“It is! How did you know that?” she asked in surprise.
“Just a hunch.” He took the shirt from her and noticed right away that the material didn’t feel as pleasant as the shirts on the other side of the store. He took a look at the price tag. It was half the cost as the others were. He supposed that made this shirt the right one. “It looks fine to me,” he told her.
“Ah, a nice choice,” the owner said. “That will suit you just fine in the summer months. Of course, once winter comes, you’ll want something thicker.”
“He’ll wear a coat come winter,” Nelly spoke up. “Besides, there’s not much time to get cold on a homestead. There’s too much to do. Sometimes I end up having to take my coat off.”
Val knew she didn’t realize it, but the owner was disappointed she’d ruined his sales pitch for the more expensive shirts. For Nelly, this was all about practicality. Fashion didn’t play into any of the decision-making when it came to clothes. For all he knew, she might be practical in every purchase she made. That made her resistant to salesmen, a gift Val secretly envied.
He, on the other hand, liked to feel good about a purchase, whether it was practical or not. Of course, that kind of thinking had led him to spend all the money he had as soon as he got it. And look where that got him; he had nothing but trunks full of worthless clothes.
Nelly put her finger up to her lips and studied the other shirts. After a moment, she said, “I kind of like the brown one. I think it would go well with your brown hair.”
Since there were several brown shirts, Val had no idea which one she was talking about until she motioned to the plain brown one that had no design on it. Val glanced back at the plaid shirt. It wasn’t his favorite of the shirts in the store, but at least it wasn’t plain.
“An excellent choice,” the owner said, “and I know just the vest to make it stand out in the crowd.” He hurried over to the nearby selection of vests and retrieved one that had a nice golden color with an attractive design stitched into it.
Right away, Val liked it. The salesman was right. That would make the brown shirt worth wearing, and it was on this side of the store, which was another plus. But it wasn’t up to him. Nelly had to pay for it. Val looked at her, hoping she’d agree to it.
Unfortunately, Nelly shook her head. “A vest isn’t necessary. Just the shirt will be fine.”
She gave Val the brown shirt and picked up another green shirt. This was just as plain as the brown one. Since she wasn’t willing to get a vest for the brown one, he doubted she would be willing to get one for the green one.
She gave Val the green shirt then made a beeline for the pants. Val wasn’t used to shopping with a woman, but it surprised him that Nelly went straight from one section to another after so little time sorting through each article of clothing. It was like this was a mission instead of an activity to be enjoyed. If they were in a barn right now, she would stop and take her time to pat the animals, talk to them, feed them a special treat, and then fill up their troughs. She was a completely different person on the homestead than she was in a store.
When she realized Val hadn’t followed her, she waved him over to the denim pants. Forcing himself not to look back at the golden vest, he went over to her. As he figured, the jeans were all plain. There was nothing to distinguish one from the other.
“Do you know which ones will fit you?” she asked.
“I don’t suppose it’s worth mentioning that I can tailor a pair of pants to fit,” the owner said from behind them.
Nelly jerked and glanced at the man as if she hadn’t expected him to follow them.
Val knew the man would follow them. Even if he hadn’t successfully talked her into getting more than the three shirts she’d selected so far, that didn’t mean he was giving up. The more money she spent, the more he’d make. Val had a feeling that Nelly was going to prove to be more stubborn than the owner when all was said and done.
And he was right. By the time she and Val left the store, the only items Val had were the ones she had planned to get: three shirts and two pants. Though the owner was undoubtedly disappointed he hadn’t been able to make more of a profit, he was pleasant and kind the entire time, and for that, Val was impressed. Not every businessman back in Boston could remain as professional as this owner did.
“If anyone asks me about a good store to go to in Omaha, I’ll mention this one,” Val told him.
As Val hoped, the owner’s smile widened. Few things worked as well for attracting business like word of mouth. Things had been going just fine for his father until the bad investment.
The next place Nelly took Val to was a place to buy and repair boots. To his surprise, she didn’t lead him to the least expensive section of the shop.
“You’ll need a good pair for all the work you’ll be doing,” Nelly explained, as if she’d heard his unspoken question. “And the better quality boots you get, the less likely you’ll need to repair them. So really, in the long run, we’ll save money.”
“Can’t the same thing be said for shirts and pants?” he asked.
“You won’t be as hard on shirts and pants as you will with boots. Those boots will be walking over a lot of things, and you’ll end up scuffing them at some point. You have to be hard on them, which is why they need to be stronger material.”
He supposed when she put it that way, it made sense. Though he still wished he could have had that golden vest. Maybe, once he earned his keep, he could get it.
“Nelly,” he asked as she scanned the boots in front of them, “how do you earn money?”
She glanced up at him. “Usually, I earn it when I sell the excess of my crops, but that comes right after harvest. During the early part of the year, I sometimes sell eggs and meat.”
“Meat? How do you sell meat?”
“I’ll take a cow or chicken, kill it, and sell the meat.”
He cringed. “You do?”
She chuckled. “How did you think people get meat?”
“To be honest, I never thought about it.”
