Elof's Mission (Grooms with Honor Book 9)

by Linda K. Hubalek

  Of course, that was because men wanted someone to cook and clean for them. Kaitlyn pointed out several bachelors in church this morning.

  The community church pews were packed with people for the morning service. The three of them squeezed in with the Clancy family. Everyone seemed to have their own pew and expected to be able to sit in it.

  Kaitlyn introduced them to several couples before the service started. Actually, Kaitlyn was the last person to sit down in church. Pastor announced it was time to start the service, and then Kaitlyn walked down the aisle to sit in the front pew beside her sons.

  The sermon was thoughtful, although a tad long according to Jamie’s squirming. Besides the congregation singing hymns, there was special music. Nolan Clancy, Gabe Shepard, and Mack and Tully Reagan sang a quartet song accompanied by Holly Clancy playing her violin.

  “Think you met everyone in the congregation today, Linnea?” She looked down the table to answer Mack’s question.

  “I believe so, although I couldn’t recite back their names.”

  “You remember meeting Dagmar and Cora Hamner?” Tully grinned, knowing they were a special couple.

  “My feet actually left the ground when the big man gave me a hug. Is he that way with everyone?”

  “Yes,” several people said around the table before laughing.

  “Jamie, did Mr. Hamner tell you to call him Uncle Daggie?” Mack asked, probably already knowing the answer.

  “Yep, and she’s my Aunt Cora too. They had a whole pew of kids!”

  “Started with twin boys and continued up to a dozen.” Pastor shook his head. “Six was enough for me.”

  “Mor, will we add more kids to our family?”

  Linnea almost choked on the food in her mouth with Jamie’s question. She grabbed her glass and took a sip of water before answering.

  “Would you like some siblings?”

  “Maybe a couple. There’s plenty of boys to play with in town, but I wouldn’t mind having a little brother or two,” Jamie said matter-of-factly.

  “What if your siblings turned out to be girls?” Tully teased Jamie.

  “Nope. Got to be boys only.” Jamie seriously replied while shaking his head.

  “You know God makes the decision, Jamie,” Pastor reminded him.

  “Oh, well then I’ll pray real hard for brothers only when I say my nightly prayers.”

  Linnea knew she was blushing with this talk about more children.

  She felt Adolph breathe on her neck as he leaned over to whisper, “I know Elof has declared his feelings, but I’d like to be welcome to court you in hopes of adding children to your family.”

  Linnea turned to stare at Adolph. “Really?”

  “Say the word, and you and Jamie have a home with me,” he answered with a very serious look.

  She glanced back at Elof, seeing his narrowed eyes were paying attention to their conversation at the other end of the table. Linnea turned back to Adolph.

  “Thank you. I appreciate the, uh, offer, but—”

  “You have feelings for Elof,” Adolph finished her thoughts. “Just remember there is a fellow Swede in town who can help you, or at least be your friend. All right?”

  “Yes, thank you, Adolph. I’ll remember that.”

  “Boys, please serve the pies and coffee now,” Kaitlyn announced, ending their conversation.

  The four sons rose from their seats and started clearing the dishes off the table.

  “Come on, Jamie,” Mack urged her son to follow him to the kitchen. “You need to serve pie and coffee to your Ma too.”

  “Why? I don’t want to miss my piece of pie!”

  “You serve your ma first, and then you get your own piece. It’s the ‘Sunday dinner law’ in this town,” Mack winked at Linnea while he said it.

  If Mack weren’t a decade younger than she was, she’d be tempted to flirt with the man. Pastor and Kaitlyn raised good sons. She hoped she could do the same with Jamie—unless the Schmidts changed her plans.

  Chapter 9

  Elof took a deep breath. This was what he’d been saving money for during his army career. After living in barracks for years, he was about to own a home—if a certain woman approved it. But he was jumping ahead. First, he had to see the inside of the house and be sure it was in good shape, or at least repairable.

