The Brides of Golden Valley Box Set 1 Read online

  Joshua picked up the wood carving he’d been working on and moved close to the fireplace. Charlotte pulled out the loom and continued working on the rug, content with just sitting there, working side by side. It was strange how much the quiet bothered her when she was inside alone, but how comforting and peaceful it was when Joshua was around. It was moments like this that made all of the struggles of living away from all the comforts of her old home worth it.

  Joshua brushed aside another branch and smiled. There really were berries up in these hills. He’d worried he was taking Charlotte and their friends on a wild goose chase, but here was a huge bush of chokecherries right in front of them.

  “Here we go. Let’s set our supplies down here.” Joshua set his bag down and untied the two buckets he attached to it. “We’ll get what we can from here and then move on. There should be more close by.”

  The berries were ripe, so they had to be careful when they picked them, but soon two of the buckets were filled. They’d need another two buckets at least to have enough for jam or pies. While the ladies and Edmond continued on that bush, Joshua went ahead to find another one. Several yards beyond, he found a couple more bushes, along with some boysenberries as well.

  He backtracked to where the rest of the group stood laughing about something. They turned to Joshua and Charlotte was revealed to be covered in mud. He rushed over to her. “What happened?”

  “I was trying to get to a branch clear up the tree. I climbed a couple of branches and lost my balance—right into the puddle we’d all been avoiding.” Charlotte laughed and wiped the mud off her face. “I’m okay. I just need to change.”

  Joshua grabbed a cloth and his canteen of water to pour over it. “There’s not much we can do about your dress, but you can at least clean your hands and face.”

  “It’s just mud.” Charlotte took the cloth anyway and washed what she could.

  “There are more berries ahead, but if you’d rather we go home, we can come back later.”

  Charlotte shook her head. “I’m fine. Let’s get the berries while we’re up here. There’s not much time before the celebration, and I have to actually learn how to bake pies and make jams before I can sell them.”

  Eleanor laughed, and quickly covered her mouth. “I apologize. But I do believe she’s right. Let’s move on.”

  “Very well.” Joshua left the full buckets and their things near the first bush and continued on to the next spot. Few people came up into these mountains, and he was fairly sure there were no bears here.

  The women picked the boysenberries, while Joshua and Edmond picked the chokecherries. They would have plenty to work with between all of these bushes. When they were finished, Joshua led the way back to their things and pulled out the picnic basket.

  Charlotte had made sandwiches from the bread that she and Eleanor baked the day before. It was better than what he bought from the store and he hoped she would remember how to make it again. The dried pork wasn’t quite right for the sandwich, but she’d tried, and he loved her for it.

  “Have you purchased your wood for the barn yet?” Edmond crumpled up his paper and tossed it into the picnic basket, then picked out another sandwich.

  “No, not yet. The order is in, but we have to wait for it to arrive.” Joshua was anxious to start work on the barn, but the wood wasn’t expected for another few days. He should have just chopped it himself, but it would have taken just as long as waiting for the order.

  Edmond held up his bread. “This is wonderful. Did Eleanor help with this? She is quite talented with her baking.”

  “Yes, she was a big help to me yesterday.” Charlotte beamed. “She taught me how to make bread and use the stove correctly.”

  Eleanor blushed. “Oh, do stop, please.”

  Joshua laughed. “They’re right, you know. This bread and the soup were both wonderful. Not that I haven’t liked what Charlotte prepared before that. Her beans surpass anything I’ve had for a long time.”

  “Well, I hope there will be more good dishes for you.” Charlotte patted Joshua on the knee, oblivious to the gasps from Edmond and Eleanor at the obvious sign of affection.

  Joshua stood and put away his food to avoid embarrassment for his wife. “We must get going. We have chores to do back home.”

  Charlotte took Joshua’s hand and stood. Even covered in mud, she was beautiful. She smiled up at him. “I made a mess of things again, didn’t I?”

