Delphia’s white-blond hair was damp around her shoulders. She squealed every time Cymbeline threw her the ball, clearly delighted to be playing with her big sister.
Addie sat on a blanket under the shade of an aspen reading from a book propped on her skinny chest. Seeing her without the covering of a dress alarmed me. Her spindly arms and legs looked as if they might snap at the slightest touch. Her mind, however, was sharp and keen. I hoped her body would someday match her brain.
Wearing bathing costumes, Louisa and Fiona were on a blanket with their backs against a log and straw hats pulled low over their foreheads. They were chatting quietly, their words drowned out by the tinkling of the water as it ran over rocks.
Louisa’s skin was milky white with just a slight pink flush from the heat. I couldn’t help but notice how shapely her legs were. She walked everywhere, I thought, which would explain why. Both Louisa and Fiona were petite, but Louisa had the curvy body of a woman whereas my younger sister was narrow-hipped. I didn’t linger long looking at the rounded parts of Louisa’s figure. She could no longer turn my head, I reminded myself.
Nonetheless, I took a second to look at Louisa again. She had her fair hair in a braid and pulled to one side of her shoulder. There was a coolness to her beauty—an aloofness compared to the wide-open expression of our Fiona. Almost as if she had another layer of skin, perhaps as a way of protecting herself? One that she’d had to develop early on, given her birth father. I inwardly cringed, remembering all that she’d endured from the despicable man. He’d chased her through this very land in his demented hunting game. Teaching her to be tough, he’d told her. Even all these years later, I burned with hatred for the man.
I drew closer and called out a hello. “May I join you?”
“Theo’s here,” Cymbeline shouted. She was still more a mischievous child than polite lady of society. I loved her for it. Sometimes, anyway.
“Theo, come play with us,” Delphia shouted, imitating her older sister’s tone.
Addie looked up from her book to give me a brief smile before returning to the world within the pages. Josephine and I had been just that same way. More alive inside books than walking around in the real world.
Fiona sat up to get a better look at me from under the brim of her hat. “Theo, what’re you doing here?”
“Dr. Neal sent me home early,” I said. “Mama told me you were all down here, so I thought I’d join the fun.”
“How nice of Dr. Neal,” Fiona said in her sweet way.
Louisa, also, had sat up from where she’d lounged against the log. “Hi, Theo.”
“Louisa.” I tipped the brim of my straw hat. “How are you?”
“Well, thank you,” Louisa said.
I sat on a rock near the water and took off my socks and shoes, then rolled up the cuffs of my pants. I’d changed into a pair of leisurely cotton trousers and a thin shirt before coming down to the creek. If it had only been my sisters at the swimming hole, I would have worn my bathing costume, but with Louisa here, it wasn’t appropriate. Regardless, without a tie or jacket, I felt quite comfortable. While away, I’d continued the vigorous exercise routine that we’d had in the army. Without the physical work I usually did at home, I’d been afraid to grow soft. For some reason, in that moment, I was especially glad of my strong physique. Not because I wanted to show off to Louisa, I told myself. She probably wouldn’t notice even if I did.
The water cooled my warm feet. Once the ripples ceased, minnows swam over to nibble on my toes. Delphia waded through the water toward me. “Theo, did you save any people today?”
I scooted over to let her sit beside me. “I didn’t save anyone, but I did help a baby to be born.” Delphia’s bare arm was cold against my skin as she snuggled against me.
“Was it a boy or a girl?” Delphia asked.
“A boy,” I said. “Fat and loud.”
“Who was the mother?” Cymbeline had swum out to the middle of the pool and treaded water.
“Do you know the Danes?” I asked. “They’re new to town, I believe.”
“I think I’ve seen them at church,” Fiona said. “They have a little boy, right?”
“That’s correct. The husband works out at the lumber mill. They’re Swedes. New to America.” I was fairly certain Mrs. Dane had cursed in Danish in the throes of labor. “What have you young ladies been up to today?”
Cymbeline, still pumping her arms and legs to stay afloat, answered first. “I helped Poppy deliver a calf out at the Cassidys’.”
“Cymbie, was it disgusting?” Delphia asked, elongating the last word of the sentence.
“Nah. Not for me.” Cymbeline’s breath had quickened from her vigorous exercise. “I’ve helped her do it more than a few times since spring.”
“Was there a problem?” I asked. Typically, a cow could birth a baby without human assistance.
“Yes, he was too big,” Cymbeline said. “We had to help him out. Poppy knows just what to do. I’m learning from her.”
“Do you want to work alongside her?” I asked. Two female vets in town would be something. Poppy had apprenticed with a male veterinarian down in one of the prairie towns. She couldn’t go to school, but he’d taught her enough that the local farmers trusted her. In addition, she was all we had. Now we would have Cymbeline, too?