childish.
Chapter 5
Trudie hurried as she did the dishes that night, happy that they would be going for a walk together. She grabbed a small pail for the raspberries and a basket for the cherries, handing Doug the pail to carry. “I haven’t really explored at all yet,” she said. “Normally, I would have wandered around the whole area, but since it’s already June, I needed to get my garden in quickly.”
“Let’s go away from the road,” he suggested. “It’s still my land, and I’ve seen both cherries and raspberries this way.” He was a little disappointed that their walk together was going to turn into fruit picking, but he was thrilled that he would have the opportunity to eat the cherries and raspberries, so he was going to not worry over it too much.
“How far out here do you own the land?” she asked.
“About a half mile this way. We won’t have to walk quite that far to get the fruit, though.”
“I wouldn’t mind walking the entire way,” she said. “I enjoy walks in the country. I walked into town every day that I could when I was back east. Sometimes when it was really cold, my father would take me, but I liked walking so much that I usually just bundled up extra good.”
“I’m happy to walk with you whenever you want to go out.”
“Would it be dangerous for me to walk by myself?” she asked. She would always take her slingshot of course, but she wasn’t sure if there would be predators that would prevent her from being able to use it.
He shook his head. “Not really. There are some bears in the area, but they don’t usually come this close to people.”
She frowned. “I could take a pistol if you wouldn’t mind that. I’m a crack shot.”
“Of course, you are. Who taught you to shoot?”
“Oh, my brothers. When I was so good with a slingshot, they decided that I needed to learn to shoot a gun. And then a bow and arrow. Then they regretted teaching me because I can outshoot all of them.” Trudie shrugged. Her brothers had been too prideful when it came to shooting practice.
“All right. I would not have a problem with you going alone if you took a gun with you. I think that’s a good idea, in fact.”
“Wonderful.” Trudie had always preferred to walk alone, and having to wait for her husband to finish work so she could enjoy nature would have really bothered her. She’d get her work done, and then she would walk.
She spotted the cherry tree just feet from some raspberry bushes. “You get the raspberries, and I’ll get the cherries.”
He frowned. “To get the cherries, you’d need to climb the tree.” Maybe she could shoot, but he was certain she wouldn’t be able to climb a tree. No woman really could.
Trudie didn’t hesitate. She put the basket over her forearm and a foot on a low knot on the tree. Within seconds she was sitting on a low branch, plucking cherries from all around her. “I don’t think that’s going to be a problem.”
Doug shook his head at her. She certainly wasn’t a refined lady like he’d expect her to be, but she got every job she set in front of her done. He wasn’t sure if he should scold her for climbing the tree, or applaud how swiftly she’d done it. This wife of his was a confusing woman.
As soon as she finished filling her basket, she called for Doug to come take it from her. “I don’t want to risk spilling them on my way down.”
He grinned as she scurried to the ground with the deftness of a squirrel. “Don’t tell me. Your brothers taught you to climb trees?”
She shook her head. “Actually no. My sisters. We built a treehouse that the boys weren’t allowed into after they built one and my father said it was fine the girls couldn’t go in it, because girls were incapable of climbing trees. It made us angry, so we had to prove him wrong.”
He shook his head. “I’m sure you’re happy to be in Colorado now then. Women have had the vote here for three years.” Most independent women he knew had wanted the vote, and they were thrilled to be able to exercise their rights as citizens.
“Wait...are you serious? I can vote?” Trudie had never even considered voting. It was something she would have to think about and study. Of course, in the modern year of 1898,