  “Of course not. We just need to get these berries washed and processed before they start going bad.” He squeezed her hand, then picked up the buckets.

  Minnie and Louie stood near the cart, nibbling on grass when Joshua and the others came out from the trees. Once everything was loaded into the cart, Charlotte and Eleanor climbed in the back using a wooden step, and Edmond climbed up in the front. Joshua still couldn’t believe he was allowing his wife to sit in the back, but she’d insisted.

  “Your wife has been a good friend to my Eleanor.” Edmond straightened his jacket. “She spoke nonstop of her trip to your home.”

  “Charlotte feels the same way about Eleanor.” Joshua flicked the reins to pick up the pace just a little.

  Edmond was silent for a moment. “There’s something different about Charlotte. Have you noticed?”

  Joshua frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “She . . . speaks differently, and her manners are a little more unsophisticated than one would expect from a family in New York City. Are you sure that is where she is really from?”

  “That’s where her letters came from.” Joshua clenched his jaw to keep from snapping. When he’d calmed down enough, he finally spoke. “Charlotte may not have the same manners as those aristocrats in New York City, but I actually prefer her that way. She cares deeply, and has taken care to make sure I have food on the table and clean clothes to wear. That is what matters to me.”

  Edmond sniffed. “I suppose you’re right. I would just hope she learns some manners before our dinner party next week. Eleanor insists that she come, and I want to make sure that everything is just right.”

  Joshua held tightly to the reins so he wouldn’t reach over and push Edmond off the cart. He hadn’t spent much time with the young man, and he was glad of that after spending the day with him. Edmond’s family had money from numerous business ventures, and it seemed that he felt he was above most of those in the community.

  It took a great deal of control not to urge the horses into a gallop for the last couple of miles. The sooner he could be done with them, the better for everyone. As soon as they pulled up to his house, Joshua jumped down and moved to the back of the cart.

  From the laughter between the two women, it appeared as though they’d had more fun than Joshua and Edmond. Charlotte and Eleanor stood and helped unload the berries, then the rest of their things. Eleanor stepped to the end of the cart and took Edmond’s hand to climb down. Charlotte waited for them to move away, then placed a finger to her lips and stepped off the cart and landed on the ground with a flourish.

  Joshua chuckled and helped her stand up straight. Yes, this woman was exactly what he needed. He busied himself with getting everything inside while Charlotte and Eleanor said their goodbyes. Joshua knew he would have to figure out how to get along with Edmond for Charlotte’s sake, but right now he didn’t have to like him.

  Charlotte opened the door and flopped onto one of the couches. “Talking to him is exhausting, isn’t it?”

  “Who, Edmond?” Joshua turned to look at his wife.

  “Yes. He’s so . . . pretentious.” Charlotte stood and gave a mock bow. “Thank you for the wonderful time, Miss Charlotte. I do hope you’ll tell your husband just how much we enjoyed spending the day together.”

  Joshua snorted. Her impression of Edmond was rather accurate. “He said that?”

  “Yep. And I managed to curtsy and say something back to him without sounding awful. Or at least I hope so.” Charlotte bit her lip. “Am I really that unsophisticated? I mean, b
esides falling into the mud and jumping off the back of the cart.”

  “You heard that, did you?”

  Charlotte nodded. “I tried not to eavesdrop, but we were sitting pretty close to you.”

  Joshua pulled her to him. “I apologize for the words he said to you and about you.”

  “It’s not the worst I’ve ever heard.” Charlotte sighed. “After so many rejections back home, I learned to let it roll off me. Come on. Let’s prepare the berries.”

  Joshua picked up the buckets and poured them into the sink. “How do we prepare the berries?”

  “Um, I don’t know. I was hoping you did.” Charlotte grinned sheepishly. “Let’s wash them and then we can go from there. Do you have a cookbook or anything?”

  Joshua shook his head. “I don’t think so. Although, I do have a chest of my mom’s things. There could be one in there.”

