Rustlers and Ribbons

by Kirsten Osbourne

  Darryl grinned. “I married the schoolmarm.”

  “Yes, you really did.”

  Chapter 4

  When they arrived at the teacherage, Darryl was a little dismayed at the tiny little house, but then he realized it would be the perfect place for getting cozy with his new bride. It might even help them to grow closer in more ways than one.

  Rica was happy to see that her bed was semi-made. She’d thrown the covers up but hadn’t done a good job on it. At least it wasn’t completely unmade. The house was not exactly new, but it wasn’t old either. It was definitely cozy, made up of a small kitchen area with a table, a sofa, and a bed off in a corner of the room. They would have no privacy, which would be fine when they were a “real” married couple, but for now, it would be difficult for them both.

  “It’s not much,” she said softly, trying to see her small home through his eyes. It was her first home to live in by herself, so she was a bit fonder of it than she probably should have been.

  “It’s a roof over our heads. I don’t come from money, and I don’t need anything fancy. This little house will be good for us. I can feel it.”

  She smiled at that. “Well, thank you for having a positive attitude about it.” She frowned at the bed. “We’re not going to have any privacy here.”

  He walked to her, catching her shoulders in his hands and looking into her eyes. “I don’t think that’s going to bother us. We’re newlyweds. Yes, it’ll be a little while before we get super close, and when you’re ready to change, it’ll be easy enough for you to tell me to take a walk.”

  Rica bit her lip, looking up at him. “That won’t bother you?”

  Darryl shook his head. “Just say it nicely. I mean, I know there will be times when you want to get rid of me for reasons other than privacy, but if you can pretend it’s always for privacy, that would spare my feelings a bit.”

  She laughed softly. “I will try to always spare your feelings.”

  “That’s kind of you. I’m a lot more . . . well, boisterous than you are. I can see that you’re the kind of woman who is content to sit with a book and entertain herself a lot of the time. I’m more gregarious than that. I like to have people around me all the time.”

  “We’ll come up with a compromise that will work for both of us. Are you really willing to have a dance on Friday night at the school?” In other places, she knew they pulled the desks to the side and used the room for dancing. Surely there were some people in town who played instruments and would be happy to play for a dance.

  “I really do like the idea. I’ll have a sweetheart to dance every dance with. Maybe she’ll even let me escort her home and kiss her goodnight.”

  Rica laughed. “I don’t think there will ever be a problem with you kissing me goodnight. I seem to melt every time you touch me.”

  “Is that so?” he asked, leaning down and pressing his lips to hers. “I like the idea of you melting in my arms.”

  “Well, I’ve always been a very serious schoolmarm type, so melting doesn’t seem to work well for me. I guess if you promise not to tell anyone, we might be able to do that in private.”

  He grinned. “Maybe it’s not for the best if we talk about melting so much. I need to get ready for bed. I don’t think I slept more than four hours per night on that train, and I’m exhausted. I have to work early, and from the sound of it, I’m going to be working awfully hard.”

  She nodded. “If you’ll go for a short walk, I’ll change into my nightgown.”

  “I can do that.” He kissed her once more. “I just want to make sure you’re still melting while I’m gone.”

  “There’s no doubt about that.”

  “How long do you need?”

  “If you can give me ten minutes, that would be wonderful.”

  “I’ll be back.” He shut the door behind him, and she quickly scrambled into her long white nightgown. She hadn’t realized when she’d gotten up that morning she would be coming home with a husband.

  She asked herself for the hundredth time since she’d agreed to marry him what on earth she was thinking, but truthfully, she knew the answer. He was handsome, kind, funny, and he made her weak in the knees. Was there another reason for marrying a man?

  When he came into the cabin ten minutes later, he turned the kerosene lamp down and quickly undressed in the dark. He didn’t usually wear more than his underclothes to sleep in, and hopefully she would be all right with that. Otherwise, he was going to have to beg Doris to make him something to wear to not offend his wife’s sensibilities.

  Climbing into bed beside her, he reached out and pulled her against him. Running a hand up and down her arm, he smiled. “You’re so soft, Rica.”

  She turned onto her side, facing him. “And you’re anything but soft.” Her hand went to the flat of his chest. “I can tell you’re used to doing hard work every day of your life.”

  “I am, and I have a feeling that’s not going to change around here. Not that I’d want it to. I’ve never been a man who would be content to sit behind a desk every day. My sister Elizabeth’s husband was once a Pinkerton agent. He’s now a butler, but he still investigates men to see if they are upstanding enough to have a bride sent to him. So, his life is now different, but he still has some adventure involved.”

  “Do you think you’d enjoy that sort of life?”

  Thinking about it for a moment, Darryl shook his head. “No. I like to work with my hands. I once thought what he did was glamorous, but after watching him for a day, I knew I would go insane if I had to do it. I’m meant for manual labor.”

  “I think I like that about you.”

  He kissed her quickly. “If we keep touching each other, I’m not going to be content to wait a week.”

  She immediately moved away from him. “I’m not ready for something more.”

  “I understand that, which is why I warned you. We’ll make it work. I promise.” Darryl closed his eyes, exhausted and ready for sleep, but very aware of the beautiful woman lying beside him. His wife.

