“It was the logical thing to do but only because I loved him and suspected he loved me in return. I wasn’t sure, though, until he told me he loved me after we married. And all I can tell you is that I’ve been happier with your father than I’d ever been with my first husband. If I’d listened to the people who told me not to marry him, look at all I would have missed out on. You, Stan and Elizabeth. Luke wouldn’t have a father who’s been good to him. My first husband might have been the one who gave me Luke, but he didn’t care about him. From the first day I was here, your father tended to Luke as if he was his own. I look back on how things were and how they are now, and marrying your father was the best thing that ever happened to me.”
“But what if the young man in question doesn’t want to marry me? I can’t make him.”
“No, you can’t. But if you truly love him and believe he truly loves you, you owe it to yourself to try to make it work. Otherwise, you’ll end up regretting it.”
Emily considered her mother’s words. Her mother hadn’t told her about her first marriage, nor had she gone into an explanation of why she married her father. Given Emily’s young age at the time she and her father decided to marry, it was understandable that she missed the details of the situation. With a heavy sigh, she said, “I don’t think it’ll do any good, Ma. He’s determined to listen to other people.”
“Are you sure?”
“Pretty sure,” she replied, thinking of the way he kept apologizing.
“How many times have you two talked about it?”
“Once.”
“I’d give it one more try. Maybe he’s had time to think about it and realizes you were right.”
Emily figured she was right. And maybe she didn’t have to talk to him as Emily. Perhaps she might talk to him as Elmer. Though she planned to help Alice make the finishing touches on her wedding gown, she could sneak out to hunt with the men again. Maybe she could even talk Wiley into looking elsewhere for a woman to court.
Taking a deep breath, Emily nodded. “I suppose one more attempt wouldn’t hurt.”
“And if he’s changed his mind, you’ll be glad you did.”
She was right. Emily would regret it if she didn’t give it one more attempt. She got close on Wednesday. He did care for her. She saw it in his eyes. And she saw how happy her parents were. Knowing they had people opposed to their relationship and seeing how things turned out for them made Emily hopeful that perhaps one day, she and Isaac could look back at the obstacles they had to overcome and know it was worth it. She’d do it. She would give it one more try.
“Thanks, Ma,” she said, giving her a hug.
She hugged her back and whispered, “Good luck. Now, why don’t you go on upstairs and I’ll take care of the men when they come in.”
Emily nodded and went to her bedroom, planning what she might say when she saw Isaac the next day.
Chapter Fourteen
The next day, Isaac paced back and forth on the boardwalk in front of the mercantile. He came early, but even so, he kept peering through the window to check the clock inside the store. Emily wasn’t going to show up. Sure, it was nice for a February morning and hunting would be ideal, but there was no way she would ever talk to him again after the way he refused to listen to her. Maybe he should go to the Craftsman farm and ask her to talk to him. He didn’t think her father would be any more pleased to see him than his father would be to see her, but a confrontation with her father couldn’t be worse than the one he had with his. That morning, his father had talked to him, but there was no denying the tension between them.
Forcing aside the reminder that things weren’t good between him and his father at the moment, he scanned the boardwalk for any sign of Elmer. He didn’t see Elmer anywhere. He sighed and leaned against the side of the building. She wasn’t going to show up. There was no way she was going to show up.
He turned and peered into the window of the mercantile one more time. It was five minutes past the time he expected Elmer to show up. Last Saturday, she was already waiting for him, and he’d been here a few minutes early. With a sigh, he decided he’d give up the day of hunting and go straight to the Craftsman residence. He’d just have to explain the situation to Clayton and Wiley later.
He crossed the boardwalk and reached the buckboard when he caught sight of Emily, dressed as Elmer, heading in his direction. Relieved, he waited for her to reach him. “I was beginning to think you wouldn’t show,” he greeted, studying her face to get an idea of what she might think of him.
She adjusted her tie and shrugged. “I was running late. I couldn’t find my gun.” She held the rifle up. “But I got it now.”
He nodded. She didn’t seem to be upset with him, but she was playing a part so who knew if she felt as carefree as she was acting? Taking a deep breath, he motioned to the buckboard. “We might as well get going. The animals won’t hunt themselves.”
She placed her rifle on the floor of the buckboard, and he fought the inclination to help her up. She was playing a part, and it wouldn’t look right if he helped a man on to the seat of a buckboard wagon.
He got in beside her, acutely aware of how, just a couple days ago, he’d taken her to her home. He made her cry then, and he wanted to tell her he was sorry. It seemed that he was always sorry when it came to her. Sorry he didn’t talk to her. Sorry he turned her away when she confessed her feelings for him. Sorry he didn’t have the courage to stand up to his father. But that would change, and it would change today, if she’d give him another chance. Once again, he wondered if it was too late. The fact that she came here today gave him hope he hadn’t missed his opportunity. Perhaps they could wipe the slate clean and start over, this time doing things as they should have the first time.
