Page 156 of Conveniently Wed
Hmm. Maybe she would.
“You said Gideon had a wife once. What happened to her?”
Miriam took so long before speaking, Leah almost asked again. Maybe she hadn’t heard.
Finally, she answered, her attention never leaving the yarn and needle in her hands. “Jane was a nice girl. Real pretty. Gideon met her down in Butte City when he went for supplies. Her pa was a miner there, back when the mines were big business. I never could decide if he loved her or just felt sorry for her.
“Anyway, he brought her home and she settled in. Mama and Pa were already gone by then, and I was excited to have another woman around the house. She hated it here, though. I think mountain life scared her. Not that it was much tamer in town, but she hated the wild animals and the hard work and cooking without many store-bought provisions.” Miriam lifted her chin, her eyes taking on that faraway look again. This time, though, the smile wasn’t there.
“Did she run away?”
Miriam shook her head and released a sigh, dropping her eyes back to the half-finished heel in her hands.
“She was bit by a rattlesnake. She’d ridden out to take lunch to the boys, and I guess it spooked her horse. She made it back to the house on foot, but by then the poison was in her blood. She died that same day.”
Leah’s throat tightened. How awful.
“Gideon always blamed himself—for bringin’ her up here in the first place, and then for not bein’ there when she needed him.”
“But it wasn’t his fault. He couldn’t have known a snake would bite her.” Why was she defending him to his own sister?
Miriam shook her head. “I know that. We all tried to tell him, but he never would listen. That’s about the time he stopped talkin’ so much.”
A burn crept up her throat to sting her eyes. What a sad, sad story. If only she could make things better for this strong man who carried so much unnecessary burden. If only she could make him believe the truth, help him shoulder some of his load. She couldn’t explain her desire, but it was so real her chest ached. Maybe she could start by helping him dream again.
Leah perched on the edge of the bed, watching Miriam scurry around the kitchen, putting away dishes. She’d been up for breakfast, but her leg still ached enough it was hard to spend too much time on the crutches. Her body tired quickly these days.
“So what’s on your to-do list for today?”
Miriam didn’t stop to look at Leah, but kept flitting from table to counter to shelf as she answered. “I need to go out and do some weeding in the garden. The grass is almost as tall as my green bean plants. It’ll take over soon if I let it.”
Outside. A bit of sunshine was exactly what she needed to get her strength back. “If you’ll help me change dresses, I’ll work in the garden with you.”
Miriam shot a skeptical look over her shoulder as she lifted the stack of tin plates onto the shelf. “I don’t know if you’re ready for that yet.”
“Please? I can sit between the rows and scoot along as I pull weeds.” Leah tried to add a touch of sweetness to the pleading in her voice.
Miriam released a short laugh. “Leah Townsend, a member of Richmond’s elite, is begging me to let her crawl through the dirt in my little garden? Your friends would never believe it.”
Leah wanted to stick her tongue out at the girl, but settled for wrinkling her nose. “They’ll never know if you don’t tell them.”
Miriam laughed again as she wiped her hands on her apron and moved toward Leah’s bed chamber. “Which dress do you want me to get?”
“The gray homespun. It should be in the bottom of the smaller trunk. And thank you.”
Miriam rolled her eyes as she walked from the room.
Two hours later, she’d received a taste of how much work a garden was. Not that she’d complain, though. The sun was glorious on her back and she’d never known how much fun it was to crumble dirt in her hands. If only Emily could see her now. She’d either sit down and cry, or hug her sides from laughter.
Leah braced her hands in the dirt behind her and scooted back to reveal another section of grass to pull. Her splinted leg drug in the dirt, with brown streaks on the bandages. After this little escapade, the cloth would need to be changed for sure.
She blew out a breath to clear her face of the wispy brown tendrils that had escaped her chignon. They fell right back in her eyes, so she raised an arm to wipe them away.
Before reaching for another hunk of grass, she stopped to survey the four long rows of green beans, peppers, and lettuce they’d weeded. Each row was about fifty feet long, so they’d made good progress this morning. Of course, Miriam had done three to Leah’s one, but at least she’d done something productive.
She’d better get moving again to finish this row. Miriam had already gone inside to put lunch on the table, so Leah wouldneed to hobble in soon. She reached for a clump of grass, but a motion at the top of her vision caught her attention.
A snake slithered toward her, its head raised not a foot from her leg.
