The Harvest Time Mail-Order Bride (Holiday Mail-Order Brides Book 14)

by Kit Morgan

  Bella nodded. She knew all about lean years with little to eat and no money. She looked forward to living off the land and helping to cultivate it alongside her new husband. The thought gave her a feeling of satisfaction she’d never had before, and she thanked the Almighty for bringing her into the Weaver family. Her sense of loyalty went up another notch.

  They left the wonders of the sewing room so Ma could show Bella the rest of the house. There was a parlor and a formal dining room – something Bella had never had in this country or the last.

  Ma took her upstairs and showed her Calvin’s room, where they would stay until Calvin decided to build his own house, then brought her back downstairs and outside to see the barn, smokehouse and root cellar. When they got to the well, Ma shuddered and Bella didn’t understand why.

  She didn’t have time to think about it as soon they were back in the kitchen. “Water pump’s outside,” Ma told her, pointing at the back door. “We keep a bucket on the porch to use, and there’s another in the kitchen. Dishes are in the sideboard there – the fancy stuff I keep in the sideboard in the dining room. We don’t use it much – holidays, mostly. I’ve had that set ever since I married. I trust you girls will take good care of it after I’m gone – my grandma gave it to my ma who gave it to me. I always thought how nice it would be to keep up the tradition, even if they are just dishes.”

  Bella understood. Her mother had brought her precious set of dishes to America, only to have them sold off by her father after she died. The set was supposed to go to Bella, who would pass them down to her children. So much for that.

  She vowed that no such thing would happen to Ma Weaver’s dishes. Even if her own children didn’t have them, they’d be kept within the family so long as the family was there to keep them. Who knows what might happen to the heirlooms after that?

  “Why don’t you unpack while Charity and I see to supper?” suggested Ma.

  “Samijo, does she need help with twins?”

  Ma smiled. “You know, I like it when you call them bambini. Has a nice ring to it.”

  Bella laughed. “Bambini, then. I could help her while Charity make supper.”

  “Why, that’s right kind of you! But once the wagon’s unloaded, Arlan and Samijo will go to their own place. That doesn’t mean they won’t come to the house to eat tonight. Samijo’s tired and won’t feel much like cooking.”

  “Oh, I forget they have house.”

  “Yep, you’ll see it tomorrow.”

  Before Bella could comment, Calvin entered, her trunk balanced on one shoulder. “Howdy, darlin’,” he greeted happily. “I got yer things here. Want me to help ya unpack?”

  “Calvin Weaver!” his mother scolded. “I can tell you’ve got more on your mind than unpacking! Now wipe that silly grin off your face and go tend the livestock!” For emphasis she snatched a serving spoon off the worktable and smacked him on the rear.

  “Ouch! Ma!”

  “Don’t you ‘Ma’ me! Now scoot!” She turned to Bella. “You get upstairs and unpack and don’t let him bother you none. He can kiss you once, but that’s all. Any more than that and nothing’s gonna get done around here.”

  Bella giggled and blushed. “Yes, ma’am.”

  Calvin chuckled as he motioned for Bella to follow him upstairs. Once in their room, he set down the trunk and pulled her into his arms. “I’ve been waitin’ to do this all day.” He kissed her hard and fast, taking her breath away.

  When he broke the kiss she gasped for air. “That your one kiss! No more!”

  “Ya really gonna do what my Ma says?”

  “Yes. I respect my elders, as should you.”

  “Aw shucks, Bella, I respect Ma. I was just kinda hopin’ that you’d slip a little so I could kiss ya some more.”

  “I not your excuse to behave badly,” she said, shaking a finger at him. “Don’t be bad man, Calvin Weaver.”

  He grabbed her finger and kissed it. “I ain’t bad, I just … misbehave now and then.” He tightened his hold on her and captured her lips with his. He took his time with the kiss, and she knew he was purposely trying to get her fired up in more ways than one. It was working too!

  She tried to squirm out of his arms, forcing him to break the kiss. “Where ya goin’?” he asked.

  “Your mother say we have to work. You no work! You only kiss me!”

  “That’s work,” he countered.

  “That not the work your mama talk about. Now let me go.”

