Chapter Ten

The town was strangely quiet as Heath brought Posy and Sally back to the saloon.

"Need another room, mister."

The bartender shook his head, "On the house. Sorry Sally 'bout everything."

"Thank you."

Heath walked her upstairs. Posy slept on her shoulder.

He unlocked the door and she stopped.

"No—Heath. I don't want to be alone."

"You won't be." and he walked her down the corridor to his larger room.

He pulled the covers back for Sally and Posy to sleep on his bed; he tucked them in and kissed her on the forehead.

He made himself a pallet from the extra bedroom linens. He unpacked the small sack of baby clothes from the Willards as well as the nappies. Sally and Posy were sound asleep.

"Wonder when she will need to be changed?" as he rolled the sleeping child over and put a towel under her, "Just in case."

He had a hard time getting to sleep. He crossed his arms behind his head, "I gotta lot to think about." and the look on her father's face never left his mind.

—&—-

Heath was awakened by a baby's laugh, more of a giggle. Posy had climbed off the bed and was taking off her own nappie.

"Whoa! Whoa Nelly! Let's hold our horses."

His voice startled Sally from her sound sleep, "Is everything alright?"

"No, the baby is taking her uh, clothes off."

Sally sat up and laughed, "Oh my, Posy. Let me help."

She reached down and snuggled her daughter, "You are soaked clean through. Oh, the bed too. At least there is a towel. Did you do that, Heath ?"

He grinned, "I am good for something at least—-"

Sally changed her nappy and put the dress on her from the Willards. It was several sizes too big but Sally knotted up the hem so she wouldn't trip on it.

Heath couldn't keep his eyes off Sally and Posy. He had been attracted to Sally since the first day on the stage but her as a mother—-it was another kind of experience. And her father's daughter.

"Let me go rustle up some food. I am pretty sure we didn't eat all day yesterday."

"I will feed Posy something to tide her over."

Posy looked long and hard at him for the first time. Yesterday, the trauma of the fire and losing her grandfather had made Sally the only person she wanted to see. Today, she was interested in the man who had woken up with them. She stared at him long and hard.

Sally gave her a cold biscuit from yesterday's untouched food basket.

"Heath, do you have a knife so I can cut up this peach for her? There are several of the Willard peaches in here. Best in the valley."

"Sure do." He took the peach from Sally and cut it up. He slowly handed it to Posy. She sucked on the juice and slowly chewed on the fruit.

"Good isn't it?"

"Uh huh," as she enjoyed the fruit.

Heath handed Sally a slice. She took it from him and kissed his finger. He shivered and ate a piece himself, never taking his eyes off of her.

"Thank you for yesterday. That was the greatest gift you could have given me. My father died happy. I will always think of what you did—-"

"Sally, this isn't the time 'xactly," as he fed Posy a second slice of peach, "but there is a whole town downstairs thinking I am your husband too. I am of the mind to confirm my words. Sally, I wanna be your husband i'ffn you would have me."

"Oh Heath, are you sure?"

"I am. Came back through here just to see you. If you felt the same. I shoulda come back sooner."

"Oh Heath— yes," and she exuberantly kissed him.

"More," the little girl asked and Heath pulled away from the kiss. He gave Posy more peach and then kissed her. He took another piece himself and the last one to Sally. He snuck another kiss.

"I don't think I have had anything sweeter."

—&—

Heath headed downstairs. He chucked as his hand was sticky on the door.

"Peaches,"

He walked down the stairs to the owner, "Where could I grab some breakfast for the family? And when does the store open?"

The owner gave him a smile, "Well there is eggs and ham in the back. Will send some up. Didn't know when y'all would be stirring after it all. We all think a lot of Sally. Her Pa was a good man too. Don't take this the wrong way but after a while, the town didn't believe Sally had a husband. But Guy over at the post office would tell us you wrote faithfully every month. Musta been hard to live without a woman like her."

