by Stella Clark
And yet, he could not forget the chasm between their social standing and her first shocked look when she had first come to the ranch.
“The sleeping chambers are quite large,” she commented, peering into one of the rooms.
“I’d like many children,” Adam blurted out and immediately regretted it. That was a personal thought, not something to be shared.
She smiled at him. “I’ve always wanted many children, too. My sister closest to me in age is ten years older. I grew up almost as an only child with no one to play with.”
He knew so little about her. Tina had filled his letters with poetry and neither of them had remembered to ask any questions. “How many children are in your family?”
A faraway look came over her eyes. “I have three older sisters, all married, in Boston. My parents and I were the only ones left at home.”
“They must miss you,” he said.
She shrugged. “They have an active social life. That keeps them plenty busy and Father works a lot at the paper mill.” She went to the window and looked out. “I’d love to go out to the pastures one day.”
He chuckled. “In the snow?”
She nodded. She didn’t care as long as she was with Adam. “Let’s see the rest of it, shall we?”
He had a feeling she did not wish to be questioned further about her home life, and he was left intrigued at why she would be so secretive. She was easy to chat to and she liked to ask a lot of questions.
Later, they returned to the house, hand in hand.
“Your mother will be upset that we’re late for lunch,” Nora commented.
“I don’t care,” Adam said flippantly, and Nora halted.
“Adam Larson, how can you say that when she’s been working hard to have a meal ready for everyone?”
“That’s not what I meant,” he said and searched his mind for the words to explain. Where was Tina when he needed her? “It was so nice to be with you for a few minutes that my hunger doesn’t matter. I’m grateful for Mother cooking for us, but I also enjoyed talking with you.”
Her face lit up. “Thank you. I enjoyed it, too.”
His hand shot out to caress her cheek. He forgot that they were standing in the middle of the backyard where anyone could see them. His gaze went to her lush mouth, and he wondered how it would feel to kiss her. Were her lips warm or cold?
He swallowed hard. God help him, but he was developing feelings for his fiancée.
Chapter 8
Nora had hoped for a change after their time in their house but Adam had returned to his normal detached character. She did not know what to make of him. She had been so sure that the ice had been broken. Sometimes, she wanted to cry from frustration.
Did he or did he not like her? She had hoped that Adam would make an effort to spend some time with her. It didn’t help that the holidays were quickly approaching. She felt so alone sometimes and found her mind wandering back to Boston.
Christmas had been a special time for the three of them and when she thought of her parents spending the day without her, tears jumped to her eyes. She hoped that by now they had received the letter she had sent when she arrived. She missed them so much.
Nora had hoped that the Larsons would embrace her into their family and she would become one of them. But the only person who made her feel like a part of the family was Tina. Mr. Larson was all right, too, though he avoided speaking directly to her.
Adam avoided her and kept himself busy all day even though he once let out that winter was a slow period for the ranch. He hadn’t even taken her on that tour of the ranch he had promised. Perhaps, she ought to be more forthright and ask him about it.
Mrs. Larson had not thawed, either, and treated Nora with the same cold disdain.
“I can’t wait for the end of winter,” Tina said, looking out the kitchen window. “I love to be outside.”
“Don’t you ever go outside in winter?” Nora asked. It was in the afternoon and they had just finished cleaning up the kitchen. Mrs. Larson was in her room sorting out some clothes and folding laundry. It would be hours until Adam and his father returned home.
“We used to go out for walks in the snow, but these days Adam is too busy,” Tina said.
An idea came to Nora then. She had unpacked just one trunk. Perhaps, Tina could help her unpack the rest. She looked at her sister-in-law-to-be and gauged them to be about the same size. “Do you want to go to my room and help me unpack? I have too many clothes for one person and would love to give you some.”
Her chocolate-brown eyes, so similar to Adam’s, widened. “Really? Are you sure?”
“Of course I’m sure. When am I ever going to wear them?” Nora said.
Minutes later, they were knee deep in dresses as they went through one of Nora’s trunks.
“I can’t believe one person owns all these dresses,” Tina said, her tone filled with awe.
Nora laughed at the other girl’s pleasure. She had never given much thought to her wardrobe as all the people she knew had the same or even more.
“Look at this one,” Tina said, holding up a blue taffeta dress. She twirled around and around, pretending to be on a dance floor.
Nora laughed. “You can have it.”
Tina stopped dancing and stared at Nora and then back at the dress. “It’s too pretty. Are you sure you want to part from it?”
“It’s yours,” Nora said. She hadn’t known how much pleasure there was in giving gifts. She had always been on the receiving end.
“I want to try it on right now,” Tina said and proceeded to strip down to her underclothes.
Nora helped her with the tiny buttons at the front of the gown. It fitted her to perfection. Tina picked up the mirror on top of the chest of drawers and peered at her reflection. She turned to Nora. “Thank you. I’ve never owned anything so beautiful.”
“You’re welcome. There’s more I want to give you.”
“I have to show Mother,” Tina said.