  “I will after another kiss,” he teased, then puckered his lips. He tried to plant a peck on her cheek.

  “No, no, no!” she giggled as she turned her head this way and that to avoid his lips. “Bad man, bad man!”

  “Want kiss, want kiss!” he said, captured a handful of her hair and let his mouth find hers. Bella, unable to help herself, leaned into him. Calvin wrapped his arms around her even tighter as if trying to weld them together. Things were heating up, and she knew they had to stop or his mother might smack them both with that spoon.

  He must’ve thought so too and broke the kiss sooner than she expected. “Calvin,” she whispered.

  “I don’t wanna stop, darlin’, I could kiss ya all day. But yer right – I got cows to check on, not to mention a few other things.” He cupped her face with a hand and gave her a kiss so tender and gentle, it made her head swim.

  “Calvin,” she managed again. “You not gone long?”

  He smiled against her lips. “No, darlin’, I not gone long.” He let her go with an effort and took several steps away so he wouldn’t pull her into his arms again. “I’ll see ya at supper.” He took a deep breath, as if to brace himself, then turned to the door and left.

  Bella walked over to the bed and fell onto it. She stared at the ceiling and sighed in contentment. “Calvin Weaver, I love you …”

  * * *

  Supper was a simple affair. Charity made eggs and bacon that the men devoured with relish. As predicted, Arlan and Samijo joined them for the evening meal and stayed long enough for a cup of coffee before heading back to their cabin. Samijo invited Bella to come see her the next day, and Bella found she was looking forward to it.

  The rest of the evening was spent talking about the trip to Nowhere, the festival and how many hats Ma planned to make between now and Christmas. Basically, it was a repeat of what they’d discussed on the trip home, but Bella didn’t mind. She liked knowing what her days would be filled with, at least for the next few months.

  After they finished making the hats for Christmas and the coat Matthew wanted, they would start on Easter hats. Not only did she get a wonderful man, but now she had the chance to make and sell her wares. It was close to being a dressmaker. Besides, she could create gowns, day dresses, skirts and other articles of clothing without the pressure experienced by a normal dressmaker. She was truly blessed.

  “Ain’t it about time we go upstairs, darlin’?” Calvin asked, waggling his eyebrows.

  “Calvin!” Ma barked. “Could your intentions be any more obvious?”

  “Sure, Ma,” he said with a grin. He jumped up from his chair, went to Bella and scooped her up in his arms. “Does this make it more obvious for ya?”

  Ma waved her knitting needle at him. “I plan to sleep tonight, so make sure I do!”

  Daniel, who’d been reading, covered his face with his book and laughed.

  “You be quiet!” Ma ordered, then poked him with a knitting needle.

  “Ow! Ma!”

  “Just wait until it’s your turn!” she admonished.

  “I ain’t gonna get married that soon,” Daniel shot back as he rubbed his arm. “I got me a few years yet.”

  “Maybe so,” she agreed, “but it doesn’t mean you can’t learn a thing or two from your brothers about what not to do.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Calvin asked, Bella still in his arms.

  “Son, there are some things a lady doesn’t like. And one is being embarrassed by you in front of the family.�
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  Calvin looked at his mother, then at Bella. “Are ya embarrassed?” he asked.

  She shrugged. “No.”

  “There now, ya see?” Calvin said in triumph. “She ain’t embarrassed.”

  Ma rolled her eyes. “Well, maybe for Eyetalians it’s different, but I’m good and truly embarrassed by how you’re acting. Get on with you, then.”

  Calvin and Bella laughed, and with a smile he carried her from the room. Upstairs, he gently laid her on the bed, then sat to remove his boots. “That was fun,” he said.

  “You like to upset your mama?”

  “I didn’t upset her. I was only teasin’. There’s a difference.”

  “Teasing?”

  “Yeah, ya know, it’s kind of like makin’ fun of someone but not doin’ them no harm?”

  “Oh, yes, I understand. You have fun with her.”

  “I’d rather be havin’ fun with you,” he said as he kicked off his boots and fell onto the bed next to her. C’mere, darlin’, and kiss me.”

