Michael wished he could have seen her for a few minutes, but it was probably better this way. He took a long drink of water, then moved over to the basket and pulled out his lunch. She wasn’t doing anything fancy, but it tasted good and he didn’t have to do it himself.
The two ate quickly and Michael studied the boy for a bit. “What would you say to helping me sharpen the axe? Then we can head out and cut down a few trees to get started on the shed.”
Jessie only nodded and before long, they had the horse hooked up to the wagon and the two were on their way down the middle of the street toward the small hillside covered in cottonwoods. He saw his wife slip inside the church but was too far away to call out any kind of greeting.
With Jessie’s help, they made short work of the tree cutting and were on their way back into town before he would have even been leaving his shop to head home for the day. As he neared the mercantile, Colten came out and waved him down.
“What can I do for you, Colten?” Michael asked.
“I just heard from my mother that Susan has quite the scheme planned. I wanted to come see what you thought.”
“What kind of scheme?” Michael asked.
“She hasn’t talked to you about it?” Colten asked, his eyes widening.
Michael wasn’t sure what to do with the news, and he didn’t like the way Colten was implying he couldn’t handle his wife. “What is she doing?” Michael asked again.
“Ma said she’s planning to open up a boarding house. To bring a bunch of other ladies here to town. I kinda thought that was taking things a bit far. Ma even suggested she’d get a wife for me. I tell you, Michael, I ain’t having it. I want to find my own wife. Not everyone could end up as lucky as you. Though now that she’s here, it looks like Miss Susan is going to make a mess of things.”
“Now hold up, Colten. I don’t know a thing about what you’re talking about. And it can’t be all that serious. I mean the woman’s only been here a couple of days. Maybe she’s just dreaming big.”
“Not how I’m hearing it. Overheard Ma say Susan had gone and talked to the preacher about it already. And now they’re going to go see the mayor. He’s got that land out there that she wants.”
Michael held his hand up. “I think I’m going to go get to the bottom of this. Don’t go spreading any more gossip. You sound like you’ve been to one of those quilting bees the ladies get doing.”
“That’s where they came up with this whole thing. Reverend Morrison let them use the church and after that, they’ve been talking all about it.”
Michael shook his head. “I’ll talk to her tonight and find out what’s up. Don’t get all frantic. Besides, it’s not like you’ll have some bride knocking on your door tomorrow.”
Colten shuddered. “Hope not. Especially if she’s going to push me around. I don’t know how you do it. But maybe I’ll be lucky and get a mouse of a thing.”
Michael clicked the reins to get his horse to move and glanced at Jessie. “Let’s go see what all this fuss is about.” His voice was calm and from the outside, Michael was sure anyone looking at him would find him completely unaffected. But inside, he was mad. Why wouldn’t Susan talk to him about this first? Why was she in such a hurry to get a bunch of women out here? And where on earth did she expect to get the materials needed to build this thing?
CHAPTER TEN
Susan took a walk down the street out of town toward the small forested area she’d seen Michael and Jessie headed for to get the wood they’d need. Her mind was abuzz with too many thoughts to sort through and she hoped a walk would help her figure things out. She needed a quiet place to try calling for Dr. Lachele. Susan wasn’t sure if the matchmaker would be able to just show up when called for, or if it would take a while. But whatever happened, Susan didn’t want to run the risk of having a purple haired lady pop up out of the blue in the middle of town.
The apartment Susan had been renting in her own time wouldn’t bring her any money. She’d get her deposit back, and that would help. The furniture and things were hers. She could probably sell her clothes on consignment, or eBay. She had some savings and it would be easy enough to liquidate that. She could probably get it exchanged for gold if Lachele needed to bring that. Or if her fairy godmother-like powers allowed her to just transfer it across time, that would be awesome too.
She didn’t think she’d have enough to buy the land as well as get all the building materials, especially with how much the mayor thought his land was worth. But from the look on Mrs. Howard’s face when he stated his selling price, Susan knew it wasn’t actually worth it. She’d have to look into another place.
As she continued to walk, she studied the area near the trees. Maybe being a bit further from town wouldn’t be such a bad idea. It would give them space to have a garden and plenty of room to grow if needed.
The different women who came out west might have good ideas on what to do. If they brought someone who wanted to build a bakery or something, they’d need land to build it on.
Yes, Susan thought, maybe building out here would be a better idea. But she still had to find out who owned the land.
Going further out of town would lead to the areas where people were setting up homesteads, and Susan didn’t think that would be a good place to set up.
As she looked, she wished she had a better understanding of all that was needed to set up the building, get the permits and things and have the lumber brought in from the saw mill. She looked into the trees as she approached the area and couldn’t see any sign of Michael or Jessie.
Either they’d gone in further to cut or they’d already returned home. Susan didn’t want to go too deep into the trees but wanted a few minutes to try contacting Dr. Lachele. She found a fallen tree and sat on it, enjoying the quiet sounds of the forest. A few birds started chirping and Susan smiled. She hadn’t heard birds in the trees for ages. The simple beauty of this quiet life wasn’t lost on her and she was happy to have a chance to enjoy it.
