A Necessary Woman by A. E. Easterlin

Author:A. E. Easterlin [Easterlin, A. E.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Multicultural, Western, Historical
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Published: 2016-08-31T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

But they didn’t.

April faded into May, and May into June. Each month Suzanna prayed for the baby she and Jake desperately wanted. Each month they faced the disappointment together.

It seemed impossible, and it was not for lack of trying. Jake was a virile and attentive husband; he turned to her every night. Yet there were no signs of a pregnancy. Suzanna hid her concern and occupied herself with wifely duties around the house. She and Martha worked well together, and she found in the older woman a substitute for the mother she’d lost.

The ranch was a thriving community, and someone always needed something. A cut attended to, a child with a fever. Two more babies made their arrival, and she brought them into the world with capable hands and bittersweet smiles.

“I don’t know what we did without you, Suzanna,” Martha often told her. “You’re a part of us now, and I thank the Lord for it.”

She spent a great deal of time becoming acquainted with the families living on the ranch. Anything to take her mind off the disappointment when her monthly courses appeared. She worried that something was wrong—that she might never conceive.

How would Jake feel about that? He’d married her—at least in the beginning—to get sons. What if it never happened?

Each month Jake waited for good news and, with the disappointed shake of Suzanna’s head, reassured her over and over he was content with her. But each month she noticed a white line around his mouth and the tick of a muscle in his jaw when she shared the news.

He wouldn’t admit it, wouldn’t hurt her that way, but he was disappointed. It was obvious. She saw the flash of regret in his eyes before he hid it with a hug or encouraging smile. He was almost unbearably kind, and she appreciated he was determined not to upset her further.

Suzanna began to fear she was barren. The entire ranch was on baby-watch. As in any small community, news spread through the wives, then to the husbands. Compassionate glances often came her way, along with a special touch or smile. Meant to encourage her, their efforts only made her circumstances worse. Each month she did not conceive, her confidence slipped a little more. Her laugh came less often; her smile a little less bright. She put on a good front and worked harder than ever around the ranch. But it was obvious to those who knew her best she was bothered by the turn of events.

To add insult to injury, Maddie Holloway shyly confided she was again with child, and Suzanna cattily remarked to Martha, “It certainly didn’t take her and Lon long to expand their family.”

Surprised that she would make a remark so unlike her, Martha glanced up. She understood the stress Suzanna felt about her difficulty in conceiving, and hugged her shoulders in a gesture of sympathy.

“I’m sorry,” she apologized. “That was unworthy of me. I’m happy for Maddie, truly I am.”

“It’ll happen in God’s own time, Suzanna.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.