“No, we won’t,” Dave replied. When Mary gave him an exasperated sigh, he gave her a soft smile. “But it’ll be worth it.”
His answer settled Mary who returned his smile.
“I hope it’s a boy,” Jacob spoke up.
“I don’t,” Rachel said. “You boys are rougher on things than girls are.”
As the two debated the benefits to have a brother or sister, Emily ate her meal, not sure of what to say that would be of much interest. At one point, Isaac placed his hand on her thigh, sending a silent message that he was glad she was with him. Though shy about sending a silent message of her own in front of anyone, she squeezed his hand and offered him a shy smile.
After Rachel decided she won the argument, Mary looked at Emily and Isaac. “So, where exactly do you two live?”
Isaac told them about the place he found, adding that Ben was the one who recommended it. “He was right about the owners,” he concluded. “Arch and Evelyn Patrick are nice folk.”
“That’s good,” his mother said and shifted her gaze to his father.
His father finished drinking his coffee and nodded. “It is good.” Directing his attention to Emily, he said, “I was telling Isaac that when he can get his land, then his uncles and I will help him build a house for you two.” He paused for a moment then added, “I should probably ask your pa if he wants to help.”
Mary blinked in surprise before rewarding him with a grateful smile.
“My pa would appreciate that, Mr. Larson,” Emily said, relieved that Isaac’s father was willing to give her and her family a chance.
Isaac squeezed her hand again. Maybe everyone was right, and things would be alright after all.
Chapter Twenty-Six
It was early March when Neil and Sarah expected Dave and Mary to come over for supper, and Neil couldn’t remember the last time he felt so nervous. Neil groaned as he failed his second attempt to get his tie done right. “Forget it,” he muttered and threw the tie back into the armoire.
What did he need a tie for anyway? He wasn’t going to church. Dave most likely wouldn’t be wearing one. He sighed and trudged out of his bedroom, almost running into Stan who was chasing Luke down the hallway.
Peering into their bedroom where they were observing something small, he asked, “What are you up to?”
With a startled look, Luke hid something behind his back. “Nothing, Pa.”
For a ten-year-old, Luke did a lousy job of lying. Neil crossed his arms. “You better get that critter out of here before your ma sees it.”
His cheeks turning bright red, Luke bowed his head and headed out of the room.
Neil stopped him as he passed through the doorway. “You’re washing dishes tonight.”
His jaw dropped. “But that’s a girl’s chore.”
“You should have thought of that before you brought a mouse in here and then lied about it. And you,” he added, turning to Stan, “will dry the dishes.”
“I didn’t bring the mouse into the house,” Stan protested.
“No, but you were eager to keep it a secret. Go before I make you clean up the parlor.”
Gasping, the boys scurried down the steps. Even if they’d been caught lying, Neil couldn’t help but chuckle at their antics. What boy didn’t like playing with critters that would make a woman scream?
At least laughing helped him relax a bit. Exhaling, he went down the stairs. When he entered the kitchen, he saw that Sarah and Elizabeth were setting the table. He noticed there were only seven places set for the meal. “Shouldn’t we have more plates out?”
Sarah set the pitcher of milk toward the place where Luke, Stan and Elizabeth would sit. “No. Mary said her mother-in-law will watch their children tonight.”
“That’s a shame, too,” Elizabeth said as she placed the utensils by each plate. “I hoped Rachel would come over. She and I are friends, you know.”
“Yes, I remember you saying that,” Sarah replied with a grin. Glancing at Neil, she asked, “Where are Luke and Stan? I thought I heard them running around the house.”
He walked over to the cook stove and picked up the coffee pot which he set close to where the adults were going to sit. “Oh, I sent them outside to get rid of something.”
“Really? What?” Sarah asked.
“You don’t want to know.”
“I don’t?”
“No.”
She seemed as if she was going to insist he tell her but then grimaced. “Is the upstairs clean?”
“Yes.”
“Alright. Then I won’t ask any more questions.”
The kitchen door opened and their sons took off their shoes.
“Wash up for supper,” she told them.
As they went to obey her, someone knocked at the front door. Neil steeled his resolve and squared his shoulders back. Maybe if he acted confident about the evening, he’d feel that way. “I’ll get it.” Before Sarah could answer, he strode out of the kitchen and made his way to the front door where Dave and Mary waited for him. Forcing a smile, he moved aside and motioned to the parlor. “Welcome. Won’t you come in?”
Mary entered the house first. “Thank you.”
Though he nodded to Mary, his focus was on Dave who followed her and helped her out of her coat. Clearing his throat, he said, “Supper’s almost ready.”
