Today's snippet is taken from
Marigold
Christmas Quilt Brides, Book 2
by Zina Abbott
Beulah in my most recent Christmas Quilt Brides romance is new. However, if you read Joshua's Bride and Marigold, you already met Daniel Burdock.
“I’ll admit, the ground sure is tougher than on the farm back home.” George looked off to the side as he shook his head. “Although I’ve been happy to help you get settled on your new homestead, it has been a good reminder why I never wanted to be a farmer.”
“Well, it seems to me you have also decided you don’t want to be a soldier boy, either.” Daniel chuckled as he jabbed his brother with a forefinger.
“Nope. Not anymore.” Grimacing, George folded his arms and turned his head aside. “I think the idea of making the U.S. Army my lifetime career became less appealing after that fiasco at Wounded Knee a few years ago. The army must be in the business of recruiting blood-thirsty idiots. Besides, now they’ve got the Chiricahua Apaches relocated to Fort Sill and the Indian Wars are pretty much over, life in the army has gotten pretty dull. Now, there’s more politics than action, and you know I don’t care much for that, either.”
“If you were getting fed up with it all, why didn’t you leave sooner?”
“You don’t leave the army like quitting a job. Doing that is called desertion.” George shot Daniel a disbelieving look. “I signed up for an eleven-year hitch. Back then, once the army got their hands on you, they were not inclined to let their investment go easily. They tried to get me to stay in, you know. However, once my eleven years were up, I told them I had other plans.”
“I have a hard time believing your ‘other plans’ including helping me with my homestead. You never were much of a farmer.”
“Still not. I haven’t minded giving you a hand, but I don’t plan to make it my life’s work. Looks to me like you could use the help until your crops start producing. I’d say, ‘What was the government thinking by having a land run in September when it was too late in the year to get a decent crop into the ground?’ However, I’ve dealt with the government long enough to know a lot of what government officials decide and put into action doesn’t make sense.”
“You’re not telling me anything I don’t know. Fortunately, I have good neighbors. I had a certain amount of supplies I brought with me, but I didn’t have a lot of extra cash to buy more food until this crop came in. Joshua Kent, who is on the other side of this bridge, had plenty of extra turnip seed he worried would go bad if it didn’t get planted this year. He plowed and planted enough acres to have a bit of a cash crop, but he gave me and his neighbor to the north sufficient to grow to eat this winter. It might be a year or two before I’ll be willing to look a turnip in the face again, but, at least, I didn’t starve.”
“So that’s why we have turnips so often? I wondered when you’d developed a fondness for them.” George threw his head back as he laughed.
Rolling his eyes, Daniel shook his head. “Didn’t like them as a child, and they still aren’t my favorite. However, eating them beats eating dirt.”
“Well, in spite of me trying to hang onto as much of my pay as possible, I don’t have a great deal. I do have enough, I think, for me to go to town and try to find some potatoes and carrots.”
“We’ll have carrots from my garden soon. I could do with potatoes and onions, though. Rose Kent brought me some onions from the seed she planted last September, but they’re gone.
“Rose Kent…” George wrinkled his forehead. “I’ve met Joshua, but I didn’t know his wife’s name.”
“Yes. She’s the sweet lady who lives on the other side of this bridge you so kindly reinforced so I don’t have to worry about her tumbling into the water. Both she and I have crossed this creek barefoot or by soaking our boots more times than I want to talk about before Joshua and I built this bridge. She has to cross onto my land to reach a little corner of hers that is separated from the rest of their quarter section by the creek.” Daniel pointed to the place where the creek meandered to the east. “Half of that little spot past my property line is Ed Jenson’s. The other, which Rose and Joshua haven’t done anything with yet, is part of Rose’s property. Here, I’ll show you.” He began to walk north, skirting the cluster of bois d’arc trees that bordered the creek.
“Rose’s property? I thought, when a married couple applied for a homestead, it was only the husband who filed.”
“True. But Rose and Joshua weren’t married then. She’s the one who claimed the land. Joshua was one of those who never found his own quarter section. At first, he was too proud to seriously pursue Rose. He didn’t like the idea people might think he married her for her land. But being married to Joshua was more important to Rose than the land. Ed and I both worked to convince him we wanted Rose to be happy, so he needed to overcome his reservations. Besides, I couldn’t see that woman managing this quarter section on her own. She’s better off being a farmer’s wife with her garden and her own sewing and alteration business, which is what she really wanted. I’ll tell you the whole story, sometime. For now, let’s just say, my introduction to her—she was Rose Calloway then—was when I heard gunfire and came running across the creek with my rifle to see who was creating trouble. She was fighting off some hooligan trying to burn her out.”
Calloway. George wrinkled his brow. Where did he know that name from? He felt pretty sure he had read or heard it since coming to New Ponca.
“Then there was the incident of her digging up the survey marker over there to keep anyone from claiming her quarter section by driving their stake on this side of the creek.” Continuing his story, Daniel pointed to the corner of his property line. “She planned to prevent anyone from having all the coordinates on their certificate to try to claim the entire quarter section. She also insisted, by taking the post to the land office, it would serve as proof she claimed the land.”
“I didn’t think it was legal to remove a survey marker.” Grinning, George silently laughed as he stared where his brother pointed.
“It’s not, but you have to know Rose.
That woman is a caution.” Daniel began to walk back the way they came. “Both Ed
and I tried to talk her out of it, but there was no convincing her. She
insisted she would put it right back once she registered her land.” Shaking his
head, Daniel returned his brother’s grin. He leaned forward and tipped his
head, his gaze peering through the trees at something on the neighbor’s
property across the creek. “Speaking of Rose, there she is now. Come on.” He waved
his hand as he picked up his pace. “I’d just as soon she not try to walk across
that bridge in her present condition. I’ll introduce you, and we’ll see what
she wants.”
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