“Of course.” She gave him a smile, the kind she hoped Joseph would be proud of. “I appreciate you taking the time.”
He nodded, then left, leaving her alone with Meg and the baby.
“Thank you,” Meg said when they were alone. “I am so glad the Lord brought you to us. He’s clearly watching over our family.”
Annabelle held out her arms for the baby. “Do let me hold Emma again. She’s such a dear. I’ll take you to breakfast with Gertie, who will want to hold her, then I’ll never get to hold her again. She does love babies so.”
That warm memory, and the sweet baby placed in her arms, put a tiny crack in Annabelle’s heart. Gertie did love the little ones. How could Annabelle have shut her out for so long?
They walked to Gertie’s, Meg chattering about life in Kansas. Annabelle had no idea how hard farm work was. It certainly sounded just as difficult and desolate a life as these miners faced. Getting up with the sun to work in the fields all day, laboring for a crop that could be wiped out by drought, fire, animals, disease and a host of other problems.
How was mining any different?
Annabelle shook her head. Farmers weren’t risking their lives and putting families in danger. They didn’t spend their earnings on whiskey, women and gambling.
Joseph didn’t, either, a small voice told her.
Nonsense, she told herself right back. There were plenty of reasons to dismiss Joseph.
He was leaving.
Which was why she would put him completely out of her mind.
Fortunately, it was easy enough to do when they arrived at Gertie’s because Joseph wasn’t there. Nugget was, and she immediately launched herself at Annabelle.
“Annabelle! You were gone ever so long!”
She smiled and wrapped her free arm around the little girl. “I was visiting my new friend, Meg. And this is her baby, Emma. Isn’t she a dear little thing?”
Gertie swooped upon them. “I love babies. Let me have a look.”
Just like that, the baby was taken from her arms, and Annabelle gave Meg an “I told you so” look.
Meg smiled shyly, but was immediately engaged in Gertie’s enthusiastic banter as she placed a dish of food in front of the woman. Though Annabelle was pleased to see her so well taken care of, it was almost a shame to give up her job. For a few moments, it had felt like she belonged again. Back before everything in her life had become so hard.
For Nugget, though, it was a welcome change. The little girl hadn’t let go of her hand. Again, Annabelle’s conscience panged at the thought of this little girl leaving her. Nugget had lost so much already. Was it fair to make her lose someone else?
“What have you been doing while I was gone?”
Nugget scowled. “We had to go wash dishes with Polly. Only she got mad at us and chased us away.”
That didn’t sound like the Polly she’d once been friends with. Had Annabelle’s attitude soured her old friend so much? Then Joseph’s words came back to her. Polly was jealous. Over nothing.
“How about I go talk to her?” Annabelle ruffled the top of the little girl’s head, then withdrew her hand. “And when I get back, we’re going to do something with that hair of yours.”
A comment that earned her another scowl, but that was fine. She didn’t want to push Nugget away exactly, but if a few hair brushings was all it took to diminish Annabelle’s popularity, she’d take it.
“I’m going to the creek to talk to Polly,” Annabelle said over her shoulder at Gertie and Meg. “I’ll be back shortly.”
She avoided the path that she’d taken yesterday where she’d run into those men. Her ankle was now throbbing again. But she couldn’t put off this errand. Polly’s attitude was affecting everyone else.
Her trip to the creek was quieter than it had been the last time, and she easily found Polly, clean dishes in one pile, and already beginning the wash for the day.
“Hi, Polly.”
The other girl didn’t turn and look at her. “Go away. I don’t need you slowing me down again. You tell Ma—”
“What? Something that you’ll contradict later?”
Polly spun, her face red. “So what? You’re going to tell on me now?”
Annabelle took a deep breath. “No. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped at you.” This making up was harder business than the idea had originally sounded.
“Look.” She took another step in Polly’s direction. “I know I said some awful things. I deeply regret them. But what I regret even more is that I’ve lost a good friend. So if we can talk about whatever else is bothering you, I’d like to clear the air. Even if you don’t want to be friends again, at least we could be—”
“Nothing.” Polly’s stare was full of pure hate. “You are nothing to me, and never will be. You think you’re better than everyone else, and you don’t give a whit for anyone other than you.”
The backs of Annabelle’s eyes and throat stung. She could own a certain amount of selfishness, but surely Polly knew that there was more to her than that.
And if Joseph hadn’t spoken to her about Polly earlier, she might have walked away. But this wasn’t about Annabelle’s behavior, not really.
“Joseph said he heard you and Tom fighting this morning. Something about you thinking he and I were engaged in a flirtation?”
Annabelle stared at Polly, ready for her to spew more venom in her direction. But Polly didn’t say anything, not even as Annabelle could see the steam practically rising out of Polly’s head. When she blew, it wasn’t going to be pretty. But better here than with the little girls again.
“I have never encouraged Tom. I’ve always seen him as your beau, and I’ve always believed that the two of you were going to be married someday. I would never interfere with that. Regardless of what you think of me, I want you