"I wish I had come back sooner. Missed a lot." knowing the man was fishing for details.

The man appreciated his honesty, "Anyhows, there is donations in the jar for Sally and the baby. Several sacks of clothes and such showed up—- Might wanta take them up before you buy anything,"

"Thanks," and he grabbed the bag to take up. A serving boy was behind him with ham and eggs and water.

He opened the door. Posy and Sally were playing patty cake. Sally had stripped the bed already and they were sitting on a quilt.

Heath took the tray from the boy and handed him a coin to his delight. He sat it down on the quilt.

He handed her a fork, "No plates but we have already gotten good at sharing,"

"Thank you, Heath." as she fed Posy some eggs.

"Folks sent some hand-me-downs, too," motioning to the bag.

"The people are so generous. This is a poor town and those clothes are saved for years. It was a sacrifice to give them to me."

Posh inched over to Heath. He fed her some more eggs, "Little one, you can shore eat a lot. I guess you are plum starved."

She smiled at Heath with her baby teeth and chubby cheeks for the first time. Her fat fingers patted him on the leg.

He felt his heart constrict at her joyful smile.

"Heath, I have two dresses at the post office but as you can tell, it's Posy who is going to need some clothes."

"Lots of nappies from what I can tell."

They laughed and Posy joined in too with her toddler giggle.

"I know there is a bolt of muslin over at the store. I can get those started today."

He looked over and saw the wet diapers hung on the fireplace. She followed his eyes, "You just dry out the wet ones on the fire. Wash up the dirty ones."

"Learn something every day."

(Early records indicate that babies were wrapped in swaddling clothes or cloth bands in many European societies. Each society adopted diapering habits based on local conditions. Inuit's placed moss under sealskin. Native American mothers and Inca mothers in South America packed grass under a diaper cover made of rabbit skin. In warmer tropical climates, babies were mostly naked and the waste was cleaned up when it interfered with eating, sleeping or working.

In the American West, it is likely that wet diapers were seldom washed. Most likely they were just hung by the fireplace to dry and then were used again.

In Europe, it wasn't until people acquired sufficient wealth to buy household furniture that they made more of an effort to contain baby's waste, mostly to protect their home furnishings.)

—-&—-

Tessa opened the door to a telegram. She smiled brightly and said to Eugenie, "This may finally improve Mr. Barkley's mind."

She walked to the bedroom door and peeked in, "Awake?"

"Yes, my love. I won't bite your head off."

Jarrod was reading a book she borrowed from the school teacher in St John.

"Well I have good news. The judge is coming to see us. Should be here next week."

Jarrod gave her his first real smile since the accident, "Come here, my love. I am sorry for my foul humor."

She sat on the side of the bed and adjusted his pillows, "Good to see your smile back. Rosemary called you a grumpy bear yesterday. I disciplined her but had to admit she nailed the description."

"I have a smart daughter with literary aspirations if I do say so myself."

"Oh Jarrod. You are two peas in a pod."

"You, my love are what makes us a family, how's the baby?"

"Better now that the storms cooled off the heat. He isn't looking forward to the stage back the California state line either. But he is glad the judge is coming to us. One less stage ride."

Jarrod's eyes twinkled, "He, still?"

"Haven't changed my mind."

"I love you, Mrs. Barkley."

"And I love you."

She kissed him on the lips and he sighed, "Remind me again of what I have to look forward to—"

She cocked her head mischievously and winked, "You were not given any admonitions about your husbandly duty, sir. I can make you quite comfortable I assure you."

Jarrod was speechless, "You minx," he finally whispered.

She leaned over and nibbled on his ear, "Now get your rest and I will check on you later."

"Like I can rest now," he chuckled.

She turned back to him, "At least now, we have something to look forward to,"

"Yes I do"

—-&—-

Eugenie's cousin opened her letter from St. John.

"Oh my, There will be good money in this" as he scurried to the rail station.

—&—-