by Danni Roan
Braden felt the blood rush to his head and dropped his eyes in shame. “Everyone’s fine,” he said, turning his back to her and walking to his horse that stood drooping in her harness.
“My folks live down Plum about six miles,” Braden told the other driver offering his hand, “If you have any trouble please let me know, and I’ll make it right.”
The big man looked between the younger driver and the pretty woman with a smile. “I’ll look you up if I need to,” the burly man said, walking back to his wagon and climbing aboard.
As the wagon rumbled down Ottertail, Braden turned back to Mrs. Simms. “I’m sorry to have caused you any distress,” he said, feeling the heat in his face. He’d been trying to catch a better glimpse of her and brought this on himself.
“Braden Prater, you nearly gave me a heart attack,” Miss Ella said, walking along the dusty road. “Is anyone hurt? What do we do next?”
“Miss Milton, I’m sorry to have upset you,” Braden said. “I’ll unhitch Milly-Bell here and push the wagon off the road then head back to the farm.”
“Nonsense,” Ella said. “You’ll come over to the farm, and we’ll get Josiah to help. Hitch your horse to the back of the carriage and climb aboard. “I’m feeling fatigued after my outing, so I’ll ride in the back while Mrs. Simms keeps an eye on your driving.”
Braden looked up at Marni, gazing at her from under his hat. “Yes, ma’am,” he said, moving to unhook the bay mare from the broken wagon.
Dusting his hands on his pants a few minutes later, Braden helped Miss Milton into the back of the carriage then turned to Miss Marni offering his hand as she climbed into the front seat once more.
Helping the young woman into the padded seat Braden climbed up beside her and lifted the reins setting the horses in motion toward the Milton Farm.
He had never been so embarrassed in his life, add to that he had just ruined his wagon in front of the only woman he had ever found attractive, and you could call him every kind of a fool.
Chapter 15
Therefore I say unto you. What things so ever ye desire, when ye pray believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. Mark 11:24
Braden felt like a hired hand sitting on the padded seat of Miss Ella’s elegant carriage. Sitting next to the lovely Marni in his faded cambric shirt and dusty work clothes, he felt even more insignificant.
He was nothing but a dirt farmer with little to his name but a strong back and a quick mind. While his parents had worked hard to provide well for their family, raising four children had taxed their small farm leaving little leftover as a cash crop. Now, with only the three of them left things were changing, but it was a slow climb.
“Are you sure you aren’t injured?” Marni’s voice was soft and full of concern making Braden feel even more of a dolt.
“Only my pride,” Braden admitted shocked at his own words. “I should have been paying attention to where I was going,” he added feeling his face flush. He’d been craning his neck to catch a glimpse of Mrs. Simms, and it had cost him. He should put the young woman out of his mind and get his head back into the harvest and his pumpkins.
Marni looked over at Braden feeling his discomfort, she had been trying to catch a glimpse of him as he drove by and perhaps she had distracted him, though accidents did happen, and he shouldn’t feel responsible.
“I’m glad we were close by,” Marni continued. “At least you can get Josiah to come and help you mend the wagon or at least take you into town to get a new wheel.”
Braden nodded, accepting the wisdom of her words, but now more than ever he would need to win the prize for the best and largest pumpkin to cover the unexpected expense of a new wagon wheel. Glancing toward Marni his eyes fell on hers and when she smiled a ray of sunshine seemed to fill his heart making him smile back.
Perhaps he had busted up his wagon, and perhaps he would have to find the extra funds to fix his wheel, but he was sitting next to the prettiest young woman in Pelican Rapids and that counted for something. Although Braden knew he would never be in the young woman’s league, he could revel in the moment they shared now.
“I suppose it will all come out right in the end,” he said. “And it is a beautiful day for a drive,” he added with a reluctant smile.
Ella leaned back in the plush seat of her carriage and closed her eyes pretending to rest as she listened intently to every word from the front seat.