  She complied with a smile and did as he asked. The rest of the evening they both took very seriously.

  Ten

  The next morning Bella joined Charity in the kitchen to help with breakfast. They prepared eggs and bacon – a favorite of the Weaver men – and several stacks of pancakes. Once again Calvin had managed to get up and slip out of their room without a sound. She wasn’t sure how long he’d been working when they set the food on the table, but made a mental note to try and catch him tomorrow morning so she could get up and start breakfast herself.

  “Wow, this looks great,” Daniel said as he took his place at the table. “Thanks, Charity.”

  “Bella was a big help. Thank Heaven she already knows how to cook and I don’t have to teach her. What a disaster that would be.”

  “You do fine now,” Daniel said. “Who’s makin’ supper tonight?”

  Bella smiled and pointed to herself as she took a bite of egg. She chewed and swallowed. “You like what I cook, you see.”

  “I’m sure I will,” he agreed.

  “We all will,” said Calvin. “What ya gonna make?”

  Bella shrugged. “I think of something. I see what I have to work with. I make pasta for you soon, but need some things.”

  “I ain’t never had pauster,” Daniel said. “Will it be somethin’ none of us has ever had before?”

  “I’m sure it will,” she said with a wink.

  “Now I can’t wait!” Daniel stabbed his fork into a stack of pancakes. He put several on his plate, then reached for the crock of butter.

  “Sounds good,” Benjamin agreed. “With all the cookin’ goin’ on ‘round here, we’re gonna have to work harder so we don’t get fat.”

  “Yeah, and I know just where ya can start,” Arlan added.

  “After all this food, I don’t know if we’re gonna to be able to move,” Calvin said with a laugh. “Who’s makin’ lunch?”

  “I will,” said Samijo. “If Charity and Bella don’t mind helping with the twins.”

  “We don't mind,” Charity answered for both of them.

  Benjamin cleared his throat. “Er … speakin’ of twins,” he said and looked at his wife. “Charity and I have some news.”

  Ma gasped with delight. “Could it be?”

  Benjamin took Charity’s hand, lifted it to his lips and kissed it. “Yeah, Ma, it is. Charity and I are gonna have a baby.”

  His mother stood. “Merciful heavens!” she cried and hurried around the table to hug them. “My prayers have been answered!”

  Bella clasped her hands in front of her as tears stung the back of her eyes. This was what she’d dreamed about the last few years, what she wished her own family had become. No, things didn’t work out that way. But at least when she married Calvin, she’d been given a second chance to belong to a large happy family.

  Or were they? Bella watched Charity’s face fall and Benjamin tense. “Wait, Ma,” he said. “There’s more.”

  “More?” Daniel said. “What do ya mean, more? Charity, are ya all right?”

  “Yes, I’m all right. There’s nothing wrong with me or the baby except …” She cast a furtive glance at her husband.

  “What is it?” Ma asked.

  “Ya might want to sit down for this, Ma,” Benjamin said.

  “Sit down? Ben, honey, what’s the matter?”

  With Charity’s hand still in his, Benjamin stood. “Ma, somethin’ happened to Charity ‘fore she came here to marry me.”

  Ma slowly sat in her chair, a numb look on her face. “What are you saying, boy?”

  “Ma,” Charity said as she too stood. She looked at Benjamin as if gathering as much strength as she could muster. He put his arm around her in response, giving her some more. “Ma,” she started again then looked at everyone seated at the table. “I … I was …” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

  “Charity was … raped ‘fore she married me, Ma,” Benjamin said, his voice even.

  Calvin suddenly stood. “What the Sam Hill –?”

  “Sit down, Calvin.” Ma didn’t look at him, but the tone of her voice carried weight. Calvin sat.

  “Ya heard me. A man – if ya could call him that – named John Tyler Pittman took her for a buggy ride one evening, unchaperoned, and … and had his way with her.”

  Bella, Calvin and Daniel, stared at them in shock. Samijo, sitting next to Ma, put her arm around the older woman. Arlan sat, his face expressionless, and Bella wondered if he already knew.

  “What … how …” Ma stammered. “What happened, child?”

