by Jaclyn Hardy
“We should stop by the store to grab a few things. There’s a dress Mother has had her eye on for months, and I’d like to get it for her if possible.”
Samantha stepped away and pulled her coat off the hanger. “We can do that. If you would like to run home first, I can get some money to buy a few of the things you mentioned we needed last night.”
“Most of what we need is lumber for the barn. We have to wait for the lumber mill to open for us to do that. And I wanted some animals—cows, chickens, and perhaps another horse—but we have to wait until they are available.”
“When will the lumber yard open?”
“In the morning. I’d have to go during lunch tomorrow.” David opened the door for her, then locked it behind them.
Samantha nodded. “That’s what we’ll do then.”
The store had a few shoppers making last-minute purchases before the store closed. Samantha followed David back to the dresses so he could find the one he wanted to buy. The fabric was a plain light blue color, and the embroidery was exquisite. It seemed so out of character for his mother who tended to wear men’s pants and a button up shirt whenever she could get away with it.
“What do you think?” David held it out. “Is it the right size?”
Samantha bit her lip. “You’re sure that’s the one?”
David nodded. “I’m not sure it will fit in at the ball this weekend, but I do know her face lights up whenever she sees it.”
“It would stand out, but in a good way.” Samantha took it from him and set it against herself. “She’s several inches shorter and her waistline is smaller than mine. We won’t know until she tries it on, but I think this will work. If not, it can be brought in.”
David smiled and folded the dress over his arm. “I can’t wait to show her. She needs something special for her birthday, and we’ve been away from each other for long enough that I’m willing to splurge a little.”
Samantha paused as she reached for some gloves. “Birthday? When is that?”
“Tomorrow. Didn’t I mention that?” David moved on to the brushes. “I don’t suppose she’ll need one of these. Her hair is almost shorter than mine.”
“Still. She may be willing to let it grow longer if she had something to brush it with.” Samantha examined the gloves, then tried them on. These would do nicely. And if his mother didn’t own a nice dress, she most certainly wouldn’t have the gloves to go with it. She set them on the dress in David’s arms and pointed at a brush. “That’s the one. It will work nicely with her fine hair.”
David picked it up and examined it. “I think you’re right. Now let’s leave before I buy the whole store.”
Samantha nodded and paused long enough to grab a bolt of fabric that she could use for curtains and possibly some pillows for the couch. The windows at home were covered with blankets for now, and she’d been wanting to change that. Hopefully his mother would be willing to help her sew.
Since they were walking, Clarence, the store owner, put all their items into two crates to make them easier to carry. They made sure to hide all of Mother’s things under other groceries, then left the store.
The sun had nearly fully set by the time they made it to the front door of their house. David set down his crate to open the door. “I’ll distract her while you take her gifts to our room.”
Samantha nodded and stood next to the door, peeking in to watch for David’s signal. She couldn’t help grinning to herself, excitement bubbling up. It was like Christmas, waiting to surprise someone. Papa was the one who usually surprised her like this, making sure Mama wasn’t around to ruin the fun. He’d bring presents from wherever he traveled and hide them until Samantha found them. And now it was her turn to do the surprising.
David gestured toward the bedrooms, but Samantha stayed where she was. Mother was still at the sink insisting that she had dishes to finish. Samantha’s legs began to cramp in the cold, but she refused to move. Even stooping to set down the box would have made noise, so she stayed in one position.
“David. You left the door open again. Why didn’t you learn from last time?” Mother stomped over to the door and Samantha had just enough time to jump out of the way. The door slammed.
Samantha bit her lip. Obviously, that wasn’t the way to go. She climbed down the steps, then walked around the side of the house. It was nearly dark by that time, but that made it easier for her to find which room was hers.
If memory served her, this window latch would be open so they could air out the house in this weather. Samantha found a large stick and pushed up on the window edge. She grimaced as the window creaked open, but there wasn’t much she could do about it. Hopefully Mother would be loud enough in her ranting about the door being open that she wouldn’t hear the window.
Once it was open far enough for her to climb into, Samantha tipped over one of the larger logs from the woodpile and rolled it over so she could stand on it. She grabbed the crate and slowly stepped up onto the log, doing her best to balance on the uneven surface. There was no furniture under the window, so Samantha had to make sure that she didn’t just drop the crate in. If the window didn’t alert Mother, a crate crashing to the floor would.
Samantha reached forward and grunted as she set it up on the window sill. She made sure it was balanced, then climbed off the log and moved it as close to the house as she could get it. The ground was less even there, and she had to use her hands to help her stand up straight.
The crate was just about to tip when she reached for it. She breathed a sigh of relief and set it down on the floor of her room, then hefted herself up until her waist was almost over the ledge. The log suddenly tipped, leaving her scrambling in thin air. Samantha cursed as she pulled her knee up to regain her balance, then allowed herself to fall the rest of the way into the house.
