That was insane! How was someone that young supposed to know what she wanted in life, let alone know who she should share that life with? When Megan was that old, her biggest concern was what to wear or which friends to hang out with or what to choose as her college major. She couldn’t imagine having to marry that young. But people didn’t live as long as people in her time expected to, so maybe procreation took precedence over finding one’s individual potential.
Miriam leaned forward, as if ready to reveal a deep, dark secret. “I want to marry for love, but I don’t know who will have me.”
“You don’t know who will have you?” Megan repeated, in a mixture of shock and outrage. Didn’t the poor young woman know her worth?
“I’m not the prettiest face around,” she said.
“Nonsense. You are fine.”
“I look like a doll. My face is too round and my nose is too small.”
“You have a heart-shaped face. You’re cute.”
“But I look younger than I really am. Maybe that turns men away.”
Megan sighed. “Miriam, you have a lot to learn. First, men are attracted to women who are interested in them. Find a man who shares your interests and talk to him about it.”
“Oh, and I pretend I don’t know anything so he can teach me something new!”
Miriam looked so pleased by the deduction that Megan almost kept her mouth shut. Almost. Megan groaned. “You shouldn’t have to pretend to be something you’re not.” Even as she said it, she felt as if she were preaching to herself. After all, hadn’t she feigned interest in the stock market and cooking to please Mike? And just what had that done for her? He went and kissed someone else anyway. Upset, she nodded to Miriam. “Be yourself. If he’s not interested in you the way you are, then he’s not worth your time. Remember, you’re talking about spending the rest of your life with him. Do you want someone who thinks you’re dumb?”
Miriam frowned. “I didn’t think of it that way.”
“It’s easy to forget that it’s more important to make sure you find the right man instead of finding a man. There’s a difference. One is going to make you happy. Another is going to get you married but you may end up miserable.”
Like I almost ended up. For once, Megan thanked Jullian for kissing Mike. Maybe she’d end up alone. But was that the worst thing that could happen to her? Would she really rather spend her life with someone who didn’t love her, or even cheated on her? Mike probably would have cheated on her, and if she had kids with him, then what? Did she want her children to have to spend half of their time with her and the other half with him and his new girlfriend or wife?
Megan slapped the table, making Miriam jump. “Don’t settle for anything but the best. You deserve better than that!”
“I won’t!” she swore, her eyes wide.
“Good.”
Miriam grabbed her hand. “Will you help me find him? Whoever he is?”
Could she do that in one week? Well, why not try? “Yes but on one condition.”
“What is it?”
“You have to be honest about what you think of him. I don’t want to tell you who you should marry. That needs to be your decision, and it must come from the heart.”
“I can do that.”
“No asking for me to give you a list of things you should look for.” Megan’s mother had done that for her, and look at the grief it’d given her.
“Agreed.”
Miriam watched her as if determining if that was all, so Megan said, “That’s it.”
She squeezed Megan’s hand before letting it go. “Thank you! Esther keeps saying I need to leave it up to God’s timing, but I have to admit that I’m getting impatient.”
That sounded like something Esther would say. “Well, there’s another saying that is just as important.”
“Really? What’s that?”
“When you ask God for something, be prepared to do the work to get it. Men don’t just fall into your lap. You’ve got to get out there and find them.”
Excited, they made plans to do just that.
Chapter Seven
Cole put on his new clothes, figuring it was time to be on his way. He’d made a small fortune playing cards and was ready to go.
After he washed his face, he picked up the time travel device and inspected the whereabouts of the chip. The energy signature notified him that the chip hadn’t budged from Fargo, which meant there was no immediate hurry to get to it. Good. He didn’t want to risk losing it. But still, he’d lingered on in Devils Lake long enough.
He slipped his shoes on and glanced out the window of the inn. Several men argued and horses paraded their riders down the street. Not much action.
He placed his new Stetson hat on his head and grinned at his reflection. No need to keep wearing the false itchy beard when he had a new one growing in just fine. He straightened his vest, grabbed his travel bag, and left the room. He lumbered down the stairs, not wishing to appear eager to get somewhere, in case he aroused someone’s suspicions.
He gave the innkeeper some money and left the inn. Fargo, here I come. A new wave of excitement coursed through him as he made his way to the train station. All he had to do was board the next train and in a matter of hours, he’d have the chip back. Then it was smooth sailing from there. He didn’t even have to limit himself to one time period. He could travel for the rest of his life. Exploring different places and seeing history firsthand would provide ample opportunity for adventure. He’d gain wealth in the process since he knew where to find gold in California and Alaska. He could even seek out the caves in Africa for precious stones. Yes, the future was looking bright.
He reached the train station and paid for his ticket. Whistling, he took his ticket and sat down for the half hour wait until the train was due to pull in. He picked up a newspaper that he found sitting on the vacant seat next to him. It was dated a few days back, but he figured the news was still current enough that he might learn something. He didn’t get halfway through the paper when he saw an article that caught his attention.
