The Brides of Chance Collection Part 7

Gideon surveyed the yard and continued to stare at it. "I'm making plans."

"Plans for what?" Bryce scratched Nip between his ears.

"A cabin."

Bryce's face lit up. "You weren't kidding. I hoped not. Tell me-you gonna marry Miss Miriam?"

"Whatever put that foolish notion in your head?" Gideon glowered at him.

"Well, we built a cabin for Daniel when he married up with Hannah. I just thought you were lookin' to have a place to share with your missus, too."

"I'm not marrying her." Gideon fought the urge to add on to that a.s.sertion.

"If you ask me, that's a crying shame."

"I didn't ask you."

Bryce proceeded to check the hounds' ears for ticks. As he tilted his head to do the job, he drawled, "Miss Miriam's a fine cook and does a right nice job with the girls. Seems to me, somebody ought to marry up with her so's she doesn't get stars in her eyes for some other fellow and leave us."

The notion of not having to worry about Miriam appealed to Gideon, but the notion of her falling in love with anyone gave him indigestion. "None of the men hereabouts would be suitable for a lady like Miss Miriam."

"You tryin' to convince me or yourself?" Bryce got up and dusted off the seat of his britches.

Gideon ignored the question. "While I go to town today, I want the area between Daniel's and the house leveled. It needs to be ready for Friday."

"Fair enough."

After Bryce sauntered off, Gideon recalled last night's supper. His brothers were big teases, and Hannah never appreciated their rowdy ways at the table, but Miriam didn't seem upset in the least by chuckles and jibes...except when it came to the kiss. The gal's face went redder than a cardinal when Polly asked her about the kiss. I don't know what came over me, letting the joke go on. But Miriam didn't get snippy. Light and quick as a b.u.t.terfly, her lips grazed his temple, and she'd flitted off. The gal has gumption.

t.i.tus's early morning growl of a yawn and Paul's deep chuckle came from inside the house. Threaded among those was a foreign sound. Gideon strained for a moment, then closed his eyes as the hymn Miriam sang so quietly reached him.

"When darkness seems to hide His face, I rest on His unchanging grace. In every high and stormy gale, my anchor holds within the veil."

Paul joined in, "On Christ the solid rock I stand...."

Gideon couldn't recall the last time anyone sang. Well, yes, he could. t.i.tus had a habit of humming and whistling-but not singing. Hannah used to hum to Polly every now and again. Before that, Mama sang. In fact, she had a special fondness for this particular hymn. Mama couldn't sing worth two hoots. Miriam actually made listening a pleasure. Come to think of it, Paul had a decent voice, too.

Funny how even after not having heard this hymn for years, Gideon still recalled the lyrics. He had plenty to do, but he just stayed put and let the song play out.

The door to Daniel's cottage opened. Polly scampered across the yard, her hair a tangled mess. I wouldn't have noticed that fact before Miriam came.

Daniel held Ginny Mae and strode over. She seemed a mite unhappy, and he kept patting her on the back. "If you're going to town, get some paregoric. I can't tell whether she's teething or colicky, but she was up half the night."

"Breakfast is ready," Miriam said from the kitchen door. Polly already clung to her skirts, and Miriam tentatively reached for Ginny. "Food's on the table. Why don't you go ahead and enjoy a hot meal?"

s.h.i.+fting Ginny to his other side, Daniel clipped, "Only takes one hand to eat." He shoved past Miriam and went inside.

"Daddy gots two hands," Polly said as if it were an important fact.

"Yes, he does." Miriam playfully tapped her on the nose. "So do you, and yours need was.h.i.+ng before you eat."

Gideon went to the table and gave Daniel a dark look. This situation was going to come to a head sooner or later, but now wasn't the time. Paul bowed his head and said grace. It was short and to the point, but it was the first time any of the brothers had communed openly with the Almighty in well over a year.

Forking four thick slices of French toast onto his plate, Gideon declared, "This smells terrific."

"Do we got bacon today?" Polly climbed onto her chair. She poked at the bacon on her plate. "Daddy, see? It's not burned."

Daniel's face remained impa.s.sive.

A few minutes later, Polly shoved her plate away. "I don't like it. It's yucky."

Everyone looked to Daniel to handle his daughter's rudeness. He simply picked up his coffee and took a long swig.

"I like it just fine." Gideon reached over, speared a bite from her plate with his fork, and ate it.

"Me, too." t.i.tus and Paul did likewise.

