Chapter 4 #2
“I don’t have much family,” Miss Callahan answered softly, timid like a skittish mouse. She dropped her gaze. “I only have my great-aunt.”
Travis chewed his lower lip and looked ahead. “I’m sorry.”
He averted his eyes back to Miss Callahan just in time to catch her sneaking a brief glance at him. Her gaze quickly shifted away. Sensing her hesitation, Travis remained silent, allowing her the space to speak when she was ready.
“Don’t be,” she finally said. “My family had a plantation before the war. I had three brothers who perished in the war, leaving my parents and my younger sister, Susannah. They passed from fever seven years ago.”
As Travis caught another glimpse of her, he quickly took notice of the pain in her expressions. Her bottom lip slipped under her teeth and her arms wrapped around her body, as though she were hugging herself.
Travis swallowed hard, her painful loss reminding him of his own. “I . . . I am so sorry.”
Miss Callahan looked ahead, dropping her hands into her lap. “A lot has happened since the war, but I’ve learned to manage.”
“I heard it was bad.” Travis cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his neck. “My family has lived here all my life, so we didn’t feel the need to enlist.”
“You have a beautiful country here from what I’ve seen,” Miss Callahan said quickly, her voice a bit perkier than before. Her chin lifted. “The mountain peaks are remarkable. Our mountains in North Carolina look nothing like this.”
Her words brought a lop-sided smile to Travis’s face. “I hope you grow to love it.”
Silence stretched between them again like the rolling prairie, but the stillness soon broke when Travis pulled up to the homestead.
Miss Callahan fidgeted with her skirt and sat straighter when his children bolted out of the cabin with Aunt Polly behind them, holding Gideon on her hip.
Travis gently pulled back the reins, slowing the wagon to a halt.
Lillian and Jonas both beamed, their smiles wide and welcoming as they caught sight of the woman who would become their new mother.
Ivy, however, stood back, her expression reserved as she watched beside Aunt Polly.
Travis couldn’t help but feel a pang of concern.
He knew Ivy wasn’t one to easily warm up to new people.
Still, he hoped she would at least be welcoming and polite to his soon-to-be-bride.
After all, this was a fresh start for all of them, and he wanted it to go as smoothly as possible.
“Pa!” Lillian and Jonas shrieked, jumping up and down beside Travis’s side of the wagon. Travis dismounted, and the children immediately embraced him. Their hugs tightened as though they hadn’t seen him in weeks. Travis squatted to their level and kissed the tops of their heads.
“Be polite,” Travis whispered in their ears before turning to help Miss Callahan from the wagon.
Her hand quivered in his as she took careful steps, her fingers cold.
When Miss Callahan’s muddied shoes hit the ground, Travis’s pulse raced.
Her eyes intensely studied the homestead and children with a cautious look on her face.
There wasn’t much to see if she grew up on a plantation.
The farm consisted of a modest-sized cabin, a two-story barn with rusting hinges on its doors, and a fenced area behind the barn that held their horses and dairy cow.
Beside the cabin stood a chicken coop large enough for twenty chickens, while twenty acres of sprouted wheat stretched beyond it.
Travis removed his hat and raked a hand through his hair. He blew out a breath, saying a fervent prayer. In truth, a part of him longed to see Miss Callahan beg to go home. But looking down at his children, guilt panged at his heart. After everything he put them through, he owed them a new mother.
Travis stood awkwardly by Miss Callahan’s side and cleared his throat, ready to introduce her. “Aunt Polly, children, this is Miss Josephine Callahan.”
Aunt Polly put out her free hand, offering a friendly smile. “It’s so nice to finally meet you, my dear.”
Miss Callahan smiled lightly, shaking her hand. “It’s nice to meet you Mrs . . .”
Aunt Polly chuckled, adjusting the squealing Gideon on her hip. “Polly Blythe, but you may call me Aunt Polly. That’s who the town refers to me as.”
Travis moved Miss Callahan’s attention to the children. He pointed to Ivy first. “Miss Callahan, this is Ivy. She is my eldest of eight years.”
Miss Callahan smiled, putting out her hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”
Ivy deliberately avoided Miss Callahan’s gaze and hand by staring at the ground, kicking stones with her boots.
Normally, if Ivy had been meeting a relative or welcoming a new settler, Travis would have reprimanded her for such behavior, but he understood his daughter well.
She was cautious, her heart guarded after everything she had been through.
Travis pointed to Jonas, who stared up at them with a grin. “This is my eldest son, Jonas. He is six.”
Josie put out her hand. “Nice to meet you, Jonas.”
While shaking her hand, Jonas used the other to pull a piece of paper from his pocket and hand it to her. Travis looked over Miss Callahan’s shoulder out of curiosity, his brows high. The picture was a square with lines and circles, presumably doors and windows.
Miss Callahan gasped, her grin widening. “Thank you, Jonas. This is beautiful.”
Jonas’s eyes lit up. “It is?”
“I would love another one if you don’t mind.”
Jonas looked up at Travis. “Can I, Pa?”
“If you ask your sister first,” Travis answered. “You know how picky she is about her pencils.”
Jonas turned to Ivy. “Can I, Ivy? Please?”
A long pause lingered between the children. Travis hoped Ivy would be considerate of her brother drawing for Josephine.