  Rica woke before dawn the next morning, feeling a heavy weight across her middle. She reached down to lift it off and encountered a rather hairy arm. She froze for just a moment as she realized it was her new husband. Darryl had put his arm around her in his sleep.

  She eased out from under the arm and slipped out of bed, dressing in the darkness. Lighting one of her lanterns, she started a fire in the stove, feeling the need to make him a good, hearty breakfast before he went to his first day of work at the mill.

  She opened her ice box, removed bacon and eggs, and silently thanked his sister for sending home a loaf of bread with her on Thursday night. She could make toast with eggs and bacon. She had no idea what he liked, but he hadn’t seemed like an overly finicky man to her.

  When she heard him stirring, she didn’t look in his direction, knowing that he’d not slept clothed the night before. Even though he was her husband, she didn’t want to accidentally see more than she was ready to see.

  Darryl saw Rica already dressed for the day, standing at the stove, making breakfast. He had no idea if she could cook, but he certainly hoped so. If not, he’d just talk Doris into giving her instructions. It was nice to have his twin so close.

  He pulled on his pants and walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her back against him. “Good morning, Rica.”

  She smiled and leaned into him. “Good morning, Darryl. Did you sleep all right?”

  “I slept like a log. I’m glad I’ll have tomorrow off because I will probably need to catch up on some sleep. I’ve never been quite this tired before.”

  She frowned a little. “I was thinking we could go on a picnic after church . . .”

  “That sounds very nice. We’ll have the picnic, and then I’ll get a nap afterward. Would that bother you?”

  She shook her head. “No, of course not. I know you’ve traveled a long way and you need to recover.”

  “Well, it’s no
t like I’ve been ill, but it does sort of feel like it. I had never been on a train before, and my first trip being two-thousand miles was a bit much for me.” His muscles were sore from the unaccustomed inactivity, and he knew he was in for a rough few days as they got used to moving again.

  She scooped the eggs onto a plate and added the bacon she’d already done. Opening the oven, she pulled out the toast and set it on his plate as well. “There you are. I hope you like eggs and bacon.”

  He kissed her quickly after taking the plate. “It looks wonderful. Thank you.”

  She fixed her own plate and poured them each a cup of coffee. “Are you a coffee drinker?” she asked, holding the cup and looking at him. “I feel like that’s something I should already know about the man I married.”

  He grinned. “I am a coffee drinker, and if we’d courted like normal people, you’d have known it before we married. Remember, we’re taking the next week to court each other, so you will know everything you need to know at the end of that week.”

  “Is that even possible?” she asked, handing him his coffee and sitting down across from him.

  “I’m a simple man. How long could it possibly take to know every little detail about me?”

  She shook her head. “You think you’re a simple man. I have a feeling I’m going to find you a great deal more complicated than you’re leading me to believe you are.”

  “Not possible.” He grinned at her, taking her hand in his and bowing his head for a prayer.

  After the prayer, she took a bite of her toast. “Do you want children?”

  He nodded. “I grew up with thirteen siblings. We ran wild in the countryside of Massachusetts, and I would say I had a truly wonderful childhood. I want to give that to my children.”

  She choked on her coffee. She knew how many siblings he had, of course, because she was close to his sister, but to hear him talk about it in a discussion about whether he wanted children—well, that was something else entirely. “I hope you don’t want fourteen children.”

  “Good gracious, no! No man in his right mind would ever want fourteen children. He would have to be insane to want that. I’ll be content with three or four. It’ll be nice that there will be cousins close by for our children to play with.”

  “Yes, it will. You know it just occurred to me that Doris is really my sister now. Gretchen, Doris, and I have been referring to ourselves as Salmon sisters for a while now, so it’s fun to think that we’re now related.”

  “I’m happy it pleases you. I’ve been trying to figure out how not to be her brother for most of my life . . .”

  She chose to ignore his comment about not wanting to have Doris for a sister. “It does.” She frowned at him. “I have no idea what your tastes in food are. What can I fix for supper that will please you? Anything?”

  He shrugged. “Yup. Anything. I’m very easy to please. As long as it’s not raw and not burnt, I will gladly eat it. All of my sisters have practiced cooking on me, so I’d probably even eat it raw and burnt.”

  She grinned at that. “Well, then I will have to test that. I’ll go to the store today and get some extra food. I usually eat very simply, and honestly, I take a lot of meals at your sister’s house. I’m sure you’ll want to do that less than I have been.”

  “I like my sister. I would love to get to know her kids better. I don’t even know the older two boys’ names, and it’s making me crazy!”

  “The oldest is Bobby and the second is Matthew.”

  “I never thought to even ask you that! Of course you know. You’re their teacher!” He shook his head. “Sometimes the brain just doesn’t work properly.”

  She laughed. “I think you’re just very tired. And you had an interesting day yesterday. You got off a train and saw your sister for the first time in months, and then you found out the woman you came here to marry wasn’t interested in marrying you, and then some other random woman agreed to marry you. That would be a trying day by anyone’s standards.”

  He nodded emphatically. “You’re right! I’m excused!”