Shifting in his seat, he examined the details and came to the conclusion that the “odd woman wearing undergarments she called a shirt and shorts who handed someone a counterfeit 21st century dollar bill” was from the future. The woman and her male accomplice were sent to prison but later released and married. The marshal, Aaron Thompson, said the couple seemed unusual but he didn’t think they were a threat.
As Cole folded the paper and set it down on the seat, he concluded that those two had been the couple he bumped into when Blake attacked him. That was when he went back in time, and since he brought Blake with him, it made sense that the couple came with him too. Furthermore, it made sense that either the man or the woman had the chip. They probably didn’t know what the chip was for, but one of them had it.
The man’s name was Ted Jacob and the woman’s name was Megan Crane. Well, she’d be Megan Jacob now. So when he got to Fargo, all he had to do was find out where Ted and Megan were staying. Then he’d convince them to give him the chip. Maybe he’d offer to take them back to the future and they could be safe there while he took the time travel device and went somewhere else. That way, no one would get hurt. He liked that plan.
As someone announced the arrival of the train, he stood up and grabbed his travel bag. He got in line with the other passengers waiting to board the train. The process of waiting for passengers to get off was a slow one, but he waited patiently. Just as he got ready to move forward, he caught sight of Blake who knelt in front of the train window, peering out at the people on the platform.
Uttering a curse word, Cole took a step back, bumping into a woman with a baby who cried. Even above the noise of talking people, Blake’s attention went to the baby and, in the span of a second, he saw Cole. Cole bolted for the exit of the train station. He knew Blake would get off the train and hunt him down. But he couldn’t let Blake catch up to him, no matter what. He’d come too far to let Blake undo his hard
work. One way or another, he’d avoid Blake and find his way to that chip…or he’d die trying.
***
On Friday, Megan groaned in aggravation as she pulled the stupid shirt through the wringer. Sweat stuck to her like a thick layer of grease. After this, she was going to take a nice, long bath in the river. She’d given up on wearing a dress while she washed clothes. She wore nothing, and that was the only way she managed to wash clothes in the hot kitchen. Fortunately, being isolated from others made it easy to run around in the nude. She cranked the handle on the wringer and grunted as Ted’s shirt finally gave. She took it and hung it on the back of the kitchen chair.
Returning to the washtub full of hot soapy water, she pulled out her shorts and scrubbed them against the ridged surface of the washboard. She gritted her teeth, hating the task. Why did she complain about doing laundry when she had a washer and dryer in her apartment? If only she’d realized how good she had it! How did her ancestors put up with this hard work and aggravation? Because they didn’t know any better, she realized. Once she felt that her shorts were clean enough, she rinsed them and pulled them through the wringer.
Good. Now that she was done with the shorts, she had finished all the clothes. She took a deep breath and placed all the wet clothes in a basket which she carried to the backyard. The warm sunlight beat down on her but the wind cooled her off.
Once she finished hanging the clothes to dry, she took a bar of soap, a towel and a new outfit. Then she went to the river to bathe. A group of trees surrounded the small inlet, giving her privacy. She swam a couple of laps before she washed her hair and body. She wanted to be ready for the dance that night.
Ted had told her that Ray liked to hold dances at his farm every couple of weeks. Megan decided that since Ray had some single farmhands, then Miriam might meet someone. It was the least she could do before she and Ted went to the train station tomorrow. She’d like to think that she might do something good for Miriam before she left.
When she put on her new pink dress, she returned to the house. She brushed her hair and put it into a braid. She found the small mirror in her room on her dresser and inspected her reflection. Though she had no one to impress, she still wanted to look her best.
To her surprise, Ted arrived before Miriam did. She bounded down the steps and greeted him and Richie as they walked through the front door.
Richie stopped as soon as he saw her. He took his hat off and smiled. “You sure are looking fine today, Mrs. Jacob.”
If Richie hadn’t been in his twenties, she would have been flattered. She found his crush on her to be equivalent to that of a school boy. “Thank you for the compliment, Richie. You can call me Megan.”
“I think you’ll stick with Mrs. Jacob,” Ted told Richie.
She blinked and gave Ted a curious look. After they returned to their own time tomorrow, she wouldn’t be Mrs. Jacob anymore, so she didn’t know why it mattered. Shrugging off the question, she left the kitchen and went to the parlor window, watching for Miriam to arrive in her buggy.
“Where’s Buddy?” Ted asked as he walked over to her.
She shrugged. “Who knows? That dog runs off most of the time during the day. I guess he knows I’d take that ring if I had the chance.”
“He’s probably gotten rid of it by now.”
Shuddering at the thought of her expensive ring stuck in dog droppings out there somewhere in the fields, she resigned herself to giving up on ever finding it.
“I saw that you washed the clothes. Was that hard?”
She glanced at him. “The worst. I can’t wait until we’re home. I won’t complain about cleaning clothes or dishes ever again.”
“I would have helped you.”
“You wash clothes with your wife?” Richie asked Ted.
They turned to face the man who’d snuck up behind them.
“I haven’t yet,” Ted replied. “We’ve only been married for a week.”
“Six days to be exact,” she added. “But who’s counting?” she joked when the two men looked at her.
