The Brides of Chance Collection

by Kelly Eileen Hake,Cathy Marie Hake,Tracey V. Bateman

  “Oh my. Thangs are different here. Back home in Salt Lick Holler, rouge and false yeller curls like that—well, it don’t matter. God looks on the heart.” She waved and called out, “As I live and breathe, Reba White! How wonderful ’tis to see you again.”

  Daniel stood off to the side as folks got settled for the service. His brothers managed to slap together a decent sunshade for all the women. Just as the hymns started up, he walked the girls over to sit at the women’s feet. Lois and Eunice promptly pulled his girls onto their laps.

  The MacPhersons must have told them to bring their instruments, because Lovejoy played her dulcimer and Tempy accompanied on her mandolin. Titus played his guitar. All in all, it made for some of the best-sounding music they’d ever had.

  Once Titus finished leading the hymns, Mike stood up and hollered, “Fellers, that pretty one in the green dress what just played the mandolin’s mine. Y’all cain listen and look, but that’s it, ’cuz she’s spoken for.”

  “That ain’t much of an introduction,” Marv Wall called.

  Mike nodded. “Her name’s Temperance Linden for now, but she’ll be Tempy MacPherson soon as I get the parson here.”

  Obie rose, patted Hezzy on the shoulder, and said, “Other two are ourn.”

  “Which two? There’re three left,” someone called.

  “The purty ones.” Hezzy boasted. “Lois and Eunice come from back in Salt Lick Holler to marry up with us.”

  Daniel’s eyes narrowed as he sought Lovejoy’s face. Hezzy meant to compliment the other two, but in his backhanded, clumsy way, he’d just announced Lovejoy was plain. Only Dan caught a glimpse of her face as she sat down and turned to swipe Ginny Mae from Lois—and Lovejoy didn’t look the least bit put out. She was smilin’ to beat the band.

  Maybe she just hides her hurt.

  That thought stopped him cold. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d thought about someone else’s feelings. Well, that didn’t matter. The important thing was, this conversation shouldn’t disintegrate further and cause Lovejoy any more upset, so he stood and announced, “These gals deserve homes of their own. How’s midweek looking for you men?”

  “If ’n Hezzy didn’t already have claim of me, I’d marry up with Daniel Chance at the drop of a hat,” Eunice claimed as they rode back home. “Imagine him a-standin’ there, rustlin’ up holp for us to have cabins!”

  Lovejoy gave Hezzy a piercing look. “So you’ve proposed?”

  “Yes’m, I shore ’nuff did. Whilst Eunice helped me hitch up the wagon this mornin’, I told her I was ready to get hitched myself. Eunice and me—we’ll step together right fine.”

  As proposals went, it wasn’t the most romantic thing Lovejoy had ever heard. Then again it was much better than Vern Spencer’s shoving sugar and a length of copper tubing at Pa, then yanking her by the wrist and declaring, “Yore mine now.”

  Tempy nestled closer to Mike. “My man took me out to look at the North Star last night. Said he’d be constant as that star if I’d but wed him.”

  Her sister had already shared that sweet news with her, but Lovejoy knew Eunice and Lois were hearing it for the first time. Mike shot her a grin. He’d sought Lovejoy’s permission for that walk, and he was prouder than a rooster with two tails.

  “Don’t you go looking to me to ask for your hand right now.” Obie glared at Lois from the wagon seat. “A man’s supposed to pick the time and place, and I’m not gonna have my plans all ruint.”

  As it turned out, Obie’s plan unfolded at the lunch table when Lois found the ring she’d been mooning over at the mercantile. Obie managed to stick it in her mashed potatoes while Hezzy distracted her. “Reba tole me you liked that one the best.”

  Lois wound her arms around Obie. “I like you the best!”

  “Hold yer horses there.” Lovejoy set the bowl of peas down on the table with a loud thump. Several jumped out and rolled across the warped surface. “When we set out on this venture, I had a firm understanding—no weddings till I was satisfied the matches would last a lifetime. The sap might be running, but that’s something y’all are gonna have to suffer. I don’t want no spoonin’ or sparkin’ betwixt you. These boys cleaned up right fine and boast plenty of fertile ground and a decent herd.” The girls all nodded emphatically. Lovejoy turned to the men. “These gals are hardworking, decent, Godfearin’ women. There’ll be years and years ahead for them to be your wives and bear your young’uns.”

  “Yeah, but—”

  “No yabbuts.” Lovejoy gave Hezzy a withering look. “A woman makes for a better wife if she’s got memories stored up of how her man courted her. On cold nights when the babes are sick and the money’s tight, a gal needs to harken back to her sweetheart days when her man promised her he’d stand by her side through thick and thin.”

  Lovejoy knocked her knuckles on the table. “I’m holding you all accountable. In six weeks, if ’n you’re all still moon-eyed, we’ll have a dandy wedding. Till then, hand holdin’ and maybe a kiss on the cheek’s all yore ’lowed. Plenty wants doin’ ’round here that’ll keep you busy. You men, I want you fillin’ the smokehouse.”

  “What smokehouse?” Obie muttered.

  “The one we’re going to build,” Mike promptly said.