Releasing the brake, he asked, “Do you want to see who can get the biggest animal?”
Raising her eyebrows, she said, “I thought you didn’t compete with people.”
“I thought about what you said and decided you were right.” He studied her face for any indication that she understood his real message since he wasn’t simply speaking of hunting.
She shrugged. “Alright. Let’s see who can get the biggest animal.”
Hiding his disappointment, he led the horses down the road that would take them out of town. She didn’t know he knew she was really Emily disguised as a man, so he couldn’t expect her to get the hidden meaning in his words. After a minute of thinking how he might work things to his advantage, he asked, “Want to make it interesting?”
She looked at him expectantly, and he forced aside the urge to smile. Just as he remembered, Emily couldn’t resist a challenge when someone presented her with it.
“Let’s make a wager,” he continued. “If I get the biggest animal, you have to do something I want. If you get the biggest animal, I have to do something you want.”
“You aren’t going to let the others in on this bet?”
“Nope. It’s just you and me. What do you say?”
“What are the boundaries that the winner must adhere to?”
“Boundaries?”
“Well, you have to put down rules on what we can or can’t tell the other person to do.”
“Says who?”
She shrugged. “For all I know, you could insist I walk back to town.”
“I wouldn’t do that.”
“I don’t know you well enough to know that.”
Grinning, he said, “That wouldn’t make any sense for me to do.”
“Still, it’s something you could do.”
“I won’t.”
“There you go. We set down a boundary.”
Sighing, he shot her an amused look. “You don’t make things easy, do you?”
“I don’t know much about you, and I don’t want to take any chances.”
That wasn’t true. She knew him well enough to know he wouldn’t leave her stranded in the fields. Reminding himself that she didn’t know he knew her true identity, he conceded. “Fine.
That’s a boundary, but it’s the only one I’ll permit.” When she looked as if she was going to protest, he added, “You must not be sure of your hunting ability like other men are.”
She gasped. “Of course, I am!”
He knew that would get her riled up. If there was one thing Emily prided herself on, it was the ability to hunt as well as a man. “Then why are you worried about boundaries?”
Her shoulders squared back, she said, “I’m not. I was thinking of you. I’d hate for you to end up doing something ridiculous in front of the other men because I won.”
Now this was how he remembered it being between him and Emily when they were younger, before his father told him he had to stop talking to her. He forgot how much he enjoyed bantering back and forth with her. While the other boys were busy letting her do whatever she wanted because she was the prettiest girl in the school, he didn’t let her looks detract him from meeting her challenges. Though he had to admit, she was far lovelier to look at today than she had been back then.
Unable to resist teasing her, he said, “I won’t have to worry about doing anything foolish in front of Wiley and Clayton because you’re going to lose.” As he expected, she narrowed her eyes at him, looking as indignant as a person possibly could, but the twinkle in her eyes betrayed her. She enjoyed this, and he had to confess, he did, too. “Well, Elmer. You think you have what it takes to win?”
“I’ve been hunting since I was a kid,” she said.
“So have I.”
“I saw what you caught last time, and it wasn’t impressive.”
“Then you have nothing to worry about, do you?”
“I might ask you to take your clothes off in front of your friends unless you set down a rule saying I can’t.”
A chuckle rose up in his throat. “I might tell you to do the same thing.”
Her jaw dropped. “You wouldn’t dare!”
No, he wouldn’t. Knowing she was a woman, there was no way he’d have her undress in front of his friends, though he rather fancied the notion she might one day do it for him. If he didn’t mess things up like he did the other day, he stood a good chance of it. Nothing would be more exciting than that.
“I don’t trust that silly grin on your face,” she said, her voice betraying her wariness.
“I’m not saying what I’ll make you do if I win, but you better hope I lose.” He couldn’t resist saying it. The apprehensive expression on her face was priceless.
“Me and my big mouth,” she muttered.
He knew she was quickly regretting the threat of making him strip in front of his friends and had to bite down on his tongue so he wouldn’t laugh or reassure her that she was safe. “Come on, Elmer. You sounded so brave last week. What happened to you?”
“I could ask you the same thing.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“You came off as one big coward last time we talked.”
Though she was speaking as Elmer, he wondered if she also thought that when he took her home on Wednesday. If she did, he couldn’t blame her. He was a coward. He let fear of upsetting his father hold him back many times, and if he continued down that path, he’d end up marrying someone like Eva Connealy just to make his father happy. Marriage to Eva didn’t appeal to him at all. It wasn’t that Eva wasn’t nice. She was, but being with her for the rest of his life struck him as a mediocre existence, and he didn’t want mediocre. He wanted to come home to someone he couldn’t wait to see, someone who fired up his blood and made him feel more alive than he’d ever felt before. He didn’t want to settle for a wife; he wanted to choose a wife. And that’s just what he’d do.