“Well, meat doesn’t magically come out of the sky. You need to butcher the animal.”
“And you do that all by yourself?”
“No. My pa helps. I don’t do it often. Maybe once or twice a year. For the most part, I live off the land. I’m using money I got from last year’s harvest to pay for the things we’re getting today. More often than not, I make money from my stallion. He’s a fine horse. He’s been well-bred. About six or seven people want to use him to sire offspring with their mares.”
His eyes grew wide. “You hire out your horse to…to…” He glanced around to make sure no one else in the shop was paying attention to them.
This time, her eyes were the ones that grew wide. “Well, sure. How do you think baby horses come along?”
“I know how horses have babies,” he whispered. “I just didn’t think people hired out for that kind of thing.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t know.” He shrugged. “It seems rather…unromantic.”
She chuckled again. “Breeding animals isn’t supposed to be romantic. It’s supposed to be practical. People do it in order to have more of them to either eat or breed in the future. It’s the way things are.”
She was probably right, but it still seemed like a cold way of doing things. His family had horses, but they never worried about breeding them. It never once occurred to him to ask the stablemaster how he got them.
“Don’t worry,” she whispered. “Neither the stallion nor the mare mind the process.”
He shook his head. He knew she was finding this topic amusing by the way she was grinning, but it wasn’t really something he wanted to think about. “Can we focus on the boots?”
“Sure. Do you see a pair you like?” Though her expression turned serious, he could hear the laughter in her voice.
He honestly didn’t know if he had the stomach for many more of the unpleasant realities he was continually learning about livi
ng on a homestead. This life was so much different than either he or Jim had imagined. If he didn’t know better, he’d swear he was in a horror novel.
With a sigh, he turned his attention to the boots, glad for the much-needed distraction doing so allowed him. For this brief period of time, at least, he would get a reprieve. He would worry about the mess he’d gotten himself into when he hopped on the train to come out here later.
Chapter Eleven
The next morning, Nelly decided not to put on her denims. She opted to put on one of her skirts that she hadn’t worn in a long time. She wasn’t even sure when she’d last worn it. It might have been last year after the harvest when everyone got together to celebrate the end of another successful year. Yes, that was probably it. If she remembered right, her sisters were shocked to see her wearing it. “Why Nelly, you actually look like a girl,” Patricia had said.
At the time, Nelly had rolled her eyes. Hadn’t her sisters paid attention when she wore a dress to church or whenever they went to town? She only wore pants when she needed to work. But now, as Nelly thought over Patricia’s comment, she wondered if this might work in her favor. Yesterday, Val had mentioned that she was pretty in the dress. She wasn’t sure why that had pleased her as much as it did, but when she woke up this morning, her first inclination was to take out her old skirt and put it on.
Fortunately, it still fit. She couldn’t be sure it would since it’d been so long since she’d last had it on. But, thankfully, it did. She selected a shirtwaist to go with it, and after a moment’s debate, she figured she might as well style her hair instead of just letting it hang down her back or pulling it into a braid. She opened the little jewelry box on her dresser and took out several pins. They didn’t exactly match her clothes, but they were close enough. Once her hair was pulled neatly up, she studied her reflection in the small mirror. She wondered if Val would like what he saw when he looked at her.
She glanced at the closed bedroom door. There was only one way to find out. She slipped on the boots she always wore when doing the homestead chores. She had a prettier pair in the armoire, but they were impractical for work. She reserved them for her trips to town and to church.
After a moment, she took a deep breath. She hadn’t felt anxious yesterday when she changed into a dress, but she felt it now. She couldn’t recall a time when it’d ever mattered if someone liked the way she looked or not.
She went to the door and turned the knob. Her gaze went to the floor where Val usually slept, and sure enough, he was there right now, sound asleep. She didn’t know how he could sleep on the floor. It couldn’t be comfortable. If it was her, she’d sleep on the couch.
She supposed she could offer to let him go to bed with her. Then he would be more comfortable at night, but she couldn’t seem to do that. Not right now. Not when she hardly knew him…even though he was her husband.
Her pa had warned her that men often only had one thing on their minds when they were alone with a woman in a house. He hadn’t gone into detail about what kinds of things men wanted to do with women when they were alone, but he’d insisted she only be alone with her husband or a male relative.
She supposed that it was technically alright for her to invite Val to the bed. And she would. When she was ready. She had to be ready. So, for the time being, he would have to be on the floor.
Maybe she would borrow some blankets from her parents so he could be more comfortable. Then she wouldn’t have to feel guilty for making him sleep out here.
She went over to him and knelt beside him. “Val?” She nudged his arm. “It’s time to wake up.”
After a moment, his eyelids fluttered and then opened.
She smiled. “I hope I didn’t interrupt any good dreams.”
He returned her smile. “Waking up to you is much better than any dreams I could ever have.”
Her face warmed with pleasure at his words. “I thought I’d wear a skirt today,” she said, her voice growing quiet as a wave of shyness swept over her.
“You did?” He sat up and scanned her. His smile widened. “I like it. You’re a really pretty lady. If your sisters had sent just a picture of you, I might have married you without reading their letters.”
