Grooms with Honor Series, Books 7-9

by Linda K. Hubalek

  "This is your house? Oh, my...it's so big," Poppy exclaimed after she thought to shut her dropped jaw.

  Adolph had added on to the house over time, working to make a lovely home for his future bride. As the years went by, he kept updating it inside and out. Since receiving Poppy's letter of acceptance, he added a porch swing and wicker rockers to the wrap-around porch to make the house look more inviting.

  Poppy reverently touched the porch railing as they walked up the steps. What kind of house had she grown up in?

  Adolph opened the front door and stepped back to let Poppy enter, but she stopped in the doorway, her eyes taking in everything in the interior. Adolph listened to the mantel clock chime two o'clock, as he looked at the furniture and rugs he'd bought over the years to furnish his house—for this moment—when his bride walked into the house.

  “I can’t believe all the things you have,” Poppy said in awe as she started walking around the room counter-clockwise, studying everything as she went. “Our shanty was smaller than this one room and had a dirt floor.”

  Poppy got halfway around the room then stopped to look at the furniture in the room.

  “Is that a white fur hand muff or a cat on your settee?” Poppy pointed to his long-haired feline friend who had lived with him for several years. Flicka stared at Poppy but calmly kept her comfortable position on the upholstered settee.

  "Meet Flicka, who rules the house," Adolph chuckled. The cat shed her hair everywhere, but Adolph didn't mind because Flicka was a good companion. He'd talk, and Flicka would always give him an opinion back, even though Adolph didn't know what she might be saying.

  "You can sit down beside her and pet her. She likes most people." Flicka was particular about whom she liked, so Adolph hoped the cat approved of Poppy. And if she didn't?

  "Hey, Flicka. I've never seen a pretty long-haired cat like you before," Poppy said as she let the cat smell her hand before rubbing the cat under her chin, and then around her ears.

  Flicka's response was a loud purr before standing up to walk onto Poppy's lap and stand up on her hind legs to rub against Poppy's face.

  Poppy's surprised laugh and genuine smile lightened the tension in Adolph's chest. He watched and listened as the two became acquainted. Adolph had felt foolish at the time, taking in the abandoned kitten into his home, but Flicka had filled a void in Adolph's lonely life. Now he hoped the cat helped Poppy adjust to her new life with him.

  “How’d your cat get her name?”

  “Flicka is a Swedish word for girl. You can pick up Flicka, and I'll show you the rest of the house," Adolph suggested, glad to see the cat settle against Poppy's shoulder like an old friend. They walked through the dining room into the kitchen.

  "A wood stove! I only had a fireplace to cook over," Poppy exclaimed as she kept one hand on the cat and used the other to open the oven door.

  "It'll be so much to learn, but I look forward to it."

  "Holly Clancy can teach you how to make fluffy biscuits and Millie Wilerson, the marshal's wife, will gladly give you tips on how to make pies and cakes."

  "What's this little side room? A pantry?" Poppy asked as she opened the door to the bathroom. She looked back to Adolph with wide eyes. "A built-in tub, sink, and commode? Oh, my. I never dreamed of such luxuries in a home."

  Again, Poppy had to run her hand over everything in the room, as if to prove it was real.

  "If you put down Flicka, we can go out the back-porch door to see the backyard. It's fenced for the—"

  Barks from the backyard had Poppy scurrying to get outside.

  "Dogs! You have two funny lookin’ baby huntin’ dogs!" Poppy slid down on her knees, letting the brown and white half-grown dogs sniff, then lick her face. Adolph was happy Poppy was excited about his other pets.

  "Meet Jackson and Jilly. They are Fox Terriers. I don't use them to hunt though. They were puppies someone abandoned behind my shop a few months ago, and I brought them home. I always have bones and meat trim to keep them fed."

  "You don't hunt for food?" Poppy cocked her head to match the dogs looking up at him.

  "Don't need to. I'm a butcher, and I always have meat. And people bring in eggs and butter to trade for meat, so I'm set for food."

