Steam Over Stephensport: Steam Through Time Series - Book 2

by Carolyn Bond

  “Oh, Evan! How wonderful for you!” Bettie exclaimed.

  “Really, Evan? Tell me about the land. What’s it like?” Lily asked.

  “It overlooks the curve of the river. You can see the steam over Stephensport from the paddlewheelers and the locomotives. There’s good flat areas for farming and to build a house. There are also hills with trees and good areas to walk.” He thought a minute. “It’s a good place to make a family.”

  Heat rose to her cheeks. She could imagine nothing more wonderful than making a family with him and watching them grow.

  “Well, then, I think any woman would be a fool to turn you away, especially if she loved you.” Bettie looked at Lily. “And, I know it when I see it.”

  Evan and Lily looked at each and the smiles broke through the hesitation.

  “Lily, would you accept my invitation to ride with me on my new homestead? I would like your opinion of it.”

  “Oh!” she stammered. A vision formed in her mind of her in a homespun dress churning butter as this man, straight out of a Highland romance novel, scoops her into his arms. She knew as well as anything that Evan would be a husband that would never tire of her and even better, would love her until the day he died. Here he was, willing to offer her his life, his name and his attention without hesitation. “Uh, yes. I would certainly love to see your new land. But we need to discuss--”

  “Not now, darlin,” Bettie interrupted. “You can figure out the little details later.” She winked at Lily.

  Lily saw a smile that broke loose across Evan’s face. “Then I’ll come by tomorrow morning and we will ride out together.” He looked around at the dark gray sky. “It’s going to be cold tonight. I hope you stay warm,” he said with a twinkle in his eye. He leapt up on his stallion and tipped his hat toward her before setting off for the barn.

  “You can breathe now, little lady.” Bettie laughed at her.

  Still dizzy, she looked at Bettie confused. Her mind caught up with her heart rate and she blushed. “That man will be the death of me.”

  “He will if you don’t learn how to breathe around him!”

  ***

  The morning frost covered the grass with glistening silver fuzz. On horseback, they followed the creek which gave off a ghostly mist rising up into the crisp morning air. Evan rode in front. His dark silky waves cascaded over the collar of his gray wool cloak. Lily wanted to run her fingers through it. She could feel the tickle of softness between her fingers just thinking about it. She closed her eyes and imagined laying on a blanket with him over her kissing her, her fingers running through his silky cool locks. Without realizing it, she let go a quiet moan. Her horse stopped and jolted her out of her daydream.

  “I hope I am the subject of your delightful daydreams.” He smirked with self-satisfaction. They had stopped at a bend in the creek that opened to a wide flat meadow. The sunlight coming over the ridge caused the morning frost to glisten like a diamond farm. As she watched, the mist rose from the ground as though called back to the clouds from its evening getaway.

  She forgot he was still watching her and clicked at the horse’s sides to make it move ahead to get a better view.

  “You like it then?” he asked.

  She smiled, remembering he was there. “Is this your land? It’s like heaven.” She imagined how it would look in the summer with grass and trees so green it hurts your eyes, set against the backdrop of sapphire blue sky.

  He moved his horse beside her, “It’s our land, Lily. This is your home, too.” He reached for her hand and she let him. He leaned across, pulling her hand toward him, and kissed her. Joy radiated from his broad smile. “Let me show you something! Follow me.”

  They galloped across the frosty meadow into the sunlight. The farther they went, the more the heat of the morning sun covered them, turning the frost into dew. The ground was waves of hibernating brown grass that clumped and crossed where it fell when the season changed. By the time they reached the other side, all the frost was gone and the dull faded color of winter had returned to the ground. The sun proudly reigned over them with white blasts of light surrounded by pale winter blue sky.

  The forest of skeleton trees and occasional pine and cedar rose up like a wall beside the meadow. “Look back the way we came. See the puffs of white in the sky over there?” He pointed back towards town. “That’s Stephensport. That’s steam from the sternwheelers and the train.”

  “Oh! Yes.”

  He got down off his horse and walked over to her. Reaching up he helped her slide off her horse. He wrapped his arms around her small waist and pulled her close to him. She could feel the heat of his skin through his clothes. As she looked into his eyes she couldn’t imagine anything else mattering in the world. His head dipped and he kissed her tenderly. A quiet peace passed over her as she realized she had stopped breathing again.

  “Evan, the sling. You’re not wearing it. What happened to you, anyway?”

  “A group of men tried to commandeer the river boat” He paused. “But, I remember just before I was shot, one knew my name.”

  “How would he know you? Were they from here?”

  “I don’t think so. I had never seen them before,” he said.

  “If you didn’t know them, how would they know you?”

  “I don’t know, but I’m fairly sure they wanted to kill me.”

  “That makes no sense. Do you have any enemies?”

  He laughed. “No. just that ox in the barn.” He walked to a flat spot in the meadow. “Lily, what do you think about building our house here? On this spot?”

  She nodded and smiled.

  He pulled the blanket off the back of her horse with one hand, not letting go of her with the other. He shook out the blanket and tossed it on the ground and then sank to one knee. “On this ground, we will make our family. We will raise our bairns, laugh, love, dance, and live.”

