Pain radiated behind Isaiah’s anger. She wanted to reach out and comfort him, but that would likely be the wrong move. Instead, she tested the tea with the tip of her finger. It had cooled enough for him to drink. She set it in front of him. “I’m sorry about your parents. You must have been very sad to lose them.”
He blinked at her. Tears welled in his eyes as his lips trembled. “I miss them.”
Nothing in the world could have stopped Ella from pulling him into her lap. She embraced the child, heartened when he buried his face in her shoulder and clung to her. Maybe she’d be able to gain his trust after all. When he pulled back, she offered the cup of tea. “Drink this. It will help your head feel better.”
Isaiah took the cup and lifted it to his lips. He took a big gulp. All at once, his eyes bugged out, and the liquid spewed from his mouth. Ella gasped as the lukewarm tea seeped into her dress. Isaiah stared at the cup as though it was a snake. “It’s yucky!”
Apparently, the sugar hadn’t helped. “It might not taste great, but you need to drink it so you feel better. It will help.”
“No!” Isaiah shrieked and shoved the cup away. It fell into Ella’s lap, soaking the material of her dress. A tiny bit of liquid also splashed onto the boy. He proceeded to wail at the top of his lungs. If his head hurt before, it must be splitting by now. Ella felt a headache of her own coming on.
Isaiah’s cries were soon joined by others from upstairs. Ella bit her lip, trying to keep a groan from escaping. She could barely hold onto Isaiah as his little body thrashed in a tantrum. Afraid of dropping him, she looked helplessly toward the stairs, Addie’s and Jonah’s cries tearing at her heart.
What had she been thinking, marrying Cody and agreeing to mother these children? She clearly couldn’t care for them the way she thought she could.
Over Isaiah’s screams, Ella heard the front door open. Terror shot through her. She stood abruptly and whirled to face the kitchen entry.
An older woman stood there, hands splayed on the hips of her green dress. Her white hair was tucked into a neat bun. She tutted, blue eyes taking Ella’s measure. “Well, dearie, it looks as though I’ve arrived just in time.”
Ella backed up until she butted against the table. “Wh-who are you?” The woman didn’t look sinister, but why was she in their house?
Isaiah stilled and sniffed, his chest heaving with heavy breaths. Ella held him closer, her eyes never leaving the stranger.
The woman chuckled. “There’s no need for such worry, young lady. I’m Hattie O’Dell, but you can call me Miss Hattie. Everyone does. My family lives on the ranch several miles down the road. Young Hank came a’calling, saying you needed some help with the animals.” She nodded at Isaiah. “When I heard the set of lungs on this young’un, I figured you might need some help in here too.”
At the mention of Hank, Ella sagged against the table in relief. “That…would be nice.”
Miss Hattie sized her up. “You aren’t from around here, are you?”
“No, ma’am.”
“Hmm.” The woman bustled into the room and took Isaiah from Ella. “You skedaddle upstairs and see to those other young’uns. I’ll take care of this one.” She eyed Ella’s dress. “And you might want to change. You’re bound to get a chill if you don’t.”
This woman might be older, but she appeared to be a bundle of energy and wasn’t afraid to take charge. After such a strange morning, Ella was in no frame of mind to argue. She simply nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
Thank You, Lord, for sending help. I need it.
CHAPTER 8
Hattie O’Dell was a godsend. Ella was convinced of that within an hour of the woman’s arrival. Not only did she take care of milking the cows and feeding the barn animals, she insisted on staying with Ella for the day to help teach her the ropes. Hattie got Isaiah and Jonah settled in the parlor with a set of blocks, and she sat at the table giving Addie a bottle while Ella worked on the breakfast dishes.
“You’re gonna feel in over your head, missy, make no mistake. That’s why you gotta lean on those around you. There ain’t no shame in asking for help, of your neighbors and especially of your new husband.” Hattie shook her head. “I wish I’d known that in the early days of my marriage. It’s a wee bit overwhelmin’, isn’t it?”
Ella blinked. “Were you…?” She bit her lip, not wanting to seem rude by prying into this woman’s life.
Hattie chuckled. She volunteered the answer to Ella’s unspoken question. “I’ve been in your shoes, a long time ago. My first husband left me a widow with two young’uns to care for on my own. I couldn’t do it by myself, so I answered an ad as a mail-order bride.”
Ella’s mouth dropped open. “You did?”
“Yes, ma’am. Mr. O’Dell lost his wife to scarlet fever, and he had two littles to care for and a ranch that needed daily tendin’. We struck up a bargain to help each other. Love wasn’t part of the deal.” Her face softened. “’Til it was.”
Something twinged inside Ella’s heart. “You fell in love with him?”
“That I did. I’m mighty glad I let myself too. I can be a stubborn woman and was all set to live out my days without love. My Billy eventually got through, just by bein’ himself. I can’t tell you when my heart knew it was his, but I was completely smitten before I even realized it.” She chuckled. “We had two more children together, bringin’ the grand total to six. It was a large, chaotic household, but one I wouldn’t trade for anythin’.”
Tears sprang to Ella’s eyes. She swiped them away, confusion pulsing through her. When she felt Hattie’s touch on her shoulder, she nearly dropped the plate in her hands. With a hard swallow, Ella turned to meet her eyes.
Hattie’s shone with compassion. “You’ll be all right, Miss Ella. Cody’s a rare gem, despite appearances. He’ll treat you right.”
