Mail Order Miller

by Kirsten Osbourne

  He nodded. “Just have Mrs. Gottweiler put it on my account. Don’t go too crazy now. I’m not a rich man.” He grinned at her, expecting her to immediately know he was joking with her.

  “Do you want to give me a budget to stay under? I’m very familiar with working within a budget.”

  He grinned. “I’m sure you won’t pauper me. Just don’t buy yourself diamonds and pearls or anything crazy like that.”

  She shook her head. “I promise I will only purchase things to make clothes for the children. And food. And cleaning supplies.” She sighed. “I probably will spend a lot more this week than I ever will again.”

  His hand covered hers. “Don’t worry about money. If you spend more than I would like, I’ll just take a month or two to pay it off. It’s not a problem.”

  She nodded, pulling a piece of paper and a pencil toward her. “I’m going to prioritize everything that needs to be done. I think clothes for the children need to come first. Do you agree?”

  He shrugged. “I could use some more clothes before winter as well, but I can wait a month or two.”

  “What time does the store open?” she asked.

  “I believe it opens at eight.”

  “All right. That’ll give me time to get the laundry on the line before I go over there and pick out fabric for the children’s clothes. Do you think the girls would like to pick out the pattern for their own dresses?” Her whole face lit up at the idea of involving the girls.

  Harvey shook his head. “I’m sure they’d love it, but I don’t think they’ll let them over the threshold of the store. So as much as they’d enjoy it, it’s not possible at this time.”

  “How long are they banned from the store for?”

  “I’ve not been given an end date. I’m assuming until the end of time, plus another week or so.” He shook his head. “That store was a mess when the kids were done with it.”

  Doris grimaced. “That’s going to make things harder. But I can have the girls sit on the bench in front of the store, and I can hold up fabric for them to see. Maybe they can choose that way.”

  “You’re not going to dress them alike, are you?” Harvey had never liked it when people forced twins to always dress alike.

  She shook her head. “No. I’ll have them in the same style of dress, but different colors. That way it’ll be easier to tell them apart as well.”

  “Is it hard for you?” he asked, surprised. She’d been referring to them as the correct names with no problem the previous evening.

  “I have to think about it. If I have them in different colors, and I always know which color they’re in, I’ll have an easier time of it. Would that bother you?”

  “Not at all. I’m glad you care enough to try to tell them apart. A lot of the women who have come to help me never bothered. They just called them both ‘twin’ which was an insult to them both. They’re more than twins. They have their own personalities!”

  “I know that. Remember, I’m a twin too.” She stood up and started clearing the dishes they’d used from the table. “Do you want more?”

  He shook his head. “No, thank you. It was delicious, but I have work to do.”

  “Me too.” Doris was wary as he walked up behind her. He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her soundly.

  “I’ll be at the sawmill if you need me…but I have a feeling you’ll have everything under control.”

  “That’s why you married me, isn’t it?”

  He nodded. “Yes, I suppose it is.”

  Doris smiled until he’d left the room, and then she sighed loudly. She knew that was why she was there, so why did it hurt to hear him admit it? Of course he needed help with his children and needed her to take care of their home. He hadn’t married her for love because he didn’t know her. She knew all that.

  So why did it hurt so much? She finished the dishes and walked into their bedroom to strip the bed. Laundry, then shopping. The next few weeks were going to be hard.

  Chapter 5

  At the end of the day, Doris was exhausted, but it was a good tired because she’d accomplished so much. The bedding had all been washed and was back on the beds. The floors had all been scrubbed. She’d even let out the hems on all of Bobby’s pants and found old pants of Bobby’s that would fit Matthew until she had time to make more for him.

  The boys would be set for school, and she would be able to start on the girls’ dresses, which were needed even more, the next day. She had already cut the fabric and just needed to start sewing, hopefully in time for church the next day.

  She and the girls had made cookies for dessert, and they had declared they liked them even better than cake.

  So far there had been no problems with behavior from the boys, but she wasn’t complacent about it. She knew school was about to start, and there would be problems at school. The boys were too rambunctious for it to be otherwise. She was certain that if she gave them time and love, they would calm down and be model children. At least she hoped so!

  Harvey joined her in the parlor after the children went to bed. “I usually sleep in on Sundays. Service doesn’t start until nine, so I get up about seven.”

  “All right. I’ll have breakfast ready at seven then. I’ll probably get up earlier, because I want to see if I can finish the dresses for the girls before church.”

  “That’s a lot to do in just a little time. Do you think you can handle it?”

  She shrugged. “I’ll do my best. That’s all I can really promise.”

  “Well, don’t work too hard. I want you to be here to help me raise these kids for years to come. No getting sick on me.” He’d already lost one wife. What would he do if he lost another?

  Doris smiled. “I’m healthy as a horse. I promise. No dying for me!”

  He took her hand in his. “I hope not. The children are starting to really like you.”

  “I like them, too. We had a good day today.”

  “Did you let the girls pick out their own fabric for dresses?”