  “Yes, you are.” She frowned. “I’m not sure what to pack you for lunch.”

  “Whatever you usually pack for yourself will work. But more.”

  “All right.” She stood up and went to her ice box, pulling out an apple and some egg salad she’d made up. She quickly spread the egg salad onto two pieces of bread. She put two more pieces of bread on top and wrapped each sandwich in brown paper. She usually had an apple and one sandwich, but she wasn’t sure if an apple and two would be enough for him. “Is that enough?”

  “Should be. If I’m starving to death, I’ll bug Doris.” He watched as she put the meal into a tin lunch pail, much like he’d used to carry his lunch to school in back home. “Thank you for making my lunch.”

  “I’ll be more prepared the next time. I promise. I just didn’t know I’d be bringing home a husband from my friend’s house last night.”

  “That does rather throw a wrench in things, doesn’t it?” He leaned down and brushed his lips across hers. “I’ll see you this evening. Are you spending the day with Doris and Gretchen?”

  “I’ll probably spend the afternoon there. I need to do some shopping this morning. We’re going to need a whole lot more food than I usually have on hand.” She looked at her stack of papers to be graded on a small table beside the sofa. She would have to take those with her and grade papers while her friends sewed. She’d done it before, and she was always slower because of their chatter, but it was much more enjoyable as well.

  “Sounds good. I’ll stop by there after work so we can walk home together.”

  “Can you find your way back?” They’d walked to the teacherage in the dark, and she had no idea how his sense of direction was.

  “Yup.” With one more kiss, he grabbed his lunch pail and disappeared out the door.

  As soon as he was gone, Rica leaned against the counter. The man was already filling every bit of her life. She wondered if she was going to be able to survive him.

  Chapter 5

  After doing her shopping, Rica went to Doris’s house, remembering to take the papers she needed to grade. She’d given a history test the day before, and she tried to always get tests back the next school day. Of course, she might not be able to keep up that kind of schedule now that she was married, but she would have a couple of hours every day after school before Darryl came home from work.

  When she got to Rica’s, Gretchen was already there, sewing away on a shirt for Harv. They’d already completely redone the children’s wardrobes, and now they needed to work on Doris’s husband’s.

  “I had to bring work with me,” Rica said after Doris opened the door for her. “I gave a test yesterday, and I’m afraid I haven’t had time to grade it yet.”

  “The tests can wait. How did it go last night? Did Darryl really propose on one knee? I just can’t picture that!” Doris practically pushed Rica into a chair, ready to get all the details from her friend.

  “It went fine. He’s a good man. I need to figure out his tastes to cook for him, and it’s all so sudden, but I’m going to be a good wife. I’ve decided.” Rica didn’t mention the wedding night because she didn’t want to admit to her friends she hadn’t gone through with it. It was none of their business anyway.

  “Did he really propose on one knee? You have to at least tell me that!” Doris insisted.

  Rica laughed. “Yes, he did. On the side of the road leading out of town.”

  “And you said yes. I love it! And we’re sisters now!”

  Gretchen frowned. “We’ve all been sisters all along, remember? You’re not leaving me out of this!”

  Rica grinned at Gretchen. “We’re still sisters. I promise. It’s just a little more legal with Doris and me.”

  “I don’t care if it’s legal as long as we’re still sisters of the heart like we’ve been since the day we all first sat in this kitchen together.”

  Doris shook her head at Gretchen. “
As if that could ever change. It was us against all the women in town for a little while. We have to stick together. There’s no choice in the matter!”

  “Then that’s exactly what we’ll do, isn’t it?” Gretchen asked.

  “Definitely. There’s no one else I’d rather stage a coup against the town’s bossiest woman with.”

  When Darryl stopped at Doris’s at the end of the day, he found out that Rica had already left. “She didn’t want you to have to wait while she cooked supper, so she left a couple of hours ago to get it going for you.”

  “She’s going to be a good wife.” Darryl waved at Gretchen, wondering why the girl was a permanent fixture in his sister’s kitchen. He liked her well enough, but he knew it was a good thing he had ended up married to Rica instead of her. “I’ll see you at church in the morning.”

  Doris nodded. “Yes, you will. Now go away while I finish fixing our supper.” She shut the door in his face, and he laughed.

  “Your husband is right behind me!” he called through the door.

  “He knows how to open a door!” she yelled back.

  Darryl looked at Harv. “She’s always been this way. We tried to teach her manners, but they just didn’t stick.”

  Harv smiled. “I love her just the way she is.”

  “Glad to hear it.” Darryl headed toward the teacherage, his mind on his brother-in-law’s words. Harv was in love with Doris, which thrilled him for a couple of reasons. He was glad his sister was happy was the first. But the second was more selfish. It told him that a marriage where two people really didn’t know each other beforehand really could work. Maybe it wasn’t ideal, but it all depended on what he chose to make it. He was very much a man who believed he could choose to love someone. Maybe he wasn’t in love with his wife yet, but he would be. Because he chose to love, and he chose to be happy.

  When he got to the teacherage, it seemed strange to just walk in, but it was his home now. He opened the door and called out to her, so she’d not be nervous. “Rica! I’m home!”