In total, Nora gave Tina five dresses, two blouses, and three skirts. She was beside herself with joy. Nora put two silk materials on the side as they were unpacking. One was a shimmery green and the other a sky-blue color. She held them up to Tina.
“Do you think your mother would like these? She could have some lovely dresses made from them.”
Tina nodded, her eyes shining with fresh tears. “You’re a very generous person, Nora Baxter.”
“Soon to be Nora Larson,” Nora said, and they both giggled.
Her stomach churned as she followed Tina to look for her mother. They found her in the parlor, busy sewing a Christmas stocking. She looked up, and her eyes widened at the sight of Tina in her dress. Tina dropped the rest on a chair and twirled around so her mother could see the rest of it.
“Nora gave it to me, Mother. Isn’t it lovely?”
“That it is. But Nora, you shouldn’t give away your clothes. You’ll need them yourself when you go back home. You don’t want your parents to scold you,” she said.
Nora ignored the part about going home. “It’s fine, Mrs. Larson. I have too many clothes to wear. I want to give you this.” She placed the materials on Mrs. Larson’s lap.”
Mrs. Larson put her sewing to the side and touched the silk material tentatively. She caressed them and then held one up and let out a sigh. Nora smiled. Silk was irresistible.
“They are beautiful, but I couldn’t. Thank you, but no thank you,” she said, her voice lacking conviction.
“Sure you can,” Nora said. “I have a few more, don’t I, Tina?”
Tina nodded. “She does, Ma.”
Mrs. Larson glanced at the materials and then at Nora. “All right then. I will. Thank you so much. I know just who will sew the dresses for me. Thank you again.”
Nora beamed and let out a breath she hadn’t known she had been holding.
Chapter 9
Thankfully, the snow had let up in the afternoon, but it was still deep enough to ride the sled. It wa
s bitterly cold as Adam made his way back to the house and he wondered at the wisdom of inviting the girls to go feed the cattle in the winter pastures with him.
How would Nora manage being out in the cold and wind? What if she got sick? Still, excitement coursed through his veins at the thought of being with Nora for a few hours. He had done his utmost to avoid her in the last week and then last night, he’d blurted out his offer and the girls had jumped at the chance to get out of the house.
Cabin fever was how Tina explained it. He opened the back door and found both of them ready and bundled in warm coats. Adam was struck anew by how green her eyes were. He stared for a moment, time suspended. Tina giggled, bringing him back to the present.
“Ready?” he said quickly to cover up his embarrassment at having been caught staring.
“Yes. We’ve also packed hot coffee,” Tina said.
Nora had not spoken.
“Are you all right?” he asked her, his tone gentle.
“Yes, I’m too excited to speak. I’ve never been on a sled,” she said.
They went out and hurried across to the barn. The first task was to load the sled with cattle feed.
“You girls can wait while I load the sled,” Adam said and grabbed a fork.
“We’re not going to stand around doing nothing while you do all the work,” Nora said and took a fork.
“Here, this is how you hold it,” Adam said and showed her. Together, they forked hay and piled it onto the sled.
He kept glancing at Nora, expecting her to tire after a few minutes, but to his surprise, she worked with them up to the end. When they were done, her face was pink and glowing and all he could think about was cupping her cheeks and kissing her.
They hitched the sled to the workhorses and got on to the sled. Adam drove the team while Nora and Tina stood on the sled. As the team picked up speed, snow blew and landed on all of them and from where he stood, Adam could hear Nora’s laugh.
Another sweet sound rent the air, puzzling Adam until he realized that Tina and Nora were singing “Joy to the World.” He added his voice and soon, the three of them were singing at the top of their voices as the sled cut through the snow at high speed.
The winter pastures were fenced in, and Adam stopped the sled by the wooden gate. He jumped off and opened the gate and then guided the sled into the shed that stood on one side. He was about to sprint back to close the gate when he spied Nora rushing to do it.
“Thank you!” he said when she returned.
“You’re welcome,” she said, her pearly white teeth sparkling. “I must say, this is much better than being in the house.”
“Do it a few more times and the novelty will wear off,” Adam said. “You girls can sit there on the bench and have coffee to warm yourselves.”
“That sounds good,” Tina said and carried the mugs and coffee to the bench.
Nora laughed at her retreating back. “I’d like to help.”
They spread out the feed for the cows as they came in a few at a time. Adam kept glancing at Nora as they worked, worrying that it was too much for someone not used to hard work. When they were done, they joined Tina at the shed to drink coffee.
Nora slipped off her gloves and as she did so, he noticed that her hands were blue and black.
“You’re hurt!” he said and took her hands into his.
“It’s nothing,” Nora said and grabbed her hands back.
“It’s not nothing,” Adam said and left the shed. He returned with a clump of ice, took Nora’s hands and rubbed it on her hands.
He tried to ignore the heat whipping through him.
“She got them yesterday when we were doing the laundry,” Tina offered.
Nora stuck out her tongue at her and Tina giggled. “My hands will get used to it.”
Adam recalled his mother’s words. Nora was not used to their kind of life. Was he wrong not to tell her to go back home to the life she knew? He didn’t know what to make of it. Initially, he had wanted her to stay to prove a point to his mother but now, he wasn’t so sure.