  She nodded. “I did. It was fine showing them the fabric through the window, and I talked to Mrs. Gottweiler about them coming back to the store. She said that I could start bringing them in one at a time, but only the girls. The boys are banned for a while yet.” It had been a difficult conversation, because the older woman really didn’t trust the children, but Doris was glad they’d had it.

  “I can understand that. Did the girls like picking out their dresses?”

  “They were so excited. Pris wanted a pink dress with flowers on it, and Pauline liked a green striped dress. As long as they’re happy, I don’t really care. If I don’t have the dresses ready for church tomorrow, I’ll have them ready by next week. I really would like to make them each two or three dresses this week. And then I’ll get to work on the boys’ clothes for school, and you something for winter. The work never ends, does it? My mother used to say that, but she had us girls to help. I always thought she was exaggerating.”

  “And was she?”

  “No! And there were fourteen of us. At least you only have four.” She was sewing as quickly as her fingers would move as they talked, stabbing the needle into the fabric over and over to finish one of the dresses. The townspeople had been saying bad things about the Butlers for years, but now that she was here, she wanted only good things said.

  “Are you going to sew for a while yet?” he asked, looking at the clock.

  She shrugged. “I’d like to finish this dress for Pris tonight, and then I can do Pauline’s in the morning before church.”

  “All right. I’ll read the paper while you sew then.”

  “You don’t have to stay up with me. I can stay up alone.”

  “I would like to stay up with you.” Harvey caught her chin with one finger, lifting her face to his. “I like getting to know my new wife.”

  She smiled. “That would be very nice then.” She didn’t know how they’d get to know each other more with him reading the newspaper, but maybe he cou
ld tell her the stories he read about. She’d seen her mother frantically sewing while her father kept her up on current events many times.

  Harvey went to get the newspaper, and she continued sewing. He didn’t just tell her about the news stories. When he found one he thought would interest her, he read the paper aloud. “You’d be shocked at what Mr. Cleveland just did! Listen to this.” He proceeded to read her a story about their president.

  While Doris wasn’t terribly interested in current events, she did enjoy listening to Harvey read. His deep voice filled the room, and she didn’t grow bored as she worked on the dress.

  An hour later, she held up the small dress. “There. That one’s done. What do you think?”

  He looked at it and nodded approvingly. Truthfully, he wasn’t sure what he was looking at. It looked like a little dress to him. As long as it covered one of his daughters, he didn’t care how it looked. “It’s very nice.”

  “Do you think Pris will like it?”

  “She chose the fabric, didn’t she?” Why was she asking him? He knew nothing about how a little girl’s mind worked.

  “She did. She said she wanted a dress with a pretty bow that tied in the back, so that’s what I made. I hope it makes her happy. All of her dresses were way too tight.”

  He frowned. “I knew they were tight, but no one was willing to make dresses for them. I offered to pay a couple of the ladies in town, but they didn’t want to spend enough time with my kids to make them clothes—especially not when the boys were home during the summer.”

  “That’s really sad!”

  He shrugged. “We’ve made do. I’m sure one of them would have come along and made something for them while they told me I was neglecting them by not getting them a new mother.” He sighed. “I felt like I needed time to mourn my wife.”

  “I can understand that. I can’t imagine losing someone I love.”

  He looked away, unable to handle the look in her eyes. She was a good, loving woman. He wasn’t sure he was ready for someone like her to be in his life again yet. “I’m going to get ready for bed. Are you finished here?”

  She nodded, folding the dress and setting it beside her on the sofa. “Yes, I’m ready.”

  “I’ll give you ten minutes again.” He wanted time to be with her in bed tonight. He knew she wasn’t ready for more than light kisses, but he at least wanted those. Hopefully she wouldn’t fall asleep before he got into their room with her.

  Untitled

  She hurried into the bedroom and changed into her nightgown. She happily slid between the clean sheets. It felt so much better tonight, knowing that it was clean. She rolled to her side, facing the middle of the bed. Last night she’d been asleep before he came in, but tonight…she wasn’t quite that tired. She’d barely slept on the train, and she’d gotten a good night’s sleep the night before.

  She was still awake when he came in a moment later and turned down the lamp, undressing in the dark. She heard every movement as he undressed, and it felt strange to her, knowing he’d be joining her in their bed.

  When Harvey slid between the sheets beside her, he pulled her close to him. “Why didn’t you marry? Surely someone with your looks and your homemaking skills was in high demand.”

  “If my last name had been anything else, maybe I would have been in demand. But I was a Miller, and everyone knew that meant that I was once a member of the demon horde. Some of the older women at church named us that when I was just seven or so. And then everyone in town called us that. A couple of years ago a new man, James, moved to town. He went to our church, and I caught him watching me a few times. We talked after church. And then one day, he was seeing someone else. I heard it was because I was part of the demon horde. He married her, and I kept on watching my younger brothers and sisters.”

  “He didn’t even bother to get to know you?” He was shocked. If there’d been a pretty girl like her around before he married, he’d have gotten to know her right away.