  She sank down to her knees in front of him and kissed him softly.

  “We will make a life and share the joy and the turmoil. Together. I give all of me to you.”

  “Are you sure, Evan? You know I am, uh, different. There may be things about me you will never understand.”

  He tossed his head back and laughed, “Oh woman, that you may come from another time would be the least confusing thing to understand about a woman!”

  “Alright, then. I give you all of me, as well. I have to admit you take the notion of me being from the future pretty well.”

  “There are many things in this world I don’t understand, but my mother always told me not to look a gift horse in the mouth.”

  “She sounds very practical.” She looked up into his eyes. Lily felt the warm rush of desire coursing through her body and sank into the dizzy peace in her mind.

  He lowered her to the ground and cradled her head under his arm. Pausing to survey the area around them, his face relaxed and the laugh lines around his eyes crushed against each other. With a broad smile of joy, he turned back to her catching sight of her soft pink lips. She couldn’t take her eyes off him.

  Referring back to her pledge, “And I accept you, all of you including your mysteries, as mine,” he said.

  The smile stretched farther across her face and her smooth cheek bones were even more prominent. A tender blush spread a warm glow when she realized he was going to kiss her. She wanted him now. She wanted to be his wife. She wanted his arms around her every night when she fell asleep and she wanted to see his face first thing every morning. More than that even, she wanted him to hold her next to him with nothing, not even clothes, to separate them. She wanted to feel the heat of his skin against her.

  She imagined him slowly kissing his way from her neck to her belly button. A coursing flash of energy griped her from her chest to her thighs. She sucked in her breath and arched her back, pressing herself into him involuntarily. He responded instinctively and clamped down on her open mouth.

  The insistent pressure of his kiss destroyed her resolve. A moan of sw
eet pleasure released in her distraction. She wrapped her arms around his waist as he let go of the passion he had held inside for so long. His kiss was deep and powerful. He claimed her as his future bride with this kiss. There was no misunderstanding. This was not just a marriage of convenience. He would love her with every fiber of his being.

  Before long, they found themselves side by side looking up into the sky watching clouds pass by overhead.

  “So, since we are daydreaming about our future, we need to talk about my plans for the school,” she said.

  “I agree. What are your plans, then?”

  “I can’t let the students down. The girls are depending on me to fight for them. The boys need more than rules and memorization. I’m not willing to give up my career.”

  He sighed. “I don’t know how it will work,--“

  “But—,” she interrupted.

  “Let me finish. I don’t know how it will work, but I’m open to trying.”

  She thought about his words. It was quite a leap for a man of his time. The fact that he was open to trying with no strings, no lording, no conditions, was a giant step forward.

  ***

  That evening, Lily sat with Bettie in the kitchen when they heard the knock at the door. Wide-eyed, she remembered the invitation to the ball with Brian.

  Jumping up, “Oh, no! Bettie! I forgot!” Then she whispered, “Brian Everbright had invited me to a dinner ball with his parents. What am I going to do?”

  “Oh, darlin! I don’t know. Let me think.” Bettie stood with her and took her hands.

  “Whose carriage is that?” Evan strolled in the back door with a furrowed brow.

  “Darling Bettie, Mr. Everbright is here. He says he is here to pick up Lily. What’s this about?” William asked as he came through the hallway door.

  The four of them stood looking from one to another until all eyes rested on Lily.

  “I’ll just have to tell him.” She reached for Evan’s hand.

  “Well, this ought to be a spectacle to watch. We’ll be right there with you, though, Lily.”

  Lily led the way and they all filed into the parlor.

  Brian looked up from picking lint from his sleeve. “Ah there--, you aren’t ready, then. Do you need time to dress?”

  She stepped up to him and mustered all the courage she had. She knew he didn’t like not getting his way. Her choices could very well have put William and Bettie in the line of fire, not to mention Evan.

  “Mr. Everbright, I’m sorry I didn’t send my regrets sooner, but I am otherwise engaged.”

  “What’s this?” He looked down his nose at Evan. “I see you have returned. I suppose it’s harder to drown a rat than one would expect.” He looked at Evan with disdain. “Do you have something to do with this nonsense?”

  “Yes,” Lily answered. “Yes, he does. Apparently,” she paused to gather strength. “Apparently, when Mr. McEwen was out of town, he travelled to Frankfort and asked my father for my hand in marriage.”

  Brian straightened and looked down his nose even more so. His eyes narrowed in disbelief.

  “He brought a hand-written letter and presented it to William. We are engaged to be married.”

  “It’s the truth, Mr. Everbright,” William said. “She speaks true.”

  Brian pursed his lips and jeered at Lily. “I see, Mr. Brown. “And tell me, how certain are you that it’s written by her father’s own hand, eh? How do we know he didn’t have anyone write it for him? I’m not sure I would have taken that letter with such acceptance. He may have been miles away from Frankfort in the opposite direction.”

  “I am satisfied. I would trust Evan with my life.”

  “Is that so? Pardon me if I don’t share your sentiment. I feel that something is awry. You know very well what my intentions are and yet you allow this, this hillbilly, to take what’s promised to me? I’m not sure if I can stand by and allow such injustice.”

