Page 318 of Conveniently Wed
“Are you okay?” he asked as they walked down the boardwalk in the direction of the buggy.
“Better than okay. Great, actually.” Aundy felt so much lighter with the cast gone. She swung her arm as they walked and Garrett suddenly grabbed her other arm, pulling them to a stop beside his buggy.
“I completely forgot about your cast. Did Doc take it off?” Garrett placed his hand on Aundy’s arm, unconcerned if it was appropriate or not. Warmth seeped into his palm from the light touch and he grinned. “Why didn’t you tell me you were getting the cast off?”
“I wasn’t sure Doc would take it off and besides, I thoroughly enjoyed your inability to figure out why I wanted to visit Doc. Honestly, Garrett, what did you think was wrong with me? I’m as fit as a fiddle, with a stubborn streak a mile wide. You won’t find a woman in much better health than me.” Aundy smiled tauntingly at Garrett as he helped her into the buggy.
“How did you…? Never mind.” Garrett felt silly and a little stupid.
He agreed with Aundy, though. He’d be hard-pressed to find a female more robust and vibrant than the one sitting beside him.
8
“There they go,” Dent said, watching as Hiram Anderson and his men drove the cattle up the road. Once they hit open range to the north, they’d drive the cattle west to Hiram’s ranch. Dent sent their hands along to help until they got past the neighboring farms.
“Indeed.” Aundy sat on Bell as she watched the mass of cattle plod along, churning the road to dust.
“Are you doing okay, Missy?” Dent looked at Aundy in concern. He knew how hard it was for her to make the decision to sell the cattle.
“I’m fine, Dent. I just feel like I’ve somehow let Erik down.” Her normally straight spine bent forward and her shoulders drooped.
“Erik would be proud that you made a good decision and are doing what you can to keep the farm going. Don’t worry about the cattle. Maybe we’ll have another herd on the place someday.” Dent turned his horse toward the house.
Aundy followed behind, glad a broken piece of equipment that required immediate repairs kept Garrett away. She didn’t want him to see her fight back the tears that threatened to spill over or the defeat that weighed heavy on her shoulders.
She wished she could think of some way to generate more income without increasing the workload. Her crew was stretched way too thin as it was. The payment from the cattle was a boon, but Aundy felt driven to make the farm prosperous, like it would have been under Erik’s direction.
Keeping her thoughts to herself, she unsaddled Bell and brushed her down at the barn before returning to the house. In need of a distraction, she made a batch of butter cookies then decided to prepare a dinner for her men. She pulled a pan of rolls out of the oven when the hands rode up to the barn.
Aundy rushed out the kitchen door and down the steps, waving a dishtowel at them to get their attention. She needed to have someone make her a triangle like Nora had at her house. It would sure come in handy.
“Something wrong, Mrs. Erickson?” The hand who did most of the cooking at the bunkhouse hurried her direction when he saw her approach.
“No, George. I just wanted to invite you boys for supper. You’ve had a long day and I thought you might like a hot meal.”
“That’s right nice of you, Mrs. Erickson. We’ll wash up and be in directly.” George looked toward the other hands, busy storing their tack and brushing down their horses.
“Wonderful.” Aundy hurried back to the house and set the big kitchen table. She didn’t think the men would appreciate eating in the dining room surrounded by gleaming china and starched linen.
A knock sounded on the kitchen door and Dent stuck his head inside as she placed a bowl of mashed potatoes on the table. “Please, come in.”
“You sure you want all of us in here?” Dent stepped inside followed by the other four hands. George, Bill, Glen, and Fred all had freshly scrubbed hands and faces. George and Glen hadgone to the effort of changing their shirts and combing their hair.
“Please, have a seat. Feeding you dinner is the least I can do after all your hard work rounding up the cattle today,” Aundy said, taking a seat at the table so the men would stop feeling the need to be formal and stand. They all sat and Aundy looked at Dent, asking him to say grace. Although the words he said were brief, they were heartfelt.
The men dug into the food with enthusiasm, offering praise for Aundy’s cooking. When she brought out a chocolate cake for dessert, more than one of them appeared excited at the prospect of enjoying a slice.
“You didn’t make that just for us, did you?” Fred asked, trying not to appear overly enthusiastic for a piece of cake.
“I did.” Aundy smiled as she cut generous slices and placed them on plates along with a dollop of freshly whipped cream.
Thanks to the milk cows, she never lacked for fresh milk, cream, or butter. Although the men brought her a pail of milk every morning, not one of them said a word about her learning to milk the cows. As soon as she regained the strength in her arm, she knew the chore was one she should eventually take over.
Dent kept a few cows for milking and beef. He mentioned they’d need to get a new bull or borrow one from a neighbor.
Garrett would give her good advice on whether to buy or borrow one. Since she depended more and more on his input, Aundy needed to stop leaning on him and stand on her own two feet.
“Mrs. Erickson, I think this is the best thing I’ve ever tasted,” Glen said, closing his eyes as he savored the last bite.