Ivy shrugged. “Sure.”
Travis exhaled. The tense moment had caused his shoulders to stiffen. He stood behind Lillian and patted her head. “This is Lillian.”
Miss Callahan squatted to her level. “And how old are you, Lillian?”
Lillian held up four fingers, making Travis swell with pride. Aunt Polly’s schooling was paying off.
Miss Callahan gasped. “You are so smart.”
Lillian grinned, bouncing on her toes. “How old are you?”
The group grew quiet. Travis would have told Lillian to hold her tongue, but like Aunt Polly, he remained silent, eager to hear the answer.
“Twenty-three,” she answered.
The words were like a lightning bolt of shock.
Twenty-three? His eyes rounded. Travis had thought her to be twenty-six or slightly older, but twenty-three?
His palms grew clammy as the reality of it settled in.
How could someone so young be ready for the responsibilities that awaited her?
He had hoped for a homemaker, someone with a bit more life experience, someone who could stand strong beside him and his children in the challenges they’d face out west. But now, the image he had built in his mind crumbled.
Could Josephine Callahan handle this life? Could she handle him?
Miss Callahan stood and turned to Gideon, her expression softening as she took in the sight of the little boy.
A gentle glow spread across her face. For a moment, the worries that had weighed so heavily on Travis’s mind began to lift.
Her eyes beheld something tender and genuine in the way she gazed at Gideon—a way Travis longed to do.
The woman knew nothing about the family nor about Gideon’s existence until now, and she gave him more affection than Travis ever had.
Gideon’s first interaction with his new mother was almost too perfect, as though the match had been sealed. The boy, curious and innocent, reached out towards her with a small, chubby hand.
“Who is this little man?” Miss Callahan asked, tickling his belly. Her eyes squinted as another laugh belted out of her like a lyrical melody.
With slow, dreaded steps, Travis reached Josie’s side. “This is my youngest, Gideon,” he answered, his gaze low.
“Gideon,” Miss Callahan repeated. “What a lovely name.”
Travis cleared his throat, the sound cutting through the moment and drawing Miss Callahan’s attention away from the child. He didn’t mean to disrupt the moment, but so much needed to be addressed—so much still had to be said and done.
“We’ve changed sleeping arrangements for the night. Our cabin only has two bedrooms. I’m moving Jonas to my room so you can sleep with the girls.”
Miss Callahan nodded, her hands clasped in front of her. “That is fine.”
“I would ask you to stay with me, my dear,” Aunt Polly said, patting Miss Callahan’s forearm. “But my cabin is almost half this size. I wouldn’t want you overwhelmed and crammed on your first night.”
Miss Callahan turned to the girls. “I would love to spend more time with the girls, anyway.”
Lillian clapped and bounced on her toes in excitement while Ivy kicked another rock. Travis faced Aunt Polly. “If you don’t mind getting Miss Callahan’s bed ready and bringing the children inside, I’d like to discuss something with her.”
Aunt Polly smiled, adjusting the babbling Gideon on her hip. “Will do.” She whistled sharply, getting the children’s attention. “Come along, children. Let’s give Miss Callahan and your pa some privacy.”
Travis’s pulse moved to his throat after the door closed behind them all. Miss Callahan’s gaze locked with his, eagerly waiting for him to speak. He studied her eyes—dark brown, rich like a glass of brandy, yet impossible to see through. What lay hidden behind them? Would he ever truly know her?
“Miss Callahan,” Travis began, scratching the back of his neck.
“I’ve been thinking about the day we marry .
. .” He paused for a moment. Despite every urge to delay the wedding, he couldn’t ask her to stay under his roof for more than a few days.
The last thing he wanted was to bring shame upon her.
“Would you be willing to get married this Saturday? I know you’d like to have a day or two to settle in and get to know the children beforehand. ”
Miss Callahan nodded, then slowly wrapped her arms around herself, her gaze dropping to the ground. “I think . . . that’d be best.”
“Good. I’ll meet with the pastor tomorrow to get it all set up and complete some errands in town. Would you like to watch the children for a few hours then . . . Aunt Polly is close by if you need her.”
Miss Callahan smiled, her timid eyes meeting his. “All right.”
Before Travis could say anything else, Lillian’s squealing voice interrupted him. She peeked her head out the door.
“Miss Callahan! Your bed is next to mine. Come and see!”
Miss Callahan softly chuckled as they heard Aunt Polly getting onto the child. “I guess that’s my cue.”
She turned around to follow Lillian, but Travis felt obligated to offer his gratitude.
For a woman with no prior experience and fresh off a long journey, Josephine Callahan was doing remarkably well bonding with his children.
No woman would travel thousands of miles, wade through ankle-deep mud, and still have patience for a four-year-old unless she had a profoundly good heart.
“Joseph—I mean . . . Miss Callahan,” Travis stuttered. His ears and face burned. Get yourself together, Travis.
Miss Callahan turned around. “Yes, Mr. Blythe?”
“Thank you.”
She nodded before taking Lillian’s hand.
As the door closed behind them, Travis placed his hands behind his head, drawing in a deep breath before exhaling slowly.
This was actually happening. In two days, he would be a married man again.
His eyes burned as he stared up at the vast blue sky. Forgive me, Sophie.