Braden Prater was smitten with her new client, and it was plain to see that Marni was attracted to him as well.
The Praters had been a help around the Milton Farm and Bride Agency after Peter’s untimely death, and though they had little, Ella valued them as hardworking and dedicated friends. A person’s true worth could never be assessed by what they had, but by how they cared for others.
Braden was honest, trustworthy, helpful, and full of pride. He could prove to be Marni’s perfect match, but would his pride keep him from accepting that truth? It was obvious that though Marni had been taught to behave like a lady, she still pined for the freedom and openness of the land itself.
Sam Abrams, although one of the most handsome young men in town, and a good prospect had never looked at Marni the way Braden was right now. Now all Ella had to do was to prove to all involved that Marni Simms and Braden Prater were made for each other.
Ella had been over her list of potential grooms a dozen times never completely happy with any of the prospects available for Marni. There had been a few men in other areas further west that might have been acceptable; men who Marni could have learned to love, but Braden was sitting right there, his eyes soaking up every moment with the young woman.
No, Ella Milton had always had a knack for putting the right people together, and the lovely Marni seemed to go perfectly with Braden Prater. Smiling she lifted a heartfelt prayer silently to heaven.
Mr. Abrams was destined to be disappointed in his bid for Sam to have Marni as a bride. The trouble was how did she convince the two sitting in front of her that this was right? Until Braden realized that he was the best thing for Marni, Ella had her work cut out for her. The matchmaker knew that the young farmer felt he had too little to offer a woman like Marni Simms. For now, Ella needed to find a way to convince both parties that sometimes love was all you need.
Braden helped the ladies down from the carriage escorting them both to the door of the Milton Farm and bidding them a good day before driving the carriage out to the big barn in search of Josiah.
“Josiah? You in here?” he called as he parked the carriage under the large overhang and began to unhitch the team of horses.
“Braden, what are you doing here?” Josiah asked walking out of the tack room, an old bridle in his hands. “I thought mother had the carriage,” the younger man said, looking worried.
“Your mother and Mrs. Simms are fine,” Braden rushed to put Josiah at ease. “I’m afraid I can’t say the same for my wagon though.”
Briefly, Braden explained the situation, flushing bright red at the younger man’s chuckle. “I know I was a dunce,” he chided shaking his head. “If you’d give me a lift into town, I’ll see about a new wheel for the wagon.”
Josiah nodded, his bright smile telling Braden it would be years before he let him live this mishap down. Over the years, Braden and his father had been on hand to help with the harvest and other cares of the farm while Josiah grew into a kind and competent young man. Now able to run the farm for his mother and turn a profit on the side, Braden counted Josiah not only a person he could work for but a friend. Although there were nearly five years between them, growing up without a father of his own, Josiah had gravitated toward the men of the community who would teach him how to keep his home and farm in good working order.
“I’ll be glad to help,” Josiah said. “We’ll just hitch Fern and Fanny to the flatbed wagon and get you to town.”
As they rolled down the lane past the house Braden couldn’t help but look up catching a glimpse of Marni gazing at them
from her window, and his heart turned over with sorrow, knowing he could never have her for his own.
Chapter 16
Pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall. Proverbs 16:18
“Do you have everything ready?” Miss Ella asked a little more than a week later as Marni placed items in her basket under Miss Minnie’s watchful eye.
The three women had been cooking and baking for two days, and the house smelled of sugar and spice and everything delightful. The fall weather had turned crisp, and traffic even on Plum Lane had picked up as farmers, ranchers, and landowners had ferried goods to the empty lot between Birch Street and Oak directly off Ottertail and next to the river.
It had been exciting to see so many farm wagons laden with produce, pickles, jams, and crafts, hurrying past, and Marni could only imagine how many more had made their way to town from outlying areas. A sense of excitement permeated the house as Miss Ella pulled on her gloves and Minnie did one more check of the boxes that Josiah was carrying to the carriage.
