Wildflower by Prudence MacLeod Page B

extra left, but Abby wasn’t quite sure of what she
wanted to keep and what to dispose of as yet, so they decided to
let it go at that for the time being. Abby started her painting
that day and several days later Keith drove her into the city with
his truck where she bought a new bed for her room. Once it was set
up, he helped her carry the rest of the bedroom furniture back and
put it into place. Wanda came to inspect and was amazed as she
looked into a lady’s boudoir from several centuries past.
    Thrilled with their praise for her decorating
efforts, Abby asked them to help her empty out the second large
bedroom. Some of the furniture went down to the living room, some
into the bathroom and some into Abby’s bedroom. This room would be
ready within a few days and Abby was pleased with her progress.
That night she slept in her new bed, made up with bed linen that
she had dried on the outside clothesline that very day.
    Luxuriating in the feel and sweet scent of
the freshly laundered sheets, Abby allowed her fingers to caress
her body and release her tension for the first time since before
she’d gotten pregnant. Allowing the afterglow to carry her gently
into sleep, Abby dreamed she was walking along the beach beside a
tall dark haired woman. There was such a feeling of loving warmth
between them, and Abby smiled in her sleep.
    Assuming she’d dreamt of Bride Murphy, Abby
recounted her dream to Wanda over tea the next day. “Oh dear no
Abby,” laughed Wanda. “I have no idea who you were dreaming of, but
it surely wasn’t Bride Murphy. Bride was fair like you and perhaps
just a bit shorter. No dear, that could not have been Bride.”
Puzzled, Abby shrugged it off and returned to her favorite subject
these days, home decorating. Later that day Harry’s cheque arrived
in the mail. Abby was shocked to see the amount. She called him
that evening, but all he would say was that she had earned it. When
she cashed the cheque she realized that all her renovations and
upgrades on the house had just been paid for by her former
employer. Better yet, he had another contract for her. Life was
good.
     
    Autumn was in the air and Abby was beginning
to slow down and take it a bit easier. She’d finished painting the
whole house with Keith’s help and she now had the place furnished
to her liking. She had opted for a new couch and chair, albeit of a
much older style. She’d kept the piano, and, after it was
thoroughly dried out, she’d had it restrung and tuned. Her plan was
to take lessons through the winter.
    Abby still had a wealth of old things to go
through, but the bulk of it all had been cleared away and the house
felt quite homey now. Many of the old dressers were now in the
basement acting as catchalls and room dividers. All the old drapes
and other odds and sods had been donated and dutifully carted away.
The fireplace had been blocked up and a brand new air tight wood
stove stood there now, anxiously awaiting the first really cold day
as an excuse for a fire. Old Mr. Murphy’s study had been
transformed into her office and all that remained was to relax and
enjoy. Abby planned to do just that.
    Singing softly to herself as she finished
cleaning up her dishes, Abby decided to dress up a bit before going
to Pike’s Cove to collect the mail. She had a fresh proposal to
mail priority post and she decided to look like a business woman
when she did. Dressed in a fresh navy blue suit and matching heels,
her hair pulled back in a bun, Abby was almost intimidating as she
stepped into the small general store and post office. What she
heard stole away her smile and brought a frown of annoyance to her
exquisite face.
    “Come on, you guys need a dog, you know you
do,” begged a child’s voice.
    “Not that dog b’y,” came Alfred Barnes
response. The Barnes Brothers had done a few odd jobs for Abby over
the summer and had come to worship her. Like puppies, they lit up
at her praise and cowered at her displeasure. They were