Chapter Seven
"Dodge!"
He raised his head and blinked. "yeah?"
Charlie laughed then tossed a pillow at Dodger's head. "Are you all right, or are ya thinking bout that girl you had in your cabin last night?"
He blushed. "oh her." he said as if it was no concern. "Bridget, or what ever her name was. She left after ya came in."
"oh I believe that."
"well ya should." Dodger told the short freckled redhead. "She's a good girl."
"good girl's don't come into strange lad's cabins."
He came to his feet then pushed the younger boy hard across the chest. "nothing happened got it?"
He nodded. "yeah Dodger."
He relaxed then plopped back down on the bed across from Charlie. This had been the bed Brianne slept on. Oh how he wished she would be sleeping on it tonight. "work was 'ard today."
"it was."
He stared out the window. He could almost imagine her standing there. With her red hair tied back into a ponytail and her curvy frame.
Brianne Kelly
Her name was like a sweet song.
By the time she had made it to her cabin it was nearly midnight.
Exhausted she plopped down onto her bed. With nothing to wrap her ankle up with it hurt ten times more.
If only Jack were here she felt better almost instantly once he lied her down in his bed.
She relaxed slightly then closed her eyes.
A high infant's cry interrupted her thoughts. She turned her head and looked at the small baby lying in the crate beside her bed.
"shh." she whispered.
Sarah was usually a good baby but when she didn't feel like sleeping she liked to share that with who ever else was in the room with her.
Most of the women who Brianne shared this cottage with had children or were expecting one. All though almost all of them lacked a wedding ring on their finger. Brianne didn't mind that though. To be truthful she enjoyed having little feet and precious smiles around in the hard existence that was Australia.
Sarah's mother didn't seem too concerned with her child's cry. The skinny nineteen year old repositioned herself in her bed then moaned.
Tiredly Brianne forced herself out of bed. She hoped on her good foot towards the infant and picked her up in her arms.
The baby flailed her small fists around in the air and kicked her feet. "shh." Brianne whispered. She bounced up on her feet then relaxed. "it's all right, brablin."
The truth was there was times when Brianne wanted her own baby like Sarah. A small little version of herself what she could love and coddle all she wanted.
The baby's small arms wrapped around her neck , a smile replaced the frown the infant once wore.
Brianne smiled. "see." she said. "it's not that bad is it?"
She giggled as if agreeing with Brianne's statement.
"To think I could have had one of you." she said shaking her head. "Me a mother ? Well don't that beat all?"
She swallowed back tears building up in her throat. "with a husband and little home. Maybe I could have had a lot of yous." she gave her head a slight shake. "me a mother?"
She sat down on the bed then bounced her on her knee. A song Mam used to sing to her.
" I see the moon, the moon sees me
shining through the leaves of the old oak tree
Oh, let the light that shines on me
shine on the one I love."
By this time in her life she expected to be singing this song to her and John's children. She had expected a lot of things to happen between her and John. She had expected him to love her, she expected him to earn money to support her and she had expected never to know his hands to do anything but embrace her.
"Over the mountain, over the sea,
back where my heart is longing to be
Oh, let the light that shines on me
shine on the one I love."
The baby's tired eyes fought to close themselves. Her little eyelids fluttered, as if trying desperately to keep eye contact.
She hummed the rest of the song, the baby drifting asleep in her arms. She lay the baby down in her crate then smiled.
She wondered if Jack had a wife or ever wanted one? It didn't matter though, she would never marry again.