He worried about her and yet he didn’t want her to go. He handed her a mug and took his, deep in thought. He didn’t know what to do.
“Look at them,” Nora said, breaking the silence.
Two calves were frolicking on the ice, chasing each other and hiding behind their mothers.
“They’re just like children,” Nora said.
He watched the calves and their mothers and laughed along with Nora. He and Tina had grown up on the ranch and had become used to the animals. But now, looking at everything through Nora’s fresh eyes, it struck him how lucky they were to live on the ranch.
Was the ranch growing on Nora? He glanced at her now, her attention solely on the cows, and hoped that it was. He shook his head. It had become a habit now. He would be thinking about something and somehow, thoughts of Nora would sneak into his mind.
He even found himself visualizing the two of them married and living in the new house. He had not spoken about their future since she arrived, and she hadn’t asked him about it, either. He knew as little of her as he had known when she arrived.
He had so many questions to ask her and yet he was afraid. What if he allowed himself to really want her in his life and she decided to go back home? Where would that leave him?
Chapter 10
Sweat poured down Nora’s brow from working in the kitchen, dicing, stirring, and cleaning. Still, she couldn’t remember a happier afternoon. Mrs. Larson had been friendlier than usual, telling her and Tina stories of her own childhood in Missouri.
She had almost felt like a real daughter-in-law. They were almost done with preparations for dinner and would soon need to go and get ready for the dinner party. It would be the first time that Nora met other people apart from the Larsons and the ranch hands and their families.
Back home, she had enjoyed socializing during dinner parties and found that she had missed it.
“Nora, do you think you can roast chicken and potatoes by yourself now?” Tina asked her.
Nora grinned. “Unlikely. I need more practice.”
Mrs. Larson smiled at her. “The flapjacks you made this morning were quite tasty.”
“Thank you,” Nora squealed.
It was the first time that Adam’s mother complimented her. Joy exploded in her chest and she grinned, not caring about how foolish she looked. Mrs. Larson quickly looked away as did Tina. She had made them uncomfortable, Nora chided herself. She wiped the grin from her face.
“Tell me more about the guests who are coming,” Nora said, hoping a change in topic would bring back the relaxed atmosphere that was there before.
Tina shot her an odd smile. “They’re the family that borders the ranch.”
“How exciting!” Nora said. “Do you play games after dinner or what is the custom here?”
Tina shrugged. “I recite my poems and sometimes Joan sings.”
“Just the same as what we did back home,” Nora said. “My mother liked to play the piano. She tried to teach me, but I’m afraid my fingers turned out to be too stiff.” She expected Tina and Mrs. Larson to laugh along with her but they didn’t.
They finished the last of the preparations in silence.
“That’s done. Shall we go and get ready?” she said.
Tina left quickly, and Nora did not have an opportunity to suggest that they dress up together and do each other’s hair. Tina had not been herself all afternoon, but then, neither had Mrs. Larson. Since the midday meal, Nora had not seen Adam or Mr. Larson.
She felt lost and alone.
Nora’s throat tightened with unshed tears as she trudged to her room. One minute she felt right at home with the family and the next, she felt cast off and rejected. She couldn’t understand what had happened in the kitchen. Surely overreacting when Mrs. Larson complimented her was not enough reason for Tina and her mother to change moods.
She felt like a fish out of water and for the first time, she ques
tioned her plans to marry Adam. In her room, she cleaned herself up and changed into the dress she had picked for the evening. It was the first time she was wearing a formal evening gown in Montana.
She had been excited for Adam to see it but the episode in the kitchen with Tina and Mrs. Larson had left a bad taste in her mouth. After putting on her dress, she looked at her reflection in the small mirror. Doing her hair up in a knot brought out the prettiness of the pearly necklace against her pale skin.
After draping a shawl around her shoulders, Nora padded out of her room and made her way to the kitchen. Near the door, angry voices reached her. She stepped into the kitchen and silence descended in the room. Her gaze sought Adam.
“Is everything all right?” she said.
Before Adam could answer, Mrs. Larson stalked out of the room, closely followed by Tina. Something was going on in the household that she didn’t know about.
“It’s nothing that you should worry about,” Adam said. He smiled at her in a way that made her forget everything. “Dinner is in the dining room tonight.”
A sharp knock came on the front door and Mr. Larson’s booming voice sounded and other voices joined in.
“It looks like our guests are here already,” Nora said, excited to meet the neighboring family. She pulled Adam’s hand. “Let’s go, I want to meet them.”
Everyone had converged in the parlor and the chatter of conversation died down as soon as Nora and Adam entered. Mr. Larson filled the silence and took charge of the introductions.
“Everyone, meet Miss Nora Baxter. She’s visiting from the East and has been with us for a couple of weeks,” he said.
He hurriedly moved on to introduce the other family. There was Mr. Vinton, a short, stocky man with a friendly face, and his wife, who seemed puzzled by Nora’s presence. Their daughter was a pretty dark-haired girl and there was a younger brown-haired boy.
