“After days of blizzard, we were worn out. It’s probably all for the best. I feel pretty good, if I do say so. You’re a good nurse, Marybeth.” Their eyes met, and Edward couldn’t help but offer her a smile.
Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she looked away. “I was going to make oatmeal for breakfast, but since it’s nearly noon, I should probably warm up the stew I made. I’ll warm some bread too. It shouldn’t take long. I’m sure you’re hungry.”
“I eat,” Carrie declared. “Wanna eat, pease.”
Marybeth seemed to relax a bit. She laughed and pointed to Carrie’s feet. “Get your boots on, and I’ll button them.”
As promised, it wasn’t all that long before Marybeth had lunch on the table and Carrie’s boots buttoned up. Edward offered grace, and Marybeth dished up bowls of stew from the pot on the stove.
“How did you manage to get lost last night?” Marybeth asked as she brought the last bowl to the table.
“The better question is, How did I manage to get home? I have no idea how I found this place. Had to be the good Lord’s leading.” Edward took a piece of bread and soaked it in the stew’s gravy.
“I’m thankful He was watching over you.”
“Me too. Fred had just told me about stories he’d heard of people wandering off in storms like the one we had, never to be seen again. I thought it kind of strange, but I don’t anymore. There’s nothing out here to guide a person home. No streetlamps or road markings. Not that you could see them in that snow. I’ve never seen a blizzard quite like that.”
“Me neither.”
“Sure sorry for the bother last night.”
Marybeth shook her head. “No bother at all. I was just worried you might have frozen your feet or hands. Do your toes and fingers feel all right?”
“Right as rain.”
They avoided the topic of Marybeth helping him undress and get in bed. Avoided talking about sleeping with him in her arms. Edward decided they both knew what had happened, and it didn’t need to complicate matters now.
“I’m more determined than ever to get us moved over to Fred’s place,” Edward said as he finished up his stew. He got up and went to the stove to refill his bowl. “If I can secure a stove today, we could move.”
“Melody told me stoves are hard to come by. She said the jail spent twenty-five dollars apiece on the two that are there.”
“Yeah, and we don’t have that much to spend. Say, do you want any more of this stew?”
“No, go ahead and finish it,” Marybeth said as she gave Carrie another small piece of bread. The child was in a world all her own, working hard to keep her spoon from losing its contents.
Edward dumped the rest of the stew into his bowl and set the pot aside. “Fred told me there was going to be a sale today—if the storm was over. A man was hanged for murder, and when that happens, they sell off the man’s stuff to pay for the expense of his burial. He had a cookstove, so I figured to try and bid on it.”
“I have a few dollars, if you need them,” Marybeth replied.
“No, save it for buying groceries. I have enough. The supplies to finish Fred’s building were expensive, but I’ve been very careful with my pay and can use that too.” He rejoined Marybeth at the table. “I’ll check it out as soon as I finish eating.”
Marybeth met his gaze, and Edward couldn’t help but reach out and touch her hand.
“Thank you for saving my life. I think I probably would have died outside the tent if you hadn’t heard me and helped me in. I had just about given up.”
She squeezed his fingers. “We’re a team now. I intend to be a good wife to you, Edward. You saved me and Carrie. I owe you my life, because without the two of you, I don’t think I could have gone on.”
Edward gave a nod, but he wasn’t in any hurry to let go of her hand. It was strange the way a whir of emotions left him feeling off center. She really was the most remarkable of women. She wasn’t easily frightened and could fend for herself when necessary. Janey had always spoken of Marybeth as being so smart and capable. She had always wanted to be more like her friend, though Edward had assured hershe was just perfect the way she was. But in Cheyenne, it was a blessing to have a woman like Marybeth.
Marybeth tidied up around the tent after Edward left. She had a lot of dirty clothes that needed washing, but the idea of trying to heat up water and scrub clothes in the small space was hard to consider. Still, it would have to be done. Edward made sure she had plenty of water, so there really wasn’t any good excuse to avoid it.
“Hello!” Melody called from outside.
“Come in.” Marybeth breathed a sigh of relief at the excuse to further distance herself from laundry.
Melody entered the tent wearing a hooded wool cloak. She held a basket of something in her arms and quickly extended it to Marybeth.
“I baked cookies yesterday during the storm. Seemed like there was nothing else to do. Da slept most of the day, since the railroad wasn’t going to even attempt to work on construction.”
