Love Inspired Historical November 2014

by Danica Favorite

An hour later, the kitchen was clean, mugs sat on the table waiting to be filled when the men arrived, and the kitchen smelled of freshly brewed coffee. The sound of the front door opening and boots stomping on the front porch had her racing to the main room.

  Her heart did a little skip when she saw Jake enter the house. His hands and face were red, but the smile in his eyes and on his lips assured her he was fine.

  “I’ve made coffee,” she said in the way of greeting.

  They all looked tired but happy to hear that she had something hot and ready for them to drink. Leah hurried to the kitchen and grabbed the pot. She poured each man a mugfull.

  Jake took his. “Thank you, Leah.”

  “I’m sorry. I don’t know what Agnes did with the cider, so I didn’t make you any.” She felt a flush come to her cheeks.

  He touched her cheek in a gesture of reassurance. “The coffee is fine. Thank you for making it.” Jake wrapped his hands about the mug and drank deeply.

  His hand had felt chilled against her skin, and yet Leah felt warm inside. Her cheek still retained the cold from where his hand had briefly touched her face. She felt her cheeks flame and decided to focus on the job at hand, seeing to all the men’s comfort and not just Jake’s.

  As she refilled Mr. Frontz’s cup, he asked, “Is Agnes still up there?” His gaze moved to the top of the stairs.

  Leah nodded.

  He turned to the men. “Who goes out next?”

  Ike raised his hand.

  “Son, you go on to bed.” He looked at the other young men. “I need volunteers to sit up with Mr. Dalton.”

  They all raised their hands.

  “Good, we’ll each take a shift. Will, you go on up and relieve Mrs. Frontz. Timothy, in an hour you relieve him. Cole, you’re next. I’ll take over after Cole if you’ll step in after me, Jake.”

  Everyone nodded.

  Mr. Porter stepped up. “What about me? I’ll take a turn like the rest of you.”

  Mr. Frontz clapped a hand on the other man’s shoulder. “Yes, you will. Jake’s shift will be finished at five. You can take over from him.”

  Mr. Porter nodded.

  “Now that that’s settled, I suggest you all get to bed.” Mr. Frontz watched as each young man headed out of the house through the kitchen. He turned and headed up the stairs, Will close behind.

  Leah assumed Mr. Frontz would collect Agnes and then head on up to their rooms on the third floor. She picked up the mugs and cups and took them back to the kitchen. She dropped them into the pan of soapy water. Her back hurt, but she wasn’t about to leave the kitchen with dirty dishes in the sink.

  “You wash and I’ll dry.”

  Leah jumped. She hadn’t realized that Jake had followed her to the washtub. “No, you’re tired and need your rest.”

  “So are you. If we work together, we can both get our rest.”

  His deep voice pulled her gaze to his. He was serious. Did he really care that she was tired, too? She suddenly felt wide awake.

  *

  Jake picked up a dish towel and waited for Leah to start handing the cups to him. He’d seen the surprised look on her face. Was she truly unspoiled? Hadn’t anyone ever offered to help her with chores before?

  He realized he knew very little about the woman standing beside him. She handed him a cup without meeting his eyes.

  Earlier in the barn, she’d listened as he’d talked about the horses and the care required to prepare them for their long rides with the pony express riders. She had kept her thoughts to herself, seeming content to listen to him. Was she used to keeping her own counsel? It felt strange, but Jake knew that if they were going to create a happy home for Molly, they were going to have to spend time together and communicate while doing so.

  “Leah, what was your childhood like?” The shocked expression on her face had him wishing he could take the spontaneous question back.

  She cleared her throat. “I grew up in an orphanage. My parents dropped me off on the doorstep when I was somewhere between six months and a year old.”

  He heard the hurt and bitterness in her voice. “I see. But that doesn’t really tell me what your childhood was like.” Jake didn’t know why he was pushing her, just knew that he had to get to know her better. After all, she would be raising his niece with him.

