Lone Pine Bride (The Brides of Lone Pine #1)(45)

“It is, isn’t it? Seth will be proud of me.”

Seth kicked the wall and hopped at the resulting pain. “Seth has a cook,” he said.

“Why did you do that?” she asked.

“My boot was a bit crooked.”

“Oh. Shall we carry the food through? How can we keep the pastry warm?”

“I’ll put it in the little warming area at the bottom of the cooker.”

“Can I do anything?” Monica asked, walking to the door.

“Just sit down,” Hannah replied. “You’re our guests.”

“We’re making you a lot of work.”

“I’m enjoying it.”

And everyone seemed to like the meal, she found, which included the custard she went out to make between courses. She must ask Seth to help her milk a cow before she left, though if the other Seth was well off he would probably have people to do that.

But she didn’t want to be waited on because she wanted to be part of everything. She had come here to make a new life, not to carry on the way she was before, allowing herself to be waited on and pampered. The children showed off their animals before eating them and the adults enjoyed the conversation. The meal was a leisurely one and afterwards they relaxed for an hour before returning to finish making the bath chair.

They would return to their farm the following day, Wilfred said. Maybe they could see if there was any way of salvaging anything from the wreckage of the house. But he had a stove in the barn and they could use that for cooking. The animals would hopefully be alright and he would be able to milk the cows from his chair. The children could collect the eggs and Monica would make the barn into a home for them in the way she did in the house.

He put his arm round her where she stood next to his chair and the movement gave Hannah a feeling she could not quite describe. This couple had been married a few years and they were comfortable with each other. They obviously loved each other but then so did her parents. She did not notice Seth’s glance frequently straying to her.

“The rubble will have settled by now,” he said. “And what you need we could possibly get at Independence, depending how things are there.”

“Yes, we can.” Wilfred rolled his chair a bit. “Thank you, everybody, for this. What can I do to help you here, Seth? I’m sure you have chores to do.”

“You could help me with the milking,” Seth said. He looked at Hannah. “Do you want to watch us?”

“I could help too.”

Which was one thing she hadn’t seen because she was not raised on a farm. She wanted to find out and she didn’t want to live in a rich man’s house. The children went to look for eggs and Monica offered to put out food for the animals. Their dogs raced around and generally enjoyed themselves.

She would do cheese on bread for the evening meal, Hannah thought, and they could also have eggs. There was some pastry over and maybe she would ask Monica how to bake a cake. After they had watched the milking for a while she and Monica went into the kitchen and Monica showed her what she wanted to know.

“I’m quite enjoying doing this,” Hannah said. “At home I never bothered because there was always someone else to do it.”

“I come from quite a wealthy family too,” Monica said. “They live in San Francisco. But I’m happy here and always have been. Wilfred is a good man and the children are beautiful. Seth is a good man too. I know you’re going to be happy with him.”

“Yes.” And how I wish I could tell you all about everything at this moment and how I feel, Hannah thought, except that I’m not sure how I feel. Or maybe I am and I don’t want to face up to it. Tomorrow I must go back to Lower Pine and reality, whatever reality is. I should really have gone back today.

Except that Seth hadn’t said anything about it and this family needed her help. Tomorrow they needed it too and she couldn’t ask Seth to leave in view of that. They made a couple of cakes and the rest of the day passed all too quickly for Hannah until it was time to eat again.

Seth suggested he and Hannah go to the barn straight after the meal. He handed Wilfred a pack of cards before they left and told the couple to eat anything they wanted. They smiled and Hannah felt sure they were approving their being alone. She wasn’t sure at all about it all.

But why so early when there were still a couple of hours before dark? When they reached the barn Seth went for a horse.

“I want to check their animals,” he said. “The cows need milking and the other animals will require attention. I know Wilfred is worried about them.”

Hannah went for another horse. “I’ll help you,” she replied.

He frowned. “That’s not fair on you. I’ve brought out a couple of books you can read while I’m gone.”

“I’m coming,” she said.

A smile quirked round his mouth as he looked at her. “You’re an obstinate woman,” he said.

“You need supervising,” she replied, swinging herself up onto the horse with the agility of someone who knew what she was doing. “I can’t trust you not to do something dangerous. Anyway, you didn’t let me milk a cow so I’m going to milk one now. The poor things will probably be full of milk to bursting point.”

“We’ll go off the property that way,” Seth said, pointing. “Then Wilfred and Monica won’t hear us. Can you jump over a fence?”