Her heartbeat picked up in excitement as he stood up. She got to her feet and did her best not to fidget. She didn’t know what was making her so nervous, but she had a hard time remaining still. She cleared her throat. “I should probably take care of the animals before they start to complain.”
“Animals complain?”
“Not like people, but they have their ways.” She watched him as he folded the blanket and put it on the couch. “Would you mind making breakfast this morning?”
“No. I don’t mind making eggs.”
“Really? You’re not just saying that because you know how much I hate to cook, are you?”
He chuckled. “No. I really mean it. I’d rather cook eggs than milk the cow.” He paused then asked, “Are you disappointed?”
“No, I’m relieved. I’d rather milk the cow than cook eggs.”
“I thought you were going to cook since you decided to wear a skirt.”
“I can milk a cow with a skirt on.”
“You can?”
“Sure. All I have to do is pull the skirt up to my knees.”
He blinked in surprise. “Oh. I wouldn’t have thought of that.” He placed the pillow on top of the blanket. “Alright, I better clean up and then get into the clothes you got me yesterday.”
He passed her, and their arms brushed. The contact made her skin tingle in excitement. She looked at him to see if he felt it, too, but he only went to the bedroom and shut the door.
She probably imagined it. Clearing her throat again, she lifted the hem of her skirt and headed out of the house.
***
Val knew it was on the mischievous side, but he rushed through the process of getting ready for the day. From the past couple of days, he had learned that Nelly fed the animals in the barn before she milked the cow. Hopefully, she would be doing that today. If he timed it just right, he’d get a chance to see her legs.
Thankfully, he had the perfect excuse to walk by and check her out. He picked up the bowl and headed out to the henhouse. He saw the cow tied up in its regular spot, but he didn’t see her. That meant he was either too early or too late. He hoped he was too early. He’d hate to think he missed this chance to see her legs.
He went closer to the barn and listened for her whistling, humming, or talking to the animals. At first, he only heard a horse neigh, and he started to panic. Maybe he missed seeing her milking the cow.
But then he heard her chuckle and tell the horse to, “Eat up,” and relaxed. Good. She hadn’t gone to the cow yet. He veered over to the henhouse and took his time collecting the eggs. This morning, he didn’t even mind the chicken that started pecking around his feet. He was too busy keeping an eye out for when Nelly would get to the cow.
Fortunately, she didn’t take too long. She set the pail and stool by the cow and then sat down. She then proceeded to lift her skirt. He gripped the bowl in anticipation. This was it. He was about to see her legs.
He leaned around the henhouse to get a better look at her. He saw her boots, but thankfully, they only reached her mid-calf, leaving her legs from the mid-calf up to her thighs in plain view. This simple glimpse of her made everything he’d endured for the past couple of days worth it.
This was just a foretaste of things to come. Someday he’d get to see a lot more of her. It was only a matter of time before they consummated the marriage. And when that happened, he would not only get to see all of her, but he’d get to touch her, too.
Something tapped against his boot, and he saw that two chickens and a hen had gathered around his feet. He shooed them away, but they didn’t leave. If anything, they seemed even more eager to peck around him. Then he recalled that Nelly had fed them with some grain from a pail. They were probably expecting him to do the same this morning.
“If I knew where the pail was, I’d feed you,” he told them.
They continued pecking around him. Well, he couldn’t be surprised. It wasn’t like they could understand what he said. He saw another hen coming over to him. With a sigh, he looked back at Nelly. She was putting her skirt back down. What a shame. He hadn’t gotten nearly enough time to enjoy those long, wonderful legs.
He shooed the hens and chickens from him as much as he could and then hurried to the door of the fence. He managed to close the fence right before one of the chickens followed him out. They sure were quick!
“How many eggs did you get?” Nelly called out.
He jerked and turned to face her as she headed over to him. She didn’t know he’d been watching her milk the cow, did she? Hoping she didn’t know, he opted to say, “I got four this morning.”
“Good. That makes two for each of us.” She showed him the milk in the pail. “We can make scrambled eggs if you want.”
“I haven’t made scrambled eggs.”
“I can teach you how to do that. Since I’m done with feeding the animals and milking the cow, I have time to help.”
“Well, if you help me today, I can make them tomorrow on my own. That will free you up to do other things.”
“That’s what I was thinking.”
He laughed as they began walking to the house. “I got to say that I like your honesty. I don’t like trying to guess what a woman wants or doesn’t want. If she gets upset, most of the time she won’t even tell me why.”
“Did that happen to you a lot?”
“It did with a couple of women my father would bring over for me to meet.” He noted the interest in her expression. “It was nothing. My father wanted me to get married, but no matter who he brought over or introduced me to, it didn’t feel right. I have a much easier time talking to you. And that’s mostly because you come out and tell me what you want.”
“From what I understand, most men don’t like a woman who has a mind of her own. They’d rather tell their wives what to think. My pa was never like that, though. He always listened to my ma. He also told me and my sisters to stand up for ourselves and demand that we be heard.”
Nelly's Mail Order Husband Page 10
