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It wasn’t until late that night that Kate awoke briefly, her head pounding; it felt like she had gone through Hell and emerged into who-knows-where. Her eyelids fluttered and she could see in the dim lamplight that she was in a large room with several other beds. How strange, she thought. What is this place? Looks almost like a hospital, she thought, and she suddenly remembered a glass falling from her hand. I went to check on Sam and… and here I am. The thought of Sam, still recovering from his wounds, brought her wide awake, and she jerked half-upright in bed.
Sam was right there, seated next to the bed. He was fast asleep, hunched over onto her mattress and one hand lying over her wrist. She grasped his hand. I guess it doesn’t matter where we are. As long as he’s here with me everything will be fine. Kate exhaled and let herself fall back to the pillow. She turned to watch him sleep and ran her hand over his bruised cheek. He still needs me to take care of him, she thought just before she slipped back asleep, not waking until the morning sun was well revealed.
Epilogue
Through her slumber, Kate felt the warmth against her and pulled herself close, cuddling up against him. He was sleeping deeply and she loved being so close to him at times like this. She roused herself to briefly open her eyes and look at him. He was so peaceful. She ran her fingers softly over his face, over his cheek and his sweet lips, and lay her head down again.
In a way it was a strange feeling having him here in her bed. She never thought that she would love another man after Sam. She certainly never imagined that she’d feel such an intense love, such a crazy, out-of-control love like she felt now, but she couldn’t deny it. Kate hugged him more tightly and felt his hand reach for hers, even seeking her touch while he slept. It was the sort of thing he did frequently, and it drove her even more deeply and madly in love with him.
She could hear several people downstairs in the kitchen, and although the smell of strong coffee and fresh bread snuck under the door and beckoned to her, she couldn’t imagine tearing herself away just yet. She snuggled closer, nestling her face close to his, inhaling his scent.
The sound of footfalls on the stairs, then on the creaky floorboard just outside, made her turn her head in time to see the bedroom door open. It was Sam. He came to the side of the bed opposite hers and knelt.
“How’s our little man this morning?” he whispered, reaching out to grasp Tommy’s tiny fingers.
Kate smiled and reached for her husband’s hand.
“So far so good,” she said. “It’s such a relief that he’s sleeping through the night now.”
“You’re telling me,” Sam said. He reached over and stroked her hair, brushing several strands out of her face. “My poor girl.” He leaned down to kiss his son on the cheek. “You gave her such a hard time these last few months,” he whispered. “You’re lucky you have such a good mother.”
Sam leaned over and kissed Kate. “Looks like it’s going to be a beautiful day,” he said. “I thought this afternoon we’d pack a picnic lunch and take Tommy down by the creek to let him splash around a little bit.”
She lifted her hand to Sam’s face. “That sounds wonderful. You don’t have any work to do?”
He laughed. “There’s always work to do,” he said. “But some things can wait until later. I already packed some orders and I’ll take them into town before lunch.”
“Who are they for today? More for Mr. Gray?”
“He says he can’t keep it in stock,” Sam said. “Things keep going like this and I’ll have a real business on my hands here.” He didn’t like to brag about himself, but his smile revealed the pride that he had in his work. Kate stretched up and they kissed again before he stepped toward the door.
“I’ll be back in a couple of hours and then we’ll go on our picnic,” he said.
Kate nodded and let herself gently fall back onto the pillow. She could hear her husband moving through the house below, passing through the hall out onto the porch and down the steps. How funny, she thought, remembering a day when she’d been in the same room, listening to Sam take the exact same steps but in reverse. I never would have believed it if I’d been told that I’d marry the man I first met while wearing nothing but a bed sheet.
She got out of bed gently in order not to wake Tommy and went to the window. It was indeed going to be a lovely day; the sky was studded with fluffy white clouds and a pleasant breeze poured in through the window, tempering the warmth of the late-summer sun, and she waved to Sam as he drove up to the road, a crate of cheeses in the bed of the wagon.
Kate put on a simple farm dress—becoming a mother had changed her ideas of what was appropriate to wear, what with Tommy constantly grabbing things, spitting up on other things and chewing on still others—and eased him into her arms before she went downstairs.
Her father gladly took her son off her hands while she ate breakfast, and they spent the rest of the morning watching after Tommy as he chased crickets in the grass in front of the porch. When Sam returned from town, Mary had already packed them a picnic basket, and Kate and Tommy went to join Sam for the short ride to the creek.
“Oh, wait just a second,” Kate said, suddenly turning back. “I just wanted to take another look at the letter I was writing to Laura.” She quickly returned to their bedroom and retrieved the letter from the bureau, sliding it into the picnic basket before they got aboard the wagon.
It was a pleasant afternoon for a ride; the red parasol shielded Kate and Tommy from the bright sun and the color of the sky and the fields had never seemed so vibrant. Tommy cooed and gurgled at the horses as they went, and in only a few minutes they had reached the tall aspen that grew alongside the creek.
Sam tied the horses and spread out a ground cloth for them all to sit on while they ate, and soon they were enjoying lunch in the shade, accompanied only by the sounds of the creek and birds chirping overhead.
Tommy pointed to the water and then looked at his mom, his eyes huge and his desire clear. Kate laughed. “Okay, I think your daddy can take you down there by the water,” she said, pulling his shirt off and leaving him only in his diaper.
As she watched the two of them playing on the bank of the creek, Tommy screaming with delight as they scared up frogs that went bounding into the water, Kate reread the letter she had written to Laura the night before.
Dear Laura,
As always, it was delightful to hear from you and I thank you for the kind wishes you sent. I must confess, it has been some time since I’ve thought much about Boston, and your letters are always a welcome reminder of my life there, like a visit from an old friend.
How thrilling to hear that you’re with child! I am positively overjoyed for you; I can tell you that motherhood suits me well and I now can’t imagine my life without my boy. I’ll be happy to give you some advice on the life of a mother in my next letter.
We continue to do well here on Taylor Farm; Sam’s business is growing as fast as Tommy does and we expect to even start work on our own home next spring. Of course, we’re going to build here on the property—especially with a baby, I can’t imagine moving too far away from my family.
This brings me to the question you raised in your letter, regarding when I was planning to come home. It turns out that I already am.
Love,
Kate
She folded the letter and replaced it in the basket before going to join her family. It wasn’t often that you got perfect days like this, and she didn’t want to waste it.
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Author’s Note