by Stella Clark
It did not escape Nora’s notice that there was no mention that she was Adam’s fiancée. Almost as if they did not want the Vinton family to know that. She shrugged it off. As usual, she was probably reading too much into it. Mrs. Larson invited everyone to the dining room and she and Nora helped her to serve dinner.
The gentlemen talked about their ranches until Mrs. Larson expertly steered the conversation to a topic which included everyone except her. Her skill at the table reminded Nora of her own mother, and she had a sudden feeling of homesickness. She missed that feeling of belonging.
The two families talked about people they knew in common, leaving Nora to her own thoughts. At one point, Adam caught her eye and winked and that cheered her up to no end. It was nice to know that she had not been entirely forgotten.
Chapter 11
“That is a lovely dress, Joan,” his mother said to Joan Vinton.
Adam shifted in his seat. His mother had been showering Joan with compliments throughout dinner and ignoring Nora whenever she tried to speak. Nora was not letting it affect her and was her usual cheerful self. Adam ground his teeth as his mother placed a hand on Joan’s, something she had never done before.
Nora noticed it, too, and he saw her face grow crimson as his mother’s affectionate gestures hit home.
“Miss Baxter,” Mr. Vinton said to Nora. “How long are you going to be here with us? I’ll bet it’s very different from your life back east.”
Nora smiled. “It is different, but in a good way. Families here work together which is something that we don’t have back home.”
“I’m sure Nora misses home,” his mother said.
Adam clenched his fists and willed himself to control his temper. Why couldn’t his mother see that she couldn’t force Nora out of Adam’s life?
Nora smiled bravely but he noticed the slight tremor of her lower lip. “You’re right, Mrs. Larson, I do miss home, but I like it here as well. Everyone has made me feel like part of the family.”
His mother had the grace to look embarrassed. She was the one person who had gone out of her way to make Nora feel unwelcome.
“Will you be with us for the summer?” Mrs. Vinton asked.
Nora turned to him.
Adam smiled at everyone. “I hope Miss Baxter will be with us for a long time. You see, she came here as my bride. We’re planning to get married on Christmas Eve.”
A gasp rang out. Nora’s eyes widened and then she smiled, and his heart swelled with happiness. He had done that to stop his mother from making Nora uncomfortable, but seeing Nora’s reaction pleased him.
“Congratulations, Adam, and you, too, Miss Baxter,” Mr. Vinton boomed, and the others echoed his words.
Joan squeezed his hand and whispered to him, “I’m happy for you, Adam. She looks like a nice girl and she’s very pretty. Don’t mind our mothers. They’ll get over their disappointment.”
“You’re not upset?” Adam said, surprised at her words.
“Of course not! We’re not romantically interested in each other. Our mothers may wish for that but we both know the truth,” Joan said. “You’re like my brother.”
Relief flooded him. He would have hated to hurt Joan Vinton.
“How long have you known each other?” Mrs. Vinton asked. She still looked unhappy about the announcement.
“A couple of months now,” Adam said. “We got to know each other through letters before I invited Nora to come West as my mail order bride.”
That surprised the Vintons and after that, they all wanted to know how their relationship had come about. They were all intrigued at the idea of a mail order bride.
“I never expected that of you, Adam,” Joan said with a chuckle.
Later, the men converged in the parlor while the women went into the kitchen to help with the cleaning up. When the ladies joined them later, Adam immediately went to stand by Nora’s side and took her hand.
“You look beautiful tonight,” he said to her, and she smiled and murmured her thanks.
Tina recited a few of her poems and Joan sang for them in her sweet voice. They all clapped enthusiastically when she was done and called for another number.
***
The evening came to an end at almost midnight, when the Vintons left and everyone went to bed amid happy yawns.
In the privacy of his room, restlessness came over Adam and instead of changing into his nightclothes, he decided to go outside for some air. To his surprise, the front door was unlocked, meaning there was someone with the same idea. He stepped onto the porch and saw her leaning on the rail, framed by the moonlight.
“Nora?”
She looked so beautiful with her hair cascading down her shoulders.
“I couldn’t sleep,” she whispered. “And I like it here. It’s nice to look at the moon and the prairie at night.”
He nodded and closed the distance between them. “I like it, too. Nighttime is peaceful. You can hear yourself think.”
She giggled, a sweet sound that made him smile. A lot of things about Nora made him smile. Her flowery scent engulfed him as soon as he got close to her. Her nearness dominated his mind. His gaze lowered to her mouth, and he stepped closer to her and slipped his hands around her waist.
He sought her eyes and saw passion blazing from them. Adam did not need another invitation. He lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her, tentatively at first, and then passion overtook them and they clung to one another.
Sensation after sensation poured through him, shaking him with the intensity. All he was aware of was the heat surging through him and how glorious it felt to be kissing Nora. Her hands raked through his hair, and he pulled her tighter to him. Warning bells rang in the rational side of his brain at last, and he broke the kiss.