  "But what about possum stew? Baked coon? That's what I'm used to fixin’. We'd butcher a few hogs in the winter, but never had beef, unless the milk cow died."

  Adolph hoped she learned to cook meat then because there was no use to look elsewhere for their meat supply than his meat market.

  "Don't have much of those wild animals around here, except down by the river. Without trees on the plains—"

  "I meant to ask if you’d had a big forest fire across the state? I barely saw a tree once the train passed Lawrence. It makes me feel kinda unprotected, being out in the open with no place to shelter or hide."

  "This area is known as the Great Plains, a grassland without trees. We can get grass fires across the prairie, usually started by lightning, but the only trees you'll see are along the river."

  Poppy looked pensive as she stared at the horizon.

  "We can plant some fruit trees in the backyard. I imagine you'll want to plant a garden right away, too." Adolph said trying to make Poppy feel better.

  She was back to biting her lip and looking forlorn again.

  “Let’s go back into the house to see the upstairs,” Adolph suggested as he held his hand out to help her off the ground. Poppy hesitated to take his hand at first but finally did so.

  Poppy picked up Flicka as soon as they were back in the house, clutching the cat tightly to her chest and stroking its back. The cat purred loudly, happily relishing the attention Poppy was giving her.

  “The stairs are off the dining room,” Adolph said as he walked around the dining room table which seated twelve people when all the leaves were put in. Hopefully, once Poppy was comfortable with cooking on the stove, they could have guests in for meals. The table had set in this room for years and had never been used.

  “After you,” Adolph motioned up the stairs. He’d had the steps carpeted to be quieter and safer to walk up, and of course, Poppy had to stop to feel the carpet runner before walking on it.

  Each of the four upstairs bedrooms featured complete bedroom sets of bed, dresser, chest of drawers, and washstand. Only his bedroom had ever been used.

  Why had he waited so long to marry and start a family? Probably because he wanted everything they’d ever need in their home first, and then time just passed.

  “This is my room, but you’re welcome to use one of the other bedrooms first…until we’re married and you’re comfortable to move into…our room,” Adolph stuttered through his thoughts.

  “Thank you. I’ll use the room by the staircase then.”

  “That will be fine. Shall we go back downstairs?” Adolph asked as he waited for Poppy to make her way down the steps.

  Adolph motioned for Poppy to sit on the settee and he sat down in an upholstered chair across from her. It was time they talked about the future.

  Poppy was nothing as he imagined his wife would look and act like, but he was determined to make their marriage work if Poppy was truthful with him. That was one thing that would lead them to the church altar for their wedding ceremony, or not.

  “I asked Kaitlyn to pick out essential clothing for you, but I want to talk to you before she arrives with your things.”

  Adolph put up his hand when Poppy looked like she was going to interrupt him.

  “It’s a matter of fact you need clothing, and I’m glad to provide them for you. I’m sure you’re looking forward to a hot bath and a decent nap in a real bed, and you need clothes to put on after you’ve had both.”

  “Thank you, sir. I kindly appreciate it,” Poppy whispered, embarrassed by her situation.

  “Poppy, I’m a kind and fair man, but I want some answers before I marry you.”

  Adolph liked that Poppy sat up straight and looked him in the eye, even though she was
petting Flicka at a faster pace.

  “Why did you place an advertisement to marry someone outside of Tennessee, and will anyone be coming after you? Perhaps a husband even?”

  Poppy’s eyes popped wide open. “Oh, no! I’ve never had a husband. I…I ran away from home to get away from my pappy.”

  “How did you place an advertisement without him knowing about it?”

  “When my pappy was sleeping off the night’s drink, I stole a coin at a time until I had enough to place an advertisement. I can’t read or write very good, so the postmaster’s wife helped me.”

  “Ah, so that’s why I wrote to a Mrs. Abram instead of directly to you.”

  “If my pappy found out I was leaving …I might not have survived to be here. That was the main reason I didn’t put my photograph in the advertisement, well besides the lack of money.”

  Adolph could believe it seeing the healing bruises on Poppy’s face.

