Lazy Days Read Free

face and cowlicks sending his hair in several directions, and
his heart dropped to his feet. The boy reminded him of…
    Mrs. Wells said, "Timmy, it's very rude to
interrupt grownups by bursting into a room. As for Mr. Jerome accompanying us
to Oregon, he said–"
    Cooper interrupted. "I said, yes. I'll be
driving your oxen and making sure you're settled in your new place." He
glanced at Mrs. Wells' rounded eyes and wondered when he'd lost his mind.
    Timmy shouted, "Yes! Thank you! Thank
you!" He ran to his mother and hugged her. "Oregon—here we
come!"
    Cooper looked from the boy to his mother just as
two big tears slid down her cheeks. Quickly, she swiped them with her apron and
returned her son's hug. "Timmy, you go feed the chickens while Mr. Jerome
and I discuss the particulars of the move."
    "Sure, Ma." He looked at Cooper and grinned,
showcasing a missing front tooth.
    After the boy slammed through the door, Mrs.
Wells asked, "Why did you change your mind? Was it Timmy?"
    "Yes, ma'am. But it's not something I want
to explain."
    "Then I'll not ask you to."
    An awkward silence filled the cabin.
    "Um, ma'am, why don't you tell me
everything you can about your scheduled departure time, so I can make some plans?"

Chapter
3: First Names, Please
     
    Cooper nailed the final board in place covering
the door of his humble cabin, hoping to deter thieves while he was gone. He'd
already delivered his animals, all but Sweet Pea, to a neighbor's care.
    Shaking his head, he wanted to berate himself
for his spur-of-the-moment decision to help the Wells widow and her son, but
with everything in him, he knew it was really the only choice he had. Life was
harsh for a woman without a husband, especially a woman with a young son and no
home. He sighed.
    The poor woman couldn't be much older than
twenty-seven or eight, if that, and with her farm already sold, she was in deep
trouble if she didn't remarry. He'd seen plenty of destitute women trying to
survive during the war. A few lucky ones got jobs as teachers, but even that
didn't pay much. Hell, he didn't even know if Mrs. Wells had an education,
although she'd seemed learned. Some women took in washing, which paid little
and aged them almost overnight, while others finally turned to prostitution to
put food in their children's mouths. Although unlikely, just the possibility of
that poor woman forced into a life of degradation sickened him. And the boy,
God help him, the boy reminded him of another boy. Yep, he'd done right by her
and her son.
    With a final sigh, he checked his saddle bags
and mounted Sweet Pea.
    * * *
    Hallie twisted around in the buckboard to check
on Timmy sitting next to Daisy Smithson, the only child of the new owners of
her farm. The red-haired girl with a mischievous tilt to her chin whispered in
her son's ear. Timmy jerked his head back and shouted, "No way!"
    Hallie smiled at the antics of the children and
turned back around. Watching Timmy momentarily gave her respite from the finality
of leaving the home that she and Thomas had shared. As the buckboard pulled
onto the road in front of the farm, however, she said a silent goodbye to her
dear husband. Goodbye, my love. I'm following our dream.
    Brushing a tear aside, she basked in the
familiar terrain that she might never see again. Mr. Smithson seemed to realize
her need for reflection and did not interrupt her musings.
    After several minutes travel, Hallie broke the
silence. "I'd like to thank you again for the ride to town and the
kindness you and Mrs. Smithson have shown Timmy and me by allowing us to remain
on the farm even after you'd moved in."
    The sweet man, whose wife was just as
sweet-natured, replied, "It's the least we could do considering your
circumstances. If we hadn't already sold our own place, we could have canceled
the transaction so you could stay on."
    "Now, I don't want you to fret about that.
This is what Thomas wanted, and he put that same vision in me. I just feel
blessed to have Mr.