David and Mother’s voices went silent in the other room. Samantha scooted the crate onto the side of their bed and closed the window just as the door opened.
Mother frowned at her. “I didn’t hear you come in. Where were you?”
“I was . . . feeding the horses. They’d run out of hay.” Samantha smoothed her dress and realized there was now a large tear in the front. It must have caught on a nail on the way over.
David glanced at the window and then back at Samantha, his eyebrows raising in surprise. “She must have come in while we were fighting over the brand of flour I bought.”
“But I was looking right at the door—” Mother glanced between them. “Never mind. I smell something burning. You two . . . I don’t know what I’m going to do with you.”
Samantha waited for her to leave the room before grabbing her hip. It had knocked into the ledge as she fell over.
“Did you really just climb through the window?” David whispered, his eyes dancing.
“I didn’t have any other way in.” She took the packages out of the crate and slid them under the bed. “Think she figured out what we were doing?”
David laughed. “I don’t know.”
Samantha stood to find him right next to her. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I was just wishing I could have seen you climb in here. Although the picture in my mind is funny as it is.” David pulled her close and brushed her hair back from her face. “Just when I think I have you figured out, you surprise me. What made you decide to go through the window?”
“My room was on the second floor of our home, and I got pretty good at sneaking in and out. Normally I have a lattice to climb down, but the log worked all right.” Samantha met his eyes. “It’s funny. I haven’t had the desire to run since I got here.”
David kissed her on the forehead. “I hope it remains that way. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
Samantha patted his cheek. “Life would be dreadful for you. I’m sure of it. Now, let’s go before your mother gets suspicious.”
He groaned and leaned down to kiss her. “Very well. I would change before you leave the room, thou
gh. That tear shows off your underskirts.”
Samantha gasped and David left, laughing. She checked her gown, and he was right. The tear wasn’t just on the top layer. It had gone through to others. Samantha went to the window to figure out what she’d caught it on, and found a nail sticking out just below the frame. She’d have to make sure it got fixed in the morning. And the log would need to be moved as well. No need to raise more suspicion. Samantha changed into a simple gown so she’d have an easier time cleaning up after dinner that night. Sewing the tear would have to wait until later. For now, Samantha would go out to the kitchen and pretend like nothing had happened.
***
The spring sun warmed Samantha as she measured out the size of the barn, then wrote down the numbers on a paper she would take to the lumber yard. David was busy with the shop, and Mother had gone to help him. The baking was done, floors were mopped, and laundry was done, so Samantha decided it was time to do some work outside. If she hurried, she could catch someone with her order before the lumber yard closed for the day.
Samantha tucked the paper and a small roll of bills into her skirt and the pencil behind her hair just in case she needed it later, then wrapped a shawl around her shoulders. Once she was sure she had everything, she left the house, making sure it was latched.
The streets were busier at this time of day, and Samantha smiled at those she passed. It was nice to be out of the house and doing something other than housework. Not that she didn’t enjoy it. The smile on David’s face when he came home to a hot meal and clean house was worth it. But she hadn’t really talked to anyone else in the town.
The lumber yard hummed as she walked up to the main office. The men inside went silent when she entered.
“Hello, I need to order some lumber for a barn. Here are the measurements.” Samantha set the paper on the desk of the manager.
He picked it up and read through the list, then raised his eyebrows. “Are you sure these are accurate? That’s a lot of lumber.”
Samantha pursed her lips and nodded. “I do know my math, sir. Now please, prepare it. And you can deliver it to the address on the paper.”
“Ma’am does your husband know you’re here? I’d prefer to talk to him.” He dropped the paper to the desk and leaned back in his chair.
“My husband is busy at his shop, which means it is my duty to make sure this gets ordered. Now, if you won’t take my business, I’ll go elsewhere.” She grabbed the paper and pulled the roll of money out of her pocket so she could shove the order in.
The manager leaned forward, his eyes on the roll of bills. “Now wait a minute. I didn’t say I wouldn’t fill the order. I simply said I would like to speak to your husband. Which shop did you say he works at again?”
Samantha huffed. “Not that is any of your concern, but he owns the butcher shop in town.”
“Ah. The new shop.” He nodded to the money in her hand. “Surely he needs that to run his business.”
That was it. Samantha leaned forward and placed her clenched fists on the desk, willing herself to remain calm. “My father is known through all of South Carolina—all of the east coast, actually—and he taught me his business. I helped with his accounting after finishing my math classes with flying colors. I know more than most of the men on your crew. We’d better have the lumber tomorrow, or I will go elsewhere.”
“Tomorrow might be too soon. As I’ve said before, this order is quite large.” He pulled the paper from her hand and glanced through. “I need three days at least.”
“Tomorrow.” Samantha pulled three bills out of the roll and slammed them on the desk. “You’ll get the rest when it is delivered.”
