Page 84 of Silver Lining
"I see. How long did it take you to regain your shape?"
"It took less time with each baby. Probably because I was that much busier." Livvy gazed at a point in space, smiling at memories. "We couldn't afford help in those days. I had my babies, and three days later I was on my feet again."
Philadelphia shuddered. "I've heard the mother should rest in bed for at least two weeks."
"Ideally, yes. And you should plan on that. Fortunately, you have Gilly and me to help out until you and Wally can get settled in your own home."
"That can't happen soon enough!" When she realized how insulting that sounded, she dimpled and waved a hand. "We don't wish to impose on you any longer than necessary." It was one of those moments when she suspected Livvy saw through her, but she really didn't care. She just wanted out of here.
After tea, she sat in her room beside the fireplace and considered the cradle on the floor beside the wall.
Six weeks.
Very soon she simply had to speak to Wally and her father about a house in town. If her father truly didn't want the inconvenience of living in a house with a new baby, then he could find a rental for them until their own home could be built.
Wally would object, of course. He had mentioned several times how fortunate they were to have his mother's help with a newborn. She would point out they could hire a nursemaid. He would say he needed to live out here to keep an eye on his holdings and Livvy's. She would remind him that he and Livvy shared a foreman. If more supervision was required, Wally could call on Max. Max owed him for going over there night after night after night.
The problem was she could no longer predict with certainty if Wally would do what she wanted. Initially, she had believed he would be easily managed, but, surprisingly, that wasn't always the case.
Occasionally, he turned stubborn and couldn't be manipulated to do things her way no matter what she tried. The first incidence had occurred when he insisted on helping Max and Low Down feed their cattle.
Then again on Christmas Eve when he had insisted that she go downstairs.
His refusal to do what she wanted infuriated her and made her hate him for a while. But there was also an intriguing little niggle of a challenge, as there had been with Max.
Resting her head against the back of the chair, she closed her eyes. Why, against all sense and logic, was she drawn to Max, the only man she couldn't wrap securely around her little finger? And why had fate seen fit to shackle her to another man fashioned in Max's image? In the entire county there were only two men who had ever said no to her. She was in love with one and married to the other. It was so unfair.
She stared at the cradle, and tears of self-pity slipped down her cheeks.
Six weeks.
*
In late January a warm spell sent daytime temperatures into the mid-forties. Patches of dry ground appeared, and the ice thinned on the stock ponds.
"It's been almost a week since we've had to bring any beeves into the barn for the night," Louise mentioned, climbing into bed. She leaned against her pillows with a sigh of pleasure. Her back ached tonight. "We can get a full night's sleep."
Max straightened his arm out in front of him, clenched his fist and drew it toward his shoulder. "As good as new."
"Haste trips up its own heels."
"Now what does that mean?"
"It means you could have taken another week before deciding you can pitch hay with that arm. Wally and Dave wouldn't have minded."
"I mind."
"It won't do anyone any good if you injure yourself again because you went back to work too soon."
Turning, he placed a hand on her cheek and leaned forward to brush his lips across hers. "Darlin', I suspect all women want to protect and nurture, but if it was up to you, I'd still be wearing the sling come summertime."
She stared at him, then dropped her head and plucked at the bedcovers. "Maybe so."
"All right, let's have it. You've been brooding about something for almost three weeks. What's bubbling in your pot?"
There were two things. The first she had decided not to mention until they no longer had to feed the beeves. The second item she'd decided not to mention at all.
But since he'd noticed her distraction, she changed her mind. "Gilly said Dave told her that Wally told him that you went into town and talked to Howard Houser about dropping his vendetta and letting you hire some hands."