Richie scratched his head. “I don’t think any of the husbands do laundry.”
Of course, he didn’t, Megan realized. Because in the late 1800s women had to do everything in the house. She shook her head at the unfairness of this time. She was exhausted, but she still had to go out to a supper and a barn dance where she’d most likely have to help clean up while the men sat back and talked. She’d never been a full-blown feminist before, but she was beginning to feel a special bond with all those women who paved the way for equal rights.
Megan looked out the window and saw Miriam. “She’s here!”
Before either man had the chance to ask who she referred to, she ran out the front door and waved to her friend. Oh good! Miriam wore a lovely yellow dress and had a nice ribbon in her hair, just as they discussed. She looked so cute. Megan thought the men would like it too. She ran to the buggy as Miriam pulled up to the front of the house and came to a stop.
“Miriam, you look terrific!”
Miriam blushed and smiled. “I do feel pretty.”
“That’s because you are. Come on down. The men are getting ready.”
Miriam set the brake and climbed down from the buggy. “I’ve never been to a supper and barn dance before. I hope it’s alright that I brought an apple pie.”
Megan frowned. “You made something to bring?” Should she have done that too?
“It’s just a little something.”
“Yes but you made the crust too, right?”
“Is there another way to make it?”
Megan sighed. Great. So women made things for the supper…and from scratch.
Miriam clasped her hands together, her body trembling with excitement. “I’ve got these fluttery feelings in my stomach. I don’t know if I can eat anything.”
Taking her mind off her lack of foresight, she urged the younger woman to walk to the house with her. “Ted’s friend is here. I think we should see what he says.”
“Ted’s friend? You mean Richie?”
“That’s the one. Come along.”
“But I’ve seen Richie before. We aren’t friends but we know each other well enough that he won’t notice me.”
“That was before you got all dressed up.”
“I don’t think it’ll matter.”
“You don’t know unless you try. Come on.”
Miriam shrugged and joined her.
When they entered the house, Megan saw Richie sitting in the chair in the parlor. He stood up as soon as he saw them.
“Good afternoon, Miss Smith. Are you going to Ray’s farm?” Richie asked as he straightened his vest.
“Yes,” Miriam replied. “Megan invited me.”
Megan peered around the doorway and saw that the kitchen was empty. “Where’s Ted?”
“Oh, he went upstairs to change. He said he couldn’t show up with dirt on his clothes after seeing you all dressed up.”
Megan nodded. That made sense. She would have done the same thing if she’d been him. “Do you go to these suppers and dances much?” she asked Richie.
“Most of the time,” he replied. “I don’t like my own cooking.”
She grinned. “So you go to eat rather than dance?”
He laughed. “I hadn’t thought about it, but you’re right. I don’t do much dancing. If I dance, it tends to be a friendly one. Most of the women there are either married, too old, or too young for me.”
“What is the selection of men like?”
He furrowed his eyebrows. “With all due respect, Mrs. Jacob, shouldn’t you keep your focus on your husband?”
Megan’s cheeks grew warm. Did he really think she was looking for a man to fool around with? “Not for me,” she quickly clarified. “For-”
“It was just an innocent question,” Miriam interrupted. “We’d also like to know how many children attend.”
Megan wondered why the woman felt the need to fib. In fact, if Richie knew
that Miriam was looking for a man, he might take a second look at her.
“I’d say that there are roughly twenty men and ten kids.”
“How many are single?” Megan pressed.
He shot her another wary look.
She sighed. “And how many are married?”
“I’d say five are single, myself included.”
Miriam smiled but Megan doubted Richie noted her pleasure since he kept staring at Megan. Megan decided to let the matter go. Whatever Richie thought, or didn’t think, was none of her concern.
Ted walked into the room wearing denim pants, a light blue shirt and a brown vest. His sun-streaked brown hair was neatly combed. Megan didn’t want to stare but he looked amazing.
He put his brown hat on and turned to the group. “Are you all ready to go?”
“I know I am,” Richie replied, putting on his hat.
Megan blinked. “Oh. Ted, did you know that people take food to these things?”
“Some do. Some don’t.” He sauntered out of the parlor and went into the kitchen.
Curious, she watched him as he took something down from one of the shelves.
When he returned with a covered dish, she asked, “What’s that?”
“Oh, it’s just something I put together. It’s a peach cobbler.”
Richie shook his head. “I still can’t get over the fact that you cook.”
Neither could Megan. “When did you make it?”
“Last night. I couldn’t sleep so I came down here to cook.”
So that was why it smelled so nice in the house when she woke up.
“You couldn’t sleep, so you cooked?” Richie asked, a bewildered look on his face. “Why did you leave your bed?”
“I wore Meg out,” Ted lied. “I had to let the little woman rest.” Before Megan could argue, Ted took her by the arm and led her to the front door. “After you, honey.”
“Ted,” she warned.
“We’ll say you made this.” He handed her the dish. Turning to Richie and Miriam, he waved them to the door. “Richie, why don’t you take Miriam in the buggy? I’ll take Meg in the wagon.”
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