Brides of Ohio

by Jennifer A. Davids

  “Maybe, but I’m not satisfied offering her the life of a farmer’s wife.” He bridled his horse and fastened the straps. “I’m going over to see if Elijah Carr’s offer still stands.” He turned to look at his aunt, and he was surprised by the uncertainty in her eyes. “You think I shouldn’t? You were the one telling me he would give me a good price.”

  “Yes, I know,” she slowly replied. “At first I thought you were keeping the farm because of your pa, but I’ve come to realize the reason is much different than that. And much more important. Are you sure you want to do this?”

  “Yes,” he said. He pulled himself up into the saddle and looked down at his aunt. “Don’t tell Katherine. I … I want to surprise her.” But as he rode off, he struggled to ignore the growing feeling of doubt in his heart.

  Chapter 18

  Katherine, did you hear what I said?”

  Katherine started at Mary’s question and turned away from the window. She, Adele, and Mary had been carefully piecing together quilt blocks, and they now had enough for a good-sized quilt. Some of them were laid out on the table in the dining room to see how they would look once they were all pieced together. Once the top was done, they would invite Ruth, May, and Mrs. Warren over to help quilt it. But Katherine’s heart wasn’t in it. She was too worried about Daniel.

  Just a little while ago, for the second time in two weeks, Daniel had ridden off on Scioto with Mr. O’Conner following in his buggy. It couldn’t be money related. Even during the war the farm had done well, and in spite of how it had looked when they had returned, Elijah Carr had not shirked in keeping the animals and fields well cared for.

  But Daniel had been distracted and moody ever since he’d left her sitting in the parlor. At first she’d been concerned that he was having trouble with his memories of the war, but Michael had assured her he hadn’t talked to him about it since her brother left.

  She bit her lip and looked down at the quilt blocks on the table. Plucking one up, she looked at it absentmindedly.

  “We can assume you don’t like it,” Mary said.

  Katherine looked at her and then back down at the table. “Oh, I’m sorry, Mary,” she said, replacing the block and looking at them. Mary had let her decide the pattern, and she had settled on an Irish chain. “It looks beautiful, but I wonder if we should have done it on point,” she said, referring to the way they could have pieced the blocks so that the squares were sitting on one point, making them look like diamonds.

  “That would have been very pretty,” Adele said, looking at the squares. “But I like the way this looks just as well. Perhaps next time we will do as you suggest and we can use some appliqué. I will show you how.”

  When it had been decided that Adele and Jacob would continue staying at the Kirby farm, Adele brought over a quilt her grandmother had made when she had lived in Zoar. It was an orange-and-green floral appliquéd pattern on a white background, and Katherine had admired the careful workmanship.

  Suddenly the wind whipped up and blew the squares on top of one another. Adele and Katherine gathered them up while Mary went to the window. “A storm’s blowing in,” she said, shutting the window. “I hope Daniel and Mr. O’Conner stay safe.”

  “Mary, just where were they going?” Katherine asked. Surely she knew something about what her nephew was up to.

  “Daniel asked us not to say anything,” Mary said quietly. “It’s nothing to fret over.”

  “Then why would he tell you not to tell me?” If Katherine had been worried about Daniel before, she was twice so now. Adele and Mary looked at each other, and Katherine frowned. “What’s going on?”

  “Do you want some tea, dear?” Mary asked, trying to avoid her question.

  But Katherine wasn’t about to be put off. “Mary, I want to know what Daniel’s doing.”

  “We should tell her, Mary,” Adele said quietly.

  Mary grasped Katherine’s hands. “Daniel’s decided to sell the farm to Elijah Carr. He’s on his way to his farm now to sign the papers.”

  Katherine stared at them before walking out into the hall and taking her bonnet from its peg. Adele and Mary followed her and stood in the doorway. She quickly tied on her bonnet and grabbed a shawl.

  “Where on earth are you going?” Mary exclaimed as she opened the door. The sky was dark and the wind was whipping the trees back and forth furiously.

  “I’m going to stop him,” she declared and ran out the door before they could stop her.