“Minnie if we take anything else we’ll break the wagon springs,” Ella chided with a happy grin. “Now stop fussing and let’s move. I want to be there when they do the judging.”
Minnie patted her graying hair and turned to give her employer a hard look, but hurried toward the door with a large, carefully packaged, cake in hand.
“Josiah, you drive easy now,” Minnie chided handing the cake up to Marni in the carriage. “I don’t want my cake to split.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Josiah agreed with a grin as he climbed up and took the reins of the fractious horses. The excitement of the day and the frost in the air had made Fern and Fanny feisty, and they tossed their heads, stepping high as Josiah turned them toward town.
Marni gazed around her at the field off of Ottertail that was packed with booths, and tents of every kind. Farm wagons stood in long lines along Oak Street, and horses were turned into a makeshift corral as families in their finest meandered through the festivities gazing at everything.
“I think the whole town must be here,” Marni breathed as Josiah helped her down.
“You don’t have to stay with us dear,” Miss Ella said, smiling at her son. “We’ll leave the baskets here until later, but once you deliver the other items to their rightful place you go off and join your friends,” the widow encouraged wanting her son to have a good time.
Josiah nodded already lifting a box of canned goods from the back of the carriage. “Have fun mother,” he teased, “and don’t do anything I wouldn’t.”
Miss Ella waved her son away with a scowl, placing her parasol over her shoulder and taking Marni’s arm. “We’ll see how the baked goods are stacking up this year,” she said. “There are some fine bakers in the area,” she continued, “but if I had to bet, I think Minnie will win again. I don’t know what she does that makes her cake so perfect.”
“And I ain’t tellin’ either,” Minnie said with a toothy grin hurrying ahead to deliver her cake for judging.
Marni gazed around her at the tents packed full of long tables displaying canned goods, flowers, produce, and baked goods that made her mouth water just looking at them.
The jams and jellies shimmered in the morning sun like brightly colored gems in their glass jars while packed fruit like peaches, cherries, and plumbs were a rainbow of brightness stored for the long winter ahead.
“Did you have anything like this back home?” Ella asked as Marni strained to see each item.
“Nothing to this extent,” Marni replied. “We had a fall feast at the church each year where families would bring items to share. The year Mr. Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving as a holiday, we moved it to November, and it has only grown since then. I think it helped the community begin to heal as they remembered not only sorrows, but things that they had to be thankful for.”
Ella nodded her keen blue eyes picking out acquaintances as they meandered from booth to booth. “Oh, look at the pumpkins she gushed pointing to a set of wagons lined up on the other side of the clearing. “They must be doing the judging now because I see Mayor Barton looking at them. If we hurry we’ll be able to hear the judging,” she finished dragging Marni in her wake as she shuffled across the field, petticoats rustling in their wake.
Marni craned her neck trying to see over the press of town’s folk in her way as she tried to catch a glimpse of Mr. Prater, but she couldn’t find him anywhere. She desperately hoped he would win the contest, but the first pumpkins she saw were not only massive but also beautiful in color and form and she knew the competition would be steep.
“They’re amazing,” she sighed as Ella slowed.
“It’s gotten to be ridiculous the pumpkins that some people grow here in Pelican Rapids,” Ella said with a cheerful grin. “They have to build platforms for them to grow on these days. Why look at the size of this one. What on earth is a body to do with such a monster?”
“Make pies?” Marni quipped only to be hushed when the Mayor began to speak. As the crowd drifted back from the wagons, covered in a variety of large orange orbs and the Mayor's sonorous voice filled the clearing, Marni caught a glimpse of Braden standing by his battered wagon, hat in hands.
“Please Lord, let him win?” she whispered, shocked at her own desire to see the young man succeed. In her heart, she wanted only the best for Braden Prater, and a strange softness seemed to wash over her as she watched his nervous stance.
“It’s a mighty close run this year,” Mayor Barton said. “We have a fine selection of amazing pumpkins this year,” he added scratching his chin. “It was a real toss-up for a winner,” he continued making the crowd press in once more in anticipation.
