“I could carry those for you, if you’d like,” he offered, probably trying not to laugh.
“I can handle this myself,” I stiffly responded.
I hastened past him and threw the clothes into the back of the wagon. I hopped up into the front, glad to be able to move around freely. Unable to make eye contact, I stared at the ground as Todd got in beside me and urged the horses to start moving. We rode in silence for a while. The sun was hot but it suddenly occurred to me that I wasn’t wearing a hat or carrying my parasol. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the freedom of letting the sunlight hit my face.
Later that afternoon, he said, “We should be entering the next town soon. I think we should stop there for the night. What do you think?”
“You’re asking me if I want to stay in the next town tonight?” I couldn’t remember ever being asked if I wanted to do something.
“Yes.”
I found that I liked to have a choice to make. “I would like to sleep in a soft bed tonight.”
We reached the next town by sunset. By this time, I was hungry and tired. We ate first, but as the meal continued, I grew nervous. I knew how a married couple consummated their marriage. I just couldn’t imagine myself making love to him. I made my vows before him and God. I would fulfill my wifely duty if I had to, though it was difficult for me to make the leap from friendship to romance.
When we checked into our room for the night, he took my hands in his and asked, “Do you need more time before we consummate our marriage?”
Once again, he was asking for my opinion. He had no idea how much I appreciated it. “I don’t feel ready yet,” I slowly admitted.
“Thank you for being honest. Will you tell me when you’re ready?”
“Yes. I will tell you.” I tilted my head curiously. “What about you?”
He smiled. “I won’t be ready until you are.”
I knew he meant it too. He would never force himself on me.
I hugged him and thanked him for being understanding.
He set his pillow and blanket on the floor. He insisted that I use the bed. And so, our sleeping arrangements were established.
Chapter Six
Todd’s Point of View
Though the journey was arduous, I enjoyed every minute of it because I was learning more about Ann and she seemed to enjoy learning about me. The more time I spent with her, the more I wanted to be with her. She did mention missing her parents and Agnes, but she didn’t express a desire to go back to Virginia. Instead, she confessed that she was beginning to look forward to our new life.
“It’s an adventure,” she said.
I was secretly pleased that she still wanted to stay with me.
“Do you remember that time you brought my homework to me when I was sick?” she asked. “I believe it was in October.”
“Yes, I remember.”
“Do you also remember one of the days you came over, I said I wanted to go out in the sun with my hair down and not have a hat or parasol with me? You said you wanted to be there when it happened. Well, here we are and I’m out in the sun!”
“I didn’t think you remembered any of the conversations we had.”
“Of course I do. It may not have seemed like it, but I did consider you a friend.” She frowned. “I suppose my manner toward you was rude. I’m sorry for that.”
I shrugged. “Since you didn’t love me, you probably worried that if you showed more interest, I would have taken it the wrong way, and then you would have had to tell me that I misunderstood your actions. I understand.”
“Yes, I did worry about that.” She looked down at her hands.
“If I were in your position, I probably would have done the same thing. I didn’t realize my feelings were obvious until my father told me. I tried to hide them.”
“I’m glad you weren’t able to.” She looked up at me and smiled. “It gave me the courage to ask you to take me with you.”
“Let’s just put the past behind us and start our new life getting to know each other? You know, as friends first.”
“Yes, I would like to start at friendship. It would make me feel less uneasy. I’m going to do everything I can to be a good wife for you. I will love you the way a wife is to love her husband. You treat me so well. Please, be patient with me.”
“We have our whole lives ahead of us. Patience is not a problem.” I smiled as I took in her long wavy hair falling gently over her shoulders. “You’re beautiful. I am happy that I got to see you with your hair down in the sunlight. It’s too bad you weren’t able to do that in Virginia. You look lovely no matter what you do with your hair, but I always liked it best when it was down.”
She touched her shiny brown hair. “I’ll have to wear it down more often then.”
I was surprised that she would do such a thing because I liked it.
We spent the next few weeks talking about things we would and would not miss about Virginia, her experiences with Agnes, and the fun times we had while growing up. I didn’t realize she had a sense of humor, for she seemed serious most of the time.
“I do have to admit there was one prank that Alex pulled that was funny,” she admitted. “I don’t think he intended for it to end up the way it did though. It was the Christmas show we were forced to participate in when we were fifteen. Alex brought that bag of nuts along so when Mr. Clemmens came on the stage to introduce the play, he’d step on the nuts. I don’t know how that squirrel found its way into the bag, but I’ll never forget how loud Alex screamed when he opened it and the squirrel jumped on him.”
“He suspected you had something to do with it,” I informed her.
Her eyes widened. “Me? Why in the world would I put a squirrel in his bag? I wouldn’t touch one of those disgusting things.”
“That’s what I told him. Ever since that day we threw pebbles in your hair, he suspected you were going to do something else to get even with him.”
“I was just glad he left me alone. I didn’t want to do anything to get even.” She placed her blue hat on her head. “Why did you join him in throwing pebbles at me anyway?”
