Free Shaxoa's Gift by DelSheree Gladden Page B

been around to enjoy it with
me. Without Uriah to fill the empty hours, only my mind would be
filled, not my arms.
    “No, really, Mrs. Crowe, I want to help out.
I promised Sophia I would,” I said. Lina opened her mouth to
object, but I cut her off. “Besides, I need to do something to keep
my mind off…” I didn’t want to utter his name. The more I thought
of him the harder the feelings were to hold back. “It would be
better for me to keep busy,” I said finally.
    Nodding with understanding, Lina considered
my request. “Sophia has most of the housework under control
already. Why don’t you go outside and see if Hale needs any
help?”
    “Hale?” I questioned.
    “Hale Dinmore has been helping out with the
animals since Uriah left. Sophia says he’s been doing a good job,
but it’s a lot of work for just one person,” Lina said. “I’m sure
he’d appreciate the help.”
    “Of course,” I said quickly. I didn’t know
very much about sheep or crops two years ago, but Uriah had taught
me a lot about what it took to run his ranch since then. I had
always thought that it was because he was as sure I was that one
day we would work the ranch together as husband and wife. The
thought of feeding Uriah’s animals with Hale Dinmore was horribly
depressing, but I wouldn’t let Lina down.
    “Sophia said she would take you over to your
parent’s house before dinner to get whatever you need,” Lina
said.
    I noticed that she had said “your parent’s
house”, not “your house” or “home.” Lina wanted me here. Her
careful demeanor made it seem like she was perfectly fine, but I
could recognize the small cracks in her calm. Uriah had always
marveled at how well his mother was able to handle everything that
had happened to their family in the past year and a half, but she
was very careful not to show how much she was really hurting around
him.
    A few months after Uriah’s father had died,
things seemed to be getting back to normal, even though Uriah was
still struggling with his grief and his new responsibilities to his
mom and the ranch. He had looked to his mom for an example of how
to move on with his life. She went through her days with a tempered
smile, but she didn’t shy away from talking about her husband or
reminding Uriah of the things he had taught him. Uriah believed
that his mother had already come to peace with losing her husband,
and did his best to follow her lead.
    I had been out helping Uriah with a few
chores, but hurried back to the house to use the restroom. So
comfortable at Uriah’s house, I hadn’t bothered to knock before
bursting into the living room. I was shocked to find Lina sitting
on the couch sobbing. Thinking that something awful had happened, I
rushed to her side.
    There had been no new problem. She had simply
still been mourning her husband just as much as Uriah had been
mourning his father. She had cried, telling me how much she missed
him, how hard it was to watch Uriah struggling to fill his father’s
shoes when he was still so young. I had done my best to comfort
her, but there was very little I could offer her. Before Notah
Crowe died, I had never lost anyone close to me. Every time I
thought about losing Uriah, it crushed me. I didn’t know how to
comfort her because I didn’t think anything would comfort me if I
were in her place.
    Uriah had come back to the house, wondering
where I was, and found us hugging each other with tears in our
eyes. Lina had quickly stood up and left the room with a comment
about finishing the dishes. Uriah had asked me what was going on,
but I didn’t have the heart to explain. His mother had clearly not
wanted him to know how much she was still struggling. In the end, I
told him that we had been having a girl to girl talk and left it at
that.
    Pushing the memory away, I said, “Thanks
again for letting me stay here, Lina. I’ll be outside if Sophia
needs my help with anything.”
    “Thank you, Claire,” Lina said.
    With a