Page 5 of Temel

As soon as the reality of their reduced circumstances had set in she’d tried to find other housing, but Wainwright was too small to offer much in terms of rental property. A few of the stores on Main Street let out rooms on their upper floors, but they tended to be noisy and the lack of privacy meant their deception about Angel would be all too easy to spot.

There were also a few small cottages intended for temporary workers, but the operative word was small, and as much as she loved Dora they both needed a little space sometimes.

“Wouldn’t it be nice to be away from town?” she added hopefully.

The Dora of a year ago would have sulked and pouted. The new Dora only sighed as Angel waved her chubby little arms happily.

“I suppose. Angel seems to like it, don’t you, sweetheart?”

Breathing an internal sigh of relief, Ida gave a firm nod.

“Good. Let’s start by making a list of what we need.”

Practically everything as it turned out, but the first thing to do was get rid of all the debris and give the place a good scrub. At least the furniture in the house in town was hers so they’d have places to sit and sleep and eat, although she’d have to arrange for someone to move it. She was wondering uneasily how much that would cost as they finished their survey.

“It was probably a pretty house once,” Dora said absently, running her hand over the banister.

“And it will be again. You’ll see.”

“You wouldn’t have it any other way, would you, Mama?”

An unexpected lump appeared in Ida’s chest as Dora gave her a quick, impulsive hug. Dora had been nine when Ida married Abner, both old enough to remember her mother and to resent a newcomer. She’d resisted using the word Mama for a long time, so Ida always treasured it.

“I promise I’ll do my best. Shall we head back to town?”

“Why don’t we explore a little first?” Dora wandered back out on the porch and pointed farther along the road they’d traveled. As it headed south, it dipped down into a small valley to run next to a creek overhung with trees. “That looks pretty.”

She needed to finish her sewing job and start arranging for the move, but maybe it wouldn’t hurt to spend a little time enjoying the countryside—especially if it helped Dora feel more enthusiastic about the move.

“I wanna ‘splore.”

Tommy popped up next to them, his face once again streaked with dirt, and she sighed.

“Maybe we should use the creek to give you a bath instead.”

He nodded enthusiastically, and Dora laughed and ruffled his hair affectionately. Despite her doubts about a stepmother, she’d readily welcomed a baby brother.

“You wouldn’t like it. I bet it’s still icy cold. You’d be hollering like a wildcat as soon as you put a foot in it.”

“Would not.”

“Would too.”

“Since I don’t plan to let Tommy go swimming, I guess we’ll never know,” she interrupted. “But I’m agreeable to driving a little farther. But only a little way. I still have sewing to do.”

Tommy cheered, his annoyance forgotten, and Ida breathed a sigh of relief as they all climbed back in the carriage.

Their route led them parallel to the creek, first through a field scattered with tiny white flowers, and then into a copse of trees. They were just emerging into another clearing when Tommy, who’d been sitting very still, suddenly announced, “I’m hungry.”

She smiled down at him.

“Then it’s a good thing I brought some sandwiches. Shall we stop here and have a picnic?”

It was a pretty, peaceful spot. A rocky outcropping a short distance back from the road was framed by trees and the short grass was already lush and green. When Dora nodded her agreement, she pulled the carriage off the road and into the clearing. As Tommy darted around exploring, she removed Lady’s harness and put her on a picket line to graze. Dora sat down on a sun-warmed boulder and started nursing Angel.

“Look,” her daughter said softly, nodding at Tommy.

They both watched as he hopped across the road, then stripped off his shoes and socks before sticking his foot into the creek. He immediately shivered and pulled back and they both laughed.

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