He helped her straighten and get her feet underneath her and much to her delight, kept one hand against her back and one of her hands clasped tightly in his as they crossed the bridge. It was the closest she’d been to him. The first time he’d touched her.
Caleb let go of her when they stepped off the bridge. She smiled to mask her disappointment. When the silence grew, she said, “What happened to your wife? Amanda mentioned she’d died when she was younger.”
He was quiet for a long moment before answering. “A wasting disease. The doctor couldn’t tell us much. Ruth had been full of life but after Amanda was born, she began eating less and less until she started losing flesh. She hurt all the time and dark circles formed under her eyes. It got to where she didn’t have the energy to do much and was confined to the bed for several months. She laid there and wasted away until she died.”
“I’m sorry. It sounds like an awful way to die.”
“It wasn’t easy seeing the life drain out of her. Amanda was much too young to remember it. She wasn’t even two when Ruth passed.”
“Was your mother bound to her chair during that time?”
“Yes.” He took a deep breath and Rebecca noticed small lines near his eyes. She wasn’t sure of his age but wondered if having a hard life had contributed to those age lines. He worked every day, all day long, and living like that must be tiring. How did he care for his mother, a young daughter, a sick wife, and still manage to work? Even with his wife gone, his remaining responsibilities were too many for one man alone to see to. And he’d been doing it for years? She knew now why Agatha had encouraged him to send away for a wife.
And he got her. A woman who couldn’t cook or clean and could barely even read, thanks to the nuns running the orphanage thinking there wasn’t a need for them to do so.
Guilt made something in her chest pull tight. He’d sent away for a bride to help him take care of his daughter and mother and ended up with her, someone who’d only burdened his family more.
“Mother was in an accident before Ruth and I married.” He grabbed hold of her arm as they headed over another icy patch of packed snow near town. “The wagon she and my father were in overturned and pinned them underneath it. She wasn’t able to feel anything below her waist after that. My father..." He drew in a deep breath before saying, "He didn't survive it. I've been mother's caretaker ever since. Having to take care of her, Amanda and Ruth was hard but I managed.”
“You’ve done fine from what I’ve seen.”
He laughed. “Well, you’ve not seen me at my wit’s end, ranting like a lunatic about to lose my mind.” They stepped onto the sidewalk, their booted feet making a loud pop against the wood. “And I hope you never do.”
They passed the mercantile and Rebecca saw the restaurant on the other side of the road. Caleb steered her around piles of muddied snow and sludge as they crossed the street, their steps quickening when the stagecoach came barreling into town. She stepped up onto the sidewalk with him holding her hand again and she froze when someone yelled, “Rebecca!” She turned without thought, her heart nearly bursting from her chest when she saw Hazel hanging out the window of the stagecoach.
Oh no.
“Do you know her?”
Rebecca’s heart pounded so hard she thought she might faint. She turned her back to the street and shook her head. “No, I’ve never seen her before. She must have mistaken me for someone else.”
Caleb watched as the stagecoach continued down the road, Hazel still hanging out the window. What was she doing here? Please, don’t let her be living here in Angel Creek.
“Is this the restaurant?” Her question drew Caleb’s attention, thankfully, and he ushered her inside the building. She smiled when he held the door for her and tried to put Hazel out of her mind. Of all the rotten, stinking luck! Isn’t that the story of your life? She sighed. It was. Nothing had ever been easy for her. She’d thought now that she had a new name and a new life, things would turn around but as always, nothing ever went her way.
They were seated in the far corner at Diana’s insistence. She’d not wanted to sit by the window, the air was colder there she’d said, so he’d asked for a table near the back wall.
Orders placed, they waited in silence. He couldn’t think of a single thing to say. Diana took in the room, smiling at anyone who looked her way before fussing with the napkin in her lap. Apparently, she had nothing to say either. The silence grew uncomfortable and was near deafening now that they were here.
At his mother’s urging, Caleb had asked Diana to dinner in town and he hadn’t hesitated in doing so. He barely knew this woman he’d agreed to marry, and he worked so many hours, getting to know her seemed almost impossible as he was gone from sunup to sundown. By the time he made it home, cleaned up, and ate supper, it was bedtime so they never had a chance to talk. He knew nothing about her other than what she’d told him in her letter and it seemed half of that wasn’t even true. He was more confused by her than anything. She was a complete mystery.
He cleared his throat and said, “So,” when the silence stretched too long. “What do you think of Angel Creek? Is it much different from Charleston?”
Something flashed in her eyes so quick, he wasn’t able to catch it but she gave him a tiny smile before fidgeting with her napkin again. “They’re not much different. Well, other than the number of people that live here.”
“Did you enjoy living there?”
She kept her eyes down. “For the most part. The city was beautiful before the war and the beaches were my favorite place. I could spend all day long hanging out by the shore.”
“Sounds nice. I’ve never seen the ocean.”
“It's the only thing I’ll miss about it.” She lifted her head. “Have you lived here your whole life?”
“In Montana, yes. Ruth and I moved to Angel Creek right before Amanda was born. My parents had already settled here. It wasn’t much more than a stagecoach stop along the trail back then so I’ve been able to see it grow over the years.”
“Do you like it?”
The question gave him pause. Did he enjoy living here? “I don’t know. I suppose so.” He shrugged. “Life is simple. I get up, go to work, come home, and do it all over again the next day.”
She nodded her head. “I know what you mean. It was that way in Charleston. Just the same old thing every day. My routine never changed. That's why I stayed on that train when I got on it.”
Her eyes widened a fraction as her cheeks went pink. He wanted to ask what made her face heat like that but their food arrived and neither said anything as they started to eat. Halfway through their meal, a shadow fell over the table. He lifted his head to find Julia Bailey and Caroline Larsen smiling down at them.
Julia was the first to speak. “I hate to interrupt you, Caleb, but we haven’t met your new bride yet. Cassie over at the mercantile mentioned she’d arrived so when we saw you come in, we wanted to come over and introduce ourselves to her.”
Caleb stood and acknowledged both ladies. “It’s fine, Julia. Diana this is Julia Bailey and Caroline Larsen. Ladies, this is Diana Hale. And we’re not married yet…” He let the sentence trail off. There wasn’t much he could say beyond that, anyway.