Chapter Seven
She couldn’t stop thinking about it. Every day for a week, Maeve kept replaying the scene of her fall off the gate in her head. And every time she did, her face grew hot with embarrassment.
‘I must’ve cleared that gate a hundred other times.’
She glared at the kettle on the stove in a desperate bid to get it to boil faster.
‘Why’d he have to be there to see it?!’
Jed must have thought she was ridiculous. An absolute loon, jumping all about like a foolish child looking to show off. And the way he’d stared at her when she fell on top of him–it looked as if she’d knocked his sense out alongside the wind in his chest.
His chest. Maeve had been able to tell from the start that her husband was powerfully built, but to experience it herself was an entirely different matter.
Somehow Jed was both firm and flexible, catching her and moving his body in a way that ensured she didn’t get hurt in the slightest. And she knew she had stared at him, his usually neat hair tousled and his green eyes so close to her own that she nearly saw her own reflection in them.
Maeve covered her face and let out a flustered noise, chorusing perfectly with the squeal of the kettle. “You sure took your time with that tea,” Sadie teased from her spot on the back porch.
Maeve could barely muster a scowl in reply, especially since little Lila sat on Sadie’s lap looking so cheerful.
Maeve set the tray at the top of the first step, offering a slice of freshly baked bread to the toddler before pouring a cup of tea for herself.
She gingerly grasped it in both hands, inhaling the herbaceous scent before turning her eyes to the backyard proper.
With the vegetable garden finally weeded, it was time to turn over the earth and get it ready for planting.
Jed had taken to the task immediately, easily burying the hoe into the ground before raking it across in one swift motion.
Maeve had always hated tilling, though she would never outwardly so much as suggest such a thing in front of Jed.
She took a sip of her tea, fixing her gaze on the way his body twisted forward, how he threw his full weight into each overhead swing.
“So, are you two getting along so far?”
Maeve blinked, realizing she’d been silently staring at her husband for the past minute or so. She took a too-quick sip of tea, scalding her tongue as Sadie giggled beside her.
“Ye’re awful nosy, you know that?”
Sadie gasped mockingly, turning to Lila with a dramatic face. “Do you hear that, Lila? And here I was, making polite conversation!”
Lila cackled madly, bits of chewed-up bread dribbling out of her mouth as she did so.
“Really, though,” Sadie continued, cleaning Lila’s face with the sleeve of her dress. “I thought the question was fairly reasonable. Unless…?” A genuine flicker of concern crossed Sadie’s expression, and she shifted Lila so as to fully face her friend. “Everything is alright, isn’t it?”
Maeve’s mind briefly played out her pratfall.
“Y-Yes! I mean-” She took a more careful sip of tea, taking the opportunity to wrestle her emotions back down.
“Everything’s been alright, fer the most part.
None of the cows are dead, and nothing’s caught on fire so far.
” She stared at Lila with a slight quirk of her brow.
“Though someone’s right awful at sleeping. ”
Lila blinked slowly at Maeve, then balled her hands into tiny fists.
“I think you’ve offended her feminine sensibilities,” Sadie teased.
“Well, she’s offended my good night’s sleep,” Maeve replied.
Lila’s laughter bubbled out from her chest, and Maeve couldn’t hide her smile.
Sadie held the toddler out, giving Maeve the chance to have her sit on her own lap.
Some part of her still felt nervous gaining any sort of attachment.
But another, much stronger part, always marveled at how fascinating Lila found the world to be, how much joy she could get from such simple things.
As tiring as the nights had been, Maeve had to admit that having Lila in her life had been nice.
She brought a much-needed warmth back into the cabin, a sense of joy and intrigue Maeve had been lacking for quite some time.
It was hard to imagine someone simply abandoning her as they had, and she couldn’t bring herself to think about what might’ve happened to her had Jed not found her when he did.
“So, aside from this little one being a bit of trouble in the evenings,” Sadie began. “Everything’s been alright?”
Maeve nodded slowly, shifting Lila on her lap. “I…think so?”
Sadie made a slight face. “You sound very certain of yourself.”
“‘S hard to tell after only a short period of time,” Maeve insisted. “I mean, we ain’t butting heads or nothing like that, but it still feels…” She wrestled with herself, trying to find the right words.
“I thought things'd be easier once I got the marriage over an’ done wit’, but things keep on cropping up unexpectedly.
Such as, Jed’s caught on to chores ‘round here quick, but there’s just… ”
Maeve shrugged her shoulders.
