Dearly Beloved
Chapter 6
Breakfast was almost over by the time Lou appeared the next morning. She had slept fitfully and, unusually for her, was the last one to join the family. Luckily their housekeeper had prepared a sumptuous breakfast for Adam, who Mrs. Greig decided needed fattening up before he went back to St. Louis. The delicious smell of fried bacon and fresh coffee greeted Lou when she reached the bottom of the stairs and she hastened her steps to the kitchen.
"Ma, we don't hafta go to school, do we?" whined Jake as soon as Lou appeared in the doorway."
"Good morning to you, too," she answered drolly, before accepting a cup of coffee from Kid. "And of course you do."
"But Adam only got home yesterday."
This argument, which clearly had had no affect on Kid, failed to move Lou as well. "He'll be here for two whole weeks so you'll have plenty of time with him."
"Besides," said Adam, trying to appease a disappointed Ethan too, "I'm going to see Doc Browne today, then I'm bringing Beth and Rudy back here to stay. We'll be home by the time school's out, then we can go riding. What do you say?"
"All right," Ethan grumbled, but neither boy was happy about it.
"Come on," Charlie said abruptly, "we're gonna be late."
Still annoyed that she would be sharing her room with Adam's fiancée, Charlie wasn't shy about making her feelings known. She gathered her books and lunch pail and didn't bother to wait for her younger brothers.
"Goodbye, sweetheart," Kid called after her, but Lou just ignored her rudeness. In truth she shared her daughter's feelings.
Jake and Ethan bid their parents goodbye then hurried to catch up with Charlie. After they were gone, Jamie returned from the stables where he had already been working for an hour.
"Horses are saddled and ready to go, Pa," he said. Jamie spied Adam at the table and gave his tie a playful tug before helping himself to a couple of strips of bacon from his brother's plate. "Nice suit, doc."
Adam couldn't help but grin and decided to take the compliment, even if it was sarcastic. "Thank you. Where are you off to?"
"We're givin' Ben Ashmore a hand with some new stock," Kid replied. Ben was one of their neighbors and a friend of Kid and Lou's.
"Give him my best," Adam said, trying unsuccessfully to fend off Jamie's bacon thievery.
"Bring him back for supper, if he'll come," said Lou. She knew Ben, a widower who lived alone on his small cattle ranch, was unlikely to join them as he usually kept to himself. But if he did decide to come there would be an extra person at dinner besides their new houseguests, which suited Lou just fine.
"I will." Kid kissed the top of her head as he passed. "See y'all later."
Jamie snatched a last piece of bacon from Adam's plate and quickly followed his father. "See ya, doc."
Lou and Adam shared a smile. After the noise of the whole family the kitchen was suddenly quiet. She sipped her coffee and regarded her son, pleased to see him across the table from her once more. She had spent many hours like this with him, Adam's nose usually buried in a book while she did the accounts or wrote letters to Rachel in Denver or Emma, who was now all the way in San Francisco. None of her other children had much patience for sitting or studying, so Adam had been her regular companion. She sighed contentedly now that he was back.
"You sleep all right?" she asked.
"Like a baby. I'd forgotten how quiet it gets here."
"Quieter than the city, that's for sure."
"St. Louis isn't so bad. You'll see when you come for my graduation ceremony."
"I suppose," Lou replied unconvincingly.
A small frown appeared on Adam's forehead. "You are still coming, aren't you?"
"Yes," she confirmed quickly, not wanting him to be concerned on that point. "Your Pa and I are looking forward to it. You know how proud we are of you… we wouldn't miss it for the world."
"Good." Adam paused, contemplating whether or not he should discuss his plans at that moment, given Lou's reaction to his engagement. But he'd always been able to tell his mother anything and Adam didn't want that to change now. "Beth and I would like to be married there right after. Her grandfather wouldn't be able to travel as far as Sweetwater, so we thought, with you and Pa already there for graduation, the timing would be perfect."
Lou slowly set her coffee mug down and said nothing. Meeting Adam's fiancée was one thing, but wedding plans were quite another. She pressed her lips into a firm line, remembering Kid's words from the previous night and forcing herself not to voice her true feelings on the matter.
Adam's expression softened. "I guess I surprised you all, huh? About Beth."
"You could say that," Lou replied ruefully. She tried to keep her voice even as she continued. "Why didn't you write us about her?"
"I wanted to tell you in person… I wanted you to meet her when I did." Adam looked her in the eyes, needing to know what she was really thinking. "You're happy for me, aren't you, Ma?"
Indecision flashed across Lou's face. "Of course I am, it's just… I don't see what the rush is."
"We're not rushing – it'll be another year before I graduate. Beth and I both decided to wait until then."
"And what about after? You still comin' back to Sweetwater when you're a doctor?"
"Of course I am." The realization suddenly dawned on him. "Wait, is that what you're worried about?"
Lou got up to serve Adam some more breakfast. "Beth's used to livin' in St. Louis. What if she doesn't like it here?"
"Why wouldn't she like it here?" He ignored the food and leaned forward intently. "Besides, Beth knows how much it means to me to come back here. This is my home."
Lou sighed. "But you'll have a new home, Adam. A wife. You'll have to think about what she wants too. And if she decides Sweetwater isn't for her…"
"Ma, you're worrying for nothing, I promise."
"I hope you're right. And I hope for Beth's sake she likes it here." Lou knew Adam would soon change his mind if his wife was miserable, and he would take her back to the life she had always known in the city.
"I know she will, especially if my family makes her feel welcome," he said pointedly. "You'll see."
Lou smiled, duly chastised. She reached across the table to grasp his hand. "I missed you, son."
"I missed you too, Ma," said Adam, placing his other hand over hers.
Before the morning was out, Adam had collected Beth and Rudy from town and helped them settle into the ranch house. Lou forced herself to be as welcoming as she could bear, ensuring Beth had everything she needed, which earned her a grateful kiss on the cheek from Adam.
That afternoon, as Rudy suffered from a hay fever attack and bemoaned the country air, Adam took Beth for a walk down to the creek which ran through the property. It was the first time they'd been alone since their arrival and Beth was relieved to escape the house, still nervous about being accepted. Adam wanted to show her their favorite fishing hole growing up, and other places where he had spent his childhood. Beth held onto his arm and listened to his stories, noticing how animated he became when he told her about Jamie and Charlie and the things they had gotten up to.
Once they left the creek they walked in silence for a few minutes before Adam nodded at a small group of trees.
"There it is," he said softly, leading her over.
Beth looked down at the few gravestones placed beneath the shady trees. Adam indicated one which read "Aloysius 'Teaspoon' Hunter", with 1881 inscribed beneath it. She had already heard all about Teaspoon, the man Adam called his grandfather, and she knew how much he meant to him. They stood by the grave in silence for a few moments.
"He would have loved to have met you," Adam said finally, squeezing her hand as it rested on his arm.
"I take it he was something of an aficionado when it came to wives," Beth replied with a grin.
"Oh, absolutely."
"Do you think he would have approved?"
"Of you?"
Beth nodded slightly, a blush appearing on her cheeks. Adam faced her squarely.
"Teaspoon would have heartily approved of you," he said, his voice full of emotion.
Beth dropped her gaze. "I wish the rest of your family would."
"They do…" Adam assured her, then remembered the awkward dinner the previous night. "They will, just give them time."
"How can you be so sure?"
Adam sighed, gazing over her shoulder at his family's ranch which stretched as far as the eye could see. "Because you belong here too."
She smiled, pleased at his words. His eyes met hers, his gaze deepening.
"They'll love you… just like I do."
Adam sealed his promise with a kiss.