  Leah blew a strand of hair out of her eyes and handed him a cup to dry. “It wasn’t horrible. We had a very strict schedule. We rose each morning and made our beds, had breakfast, did our morning chores, went to lessons, ate lunch, went back to lessons, and then after dinner we did our evening chores. Only then were we allowed to read or play quietly.” She handed him the last cup and picked up the tub to toss out the dirty water.

  Jake set the mug down and reached for the washtub. “Here, let me do that.” He was surprised when she handed it over with no fuss.

  He dumped the water and returned to find her wiping down the counter. Jake set to putting the mugs back in the cabinet where they belonged.

  “Why do you want to know about my childhood?” Leah asked, weariness dripping from her words.

  Did she expect him to renege on his marriage offer? Her crystal-blue eyes studied him. It was if she were waiting for the other shoe to fall, as his grandmother would have said.

  Jake walked to the table and pulled out a stool for Leah to sit on. When she sat, he answered, “We need to get to know one another. I simply thought talking about our childhoods would be a good starting place.” He sat down in Molly’s usual spot.

  Leah looked down at her hands. “Oh, I see.”

  Did she really? Did Leah realize that with just that one question he’d learned how defensive and hurt she felt about growing up in an orphanage?

  “What was your childhood like?” she asked.

  He was surprised by the question, but realized that he shouldn’t have been. “It was hard. My papa bought a small farm in the middle of nowhere. We worked that land from sunup to sundown and half the time ended up with nothing or very little to show for the work. Mama raised hens, so every Saturday afternoon she’d go to town and sell the eggs in exchange for flour, salt, coffee and sometimes sugar.”

  “So, you didn’t have much fun, either.” Leah picked at the scrap of material that covered the table.

  “I wouldn’t say that.” He grinned as he thought of the good times he and his brother had enjoyed together as kids. “I learned how to hunt and fish, that was fun. And, in the summer, after the fish were caught, we’d swim in the water hole.” Jake thought about the fun he and his brother had had, splashing each other and oftentimes their parents, too. “Sometimes, Mama and Papa would help Grams down to the watering hole and we’d have picnics on the shore.”

  “I thought you said life was hard,” Leah’s voice almost accused.

  He watched a pink flush fill her cheeks as she heard her own tone. Jake reached across and captured one of her hands. The palms were lightly callused, but not nearly as much as his own. “Life is what you make of it, Leah. It can either be filled with hardships and you never feel happiness, or it can be filled with hardships and you make your own happiness. I believe that’s what my parents did. Life was hard, but they found pleasure in the simple things and taught my brother and me to do the same.”

  Jake fell silent. In a way, he was talking to himself as well as her. It had been hard when his parents had died, but he and his brother had carried on with life. Now looking back, maybe he should have stayed around when John married Sally. What would life be like for him now, if he had? Sorrow at the lost years threatened to overtake him.

  She tugged her hand free of his. “I suppose you are right.”

  Jake couldn’t let her go without bringing her spirits up. “Tell me, Leah. What did you do to have fun when you were a kid?”

  Leah’s eyes searched his face. “Promise not to laugh?”

  He drew an X over his chest with his finger. “Cross my heart.”

  A smile twitched her lips at his silly action. She too
k a deep breath and then blurted out, “We had books that we could look at and read. There was one full of pictures. Pictures of beautiful flowers and brightly colored birds. I think I read that book a million times and dreamed of the day I could plant a flower garden. I imagined that I’d have a home and could place those flowers about so that their beauty could be shared by everyone. And maybe, the beautiful birds would visit my yard, too.” She smiled at the mental image and then dropped her eyes back to the table.

  A piece of Jake’s heart went out to her. Someday he’d make sure that she got that flower garden. Until then, Jake vowed to give her joy in some form or fashion for as long as he lived. Not because he loved her; he refused to open his heart up to such hurt again but because it was the right thing for him to do as her husband.

  She cleared her throat and stood up. “Well, I need to get some rest. I’ll see you at breakfast.”

  “Good night,” he called to her as she hurried from the kitchen. Jake pushed away from the table and headed toward the barn. Icy-cold wind hit him in the face as he crossed the yard. Leah’s childhood had been hard. He hoped that she’d find an easier life with him and Molly.

