Bride for Robert Read online

  She smiled at him over her shoulder. “Breakfast will be ready in about five minutes.” She was happy to know he liked bacon. Wanting to make him all of his favorite meals to thank him for the way he was treating her and Olivia meant she would take special note of everything he liked.

  There was a cry from the other room, and she started to go back there to check on Olivia, but Robert beat her to it. He was already in there, picking her up and carrying her into the kitchen. “Are you hungry?”

  “Is this home?” Olivia asked. She seemed very confused by the travel.

  “This is home,” Robert told her. “Do you like it?”

  Olivia looked around her as if considering the question. She finally nodded, looking at her mother. “Hungry.”

  “I know, baby. Breakfast will be ready in a few minutes. I’ll get you dressed after breakfast.”

  “Yes, Mama.” She looked around, trying to find a chair for her, but there wasn’t one. “I sit on Daddy.”

  Minnie laughed softly. “That sounds like a good idea to me. Daddy is fun to sit on.”

  After breakfast, Robert got to his feet, setting Olivia in the chair he’d vacated. “I need to meet up with the other men and start introducing myself around town. It’s time for my job to start.”

  Minnie nodded, hiding a yawn behind her hand. “Time for mine to start as well.”

  He frowned at her. “Don’t overdo it. I don’t want you risking the health of that baby just because you’re too stubborn to live with a little bit of dirt for a day or two.”

  She blinked at him in surprise. “Did you just call me stubborn?”

  “If the shoe fits, you should just put it right on your foot and tie the laces.” He leaned down to kiss her cheek. “I’ll be home for lunch around noon. I won’t start riding out to do check on the trappers until next week. I need to get acclimated here first.”

  “Will you ride out to check on others often?” she asked.

  “Most days I’ll ride at least a short distance. We’ll all take turns, but our territory is huge. They just put us in the middle of it so we could have companions. Some nights we’ll even have to stay overnight. We’ll mostly work in pairs, though, because I’m training Calvin and Malcolm is training Colton.”

  “I didn’t realize that. Are they new Mounties?”

  “They’re new to the Northern tribes. Being a Mountie in the south is very different than being a Mountie here. There are so many new things to learn that they try to assign a rookie with a more seasoned man.”

  “That makes sense to me.” Minnie cleared the table and poured the water she’d heated into the sink to wash the dishes. “I’ll have lunch ready at noon.” Which meant she had to hurry to get the bread started before she could start on the laundry.

  “You two have a good day.”

  Minnie smiled. “We will. Won’t we, Olivia?”

  Olivia was too busy eating to notice that her mother was even talking to her.

  After Robert had left, Minnie started the bread, and then she heated more water for laundry. Her first week here would be a never-ending pile of work, but after that, she should be able to get into a simple routine.

  She was just starting to wash the laundry when there was a knock on the door. She hurried over to see who it was, finding Faith standing there. “Come in!”

  “Thank you,” Faith said, looking around her cabin. “We all have pretty much the same cabin, I think. How is little Olivia doing?”

  Olivia was playing with a piece of dough Minnie had given her, rolling it around on the floor and making shapes out of it.

  “She’s doing well, I think. She seems content here, which pleases me. This place is so different than how we lived in Ottawa that I was worried, she wouldn’t be happy here.” Minnie smiled at her daughter before turning back to her laundry. “I’m trying to get all the laundry done up today, because the linens weren’t left in the best shape.”

  “I see.” Faith seemed to want to say something, but Minnie had no idea what.

  “What brings you over this morning?” Minnie finally asked. She liked the other woman, but she had work to do that didn’t include entertaining her.

  “I just wanted to check on you. I know you’re in the family way, and I wanted to make sure you were doing all right.”

  Minnie looked at Faith with surprise. “I’m more than capable of handling my chores. The worst part of the pregnancy is over, and I can work hard now.”

  “Oh, well good.” Faith still seemed to have something on her mind, but Minnie wasn’t sure what.

  “Is there something I can help you with?” Minnie finally asked.

  “No. I just—well, I’m not used to being alone so much. Especially not in the middle of an Indian tribe.”

  Minnie smiled at that. “Does it make you nervous?”

  “A little.”

  “If you’d like, you could bring some of your work over here, and we could do it together.” Minnie wouldn’t mind the companionship of another woman. She hadn’t had any real friends back in Ottawa because David hadn’t approved of her wasting her time so frivolously, so she hadn’t spent time with another woman her age in a long while.

  “You really don’t mind?” Faith asked.

  “I really don’t mind.” If Minnie had been asked the day before if she’d want to spend time with another woman while doing her chores, the answer would have been an emphatic no. But now that she’d made the offer, she found she liked the idea. Faith seemed like a nice young woman, and it would be good to have a friend.

  “I’ll be right back.” Faith hurried out the door and came back with her own washing.

  As the morning wore on, Minnie learned a lot about her companion. Faith seemed to think that being married to a Mountie was the ultimate adventure. Her excitement made Minnie smile. She hadn’t really looked at being there as something adventurous, but she’d taken a train and a dog sled to get there. What was boring about that?

