you had requested. Now I see why.”
He squeezed her a little.
“Yes, now you know my secret. I have the mother from hell. But, regardless, she is still my mother.”
“I don’t have much experience with mothers.”
“Sure you do. Every one of the matrons at the orphanage where you grew up was your mother, and taken all together, they were probably a great one. They sure did well with you.”
“Thank you. I’m all right now. You can let me go.”
“I don’t know. I kind of like holding you.”
She’d raised her head but hadn’t let go of him either.
They walked to the barn where he began to show her how to milk the black and white cow.
“You forget I know how to milk a cow. What’s her name?”
“We call her Bessie. She’s a good old cow. I need to put her out to pasture and get another milk cow.”
“Can’t you just go get a cow from your herd?”
“No. Those are beef cows not milk cows.”
“I don’t understand.”
“The different breed of cow determines what they do. The black-and-white cows like Bessie are Holsteins and the best for milk. The cows I raise for beef are called Herefords. They get bigger and produce more meat.”
She sat on the milking stool and started milking Bessie. It took her a few tries to get the hang of it again, but her hands seem to remember what to do even though it was many years since she’d actually milked a cow. Soon she even squirted some of the cats and kittens.
“Why do you have so many cats?”
“They’re feral…barn cats.”
“They certainly seem to reproduce regularly. That’s a lot of kittens.”
He chuckled.
“Yes, we always seem to have a new litter.”
“Why aren’t you over run with cats?”
“They get eaten by other critters mostly. Some run off, but most are gotten by coyotes, foxes, wolves or cougars.”
“Should I be worried for my safety? Do I need to carry a gun? And will you teach me how to use it?” A frisson of fear settled in the pit of her stomach. So many dangerous animals. If they eat cats, what about people?
“It’s not necessary, the men and I will protect you.”
She gave him a sidelong glance. “You don’t seem to be doing too good a job with the cats.”
Now he laughed loudly.
“You have quite the sense of humor.”
“I wasn’t kidding.”
He laughed even more.
Emily shook her head, unable to understand the man. What had she said that was so funny?
She heard him chuckle periodically and couldn’t for the life of her, understand what he found so funny except her questions.
Well, to heck with him. The only way she’d learn was to ask questions and so she would.
She would not let pride keep her in the dark.
But the more he laughed the angrier she got.
“I wish you’d quit laughing,” she said finally. “There is nothing funny about being killed by one of your…beasts.”
He walked over to her, where she sat on the milk stool and put his hands on the back of her neck and began to massage the knot there.
How does he know my neck and shoulders ache?
“You’re right. I shouldn’t laugh. I should explain. For the most part, those animals are not dangerous to people. The only one that you need to be wary of is the cougar or mountain lion. And those don’t usually come near the buildings.”
He continued his ministrations on her shoulders.
“I’m sorry I laughed. Better?”
She nodded, though it would be another moment before she could get her voice to sound normal.
“Will you teach me how to use a gun? I really believe I need to know how.”
“If it’s to protect yourself from wild animals, you don’t need it, but there are snakes and they do come into the barn and chicken house. So I suppose you should know how to use one. I’ll start teaching you soon.”
“Thank you.”
“I should have thought of it myself.”
He stopped massaging her and backed away, going back to pitching hay to the horses and Bessie.
After she finished milking, Ben took her to the chicken coop. He started to explain.
“Each hen will have one—”
“I know how to gather eggs. The orphanage kept chickens as well as four cows. For this, I don’t need your help.”
“Okay. I’ll leave you to it.”
She grabbed the basket on the hook inside the hen house and gathered the eggs. She didn’t need to worry about snakes this morning as the hens were all sitting on their nests.
When Ben was finished feeding and watering the horses and Bessie, he picked up the bucket full of milk and together they walked up to the house. He took her inside, put the milk bucket on the counter and kissed her on the lips…right in front of his mother.
Dazed she closed her eyes to gather her wits together.
The woman made a noise of disapproval and turned away.
Ben grinned and then left to finish his chores.
Emily decided to try and make the best of the situation.
“Where is your cheesecloth for the milk?”
Doris pointed at the drawer next to the icebox.
Emily went into the pantry and found two clean gallon jugs.
She brought them out and strained the milk into them.
She put the jugs in the icebox and went to work on the eggs.
With the hot water she got from the bucket on the stove, mixed with cold water from the pump, she achieved the optimum temperature.
Then she washed the dirt, straw and feces from the eggs, putting them in the icebox when she was through.
“What would you like for me to do now, Mrs. Logan?”
“Drop dead.”
The older woman murmured under her breath.
Emily still heard. She tried not to let the words hurt, but they did just the same.
“I’m not leaving and I’m not dropping dead. I’m married to Ben and I’m staying here. Maybe Ben should build you your own little house where you can live with your hate to keep you company.”
The woman turned and stared at Emily, her eyebrows crunched.
“He’d never.”