“To be honest, it was a bet we had. I told him that you wouldn’t put up with his pranks like the other girls did. I told him you stood up to me plenty of times whenever your parents brought you over to my house. He wouldn’t believe me, so I told him that if he was right, I would do his homework for a month. But if I was right, he had to give me his bicycle. He threw a couple of pebbles but I threw most of them. I was beginning to fear you weren’t going to retaliate. You almost made me look bad. I had such confidence that you weren’t like the other girls. I was relieved when you dumped the sand on us.”
She laughed. “Why Todd, that is sneaky. Here I thought Alex insisted you join him in his pranks. I had no idea you were capable of such deceit.”
“I knew you weren’t weak. You could hold your own.”
“I can’t believe you did that.”
“You made me proud.”
She shook her head, amused. “It did get him to leave me alone, so I suppose it worked out well enough. But I am surprised it was your idea. Apparently, there’s a lot I don’t know about you.”
“To put your mind at rest, I won’t throw pebbles in your hair.”
“Good. Because if you did anything sneaky like that again, I’d have to dump sand on you.”
I raised an eyebrow. “What if I put a squirrel in your bag?”
Her jaw dropped. “That was you?”
“Guilty.”
“You’re rotten!” The twinkle in her eye revealed that she was enjoying it. “Why didn’t you confess?”
“And miss him panicking over what you might do next?”
“I’m going to have to keep a close eye on you.”
I chuckled.
***
On the first of August, we were due to reach Jamestown. I got up early and quietly grabbed my good suit and bathing supplies while Ann slept in the bed. I glanced at her for a moment.
She had bathed the night before, and she smelled and looked wonderful. I liked to watch her sleep. She seemed peaceful and content. I hoped it wouldn’t be too long before I could sleep next to her. I would like to see her first thing every morning. I already knew that we would start out sleeping in separate bedrooms at our new home.
I left our room and went to the lavatory. Fortunately, it was vacant. After bathing, I took out my shaving kit and rubbed the lather on my face. I couldn’t help but smile as I recalled the previous afternoon while we were on the wagon. She was curious about my facial hair.
“Do you plan to keep the beard?” she had asked.
“No. I just haven’t shaved because we’ve been traveling. Why? Would you like me to keep it?”
“Honestly, no. I can’t see much of your face. Does it feel strange?”
I hadn’t thought about it, so I shrugged. “I don’t really know it’s there.”
She looked like she wanted to ask me something.
“What is it?” I prompted.
“You’ll think it’s silly.”
Curious, I urged her to continue.
After a moment’s hesitation, she asked, “Can I feel it?”
I thought it was an odd request but agreed she could. I stopped the horses so she could move closer to touch my face.
This time it was her fingers that trembled, which I found a relief since she was just as human as I was. My breathing quickened with her sitting close enough to me that I could almost feel her body against mine. Her fingers lightly brushed my cheek.
She grinned. “It tickles. And it’s a little rough.”
I smiled at the memory as I shaved. I didn’t care for the look or feel of it myself, but apparently, some men liked it. I got dressed in my dark gray suit and returned to the room.
She was already dressed, and she was putting her brush into the carpetbag. She had her hair pulled back into a braid. When she finished packing, she put her hat on. As much as she liked to go without it, she realized that wearing the hat protected her skin from the heat of the summer sun.
“Good morning,” I greeted. I packed my things away and picked up my blue tie.
She smiled at me. “Did you sleep well?”
“Yes. Spending all day on a wagon wears a person out. How did you sleep?”
“Wonderfully. It’s good to be clean for a change. I didn’t realize how much I missed baths until I took one last night.”
“It does make a person feel better.” I slipped the tie around my neck and began to tie the knot. I stopped when I noticed she was staring at me. “Is it the wrong color?”
“No. I...I was just thinking that you are a handsome man.”
I blushed at her compliment. I didn’t know who felt more awkward. Finally, I said, “Thank you” and finished working on my tie. I was glad she liked looking at me. I wanted to be as desirable to her as she was to me.
“Can I feel your face now that you shaved? I’m curious to know what the difference is like.”
You can touch me anywhere you want to. “I’m all yours.” I tried to sound nonchalant about it, but I suspected she picked up on my excitement.
I stood still as she walked over to me and gently stroked my face. She had wonderful hands. I wondered how they would feel on other parts of my body. My face tingled at her touch. I longed to take her hand and kiss it but forced myself to remain still. Her fingers lingered on my cheek.
“I like it,” she whispered. Was she as excited as I was? “It’s smooth but masculine.” She blushed and quickly put her hand down. Then she turned to put on her shoes.
I pushed aside my disappointment and picked up our luggage. I missed her touch.
Chapter Seven
Ann’s Point of View
When we reached Jamestown, a sense of peace washed over me. I gazed upon the flat farmlands further out of town.
He pointed north. “The way to our house is in that direction.”
“It’s beautiful,” I whispered. A strong wind tossed my braid around so that it flapped against my back. It wasn’t this windy in Virginia.
He urged the horses forward. “I saw pictures of this place, but it didn’t prepare me for it. I’m glad we came here.”
