The Edge of Misery: The Mitchel Brothers Series Book Two

7

"Native to Eldon," Nessie chuckled. "What's 'love you' to the world, he heard as yaboo when he first began speakin' and repeatin'-we all liked it so much, it just stuck with the rest of us."

"Oh, that's adorable," Emmaline laughed, clasping her hands beneath her chin.

"You finished eating?" Declan murmured, nudging Emerson in the left arm before pushing away from the table and standing. "I'd like to get out to Duke and the boys while it's still morning."

Emerson scoffed and quickly shoveled in his last two bites, washed them down with a swig of milk, then wiped his mouth with a napkin, stood, and pressed a kiss to Emmaline's right cheek, "I'll meet you back here soon as we're finished, Linney."

Emmaline nodded, "I'll get the wagon hitched."

"You two scoutin' out the available plots of land again today?" Wren asked, watching Declan and Emerson leave from the corner of her eye before gathering the dirty dishes and utensils from the table.

"Found a couple pretty areas to the west yesterday-"

"Out past the Duncan homestead-the adobe hut with the new barn?"

"Yes," Emmaline answered, joining Wren at the counter with the empty casserole dish and several cups in hand, "plenty of water and land for farming at both places if that's what we decide to do... but they didn't have the right feel."

"And the view's not near as pretty as here," Nessie smiled.

"It surely isn't," Emmaline sighed as she glanced out the window toward the mountains.

"Eldon?" Nessie murmured.

"Mama?" He sulked.

Wren turned from pumping water into the sink basin and shared a look with her mama as Nessie played with Eldon's curls along his nape and said, "D'you wanna take Luella outside and play until Papa comes to get ya?"

Eldon slowly straightened in his seat, looked at Luella lying forlornly on the floor near Declan's empty chair, and shrugged. "I guess."

"Oh, to be young," Nessie smiled, tying her apron around her waist after Eldon closed the door behind him and Luella. "What I wouldn't give to have an afternoon where my biggest worry was not bein' able to go look at some mutilated heifers with my papa."

Wren and Emmaline chuckled and nodded in agreement, falling into easy, companionable chatter while washing dishes and putting the kitchen back in order.

Several minutes later, while Emmaline dried the last plate and Nessie wiped down the table, Wren gathered five clean cups in her hand and crossed to stow them in the hutch as she said, "Mae and Wooly not likin' the loft?"

"Oh, they like it just fine," Emmaline chuckled. "It's the ladder that's the problem, what with Mae expecting and all."

"What?" Wren gasped over her left shoulder, a delighted smile curling her lips. "That's wonderful news!"

"I know," Emmaline grinned, "we couldn't be more thrilled."

"They're moving out of the loft then, I take it?" Nessie asked, retrieving the remaining five cups from the counter and taking them to the hutch.

Emmaline nodded, "And Emerson and I will take the loft instead till we find some land of our own to build on."

"She said she's been sick since you left Independence?" Nessie asked, stowing the cups.

"We thought it was excitement at first, then nerves, then something she must have eaten or drank. Appears we thought of every possible excuse-except for the most common cause among newlyweds," Emmaline chuckled with a shake of her head.