Page 2 of Her Gentle Protector
Lifting Olive in her arms, she began walking across the grassy terrain toward where the Chapman’s and Hartman’s properties converged by the stream. That was where the berry bushes grew abundantly along the banks of the creek.
The Chapmans’ appeared to be decent neighbors. Mrs. Chapman came by and introduced herself shortly after Pa and the family had moved into the small cabin on the ridge. Pa was drunk enough to threaten Mrs. Chapman with his rifle, and she never came by again. It embarrassed Midge to even think about it. The Hartmans, however...
They just scared her.
As she approached the creek, she could hear the joyful noise of her siblings splashing in the water. They seemed so carefree, and Midge wished she could join them, but she had work to do. She gingerly placed Olive down on the patch of grass and handed her a small stick, hoping it would be enough to keep her occupied.
Midge searched the bushes for the ripest berries, her mind wandering as she worked. Picking one, she placed it in her mouth, the juicy sweetness of the berry exploding on her tongue. Her ravenous hunger had her forgetting about everything but the delicious taste of the fruit. As she picked, she felt a sense of peace wash over her. It was moments like this that made her feel grateful for their little slice of paradise. Even though things had been hard since their pa left, the beauty of the land never ceased to amaze her.
It was so different from the dirty cow towns in Texas where they were living before.
Suddenly, she heard a twig snap behind her and instinctively turned to see who or what it was. She saw nothing but the shadows of the trees. Placing her hand on the knife she kept at her waist, she cautiously moved toward the sound. As she got closer, she saw movement out of the corner of her eye and heard footsteps crunching on the leaves. Fear crept into her heart, and she quickened her pace.
“Who’s there?” Midge called out.
As the sound faded away, a profound silence filled the air. Her heart raced as she raised her knife, ready to defend herself. She strained to listen, but she heard nothing but the distant babbling of the creek and her siblings’ laughter. She doubted herself. Maybe she was just being paranoid. Still, she couldn’t shake the feeling that someone or something was watching her. She scanned her surroundings once more before turning back to the berry bushes.
When she had her fill, she returned to where Olive was banging her stick on the ground. Lifting her sister, she carried Olive to the edge of the creek. “Let’s head home.”
“We didn’t get any berries,” Ira protested.
“Then hurry and pick the berries. If you get enough, I’ll make a pie for dinner.”
Berry wrinkled her nose as she picked up an empty bucket. “Can we have pie for dinner?”
Midge wiped the sweat from her brow and took a deep breath. “I have enough flour and lard to make a pie crust. And we can have whatever we want for dinner,” she informed her sister. She didn’t have the heart to tell her siblings that supplies were getting low and that was about all they had left in the pantry.
The children moved quickly to fill their buckets with berries as Midge watched, a mother’s gaze fixated on each of them. When they were done, they started the walk home, their feet leaving small clouds of dust behind them. A noise carried on the wind as they approached their house.
Jenny tilted her head, listening to the sound. “What’s that?”
Petunia answered, taking the little girl’s hand, “That’s a rooster.”
Midge yearned for its meat, having longed for something more than floury pies since they last ate anything substantial weeks ago.
“If I had a rifle,” Petunia continued wistfully, “I’d shoot me one of those chickens.”
Peter, ever practical despite his youthfulness, laid his hand gently on Petunia’s shoulder. “Nuh-huh,” he said sternly. “They’d hear that gun and then you’d be in trouble for being a chicken thief. If you were gonna do it, you gotta do it where no one can hear or see you.”
Midge listened to her siblings chatter on the walk back up the hill, an idea forming in her mind.
Midge waited until the children were asleep, their bellies full of berry pie. She didn’t want them to know what she was doing. That way, if someone caught her, it would be on her shoulders alone.
Changing from her worn day dress into a pair of Pa’s pants and shirt, she put on his darkest jacket. She could already feel the perspiration rolling down her back. The humidity was unbearable and as much as she prayed for rain; she prayed even harder right now that it held off until she returned from her errand.
She slid her feet into her boots and winced. The cracked leather rubbed against her skin, and she could feel the air skimming over her toes where the toecap was separating from the sole.
There is no way I can run in these,she thought.
Pa had left a pair of boots that Peter used, but they were too big for Midge, and they were falling apart as well.
It would be better to go barefoot.Grabbing Pa’s old hat, she crept out the door and into the darkness.
The moon illuminated the path as she tread carefully through the tall grass of the ridge. Pebbles and dirt shifted beneath her feet as she looked up to the clear night sky, marveling at the bright, round full moon. Her destination was close. She chose the Pickett ranch house, where Peter had told her she could find the chicken coop on the far side of the barn. She knew why Peter was familiar with this place; he had befriended Jesse, the youngest son, during one of his visits there to go rock-skimming at the nearby creek.
Midge’s heart pounded in tune with each hurried step as she crept onto the Pickett’s ranch, the darkness of night providing her only cover. The weight of her family’s hunger bore down upon her, igniting a fire of determination within her that burned away any lingering fear. She had no choice but to do this for them.
The vast expanse of open plains stretched out around the ranch, bathed in the ghostly silver glow of moonlight. Shadows danced across the land, teasing Midge’s heightened senses. She could hear cattle lowing in the distance, but they sounded far enough away. She wasn’t worried about it.
