Page 31 of Colorado Bride

“I should have thought of it myself.”

He stopped massaging her and backed away, going back to pitching hay to the horses and Bessie.

After she finished milking, Ben took her to the chicken coop.He started to explain.

“Each hen will have one—”

“I know how to gather eggs.The orphanage kept chickens as well as four cows.For this, I don’t need your help.”

“Okay.I’ll leave you to it.”

She grabbed the basket on the hook inside the hen house and gathered the eggs.She didn’t need to worry about snakes this morning as the hens were all sitting on their nests.

When Ben was finished feeding and watering the horses and Bessie, he picked up the bucket full of milk and together they walked up to the house.He took her inside, put the milk bucket on the counter and kissed her on the lips…right in front of his mother.

Dazed she closed her eyes to gather her wits together.

The woman made a noise of disapproval and turned away.

Ben grinned and then left to finish his chores.

Emily decided to try and make the best of the situation.

“Where is your cheesecloth for the milk?”

Doris pointed at the drawer next to the icebox.

Emily went into the pantry and found two clean gallon jugs.She brought them out and strained the milk into them.She put the jugs in the icebox and went to work on the eggs.With the hot water she got from the bucket on the stove, mixed with cold water from the pump, she achieved the optimum temperature.Then she washed the dirt, straw and feces from the eggs, putting them in the icebox when she was through.

“What would you like for me to do now, Mrs.Logan?”

“Drop dead.”

The older woman murmured under her breath.

Emily still heard.She tried not to let the words hurt, but they did just the same.

“I’m not leaving and I’m not dropping dead.I’m married to Ben and I’m staying here.Maybe Ben should build you your own little house where you can live with your hate to keep you company.”

The woman turned and stared at Emily, her eyebrows crunched.

“He’d never.”

“Wouldn’t he?If I asked him I bet he would, but I don’t want to have to ask him.I’d rather we,” she pointed back and forth between them.“You and I, got to know each other and learn that neither of us is as bad as the other wants to believe.”

“Ha.”She pointed her finger at Emily.“You have Ben under a spell.He can’t see that Melissa is the best woman for him.”

“I don’t understand you.”Emily leaned against the counter next to the sink.“She left him standing at the altar, humiliated.How can you promote that he take her back?Why are you so loyal, to the point of risking your son’s love, to this woman?”

“There was just a misunderstanding.”

“It was not a misunderstanding.”

At the booming voice, Emily whipped around to see Ben standing in the doorway.His jaw was set and his blue eyes blazed as he stared at his mother.

“She didn’t even attempt to come to the wedding.She left for San Francisco that morning with that Richard Deveraux character and left me that note.”

Doris closed the distance between her and Ben.