Eli walked into the kitchen quietly and standing behind Elodia then took her in a hug and kissed her neck then put his hands on her belly as he held her, "I love you Odie, I love touching you and our baby." Elodia laughed and snuggled closer.
"It's starting to show now."
"You look so absolutely beautiful...is that a flute I hear?"
"That's Teddie, it's her first snow today." They looked out the window and watched Theodora as she played a tune she had just composed on her tin whistle and twirled about dancing in the snow.
"How long has she been out there?"
"Not very and as she is barefoot I expect her in shortly," Elodia laughed. Theodora rushed into the house and lay on her back her arms stretched out to her side and her feet very close to the hearth fire.
"I LOVE the snow!" she giggled. "My feet are so cold."
"No idea why," Elodia teased.
"How much snow will we get?"
"You'll be sick of it by March," Elodia said. "Your helping with breakfast, remember." Theodora got to her feet and began heating the large iron skillet for the pancakes. "I'm working the clinic this afternoon Teddie."
"Can I help?"
"Yes, would love your help. You mentioned you have plans for the morning."
"I'm interviewing a couple of girls to work with the horses. They are really excited to get the job."
"Excited with the prospect of riding horses most likely," Eli said softly.
"They're twelve years old, their families can use the money and they love horses. It a win win. And we are just too busy now," Theodora said starting with a second round of pan cakes. "Go ahead Eli take some while there hot. And the extra ridding is good for the horses. We got six horses now."
"Will two girls be enough?" Eli asked.
"I'm sure more will come once they see Jeannie and Samantha ridding about. Oh! I'm meeting with my brothers and sisters for lunch."
"About the cannery project," Elodia asked.
"And I promised to take Mikey flying." Theodora placed the last of the pancakes on a plate and joined her friends at the table. "Odie I want to learn to be a midwife."
"That would be great Teddie. Maryann and I would love for you to join us. I do think you might wear your boots when you go out today."
Theodora laughed, "Why Odie?"
**********************************************
"Is this the warehouse you were telling me about James?" Theodora asked as she stood on the wharf with her brothers, brother-in-laws and her cousin's husbands. She felt especially tiny surrounded the six large men. The positive effect was she was spared the cat calls that plagued her whenever she was walking through the harbor.
"Yes, and it's quite big enough for a cannery and it has its own wharfs."
"What did it cost us?"
"Two thousand marks," James said.
"We brought much of the canning tools and retorts with us. The village cannery was being enlarged so we just bought them out. We'll move our schooners over tomorrow and start unloading," Matt added.
"We found a local shop that will produce the cans," James said.
"When do you think we will be operating?"
YOU ARE READING
Theodora's Dragon
Fantasy"What does it mean?" Theodora asked. "It means you're a witch," Mathilda said softly gently putting a hand on her shoulder, "like me." Theodora just sat looking at her companion in surprise. "It's a good thing Teddie." "I didn't believe in witches."...