"I want sumpin' else."

"What you're going to get," Gideon said very quietly, "is time in the corner. Naughty little girls aren't allowed to sit at the table."

"Auntie Miri-Em sits at the table. Daddy said she's bad."

Abruptly all movement and noise ceased at the table.

"We're all bad sometimes," Miriam said tentatively. She took a shallow breath, then continued. "Jesus understands. We tell Him we're sorry, and He forgives us."

"That's enough." Daniel bolted to his feet. The brusque action set Ginny to wailing again. He glared at Miriam. "Now look what you've done."

Miriam stood and walked around the table. She barely came to Dan's shoulder, and Gideon stood behind her, ready to intervene.

"You're tired, Dan. I overheard you tell Gideon she kept you up much of the night. Polly probably didn't sleep all that well, either. I'll take them for the day. Why don't you go nap?"

Nonplussed at her gentle offer, Daniel stared at Miriam. He'd been spoiling for a fight, and she'd just knocked the wind right out of his sails.

"You don't know a thing about babies." His hands closed more tightly around Ginny Mae, and her squall made it clear she didn't like it one bit.

"I helped Mama with sick calls, and a doctor came about the time Hannah left. I often a.s.sisted him. I daresay I can handle a fussy tot." She reached up and took possession of Ginny. Dan didn't look all too certain about turning loose, but he did so.

Miriam smoothly pivoted and slipped away. She crooked her forefinger. Ginny gnawed on it and hushed. "There we are," Miriam murmured as she carried the baby toward her own bed and laid her down. Nothing short of admiration flooded Gideon as Miriam continued to let little Ginny Mae chomp on her finger as she used the other hand to lift the baby's gown.

"Your daddy thinks it's your teeth or your belly. Let's find out."

The moment she alluded to Daniel, Gideon turned toward his brother. A series of emotions flashed across Dan's face-anger, grief, worry, resignation. Miriam hadn't challenged his authority or faulted him in any manner. She'd simply offered to lighten his burden, and in moments like this, Gideon realized how deeply burdened and troubled his brother had become. As long as she can deal with him, I need to keep my mouth shut. I won't have him hurting her, but she's got a backbone of steel and a heart bigger than the ocean she crossed to get here.

"Daniel, some babies get diaper rashes when they teethe." Miriam reclaimed her finger and deftly unpinned the diaper. "Has Ginny Mae gotten one when she got any of her other teeth?"

Miriam acted as if she'd had a dozen of her own young'uns. She knotted the corner of a dishcloth, dipped it in syrup, and let Ginny gum on it. That seemed to help some. By the time Miriam scorched flour and used it on Ginny Mae's rash, the baby hadn't quite regained her usual sweet disposition, but she'd sure enough stopped sounding like someone was trying to murder her.

Daniel groused around the table for a few more minutes, then took his leave.

"Gid said we're to level the land for Miriam's cabin," Bryce announced.

Miriam's head shot up. She gave Gideon a startled look that slowly changed into a grateful smile. Not that a missionary's daughter ought to know how to play poker, but Miriam best not ever try. Her face tattled on every emotion she had. Endearing, that quality.

His brothers all vacated the house and set to doing their ch.o.r.es, leaving behind a table stacked with dirty dishes. Soapsuds, splashes, and wadded towels festooned the washstand. Polly squirmed worse than a calf getting branded as Miriam plaited her flyaway hair. Saddling Miriam with this mess didn't seem quite fair. Come to think of it, Hannah used to try her best to wrangle a ride to town whenever one of the brothers went.

Gideon cleared his throat. If ever there was a time they needed Miriam to help with the girls, surely this was it. A fretful teether wouldn't allow more than a few moments' peace all day. Polly didn't often become peevish, but when she did, she could try the patience of a saint. Both girls would be at their worst.

"You don't have to mind the girls. It's Paul's day. If you wanted, you could ride into town with me. Reliable's not fancy, but-"

Miriam started laughing as she tied a sc.r.a.p of twine around the end of the braid. "Go, Gideon. I'll make the trip some other time. I'd like you to post a letter for me, though."

"To your folks?"

She shook her head. "It's too costly to do that just yet. I'll wait a few months until we settle in. I'm sending a letter to my grandmother. It's a bit heavy, but she'll be able to forward an enclosed note to my cousin, Delilah, since I'm not sure where she's living now."