  “Thanks for meeting me here, Mack,” Elof nodded his head as the carpenter walked up to him.

  “Have you been in the house yet?” Mack said testing the steadiness of the porch railing. Unfortunately, the railing wobbled. Dry rot, termites? Mack pulled out a small paper pad and stubby pen from his pocket and made a note.

  Elof hoped all the problems were small, so Mack didn’t have to use a second or third sheet of paper.

  “No. You familiar with this house?” Elof wondered if he’d been inside since he grew up in Clear Creek.

  “Yep. The Prudys lived here as long as I can remember. Mr. Prudy died about five years ago and the Mrs. about a month ago.

  “Used to deliver food here when the Mr. was sick. Ma would bake extra bread, and we’d bring over a loaf and a pot of soup.”

  Mack reached above the doorframe, feeling along the top until he found the key for the front door. He rubbed it between his fingers to clean it up, then put the key in the door lock and turned the key.

  “Well if you would have told me where the key was, I wouldn’t have bothered you coming over,” Elof couldn’t help saying.

  Mack grinned. “Nah. Couldn’t do that. The marshal and the bank would say you were trespassing.” He pushed the door open and motioned for Elof to proceed him.

  The place smelled musty and had another odor. Elof couldn’t figure out what it was, but it made him want to pull out his handkerchief and cover his nose with it.

  “Ooh. We better open some windows around here,” Mack grimaced as he strolled over to the front room window, unlocked the window lock, and tried to push the bottom half of the window up. It didn’t budge.

  “Try another window. I don’t want to pound too hard on the frame until I check the wood.”

  Elof moved to the kitchen where the smell was worse. He jimmied, and lightly pounded on the window frame before the window finally slid up.

  “Open up the back door while you’re at it. Let’s blow some air through the house,” Mack called from the front room where Elof could hear him pounding on another window frame.

  Having both doors and two windows open helped Elof get his breath. He looked around the room and found the source of the smell. A big rat lay bloated along the wall.

  “Looks like that rat found his way in the house, but not back out,” Mack commented as he walked out to the side porch and came back with a broom and dustpan. A quick sweep and throw out the door took care of the body but not the stain on the wood floor or the lingering smell.

  Good thing he didn’t ask Linnea to accompany him this first trip through the house. But maybe she wasn’t squeamish about mice and rats. She didn’t seem the type of woman to make a fuss about such things.

  “It’s a small house, but would suit a bachelor, a couple, or a small family, depending on what you’re planning for your future,” Mack grinned at Elof as they continued their walk through the house.

  “I like staying at Donovan’s boarding house, especially for the three meals a day Flora prepares, but I want to put my money into something more permanent.”

  “Makes sense. Besides the front room, kitchen, and pantry area, there’s one large and one small bedroom downstairs.” Mack opened and closed doors as he walked through the house, noting if the doors stuck or dragged. So far, it was half-and-half, Elof thought with a little worry.

  “Where is the cellar door?” Elof asked since he hadn’t seen one yet.

  “Only entrance is from the outside door on the north side of the house.”

  Not very handy to get food during the winter, but at least it had a cellar.

  “Here’s the upstairs.” Mack opened the do
or and started up the narrow staircase. Elof looked up when Mack’s head hit the angled ceiling at the top of the steps.

  “Dang! And I knew it was there.” Mack rubbed the side of his head and moved into the room so Elof could walk up and miss hitting his head on the ceiling.

  “It’s one big room, with the slanted ceiling, but it has a window at each end of the room. It was a finished attic. But it would work for a bedroom for children.

  “We could put in a floor register, so the room gets some heat during the winter.” Mack walked the length of the room and looked out the window before going back to the staircase.

  Elof walked back through the rooms again when they were downstairs. “Well, what’s your opinion, Mack?”

  “I know it smells and has characteristic creaks and groans, but overall it needs very few repairs.”

  “Is the asking price about right? I’ve never bought a house before,” Elof confessed.

