I think it's a fine idea, Yates said without hesitation. You have the knowledge and the compassion for it, and God knows the people around here could use the help. His immediate support, offered without qualification or concern for conventional propriety, reinforced what Delilah had come to know about the man she'd married, that his respect for her was genuine and unconditional. There's something else, she added, a hint of nervousness creeping into her voice. I'd like to write to my father's brother in St.
Louis to let him know about Samuel, about our life here. She paused. About you. Of course, Yates agreed readily. Family should know each other, even across distances.
Delilah hesitated, then pressed on. And I think we should go to California next year if we can manage it, to meet your sister and her family. Yates's eyes widened slightly in surprise. That's a considerable journey with a young child. But an important one, Delilah countered.
Samuel should know his aunt and cousins and I. She smiled softly. I'd like to meet the woman who helped shape the man I love. Yates lifted their joined hands to his lips, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. Well find a way to make it happen, he promised.
Perhaps after the fall cattle sail when we have some extra funds. As they sat together in the gathering darkness, the future stretching before them full of possibilities neither could have imagined a year ago, Delilah marveled at the strange and wonderful path that had led her here. From humiliation on the church, steps to contentment on this homestead, from a bride rejected to a wife cherished the journey had been neither easy nor expected, but infinitely more rewarding than the conventional life she'd once envisioned. Inside the cabin, Samuel stirred and began to fuss. As Delilah rose to tend to him, Yates caught her hand, pulling her down for a quick, tender kiss.
I love you, he said simply. Both of you more than I ever thought possible. And we love you, she replied, her heart full to bursting. Our protector, our provider. Your partner, he finished for her always.
As summer bloomed across the valley, transforming their homestead with vibrant life, the small family settled into a rhythm that felt both miraculous and entirely natural. The cabin, expanded now with a proper kitchen and a small room for Samuel, became truly a home filled with laughter, occasional tears, and the countless small moments that weave together to create a life. Delilah's skills as a healer gradually became known among their neighbors, scattered though they were across the surrounding countryside. First came Mrs. Peterson from the next valley over, desperate for help with her feverish child when the doctor in Clearwater was away.