“Dr. Lachele?” Susan said softly. “I’m not even sure how to find you, but I had some thoughts and wanted to see if you’d be able to get my money and things from my time so I can have it here with me.”
Susan waited for a few minutes but didn’t get any sign the other woman had heard.
“I have a couple things I could sell. The clothes could be put on ebay or something.” She continued talking out her plan, just in case the fairy godmother lady could hear her.
“I want to make a go of this. I feel like it would be something so good for so many people. I sure hope you can hear me. I also wanted to let you know that this Michael you sent me to is even better than I’d imagined. So good job there.”
Susan giggled as she thought of what it would look like if someone came upon her talking to herself like this. She stood up and brushed off her skirts then turned toward town and headed back. It was time to go find Michael and make him sit down and listen to her plans. She wasn’t going to let Jessie or anyone else distract her from this. And he would probably know who owned the land out here so she wouldn’t have to keep arguing with the mayor on his property.
Because the more she thought about it, the more she wanted to be closer to the trees and creek here. It would be the perfect place to step away from the busy life that would come.
***
Michael paced his little house wondering where on earth his wife had gone. He’d managed to set the boy to work on the logs, peeling off the outer layer of bark and cutting off the branches close to the tree itself. It should keep him occupied for a bit, but without Susan there to talk to about all this gossip going around about her, he just continued to steam.
Michael’s stomach rumbled and another flash of annoyance built inside. He grabbed his skillet and some of the smoked back bacon and cut off some chunks of it, then moved around the house looking for the other ingredients he’d need. The can of beans wasn’t where he’d had it last so he grumbled a little as he went searching for it. Finally, he
saw it behind a few other cans she’d picked up from the mercantile. Michael rummaged through the little drawer searching for the can opener and once he found it, practically attacked the can.
He dumped the beans into the skillet and started stirring around. Looking at the amount, he knew it wouldn’t be enough to feed the three of them so he grabbed the few remaining eggs that were on the shelf and cracked them into the pan, then stirred vigorously.
There was a full loaf of bread covered by a cloth. “At least she’s made bread.”
Michael set the table, still fuming and just before he set the skillet on the table, the door opened and Susan stepped inside, a big smile on her face until she met his eyes.
Her own eyes narrowed at the contents of the pan and Michael’s pride rose up. “Don’t complain. You weren’t here to do your job so I took over.”
Susan stepped back as if she’d been physically attacked. “My job?”
“Yes, your job. Aren’t you supposed to cook for us? Where were you? I should have been out there working on the shed logs with Jessie, and instead, I’m in here doing women’s work.”
“Are you serious?” Susan said. “Women’s work?”
“Are you hard of hearing, woman?”
“No, I was just hoping I heard you wrong, because it sounds a little like the kind of man I purposely avoided all my life, and now I find I’m actually married to one.”
“What else would you be doing?” Michael asked. “I sent for a wife, and you answered the advertisement stating you were willing to take on the role of wife.”
“So let me get this straight,” Susan said, her voice lowering and the words coming slow and steady. “You don’t want a companion and a partner, you want a servant, a cook, and a housekeeper?”
“Of course I want those things. I work and bring in the money. It will buy the items we need to live. You do all the rest here at home to make sure our food goes far enough and that I have the strength I need to do my job.”
“You might want to stop talking,” Susan said. “Because you’ll get yourself in so deep you’ll never manage to dig your way out.”
“Now listen here,” Michael said, but Susan raised her hand and cut him off.
“No. You listen. I didn’t need to come here. I had a job before I ever met you. A good one too. I provided for myself and even put some money away. What I came here for was a chance at love. A chance to find a companion I could respect and honor. One who would help me reach my full potential, and one I could help succeed in his life. If I don’t feel loved or appreciated and I’m only here to feed you and clean for you, then I have no problem leaving right now.”
“You can’t leave,” Michael said. At first it was stated just as a factual matter, then as he thought about it, he realized he actually would be devastated if she left.
“Watch me,” Susan said, then turned on her heels and walked out the door.
***
Susan was to the edge of the property before Michael caught up with her. He grabbed her by the arm and Susan immediately took his wrist then twisted it in the move she’d been taught in her self-defense class and got his hand off her, then stood facing him, ready to fight if needed.
“Don’t you ever touch me in anger,” Susan said. “I won’t stand for that.”
“I wasn’t going to hurt you.” The surprise in Michael’s eyes was evident. “I just needed to stop you.”
“Then use words,” Susan said.
“I did,” Michael said. “I called your name repeatedly.”
Susan glared at him. “I heard that, but there was nothing else with it.”
“What was I supposed to say?” Michael asked.
“Sorry, for starters.” Susan put her hands on her hips and glared at him.
“You want me to apologize for you getting angry at me?”
