The next morning Sara woke up in her own house beside her husband. It felt good to have him home, his warm body making the bed feel not so lonely. During the night a small blizzard had hit and the little house was freezing. Sara wanted to get up and start the fire in the cook stove, but she was too afraid to step out from under the warm blankets. Bravely she made herself move and she slipped out from under the blankets into the bitter cold air. Quickly she grabbed her shawl and wrapped it around her. In the front room she lit a match and heaped coal into the cook stove. The baby inside of her wiggled and Sara thought that it must be cold as well. She walked about the room, trying to get her blood flowing and got breakfast. Since this was Gil's first morning home, she wanted to make something nice. She set the frying pan to heat and greased it with lard. Next, she mixed up the batter for pancakes.
"Mmm, something smells good," Gil said as he got up.
"You should rest more," Sara insisted. "the ride home probably exhausted you."
Gil kissed Sara's neck. "It wasn't the ride home," he said with a hint of wickedness in his voice.
Sara blushed. "I'm afraid the house isn't warm enough yet, dear," she said as laid a few slices of pork in the skillet beside the pancakes.
Gil hugged her to him from behind. He kissed the top of her head and breathed in her scent. "Merry Christmas," he said.
Sara gasped. She couldn't believe she had forgotten. "Oh, I'll give you your gift," she said as she went towards her trunk. Once she opened it she separated her cloth and found the pocket watch. She opened it for a second and read the inscription that she had inscribed onto it. She snapped it closed, and hurried back to where Gil was standing by the stove.
"Oh," he said as he took the gold watch she offered him. He breathed on it and rubbed it with his handkerchief
"Everybody likes to know the time," Sara said innocently.
Gil chuckled. "I know I like knowing the time," he said as he read the inscription that read 'To my darling husband'.
Sara slid the pancakes onto a blue platter and added the pork. " Do you like it?" she asked.
Gil nodded. "It's the finest thing anyone has every given me. Apart from our baby," he said as he kissed her.
Sara turned and set the table. She didn't know what Gil had brought for her, but she was excited. Maybe he brought her a new hat, or a necklace. Gil went into the bedroom and returned dressed to go out in the snow. Sara set a pot of coffee on the stove and pretended to be busy.
"Do you want to go see what I brought back?" he asked as he pulled his boots on.
"Oh yes!" Sara said as she set the coffee back and hurried to dress warmly.
In the bedroom Sara put on her long wool stockings and her flannel petticoat. The thermometer said twenty below zero and Sara had to keep the baby warm. When she was finished Gil told her she looked like a doll. Sara said she felt like a doll, she couldn't move her arms and she felt like she was made of cloth.
"Well, just as long as you are warm," Gil said with a smile.
Gil took her by the hand and together they trudged through the snow. Even though the sun was out, it was bitterly cold. The air seemed to go through all of Sara's clothes and it stung the inside of her nose.
"Where are we going?" Sara asked.
"To the barn," Gil said as they trudged through the snow.
The snow came over Sara's boots and seeped into her stockings. She was sure her toes were going to turn black and fall off by the time they got to the barn. Finally, they reached the door. Gil had to break away some of the snow to pull the door open. The barn always smelled the same to Sara. It smelled of hay and manure. Uncle Jim kept a lot of animals in the barn during winter time. On the ground the chickens ran about. The pigs were in their pen. and towards the back stood the horses and cows. They walked back towards the stables and Sara saw a brand new pony. The pony had a black mane and a sleek cream colored body.
"Oh," Sara sighed as she reached in to stroke it's velvety nose. "it's beautiful."
"It's yours. I figured since you gave me your horse to ride, then I owed you another one," Gil said as he reached underneath a blanket to grab something.
He withdrew a new saddle and bridle. The set was made of black polished leather and it looked like it was well made. Gil opened the stall door and the pony let out a whoosh of breath. Sara wondered for a moment if it would fight Gil, but she stood there and let Gil fasten the saddle and bridle.
"She's very gentle. I was bet that if I could break this wild pony then I could take her home. Well, I won and here she is," he said.
Sara stepped into the stable. "I think I'll call her Star," she said.
Gil smiled. "Well, when it turns warm we will take Star out for a ride. For now she will stay in here," he said.
Sara sighed. She wanted to ride it now, but she knew she was in no condition to ride a pony. She took a brush and curry-combed it for a moment. It nuzzled her and she laughed.
"Well," Gill said as he put his hand on her shoulder. "let's go eat our breakfast."
~~0~~
Later in the day, Sara and Gil went to eat supper at her uncle's house. A few more presents were exchanged and Sara started to feel the warmth of Christmas. John got new hat and sled. Aunt Catherine gave Sara a new pair of knitting needles and a new apron. The biggest surprise was that Uncle Jim had made a baby's cradle for her. The cradle was well sanded and it rocked smoothly. She could vision placing her sleeping baby inside and rocking it gently to sleep.
"This has indeed been a merry Christmas," Uncle Jim commented as he sipped his coffee.
Aunt Catherine nodded. "Yes," she nodded to Sara. "now it is time for a healthy baby."
~~0~~
January 1780,
The new year began perfect. Gil announced that he planned to stay home until the baby was born and Nick said he would stay as well.
"They'll get along fine without us for a few months," Nick said.
This put Sara at ease. She had so many fears about delivery and having Gil home would be a great comfort. She was afraid that the baby wouldn't come out right and the would have to cut her open to get it out. A woman in town said that her baby was born backwards! Her midwife did her best to put her mind at ease.
