Page 11 of Belle Fourche Legacy

Gideon grinned but remained silent. The men of the family hadn’t been forced to learn things like piano and needlepoint. But she wouldn’t grumble. He’d also worked as hard as a grown man from the time he could sit in a saddle.

“How is Josie getting on?” Ma reached over and squeezed Gideon’s hand.

“You’ll be able to ask her yourself here in a moment. She wanted to check on her new foal, but she’ll be in shortly.”

At that moment, the door opened softly and Gideon’s wife Josie appeared. Since she never went to town, Gideon had told her not to bother with dresses anymore. She’d always worn trousers under her skirt, anyway. Now, she dressed in men’s shirts and trousers, but she’d sewn them herself to fit. Those very clothes now accentuated the large bump in her midsection, though she still seemed to walk as gracefully as a bird in flight.

“Good morning, Josie.”

Josie smiled at Ma and poured a cup of coffee for herself, then sat. “Good morning to you, too.” She reached for Gideon’s hand, bowed her head in a quick prayer, then reached for two rolls at the center of the table.

“You seem to be getting on just fine.” Ma nodded, her face aglow.

Josie rolled her shoulders slightly. “Mostly. Getting a little uncomfortable when I try to sleep. But soon it will be the cries of my baby keeping me awake, not the weight tugging me to lie in a way I’d never bother with otherwise.”

Josie had always been frank, and Alice appreciated her candidness. She might never hear such things if not for her sister-in-law. Ma certainly wouldn’t say them. Though, the knowledge might go to waste if she never married.

“That is true. You only have a few more weeks to go. Then your arms will be full.”

Josie touched her chest and took a deep breath. “My heart is already.” She held out one hand and squeezed Gideon’s fingers and reached her other arm to her two children.

The sudden, overwhelming urge to cry forced Alice to her feet. She would not shed tears at what couldn’t be. “I’ll be riding into town. If you have a list, I’d be happy to fill it, though I’d only planned on taking my horse, not a wagon.”

“Mrs. Eliza did our shopping yesterday. I have no needs. Go and enjoy your day with Hannah.”

“Don’t forget these.” Ma pushed a covered plate over toward Alice a few inches. “Wrap a few in a towel.”

Alice nodded, wishing she could just leave before anyone noticed her upset. How could she explain to her family that the very thing that made Josie want to burst with joy made her want to bury her head in her pillow and never leave her room?

Once on her horse, Alice took a deep breath and could forget her worries, at least for a while. Hannah had been her dearest friend for as long as she could remember, only deepened by the fact that Hannah was her sister. She made the easy ride in just under an hour and pulled her horse to a stop by Hannah’s front porch, just outside of town.

The quaint house sat far back off the road but was only five minutes from town if your horse happened to be saddled already. Hannah often walked into town for something to occupy her time. She and Blake didn’t have children yet, though Hannah had mentioned they were praying for a blessing and her eyes had glistened when she’d said it, like she had a secret.

Hannah stood outside their small barn where Blake kept two horses and a goat. Or rather, Hannah kept them, because her husband still preferred automobiles to horses, but he was adjusting.

Alice waved, and Hannah turned from what she’d been doing to meet her. “Good morning.” Hannah wiped her furrowed brow.

“It doesn’t look all the well from here. What’s the matter?”

Hannah’s lip trembled. “Blake brought home a puppy last week. He was pretty little, and I worried he’d be too small to make it. Well, we woke up this morning, and he was weak. I called on the doctor to come see him.”

“I’m sure Dr. Spight will know just what to do.” Even though Dr. Spight had mentioned many times he detested that part of his practice.

“Not Dr. Spight. Dr. Douglas.” Hannah’s eyes narrowed as if she felt Alice should’ve known better.

If she stayed on to visit Hannah today, she would break her promise to avoid the Douglas family. Hannah wasn’t going to go sit inside and drink iced tea while her puppy lay sick outside with Kent. “He’s here? Right now?”

Hannah turned and nodded toward the barn. Alice held her breath. She’d just seen him the morning before. Perhaps her father wouldn’t be angry about this because she wasn’t going near Douglas land. She’d see him on neutral ground. There was no way to restart the feud at Hannah’s house.

She took a few steps forward until Hannah reached out and gripped her arm. “Are you sure you want to go in there?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Was there something she hadn’t considered? “He doesn’t scare me.” He certainly thought he should, but he didn’t.

Hannah rolled her eyes. “I’m not talking about Kent, though it’s odd that he’s the first one your mind rests on. I have a sick dog. What if you bring the sickness back to the working dogs?”

Alice bit her lip, a battle waging inside her. She’d already decided she wanted to see Kent, but now there was a valid reason to stay away.

“Hannah?” Kent’s deep, smooth voice came from the depths of the barn and Hannah turned to go back. Alice followed. If there was an issue, she’d stay by the door, far away from the sick puppy.

---