Once she’d had a leisurely time of waking up to start the day, Minnie assisted her in styling her hair and dressing. Her gowns somehow miraculously appeared in her closet clean and pressed. She’d never in her entire life given it a thought.
Her undergarments were bleached until they were a crisp white.
In all her eighteen years, she’d never once made a bed until she arrived in Juniper Junction. She still wasn’t sure she did it properly, especially since the corners never felt as tight as on her bed in St. Louis.
As she swung her arms some of the tightness in her muscles eased. She’d never lifted anything heavier than a book and in the last week she’d been hoisting kettles and dishpans, moving furniture as she attempted to sweep and clean the house.
She hadn’t even gotten to laundry day, but that loomed on the horizon. Her back ached just thinking about it.
Sitting on a tree stump along the path, she covered her face with her hands and cried. Grateful for the solitude, she allowed herself to sob, great wracking sobs that seemed to come from her toes and work their way through her body and out, purging her frustration and confusion.
All the events of her life in the past few weeks, possibly longer, came to a head and she gave way to the anguish of it all. The strained relationship with her father as well as his vile plan to marry her off in order to improve his own fortunes, without the slightest regard for her feelings on the matter. She’d known she was little more than a decorative accessory to him, but to have it all shoved in her face so directly was humiliating and hurtful.
The stress of sneaking out of her house to escape like a fugitive.
And then arriving to be assaulted by a stranger before she’d even gotten off the train.
She paused to wipe her face and catch her breath, taking in gasping gulps of air as though she’d never be able to fill her lungs properly. Her hands shook and much as she tried to stem the tide of tears, they continued to roll down her cheeks.
A nagging, horrible thought crept to the forefront of her mind.
Had she made a huge mistake?
She stared at her hands. A new callus had formed on one finger.
It was as though everything pretty had vanished from her life to be replaced by toil, sweat and an aching back.
Finally the tears stopped and she gazed out across the river. She had to admit, Wyoming Territory was breathtaking. Mountains and endless blue sky. Inhaling the fresh air, she remembered the smoke billowing from factories all around St. Louis. Sometimes it was so bad it obscured the sun.
As her eyes scanned the countryside, she saw Windy River Ranch in the distance and an image of Matt came to mind.
To her shame, she realized she’d barely thought about him at all since he’d left for work early that morning. She’d been too preoccupied with self-pity to give anyone else, including her husband, much consideration.
Oh, she was a horrible spoiled brat. Matt worked hard. She gazed up to see the sun beating down while she sat in the shade, blubbering and feeling sorry for herself. Matt came home tired and dirty too. It wasn’t as though he and Jake and all the others at the ranch were sitting around shooting the breeze and sipping lemonade. Or whiskey.
He never complained. Then when he got home, he took care of Zelda, his horse, and chopped firewood for the stove and fireplace.
After every meal, he thanked her and complimented her on her cooking, even the really horrible dishes she’d made.
Had she thanked him for all he did?
Her throat tightened as more tears threatened, this time lamenting her beastly behavior. Blinking them back, she stood, patted her hair into place and wiped her face for the last time, then headed back to town.
There was still plenty of time to clean up the mess and tidy the house. If she hurried, she could use some of the money she had hidden away to get some new dishes at the general store. She’d have some explaining to do when Matt realized they had new dishes.
She’d just add that to her growing list of lies.
* * *
It was a beautiful late afternoon as Matt and Zelda made their way home. Though he still enjoyed his work at Windy River Ranch as much as ever, since getting married he looked forward to going home to his lovely bride.
Sure, her cooking left a lot to be desired, but she was making progress. Besides, he could get a decent meal many places, but only one woman lit his desire the way Lizzie could. It wasn’t just their lovemaking that excited him. Far from it. Her smile, her laugh and knowing that when he got home he’d get a warm welcome and one of her sweet kisses. Maybe more.
They were getting to know each other and with each new discovery, he found her more enchanting. Their conversations were enlightening, but simply observing her, especially when she wasn’t aware he was watching, revealed so much. Her graceful movements and the way her nose crinkled up when she concentrated fascinated him.
And if he got the chance, like today, to head for home a bit early, he took it.
As he arrived he looked for Lizzie, expecting her to rush out the door to greet him. When she didn’t appear, he felt a bit disappointed but assumed she wasn’t expecting him and probably didn’t know he’d come home. Once he’d tended to Zelda he walked toward the house, eager to surprise Lizzie.
He peeked into the kitchen window as he went by but didn’t see her. Opening the backdoor quietly he stepped in and closed it silently behind him. His pulse sped up as he thought about surprising
