Granny picked up her bag and opened the top. “I’ve been busy with this all winter, as well as other projects.” She pulled out a big stack of squares. “The flower drawings were alldone by my daughter-in-law and sent to me in the mail. She’s quite the artist.”
Melody took one of the squares and studied it for a moment. It was a rose, and Granny had used various shades of pink to embroider it. “This is beautiful.” She gently touched the embroidery before handing it back.
“And just look at this iris,” Granny said, holding it up. “It almost looks real.”
Melody nodded as Marybeth handed her a cup of tea. “You look upset about something,” Marybeth said to her with a look of concern.
Granny lowered the square. “I thought as much myself but hated to say anything just yet. I thought perhaps you’d come around to telling us what’s on your mind.”
They both knew her so well. “I suppose my biggest worry is Da.”
“I thought him rather pale on Sunday,” Granny said. “Jed’s been worried about him too. Wondered if he’d taken ill.”
Melody shook her head. “I suppose I’ve been so busy I hadn’t really noticed, but you aren’t the first person to comment on Da’s health. I honestly don’t know if there is something wrong.”
“Is he eating all right?” Granny asked.
“Well, he eats supper with me, but not that much,” Melody admitted. “Not like he used to eat, but since he’s not working, it seemed natural that he wouldn’t eat as much. He never eats breakfast with me now since I have to leave so early. He says he’ll eat when he gets back. As for lunch, I have no way of knowing. But now that I think about it, there’s never much missing. And he has lost weight. I’ve taken his pants in twice.”
“That does sound concerning,” Granny replied. “An idleman who isn’t eating much shouldn’t be losing that much weight.”
“Has he complained of more pain than usual?” Marybeth asked. She handed Granny her tea, then took a seat. “It could be his back isn’t healing as fast as he’d like.”
“I’ve wondered the same. He does move slower than before. I just figured it was due to the injury, but what if it is something more?”
“Has he gone back to the doctor since the accident?” Granny asked.
“Yes, he’s gone a couple of times and reported it all to me. At least, I thought he had. I don’t know what to think. You don’t suppose he’s hiding something from me? He’s never been that way before.”
“Hopefully it’s nothing.” Granny sipped her tea and nodded toward Marybeth. “This is quite delicious.”
“It’s a special tea that Mrs. Henderson used. She left it here when she moved away, and I thought you might like it.”
Melody listened to the women discuss the tea, but her mind was fixed on Da and his condition. Was he lying to her? Was something more wrong with him, and he didn’t want to worry her with the details?
“So tell us about the courting. Has your father picked out a lot of suitors for you?”
Granny’s question broke through Melody’s thoughts. She smiled and shrugged. “I’ve seen four different men so far. None of them are a good fit for me, however. Like I told Charlie the other day, maybe I’m just too picky.”
“A girl should be picky about her husband,” Marybeth said, passing a plate of refreshments.
Melody took one of the pieces of shortbread. “That’s how I see it. None of them are the type of man I would choose.And all for different reasons. And now, worrying about Da and what’s really going on with him, I don’t feel like going out with anyone else. How can I think about getting married when Da might need me?”
“You can’t let your heart be troubled over this, Melody,” Granny assured. “God knows what’s going on even if you don’t. He has it all under control. Just focus on praying for your father.”
“I know you’re right, Granny. I’ve told myself to pray on it more than once. I know that prayer is the answer. I suppose just coming out and asking Da about it is also in order. Still, I hate to impose on him. He’s very private, and when he wants to tell me something, he does. He’s never been one to keep things from me.”
But Da was also the type of person that didn’t share things with anyone if he was deeply troubled by it. If Da was sick and hadn’t yet managed to think through the matter, he wouldn’t be open to talking to anyone else about it either.
“How’s your job coming along?” Marybeth asked.
Melody was glad for the change of topic. “I love it. I’ve enjoyed helping Mrs. Cooper. She’s well-organized and keeps things running with little chaos. We have our wash days, our cleaning days, and, of course, every day we cook, and I tend to the garden. The men are all quite gentlemanly and interesting.
“I arrive every morning at five thirty. Da walks me over since it’s still so early. Mrs. Cooper insists I join them for breakfast, and so I do. At the table, the men talk about their plans for the day and what their jobs will entail. It’s like having a family of brothers. Charlie even helps me in the garden from time to time. We talk about church and things going on in Cheyenne. He’s even taken to playing checkers with Da.”
“I like Charlie. He reminds me of my son Elmer,” Granny said. “We had him to dinner last Sunday before church. He told us of his love of teaching, as well as learning. He’s a naturally gentle soul.”
“I like him too. Maybe too much.” Melody found it easy to talk about Charlie.