Once her coat was off, Mary turned to him. “Is Sarah in the kitchen?”
“Yes.”
Her gaze went from Dave to Neil. “I’d like to help out, if I may?”
A shiver of panic crawled up Neil’s spine and he wanted to ask Mary to stay with them, but Dave told her to go ahead and turned to put her coat on the coat tree before he took off his coat and hung it up as well. Neil thought to protest while she headed for the kitchen but decided the sooner he talked to Dave, the better. Just like medicine. It might be unpleasant but it wouldn’t kill someone. And he’d do this for Emily.
“I suppose we better wait until the women want us to join them.” Neil motioned to the parlor. “Care to sit?”
“Yes, though I must admit, I never thought I’d see the day when I sat down in your house,” he replied.
Surprised by the joking tone in Dave’s voice, Neil went with him to the parlor and sat in a chair across from him. He wasn’t sure what to say, and as he searched for possible topics to discuss, he heard the women laughing. How much easier it would be if he was in the kitchen right now. Drumming his fingers on the arms of his chair, he finally ventured, “Isaac’s a fine young man.”
“Thank you. Emily’s a good woman, too. You did a good job raising her.”
“Thank you,” he replied, shocked that Dave would ever compliment him.
Dave glanced around the room and took a deep breath. “My son plans to get some land when he turns twenty-one. At that time, my brothers and I plan to help him build a house. I was wondering if you’d like to help?”
“Yes, yes I would. Thanks for thinking of me.”
Dave nodded.
Another span of silence passed before Sarah came into the parlor and announced that supper was ready. Relieved, Neil got to his feet and went with Dave to the kitchen. Even if the situation with Dave was still awkward, at least things were better than he thought they’d be. He doubted he and Dave would ever be friends, but as long as they could manage a pleasant discussion when they were together, then everything would be alright. For sure, it would make the situation easier for their children, and in the end, that was what mattered the most.
***
Emily tapped the window ledge of her small apartment as the snow fell softly outside. There was no denying it. It was the end of March, and she hadn’t menstruated in two months. First, she’d missed her cycle at the end of February and now she missed it toward the end of this month. That and the nausea were clear indicators that she was expecting a child. She’d be due in early November based on her calculations. Granted, by then everyone would know for sure she hadn’t been expecting when she got ma
rried, but how was anyone to know until then?
Her stomach rolled and she took a deep breath to calm it. She should have realized she could conceive right away, but for some reason, she assumed it would take longer. Just because her mother didn’t conceive as soon as she married her father, it didn’t mean the same would be true for her. The real problem was that she didn’t know who she could tell. If Isaac’s father found out, he’d probably assume she married Isaac in haste because she was already in the family way. After all, wasn’t that what her real mother had done when she came out to Nebraska to marry her father? And even after all this time, people still remembered it, especially Isaac’s father.
While his father was making an effort to be nice to her, she suspected the doubts were still there. Just last weekend his father apologized to her for telling Isaac not to talk to her. That meant more to her than she’d ever admit to anyone, but what good was it if she couldn’t prove she wasn’t expecting when she got married until November? November was such a long time from now, and she could only hide her pregnancy for another couple months.
She pressed her forehead against the cool frame of the window and closed her eyes. Maybe she could talk to Alice. Alice was good about keeping secrets. Not that it would be a secret for long.
A pair of strong arms went around her waist and she jumped. Isaac laughed. “It’s just me.”
Chuckling, she pressed her hand to her chest. “You scared me. I didn’t know you left the bedroom.”
“I’m sorry. I should have said something instead of sneaking up behind you.” He kissed her neck. “Forgive me?”
“Were you trying to scare me?”
“No. I thought you heard my footsteps.”
“I was distracted.”
“Apparently.” After he kissed her cheek, he asked, “So, what distracted you?”
“The snow.” Sure, it was a lie, but she couldn’t bring herself to tell him yet. What if he suspected the same thing his father might—that she was expecting a child before they got married? Everything happened so fast. He didn’t have time to court her. Forcing the thoughts aside, she cleared her throat and pointed out the window. “I hope it doesn’t get worse.”
Releasing his hold on her, he peered out the window and shrugged. “I don’t think it will. Are you going out today?”
“I was thinking of seeing Alice. I haven’t seen her much since she married Ben.”
“Well, she doesn’t live far from here. Five blocks, is it?”
“Yes.”
“If the snow gets worse, you can always come back sooner than you planned. That’s the benefit of living in town.”
“True, though I am looking forward to being out on the farm again.”
“Four years.”
She nodded. Not only would it be in about four years, but they’d be taking a child out there with them.