  “I think so. Their daughter lives in Kansas City and wants to get it sold. She was here for the funeral and cleaned out the house then. Well, what she wanted to take or give anyway. The furniture still in the house goes with it.”

  The kitchen table was worn, and he noticed at least one chair needed some repair, but overall the pieces could be cleaned, fixed, and painted.

  “The bank is handling the sale so talk to them. I’m sure they’d like to see someone move in.”

  Mack walked out the back door, and Elof followed. The house was on the edge of town, but still only one block from the blacksmith shop where’d he’d spend time in the future. A chicken coop and small barn with a corral beside it were behind the house.

  Elof had thought about looking for a homestead for sale, but then he’d have more land and buildings to take care of. He wasn’t a farmer and had no desire to till and harvest fields or raise cattle. His profession was taking care of other people’s horses, and he felt comfortable sticking to it.

  “Close enough your family could still walk to church or school,” Mack hinted.

  Elof knew Mack was hinting about his status with Linnea and Jamie, but he didn’t say anything. They’d only been in town two weeks and were still settling in.

  He tried to see the two of them at least every other day, but he’d been out at the Cross C Ranch most of this week and hadn’t seen them since Monday.

  “I know you’ve been out of town. Been over to parsonage yet?”

  “No why?”

  “Jamie’s been pulling some stunts, probably acting up because of his family situation. Da finally put his foot down when Jamie wouldn’t mind Linnea.”

  Elof took off his hat and wiped his forehead. He knew this was coming. Jamie had so many changes in his life, and he couldn’t control or have any say in it.

  “I suppose no word from Jamie’s grandparents yet?”

  “Nope. That’s probably testing Linnea’s patience as much as Jamie is.”

  “I’ll go over and talk to them in the morning.” It was the end of the day, and he was tired. His rumbling stomach was already crying out for Flora’s supper.

  “Linnea won’t be at my folks’ in the morning. She’s filling in for Holly at the café.”

  Elof must have looked puzzled because Mack gave him more information. “Seems Mrs. Clancy can’t stand the smell of frying bacon right now.”

  When Elof still couldn’t figure it out, Mack waved his right hand in a circle in front of him. “You seem to be slow when it comes to women. She’s in the family way.”

  “Nolan’s going to be a father? I bet he’s ready to jump the moon.” Elof felt a pang of envy but was happy for his friend. Would there be children in his future? He hoped at least Jamie, but everything was still up in the air without any word from Jamie’s grandparents.

  ***

  Linnea smiled when she heard Elof’s voice then Nolan’s happy laughter coming from the kitchen. Elof must have come in the back door of the kitchen to congratulate Nolan. The man was so excited to become a father. And so worried about Holly now, although the woman assured Linnea she was fine, just couldn’t stand the smell of certain foods now.

  Linnea immediately said yes when the Clancys asked if she could fill in for Holly when she didn’t feel like working. She needed the income as much as getting out of the parsonage for part of the day. Kaitlyn and Pastor were wonderful to live with, but she was ready to spend time doing something useful.

  She had been watching for Elof all morning. Mack came over last night to take Jamie out for a ride and said he’d seen Elof come into town last night. She knew Elof was working hard to establish a business so hadn’t felt bad that he didn’t stop in.

  “Hello, Linnea,” Elof smiled as he sat down at an empty table. “Good to see you.”

  She picked up a cup and saucer from the side table and set it in front of him. “Good midmorning. I assume you just want coffee since I hear Mrs. Donovan makes a good breakfast?”

  “Yes, I came in for coffee, besides seeing you.” Linnea turned her face away as she poured his cup of coffee, so he didn’t see her blush.

  “Glad to see you’re working and happy to hear why, Linnea.” Elof teased. “When do you think Nolan will start walking on the ground instead of the clouds?”

  “About the time Holly goes into labor. I hear fathers crash about then.” Linnea teased but wished she knew it personally.

  “Good for them. When you get off work?”

  “About eleven o’clock. Why?”