“It’s the little things. Stuff Pa didn’t do that he does. It ain’t wrong, it’s just…just…”
“Different?” Sadie offered.
Maeve managed a nod.
“I can’t imagine it’s been easy to find the time to bond with him,” Sadie admitted. “Sam’s told me this year’s cattle drive is predicted to be extremely hectic. And you’re a bit behind on things, aren’t you?”
She wasn’t as behind. Not anymore, at least. Not since Jed had arrived and handled the small pile of problems that kept stalling progress. Still, Maeve simply nodded once more, watching as Sadie took up her cup of tea for another sip.
Lila waved her hands frantically, demanding the pair’s attention. Maeve shifted her upright, holding the girl beneath her arms as Lila ‘stood’ on the porch.
“She’s gonna be a terror once she starts walking,” Sadie said.
“Y-You think she’ll be ‘round fer that long?” Maeve asked.
Sadie offered her a smile, though her concern was fairly obvious.
“Maeve, if you and Jed need a break, or need to focus more on getting the ranch ready for summertime, I’m happy to come over and watch Lila.
And you already know I’m an expert when it comes to housework,” she added, playfully wiggling her free hand to get a giggle out of the toddler.
“That way you and Jed can work together around the property.”
Part of her–a part she had pushed down deep within her soul–knew that she should accept Sadie’s help.
It would make life so much easier on Maeve if she didn’t have to worry about Lila.
And as much as she complained about the springtime, she did miss working underneath its warm, open skies.
She missed smelling like sunshine after a long day of getting her hands dirty working in the earth and dealing with her cattle’s petty problems. Being inside most of the day cooking, dusting, canning, and washing was starting to make her feel a bit stir crazy.
‘You make sure sh-she got nothing to worry ‘bout. Alright, buttercup?’
“Maeve?”
The tea in Maeve’s stomach turned cold, and she set Lila down against her legs as her father’s last words rang in her head.
“We’re…we’re alright, Sadie. I appreciate you offering, but we’re alright.
” Maeve tried to give her friend a reassuring smile, but it felt far more like a grimace.
“Last I heard from Joshua, he were still talking wit’ Ms. Miller about finding Lila a place in the orphanage.
An’ you did a lot fer me already ‘fore I got married. I’ll be alright. ”
Sadie didn’t look entirely convinced. “You said the word ‘alright’ at least three times in that sentence alone, Maeve.”
A cold sweat broke out on the back of Maeve’s neck.
“But I think I understand what you’re trying to say.
” Sadie’s attention fixed back on Lila, and she moved to scoop her back up onto her lap.
The toddler insisted on standing, and the pair watched as she bounced up and down on her knobby legs.
“It’s a lot to handle at once, but it won’t necessarily become easier unless you face it head-on.
You’re stubborn like that, so I trust you really do mean it when you tell me you’re alright. ”
A roll of guilt soured her stomach, but Maeve did her best to ignore it. “Y-yeah. Thanks, Sadie.”
Jed suddenly let out a holler, pulling both ladies’ attention toward him as he gave them a wave. The hoe was slung loosely against his shoulder, the vegetable garden at his feet expertly tilled and ready for planting.
“Suppose that’s our cue, then!” Sadie rose to her feet, shifting Lila to her hip as she offered Maeve a hand. “You ready to get going?”
Maeve nodded, though she stood on her own. At Sadie’s playful frown, she quickly explained, “I didn’t wanna accidently pull you off-balance with Lila on yer hip.”
“Sure, sure.”
Jed soon made his way over to the porch, wiping his sweat-laden face with the hem of his shirt. He took Lila off Sadie, and the little girl immediately reached to try and snag the brim of his hat.
“Y’all’re gonna be gone ‘til evening, right?” he asked.
“Unfortunately,” Sadie playfully lamented. “It takes a good while to ride into town, and with Maeve’s massive list of supplies to pick up, I’m afraid you’ll have to make do without her for the rest of the day.”
Jed’s chuckle came from deep within his chest. Maeve wondered if the sound was affected by how broadly he was built.
She immediately turned away, fanning her blushing face. “Y-You sure you can handle things on yer own here, Jed?”
“Like Sadie said,” Jed repeated. “We’ll just have to make do.”
Lila agreed with a delighted shriek, having successfully stolen Jed's hat straight off his head. A sense of unease persisted in Maeve’s stomach, though she wasn’t entirely certain if that was left over from her conversation with Sadie.