  Bettie and Lily shared a glance.

  “There’s nothing you can do about it, Mr. Everbright. What’s done is done.” Evan stepped in.

  Brian turned to face him squarely. “Mr.McEwen, there is quite a bit I can do, in fact. First off, I may have evidence that shows there is no way you could have met with Lily’s father. I could present that to a judge and sue for damages.”

  Evan didn’t move or show any signs of weakness.

  ”However, what exactly would I gain from that? The work shirt off your back?” He turned then to William, “However, it seems the fault is shared by the man in whose custody she resides. To take a man’s property is criminal and I will press charges.”

  Brian turned abruptly and strode out the door.

  Lily let out a sigh. “That wasn’t too bad.”

  “He’s not finished.” William said. “Brian Everbright is not a man to be slighted.

  Chapter 7 – Visiting with Old Friends

  It had been a few weeks and she had not seen nor heard anything from Brian. She hoped he had moved on.

  On a Monday morning, Lily found herself back in the classroom. Thoughts of Evan kept distracting her from the task at hand. She had the boys working on grammar while she sat with the girls in a circle on the floor. The morning light streamed in the window making a spotlight like a stage. A girl named Moira read from a primer. She read so slowly, sounding out every sound, that it was hard to follow the story. The other girls started looking around the room or out the window as they lost interest. Two girls whispered and giggled.

  “Girls, let’s read this paragraph together and then Moira can try again. Everyone together now.” The group of eight girls read together. Some were louder than others and some skipped every other word. Lily chose one that read the best, “Mary, can you tell me what is happening?”

  “Yes, ma’am. The girl is going to make bread and she is getting what she needs together.”

  “Good. Now Moira, try again to read it.” Moira read it much faster now, only misreading a few words. "Good job, Moira.”

  “Alright, now.” She took the hand of the girl to the right of her and raised it up. “Every other girl raise their hand, please.” She waited for them to follow instructions. “Good, if your hand is up, please turn to your right and take hands with your partner.” After a minute of confusion about right and left, there were four pairs joined. “Excellent. Hands down. There is a word in there, ingredients. Take half a minute and talk with your partner about what this word means.”

  Lily scanned the circle watching. She took note of the ones who either weren’t talking or were trying to distract their partner. There were two girls, Moira and Anna. They did not know what the word meant. Anna was Mary’s partner.

  “Anna, can you tell us what Mary said?” Anna stuttered a little and looked caught. “Mary, could you whisper your answer in Anna’s ear.”

  The group waited and then Anna smiled with her whole face. “It means things you mix together to make bread.”

  “Perfect, Anna! And thank you Mary, for your help!” Both girls smiled and raised their chins a bit. “Let’s keep going. You are all coming along so well as readers!”

  By noon, she had read with the girls, worked on arithmetic and geography with the boys, and they had all done a group lesson to create and build an oven that could bake a biscuit without a fire. They had to measure the ingredients, mix them and bake the biscuit. One of the boys suggested a magnifying glass to heat a small metal pan through an opening in a box. The biscuit was still a bit sticky on top, but otherwise edible. They had elected a particularly well-fed boy as the taster. He declared it good enough to keep you from starving.

  “You have all earned some well-deserved play time. Let’s break for lunch and I’ll give you five extra minutes to play before I call you back.” The kids cheered and ran for their lunch pails before filing out the door in a rush.

  The door slammed and Lily watched the dust particles caught up in the dervish of air swirling toward the ceiling. The wood desks, exactly like ones she ha
d seen in museums, glowed from the oil of many small hands over walnut striations. The room was so different from her classroom in 2018 but the children were the same. Different faces, different lives, but the unmistakable joy of learning and feeling accomplished resonated around the room.

  The door opened and knocked her out of her reverie. Bettie stepped inside. She smiled like a school girl when her eyes adjusted and fell on Lily. “Oh, Lily. I just had to come to tell you. William and I need to take a brief trip to Lexington for William’s business. You need to come, too. We certainly must do a little shopping and get some items for your wardrobe. Since, well, you know, you won’t be receiving any trunks from Frankfort any time soon,” she winked, “and you really need a few things.”

  “Lexington? When are you going?”

  “William wants to leave first thing in the morning. Can you cancel school?”

  Lily almost laughed out loud but caught herself. In her previous life, the thought of school being canceled because you needed time off to go shopping was comical. Then she realized there really weren’t any substitutes here. “Well, I suppose so. Not many other options, huh?”

  Bettie looked around the room distracted by her own memories, “Nobody will care. The parents will be glad to have the help at home.”

  Lily stared at her with confusion. That certainly was never the reaction she would have had in her own time if school was randomly canceled with no real notice. There would be furious calls by parents having to miss work to stay home to watch their kids. Politicians would chime in about poorly run school districts. Some accountant would have a fit because no federal funding would be received for that day.

  “Times sure have changed,” Lily mumbled.

  “What dear?” Bettie turned to her.

  “Oh, nothing. Just thinking about rearranging my lesson plan,” Lily lied.