  The rain began to fall in heavy drops by the time she reached the end of the drive, and she covered her head with the shawl. It all made sense now, his mood, the meetings with Mr. O’Conner. He was selling the land and he wasn’t happy about it. And the only reason he wouldn’t was if he knew he was going against the Lord’s will.

  The thought caused her to move faster and she began to run. But soon her skirts and petticoats were waterlogged, and she was forced to go far slower than she would have liked. Thunder shook the very air around her, and she turned to see black clouds rolling in from the west. Her heart began to pound with fear, but she hurried on, determined to keep Daniel from going against God’s will.

  She had just rounded a slight curve in the road when she caught sight of a horse and rider galloping toward her. It was Daniel. She was too late.

  Catching sight of her, he brought Scioto to a sudden halt, and the horse danced in a small circle as he spoke. “Katherine, what are you doing here?” he yelled over the rain and thunder. “Are you crazy?”

  “Daniel Aaron Kirby, how could you?” she yelled back. She was so angry she failed to notice the wind was becoming fiercer. “What do you mean by selling the farm?”

  Daniel didn’t answer. He took one look at the western sky and, grabbing Katherine by the wrist, hauled her up behind him in the saddle. Before she could utter a word of protest, Scioto was off like a shot and she clung to Daniel for dear life.

  All at once they were back at the farm. As she slid from the saddle, she heard a low distant rumble like that of a train. Daniel heard it, too, and after jumping down, he gave his horse a solid swat on the hindquarters before grabbing Katherine’s hand and running for the root cellar.

  Daniel swung her inside and shut the door tight behind them. He hoped Simon Peter had been able to get his aunt, Adele, and Jacob into the secret room out in the barn. It was the safest place on the farm during a tornado. He would have taken Katherine there, too, but he could tell by the sound of the storm they wouldn’t have made it there in time. Daniel fumbled for the lantern that was kept on one of the shelves and lit it. Turning around, he realized he might as well have shut himself up with an angry bobcat.

  Katherine stood there with her arms crossed, soaking wet and positively livid. She had every right to be angry, of course. He was angry at himself for even considering …

  The wind suddenly took on an awful low squeal, and although it wasn’t as close as it had been before, now was not the time to discuss the matter. He pulled her down next to him against the back wall where the cellar was nestled into the side of a small hill. It would give them the best protection if the tornado hit the farm.

  Katherine seemed to realize what was happening and didn’t resist. Much. For a few tense seconds, Daniel wasn’t sure anything would be left standing, but the low rumble seemed to go further north, and he began to relax as the winds eased a little.

  “I think we’re safe for now,” he finally said.

  “Good,” Katherine declared as she jumped to her feet. “I’m not spending one more second cooped up in here with you.” She started for the door, but Daniel grabbed her arm. She tried to yank it away. “Let me go!”

  “No, there might be more,” he snapped, and to prove his point the winds slammed into the tiny building, making it shake. “Aren’t there tornados in South Carolina?”

  “Yes, but the hurricanes there are worse,” she shot back. Apparently he was just about to encounter one since she gave him a stinging slap on the arm, which
hurt twice as much since his shirt was soaking wet.

  “Ow! Wait, Kath—”

  “How could you?” She started to lay into him again, but he grabbed her arm. “Let go!”

  “Katherine, I didn’t sell the farm.”

  She stopped struggling and stared at him. “What?”

  He pulled her close. “I didn’t sell the farm. I couldn’t. I got all the way to Elijah Carr’s drive today, but in the end, God wouldn’t let me.”

  The last two weeks had been the worst of Daniel’s life. The whole process had been difficult, as if the Lord had been giving him time to reconsider. He and Carr had been unable to decide on a price, and then business had kept Mr. O’Conner from getting the papers drawn up right away. When he had approached Dr. Harris, his old mentor had tried to talk him out of selling the farm, in spite of how eager he’d always been for Daniel to become a professor. And the distinct feeling that he was going against God’s will was next to impossible to ignore.

  Katherine spoke, rousing him from his thoughts. “Daniel, why ever did you consider such a thing?”