“Aren’t you going to have breakfast?” he asked, interrupting her thoughts.
Blinking, she turned her attention to the kitchen table which had one bowl of oatmeal and a cup of coffee on it. “I’m not hungry. I’ll eat later.”
“Are you feeling alright?”
“Yes. I’m just not hungry, that’s all.”
He hesitated for a moment but then spoke. “It seems that for the last couple weeks you haven’t been hungry. You do know we have enough money for food, right?”
Her face flushed. She hoped he hadn’t noticed how little she was eating. Deciding a small lie wouldn’t hurt, she smiled. “I just want to be sure I don’t waste money.”
“You won’t. The money I leave for you isn’t all we have. I keep more in my wallet so don’t worry about using what I gave you.”
She nodded.
“So you can make more oatmeal,” he added.
“I’ll do it when you leave. For now, I think I’ll sip some water.” She couldn’t imagine taking in any more than that right now. Later on in the day, some of her appetite would return, and when it did, she’d eat then.
“Alright.” He glanced out the window again. “It’s a good thing all I have to do is bring lumber in from the train station today.”
Eager to change topics, she followed him to the kitchen table and poured some water into her cup. Sitting across from him, she asked, “Do you like doing that more than delivering it to houses?”
Shifting in his chair, he picked up his spoon. “I actually like delivering to houses more because I get to be outside on the land, but when the weather is like this, I like to stick to town.”
She watched as he dipped his spoon into the oatmeal. She inwardly shuddered. It wasn’t that she was opposed to oatmeal, but something about it made her gag ever since her morning sickness started. She averted her gaze so she wouldn’t have to see him eating it.
“Do you plan to do anything besides seeing Alice today?” he asked.
Focusing on the water in her cup, she shrugged. “I think I might do some reading.” And probably fall asleep again like she did yesterday. Besides the queasy sensation she was quickly getting used to, she realized exhaustion was something else she had to contend with.
“I’m glad we’re married,” he said, breaking her, once again, out of her thoughts.
Turning her gaze in his direction, she smiled. “I’m glad we’re married, too.” And truly she was. He was a wonderful husband.
He returned her smile and continued eating his breakfast, so she looked at other things, trying not to be obvious that she was avoiding anything to do with eating. When he was done, she breathed a sigh of relief. Good. Now she didn’t have to hold back the urge to gag. She took his bowl and cup and placed them in the sink to wash when he left.
“I hope you have a good day,” she said, following him to the door.
He slipped into his coat, and she grabbed his hat while he put his boots on. “I hope you have a good day, too.” When he straightened up, she handed him his hat and kissed him. “I’ll miss you.”
“At least tomorrow is Saturday.” He opened the door and gave her another kiss. “I can’t wait to see you again.”
Chuckling, she waved to him as he headed out of the apartment to go to work. After she closed the door, she decided to lie down for a bit before she went to see her friend. By then, she should feel much better.
***
“Isn’t love wonderful?” Alice asked as she set two coffee cups and a plate of cookies onto the kitchen table.
“It is,” Emily replied, glancing at the cozy kitchen in the house Alice and Ben now shared. “It’s hard to believe we’re married women. We should feel old, shouldn’t we?”
Alice laughed and sat across from Emily. Picking up a cookie, she said, “Don’t be shy. Eat up.”
She picked up a cookie and examined it. She managed to eat a little bit before she left her apartment, but did she have enough of an appetite to eat a cookie?
“Is something wrong?” her friend asked, looking concerned.
“No.” She broke off a small piece of the cookie and put it into her mouth. Setting the rest of the cookie down, she took her cup and drank the hot liquid to wash out the taste of the treat. Who knew pregnancy would mean she didn’t even care for the taste of cookies?
“Something is wrong. Emily, what is it?”
“I don’t feel right telling you when I haven’t told Isaac.”
“Are you unhappy with him?”
“No, of course not. I’m very happy with him.”
“Then what wouldn’t you tell him?”
Emily’s gaze traveled to the window where the snow had tapered off into flurries. Could she tell Alice? Should she? Wasn’t it wrong to tell her friend what was going on when she hadn’t told the father of her child first?
“Emily?” Alice asked, her voice filled with worry.
She turned her attention back to her friend who’d been through everything with her from the time they were seven. Things she didn’t tell anyone, she’d told Alice.
“Emily?”
“I’m expectin
g!” she blurted out before she had a chance to stop herself.
For a good five seconds, her friend stared at her as if she had no idea what she was talking about, and then her eyes lit up with understanding. “Oh! Well, this is good news.”
“I don’t know.”
“Sure, it is.”
Emily shook her head. “I’m due to give birth in early November.”
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