  While they chatted, Olivia played with the doll Miss Hazel had given her for Christmas. She had named the doll after the giver, so there was a lot of, “Miss Hazel, no!” going on. Every time Olivia said the words, both of the woman would laugh, loving the shared joke. Miss Hazel, as sweet and kind as she was, was a bit out of control at times. She needed to be told no.

  Faith left when it was time to go home and cook lunch for Calvin. Minnie almost missed her when she left. It was nice to have another woman to talk to. She hadn’t realized just how much she missed it. It had been different with Miss Hazel. Faith was close to her age, and it was so much more appealing.

  When Robert came home for lunch, Minnie told him about the visitor she’d had all morning. “She left with just enough time to cook lunch.”

  “I’m glad you have a friend here. It will make your time in the north so much easier. It’s a hard life here, but I can see you were born for it.”

  Minnie shrugged. “It’s not that much different than my life was growing up. My parents were farmers, and there were few luxuries.”

  “Were you an only child?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “No, I had younger twin sisters who were killed in the fire as well.” Her entire life had gone up in smoke that day. She’d been in town drawing a portrait for some pocket money, though her sisters had asked her to stay with them. Never again would she put money over loved ones.

  “I’m so sorry.”

  “Me too. I still miss my family. We didn’t have a lot of money, but we did have a lot of love for each other. When they died, I was truly lost.” She served the lunch, sitting down across from him. “I think that’s why I married so quickly. I really had no idea what else I could do.” She thought about her drawings, and she’d hoped she could one day live off them, but life had taken her a different direction. One that had given her Olivia, so she couldn’t be sad about it.

  “I’d say that I’m sorry you had to marry him, but I’m not sure that I am. I wish he had been kinder to you…but really, if you ha
dn’t married him, you wouldn’t have ended up in Ottawa to be my wife. I don’t think there was another girl in the lot that I would have taken.”

  She smiled. “I was sure I would be the last chosen. I insisted on having Olivia with me for the meetings, because I wanted the men I met to be sure of what they were getting.”

  “To me, Olivia was part of the blessing that came with marrying you.” He looked around him, noticing all the work that had once again been done. “I love that you care enough to make sure you keep the house clean and have meals ready for me, but don’t work yourself to death!” She really must be the most stubborn woman alive. Why couldn’t she rest for a day or two before working so hard? He’d specifically told her he wanted her to rest.

  “I won’t work myself to death. Really, if you think about it, I’m getting all the work out of the way, and I’ll have an easy week next week. I’m not one to procrastinate when there’s a chore to be done. I’d much rather get it out of the way so I can enjoy the next day. Does that make sense?”

  He nodded. “I suppose it does, and I’m much the same myself. I just hate seeing you always working so hard.”

  “You’re a good man, Robert Barret. You know that, don’t you?”

  He was a little embarrassed by her words. “I’m a Mountie. Doesn’t that naturally make me a good man?”

  “Not necessarily. I’m sure there are Mounties who are in it to swindle and steal, just like any other profession. I’m glad you’re not one of those.”

  “What will you do this afternoon?” he asked. “The house seems to be in perfect shape now. How will you occupy yourself?”

  She smiled. “I need to fold the laundry, make supper, the windows need to be washed, the floors need to be scrubbed…trust me. I won’t run out of things to do. And I need to make some new dresses for Olivia once I finish everything else. And my dresses need to be let out soon, too. They’re getting too tight in the waist.”

  “I hope you know that I think you’re beautiful…growing belly and all.”

  Minnie blushed. “I’m not. But thank you.”

  Olivia sat quietly eating her lunch. It wasn’t long before her nap time, and she was quickly winding down. She was once again taking her meal on Robert’s lap, happy to be there.

  “She seems so quiet compared to usual,” Robert said, looking at Olivia. “She’s not getting sick, is she?”

  “I don’t think so. She’s just had a busy few days, and she played really hard this morning. She made bread with me, and then she played with Miss Hazel for a long time.”

  “Miss Hazel?” Robert had no idea what she was talking about.

  “Miss Hazel gave her a doll for Christmas, and Olivia decided to name the doll after her. Her pretend Miss Hazel is constantly getting into trouble. It makes me laugh a lot more than it should.”

  “I’m glad you’re laughing. When I met you, you looked so sad. I worried you’d never be able to laugh again, if you ever had.”

  She frowned. “That description makes me wonder why you ever would have wanted to marry me in the first place. Miss Hazel must have really talked up my cooking and housekeeping skills.”

  Robert nodded. “She did. She also told me what an amazing cook you are and about how good you were with Olivia. How could I not want to marry someone as talented, beautiful, and hard-working as you are? You were my dream wife.”

  “Other than the children, I’m sure.”

  “No, along with the children. I wanted Olivia as much as I wanted you.” He wasn’t sure why she didn’t understand that the children weren’t a liability to him. They were an added blessing.

  “Whatever the reason, I’m glad you saw something in us that you wanted to keep. Thank you for that.”

  “Thank you for being willing to marry me. I was afraid you’d turn me down.”

