Page 52 of Silver Lining
But Max was coming home today.
And so was Philadelphia .
Before she dressed, in one of the too-short skirts and a somber dark shirtwaist, Louise hitched up the wagon and loaded her pies. The crusts on a few were brown around the edges, but all in all she wouldn't have to hide her face when the boys tucked into them.
Until she drove away from the house, she hadn't noticed that autumn was making inroads. Gumweed and rabbit brush continued to bloom, but drifts of red and rust climbed the foothills. Seemingly overnight the cottonwoods were turning to gold, and here and there a maple or an ash flamed orange like a column of fire. She also spotted wild turkey, pheasant, and a family of quail not far from the road. If she'd been wearing her pistol, she could have filled the larder for a week.
So far no one had suggested that putting meat on the table was a wife's chore, and that was good because a woman had to draw the line somewhere. Sure as hell if she brought home one pheasant, she'd be expected to provide all the small game. Thinking about it made her angry, and she held on to the feeling since anger was something she understood a lot better than the fluttery heat that erupted deep in her stomach when she thought about seeing Max again.
Pressing her lips together, she tightened her grip on the reins as she pulled up in front of the main house and set the brake. Gilly had already arrived and hurried outside to lend a hand. They carried the pies into Livvy's kitchen, which smelled of baking ham and yeasty bread and the beans and bacon bubbling in a large pot on top of the stove.
"What can I do?" Louise inquired, removing her hat and jacket.
"You could peel potatoes." Gilly tossed her an apron before she returned to shucking corn. "One of the boys rode in about thirty minutes ago and said the first herd will arrive before dinnertime. We should have plenty of food here for dinner and supper."
"Hello, Aunt Louise." Sunshine ran in the back door and smiled. "You're wearing lady clothes."
"I was hoping to see you. I brought you something."
"Is it candy?"
"Much better than candy. I brought you a rock."
"A rock? Oh." Sunshine tried not to show her disappointment, and Gilly hid a smile.
Louise reached in her pocket then bent over and placed an egg-sized rock in Sunshine's small hand.
"Look," she said, kneeling and tracing her fingernail along a streak the width of a thread. "That's gold."
"Real gold?" Sunshine whispered, her blue eyes widening. Now she inspected the rock with genuine fascination.
"Real gold. Just like your grandpa searched for way back when, and like your uncle Max was trying to find this summer."
"You panned for gold, too," Sunshine said, staring at the rock.
"Yes, and me, too."
"I never had gold before. Mama, can I take this down to the barn and show Mr. Deke?" When Gilly nodded, Sunshine threw her arms around Louise's neck and kissed her on the cheek. "Thank you, Aunt Louise! This is the best gift I ever had. Real gold!"
Standing, Louise touched her fingertips to her cheek. Sunshine had kissed her. And had called her aunt.
"You have a way with children," Gilly observed. "Sunshine is very fond of you. She says you make her feel grown up."
The compliment made her face grow hot. "Where is Livvy?" she asked, changing the subject before she filled the lap of the apron with potatoes then sank to a low stool and pulled the slop bucket in front of her to catch peels.
"Ma's upstairs seeing to the room that will be Wally and Philadelphia 's."
"Oh." From now on, nothing would be the same. Philadelphia would live here, and she would bring a new element to the fragile relationships Louise had begun to form. Livvy and Gilly would be Philadelphia 's family as much as they were Louise's. And Philadelphia would be Sunshine's aunt, too.
Frowning, she scraped the blade of the paring knife across a potato and swore she would say nothing.
"What sort of person is Philadelphia ? What does she look like?" Well, damn it anyway. Her mouth wouldn't mind her brain.
"Her eyes are blue or green, depending on what she wears and the light," Gilly said after a pause. "She has blond hair. I guess Philadelphia 's about my height, maybe a bit shorter, but not by much."
Louise suppressed a sigh. In her heart she had already guessed that Philadelphia would be one of those little, dainty, ultrafeminine women who made women like Louise feel clumsily gigantic and about as womanly as a fence post. Initially Gilly had caused the same effect, and still did to some degree, but Gilly's kindness helped Louise ignore or forget their differences in size and grace.
" Philadelphia is quite stylish. Everyone in Fort Houser looks to her for the latest mode. She receives fashion news from Paris , France , and she buys all her hats and footwear in Denver ." Carefully Gilly stripped strands of corn silk from a pale white ear. "As for what she's like… her mother passed when Philadelphia was about twelve, I believe. Early on she stepped forward as her father's hostess, and she's quite accomplished in that area."
