Letters and Love

Chapter Fourteen: Noah

The Harpers were a force to be reckoned with, and I was no longer surprised that they had proved their claim without any help. They stayed at my place for two days after the barn fire, with their sons taking turns returning to their own land. When I tried to protest, they told me this is just what good neighbors do and they would expect me to do the same thing.

Grateful for the help, though unsure what they could do, I gave up my bed for them. I bunked down in the kitchen with the sons.

Mr. Harper rode out with me to scour the land for my herd. He was interested in learning my reasoning behind the expansion and thought it a better plan than to take on sheep, like others in the territory. With his help, we found all but ten of my cattle.

I told myself that I should be grateful it wasn't worse, but I couldn't deny being disappointed. The loss was not going to be easy to recover from, since it left very little room for any other cattle to not survive the winter.

With my neighbors' help, I branded the cattle. It was hard, smelly work and it took some time to get the hang of it. Earnest, of all people, had some experience in the task and came to help supervise.

The corral was inspected and deemed sufficient for containing the herd. The Harper boys, on top of checking on their own animals, took on the task of knocking down the charred remains of the barn. They cleaned out the spot and then began bringing logs to the spot.

Some of the logs were ones they cut down themselves, but they also included lumber. I could only assume it was lumber they had leftover from their own projects. Either way, it was hard work, and they went about it without complaint.

While we were busy with the cattle, Mrs. Harper made herself at home in my kitchen to keep us fed. But cooking was not all she did. She gave the place a thorough cleaning and hung curtains over the windows.

When I protested that this wasn't necessary, she waved off my complaints. "Your young lady shouldn't be met with a mess when she arrives," she told me firmly. "A clean house is the least we can give her. It will be difficult enough for her to adjust to life here without being expected to deep clean the moment she arrives."

"It isn't a mess!" I protested. True, when I'd first built the house, I'd focused mainly on keeping dishes washed. I soon learned that muddy floors were an annoyance and were not something to be ignored. I'd made myself prioritize the interior of my home once a week. "I clean!"

"I'm sure you do," Mrs. Harper said with a smile. She patted my arm. "Now let me do it properly."

In the end, I let her have her way. I wans't about to be ungrateful to someone who had gone out of her way to help. And if Elizabeth didn't come, at least my house would be the cleanest it had ever been.

When Earnest came to help with the branding, he brought me letters from my sister, but none from Elizabeth. Would she write again? Should I write to her or wait to hear from her?

While I had guests in my house, I couldn't bring myself to start any letter. Through the day, I'd find myself thinking, "I should remember to tell Elizabeth about this."

The Harpers' returned to their house, but their help hadn't finished yet. About mid morning each day, over the next week, the Harper men returned to help me build something resembling a barn. It wasn't going to win any beauty competitions, but it was better than nothing. It would keep my horses out of the wind, rain, and snow come winter and that was all I could ask for.

No other neighbors came to help or to ask what happened, though Earnest had told Mr. Collins about what had happened. That disappointed me more than I expected, though I knew it shouldn't have. The town thought I was a veritable villain. Why would they want to help someone they didn't like?