  He opened the door to the tack room and began working on a saddle strap as he worried. Maybe Leah would be better off finding a man who would love her instead of marrying him, a man who would never give her his heart.

  Chapter Six

  The next morning, Jake took his time feeding and watering the horses. After a restless night, he wasn’t ready to face Leah. She deserved better than he was offering. A loveless marriage wasn’t something every little girl dreamed of. They dreamed of love, flowers and, in Leah’s case, colorful birds.

  He’d mulled their conversation over in his mind. Not once had she mentioned love, but what little girl wouldn’t want to be loved? And since she’d grown up without her parents’ love, surely Leah would expect her husband to love her. Wouldn’t she?

  Jake’s stomach growled, reminding him he’d had very little for dinner. It was time to go in. Time to face her. He opened the barn door and headed across the yard. He was thankful the snow and wind had let up. The sun shone brightly and the earth glistened with a fresh blanket of snow.

  He pushed the front door open. Warm air kissed his cheeks. He pulled his coat off and hung it on one of the many hooks beside the door. His hat and gloves were pushed into the coat pockets.

  “About time you got in here,” Mr. Frontz greeted from his place at the table.

  Jake grinned as he crossed the room. “Was I holding you up?” he asked, slapping the older man on the back.

  “Not me.” Mr. Frontz stuffed what remained of his biscuit into his mouth.

  Everyone around the table was munching as if it were their last meal. “Doesn’t look like anyone else waited for me, either,” Jake observed.

  “Didn’t say they did. Just said it’s about time you got here.” Mr. Frontz buttered another biscuit.

  Jake took his place at the table. Molly sat across from him, beside Leah this morning. The little girl wore a pink dress and the ribbon that she’d wanted to put on the snowman a few days ago. “That’s a mighty pretty ribbon you’re wearing, Molly.”

  Molly looked across at him and beamed. She pointed at Leah as if to say the ribbon belonged to her.

  Leah grinned down at the little girl. “Molly’s borrowing it today.”

  The little girl nodded and then went back to her breakfast of scrambled eggs, sausage and biscuit.

  Agnes asked, “What time are you two going to the homestead?”

  Leah looked to him, also.

  Jake answered, “I was thinking we might go after breakfast, if Leah still wants to.”

  Molly bounced about on her seat with excitement. He’d told her the day before that she could go with them and now wished he hadn’t. After his restless night, Jake wasn’t sure it was still a good idea for Leah to marry him. He wanted to talk to her, in private. But, he’d already agreed and wouldn’t stop the child from going now.

  Leah’s soft voice pulled him from his thoughts. “Maybe after I help Agnes with the dishes.”

  Agnes flustered. “Nonsense! You did all of last night’s dishes and made sure the men had something hot in their bellies before sending them to bed. You don’t have to do dishes this morning, too.”

  “I don’t have to, but I’m going to.” Leah stared back at Mrs. Frontz, daring her to argue.

  Jake focused on filling his plate with food while enjoying the women’s standoff. Agnes pursed her lips and stared right back at her. Leah raised an eyebrow.

  “Aw, Agnes, let the young woman help out if she wants to. What’s it going to hurt?” Mr. Frontz asked, pushing away from the table.

  The pony express riders seemed to be ignoring the events around them but Jake knew better. Ike grinned down at his breakfast, while Cole and Will stuffed their faces with food. Jake decided to mimic Cole and Will, and tucked into his own breakfast.

  “Fine. But, I’ll do the washing and you can do the drying,” Agnes agreed.

  Leah turned her attention to Jake. “Molly and I will be ready in about an hour.”

  The pony express riders pushed away from the table. “Thank you for the fine breakfast,” Will said for all three of them as they stomped out of the house.

  Jake heard Mr. Frontz giving them chores out on the front porch. The sound of boots clomping off the steps told him the men were gone. He resumed eating. How was he going to talk to Leah about the fairness of his marriage offer if Molly came with them to the house?

  He looked up and found Leah staring at him. Her eyebrow quirked up at him, much as it had with Agnes a few moments earlier. Had he missed something she’d said? Was she expecting him to say something?

