THE CHIPPEWA FALLS DAWSONS
Chapter Nine
Rose woke up and looked at the clock.
Midnight. She lay back down and closed her eyes. Within a few minutes, she knew
that she would not be able to go back to sleep. The house was quiet, and Rose
could not think of why she had awakened. After a few minutes, Rose decided to
get up. Maybe some warm milk would help her get back to sleep. Rose got up, and
put a robe on over her nightgown. As she walked quietly down the hall, Rose saw
that a light was on in the kitchen. It seemed that she wasn’t the only one who
couldn’t sleep. Rose walked a little faster; maybe it was Jack.
As Rose walked into the kitchen, she saw that
it was Mrs. Leary. "Having trouble sleeping?" Mrs. Leary asked her.
"Yes, although I don’t know why. I
thought I’d come down and try some warm milk."
"I have some warming already. I always
try that, too. Sit down, and let’s talk."
"Thank you," Rose said, sitting
down at the small kitchen table.
"So, tell me how you met our Jack."
Rose remembered their promise not to talk
about Titanic, but she didn’t want to lie to this woman. "How I met Jack
is a long story, and I haven’t the strength to tell it. Maybe someday soon. I
promise."
Mrs. Leary nodded to herself. There was
definitely a story, but it would have to wait. She looked at Rose, smiled, and
got up to pour them the warm milk.
"My mother will be coming in a few days.
As much as we like staying here, I couldn’t possibly ask you to take her
in."
"Now, Rose. We can handle two more people
here. My men will be going with him in the morning, to see what supplies they
might need. We’ll have that house fixed up in no time at all."
Rose couldn’t believe how generous these
people were. Definitely not the gutter rats Cal had always called them. Mrs.
Leary and Rose sat and talked about the wedding, the house, what it was like to
raise a family on a farm. Yawning, Rose looked up at the clock, and down at her
glass. It was already 1:30 in the morning. "I think I need to go back to
bed. I’m sure I can sleep now. Thank you." Rose yawned again, and got up.
"I’d like to go into town tomorrow, and wire Mother so she will know where
to come when she’s ready."
"You can go with the men, then. I can
handle the farm by myself. Katrina is a big help. Look at me, rambling when you
want to go to bed. Good night." The two women walked quietly up the
stairs.
Rose woke up again at six. Still early, but
she heard noises coming from every room in the house. She sat up and rubbed her
eyes. Mrs. Leary had warned her that the days started early on a farm. Rose
heard Jack’s voice in the hallway, jumped out of bed, and flung the door open.
She saw Jack walking through the hallway, approaching her door with a smile on
his face. She stood in the doorway, and waited for him. She gave him a kiss on
the check, and smiled up at him. "I need to get dressed. I’m coming to
town with you."
"Well, since you already missed
breakfast, I guess you can get something in town," Jack said. Jack smiled
again, and pulled Rose into his arms. "I love you, Rose."
"I love you," Rose said, as he
lowered his lips to kiss her good morning.
"Now, get ready, or I’ll leave without
you," Jack teased, leaving Rose to do as he asked.