She chose to ignore the looks of hunger as all the men stared at the money. It was more than enough to cover the cost, and if he was smart, he wouldn’t ask for anymore the next day. Samantha swept out of the office and breathed a sigh of relief. That was much harder than she’d expected. It was a good thing they were all so focused on the money in her hand because otherwise they would have noticed that her fingers were shaking.
It was more than likely that at least one of the men would go to the shop to make sure David was okay with her buying the supplies, but at least she stood up for herself. Most of the companies who worked with her dad were the same way around her mother.
Samantha strode back through the streets, only nodding when others caught her attention. Now that the lumber was out of the way, she could move on to figuring out where to purchase animals. Although . . . maybe she should wait for the barn to be built first.
The post office was at the end of the street, so she could go there instead. She knew it was unlikely that she would hear from anyone, but missed Papa terribly and hoped to hear from him. She walked up to the desk clerk and smiled.
“Hi, could you check to see if there are any letters for me? Samantha Poulton.” Her new last name was still strange to her. “Although I suppose it could be under Samantha Ingram.” Samantha cringed. Saying her maiden name felt even stranger.
“Let’s see . . .” The clerk sorted through some mail. “Ah, yes. I was just about to put these into the boxes. You have one letter.”
Samantha snatched it out of his hand before he was done talking. She cleared her throat. “I apologize. That was unbecoming of me. Thank you.”
She left the post office before he had a chance to respond and ripped open the letter. Tears threatened when she saw Papa’s familiar handwriting.
My Dear Samantha,
The house is not quite the same without you here. Much quieter, and your mother isn’t sure what to do with herself now that you’re no longer here to marry off. Business is going well, although the Ellisons are displeased with the fact that you left their son for a stranger in Idaho.
I do hope that all is well for you. I am writing to inform you that I have business in California in June, and we would like to visit on our way there. It will only be for a couple of days, but I would love to meet your new husband. Mother insists that she will stay with you while I go on to California, but I’ll do my best to make sure she stays with me.
All my love,
Papa
Samantha’s eyes widened and her mouth went dry. Mama was coming here? She would never approve of this small town or the people. The town was charming, and those she’d met were so sweet, but they were poor. Mama would see all of them as beneath her station. Samantha would write a letter and send it out first thing in the morning begging Papa to reconsider. Have them wait at least a year so that Samantha could make a small plantation of her own.
And David. He wouldn’t know what to think of Mama. Samantha debated telling him that her parents were coming. She didn’t want him to worry about what they would think of him. He was already stressed about work and getting their home running smoothly.
She almost turned and went back into the post office right then to write the letter, but thought better of it. A letter written in haste could only make things worse. She needed to calm down first. Besides, it was getting closer to closing and Samantha needed to get dinner started.
David looked up from the counter when Samantha walked in. “Samantha. What a surprise. I thought you were working on something at home.”
“I was. I’m done and thought I would come by for something to make for dinner. What do you have left?”
“Let’s see. I think we have some chicken left, and a few more cuts of pork.” David wiped his hands. “What were you thinking of making?”
Samantha shrugged. “I was hoping to be inspired by whatever meat I got.”
David chuckled. “Well, I can wrap up whatever you’d like.”
“Let’s take the chicken. We haven’t had it for a while now.” Samantha realized the letter was still in her hand, and quickly folded it to put in her dress.
“What’s that?” David asked.
Samantha sighed. She should have tucked it away before walking in here. “A letter from Papa. Would you like me to help?”
“I just need to put away the rest of this meat and then wash the counters down. I’ll be done in a few minutes.” David nodded toward the letter. “How is your father?”
“He’s doing well. He’ll be traveling soon.” Samantha leaned against the counter. “Was it busy today?”
David nodded. “Busier than usual thanks to the ball. Apparently, there’s going to be quite a feast because they took most of the beef and pork. I’m not complaining, though. I need the money to pay the ranchers for their meat.”
“You have more than just Nathaniel now?” Samantha grinned. “That’s wonderful.”
“Yes, I had two ranchers come in today to sign a contract, and three more have asked about how everything works.” David grinned. “Hopefully by the fall, we’ll have enough business that we’ll be able to keep on going through the winter.”
Samantha ducked under the counter and wrapped her arms around David’s waist, pulling him down to kiss his cheek. “I knew your business would do well. I’m happy for you.”
“I’m happy for us. Although it might mean a little less time at home for a while until I can hire someone else.”
Samantha shrugged. “You’re not too far away. I can come and help when you need me.”
“And that’s another reason why I love you.” David handed her the package of chicken.
Samantha’s face burned as she took it from him. They hadn’t said they loved each other yet, and it surprised her how much it affected her. She reminded herself to breathe. “Another reason? Are there only two?”
That wasn’t exactly what she’d wanted to say, but it earned a laugh.
“There are several others.” David’s face went as red as Samantha’s felt.
She stood on her toes and kissed his cheek again. “I love you too. Now, I’d better get this home and get dinner started. You’ll be along soon?”
He nodded. “I sent Mother home not long after lunch because the crowd died down, and I can handle the rest.”
