“If Wade can sleep until nearly lunch, I think I can take an hour and spend it with my wife.”
“I like the sound of that, husband,” Grace answered hoping Clay would kiss her again.
He didn’t disappoint her and drew her in for a long kiss until they heard Cora’s voice calling them for lunch.
Grace jumped back and wiped her hand across her mouth hoping her lips didn’t betray the fact that she and Clay were kissing out in the yard in front of anyone who cared to look.
Clay smiled at her, took her hand, and they walked back to the ranch house.
Chapter Twelve
Clay opened the back door for Grace and commented, “Something smells good.”
“It’s Elizabeth’s vegetable soup,” Cora explained.
“Well, I can’t wait for a bowl,” Grace said and helped Cora and Elizabeth place bowls of soup and a platter of ham sandwiches on the table.
Elizabeth shared, “This is one meal I learned how to make at the orphanage. We often didn’t have anything to cook except for vegetables donated by the mercantile, churches, or families living nearby. Many times the vegetables were going bad, and we had to trim away the rot, but once the good bits are in a soup, it tastes good.”
“You’ll make a good ranch wife, Elizabeth,” Clay said. “In times of trouble or difficult winters, it’s good to know how to survive on the basics.”
Elizabeth smiled, “Survival is something I learned at a young age.”
“It will serve you well, my dear,” Grandpa Hutchison announced as he ambled to the table. “Where’s Wade?”
“He slept late and left. He wasn’t happy. I’m not sure he’ll be back for lunch,” Cora said.
Before grandpa could respond, Wade hurried into the kitchen and dropped onto a chair. Pulling a bowl of soup in front of him, he stirred it with his spoon before taking a bite and asking, “What is this?”
“Vegetable soup,” Elizabeth said smiling at Wade.
“Where’s the meat? What kind of soup doesn’t have meat? I need strength to work,” Wade groused.
Biting back the anger she felt, Cora said, “We have ham sandwiches. That’s enough meat for you. The soup is good. Your wife made it. You should thank her.”
“Why doesn’t that surprise me,” Wade continued to complain looking straight at Elizabeth. “What can you do?”
Elizabeth felt tears prickle the backs of her eyes and tried to think of something to say when grandpa’s fist hit the table. “That’s enough, Wade. If you don’t start to show your wife the respect she deserves, I’ll take her into town and pay the lawyer to annul your marriage, and then you can find somewhere else to live. As long as you stay under this roof, you will treat Elizabeth with the respect she’s due.”
Wade grabbed a sandwich and took a huge bite. He mumbled, “Yeah all right.”
Clay tried to change the subject by saying her and Grace were going riding after lunch.
“I’m excited to be riding again. Clay gave me my own horse. I named her Willow, and she’s so sweet.”
Wade grunted. “You gave her one of the horses? Elizabeth deserves one, too. After lunch let her choose one.” He hoped that would appease his grandpa.
Elizabeth sat quietly for a minute and then said, “That’s kind of you, but I don’t need a horse. I don’t know how to ride.”
Grace said, “You can learn. It isn’t that…”
Grace was cut off when Wade shouted, “You can’t cook, you can’t ride, you certainly don’t seem to be a wife. What can you do?”
Elizabeth’s strength crumbled, and the tears she fought since Wade first complained about the soup fell freely down her cheeks.
Grace jumped to her sister-in-law’s defense. “If you would take the time to get to know your wife, you’d know she grew up in an orphanage and never had the chance to learn to ride a horse. A little compassion would go a long way.”
Wade stood and glared at Grace and then turned to look at Clay. “I think you need to teach your wife to show respect,” he said before storming out of the house.
Grace sat there stunned. Before she could say a word, grandpa announced, “Grace what you did is commendable. Wade has a large chip on his shoulder, and someone needs to help him see what he’s doing. Standing up for Elizabeth was the right thing. You said something before I could. Good for you, my dear, and Elizabeth, if you want to learn to ride we will teach you. It does come in handy on a ranch.”
Elizabeth wiped the tears from her cheeks and said, “Thank you. I suppose I should learn to ride if it’ll make me a better wife. Wade seems unhappy.”
“Wade is a complainer, always has been. Try to ignore his grumbling. He’ll get over it and come to appreciate what a fine woman he married,” Grandpa Hutchison insisted.
Elizabeth nodded, and Clay cleared his throat. “I enjoyed the soup, and if it’s all right, I’d like to take Grace riding now.”
Elizabeth sat stirring her bowl of soup with her spoon and Cora stood to clean the table and said, “Eat your soup, and we’ll clean up while Clay and Grace ride. Then after we’re done, we’ll go out and meet the horses. You need to learn to love them and respect their strength before you ride. We’ll have you racing across the meadow in no time.”
Elizabeth’s wide eyes showed her concern, but she nodded and finished her soup.
Grace hurried to change and returned in a few minutes dressed in a dark brown riding skirt and ivory blouse. Clay’s heart did a flip when he saw his wife in the more form-fitting riding clothes. He hoped all the tension in the house died down soon
