Nelly's Mail Order Husband

by Ruth Ann Nordin

“But that doesn’t mean we can’t look at him and like what we see,” Erin continued.

  Nelly’s pa let out a frustrated sigh. “No, you can’t look at him like that. I forbid it. You girls need to show better manners. From this point forward, you will not think of him as being attractive. In fact, I forbid you to even look at him.”

  “Tom,” Nelly’s ma began, “the last part is impossible unless you want the girls to be blindfolded whenever he comes over.”

  Nelly’s pa stared at her for a moment and then groaned. “You girls know what I mean. Val is Nelly’s husband. You can’t look at him like you would your own husband.” He blinked. “Not that you have a husband. Not yet. And you shouldn’t be in any hurry to get one. Take your time. Make sure he’s the kind of man who’ll treat you right. Though I can’t imagine anyone treating you as well as I do. I am your pa. I have your best interest at heart.”

  “Tom,” Nelly’s ma said when it became clear he was going to keep rambling.

  Nelly’s pa waited for a moment before he continued. “The point is, you can’t look at Val the same way Nelly does.”

  Nelly’s face grew hot, and she forced herself not to make eye contact with anyone at the table. They couldn’t really tell she was falling in love with Val…could they? Surely, someone couldn’t tell such a thing just by looking at her.

  “But we’re not looking at him that way,” Erin insisted. “We have no desire to kiss him like Nelly does.”

  Nelly shrank as far as she could into the chair. Erin did not just say that. Not in front of everyone at this table!

  “Pardon me if I’m speaking out of turn,” Val spoke up, “but I doubt Nelly desires my kisses as much as I desire hers. She’s absolutely the most charming lady I’ve ever come across. Mr. and Mrs. Larson, you did a wonderful job raising such an intelligent, capable, and kind young woman. I’m grateful you let me have the honor of marrying her.”

  The mood shifted in an instant. Nelly’s parents looked immensely pleased, and Nelly felt the heat in her cheeks cool.

  “I think I speak for all of us when I say we’re happy to have you in the family,” Nelly’s ma told Val.

  “Yeah, we are,” Nelly’s pa added. With a smile, he turned his attention back to the meal.

  Nelly poked another piece of steak with her fork then ate it.

  The conversation went to the upcoming harvest, and Nelly was assured the worst of it was over. She didn’t have to worry about her sisters continuing to embarrass her.

  She picked up the glass of milk and was just about to drink from it when Val reached under the table and put his hand on her thigh. She grew still and glanced around the table to make sure no one else noticed. No. That was silly. They couldn’t notice. He was doing this under the table.

  He gave her leg a light squeeze then brought his hand back up to the table. Once more, heat rose up her neck and to her cheeks. Thankfully, no one was looking at her, so they didn’t notice. She dared a glance at Val, and he winked at her. Then he turned his attention to the conversation as if nothing had happened.

  It took an entire minute before her heart stopped racing so she could drink her milk. For the life of her, she couldn’t concentrate on anything the others were talking about. All she could think about was how Val had touched her leg. And how nice it’d been.

  Chapter Thirteen

  That night after Nelly slipped into her nightgown, she didn’t go to sleep right away. She sat on the bed and debated whether or not she should let Val sleep in the bed with her. Even though she’d given him an extra blanket to put on the floor, he still had to be uncomfortable.

  But that wasn’t the real reason she was thinking of inviting him to the bed. She wanted him to touch her again. Whether he was helping her out or into the wagon or giving her a secret touch under the table, she had experienced the most pleasant sensation from the experience.

  She had no idea that something so simple could be such a distraction. She was having a difficult time focusing on her chores because of it. All she wanted to do was get back to Val and see if he would touch her again. She’d never thought she’d be afraid to ask someone for anything, but she was much too shy to come out and ask Val to do it. If it’d been anyone but Val, she wouldn’t be feeling this way. What was it about him that confounded her?