  Lovejoy nodded. “That’s the spirit. Onc’t the new cabins are up, these gals are each gonna take one and get finicky as any broody hen does on her first nest. Gonna fix up a home you men’ll each be proud to own.”

  “I’m already proud of this’un.” Hezzy’s brows furrowed as he licked honey off his knife.

  “Rightly so,” Tempy said. She looked at Mike. “Are Hezzy and Eunice keepin’ this one, or do you reckon on buildin’ three new ones so this’ll be the extry one what serves as the family kitchen?”

  “I get a new cabin, don’t I, Hezzy?”

  Hezzy wore the look of a man going under for the third time. “If that’s what you want, Eunice.”

  Eunice beamed at him.

  Lovejoy clapped her hands. “Now looky there. That’s what I’m a-talkin’ ’bout. Hezzy, years from now, Eunice is gonna recollect the time you promised her a home of her verra own.”

  Hezzy looked doubtful. “For true?”

  “Oh, yes.” Eunice gave him a starry-eyed smile. “I stitched a sampler with mornin’ glories and made the purdiest geese in flight quilt you ever seen. I brung everything I could. We’ll have us the grandest house of anyone in Reliable.”

  Tempy glanced at Mike then shamefacedly dipped her head. “I only had a few things to tote along here. Mostly, I’ll fill our home with love.”

  “Darlin’, that’s all your man wants or needs.”

  Lovejoy took a serving of peas and relaxed a little. Lord, things are turnin’ out better than I dared hope. Please let this all work out.

  Mike turned to his brothers. “What say I take Tempy and go to town tomorrow? We’ll buy up the glass for everyone to get windows for their cabins.”

  “Glass winders?” Eunice squealed.

  “We need to bring down more trees,” Hezzy decided. “Pick up another saw, will ya?”

  “Sure. Since we’re havin’ neighbors by, we’ll need to stock up on vittles.” Mike nodded toward the door. The men got up, walked out, yammered in a knot for a few minutes, then came back in. Mike looked at Tempy. “Best we make a list of what we need after supper.”

  “We cain make do with what’s on hand,” Lois said.

  “Shore cain.” Eunice nodded. “I’m a fair hand at tyin’ lairs for hares and such, and you got beans aplenty.”

  “I’ll go gathering with my sister.” Tempy patted her. “Lovejoy knows what’s good to eat, and we’ll have greens—”

  “I cain’t do it,” Obie said mournfully as he looked at his brothers. “I jist cain’t.”

  Chapter 7

  Hezzy’s face went red, and he started chewing on his lip.

  Lovejoy felt a bolt of panic. Everything had been going so well. Too well. If the men were going to back
out, now was the time. But Lois looked ready to keel over from shock.

  Hezzy shook his head. “I cain’t do it, neither.”

  Eunice let out a wail.

  “Wait! Wait! Eunice, I aim to marry up and give you that house. It’s something else.”

  Obie snatched Lois’s hand. “Same here, lambkins. I’d niver let you go. It’s jist that we been keepin’ a secret.” He looked to Mike.

  Any relief Lovejoy had felt over their immediate proclamations of love washed away at the sickening fact that they’d kept a secret. Vern’s secrets never failed to tear her apart.

  Mike shrugged. “I’m more than glad to tell ’em.” He folded his hand over Tempy’s. “We ain’t rich, but we’re far from havin’ the wolf at the door. Halfway ’cross the country, we ran outta money. We worked at a mine.”

  “Mike knows all ’bout ’splosives. He made hisself good money—sorta.” Obie’s features twisted.

  “The mine wasn’t doing well. They couldn’t make payroll, and men walked off. I was the only one left who knew blasting. The owner promised me a cut if I stayed on and we struck gold.” Mike shrugged. “A week later, boom! We hit a real sweet vein.”

  “Gold?” Lois and Eunice gasped.

  Tempy grabbed his wrist with her free hand. “Mike—you coulda got yourself blowed up!”

  “Hezzy said the same thing. Soon as word got out that we made a strike, the other blasters came back.”

  Obie slid his arm around Lois. “We decided to take the money and get outta there. Came here.”

  “You didn’t tell the girls because you didn’t want brides who came for money,” Lovejoy said quietly.

  “Yes’m. We had us a pact not to tell ’em till after the parson tied the knot, but it’s too hard seein’ them fret.” Obie squeezed Lois. “No brass or tin ring for my bride.”

  Mike cleared his throat. “We’re not rich. Fact is, we spent most of what we had on this land and livestock.” He lifted Tempy’s hand and kissed the back of her fingers. “But you won’t never go hungry or cold.”

  Lovejoy got up from the table, went outside, and walked down past the barn. There, in the shadows of the barn, she wept with relief.

  “Kisses, Daddy.”

  Daniel scooped up his daughters and gave them each a loud smooch. “Be good for your aunts while I’m gone.”

  “ ’Kay, Daddy,” they said in unison.

  “Take this with you.” Alisa tucked one last dish into a crate on the dining table. “I really do wish we were going along.”

  “Absolutely not,” Titus said from across the room.

  “I could go,” Miriam volunteered once again.

