On the other side of the window, a single snowflake drifted lazily down from the sky.
Inside the small house, Caroline Ingalls did not even notice the white flakes that were beginning to fall outside. The only thing she was paying attention to was the butter churn that sat in front of her and the growing ache in her arms that came from churning the cream. She had been finding it more and more tiring to do even the simplest household chores, and it had become apparent that the current Thursday afternoon would not be the exception.
Caroline let out a relieved sigh when she saw the telltale grains of butter forming on the dash, and the soreness in her arms faded away as the end of her work drew near. Despite that, it was not until she had finished preparing the butter and began packing it into the butter-mold that she happened to glance over at the window. Her mouth twisted upward into a tired smile when she noticed the snow falling outside, and her work seemed to become slightly less arduous as she finished making the pats of butter.
Once she was finished, she could not resist pushing herself to her feet and making her way over to the nearby window. Even though she knew that there were still quite a few tasks that she needed to complete before the day was over with, the first snowfall of the year was worth a short interruption. She paused in front of the window, enraptured by the falling snowflakes just a few inches away despite of herself.
She was still standing there several minutes later when the door suddenly swung open.
Caroline let out a startled gasp as she spun around to face the door. When she saw her husband standing there staring at her, an amused expression on his face, she felt her cheeks flush. "Mercy, Charles!"
He laughed as he shook the snow from his coat and pulled it off. "I thought you would have seen me coming," he said, nodding toward the window. "Apparently that was a mistake on my part."
"Apparently," Caroline agreed dryly. Then she shot him a questioning look. "You came home early."
Charles laughed and shot her an amused look. "Is that a question or a statement?" he asked, grinning a bit as he started walking toward her.
"I meant it as a statement," Caroline replied as she followed his movements with her eyes, "but it would work fairly well as a question."
Shaking his head, he slipped behind her and disappeared from her eyesight. "I wanted to see you," he said, reaching out to rest his hands on her shoulders.
Caroline let out a sigh that fell halfway between exasperation and amusement. "That does not entirely answer the question, Charles."
"I know that you love the first snow of the season," Charles said, his tone letting her know that he was smiling even though she could not see his face. "I just wanted to see you enjoy it. What is it you always say? Everything is always so peaceful and quiet, as if the entire world has paused to appreciate the moment."
She let out a quiet sigh. "We should enjoy the quiet while it lasts," Caroline said wistfully, reaching up to gently grasp his hands. "I daresay we have only a few months of peace left."
Charles smiled as she pulled his hands down from her shoulders, bringing them to a rest on her swollen stomach. "Perhaps," he said lightly. He leaned forward just enough to give her a quick peck on the cheek, and then he chuckled. "Then again, peace makes for a quiet life."
His wife tilted her head back so that she could meet his gaze. "Have you considered that I might enjoy a quiet life?" she asked quietly.
"You will enjoy being a mother more," Charles replied after a brief second of hesitation. "You love children, Caroline."
Caroline leaned back and rested her body against his chest, and she gave his hands a soft squeeze. She stared out the window, her gaze intently focused on the snow that was still falling from the sky. "Yes," she agreed, "I do love children."
Just a few seconds later, she felt the baby begin to kick. Behind her, Charles stiffened slightly and started to move his hands off of her stomach. She quickly tightened her grip on them, holding his hands in place. "She must be your daughter," Caroline said, a hint of laughter in her voice. "She wants to have the last word."
Charles laughed at that. "I believe, Mrs. Ingalls, that both you and our son are trying to tell me something," he said teasingly.
Caroline just shook her head and once again stared out at the snowflakes flying past the window. "And I believe that you just confirmed what I was trying to tell you," she replied lightly.
The only reply Charles gave was a quiet chuckle.
Shaking her head, Caroline never moved her gaze from the white world that was being created on the other side of the window. She knew that they would have to return to working in just a few minutes, just as she knew that they truly could not afford to waste precious time on something as frivolous as watching the snow fall. Despite those facts, however, she could not quite force herself to break the spell that seemed to have fallen over the two of them.
After several more minutes, Charles let out a sigh. "We should get back to work," he said, reluctantly slipping his hands out from under hers. "There are at least a few more hours until dark."
Caroline tore her gaze from the window and turned around to face him, a bittersweet smile on her face. "Winter will be here in strength soon enough," she said, nodding in agreement despite the hint of disappointment in her eyes. "Time is not something that we have to spare at the moment."
He stared at her for a second before leaning in to give her a gentle kiss.
Outside their home, the snowflakes kept falling.