  “For you,” he whispered. He saw the confusion in her face and continued. “I didn’t want to be a farmer when I gave you this.” He pulled the ring from his pocket, laying it in her small hand. “This has been in my family since before the Kirbys came to America. My grandfather gave it to my grandmother, and Pa gave it to Ma.” His heart pounded as wonder and joy softly spread over her delicate little face. “Marry me?”

  She answered him with a long, slow kiss.

  “I’m sorry,” he said a moment later. “You deserve much better than a farmer. I—”

  Katherine laid her fingers over his lips and smiled. “I am getting better than a farmer. Much better. I’m getting you.”

  Katherine watched from the parlor window as Daniel strode back to the house with Simon Peter and his sons, the last bit of sunlight drifting from the evening sky. It had taken them the rest of the afternoon to round up the livestock and see what kind of damage the tornado had caused.

  They had been lucky. Apparently the tornado had tracked north, skipping nearly all of their land. There was only minor damage to the barn and a couple of the outbuildings and only two fields would need to be replanted. Daniel had been grateful there had been no hail.

  Everything had been accounted for. Except Scioto. Daniel’s horse couldn’t be found anywhere.

  Stepping outside, Katherine joined Daniel as he said good-bye to Simon Peter, Michael, and Aaron.

  “We’ll keep our eyes open while we’re riding back home,” Simon said as he took up the reins. “If we find him, I’ll send him on home with Michael.”

  “Thanks,” Daniel said gloomily.

  “Don’t you worry,” Michael said. “Jeremiah said he’s never seen such a smart horse. He’ll be back.” The young man reached out and gave Daniel a quick hug and a slap on the back before climbing into his pa’s wagon.

  Katherine waved as they drove off and then turned to Daniel. “We’ll find him,” she said softly as he pulled her into a quick embrace. “He’ll probably be standing outside the barn door come morning.”

  “I hope so,” he said.

  Stepping inside the house, they went into the parlor. Katherine immediately went over to the secretary where they kept the books they were discussing. “What shall we talk about tonight?”

  “I hope it’s not that Sissy man again tonight,” Jacob said as he played on the floor with Toby’s old lead soldier set.

  Adele looked at her son from where she sat on the sofa with Mary as they sewed. “Mein dummer, Junge.” She chuckled. “What do you mean?”

  “I’m not a silly boy,” Jacob said defensively. He looked at Daniel, who sat in the high-backed easy chair. “You know, Sissyroo, Sis … sis …”

  “You mean Cicero?” Daniel asked and laughed when the boy nodded.

  Katherine was grateful Jacob had taken Daniel’s mind off his lost horse even if only for a moment.

  “I think I’ll just read to us from one of the Psalms tonight.”

  Katherine brought him his Bible, and he kissed her hand before she went to sit between Mary and Adele.

  “All right, you two,” Mary said reproachfully then smiled. “Well, I guess I can’t be too hard on you. John and I were just as quick to steal a kiss as anyone else.”

  “Nathaniel was the same,” Adele said softly. She was silent for a moment before smiling playfully. “But Nathaniel did not propose to me in a root cellar.”

  “Well, I didn’t exactly plan it that way.”

  Katherine looked at Daniel and watched as his cheeks reddened for a change. “I think it was lovely,” she declared, looking at him.

  His soft green eyes glowed with gratitude.

  “Well, I wish I had been in the root cellar instead of the barn,” Jacob said. Simon Peter had hustled everyone into the secret room Daniel had been sleeping in after making sure the livestock had been set loose. The young boy hadn’t liked going down into the closed-in space in spite of the fact they’d had two lanterns.

  “Better there than out in the storm,” Mary said. She glanced at Katherine and Daniel. “You two were lucky you weren’t blown off the face of the earth.”

  Daniel frowned, and Katherine knew he was thinking about Scioto again. “Where did you and Simon Peter and the boys look this afternoon?” she asked.

  “We didn’t have enough light to look very far,” he said thoughtfully. “I wish I had seen which direction he had gone. I’m going to go looking for him after church tomorrow.”

