Emma tapped on the door, explaining before she even got in. “I can’t stay.  Me and Rufus is on the way to town.  Nellie Mason told me your cow was dry, so I brung you some butter and two gallons of milk for the youguns.  If it turns before they finish it, you might have enough for a churning.  Can I bring you anything from town? ”

“Thank you, but no.  This milk and butter are sure welcome. Are you sure you cain’t set awhile?  I wouldn’t mind a cup of coffee with a friend.  It gets mighty quiet with Joe gone all day.”  Anya longed for the comfort of a woman’s company.

“No, Rufus is a’waitin’ in the wagon.  I better get on, but I sure wish you’d ride over with Joe Saturday when he comes to help Rufus fix the windmill.  I could kill a chicken an’ make some dumplings.  We could have some good woman talk.”  Emma’s eyes crinkled.  “Is Joe proud about the baby?”

“Oh, I ain’t told him yet.  I been spottin’ some and I’m afeared I may not carry it.  I don’t want him to worry if they ain’t no need.”  Anya had no idea how that spilled out.

“I’ve sorrowed over that.  I lost two between Martha and Melvin.  I’ll pray for you.”  She gave Anya a warm hug.

Tears sprung to Anya’s eyes at her friend’s kindness.  “I thank you, Emma.  I’d be proud to see you on Saturday.”

“That will be something to look forward to.  See you then.”  Anya followed Emma into the yard and waved as the Menlo’s wagon rattled off.

One of my Cousin Kat’s best friends was Don Waters who ran the funeral home.  Truth be told, he was probably sweet on her. She needed to go to Mason City to see her eye doctor when Don mentioned he had to make the trip to pick up a body at the airport. Cousin Kat was tight as Dick’s hatband and not a bit squeamish about a little thing like riding with a  body. Turns ou it was Mabel Peter’s who she’d ridden to work with for over twenty years.  

Surely Mabel, dead would be less aggravating than Mabel, alive. There was no reason in the world to waste her high-priced gasoline driving over the mountain when she could ride along with Don and Mabel.  The hearse’s passenger side door didn’t work, but Don never gotten it fixed since he rarely had a live passenger. Mabel had gone off to live with her daughter in Medford till the diabetes got her.

They left early.  Don’s hearse was quite comfortable, but a mite cool for her tastes.  She was glad she’d brought a sweater along.  Good thing Mabel had always been hot-natured.  It used to make Cousin Kat mad how she wouldn’t turn on the heater in her car  till it was nearly freezing.  “You know how stout folks are.”

Don was a big guy and moved a little slow for her tastes. She got a few strange looks climbing out the back door of the hearse at the eye doctor’s when she got tired of waiting on Don to let her out the driver’s side. You’d think folks never saw a woman climbing out of a hearse.

Don waited while she had her eyes checked, then they went to lunch.  Always interested in what was going on, at the airport, she climbed out of the back of the hearse and followed Don into the cargo area.  Mabel’s coffin was being bumped and jostled to the loading dock just as they got there. Prior to signing the receipt, Don lifted the coffin lid, tiny cousin Cat crowding right in beside him to see how Mabel looked.  No Mabel!

“She ain’t in here!  She must’a dumped out on th’ way!”  A plane could be seen taxiing for take off.

“0h $;@”:#%+!  Somebody stop ’em!  They lost the stiff!”  one of the workers shouted.

Meanwhile Cousin Kat’s nosiness paid off.  She spotted a little something in the coffin.  Pointing it out to Don Waters, he lifted the lower panel of the coffin where Mabel’s leg-less body had slid during transport, making the coffin initially appear empty.

After retrieving what was left Mabel, Don and Cousin Kat were on their way.  Cousi Kate was well satisfied with her adventure.  She’d gotten a free ride to Mason City, Don had bought her lunch, she’d seen how bodies were shipped. Best of all, she was the first in the neighborhood to know the lowdown on Mabel.

Anya kept quieter than usual over the next few days, hoping against hope Joe wouldn’t notice her pregnancy till she came up with a plan.  She wouldn’t be able to hide it much longer.  She’d been here since the last of February and it was nearly June.  She might be as much as four months now.  She’d never invited Joe into her bed and he’d spent his nights in the barn.

Joe called her out to talk to him.  “We got trouble.  Come walk with me over this ridge. ”

Her heart nearly stopped, thinking he’d noticed her condition.

They walked a long way toward the field without speaking.  “Remember I told you I was letting the cow go dry ‘cause she’s gonna to calve in June.  Look out there.”  He pointed to some white lacy-topped weeds that had sprung up in a hollow near the creek.  “See that.  Somehow, I missed them weeds and the cow got in ‘em.   Now she’s done lost her calf.  We needed that calf and the milk and now we ain’t got neither.  I don’t know what we gonna do for milk.  Them young’uns has got to have milk.  I hate to let ‘em down.”

“Them weeds made her throw her calf?  I never heard of such a thing.  I hate we lost the calf, but is the cow gonna be okay?”  For the first time, Anya had a flicker of hope.

“The cow is fine.  We just ain’t gonna have no milk for nearly a year.  After a few days, I’ll have to git her over to Fred Mason’s bull.  I ain’t got no money for another cow, but  I’m gonna see if I can help Fred git his crops in in trade for a goat or two.  He’s got all them young’uns and they keep a few milk goats to keep’em in milk when his cow dries up for a while.  I might have to work off the place for a few days, but I don’t see no way around it.  Do you reckon I could git you to keep the place goin’ while I’m gone?  I know it a in’t a woman’s place to do all this heavy work.  I hate so bad to ask you, but I don’t see no other way?”

Anya took his hand.  “I’d be proud to.  Workin’ ain’t no problem to me.  I need to earn my keep and help you out.  You been good to me.”

Joe, looked into her eyes.  “You’re a fine woman.  It’s easy being good to you.  I thank you.”

For the first time, Anya felt hope.