Page 15 of The Marshal's Bride
Justine bowed her head in silent prayer.
Lord, I’m listening now. How do I marry someone else if you’re just going to take them away from me?
The rain finally ended the following morning and Justine was pleased she could walk about town. It was still too wet to go to the park, but Hope enjoyed herself splashing in the muddy puddles on her way home from the parsonage. At least tomorrow was laundry day.
After her discussion with June, Justine thought it prudent to visit with her cousin. The visit didn’t go as planned, and now she was just exhausted from listening to another lecture. The reverend was a good man, but he agreed with Marmee. If she wanted to establish herself here in town, she would need to be married.At least he hadn’t pushed her toward Sam.
“Quack!” Hope said as she jumped onto the edge of a puddle with both feet. Brown water splashed on her chubby legs, and she giggled. “Quack,” she said again as she jumped once more.
“This way, darling. We need to get to the store and then go home and put you in the bath.” Justine reached down for her hand.
“Quack, quack,” Hope responded, taking her mother’s hand and ambling beside her.
As they approached the mercantile, Justine spied Rose Arden sweeping mud from in front of the door. When the older woman saw Hope, she stopped sweeping and raised her hand.
“Good afternoon, Justine and Hope,” Rose called. “Are you stopping in? Dillon just put the new bolts of fabric out.”
“Hello Rose! Yes, we were just on our way to see you.” Tugging lightly on Hope’s hand, Justine continued, “Can you say hello to Mrs. Arden, Hope?” The little girl waved with a toothy grin, and both women laughed.
“She is getting so big!” Rose held the door open for them, but awareness tingled at the back of Justine’s neck.
“She really is. I need to purchase several yards of fabric. Hope needs a new pair of shoes as well. If you don’t have any in the store, can we order them from the catalog? Or is there a cobbler in town that I’ve not been introduced to yet?” Justine set Hope at the little table that Rose’s husband had installed to keep the children occupied while their mothers made their purchases. It was a brilliant idea, since there were so many new little ones in town. She turned to see Rose watching her with an expectant look on her face. “You look like there’s something on your mind, Rose.”
Rose looked around the store before leaning forward. “I’ve not talked to you in a few days, but I was wondering how it went at the bank?”
Justine shook her head. She was tired of talking about it and she was all out of tears. If she kept talking about it, anger was going to win out and her outburst would be anything but ladylike. “Shoes?”
“I’ll get the shoes for you to try on, Hope.” Rose patted her arm, “and I’ll grab some lemonade, if you have time?”
“That sounds wonderful, thank you.”
The fabrics Dillon had put out were lovely. They were perfect for fall, which was Justine’s favorite season. She picked out a dark blue, dark green and a shimmery brown for dressier occasions. She would get a little extra to make matching bows for Hope as well. That would work for Amy, Charity, and Sadie’s gifts as well. Justine thought about beginning to plan out her holiday gifts as well. She placed the fabric next to the register.
Might as well purchase the entire bolt, as she would well use the fabric.
Winter would be here before they knew it. She could only hope that it would be slightly easier than it had been in Lincoln. At least this time, she would be in town. She wasn’t planning to stock up nearly as many supplies as they had to at the farm.
“Here we go. Lemonade for the three of us, a letter for your mama, and some shoes for you to try on, little miss.”
“Let me help you!” Justine rushed over, but Rose shook her head and set everything down on the table except the letter in her hand.
“This is for you. Dillon thinks these little boots should fit Hope. If they fit, I have a pair of leather slippers for her too.”
Justine kneeled, sliding off the worn boots that Hope wore. Showing her the boots, Justine eased her little foot in. They were a bit too long, but she would grow into them sooner rather than later. “I’ll take a size smaller in the kid shoes if you have it, but the boots are perfect with the way she’s growing. They’ll get her through winter at least.”
“Are you concerned about the winter?” Rose took a sip of her drink and looked at the fabric choices that Justine had made.
“I’m hoping that at this lower elevation, it will prove to be easier than last year. I can’t say that I’m going to miss having to chop wood this year.” Her tone sobered, but she was proud of the things she had learned and adapted to doing since Jacob had died.
“You have survived, and Hope is a happy little girl. I don’t know what I would do if something happened to Dillon, but it’s encouraging to see your successes.”
“There’s a strength in us that I don’t think we know is there until we need it. Or maybe the Lord blesses us with the strength when we need it most.”
“Maybe it’s both.” Rose stood and collected the items she’d brought out. “How many yards do you need?”
“I’ll just take both bolts of the ones on top, and twelve yards of the shimmery one.”
Rose nodded, and it struck Justine once more how many of the friends she’d made this year who were hoping for her success.