I turned my attention to the town. It was smaller than the one we grew up in. Even the houses were smaller than what I was used to, and it didn’t appear that any of them had servants. The people dressed in a different material and style than I was accustomed to. I felt sorely out of place here but was determined not to show it.
Todd stopped in front of the mercantile. I had heard of a mercantile but never entered one before. Servants did that kind of shopping, but we didn’t have servants anymore.
“I’m going to apply for a job at the bank.” He pointed to the building down the street. “I plan to work there until I have enough money saved up to buy farming supplies. Since my father insisted that I work at his bank, I know I can do that job. Afterwards, I can help you through the mercantile if you’d like.”
I eyed the store warily. It would be comforting to have him with me, but I didn’t want him to think I was incompetent. Besides, I had to learn to take care of these things on my own. “I’m sure I can figure it out. How hard can it be to buy food?”
“You’re right. We eat it every day.” He dug into his pocket and handed me some money. “Do you think this will be enough? I know it’s not much but it’s all I can afford right now.”
Since the issue of cost never crossed my mind before, I was sure it was enough. “This will do fine.”
After Todd helped me down from the wagon, I entered the store, trying to act as if I did this all the time. I frowned as I walked around, examining the contents on the shelves. I recognized fruits, vegetables and eggs, but everything else seemed to be in jars or paper sacks. Why didn’t anything look like food? I read labels for flour, yeast, broth and baking soda. My eyes scanned the labels. I felt as if I were reading a foreign language. Where were the breads, mashed potatoes, and steaks? Very little of this resembled actual food.
I sighed in despair. First, I had ripped my pink dress, stunk for weeks because I hadn’t bathed, and now this? Was living without servants going to change everything? As I began to feel sorry for myself, I imagined Kent and Rebecca together. My jaw clenched. So my life would be different. I could handle it. I began to pick things at random. I would make sense of it later. Luck was on my side, for I saw a recipe book. Of course, I grabbed it.
“Hello,” a warm voice greeted me.
I looked up from the recipe book that I had just placed in the basket. The woman who stood before me was dressed in simpler clothing that looked like it had seen better days. She looked like she was my mother’s age. I noticed her rough hands. Would my smooth hands be that rough one day? Was I staring at an image of who I would become living out West?
I shoved the thoughts away. “Hello,” I replied, nervously smiling. I wasn’t sure what the proper method of greeting someone was in this town.
“I haven’t seen you before,” she kindly said. “Are you passing through or are you moving here?”
“My husband bought a farm out here.” I cleared my throat. I wasn’t used to referring to Todd that way. “It’s north of here actually.”
“That’s wonderful! My name is Beth Coley. My husband and I own this store. We have a son who owns his own farm west of here and a daughter who sews clothes down the street. Where did you move from?”
“Virginia. My name is Ann, and my husband is Todd Brothers. We just arrived here. We haven’t even checked out the farm yet.”
“My, that’s a long way to travel. You must be exhausted.”
I nodded.
“Do you have pots and pans to cook your food in?”
My eyes widened. I hadn’t thought of any of those things. “I don’t think so.” What exactly did cooking entail? “Could you recommend some things I might need? I’m not familiar with cooking. I had servants who did that for me.” I blushed.
She
didn’t judge me as I feared she would. Instead, she told me the basics of cooking. She examined the items in my basket and placed some unnecessary things back on the shelves. She put the things I would need into my basket.
Unfortunately, the total amount for all I had collected was more than what Todd had given me. It was embarrassing, but she smiled.
“You can put the difference on credit and pay it off later,” she offered. “Many people do that. Payment doesn’t necessarily have to be money. It can be items you make, such as potholders. It could be jewelry. I have a couple of merchants who like to purchase jewelry from me. Payment can also be in the form of fruits, vegetables or eggs. I even accept it when people help me maintain this store.”
“I’m not sure. I better put some things back for now.” I wasn’t sure what skill or item I had that would be useful for her store.
“Whatever makes you comfortable. The offer will always stand in the future.”
“Thank you.”
A man entered the store with a box full of eggs. “I have a couple more boxes in the wagon. Mr. Johnson’s hens are really pushing them out today.” He smiled when he saw me. “Hello. My name is Mark Coley.”
“I’m Ann Brothers.”
“She and her husband are the new owners of the Martin farm.” She looked at me. “It’s the only farm vacant at the moment. That’s how I know. Mr. Martin left most of his supplies there, so you should be in good shape. I know he took good care of his things.”
He nodded. “We look forward to seeing you more often then.”
“And please, take this recipe book as our gift to you.”
“Thank you,” I replied. I was overcome by their kindness.
I glanced out the window and saw Todd leaving the bank. “I have to go. My husband is waiting for me.”
“Let me help you with those bags,” Mr. Coley offered.
“Thank you, again.”
I joined Todd and introduced him to Mr. Coley. After Todd and Mr. Coley put the bags in the wagon, they shook hands. Mr. Coley gave him directions on a quicker and easier way to get to the farm. Todd thanked him and then we left.
Falling In Love With Her Husband Page 5