  She drummed her fingers in her lap. This was silly. Val was her husband. She shouldn’t feel awkward about telling him he could share the bedroom with her. He had as much right to be in here as she did. It was only because he was a gentleman that he never once tried to come in here.

  She heard Val shuffling around from the parlor and stood up. She stared at the closed door of her bedroom for a long moment. It would be nice to sleep in Val’s arms tonight. He hadn’t held her yet, but she wanted him to. Maybe he might even kiss her. The kiss he gave her when they married had been nice. She bet she’d enjoy it even more if Val kissed her now that she knew him.

  Her gaze went to the doorknob. He wasn’t going to kiss or hold her as long as he stayed in the parlor. She took a few steps to the door, but then she panicked and went to the dresser. Without thinking, she grabbed her brush and ran it through her hair as if she had gotten up from the bed for this reason.

  She was a coward. She couldn’t believe it. Of all the things she’d thought about herself, she never once took herself for a coward. Husbands and wives slept in the same bed all the time. It was a natural part of a marriage. There was nothing to be scared about. And yet, here she was with shaking hands and a heartbeat that wouldn’t slow down.

  She closed her eyes and struggled to calm down. What was wrong with her? She’d been able to go up to all the men in the family and insist she could handle helping with the harvest when she was sixteen. When she was eighteen, she’d been able to tell a nearby farmer that she could round up cattle just as well as any man could, thereby getting the job. She even lived out here all by herself with only the occasional help from her pa. She could do anything a man could do, and she doubted any men had trouble inviting their wives to a bed.

  She brushed her hair for another minute then set the brush back on the dresser. She could do this. There was nothing to it. She’d go out there and ask him if he’d rather sleep in the bed than on the floor. If she was in his position, she would be glad if he made the offer to her.

  After taking a moment to muster what little courage she had, she went to the door and opened it. The parlor was quickly growing dark in the fading sunlight. Her gaze went to Val, who was lying on his back. A blanket was tucked up under his arms, and his head was on the small pillow.

  He opened his eyes and looked over at her. “Is something wrong?”

  She could swear her heart stopped beating. She swallowed the lump in her throat. “I was just wondering if you need anything.”

  He offered her a smile. “No. I’m alright. Thanks for asking.”

  Ask him if he would like to sleep in the bed. Ask him!

  But instead of doing that, she said, “You’re welcome,” and shut the bedroom door. Then she ran to the bed and dove under the covers, throwing them over her head.

  Alright, so she was a coward. She didn’t have it in her to be brave when it came to Val. But could she really be hard on herself? Val was just as wonderful as her sisters made him out to be. He was handsome, kind, and fun. He was the ideal man. What woman would be able to ask him to hold her all through the night? She’d be nervous, too.

  It took Nelly a good fifteen minutes before she started to relax. She threw the covers off her head. She stared at the ceiling and sighed. Well, so much for getting Val to touch her again tonight. She’d have to wait for tomorrow and hope he might touch her then. With a groan, she rolled onto her side and bunched up her pillow so that she was comfortable. She had no idea being a woman and waiting for a man to make a romantic gesture could be so difficult.

  ***

  The next morning, Nelly woke up to the sound of someone walking through the parlor and into the kitchen. Gasping, she ju
mped out of bed and grabbed the Colt .45 from the top drawer of her dresser. She hurried to the bedroom door and opened it a crack.

  She glanced over at where Val slept and saw that the spot was empty. It took her a moment to realize Val was already awake. The small pillow was on top of the neatly folded blankets that were on the couch. She stepped out of the bedroom and crept to the kitchen. By now, she was sure Val had been the person she’d heard moving about, but she couldn’t relax until she saw that it was really him who was rummaging around in the kitchen.

  When she reached the doorway, she breathed a sigh of relief and lowered the gun. It was him! He was pouring flour into a large bowl, and beside him, on a small plate, were a couple of eggs. She blinked the last of her sleep away as she entered the room.

