Read Online RR05 - Tender Mercies by Lauraine Snelling - Free Book Online Page A

Pacific.”
    “Uff da. So far away.” The mound of carded wool grew in the basket at her side. Bridget stroked the long fine strands. “Your sheep give such good wool. Spinning and knitting it is a pleasure.” Each kept busy with her own task.
    “Is it wrong to want a place of my own?” Bridget asked.
    “Don’t ask me. I wouldn’t give this up for anything short of heaven.” The two chuckled together, knowing the trials Ingeborg had gone through to keep the land after Roald died. Roald had been Ingeborg’s first husband and Bridget’s second son.
    “Mor, I’m hungry.” Andrew crossed the room to stand at his mother’s arm.
    “There’s milk or buttermilk in the pantry, and you know where the cookie jar is, unless you’d rather have bread and jam.”
    Andrew thought a moment, his brow wrinkling in the process. “Can I have both?”
    Ingeborg laid aside her mending and started to get up.
    “I’ll fix it,” Thorliff called from the kitchen table. “Come on, Andrew.”
    “Thank you, son. Now you’ll have clean trousers to wear to school tomorrow, ones that cover your ankles.”
    Not long after the boys were in bed, the horse trotted back into the yard, greeted by Paws, who took his job of announcing visitors or family very seriously.
    “We’ll have frost tonight,” Haakan said a few minutes later after putting the horse away. “I could already see it in some places, the moon is so bright.” He hung his jacket and hat on one of the pegs on the wall by the door. “Olaf said to tell you that he has your rocking chair about finished, Mor.” He glanced at Bridget. “And there are no arms on it, like you asked.”
    “Good. It is easier to knit and do other things if there are no arms, especially when working at the spinning wheel.” She looked with pride at the wheel nearest to her, the one thing she’d insisted come from Norway with her. Gustaf had made it several years before, after they sold her other one to help the brothers buy passage to come to the new land. It was the last thing he had made for her.
    “The coffee could be hot in a minute or two.” Ingeborg snipped the last thread and folded the pants, laying them to the side. The darning and patching basket seemed to refill of its own accord, no matter how many things she finished in an evening.
    “No, I’m coffee’d out.” He leaned a shoulder against the doorjamb.
    “So, what went on at the meeting?” The look of him, so relaxed with cheeks burnished by the cold, made her heart pick up its beat.
    “They’re talking of building a frame house for Pastor. He says he doesn’t need it, but I think Hildegunn is after Anner to get it going. Says a man in his position needs more than a soddy.”
    Ingeborg chuckled. That sounded like Hildegunn all right .
    “He’s starting English classes again next week, so, Bridget, if you want to attend, I will take you.”
    She nodded her reply.
    “Oh, and there are so many children in school this year, he wondered if there were some who could give a bit of their time to help, especially with the little ones. You think Kaaren might be able?”
    “What about Mary Martha? That might keep her here a bit longer.”
    “True.” Haakan dipped his head and gave his wife one of those “you’re cooking up something” looks out of the corner of his eyes. “Ingeborg.”
    “What?” Pure innocence shone from her face but for the slight curve of one eyebrow.
    “Just don’t meddle.” He sighed at the futility of his remark and rubbed his chin. “There’s to be a debate between Walter Muir of the Farmer’s Alliance and Porter J. McCumber, who’s talking for the railroads. They asked to use our church. I want to ask them what they plan to do about the railroad gouging the farmers. The shipping price per ton went up again.”
    “Uff da. You’d think they’re afraid they’ll go broke.” Ingeborg had read in the Dakota Farmer newspaper about the wealth being accumulated by the railroad magnates. The