  “Any chance your father could find out you came here to marry?”

  “Mrs. Abram swore she wouldn’t tell a soul, includin’ her husband, so I think I’m safe here. It turns out she’s helped other women disappear, and she was the one who approached me to leave Collard’s Cove.”

  From their conversations, Adolph knew Poppy ran away from home with hardly anything to her name, could barely read or write, and loved animals. But she seemed honest and grateful to be here. Was that enough to marry this stranger who was opposite of what he imagined she’d be?

  “You’re a little older than what I thought you’d be, or what I thought the woman in the picture looked like. How old are you?”

  “Old enough to be considered an old maid. I’ll be twenty-seven next month.”

  Poppy’s age didn’t bother him, because he was thirty-three. He liked that they were closer in age than farther apart.

  “May I ask a few questions too, Mr. Bjorklund?”

  “Yes, of course.”

  “You have a funny accent. Where’d you come from and how’d you end up in Kansas? And why aren’t you married?”

  Fair enough. Adolph took a deep breath to spill his story, one he hadn’t told the whole details of, to anyone before now.

  “I traveled from Sweden to America…because I was tired of being hungry. I left home when I was fourteen, not wanting to work in the copper mines as my father, and everyone else in the area did. It was about the only employment in the area. I was hoping to find a job in Stockholm, the capital city of Sweden. But there were more people in the same situation, not enough jobs, and the living conditions were horrible. I managed to survive for two years before I was ready to give up.”

  “Do you still have family living in Sweden?”

  Adolph rubbed his forehead a few times, thinking about his parents.

  “I left home after my mother died. I was her only child that survived. My father might still be alive, although mining is known to cause early death. There’s a chance he might have married again and had more children.”

  Adolph listened to the mantle clock for a long moment before continuing.

  “I signed up to work on a ship going to New York. Once we arrived, I collected my wages and left with other young Swedish men who were traveling to Chicago on the train. There was a large Swedish population there, and many of the young men had family waiting for them.”

  “What work did you do there?” Poppy asked as she massaged behind Flicka’s ears.

  “I worked in the Swift Meat Plant in the Union Stockyards. I spent the next eight years in the plant, doing everything from stripping and salting hides, to eventually cutting up meat.”

  “Well, that makes sense you havin’ your own butcher shop now. How’d you end up in Kansas?”

  Adolph looked at the mantle, where Anna Marie’s portrait had sat for years.

  “My fiancée wanted to move to be with her family. There’s a Swedish settlement about fifty miles southeast of Clear Creek.”

  Adolph paused to make sure his voice didn’t crack.

  “Anna Marie broke up with me, right when we were about to switch trains to travel south.”

  “Oh, my word. What a shock.” Adolph glanced over to see Poppy stroking Flicka, and he wished the cat was on his lap instead. He’d spent years telling his cat all his woes and frustrations. Her purr always calmed him.

  “I got back on the train heading west because I didn’t know what else to do or where to go. When the train pulled into Clear Creek, I noticed a help wanted sign in the butcher shop across the street from the depot. I got off the train and talked to the owner, wanting to work there until Anna Marie came to her senses. That way I’d be close by, ready to marry her.

  “I sent her father a telegraph right away to let Anna Marie know I stayed in the area, and he telegraphed back that she arrived safely.”

  “And you’ve been waitin’ ever since. How many years ago was this, Mr. Bjorklund?”

  “Uh…nine years. I haven’t left town, hoping she’ll come here or send for me.”

  “What finally changed your mind to write for a bride?”

  “The Reagans traveled to that town for an area pastor’s meeting and met Anna Marie and her husband, who is also a pastor. Anna Marie asked if I still lived in Clear Creek, mentioned our past, and wondered if I had married.

  “Kaitlyn surmised I never got over Anna Marie’s betrayal and I wasn’t really looking for a wife when I invited myself to their Sunday dinners. Most of the single women at their dinner table were already spoken for, so I knew I was safe in not actually having to propose to any of these women.”

  “And you got a good meal on those Sundays,” Poppy said with a slight smile and the first twinkle Adolph had seen in her eyes.