  “I wanted to show you something, but I also wanted to talk about Jamie. I saw Mack last evening, and he said Jamie’s been giving you some trouble?”

  “It’s not all his fault. I know he’s grieving the loss of his parents and his last home.”

  “Is he playing with other boys in town?”

  “He’s gone most of the day with one group of boys or another, but that’s good. He needs to be doing something other than sitting in the parsonage.”

  “Ma’am, may I have more coffee?” A man at another table held up his empty cup.

  “Yes, sir.” she smiled at the customer and then felt Elof’s hand on her forearm.

  “How about I come back in an hour, and we can take a walk?” Elof softly asked.

  She knew she was beaming when she nodded her head and moved away. She’d missed him and couldn’t wait to spend time together, even if it was just talking about Jamie.

  Elof seemed to be walking a certain path as they wandered through town. But Linnea didn’t mind as long as she could stroll with her hand in the crook of his elbow.

  The weather had warmed up considerably in the two weeks they’d been in Clear Creek, and Linnea didn’t mind seeing Elof without his jacket and vest today. His rolled-up shirtsleeves meant he must have been working before coming back to the café.

  “The Cross C Ranch was quite a place. We were near it when we visited the Connelys when we first came to town. Huge house with a wraparound porch. The Brenners adopted eight children all at once when they were first married, so they’ve filled the house.”

  “So what all did you do there for three days?”

  “Looked at all the horses in the remuda that was at the homestead. Trimmed some hooves, replaced the shoes on the draft and carriage horses. Treated a pretty mare who’d been kicked. Her wound was infected, so I had to drain and clean the infection.”

  “Poor horse. Hope she heals all right.”

  “Isaac will watch her and let me know if she has more trouble.”

  “So you saw the Connelys while you were out there?”

  “Isaac worked right along beside me most of the time. I enjoyed visiting with the man. Gave me the history of the ranches and homesteaders in the area.”

  Elof stopped and moved to stand in front of her, taking both of her hands in his. “I like Clear Creek and plan to settle here.” He hesitated as if he was going to say something else but dropped her hands and turned toward the house they were standing in front of instead.

  “So, what color should I pa
int my new house?”

  Linnea looked at the house, and then Elof, then back to the dwelling until it dawned on her what his question meant.

  “You’re buying this house? Really? Truly?”

  “I’m pretty sure although I still need to talk to the bank. Mack and I walked through it yesterday evening, and it needs some repair.”

  Elof turned back to Linnea. “So what color should I paint it? Swedish Falun red?” Was he teasing about the color, or really wanted a house the common color of most Swedish homes?

  “My first thought is a light yellow. Something bright and cheery.” She turned to smile at Elof, and her heart thumped with excitement. She was anxious to see the inside of the house, and the reason Elof was asking all these questions.

  “Let’s tour the inside and see what you think of the condition and layout.” Elof ushered her up the walk, took the key from its hiding place to unlock the door.

  “I’ll warn you, it smelled pretty bad when we first walked in last night.”

  Linnea held her breath when she stepped in the door, then took a little sniff.

  “Dead mice. A good cleaning and airing out will clear the air, but you need to find where they are coming into the house and seal the holes.”

  She knew Elof would want her to be frank about the shape of the house. It definitely needed repairs and a good cleaning.

  “It’s not a big house, but will work for me…and my future.” Was she going to be included in Elof’s future? I hope so.

  “Lots of windows to let in light.” Linnea moved around the downstairs, opening the bedroom doors to peek in the bedrooms before going to the kitchen. “Doors need adjusting.”

  Elof held back when she entered the kitchen. Was he worried she wouldn’t like it?

  She walked straight to the wood stove and opened the fire box door, then the oven door.

  “With a good cleaning inside and blacking on top, the stove should be fine, unless the water reservoir was let go dry and it cracked. Then you’d have to replace it.”

  Elof looked surprised at her assessment. She guessed he hadn’t bothered looking at the stove yet, let alone thinking of cleaning or cooking with it.