“Of course, you should do that. I will get the papers.”
He followed her as they left the bucket of milk with Mrs. O’Neal and then as she went up the stairs to the room she had been given. She blushed deeply when she saw Matthew’s shirt draped at the end of the bed. Reid walked over, picked it up, and looked at her with one eyebrow raised.
“I think you and he are more than friends.”
She snatched the shirt out of his hands and hung it on a bedpost. “What we are is none of your business.” She went to the chest that held the box with all the papers.
“Why don’t you just ask him to marry you?”
“A woman doesn’t do the asking.”
“No, maybe not, but I rather think she can lead a man into doing it especially when he should,” he said, stressing the last three words.
“I am not having this discussion with you.” She took out the box that held all their papers and held it out to him. “I think what you seek is in there.”
He shook his head as he opened the box and began to look over all the papers. “As your sole male relative I should do something about all this. Maybe I will just go down and punch him a few times.”
“You will do no such thing.”
He opened up one set of papers and carefully read them. “This is what I need.” He looked at her. “It is what any brother would do.”
“But not one who is so bright and understanding.”
Reid laughed heartily but it stopped abruptly when he spotted the blue quilt in the chest. “I recall when Mother finished that. She was so pleased until she realized it did not match anything else she had in the room.”
“Do you want it? I managed to save several and have only had to give away one, in trade for Rosie.”
He knelt down and smoothed his hand over the quilt. “Who is Rosie?”
“The goat. That is her new name.”
“Good one. Easy, and one she might learn to answer to, although with a goat you can never be sure.”
“Do you want it?” she asked quietly as she watched how he almost petted the quilt.
“Yeh, I believe I do. You sure you still have one for yourself?”
“I do.” She moved to the other chest and glanced at his feet. “Doubt these will fit any longer,” she said as she pulled out his old boots, “but I saved them. And this.” She held up his mouth organ. “I fear most everything else burned.”
“I know. Except for the things I kept hidden in the barn.”
“Why would you hide stuff in the barn?”
“You know how Mother hated Da’s old books?” When Abbie nodded, he continued. “Well, I hid some in the barn. Thought she would get over her hate and he would welcome them back. I think our mother was very upset when we left Pennsylvania and that anger never really left her. She was never really happy at the cabin.”
“She never spoke of it.”
“Of course she wouldn’t because it was Da who caused it and she would never criticize him, except about the books that reminded her of the life they used to have.”
“Oh. I never thought of that reason for her hatred of the books.”
“Because you were too fascinated with them all. He loved that you were interested and the two of you would spend hours going over some of the stuff.”
“Were you jealous of that?”
“No. just didn’t understand that. Never much liked the idea of becoming a doctor even though I knew Da would have been pleased. Unfortunately, women rarely get near doctoring. There are a few but they have a real struggle and mostly care for women and children. You have Da’s gift, that keen understanding of people and their ailments.”
“I have got some practice in since this war began.” She closed the chest and stood up.
With his papers and quilt in one arm, he took Abbie by the hand with the other. “So am I going to have to call Noah nephew?”
“I fear so,” she said, and laughed at his sigh.
“That puppy of his is never going to be a big dog, you know.”
“I know. I hope he is not too disappointed. When do you and Robbie plan to go out and look at the orchard?”
“In a few days. Want to come?”
“I am not sure. I will see how I feel about it when you are ready to go. It is not too far from here, I think. I just don’t know if I am ready to see the remains or the graves. It was all so sad. Mother did nothing to save herself. She made sure she died with Da.”
Reid shook his head as they went down the stairs. “She was far too attached to Da, as if he was her reason for living. You aren’t that much younger than me but maybe too young to have noticed. It is hard to admit, but if given a choice between either of us or Da she would have chosen Da without hesitation. I think she was actually a bit jealous of how you and Da shared an interest. I know the men hurt her, as they boasted of it, and I suspect that made her cling to Da even more. It was why I made sure to bury them together.”
“I planted flowers on the baby’s grave.”
“I thought it might have been Da, but it was a good thing to do. I think what you planted is spreading over the grave for it was all ablaze with color.”
“There ye are, Abbie,” said Matthew when she and Reid reached the bottom of the stairs. “Ready for a walk?” When she nodded he trotted up the stairs.
Reid looked up and called, “Shirt is hanging on the bedpost.” He grinned when the man’s steps faltered briefly before he continued up the stairs. “Ow.” He rubbed his arm where Abbie had just punched him.
“That was rude,” she said primly. “You are a guest in his home.”
“He deserved it. Still think it is my duty to punch him.”
“Punch who?” asked Robbie as he stepped into the hall.
“Your brother Matthew.”
“Ah, probably deserved.” He stepped closer and looked at the quilt Reid held then looked at Abbie. “Your work?”
“No, our mother’s. The only thing I can do is embroider and stitch up people.”
“So it was you who put the snake on Matthew’s coat.”
“It hides the mend I had to do to the sleeve.”
Robbie grinned. “Very nicely done. Like James’s dragon; better though. Hope you don’t try to hide the mend when you stitch up people.”
Abbie laughed. “No, that would make them suffer for too long, and I would have to take it apart when the wound healed.”
“Shame. Do you plan to make use of George and the wagon in the next few days?”
“Have no plans to do so,” she replied.
“Good.” He looked at Reid. “We have something to carry a few things over there that would make the decisions needed easier to make.”
Reid walked off with Robbie, both men talking seriously and quietly. They were really going to give Robbie’s idea a try. She wished them both luck. It would be good if the land continued to be worked by a Jenson. Her father would be happy, she thought, and wiped aside a stray tear. Reid now had a plan and she knew her brother liked that. She suspected it would do Robbie a lot of good as well.
Matthew came to stand beside her and kissed her cheek. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing is wrong. I just thought my father would be happy to think Reid was going to work the land, and had a touch of sadness. It is gone now.”