Page 29 of Silver Lining
Low Down glanced at the mantle clock.
"You'll need to leave in about an hour." Livvy gazed at her family. "Mrs. McCord saved Max's life. She's one of us now, and we'll stand by her. This situation is unfortunate for everyone, but no one is at fault."
Her gaze brushed Low Down.
Low Down was fascinated by the way Livvy McCord decided things as if she hadn't recently emerged from widow's weeds, as if she had always been the head of the household. Or maybe that was what being a mother was all about. Trying to solve the problems of her children, trying to protect them. This was the first time that she'd seen a caring mother in action.
"We'll have some of Gilly's cake, then you boys help Max unload the wagon," Livvy suggested, stepping toward the plates and napkins laid out on the sideboard.
"Did you buy a mule," Wally asked after he had a plate of cake balanced on his knees, "or does she belong to Mrs. McCord?"
For an instant Low Down thought Wally referred to his mother. A mild shock shook her hand when she realized he meant her.
The conversation turned to Max's summer in the Rockies , then Max inquired about the ranch. If not for the tight faces and an edgy undercurrent of tension, Low Down might have believed everyone had forgotten about Max's upcoming appointment.
As if her thoughts had cast a signal, the men abruptly rose thanked Gilly for the cake, then filed out behind Max to unload the wagon and see to Marva Lee and Rebecca. Low Down wished she could go with them.
"We might as well have our coffee in the kitchen," Livvy said, picking up cake plates.
Low Down jumped to her feet, but Livvy and Gilly had already collected the plates and she had only her own to carry to a large, sunny, well-equipped kitchen. Not wanting to be in the way, she sat at a long table and tried not to think about how foolish she felt wearing a hat when Livvy and Gilly were not. Tried not to think about her ill-fitting gown, or the corset that was squeezing the breath out of her.
"What's your mule's name?" Sunshine asked solemnly.
"Rebecca." At least someone wanted to talk to her. "How old are you?"
"I'm five. I can read and write my name."
After scraping and stacking the plates, Gilly took the chair across from her. "I'm sorry. I hope you won't take this the wrong way, but I keep thinking about Philadelphia , Miss Houser, that is, and how terrible this will be for her. I can't imagine how I would have felt if I'd been jilted at the last moment."
Livvy set cups of coffee in front of them, gave Sunshine a glass of milk, then sat down. "I feel sorry for Philadelphia , but I'm more concerned about what Howard Houser will do."
"Oh, Mama. Not business again."
"Rouser's bank holds the mortgage on Max's place."
Low Down frowned. "You don't think—"
"I hope I'm just borrowing trouble." Livvy studied Low Down's hat and her dress. "My daughter and I prepared Max's house. We made up the beds and stocked linens and food. But I think the two of you might as well stay here overnight. I doubt you feel up to getting organizing right now. You must be tired."
"I'm sorry about the trouble, ma'am," Low Down said, stirring a spoon around and around her coffee cup. And I'm sorry I ain't the kind you wanted your son to marry." She was too nervous being alone with them to remember about ain't. "I'm sorry about Miss Rouser. I'm sorry about damned near everything you can think of. I don't know what else to say."
"You strike me as a straight-talking woman," Livvy said into the ensuing silence. "So I'll admit this isn't the kind of marriage I wanted for Max. What mother would? A man should choose the woman who will be his life's partner and the mother of his children, not have the choice thrust on him."
"You must feel the same way yourself," Gilly added softly. "It must seem very odd to have a husband chosen by lot rather than by inclination. What a terrible situation for everyone."
Genuine sympathy glistened in Gilly's pale greenish-blue eyes, and Low Down suppressed a sigh. She had never known how to respond to tenderhearted women.
Sunshine clasped her small hands around the milk glass and looked up at Low Down. "Did you do something bad?"
"Why would you ask that?" Livvy inquired, frowning.
"Because Aunt Low Down keeps saying she's sorry."
"No, your aunt did not do something bad. And her name is not Low Down. We will call her Louise and think of her as Louise. That includes you," she said to Low Down.
"It's going to be hard to think of myself as Louise." She'd known Livvy McCord only a couple of hours and already Livvy was demanding changes. She wasn't sure how she felt about that.
"Since it doesn't seem like the men are coming back anytime soon, we might as well start some get-acquainted talk." Livvy took a well-seasoned, black-bottomed coffeepot off the woodstove and refilled their cups. "Naturally we're curious about your background, where you were raised, who your family is."