  “I’ll come with you,” Katherine said.

  “Jacob and I could use some exercise, so we will come, too.” Adele smiled as her son gave a little whoop and thanked her. “Four sets of eyes are better than two. Do you want to come with us, Mary?”

  “Well, I don’t know about me,” she replied. Her foot, while mostly healed, was still a little tender. “I think I’ll stay behind and read my Bible.”

  Adele, Katherine, and Daniel looked at each other with knowing smiles. Mary might start out reading her Bible, but she would end up taking a Sunday afternoon nap. But she more than made up for it as she usually read every night before going to bed.

  “Well, Jacob,” Daniel said as he opened his Bible, “since we bored you with Cicero for the past few nights, what Psalm should I read?”

  “Can we read a story instead?” the boy asked hopefully, “about Elijah and the prophets of Baal?”

  As Daniel turned to First Kings, Katherine took up her sewing and caught the glint of gold on her right hand. Her heart jumped as she glanced at the ring Daniel had given her. Mary said she remembered her sister wearing the band on her right ring finger after Joseph had proposed to her, and Katherine eagerly did the same.

  She glanced up at Daniel, who was now reading to a very attentive Jacob. He’d noticed what she’d done at dinner and had smiled with approval. Daniel intended that she be a fall bride. When the leaves would be just beginning to match her eyes, he’d said.

  Katherine bit her lip and smiled. She hadn’t been able to understand at first what was so different about her appearance when she looked in the mirror over the past couple of weeks. Then she finally understood she was seeing herself through Daniel’s eyes and the love he had for her. She started in on her sewing with a contented smile.

  “I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart.”

  Chapter 19

  Unfortunately, Scioto was not standing outside the barn door or anywhere else about the farm by the next morning.

  After services, Daniel decided the best way to look would be east of the farm. “He would have been trying to head away from the storm once I let him go,” he reasoned.

  After lunch he, Adele, Jacob, and Katherine set out over the fields. Daniel grasped Katherine’s hand, and he showed her what fields had been planted and which fields were lying fallow for the season. But he was clearly distracted, and Katherine knew he was worried about his horse. She glanced at his b
elt. He’d brought his Colt with him. She just hoped if they did find the animal he wouldn’t have to use it.

  “Where did you get Scioto?” she eventually asked.

  “He found me.” Daniel stopped for a moment and scanned the horizon. The only things in view were a line of trees and Adele and Jacob walking several feet away to their left. “I’d gotten nicked in the leg by a bullet,” he said as they continued walking. “I was lost in some woods, and I wasn’t sure if I was behind enemy lines or not. My horse had been shot out from under me. Then I heard movement in the brush nearby, and there he was, large as life, urging me to get up. I managed to swing myself up, and he just took off. I was back with my regiment before I knew it.” He sighed and looked over the horizon once more. “As swift and sure as the Scioto River. That’s how he got his name.”

  Katherine squeezed his hand. “We’ll find him. I’m sure of it.”

  “Thank you, Kat.” He kissed her on the forehead.

  Katherine was about to ask him why he was suddenly calling her Kat when Adele called out to them. They quickly made their way over to her and Jacob.

  “Mr. Kirby, I found hoofprints!” the boy said excitedly.

  “They probably belong to our plow horses,” he said as he knelt down to examine the prints. “No, these can’t belong to Belle and Babe.”

  “Why not?” Katherine asked.

  “They’re too small for one, and there’s only one set of them.”

  “Then these might belong to Scioto?” Adele asked.

  “Yes,” Daniel muttered and started walking in the same direction as the prints. Katherine, Adele, and Jacob followed. The tracks stopped just before the fence that marked the edge of the Kirby property and continued on the other side.

  “This is Elijah Carr’s property,” Adele said. Her face tensed slightly. “At least it is now.”

  “Adele?” Katherine laid a gentle hand on her arm, and the woman clasped it.

  “This land used to belong to her and Nate,” Daniel said quietly. “Jacob and I could go on. Let Kat take you back to the house.”