  She frowned. “I wasn’t in a position to turn anyone down, but I am glad it was you who chose me. The other men seem so young. I’m not sure I would have been able to be happy with any of them. I can see myself happy with you.”

  He smiled at that. He’d take those words, and they’d grow a life together. It might take them a while, but he knew he could do it.

  5

  That afternoon while Olivia slept, Minnie worked hard at getting the windows washed and the last of the laundry folded and put away. She organized her kitchen the way she wanted it and wondered when she'd be able to get more supplies. She was grateful for everything Robert had brought her the previous night, but there just wasn't enough to feed them for long, and she would prefer the work finished as soon as possible. Well, as finished as it was possible for a woman’s work to be. She’d heard it said many times that a woman’s work was never done, and she completely agreed. There was always something to work on.

  She would finish as much as she could, though, because it was how she preferred to do things. When one procrastinated, something always came up to prevent the task being accomplished.

  As she was working in the kitchen, there was a knock at the door. She hurried over to see who it was, hoping they wouldn't wake Olivia. She thought it might be Faith, but when she opened the door she saw two of the native women standing there.

  "Hello." She wasn’t sure why they were there, but she would do her best to make them feel welcome.

  She couldn't help but wonder if the ladies spoke any English, and was surprised when one of them spoke in limited, heavily-accented English. "We come welcome."

  Minnie smiled. "Come in!" She knew there was a bit of tea in the box that Robert had brought her, so she hurried and put the kettle on. She didn't know if that was the proper way to entertain Indians, but there had to be something she could do. There was a bit of bread left from the loaf she'd made for lunch, so she cut it up and buttered it. Hopefully that would do. There hadn’t been many natives in the area she grew up in, so this was new and unprecedented for her.

  The Indian women watched everything she did, obviously curious about the way she lived. When she put the tea at the table, the women sat down and began to drink the tea and eat the bread. They said nothing to her, simply staring at her and smiling.

  As soon as they’d finished eating, they left as abruptly as they’d come, leaving Minnie confused about the entire situation. “Please come again!” she called after them. Had they come to be friends with her? Or were they simply curious about the new Mountie wives?

  Whichever it was, she needed to get back to her tasks. She wanted the house good and ready to live in by Monday morning. That would give her some time to spend with her daughter and do some sketches of the land. She looked forward to writing to Miss Hazel, planning to illustrate each letter. She knew Miss Hazel would appreciate her efforts.

  By the time Olivia woke from her nap, Minnie was finished with most of her tasks that she had planned on doing that day. She had some salt pork in the oven, and she planned to make some potatoes with it. She really hoped that Robert would take her to the local store on Saturday so they would have enough food to start the week.

  She found that she had enough flour and sugar to make a cake for her family that evening. Then if there was anything left, she would be able to serve it for tea when the Indians came again. She wanted to make friends, but she wasn't sure if the other Mountie wives would be her friends or if she'd end up being friends with the native women. She wanted someone to talk to, but more than that she hoped there was someone who would be able to deliver her baby when the time came. She hadn't thought to ask around yet, but of course the language barrier would make that very difficult anyway.

  When Robert came in at the end of the day, he inhaled deeply, obviously enjoying the smell of the cake she had baked. Minnie hurried to him, smiling sweetly. "How was your afternoon?"

  When she studied him, he looked very tired. The long journey and having to jump into his new job seemed to be taking their toll on him. "It was good. We talked about how we would divide up the territory between us, because it's better for the natives if they recognize o
ne man as the man in charge. It would be confusing if it was a different man every week."

  “Will tomorrow be more of the same?” she asked, worried about how tired he looked.

  He nodded. “Looks like there’s a storm coming this way. One of the local natives is good with predicting weather, and he says a storm will hit Saturday, so we will need to do all we can to prepare before then. I want to have something for me to do inside if we’re cooped up for several days.”

  “I wish you could take a little time off before you had to prepare, but I understand that you can’t choose your time off.”

  “No, I really can’t. I’ll do what needs to be done, because that’s what I’ve been trained to do.” He yawned widely. “It’s going to have to be a quiet evening. Early to bed will be the order of the day.”

  “I won’t argue with that at all.” She was tired herself, and an early night sounded like just what she needed.

  The next day was much like the first for Minnie. She spent the morning working on chores, and Robert came home for lunch before hurrying off to work again. The same two Indian women came back that afternoon, but this time they brought a friend. Minnie made them tea again, and she served them some of the cake left from the previous evening.

  No words were exchanged, and as soon as the women were done eating, they hurried off again. Minnie thought she might need to make sure she always had tea on hand. Maybe she wasn’t making great strides with the native women, but she was trying, and that had to count for something.

  She met Robert at the door when he arrived home that afternoon, taking his coat from him to hang it on a hook she’d hung on the wall earlier. "Will you work tomorrow? Or will you finally have a chance to take a day or two off?"

  Robert rubbed the back of his neck. "We're planning to take this weekend to settle in. If an emergency arises, one of us will go out. Other than that, we need to help you ladies get settled into the community if we can. It does look like that storm is going to be a big one."