  Charlotte brightened. “Great. Let’s see if there’s a cookbook.”

  The old wooden chest sat in the corner of the room. Joshua had caught Charlotte staring at it a few times since she arrived, but she never asked what was in it. Joshua paused a moment, trying to convince himself that it was all right if he opened it. Using the old loom was one thing. Opening up a box of memories was something he had avoided for too long.

  Joshua opened the lid and used a board to prop it up. His mother’s wedding dress was on top, folded neatly, the white lace yellowed with age. He carefully set it aside and pulled out several notebooks. He opened the first one and recognized the flowing handwriting immediately. Each entry was marked with a date. Mother’s journals.

  “There might be something in here. Why don’t you look through those?” Joshua handed the journals to Charlotte.

  Charlotte opened the one on top and read from it. Joshua had meant for her to read to herself, but as Charlotte’s voice soothed him as she told of different adventures that Joshua had grown up with as a child.

  “Oh, there’s a recipe.” She skimmed a few lines before sighing. “Unless we want to know how to make soap, this one is no good.”

  Joshua shook his head. “Not yet. I still have some, but we can use it later.”

  Charlotte continued on with reading while Joshua pulled out a few more things. Pressed flowers that had been framed, trinkets that only Mother would understand. There were a few more books at the bottom that he pulled out.

  He sat back and leaned against the bed. This time the writing was broken into sections of subjects. Drawings surrounded the writing, illustrating what she meant. “I think this might have what we need. It doesn’t say what to do with berries exactly, but it has a few recipes for other fruit.”

  Charlotte set the books aside, knelt next to Joshua, and leaned in. A moment later, she grinned. “I think you’re right. We at least know how to clean and prepare them. The rest should be easy enough to figure out.”

  Joshua handed her the book and opened the next. A paper fell out, yellow and almost falling apart. He carefully opened it and found the wedding certificate for his parents. They’d married young, and he’d come shortly after. He folded the parchment up and slid it back into the book. He would need a case of some sort to preserve the certificate so it wouldn’t crumble.

  The rest of the book was her journal that spoke of her courting Joshua’s father. So different from the quick marriage that he and Charlotte had, but then it was a different time. He set it aside and found more of the same. He would definitely be coming back to these later.

  “I think the one you’re holding is the best one for now.” Joshua straightened and set each of the items back into the chest as close as he could to how his mom had situated everything.

  “It’s detailed, but this is more for apples and pears. Do you really think it works the same for berries?”

  Joshua stood. “There’s only one way we can be sure.”

  ***

  Joshua opened the window to clear the air from yet another batch of burned berries. “We are doing something wrong.”

  “Maybe the stove is too hot.” Charlotte wiped her brow, staining her cheek red from the syrup on her hand.

  “It’s possible.” Joshua glanced out at the sunset. “Why don’t you start dinner? I need to go out and milk Betsy before it gets too dark.”

  Charlotte nodded and set the pan full of berries into the sink. Joshua slipped his shoes on and went outside, shutting the door a little harder than he meant to. It wasn’t Charlotte’s fault that they hadn’t figured out the process. She had followed the book very carefully.

  Betsy lifted her head and shot Joshua a glare. He knew that look all too well. He was late for milking and she wanted him to know it.

  “Sorry, old girl.” Joshua grabbed the stool and a bucket from off the porch and crossed the small yard. The garden Charlotte had worked so hard on stood nearby, and he stopped to examine her work.

  The rows were a little crooked, and he would have made the row of potatoes a little wider, but otherwise she’d done well.

  Betsy let out a low groan to remind Joshua that she was still waiting. Joshua chuckled and set the bucket and stool down next to her. In the distance, he could hear the clanging of pots and pans inside, and Joshua wondered what Charlotte was doing.

  Once he was done with milking, he stood and patted Betsy’s back. “There you go. I promise I’ll be better tomorrow.”

