“What made you decide to leave?”
“Alex’s relatives used to visit and I would listen to them tell stories about farming out West. They brought books that I looked forward to reading, and I used to bother Alex to get pictures for me. It just felt like something I was meant to do.”
He smiled. “When can you start?”
I blinked. “Aren’t you going to ask me if I have any experience?”
“Do you have a desire to farm?”
“Yes.”
“Do you think you’ll need a tractor?”
“Yes.”
“Do you want to learn how to build and repair a tractor?”
“Yes.”
“Then that’s all you need. Desire is more important than experience. My sons and I will teach you everything you need to know. According to John, you can’t get enough of hearing him discuss farming.”
“Yes. I must be a pest with all my questions.”
“Nonsense. You’re passionate about what you want to do. Passion is what makes a good employee. You’ll have to lose the suit though. Working with machines is dirty work. Can you start today?”
I had told Ann I was going to an interview with Mr. Fields and would be back as soon as it was done, but I didn’t think she would mind if I stayed longer than I had planned, especially when I told her I got the job. “I can,” I replied.
“Great. We have a huge order due by Friday. You came at the right time. You can borrow a pair of my work clothes today and then wear suitable clothes tomorrow.”
I nodded, excited and grateful.
***
The next morning before Ann woke up, I set the snowmen kitchen gift set on the table. I hesitated when it came time for me to write something in the card Mrs. Coley gave me. Finally, I wrote, “I greatly appreciate your support and care for me. Your worth is above rubies. Yours, Todd.”
I didn’t usually leave before she woke up, but I wished to surprise her with the present. I didn’t realize how good it would feel to give her something. I enjoyed giving her dresses, but this was different. It was something she would never have guessed I thought to give her. Thanks to Calvin, of course. I would have to give him a piece of candy next time I saw him. I was looking forward to Christmas so I could give Ann her wedding ring. I really wanted to get her something to mark the beginning of our life together.
I washed up as well as I could before I returned home. I wasn’t sure what to expect. I walked through the back door and hung my coat and hat on the hook. I took my boots off. The house smelled of freshly baked cake. I grinned. She only made cake when she was in a good mood.
I turned to face the kitchen and saw that she was waiting for me. She was only a few steps away, and she was smiling.
“I got your message and the gift,” she quietly said. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
She walked up to me and hugged me.
I hugged her back, enjoying the feel of her in my arms. I kissed the top of her head. She smelled like lavender. I reached up and lightly touched her silky strands which she let fall down her shoulders in gentle waves. Did she wear her hair down for me? I liked thinking she did. My hand descended to the side of her face. Would she mind if I touched her? I hesitated to do so but since she hadn’t backed away, I let my fingers brush her cheek.
“Your skin is soft,” I whispered.
She stepped back and ran her hands up my arms. “You have gotten stronger out here. It must be all that time you chop wood.” She reached up and caressed my cheek. “I’m glad you shave. I like the feel of your face.”
My heart pounded as I looked into her eyes. I didn’t know what to do so I stood still and waited for her to make the next move. I promised her I would wait for her to be ready, and she said she would let me know when she was. I was shocked and pleased when she kissed me. It was longer than the kiss she gave me before.
When the kiss ended, she cleared her throat. “I made steak and potatoes for dinner and cake for dessert. They’re ready.”
I was so happy that she kissed me that it didn’t bother me that she didn’t want to do more. It occurred to me that she was opening up to me and that knowledge was enough to satisfy me.
Chapter Fourteen
Ann’s Point of View
When I returned to working for the Coleys the next day, some additional gossip regarding Todd had spread through the town. No one came to me directly, but they talked freely in the mercantile as I checked the inventory in the back. I heard various comments such as, “Mr. Fields better watch his money,” and “That Todd Brothers should be forced to leave town,” and “If Mr. Richard wasn’t such a forgiving Christian, he would have had Todd arrested”. As many people as there were to discredit Todd, there were those who stood up for him. They said that if the Russells and Coleys said he was innocent, then that was all the proof they needed.
That night, I sat on the couch in front of the warm, cozy fire as Todd got out a book to read. When he sat next to me, I couldn’t help but notice he sat close enough to me so that our shoulders touched. My heart pounded with an unexpected excitement. I didn’t know when things had changed between us, but I found that I looked forward to being with him. It wasn’t that I didn’t enjoy being with him since we married, because I did. But something was different. I wanted to explore the physical side of out relationship.
After he finished reading, he put his arm around my shoulders, and in response, I snuggled up to him.
“Ann?” he whispered, as if afraid to break the silence.
“Yes?”
He hesitated.
Curious, I sat up so I could look at him. Part of me was relieved to see that he was as nervous as I was about consummating our marriage, but another part of me found his blushing very flattering. Hoping to encourage him, I smiled and reached for his hand. “What is it?” I gently pressed.
His eyes held mine and I could feel his love flow into me. “I love you.”
Before I could respond, someone knocked on the front door.
Startled, I jerked away from him.
“Who would be coming here this late?” he grumbled as he stood up.
I was just as disappointed as he was but worried someone might be in trouble. Was one of our friends sick? I jumped up and followed him.