  Charity looked at her, tears in her eyes. “Like Benjamin said, Ma, he took me for a buggy ride and … that’s when he raped me.”

  “And that’s it?” Calvin asked. “Then ya show up here and marry my brother?”

  “Calvin, that’s enough,” Arlan warned. “Go on, Benjamin. Tell them the rest.”

  Benjamin sat and pulled Charity down with him, his arms still around her. “What’s done is done. It weren’t no fault of Charity’s. John Tyler Pittman is a low-down snake and I’ve set the law after him.”

  Ma shook her head in confusion. “But … but your family, child … what did they do about it? Why are you here?”

  “Because my family didn’t want to deal with the scandal, Ma. So they packed me off to my aunt in New Orleans. I wasn’t there but a few days when she sent me here as a mail- order bride. None of them wanted me around, especially if … if I might be carrying a child.”

  “It’s my guess this Pittman fella paid Charity’s parents to get her out of town so his reputation wouldn’t be damaged,” Benjamin explained. “Trust me, Ma, if he were here I’d shoot him dead, but that ain’t the right thing to do even if he does deserve it.”

  Ma fanned herself with one hand. “Land sakes, I didn’t expect to have this with my pancakes. Is that all?”

  “That’s all,” Benjamin said. “I talked with Sheriff Riley and he sent word to the sheriff in Charity’s hometown. They'll take it from there.”

  “What happens when they catch him?” Daniel asked. “Don’t they, ah … need proof?”

  Benjamin nodded. “I guess there is somethin’ else after all. Charity and I might have to go back East so she can give the law her side of the story.”

  “Oh good gracious,” Ma declared with a hand to her chest. “Bella,” she said and waved toward the door. “Fetch me a glass of water, will you?”

  Bella jumped from the table to do as she asked. Some of the words they’d spoken were unfamiliar to her, but she’d understood most of it – Charity had become a mail-order bride to escape a huge scandal. She didn’t know what to think. If it were Bella’s family and she were in the same situation, she wasn’t sure what she would do, but she’d know she’d brought disgrace to her family and dishonored their name.

  Bella went outside, fetched a glass of water from the pump, came in and set it before Ma Weaver. She then looked at Charity and stared. How could she do it?
How could she taint her new family with such dishonor? Perhaps it was a good thing they lived so far from Nowhere, and perhaps could keep the disgrace to themselves.

  * * *

  There was little else to say, so Benjamin and Charity left the breakfast table and went outside. Arlan and Samijo gathered up the twins and soon followed leaving the others to sort through what they’d heard. “I don’t understand it,” Daniel said. “Why didn’t she tell no one?”

  “She did,” Ma countered. “She told your brother, didn’t she?”

  “I mean ‘fore she married him. Don’t seem fair to Benjamin, her not saying nothin’.”

  “Then it’s a credit to your brother, him loving Charity like he does and willing to take whatever the good Lord gives him. I hope Calvin and you are able to measure up to his actions. I’m mighty proud of what he just did and you should be too.”

  “I ain’t so proud as I am shocked, Ma,” Calvin said and stood. “I’m glad he let the law know.”

  “Of course he did,” Ma snapped. “It’s what any decent man would do. Now get on outside and see to your chores. There’s plenty of work to be done.”

  Calvin bent at the waist and kissed Bella on the cheek. He gave her a wary look as if to say, is there anything you haven’t told me? Then he headed out the door.

  “I’d best go too,” Daniel said and got up from the table. “I’m sorry ya had to hear such bad news, Ma.”

  “Bad news? What bad news? I just found out I’m going to have another grandchild!”

  “But, Ma,” Daniel said, perplexed. “What if Charity has that man’s baby? It won’t be Benjamin’s.”

  “Do you think I care about that? Do you think Benjamin does? From the sounds of it, that John Tyler Pittman would be a horrible father! Your brother will be a much better pa to that little one. Wouldn’t you rather see that poor child raised as a Weaver?”

  Daniel sighed. “I’m sorry, Ma, I didn’t mean to upset ya none. Yer right. A baby’s a lot better off with us than with that snake in the grass. Maybe Ben oughta go back east and shoot him.”