Marion was waiting for her and the two women went toward where they had seen deer on their walk on Saturday. “Do we need to be really quiet?” Marion asked.
Trudie nodded. “It’s best if they don’t hear us coming.” To her it was common sense, but obviously Marion had never been hunting, so she wouldn’t know.
Less than an hour later, Trudie took aim with the rifle and got a buck right through the heart. She handed the rifle to Marion, instructing her to keep the barrel raised, so there was no chance of shooting anyone. Trudie’s father hadn’t approved of her shooting guns, but he’d made sure she knew how to be safe when she did.
The two women dragged the animal back to Marion’s house, and they strung him up from a tree upside down as Trudie had been taught. She had learned to use a tree branch as leverage when hoisting an animal up. “We’ll let it bleed out until after lunchtime, and then we’ll butcher it for the meat.”
Marion shook her head. “I can’t believe you know how to do all this.”
Trudie shrugged. “It really is the difference in our backgrounds. You were raised in New York City, and I was raised on a farm outside Beckham, Massachusetts. The skills we learned were very different, and they should have been.” They’d talked a lot about how they’d been raised, so she knew where her friend had grown up.
Marion nodded. “The closest I ever got to nature was Central Park, and it was surely a beautiful place, but hunting wasn’t allowed there.”
“I would hope not! It would have been easy for someone without good aim to kill people that way. I’m sure it was much safer to just say no hunting there. Did you enjoy Central Park?” Trudie had heard about the park all her life, and she’d always wondered if it was as wonderful as it was touted to be.
“It was lovely. Truthfully, it was like an area with no civilization inside a huge city. I would rather be here than in Central Park, because there, I would be forced back to reality too quickly. Here, I can walk miles in any direction without running into a group of people.”
“I like how quiet it is here. It was worse in Massachusetts because we were close to a large town. Here, I don’t worry who will hear me if I shout at my husband.”
Marion giggled. “Do you really shout at your husband?”
“I haven’t needed to so far.” Trudie winked at her friend, and they went inside, leaving the deer hanging where it was. “Let’s talk about lunch. Any ideas?”
“I have leftovers from what I made Saturday night.”
“Lunch is taken care of then. Monday needs to be your laundry day. We did it last Monday, and it’s time to do it again. We skipped the bed linens last week, but it’s time to wash them now.” Trudie rubbed the back of her neck. “Next week, I’ll need to conquer spring cleaning at my house. Would you like to come and help me with it, and then I’ll help you with your spring cleaning the week after? I think it’ll be more fun with both of us.” She didn’t look forward to going back to her days alone after spending so much time with her new friend. She’d gotten used to being with her every day.
“That sounds nice. If I bring food, will you help me make suppers?” Marion looked as if she was afraid to ask after everything Trudie had done for her already.
“Sure. I don’t mind that at all.” Trudie wasn’t sure how Doug would feel about the Marches eating with them, so she didn’t offer for them to simply stay for supper every night.
They did the laundry that day, and Trudie realized she was falling behind on her own laundry. “I need to come after lunch tomorrow, if that’s okay. I just realized that my laundry is behind. But you’ll make enough for supper tonight to serve for lunch tomorrow, so you’ll be fine without me.”
Marion nodded. “Why do I think I need you here holding my hand every step of the way?”
Trudie smiled. “I wish I could be. You’re like my Colorado sister, and I’m thrilled you’re here. We’ll work together as much as we can. We’ll have to sew together as well.” She just needed to remember not to neglect her husband as she was helping her friend.
“I’d like that.”
When Trudie got home that afternoon, she put together a casserole and put it in the oven, before going outside to water her garden. There weren’t any weeds popping up yet, but the dirt was dry, and she was worried her plants wouldn’t grow without more rain.
After watering, she went inside the house and gave herself a sponge bath standing in front of the sink. She needed a real bath, but with as much time as she was spending at the March’s house, it would be difficult to get. Perhaps she could do it before lunch the following day. It would be good to have a mostly normal routine, if only for a day.
When Doug came in, he sniffed appreciatively. “What’s for supper?” It was always his first question when he walked in the door. He didn’t much care about the answer, but he always liked to anticipate the coming feast.
“I made a casserole out of cornbread, corn, sausage, and some cheese. I think you’re going to love it.” She hoped he would anyway, because she’d made it up as she’d gone. Of course, she’d always had the ability to taste things as she imagined putting them together. She’d never failed.
He smiled. “You made it, so you know I’ll love it.”
“Did you find anything odd on the ranch today? I know you were worried.”
“A coyote got in and killed another calf. One of the heifers. We’re going to have to work on better
