without question.”
“Thank you Mr. Tiny. Your words mean a lot to me.”
“Just call me Tiny, ma’am, just Tiny.”
“Only if you call me Rose.”
“Yes’em. Roscoe called ye his Red Rose. I can see why he did now that I’ve met ye.”
“Roscoe talked to you about me?”
“Oh yes ma’am. I mean Rose. He talked about ye to anybody that would listen. He was especially glad to finally find a woman to share his life with. I’m just sorry that his life wasn’t longer.”
I could feel the tears building in my eyes. I blinked several times trying not to cry.
Tiny glanced by direction. “Go ahead and cry Rose. Tears is good fer ye. They help to cleanse the soul. Let’em come.” He handed me a red bandanna.
I wiped my eyes and sniffed a couple of times.
“When are you going to show me how to drive this contraption?”
“How about now?” He handed the reins to me and explained how I was supposed to hold them between my fingers, how to pull in which direction you wanted to go. It was all fairly simple and I got the hang of it very quickly.
“Ye’re a natural, Rose. Are ye sure ye haven’t drove a wagon before?”
“This is a first for me. Since I’m doing so well, perhaps you want to start back to town? We’re still a ways from my home.”
“I’d be remiss in me duty if I let ye go on alone. No, I’ll see ye all the way there. If I don’t feel like riding back tonight, I kin sleep in the barn and get an early start in the morning.”
“Thank you, you’re very kind.”
We rode the rest of the way in silence. I would make sure I had a pair of gloves the next time I drove the wagon. The reins were rubbing a blister on my fingers.
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
It was almost midnight when we arrived in the front yard of my home. My home. That had a nice sound to it. Tiny climbed down on his side. I climbed down on my side.
“I’ll take the horse to the barn and bed’em down for the night. Then I think I’ll go on back tonight. I can git there just in time to catch a couple hours, before the day starts.”
“Let me see if there’s something I can fix for a quick snack before you leave.”
“I’d be obliged, Rose. Thank ye.”
I went through the front door and the memories overwhelmed me. For a moment I thought I was going to faint. I reached the table, lit the lamp and stood and stared. It was just as we had left it that morning of the accident. The bed unmade, dirty dishes on the table. I felt the tears again starting to flow. Were they ever going to stop?
Tiny stuck his head in the door, surveyed the surroundings and said.
“I can see yer gonna be busy, so I’m gonna leave now. If ye need anything, please let me know and I’ll do me best to fulfill yer request. Good bye Red Rose.”
“Goodbye, friend Tiny. Thank you so much for your help and your kindness.”
I sat down at the table and leaned my head on it.
“What am I going to do now, Lord? I’m all alone and I know practically nothing about how to run a cattle ranch. I thought for sure that You had picked out a mate for me to carry on with my life, but surely you don’t want me to abandon my child for a man? I ask you again for the strength and the guidance that you have provided for me all my life? I ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen.”
I stood, started gathering the dirty dishes and carried them over to the dry sink. I picked up the empty bucket and went to the well to draw water. It had to start sometime. That sometime was now.
The next morning I heard a familiar sound. Oscar the rooster telling the world that he was awake and still in charge of the chicken yard.
I got out of bed, washed my face, dressed, picked up a basket and headed for the hen house.
“We’ll see who’s in charge,” as I picked up the stick by the door.
Oscar saw me coming and started dancing sideways toward me. I raised the stick and he danced the other direction. I walked straight to the hen house and gathered the eggs. Without any
“Thank you Mr. Tiny. Your words mean a lot to me.”
“Just call me Tiny, ma’am, just Tiny.”
“Only if you call me Rose.”
“Yes’em. Roscoe called ye his Red Rose. I can see why he did now that I’ve met ye.”
“Roscoe talked to you about me?”
“Oh yes ma’am. I mean Rose. He talked about ye to anybody that would listen. He was especially glad to finally find a woman to share his life with. I’m just sorry that his life wasn’t longer.”
I could feel the tears building in my eyes. I blinked several times trying not to cry.
Tiny glanced by direction. “Go ahead and cry Rose. Tears is good fer ye. They help to cleanse the soul. Let’em come.” He handed me a red bandanna.
I wiped my eyes and sniffed a couple of times.
“When are you going to show me how to drive this contraption?”
“How about now?” He handed the reins to me and explained how I was supposed to hold them between my fingers, how to pull in which direction you wanted to go. It was all fairly simple and I got the hang of it very quickly.
“Ye’re a natural, Rose. Are ye sure ye haven’t drove a wagon before?”
“This is a first for me. Since I’m doing so well, perhaps you want to start back to town? We’re still a ways from my home.”
“I’d be remiss in me duty if I let ye go on alone. No, I’ll see ye all the way there. If I don’t feel like riding back tonight, I kin sleep in the barn and get an early start in the morning.”
“Thank you, you’re very kind.”
We rode the rest of the way in silence. I would make sure I had a pair of gloves the next time I drove the wagon. The reins were rubbing a blister on my fingers.
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
It was almost midnight when we arrived in the front yard of my home. My home. That had a nice sound to it. Tiny climbed down on his side. I climbed down on my side.
“I’ll take the horse to the barn and bed’em down for the night. Then I think I’ll go on back tonight. I can git there just in time to catch a couple hours, before the day starts.”
“Let me see if there’s something I can fix for a quick snack before you leave.”
“I’d be obliged, Rose. Thank ye.”
I went through the front door and the memories overwhelmed me. For a moment I thought I was going to faint. I reached the table, lit the lamp and stood and stared. It was just as we had left it that morning of the accident. The bed unmade, dirty dishes on the table. I felt the tears again starting to flow. Were they ever going to stop?
Tiny stuck his head in the door, surveyed the surroundings and said.
“I can see yer gonna be busy, so I’m gonna leave now. If ye need anything, please let me know and I’ll do me best to fulfill yer request. Good bye Red Rose.”
“Goodbye, friend Tiny. Thank you so much for your help and your kindness.”
I sat down at the table and leaned my head on it.
“What am I going to do now, Lord? I’m all alone and I know practically nothing about how to run a cattle ranch. I thought for sure that You had picked out a mate for me to carry on with my life, but surely you don’t want me to abandon my child for a man? I ask you again for the strength and the guidance that you have provided for me all my life? I ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen.”
I stood, started gathering the dirty dishes and carried them over to the dry sink. I picked up the empty bucket and went to the well to draw water. It had to start sometime. That sometime was now.
The next morning I heard a familiar sound. Oscar the rooster telling the world that he was awake and still in charge of the chicken yard.
I got out of bed, washed my face, dressed, picked up a basket and headed for the hen house.
“We’ll see who’s in charge,” as I picked up the stick by the door.
Oscar saw me coming and started dancing sideways toward me. I raised the stick and he danced the other direction. I walked straight to the hen house and gathered the eggs. Without any
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