"Am I invited to the wedding?" she asked with a smile as she played with Elan in her lap.
"Yes ma'am, if you'd like to come, we'd be pleased to have you." Willa told her.
"Just let me know when and where. So, you and Clay, who'd have thought. Tell me, what happened to Elan's father?" Cora asked.
Willa was shocked she hadn't suggested Clay was the father. "I lived on the reservation with my mother, until she died of smallpox. Because my mother was Indian, we lived there, but I couldn't remain unless I married the Chief's son, and so I did, and we had Elan. When my father came to get me, my husband did not want me to take Elan. I would not leave without him of course and my father had to shoot him."
"Dead?" Cora's eyes widened.
"Yes."
"Forever more. And your father was white?"
"Yes."
Cora seemed to digest the information with surprise and a slight smile.
Willa felt she needed to explain.
"Some have speculated that Elan was Clay's." Willa admitted with her head bowed. "I cannot understand this, as I haven't been here long enough for something like that."
"Oh, I can imagine. People from town are always gossiping, and seldom right. No, if Elan was Clay's son, he'd have already married you, that's for sure." Cora chuckled.
"You know them pretty well, then." Willa smiled.
"Charlie and me, go way back, and Clay's a fine son. Anyone that knows them well, knows they'd never lie about a blood relative."
"I guess Laura doesn't really know Clay as well as she thought then."
"Laura, that girl. She's been chasing Clay for two years but the way I understand it, he doesn't really like her. Charlie says they don't see eye to eye about most things."
"I don't know, she came to see me one day and tried to get me to tell her that Elan was Clay's. I told her the truth, but I don't think she believed me."
Cora made a face. "She's miss uppity herself, I never liked the girl. Granted her mother was killed by Indians and everyone felt sorry for her for a while, but she's to uppity for me and she's played up the sympathy too long to suit me."
"Charlie did like her."
"He liked her food. That's what he liked." Cora let out a chuckle.
"You do know him well."
"We've been friends for years."
"He would have come with me, but they are busy working on the room."
"Well, I hope he does come. I haven't seen him in a spell." Cora chuckled.
"This is a big place; you take care of it all by yourself?" Willa looked around, seeing the fine lawn and the beautiful tree outside.
"Yep, unless a neighbor offers to help me." She told her. "Or a drifter needs some work."
"Why don't you hire someone to help you every day?" She asked her.
"I had a black man, but he ran off. He was a bit lazy, but he shore liked my cooking." Cora added with a chuckle.
"You should get another, there's bound to be people who need work."
"Maybe I will one day. So," she sat back on the sofa and played with Elan, "How do you like living there with the Nelsons'?"