I laughed when he opened the door. “Agnes! What are you doing here? How did you find us? How did you get here? Is anyone else with you? Why didn’t you write? Oh, it’s so good to see you!” I hugged her.
Todd chuckled as he waved her inside. “Give her a chance to come in before barging at her with all those questions. This is a pleasant surprise.”
Once he brought her carpetbag in, she sat in front of the fireplace. I insisted that she tell us everything.
Todd, who realized how much I missed Agnes, took the bag up to the third bedroom and started a fire in the box stove.
Meanwhile, Agnes told me all about her journey. “I signed up for a three week retreat to New England, but I came here instead. I can figure out how to be a proper lady in social situations any old time, but I don’t get a chance to see my closest friend anymore. As soon as several of my lady classmates left for New England, I hopped a train and headed out West. Your parents were gracious enough to give me your address, though they assumed I wanted to write you a letter.”
“Do your parents know where you are?” I whispered so Todd wouldn’t hear me.
Agnes understood my reason for the secrecy. “They don’t approve of what he did at all. We can’t even talk about him.”
“Surely, they will come around. He is their only son.”
She shook her head. “My father feels betrayed. Family loyalty is everything to him. Todd was supposed to work at the bank, but he’s out here farming. My father is very strict about duty and obligation. My mother, however, is in tears most of the time. She misses Todd but can’t do anything about it. My father makes the decisions for the family.”
“That’s awful.” How was Todd goi
ng to take this news?
Agnes proceeded to tell me all the details of her train trip, especially regarding the people she sat next to. One elderly couple was also going to North Dakota, so she joined them for the most of the trip.
“Weren’t you scared to travel alone?” I asked.
“I was but I figured if I stayed around other people the entire time, I would be safe. And it worked!”
As she rambled on about her journey, my thoughts drifted to Todd. Was he giving us time alone to talk? I marveled that I should wish for him to be near me after trying to avoid him all the other times Agnes and I talked.
“This woman had so many feathers on her hat, I wondered if she was imitating a peacock,” Agnes continued. “Oh, that hat was gorgeous, just like the male of the species. I told her so. I think she was offended at first, but when I assured her that I meant her no ridicule but considered the hat to be one of the most beautifully decorated I had ever seen, she became amiable toward me.”
Todd brought us a cup of hot cocoa. He sat across from us. I hid my disappointment. I had some room next to me on the couch even though I sat next to Agnes. There was a time I dreaded his closeness, but I couldn’t seem to recall why.
“Agnes, are you going to let anyone else talk?” Todd asked. “Yours is the only voice I’ve heard since you got here.”
“For your information, she wants to know all about my trip, right Ann?” Without waiting for me to respond, she described her strange encounter with an old lady who confused her cat with her dog. “She was the best part of the trip though. She was so funny.”
“You should have told us you were coming. We would have gone to town to meet you.”
“Oh, the stage coach driver didn’t mind when I offered him extra money to bring me here. Besides, the looks on your faces were worth it. I wish I had a picture of that moment.” She giggled and then sighed. “It is beautiful out here. I can see why you wanted to come here. Alex’s pictures didn’t do this land justice.”
After a moment of silence, I turned to her. “I missed talking to you. So much has happened. It seems like it was only yesterday when we arrived, but I have a year’s worth of stories to tell you. I’m sure Todd has a lot he wants to tell you too.”
He stood up and collected our empty cups. “What I have to say can wait. I’d better get some sleep so I can wake up for work.”
We thanked him.
“Don’t bother getting up early for me tomorrow. I’ll get breakfast in town,” he told me.
I smiled at him. “Thank you. I appreciate it.” He was so good to me.
He returned my smile. To Agnes, he said, “I’ll talk to you when I get home from work.”
She grinned. “I can’t wait.”
Once he was upstairs, she squealed with delight. “He adores you more now than before you got married! I knew you were perfect for each other. To be honest, I was thrilled when my parents discovered his letter announcing his marriage to you and your quick departure to the West. It was so romantic.”
I blushed. Maybe it had been romantic. “Have you found a beau yet?” I wondered.
“Oh, there’s no one worthwhile. I don’t want to settle for second best.”
“You shouldn’t have to,” I agreed. “You don’t want to be with someone who doesn’t treat you well.”
“I won’t.” She hesitated for a moment before giving me a sly smile. “So... When am I going to be an aunt?”
I had a funny feeling that my parents would be asking me when they would be grandparents. I bit my lower lip. She had been my friend since childhood, and if there was anyone I could confide in, it was her. I explained how I wasn’t ready to engage in marital relations on my wedding night since I was still in love with Kent at the time, and I added that Todd was waiting until I was ready.
She shook her head. “My brother has an abundance of patience.” Then she looked at me with a question in her eyes. “What about Kent?”
“I haven’t thought of him for at least a month.”
“Maybe I should rephrase my inquiry. If Kent were to show up and ask you to annul your marriage to Todd so you could run off with him, would you?”
“Annul my marriage?”
“You haven’t consummated it yet so it permissible, not that I’m recommending that.”