"I'm more than happy to post whatever you write. Are you sure you're not coming to town? It might be a long while before you have a chance again."

She looked up at him and shrugged. "You have the list, don't you?"

"Yeah." He s.h.i.+fted uncomfortably. "Your sis-she always hankered to go along."

A bittersweet smile crossed Miriam's face. "I can imagine. Hannah loved adventure. Me? I'm content to stay wherever I settle."

Late in the afternoon, Miriam heard footsteps on the porch. "Wipe your feet!"

"Yes'm."

She didn't bother to turn toward the door. In fact, she didn't want to. Her face must be red as a hibiscus. Instead, she toed the runner on the cradle to keep Ginny Mae from yowling and continued to sew.

"Done?" Polly asked for the hundredth time.

"In just a minute."

"I reckon you'd like the provender on the table so you can squirrel it away wherever you want." Gideon plopped a heavy crate on the table.

"Unca Giddy, did you bring me candy?"

"Just a minute, Polly. I need to bring in more stuff."

Miriam took advantage of the seconds when he'd be outside to push in her escaping hairpins and tuck straggling strands of hair behind her ears. Her ap.r.o.n bore splotches of syrup, coffee, and smashed yams. It hadn't bothered her for the other Chance men to see her in such disarray. But they want me here; Gideon doesn't.

Yes, they wanted her here. That fact came through clear enough. Loud and clear- as they all argued on where to level the ground for her cabin. Each had given thought to the location.

Paul and t.i.tus said it ought to be close to Daniel's cottage since she'd be minding the girls. Daniel woke up to the noise and bellowed that they were to build it next to the main house. Logan figured halfway between might be smart so she could go either way in bad weather. Bryce wasn't sure whom to listen to, so he'd just hitched up horses and started dragging a huge log from one building toward the next. They'd leveled the whole area and come inside for lunch-every last one of them filthier than any man Miriam had ever seen. It took her a full hour just to scrub the grime from the house.

Sc.r.a.ping sounded. "I'm wiping my feet again." Gideon's voice held more than a hint of teasing.

"Do I get my candy now, Unca Giddy?"

"In a minute, tidbit. Mind if I set the material on your bed, Miriam? I don't know where you plan to store the bolts."

"Go ahead. Thank you for getting them." She started to tie a knot in the thread.

Polly danced from one foot to the other. "You done now?"

Miriam got ready to clip the thread. "Your dolly will be ready in just a minute."

Shoulders drooping with an exaggerated sigh, Polly whined, "How many minutes do you got?"

Gideon started to chuckle.

Miriam snipped the thread and quelled the smile that fought to break free. It would be easy to indulge Polly, but part of the reason she was staying was to teach her niece basic manners. "Remember how we talked about turns today?"

"But I don't wanna wait. Can't I pick when it's my turn?"

"Nope." Gideon grabbed Polly, lifted her high above his head, and jostled her. "Everyone waits for things-even you."

"Why?"

Miriam knew she'd remember the startled look on Gideon's face for the rest of her life. He didn't have a single notion how to answer that question.

"Because you're a big girl," Miriam said. "Big girls can learn things because they are smart. You're smart enough now to learn how to wait for your turn."

"She's not just big. She's huge. I can barely hold her up anymore." Gideon pretended to drop her. Polly shrieked in delight as he caught her in midair.

"Auntie Miri-Em is making me a dolly. It's a toy, and she'll be my very own little baby. Wanna see?"

Miriam gave the doll to Polly. Gideon hunkered down and volubly admired it. "Now will you look at that? Isn't she a beaut?" When Polly wandered into the other room to tuck Dolly into one of her uncle's beds, Gideon straightened to his full height. His features went somber. "I never thought about a little girl needing a doll. I don't think she's ever seen one."

"It's just an old s.h.i.+rt sleeve I salvaged. I'm sure when she's a bit older, Daniel will be sure she has a nice one."

"Don't sell yourself short. That rag doll is all a little girl could ever want."

His words warmed her heart.

"Perhaps I'll sew some clothes for her doll. Daniel could give them to her for Christmas."

"You'll give them to her yourself."

He really does plan on me staying here. Christmas is six months from now.

Gideon gave her a wry smile. "Yes, I understand what I just said. I reckon you're here for keeps."

Miriam reached around to retie her ap.r.o.n strings. She barely held back her laughter. "It took you long enough."

"Now wait a minute. You're the one who thought you wouldn't be here for Christmas!"