Ella jostled Marni’s elbow and nodded toward the Mayor who had paused for dramatic effect.
Marni looked back to the stately man and waited, her lungs burning with unspent air.
“It’s my honor,” the Mayor continued taking a dark blue ribbon from an aide, “to announce that this year’s winner is Braden Prater!”
Loud applause from the gathered throng drowned out Marni’s whoosh of breath as she once more started to breathe.
“Looks like you did it again, Braden” another farmer said, pounding the younger man on the back. “One of these days, I’m going to figure out your secret, but I can’t be mad. You have the best and largest pumpkin again this year.”
Braden grinned from ear to ear as he walked up to receive his ribbon. The monetary prize of ten dollars would be awarded that evening when the various auctions were finished and the festival drew to a close.
Marni’s eyes sparkled with delight as she watched Braden take his ribbon, shaking the hand of the Mayor who lifted them both in the air with a happy grin, while an older couple in the background nodded and hugged.
Chapter 17
Follow Peace with all men, and holiness without which no man shall see the Lord.
Braden hugged his parent’s tight, relief coursing through him as he held the blue ribbon in his hand. He would be able to pay for the new wagon wheel without touching his small savings and even tuck a few extra dollars away.
“You did it again son,” Sven Prater said, patting his son on the back. The old man was stooped through the shoulders, and his blue eyes were growing dim, but his Swedish accent was still strong. “You grow da best pum-kins.”
Braden smiled leaning down to let his mother kiss his cheek even as his eyes fell on Marni Simms. He had won the pumpkin growing contest, if only he had what it took to win a girl like her. She was beautiful, intelligent, and kind-hearted, everything a man could want. Turning to shake hands with the other contestants, Braden soon lost sight of Marni in the press of well-wishers, and a tiny piece of his heart seemed to slip away to seek her out.
“Marni, would you mind checking on Josiah for me?” Ella said, her eyes following Braden as he made the rounds shaking hands with the other pumpkin farmers from the area. “I have something I need to tend to.”
“Is everything all rig
ht?” Marni asked pulling her eyes away from the prize winner, who was now fully engulfed in a throng of congratulating friends.
“Oh my yes,” Ella said, “I’d like to congratulate Braden, but need to be sure that Josiah has everything where it needs to be. Even arriving as early as we did time will just fly by.”
Marni flicked her eyes toward Braden one more time but nodded. She had hoped to congratulate Mr. Prater, but Miss Milton was the woman she had hired to find her perfect match, and she wouldn’t go back on that plan. Too much of life was already uncertain, and she needed to follow through on her decision.
Turning and heading toward the area where the carriages were parked, Marni glanced over her shoulder catching a glimpse of Miss Milton in a heated conversation with Braden Prater, and she scowled wondering what they could be discussing.
She was sure that Miss Milton liked Mr. Prater so their excited conversation was surprising. Making her way to the carriage to wait for Josiah’s imminent return Marni climbed up into the carriage and gazed out over the lively festivities. As her eyes automatically sought out Braden Prater, she scowled. The handsome farmer was now nodding at Miss Ella who smiled brightly in return leaving Marni confused and curious. Was Miss Milton hiring him to do a job for her? Was she offering to buy the enormous pumpkin? No matter how Marni thought on the subject she couldn’t seem to settle on an idea that fit.
As the morning turned to afternoon and contests were awarded, families made their way to the center of the square where a small platform had been erected for the Mayor's speech and other entertainment.
“Gather round, gather round,” Mayor Barton called as the community came together, the single men pushing their way toward the front of the podium. “It’s time to raffle off the picnics the lovely ladies of Pelican Rapids have prepared. Not only do you get to eat these delectable delights, you’ll have the opportunity to share it with the picnic packer herself,” the Mayor beamed winking at a rowdy young man who let out a whoop of appreciation.