Feeling uneasy, I shifted on the couch and asked, “Is there something you’re not telling me?”
She sighed heavily, as if the weight of the world rested on her shoulders. “You might as well know. Kent broke off his engagement to Rebecca. I don’t know why he asked her to marry him in the first place. And I don’t care why they’re not together. You and Todd are what I care about. Kent kept asking me about you, especially where you are living. I refused to tell him anything, but I think he found out from someone else. That’s why I wanted to know how you feel about him. He could arrive any day now. I just wanted to warn you.”
I stared at the fire.
“Ann, what are you thinking?” She tugged the sleeve on my dress. “Ann, please speak to me.”
“I have to be alone to sort things out,” I calmly replied. The truth was, I didn’t know want to think. Kent still wanted me? He didn’t want Rebecca after all? I stood up. “I’ll show you to your bedroom.”
“Promise me you won’t do anything rash!” she anxiously whispered.
I purposely ignored her because I was afraid of what I might say.
She mutely followed me, her head hung low. I knew that she figured she had said enough already.
I didn’t get undressed when I closed my bedroom door. I sat on my bed and stared at the box stove. Todd faithfully started a fire in it every evening so my room would be warm by the time I went to bed.
Agnes’ words haunted me.
“Kent kept asking about you...”
But Todd takes good care of you. He would never hurt you the way Kent did.
Kent was coming for me. What would I do?
I blindly stared into the box stove, willing my feelings away.
Do you love Todd?
Kent’s image blocked any rational response to that simple question.
Oh God, I don’t want to feel this way. Why am I pleased that Kent is coming?
***
By morning, I couldn’t bring myself to face Todd, even though I was wide awake and could make him breakfast. I heard him moving around in the next bedroom. He was getting dressed for work. I wondered what he looked like as he got dressed in his cotton shirts and denim pants. I turned over in my bed and caught sight of my dresses hanging in the wardrobe. They weren’t as fancy as the ones my parents bought me, but he worked hard for them. He wanted to give me nice things. I sighed heavily and squeezed my eyes shut to force the tears away.
When he left for work, I got out of bed. I needed to put Todd and Kent far from my mind. That meant I had to keep myself busy. I finished some light housework by the time a yawning and sleepy Agnes came down the stairs in a pink dress. My body relaxed at her familiar face.
“What would you like to eat for breakfast?” I asked as I took out a skillet.
“You cook? I mean, you know how?” She shook her head as she walked over to me. “Is it hard?”
I laughed, recalling my uneasiness when I started cooking. “It’s a lot easier than it looks. I’ll teach you. What would you like to eat?”
“Can you make French toast?”
“Sure. Todd eats that all the time.” I paused for a moment as I realized I had mentioned him. I hoped she wouldn’t ask me about Kent. Fortunately, she didn’t. I breathed a sigh of relief. “First, we need some bread,” I began and turned my attention to the meal.
After breakfast, I introduced her to Barbara and the children. “We didn’t even know she was coming, but we’re glad she did,” I said. “Barbara has been my friend and mentor. She’s the one who taught me to cook and take care of children.”
It was exciting for me to be with both of them at the same time. I did most of the talking on the way to to
wn in Barbara’s carryall.
After Barbara dropped us off at the mercantile, Agnes looked around the town. “This place is small. Don’t you miss the entertainment in Virginia? There doesn’t seem to be anything to do around here.”
“At first, I was dismayed at the small population, but now I’m familiar with most of the people here. It’s cozy.”
“Hmm... I don’t know. I feel trapped.”
“Yes, I suppose you aren’t meant for the small town life.” That’s when I realized that we were different. I had assumed we shared all the same interests while we were growing up.
We entered the mercantile and I introduced her to the Coleys who were as friendly and generous to her as they had been to me when I first met them. I smiled at her startled expression. She wasn’t used to such welcoming introductions, but she quickly began talking to them as if she had known them her entire life. I happily did my work while they shared stories.
Everyone I introduced her to seemed to enjoy her. Everyone, that is, except for Barbara. I didn’t notice Barbara’s discomfort right away. On our way back home, Agnes did most of the talking.
“And little Becky got so mad at Sam for putting a bug in her hair that she punched him out. He was unconscious for five minutes.” Agnes giggled. “I’m sorry, Ann, but this makes the time Todd and Alex threw pebbles in your hair look like child’s play. But anyway, I don’t think Mrs. Bore appreciated Becky’s action. Not that Mrs. Bore’s ever had a sense of humor about anything, although I do believe she smiled once during a Shakespearean comedy.”
“Mrs. Byron has a sense of humor,” I argued. “You were too busy acting up to notice.”
“Oh, I was a perfect eight year old. Mrs. Bore never appreciated my enthusiasm.”
The children giggled as they played a word game. Barbara remained silent. I wondered why.
“I couldn’t believe it when Rhoda decided to let Jeff court her. He’s completely dull,” Agnes continued. “Why he can’t even-”
I stopped her. “Agnes, it’s wrong to gossip.” I used to enjoy these conversations but now I found gossip irritating. Who knew how many people got hurt because of careless talk?
Falling In Love With Her Husband Page 11