Both their breaths came out in gasps. Nora laid her head on his chest and he caressed her hair, marveling at its silky softness. He had kissed girls before, but he had never experienced the passion he had with Nora.
They stayed holding each other and swaying in the darkness as if dancing to music only they could hear. He kissed her head and inhaled the sweet scent of her hair. He had set a wedding date to stop his mother from making Nora uncomfortable but now, it felt right.
He wanted to get married to Nora and from her reaction to his announcement and now their kiss, he was almost sure that she wanted it, too. He hoped she wouldn’t change her mind. Not when he was beginning to open his heart to her.
Chapter 12
Nora spent the next few days helping Tina with the Christmas decorations. Unlike back home where they got all their Christmas decorations from stores, here in Montana they made all their decorations themselves. There were the decorations strung with popcorn and cut-out colored paper.
Red and white ribbons would be used to decorate the tree when Adam and his father got around to cutting one down. Preparations had also begun for Christmas day itself and Mrs. Larson was constantly in the kitchen. Nora did her very best to stay out of her way, preferring to help by cleaning the house and washing up after meals.
Today, however, they would be spending the morning together because of the visit to the poorhouse in town. Nora slipped into her warmest coat just as a knock came on the door.
“Ready?” Tina called.
Nora joined her and Tina greeted her with a wide smile, the last couple of days having restored their closeness. Nora had no idea what had caused it; she was just glad to have her friend back.
“This is my favorite day out of all the days of the year,” Tina said, slipping her hand through Nora’s. “I know you’ll like it, too. Seeing the children happy and excited to get gifts is really touching.”
They chatted as they met the rest of the family in front of the house. Adam smiled warmly at her, and her heart skipped a beat. They all piled in the closed wagon, while Adam and his father sat in the two box seats in front. Stockings filled with little gifts peeked out from a sack, and Nora couldn’t wait to be in the orphanage.
; It bothered Nora that Mrs. Larson did not say one word to her. It hurt to be disliked for no apparent reason. She was glad when they reached the orphanage. Nora smiled at the sight of children pressing their noses against the windows.
The men carried the sacks into the two-story building that housed the orphanage. They were let in at the door by two nuns clad in black and white habits and were led into a large parlor.
“Father Orwell,” Mr. Larson said as a gentle-looking man in a white collar entered the room.
Introductions were made all around, and Mr. Larson introduced Nora as Adam’s fiancée, which filled her with pleasure.
“The children have been talking of nothing else for days,” one of the nuns said, clasping her hands together.
“Not just the children,” Father Orwell said, and they all laughed.
“Shall I get the children?” one of the nuns asked the Father, and he nodded.
Moments later, they filed into the parlor in a neat line, their faces barely containing the excitement they felt.
“Hello, children,” Mr. and Mrs. Larson said, and they chorused back their greetings.
They sat on the rugs, and the stockings were removed from the sacks and distributed. Nora watched a small brown-haired girl remove candy from her stocking and her sweet little face lit up. This repeated itself as the children dove into the stockings and removed various small gifts.
Later, they all drank mugs of hot chocolate and listened to Tina recite a poem.
Christmas, ’tis a time to love and to be together
To show tenderness and care
A time to remember what we all mean to each other
And to receive gifts from loved ones
’Tis a time to thank our heavenly Father
For gifts we cannot touch or see
Gifts of friendship and companionship
Nora’s eyes filled with tears at the words, and Tina’s beautiful voice that pierced straight at her heart. She and Adam were so blessed to be gifted with the ability to create beautiful words. Nora had given up on hearing Adam recite his own poetry to her and had come to the conclusion that he was very shy.
He stood across the room and when she turned her gaze to him, she found him looking at her. He wore an expression she could not read, but that did not come as a surprise. He was a difficult man to read. Tina had commented on the same, so it was not just her.
They stared at each other, and Nora remembered the passionate kiss they had shared on the porch that night. Was he remembering it, too, or was he regretting the proposal? Apart from a wedding date, nothing had changed between them. Adam was still secretive, and his mother was as cold as ever.
He was the first to break the stare after flashing her a smile.
Tina wound up her poem, and they all clapped enthusiastically. The children had also prepared a few songs, and these they listened to and clapped wildly when they were done. Then they helped the children decorate their Christmas tree with decorations they had made over the years.
When they left the orphanage just before lunchtime, Nora felt rather maudlin.
“You’re very quiet,” Tina whispered to her when they reached the house.
Nora contemplated confiding in her friend but then changed her mind. It was not fair to involve Tina. It would be pitting her against her own family. Besides, she was not sure she could explain it. All Nora knew was that things should have been better than they were.
She should not have been feeling so lonely all the time. She did not feel like part of the family and was beginning to think that perhaps marriage to Adam would be a mistake. Christmas was a couple of weeks away, and she had to make a decision soon.
As much as she liked Adam, the last thing she wanted was to force herself onto a family that did not want her. It would have helped if Adam spoke to her but he didn’t. He explained nothing and had never once spoken about their future. The house was ready, but no one spoke about it.