When they reached Wiley’s property, he said, “May the best man win.”
Retrieving her rifle, she nodded in determination and straightened in her seat. He parked the buckboard by the barn and got the horses settled in before he joined her and his friends out to their usual hunting spot. Hunting was one of those things he looked forward to, mostly because it allowed him a chance to get away from the work on his family’s farm and to spend time with his friends. But today it meant the possibility of being with Emily for the rest of his life.
By the time he joined his friends, everyone was laughing and talking. He wondered if Wiley or Clayton suspected they were talking to Emily, but he guessed not since Wiley wasn’t fidgeting as he was prone to do when having a conversation with a young woman. Isaac wondered if Wiley would be alright with him taking an interest in Emily. That was, of course, if Emily still wanted to be with him. First, he had to find out what Emily wanted. Then he’d decide if he needed to talk to Wiley or not.
“You ready to hunt?” Isaac asked everyone.
“Sure am,” Clayton said, putting his rifle on his shoulder.
As they headed for the wooded area, Wiley told Isaac, “I hear you and Elmer made a bet on who can catch the largest game.”
Surprised that Emily would mention the bet, he turned his gaze ahead to where she and Clayton walked a few paces ahead of them. He couldn’t hear what they were saying, but Clayton laughed and shook his head. Turning his attention back to Wiley, he said, “Yep. The loser has to do anything the winner wants.”
“Sounds interesting. What will you make him do if you win?”
“I’m not sure yet,” Isaac lied.
“I didn’t take you for the betting type.”
“I’m not. Elmer was talking about competing to see who could get the largest animal, so I thought I’d make it more interesting by throwing in a harmless bet.”
“Maybe I should join in.” Just as Isaac was trying to come up with a good reason why he shouldn’t, Wiley chuckled. “Who am I kidding? I don’t hunt that well. But if we were lassoing cattle, I’d be in on it.”
Relieved, Isaac grinned. “No one lassoes better than you.”
They reached their destination and Isaac settled by the same tree he was at last time. Usually, he’d chat a bit with his friends before he turned his attention to the hunt, but if he hoped to get an animal larger than Emily, he didn’t want to take his chances on missing it. He was determined to win. If he did, he could broach the subject of what happened on Wednesday. If he didn’t do it today, he didn’t know when another opportunity might present itself. He glanced over at Emily who checked the bullets in her rifle before she checked out the area around them for any game. Taking that as his cue, he directed his attention to his own search.
An hour passed by, and he had no luck. Emily managed to shoot a turkey, but that wasn’t large enough to pose a threat to his chances of winning the bet. The next hour was better for him. He shot a deer. By the size of it, he had a pretty good chance of winning based on it, but he knew better than to get his hopes up since it was a doe instead of a buck.
Toward the end of the hour, Emily shot her own deer, and Isaac couldn’t tell if it was larger than his or not. He hoped he could find another deer, one larger than what he got earlier, but such a deer didn’t present itself. He sighed in aggravation when he realized it was time to quit. Even if Emily shot him a worried look since she probably couldn’t tell for sure if his deer was larger than hers or not, he still didn’t like the sinking sensation that he might lose the bet.
Wiley came up to him and laughed. “Gee, Isaac, I can’t believe you took the bet so seriously. You didn’t say a single word this whole time.”
“Yeah, well, I figure if I’m going to make a bet, I should do everything I can to win,” he replied and stood up.
“You must really want to win. I never saw you that focused before,” Wiley said.
“I haven’t either,” Clayton called out as he picked up a pheasant. “I almost feel like I wasted the day.”
“You did better than me.” Wiley motioned to the empty space where he’d been sitting. “Maybe next week I’ll get something.”
Clayton shrugged. “You got the new cattle. If your family needs food, they got plenty to eat.”
“We’re hoping to breed our stock so it’s as good
as Craftsman’s. If we eat anything, it’ll be something we already had.”
“Speaking of Craftsman, did you get to talk to Emily like you hoped?”
Isaac glanced at Emily who seemed intent on studying the deer she shot. She had to have heard them since she was within hearing distance.
“No.” Wiley sighed. “She’s hard to find. I saw her a couple weeks ago in town and tried to ask her if I could court her, but her pa showed up before I could. Maybe I should ask him for permission to ask her. Then if he says yes, he could arrange for me to talk to her.”
Isaac studied Emily’s face to see if there might be some indication that she was interested in Wiley or not, but she had her head bowed so he couldn’t tell.
Isaac's Decision Page 13