  “What are you making?” she asked, thinking it couldn’t be poached or scrambled eggs since he had an assortment of ingredients laid out in front of him on the worktable.

  He glanced her way and smiled. “Pancakes. Your mother gave me a few recipes before we came back home, and I thought I’d try this one.” He picked up a piece of paper with her ma’s handwriting on it. “I don’t know about you, but I’m getting tired of having eggs all the time. A little variety never hurt. Do you like pancakes?”

  “I love them,” she replied. “I just could never figure out when to turn them over, so I gave up on making them.”

  “Your mother mentioned that. But she told me what to do, so I’m going to try it.” He set down the measuring cup and walked over to her. His eyes twinkling, he added, “You look cute in a nightgown and with your hair all messed up.”

  He ruffled her hair in a playful gesture, and she found herself giggling as she brought her hands up to smooth her hair back down.

  “Whoa! You have a gun?” he asked in surprise.

  She’d forgotten all about the gun she was holding. She lowered her hand and looked at it. “I thought someone was sneaking into the house, so I took it out of my dresser.” Her face warmed. “I didn’t realize it was you. I’m used to waking up first.”

  “Do you often have intruders coming into this place?”

  She put the gun at her side. “No. So far, nothing’s happened. I just like to be prepared in case it does. A woman living alone is vulnerable. Well, that is, I used to be alone. I have you now.”

  “I don’t know how to use a gun. I wouldn’t be much help if something did happen.” After a moment, he said, “It’s good that one of us can ward off the villains.”

  “Do you want to learn how to shoot?”

  “Is this something I have to learn?”

  “No, it’s not something you have to learn. It’s just a good idea. Everyone in my family knows how to use a gun.”

  “If you don’t have people sneaking into the house, then what do you need a gun for?”

  “Sometimes a fox or coyote will try to get into the henhouse. I’ve killed a couple of them since I got here. And sometimes I hunt for meat. Like that rabbit stew we had the other day was from a rabbit I killed, skinned, and cut up for later use.”

  “So that’s the meat you got from the root cellar?” he asked, his hesitant tone indicating that he really didn’t want to know but couldn’t stop himself from asking the question.

  “The root cellar preserves the meat since it’s cool under the ground.” Noting his grimace, she decided not to go into further detail on the subject. She cleared her throat. “I should put the gun away and get dressed.”

  “Or you could wait until you eat to change clothes. I won’t tell anyone.”

  For a moment, she thought he was teasing her, but she caught the way his gaze swept over her. Her heartbeat picked up. He was fully dressed for the day. It was only right she was, too. Except, she rather liked the fact that he was looking at her as if she was the most desirable woman in the world. It was similar to the way she’d felt yesterday when he’d touched her leg. Though her sisters had been practically throwing themselves at him, his touch had let her know he only wanted to be with her. And she liked that. She liked knowing he preferred her to the other women out there.

  “Alright,” she slowly replied, doing her best to ignore the fierce beating of her heart. “I’ll keep this on until after breakfast. But I should at least put the gun away.”

  “I’ll get back to making pancakes. Don’t take long. It’s nicer to cook when you’re around.”

  Then he brushed her cheek with his fingers and gave her a smile that made her knees so weak she thought she might fall over. He returned to the worktable and started whistling as he cracked the eggs.

  Finally, she was able to breathe. She left the kitchen and headed back for her bedroom. Her pulse was still racing as if he was still touching her. She brought her hand to her cheek, noting how warm it was. Could he tell what kind of effect he was having on her, or was she able to hide it?

  She’d be embarrassed if he knew how much she anticipated his touches. They were so gentle, and yet, they created the most pleasant sensations through her entire body. It was no wonder that she’d often seen women smiling when their husbands took them by the hand or the arm. A touch was a wonderful thing. It conveyed things that words couldn’t.

  Excited to be with him again, she hurried to put her gun in the top dresser drawer and then went back to the kitchen.