Chapter 13
Tears flowed down Nora’s cheeks as she read her parents’ letter. She clutched it tight, knowing her parents had touched the same sheet of paper. The letter had come that morning, and she had waited until everyone had left for the day before opening it.
In the privacy of her room, she read her parents’ words over and over again.
To our dear daughter,
They say that you don’t know how precious something you have is until it is taken away from you. Where to begin? At the beginning, I suppose. Your father and I were shocked and angry when we realized what you had done. We read your letter and could not believe that you would make such a plan behind your parents’ backs and then leave.
As the days went on, our anger abated, and we missed you so much. All we wanted was to have our daughter back. Gus Hatch was understandably quite upset, and he even wanted to come to Montana and get you himself. Thankfully your father and I did not give him your address and that has proved to be a very wise decision.
You see, just a few days ago, it came to light that Gus Hatch had been carrying on with a married woman for years. Needless to say, your father fired him from the mill and warned him not to come around to the house again. I can’t tell you how relieved we were that he is not your husband, dear daughter.
Your father and I are now in complete agreement that you did the right thing. We were wrong, Nora, and we are very apologetic. We would like to tell you this in person, so your father and I will purchase tickets to come to Montana sometime before Christmas.
Nothing would please us more than to spend Christmas with our daughter and her new family.
We can’t wait to see you, our darling daughter.
With love,
Mother and Father.
The walls were closing in and the need to be outside was too strong to resist. Still clutching the letter, Nora left her room and hurried out to her favorite spot on the porch. She collapsed on one of the rocking chairs and stared out, seeing nothing. Her mind was in another place and time.
How she had taken for granted what she had had back home; love, acceptance and, more importantly, a sense of belonging. She had people who loved and cared for her. Fresh sobs broke out, and she quickly wiped her face, afraid that someone would find her crying.
Memories came over her, and she tried to smile through her tears. She wanted to go home so badly. To be among people who wanted her. Her parents. The creak of the front door jolted her back to the present.
Mrs. Larson. Nora sat up straighter and gazed straight ahead. To her surprise, Mrs. Larson came and sat next to her.
“Is that a letter from your parents?” she asked.
“Yes,” Nora said.
“They must miss you,” she continued.
“They do.”
“You ought to go back home to them, Nora. You don’t belong here,” Mrs. Larson said, her tone cold.
Nora flinched as if she had been punched in the stomach. It took a moment to recover from the harsh words. “Why do you hate me so much?”
Mrs. Larson turned to her in surprise. “This is not about me and how I feel about you. If anything, I think you’re quite a lovely young lady, only you don’t belong here. It’s clear that you’re used to a different way of life. You were pampered in your other life.”
“I’m a different person now,” Nora said.
“So you say. My son needs a wife who is used to our way of life. A person like Joan Vinton. ”
It all made sense now. Nora now understood why Mrs. Larson had been complimenting Joan Vinton throughout dinner and why she had been so cold to her. She had been trying to send her a message and to frustrate her, hoping that Nora would decide to go home of her own accord.
When that hadn’t worked, she had decided to confront Nora directly. The only problem was that it was not Mrs. Larson’s decision to make.
“Adam doesn’t think so,” Nora said. “He wants to marry me. You heard him yourself.”
Mrs. Larson let out a deep sigh. “I would have thought with all
your worldliness, you would have understood what Adam is doing.”
“And what is that?” Nora said.
“He wants to show us that he can make his own decisions. He doesn’t want to marry you, Nora, he just wants to prove a point. I’m sorry to tell you this, but Adam is using you.”
She might as well have taken a knife and stabbed Nora. Her words rang true. It all fell into place—Adam’s reluctance to spend time with her or even discuss their future. Oh God, what had she done? She was a complete fool!
“Does he court you as a normal, eager young man would? Does he behave like a normal young man in love?”
The answer to Mrs. Larson’s questions was a resounding no. Nora had been so blind, so sure of herself, that she had not considered that Adam was not interested in her. Her chest expanded to painful proportions. She held onto her dignity, determined that Mrs. Larson would not see her tears.
She could not think. What was she to do now?
“How can you marry a man who is not interested in you? What kind of union will that be? An unhappy one, that’s for sure.”
Nora wrapped her arms across her stomach and rocked herself. She could not listen to Mrs. Larson’s words anymore. The pain in her heart was almost unbearable. Humiliation covered her like a cloak. Had they all been laughing at her? Thinking what a fool she was to think that someone as different as her could fit in a ranch as Adam’s wife?
***
“What is it, Nora? What happened?” Tina cried as Nora ran past her.
Nora did not stop to answer. She was in too much pain. She ran all the way to her room and was about to bang the door shut when a body wedged itself in between.
“Please, Nora, tell me what happened. I saw Mother come in. Did she say something upsetting to you?”
Nora sat on the bed and covered her face. Tears made their way through her fingers and dropped to her dress. Tina’s arm went around her shoulders and pulled her close. She waited until Nora’s sobs subsided.