"Don't worry," Riley said. "you are coming along just fine. You will have a healthy baby."
Sara felt as if she was growing bigger every day and the baby was becoming more active. It began to keep her awake during the night and it sent her to relieve herself more than she ever had before. Getting clothes on was a struggle now. Gil had to pull on her stockings and button her shoes for her. Sometimes she tried to go without shoes and only wear thick woolen socks, but the cold forced her to put shoes on. Her feet were so red and swollen that soaked them at night to get them quit aching. Riley said this was natural, but Sara thought it was against nature.
"It won't be like this for long, dear," Gil said in an attempt to soothe her.
Sara let out a cry. "You're the one to talk. You have been getting your own breakfast for weeks now!" she said a lot meaner than she had intended.
Babies were always thought to happy things, but Sara was not happy. She had a sharper tongue than before and ate more than she knew she was supposed to. She wanted to sled in the snow and go walking. Instead, she sat huddled in the rocking chair. She was tired of knitting, but it was the only thing she could do to keep her mind off of things.
"Sara, how about we go for a walk?" Gil said one day.
Sara had been spending another uneventful day in her rocking chair, looking out the window at the sun on the glistening snow.
Sara hesitated. "I am much too tired," she said.
"You don't need to get depressed. Come walk with me," he said as he took her hand.
Sara reluctantly stood and they walked out the back door. Hank leaped out after them and yelped for attention. Already the fresh air made Sara feel better. The sky was clear and the birds were singing all of their beautiful songs.
"It is good to get out of that small house," Gil said.
Sara nodded. "I love our house nonetheless. It is good to feel the sunshine," she said.
Gil said. "It won't be long until the baby and soon after it will learn to hitch about the floor. We will have to give it another room to run around in."
Sara looked straight ahead. "Will you stay home until it gets warm?" she asked, taking his arm.
They walked into the grove of trees by the barn and then turned towards the river. Sara missed the river and in the past she had skated on the icy surface when it was frozen.
Gil nodded. "I do plan to," he said. "I have a lot of things I have been thinking about."
"What kind of things?" Sara asked.
Gil looked down on her and smiled. "I have been thinking about staying home. I am not as young as I once was and you are my happiness. I have been waiting too long to have happiness," he explained.
Sara looked down at the snow. She couldn't help but smile. "I do want you here," she said.
Gil nodded. "I know you do. I have thought about my retirement, but I don't want God to think me a coward," he said.
Sara shook her head. "I don't think God will think that. He knows you are honorable. It is men like my father who are dishonorable cowards," she said, leaning closer to him.
"Everything you say makes me feel better," he said. "you're right. I think I would be more of a coward if I didn't stay with you."
~~0~~
February 1780
Early in February, Sara braved the harshness of the cold and went to a barn raising in town. Gil bundled her up in the wagon and put hot bricks at her feet to keep them warm. Barn raisings were always eventful and not to mention that she had planned to introduce Nick and Mandy, The snow was packed down hard so that the wagon had the be taken off of it's wheels and acted like a sled. The horses pulled it faster and easier like that. The barn raising was for a newly married couple, Jennifer and Kevin Stogner. Jen had gone to school with Sara and they hadn't spoken in a long time.
"Here we are," Gil said as they reached the Stogner house.
Uncle Jim and Aunt Catherine had stayed home, but Nick and John had gone with Sara and Gil. Gil helped Sara stand and step out of the wagon. He waited until she was in the house, then the men stabled the horses. Inside the house was warm and friendly. Jen was in the far corner with her husband, so Sara walked over to talk.
"Hello!" Jen said as soon as she saw Sara.
The two women hugged. "Jen, you look so beautiful. You always have," Sara said.
Jen waved her off. "You're just saying that," she laughed.
It was a fact that Sara wasn't lying. She had always been jealous of her friend, but now they were both married and she had nothing to be jealous about.
"How are you coming along?" Jen asked in reference to the baby.
Sara blushed. "Oh fine," she said. "though I wish it wasn't quiet so long."
Jen laughed. "Sara, don't scare me. I am with child now," she whispered.
Sara gasped. "You will make a PERFECT mother," she said to her friend.
Gil soon found her and the women all sat down to sew while the men faced the cold to raise the sides of the barn. Outside there was a commotion of hammering and sawing. Sara found Mandy and sat beside her so that she could quickly introduce her to Nick. For dinner the women set out cold chicken and hot coffee. The men swallowed it and went back to hammering.
"I dare say they don't intend to stop," Jen said as she sewed.
Sara looked on and knew that her friend may be right. It was near supper by the time the walls were raised. Before the roof was added, the women bundled up and went out to see the final touch.
"Look, there is Nick," Mandy whispered.
Sara nodded and watched at the men finished the barn off. Everyone applauded and Sara waited for Nick to come down. When she saw him she rushed up to him.
"What's wrong little cousin?" he asked.
"Nothing," Sara said. "I have a friend I want you to meet."
She turned to Introduce Mandy, but she was gone. Nick laughed. "I suppose that is your invisible friend," he said.
"She was right here," Sara replied.
Nick patted her on the head. "I always knew you had lost your mind," he teased.
Sara playfully hit him. "You hush up," she said.
On the way home, Nick teased Sara about her friends being invisible. Sara teased Nick by saying if he didn't shut up then he would go flying over the side of the wagon.