  Adolph couldn’t help but laugh at her remark. “I always give Kaitlyn the best cut of meat for her Sunday dinners, just in case she wants to invite me.”

  The silence in the room was comfortable now. Adolph had told her about his secret love and why he’d never left Clear Creek. Poppy didn’t seem to be worried about his confession, probably because their pending marriage was arranged, instead of based on love.

  “Why did you decide to finally marry, and a stranger instead of someone you knew?”

  “I’m lonely. And it finally sunk into my stubborn Swedish head that Anna Marie and her six children will never be mine. I’m thirty-three years old, and if I’m going to have my own family, I need to find a wife. After Kaitlyn told me about meeting Anna Marie, she handed me the newspaper folded open to the bride’s available section. That’s when I decided it was time to let the past go.”

  Chapter 3

  I decided to let the past go.

  But had Adolph done so? As many times as he looked at the right side of the mantle, Poppy guessed his fiancée’s photograph sat on a prominent spot on the shelf.

  Poppy looked around the room at all the upholstered furniture, area carpets, and fancy knick-knacks on display. Adolph had furnished his home for the love of his life, hoping Anna Marie would waltz through the door at any time.

  “What if we marry and Anna Marie comes to town looking to get back together with you?” Poppy blurted out.

  Adolph’s head jerked in her direction with his mouth open. That told Poppy Adolph still had some thinking to do.

  “Marriage is forever, sir. Have you thought this through?”

  Drat! He looked at the mantle again!

  “Miss Beavers, you were my choice, and I want to marry you. I think we can arrange for a satisfying marriage for both of us. What do you think?”

  “I think I’d be more comfortable butcherin’ hogs with you than cookin’ fancy meals in your kitchen stove, but I’m a hard worker, and I’ll figure everything out.”

  “I think we can learn together, but townspeople will help us too. Clear Creek is a social town, and you’ll have as many friends as you want if you accept their friendship.”

  “I know a person can have friends and enemies anywhere, but I’ll do my best not to spit on too many peopl
e.”

  Adolph bit his lower lip, trying not to smile. Maybe Adolph had a bit of humor in him after all.

  Adolph stood from his chair and got down on one knee in front of her and held out his hand. “Miss Beavers, will you do the honor of marrying me?”

  His question wasn’t with the passion she hoped a man would ask her with someday, and she knew Adolph’s proposal to Anna Marie wouldn’t have been this formal. But still, Adolph was asking her now, and that’s what counted.

  Poppy grabbed his extended hand and gave it a firm shake. “Yes, Mr. Bjorklund, I accept your marriage proposal. When will we marry?”

  Adolph stood, rubbing his hand against the back of his neck, and looking at the mantle again.

  First thing Poppy would do after they marry was to insist they get their portrait taken and she’d put the framed picture in that exact spot Adolph kept looking at. They walked past Fergus Reagan’s Photography Studio on their way to the café. That would be their first stop after their church ceremony.

  Adolph looked at the mantle again. “It’s a little past three o’clock. By the time Kaitlyn gets here with your clothing, you two talk about your clothing, you bathe and dress—”

  “It’ll be suppertime,” Poppy sighed.

  “I’m sure Pastor would marry us this evening. That way I could get back to work tomorrow. I usually butcher two hogs on Thursdays and people will expect their meat by noon.”

  But what about their wedding portrait? Did she dare ask about it?

  “I saw a photography studio in town. I suppose we couldn’t get our weddin’ portrait done tonight though.” Poppy bit her lip, waiting for Adolph’s answer.

  “Lighting would be better during the day. I could make an appointment with Fergus to do it Sunday afternoon after dinner.”

  “I’d like that. I know just the spot where I want to display it.”

  “Knock, knock,” Mrs. Reagan called from the front door. The front door was open to let in the spring breeze, and she could see them through the screen door.

  “Adolph, would you open the door for us? Our arms are full of packages.”

  They both rushed to the door to help Mrs. Reagan and another younger woman standing behind her.