  *

  Leah waited for him to respond. When it was obvious he wasn’t going to she asked, “Well, is that acceptable for you?”

  He waved his fork in the air. “Oh, sure. I’m sorry. I just assumed you’d know it was all right with me.”

  “How would I know that? I don’t know what your plans are for this morning.” She began picking up plates and stacking them.

  Molly got down from her chair and carried her dolly to the couch. Mrs. Frontz scooped food onto a clean dish and headed up the stairs. “If you two will excuse me, I’m going to take Mr. Dalton his breakfast.”

  Leah felt heat fill her cheeks. She’d forgotten all about the injured man. What was it about Jake that turned her brain to mush? Last night he’d wanted to talk about their childhoods. She’d hated telling him she’d grown up in the orphanage, and then when he’d lectured her on how to handle being alone all her life, she’d wanted to scream at him.

  Thanks to him, she’d tossed and turned all night. Worry ate at her insides. What if he’d changed his mind about marrying her? Did he think she was too damaged to take care of Molly? That she wouldn’t give Molly a happy childhood? Those questions and more had danced about her mind until she didn’t think she could stand another moment of being idle and in bed.

  Leah carried the dirty dishes to the kitchen and sat them on the counter. She picked up a damp rag and headed back to the table to wipe down the area where Mr. Frontz and the riders had eaten.

  Jake stood as she entered the room. “I’ll see you ladies in an hour. Do you want me to come inside and collect you? Or would you rather meet me out at the barn?” he asked.

  “Maybe you should come get us. I don’t want to interrupt your work,” Leah answered as she picked up his dishes.

  His brown eyes looked troubled. Leah couldn’t help but worry that he was having second thoughts. How could she convince him that she would be a good mother for Molly? And wife for him?

  As soon as the dishes were done, Leah called Molly to her. “Are you ready to go look at our soon-to-be home? We can wait outside for Jake, if you want to.”

  Molly grabbed her hand. A big smile graced the child’s face. Leah followed as Molly tried taking two steps at a time going up the stairs for their coat
s, hats and gloves. Her tiny legs stretched till she almost lost her balance and fell back against Leah for support. They both laughed and Leah felt a lightening of her load. Could it be that the good Lord knew what she needed and had set her down right in the middle of it? She surely hoped so, and that is what she would cling to today. Hope.

  Once they were outside, the sun shone and glistened on the snow but its rays warmed their faces, making the day seem warmer than it was. As they waited for Jake, Leah let Molly play in the fresh snow. The little girl started to build what looked like a small castle. Leah chuckled as Molly danced around it with glee.

  Maybe Jake was right about hardships. Molly had lots to be sorrowful about, but instead she chose to play in the snow and dance.

  “Has anyone ever told you that you have a pretty smile?” Jake asked as he crossed the yard.

  At first Leah thought he was talking to her, but then she noticed his gaze was on Molly. The little girl ran to him and jumped into his waiting arms. He swung her around and then put her back down.

  He turned to Leah. “Ready?”

  The two of them looked at her. Matching smiles covered their faces. Leah had to admit they both had nice smiles. “Ready.”

  Holding Molly’s hand, Jake led them around the house. He traveled a snow-covered path. It took them about five minutes to arrive at a small log building.

  Leah had seen it from the side of the house and thought that it was a storage building. She could see the small chimney puffing out white clouds of smoke. A chimney she hadn’t noticed before.

  “I know it doesn’t look like much, but I can promise that it will be warm and dry and all ours.” He cast a worried glance over his shoulder at her.

  “I’m sure it will be just fine,” Leah replied, praying she was telling the truth.

  Jake lifted Molly and stomped up the two small porch steps. He opened the door and stepped back down the steps to allow Leah to pass. “Ladies first.”

  Taking a deep breath, Leah entered the house. It was one room with two windows. The fireplace was off to the left, and when she turned to the right, she saw a small bed. She could see where fresh mud and grass had been pushed between the logs to shut out the cold air. A back door was the only other thing of interest in the small room. And she’d been worried about how to decorate it. Leah almost laughed at the thought.