  She turned and looked at him, then went back to eating the grass. Joshua grinned and picked up the bucket of fresh milk. The milk can was almost full from the week’s milk, so he would need to make cheese and butter soon. Those would be good along with the bread Charlotte had made.

  Joshua opened the door to Charlotte humming as she moved around the kitchen. Her dress was spattered with berries, and the smear of syrup was still across her cheek. She didn’t turn as he approached, clearly still upset at his frustration with her.

  He leaned his forehead against her shoulder. “I’m sorry I snapped at you.”

  Charlotte stiffened and said nothing as she continued to work. Joshua finally gave in and walked away. He would give her a little space to cool down while he washed his hands and bathed the best he could with the cold water on the porch.

  Two plates sat on the table when he came back inside. There were leftovers from the night before, along with bread smeared with fruit. Joshua looked up at her in surprise.

  “It worked?” He scooped a little of the fruit onto his finger and tasted it. The tartness of the berries was masked by the sugar they added. It was a little runnier than it should be, but the taste was just like it should be.

  Charlotte beamed. “It did. I was going to throw out the last batch and realized the jelly had started to thicken. It’s not perfect, but it’s a start.”

  “I think it’s delicious.” Joshua pulled out Charlotte’s chair so she could sit, and then he sat down next to her. “Do you remember how we did it? Could you do it again?”

  She nodded. “I think so. And I think if we can thicken it a little more, it will work for pies as well.”

  Joshua took a bite of the bread and groaned. “This is good. I think we need to top it off with butter tomorrow.”

  “Oh? Where are we going to get butter?”

  “Betsy.” Joshua nodded toward the back porch. “We need to process the milk before it goes bad. I can do it myself if you’d like. That way you can keep going with the berries.”

  Charlotte shrugged. “I need to learn how to do it sometime, right?”

  Joshua nodded. “Yes, but it can wait until the next time.”

  “Okay.” Charlotte took a bite of her food. “I’m sorry for getting so upset. I’m just tired and frustrated.”

  “I think both of us are. We can sleep tonight and continue tomorrow.” Joshua reached over and took her hand. “If we can move after the day we’ve had.”

  Charlotte smiled. “I could sleep for a few weeks.”

  Joshua leaned forward to kiss her but jerked upright at the sound of a gunshot in the distance. Charlotte’s
eyes widened and she squeezed his hand as he stood.

  “What was that?” She ducked down.

  “I don’t know. You stay low and go into our room. I’m going to go see what’s going on.” Joshua’s stomach clenched with fear as he picked up his own rifle. “Don’t answer the door for anyone until I get back.”

  She nodded and hurried into the bedroom. Joshua opened the door and peeked out, his rifle ready. No one was in the yard, but he could hear shouting in the distance. Another shot rang out, followed by several more.

  He’d heard about the feuds between the cattlemen and ranchers, and he planned to stay out of it. After all, he only had the one cow and no sheep. He crept closer to see if he recognized any of the men.

  More shots, and then the air went completely quiet. That was even more worrying. Joshua moved faster now and broke into a jog. Horses appeared in the darkness, and several men were on the ground, wounded or trying to tend to their friends.

  “What happened here?” Joshua sounded more in control than what he felt. Right now, he wanted to be inside protecting Charlotte.

  “These fools were on our property again. We were just defending our own land.” This had to be Gregory Watkins, a neighbor of Joshua’s.

  Joshua stopped another man from attacking Gregory. “Enough. There has already been too much blood shed tonight. Bring any of your wounded into my house. We can take care of the others after that.”

  Gregory nodded, his face barely visible in the darkness. “You take care of them sheepherders. I’ll bring my boys back to my own house.”

  “You’re too far away from home. These men will die if they don’t get help now.” Joshua helped one of the men up and half-dragged him into the house. When he was far enough away from Gregory, he finally spoke. “What were you doing so close to his land?”

  “Our sheep wandered. We were trying to get them back when Gregory and his men attacked.” The man gasped. “I can make it the rest of the way. I have men who are worse off than me.”