Susan shook her head. “If you need me to explain what you did wrong, then you’ve got a whole lot more to apologize for.”
“Can we return to the house? I am sorry I upset you. Maybe I was a bit sore you weren’t home, but there was a lot of talk going on about all these plans you have, and I guess I handled things wrong.”
“Talk about my plans? That’s what this is about?” Susan shook her head. “I was coming home to talk to you about it when you got all tiffy that I wasn’t home slaving over your meal. And it wasn’t like I was all that late anyway. I could have easily still made dinner.”
Michael had the grace to look ashamed and the mix of emotions battling inside her was quieted by the look of remorse and his confused puppy dog eyes.
Of course he would think she was supposed to be home cooking for him. He was from a time when women didn’t have the same privileges she’d grown up with. It would take a while to get him used to her beliefs and opinions, but with him being willing to listen, maybe things could work out pretty decent.
“I’m sorry,” Michael said. “Will you come back inside with me?”
“Yes,” Susan said. “And as soon as dinner is done, then you and I are going for a walk. I have some things that need saying and I don’t want anything to interrupt us.”
Michael nodded his agreement and Susan walked back to the house, leaving Michael to follow as he would. She heard him call for Jessie to put the axe away and to come inside to eat. When she reached the table and looked into the skillet, she figured it would do just fine. She would have loved to have some ketchup or something to help with the flavor, but it definitely looked edible. The fresh bread and the butter she had would help.
Michael didn’t say much when he entered the house, just sat at the head of the table, and reminded Jessie to wash up when he walked in. The meal went quickly and Jessie ate without complaint then asked to be excused.
“I wanted to see if I could get the last of the tree branches off,” Jessie added. “Then tomorrow we could set up the shed. If that’s all right.”
Michael smiled and Susan wondered if the boy was in a hurry to leave the room before an argument could arise, or if he just really wanted a place of his own and the sooner he built the shed, the sooner he could avoid sleeping in the house with them.
“Don’t forget to sharpen the axe again. Makes the work go a lot faster.”
Jessie nodded and ducked out of the house without another word. Susan stood from the table and took the dishes to the sink. She scrubbed the skillet then oiled it again and placed it on the shelf and turned around to find Michael watching her.
“I really am sorry, Susan.”
She met his eyes, searching them for truth, and realizing he was genuine in his apology she smiled softly. “Thank you.”
“I know it’s only been a few days, but I suppose I got so used to your cooking that when it came to me making something myself I was just angry with my own lack of cooking skills and I took it out on you.”
“You did a good job of it,” Susan said. “Maybe you should cook at least once a week. Make sure your skills don’t get too rusty.”
Michael’s eyes widened and Susan laughed, but at the same time wondered if he’d ever really be the kind of man who would view her as a valuable human, or if she’d always be just a wife who was supposed to work for her husband. She’d have to get all of this out in the open now, before things got too out of hand. Because even though she was upset with him before, and had threatened to leave, she knew that threat had been idle. She didn’t think she was in desperate love with him, but she knew she could very easily love him deeply.
“I have something really important to tell you,” Susan said. “And it isn’t only about my plans you were talking about. But it will be a lot to take in, so I think if we could go for a walk where no one might overhear, that would be best.”
“Do you want to walk?” Michael asked, “Or would you rather take the horse and wagon.”
“Maybe the wagon. Could we go back into the grove of cottonwoods?” She reached for his hand, wanting to remind herself of the connection she felt with him. To be sure that his touch still
comforted her and made her want to be here with him. “I wanted to ask you about something nearby there as well.”
“I’ll just go hitch him up then.”
Susan kept hold of his hand. “I’d like to come see how it’s done. If that’s okay.”
Michael squeezed her hand and the two walked out together. That was a good sign.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Michael was surprised at Susan’s interest in readying the horse and wagon, but knew it would be important for her to know how to do it.
“I suppose I should have shown you this earlier,” Michael said as he hooked the harness to the horse. “I’m sorry. It will take a while to learn how to interact with a wife. Don’t have a lot of experience with women.”
Susan smiled and touched his shoulder. “I’m glad you’re willing to learn. And more than happy to know you aren’t all that familiar with women.”
Michael caught on to his wife’s comment and hoped the heat forming under his skin didn’t show up. He was almost certain she had no experience with men either, but at the same time, she was a lot different than he’d expected. When they’d kissed, he knew it wasn’t a new thing to her. Not with the way she seemed to know exactly what she was doing.
He finished hooking up the wagon, then helped Susan climb in. She didn’t move as easily with skirts, almost as if it was something new to her. Was New York all that different? Maybe the wagons were different.
“Would you like to drive?” Michael asked.
Susan looked at the reins, then to the horse and shook her head. “Not today. I would like to eventually though. I think maybe I should just watch this time.”
“You haven’t ridden in a wagon before?”
Susan took a slow breath then shook her head. “No. I traveled much differently back home.”
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