  “You know how people in this town think of your boys? That’s how they thought of all of my brothers and sisters and me. It was like as soon as they heard my name, they thought I was evil. None of us were evil. Mischievous, I’ll admit to. Evil? Never. We wouldn’t have known how to be evil.”

  He thought about that for a moment, hoping that people would forget his boys’ reputations before they grew up. “My boys have only been on their best behavior around you. I hope they keep it up, but I know it won’t last forever.”

  She shrugged. “I really don’t expect it to. But I do expect that they will grow out of their antics. If they have someone who showers them with attention, they won’t feel the need to pull pranks so people know they exist.”

  “I always knew they existed!” he protested. Was she criticizing his parenting? Did she have any idea how hard it was to raise four children while working as many hours as he did?

  “I know you did. But they may not have felt it. I bet when you were home, you spent more time with the twins. They’re younger, and they needed more of your attention. Was it after your wife’s death that they started acting up?” She knew that anytime her mother had worked, she and her siblings had caused more problems. In their case it wasn’t so much because of lack of attention, and more opportunity. The boys would have both attention and less opportunity with her there.

  He nodded. “I guess it was. Maybe you’re right. They needed more time than I could give them.”

  “That’s where I come in. I will have the time to give them all of the attention they need. I can help them with schoolwork, make them clothes, cook their favorite foods…I’m going to bet that their behavior is automatically better as a result. I don’t expect them to be perfect, because they’re children. But better.”

  “I hope you’re right.” He snuggled her closer to him, her head against his shoulder. “Are you ready to meet everyone at church tomorrow? You haven’t met many of the ladies yet, have you?” He was almost afraid for her to meet the women of the church. They were judgmental to say the least.

  She shook her head. “Just Mrs. Johnson, who was tied up in my kitchen when I arrived, Mrs. Savoy, who thought I was making a huge mistake, and Mrs. Gottweiler, who likes me because I asked about her grandchildren.” She knew it wasn’t a good start, but she’d do her best to get to know everyone as quickly as she could—though she wasn’t sure how much she cared to get to know them. They hadn’t been as kind to her new family as she would have liked.

  “There are quilting circles that I’m sure you could join. There are so many things you could do to get to know the ladies of this town.”

  She shrugged. “Right now, I think my time is better spent with the children. They need my time and attention. And there are so many things to do around the house. Maybe in a few months when I feel like I’m caught up with my housework.”

  “Thank you for making my family your priority.”

  “You mean our family?” She leaned forward just a bit, and brushed her lips against his. They were her children now, whether he liked it or not.

  “Yes, I mean our family. You are exactly what we need.” He wasn’t sure if he would ever be able to let his guard down enough to fall in love with her after losing Patricia, but hopefully she would be content anyway. She certainly seemed to like the children.

  “Is it important to you that I become friends with the ladies in town?” At that moment, she didn’t have a lot of fondness for the people who hadn’t treated him and the children well. She understood that it was a hardship to constantly be helping out like the women had, but she’d done it for others back in Beckham. It was the Christian way to help one another out when it was needed.

  “Not really, but I think it will be important to you. You don’t want to be without female friends, do you?”

  She shrugged. “I’d rather be without friends than have only friends who would turn their back on a family in need. That doesn’t sound like the Christian thing to do to me.”

  He grinne
d. “You don’t have to defend me. You don’t know why they quit coming to help.”

  She laughed. “I have a really good idea. I’m sure Mrs. Johnson isn’t the only lady in town who’s been tied up in your kitchen. I’m sure the children were right beasts to some of the ladies. But the thing is, they’re children. They needed love and care, and it wasn’t given to them as it should have been.”

  He frowned. “I wish I’d been able to spend more time with them. And maybe I could have. I just…I’ve had a hard time dealing with Patricia’s death. And every time I looked at any of my kids, they were a reminder of her.”

  Doris reached out and stroked his cheek. “I’m so sorry you lost her. Not for me, of course, because I’m happy to be here. But it would have been so much better for you and your children if she’d lived.”

  “Yes, it would have. But I’m grateful for you. Already you’ve made the house cleaner than it’s been in years. You’re jumping into working here, when you should still be too fatigued from your travel to even think about all that needs to be done. Pris has a pretty new dress, and soon Pauline will have one too. You’re the mother they need if they can’t have their own.”

  “I’ll do my best to treat them as she would have.”

  “Do me one favor though, would you?”

  Doris frowned. “Of course. Whatever you need!”

  “Don’t start cooking like their mother did. No one would be happy with that!”

  She laughed. “Her cooking couldn’t have been that bad.”

  Harvey smiled. “It was worse. I ate her cooking because I never wanted to hurt her feelings, but sometimes even the dog wouldn’t eat it.”

  “Dog? You have a dog?”

  He shook his head. “We used to back then. He was killed not long after she died. They were very close.”

  “We always had dogs growing up. It was part of living on a farm. It was like having a cow. You had a cow, a cat, and a dog.”