  ***

  A week later, Nelly and Val washed the bedding. She had chosen to put on an older dress for the task. While it wasn’t her best outfit, she thought it would be more pleasing to Val than if she put on a pair of pants. Her ma had made her the dress years ago, and though it was pink, Nelly decided it wasn’t so bad since it did bring out the color in her cheeks and flattered her figure. Her plan had paid off, for as soon as Val saw her, he smiled and told her how pretty she was. Then, right before they ate breakfast, he had touched the small of her back. Even now, she could feel the touch of his hand there, and it’d been three and a half hours since they ate.

  She glanced over at him, noting how much he was sweating from the effort of pulling the thick fabric through the wringer. She hated that part of washing the most. She had just scrubbed the blanket over the washboard in the large bucket of soapy water. Then she had rinsed it out in the other bucket of clean water and handed it to him.

  “This is the last of the bedding,” she said as she showed him the pillowcase she was about to dip into the soapy water. “And it’s a small item.”

  He looked up from the wringer. “We’re almost done?”

  She felt her lips tug up into a smile at the relieved tone in his voice. “Yes. Everything else has already been cleaned.” She gestured to the clothesline where he’d hung up the other bedding. “When you’re here, this chore gets done a lot faster.”

  His jaw dropped. “How long does it usually take to do the laundry?”

  “I can spend most of the day on laundry. This is why I try to wear the same clothes as much as I can before washing them.” She hesitated to admit it, but then she added, “Sometimes I’ll bring them to my family when I know they’re going to wash their clothes. Between my ma and three sisters, it goes even faster. They have a whole system planned out where each one does a certain task. It’s actually efficient.”

  “Kind of like a machine, huh?”

  “Machine?”

  “A machine is something that does something so a person doesn’t have to. It’s usually quicker because it doesn’t get tired like people do.” He paused and stretched his arms. “When I think of all the things there are to do around here, my favorite is cooking.”

  She’d noticed he had volunteered to make the meals, but she hadn’t thought it was because he enjoyed it. She’d figured he was being a gentleman and letting her be outside with the animals. “You like to cook?”

  “Cooking’s not so bad, especially since I get to eat what I make.”

  “Well, you get to sleep on the blankets when you’re done cleaning them.”

  “That’s not as rewarding.” He cranked the handle of the wringer. �
��You can’t eat the blankets.”

  “No, but they keep you warm at night.”

  “Let me guess? You prefer doing laundry to cooking?”

  “Actually, I do.” And that was saying a lot since she didn’t like either chore at all.

  “We make a pretty good team then.”

  He gave her a smile that warmed her all over. Feeling a bit bashful, she lowered her gaze to the pillowcase and ran it over the washboard.

  Val finished wringing out the blanket and took it to the clothesline. As she watched Val, she caught sight of a man riding onto their property. She stiffened. Was it Seth? After a moment, she realized the man was too old to be Seth. She relaxed then hurried to finish scrubbing the pillowcase.

  Val returned to her just as she was rinsing the pillowcase out. “Who is that?” he asked, glancing over at the rider who was quickly approaching them.

  “It’s Scott Phillips. He owns one of the farms in the area.”

  Val took the pillowcase from her and went to the wringer. “You should see what he wants since you know him.”

  She nodded and ran over to meet him.

  When he pulled his horse to a stop, Scott took a second look at her. “Is that you, Nelly?”

  “Who else would it be?” she asked him.

  He scanned her up and down again. “Any other woman. At first I thought you were one of your sisters.”

  She put her hands on her hips. “I’ve been known to wear a dress from time to time.”

  With a grin, he said, “I heard you married. I’m guessing the dress is for the groom.”

  Deciding not to respond to his teasing tone, she asked, “Did you come out here to meet my husband?”

  “Nah. I came out to enlist your help. Seth’s cattle got loose, and we need help rounding them up.”

  “I thought Seth was more responsible with his animals than that.”

  “I don’t know how they got out of the fence. I’m only here to ask if you and your husband will help. My next stop is your pa’s.”