  Daniel glowered at her. “Your hands are full enough. You’re watching my girls, and Delilah’s too sick of a morning to lift her head off her pillow.”

  “I need you to keep Alisa from overexerting,” Titus added.

  “And no one but you can feed Caleb,” Gideon finished as he handed her their infant.

  “You men planned that. I can tell!”

  “Auntie Miri-Em, are they being Chance men again?” Polly asked.

  “Yes, we are.” Daniel set the girls down. “And you are to be Chance girls. That means you’re to be nice to each other and obey your aunts.”

  “You ’ready told us to be good,” Ginny Mae said.

  “Daddy, you going to see Miss Lovejoy?”

  “I’ll be busy building. I’m not visiting with the women.”

  “My mouse got untied.” Polly fished the scrap of material from her pocket. “Will you ask her to make it again?”

  “I’ll try to remember.” He tucked it in his pocket and forgot all about it when they reached the MacPherson ranch and started building the cabins.

  Plenty of men showed up to help, just as they had on the day Chance Ranch built cabins. Coming here and helping out was part of paying back a debt. It wasn’t his debt—he hadn’t wanted Miriam to stay on Chance Ranch and didn’t help with the construction. Then again, the MacPhersons hadn’t lived in Reliable at the time, so they hadn’t helped, either. That didn’t much matter, though. Folks here banded together. Lent a helping hand. Favors were bartered, and every last man here knew if he needed assistance, folks would turn out for him.

  The MacPhersons hadn’t anticipated building three more cabins this soon, so their supply of logs would be insufficient. Logan and Bryce had both gone over the past three days to help fell trees. They’d reported that other men had also shown up to do the same. By the time the work teams showed up on Thursday, they had enough logs to build two.

  “Gonna need us more timber,” Hezzy commented as everyone gathered to discuss the plan.

  “We’re nigh unto tripping over each other.” Daniel scanned the crowd. Word had spread that there were several unmarried women at the MacPhersons’. Plenty of the men in the area figured that until the happy couples found their way to the altar, an opportunity still existed to get a woman to change her heart and mind. A handful of those men were already making pests of themselves.

  “Todd Dorsey. Aaron Greene. Hookman.” Daniel rapped their names out. “Marv Wall and Garcia—you men, too. Let’s let these scrawny men build the cabins. We’ll apply ourselves to downing more timber.”

  “You callin’ me scrawny?” Obie’s eyes narrowed.

  Logan cackled. “I’d call you love struck.”

  Things were well under way by noontime. Obie let out a shrill whistle and then hollered, “Grub’s up!”

  Gideon went through the line and filled his plate. Lovejoy smiled at him. “It shore was kindly of yore missus to let us borry her plates. Don’t rightly know what we woulda done.”

  “You put out a fine spread. Men would have stood at the table and eaten with their hands.” Gideon chuckled and snagged the last biscuit.

  Lovejoy called, “Eunice, get t’other basket of buns. These men need plenty of vittles to keep a-buildin’ your place.” Giving Daniel a steady look, she lowered her voice. “That was a right fine thing you done today. Mostly, these men’re fine bucks, but a couple…” She shook her head. “They was a givin’ me fits.”

  “Lonely men do foolish things.” He grabbed a biscuit from the new basket and strode off.

  By the end of the day, three new cabins stood on the MacPherson ranch. Men straggled away, but Dan stayed behind. “Reckon yore here to claim the dishes,” Eunice or Lois said. He hadn’t yet figured out a way to tell them apart.

  He nodded.

  “Lovejoy and Tempy are packin’ ’em up in the old cabin.”

  Daniel went to the door of the “old” cabin and stood in the doorway like a slackjawed wantwit. He’d already seen the extensive gardening the women had accomplished in one slim week. This cabin showed a level of industry he couldn’t fathom. Leaves, flowers, roots, and small bags hung from the roof. A bowl on the table held an arrangement of grapes, oranges, and cinnamon sticks. A wreath of drying flowers dangled from the buck’s antlers over the fireplace.

  “Take a seat.” Tempy waved toward a chair. “We’ll be done with the dishes in a trice.”

  Daniel watched Lovejoy tuck a dish towel between a pair of plates and remembered Polly’s request. He yanked the scrap of material from his pocket. “When you’re finished, could you please make a mouse for Polly again?”

  “ ’Course I will. Want me to show you how?”

  Daniel shook his head. He’d already tried, though he’d never confess it to a soul. Bitsy things like that never worked right for a man with big hands.

  “Bryce said the lassies lost their cough and are right as rain.” Lovejoy looked up at him and smiled when he nodded, then she went back to handling the plates with uncommon care. “Never seen me such pretty dishes. China, they are, delicate as a bird egg, but all a-matched up. You Chance men take mighty fine care o’ yer women.”

  “I counted. Forty-five plates.” Tempy handed the last one to her sister.

  Daniel’s gaze went from Lovejoy’s hands to a shelf just over her shoulder tha
t held a jumble of wooden, pewter, and glass dishware. He looked back at the blue willow plate Lovejoy dried so carefully. “Two dozen were my mother’s. Alisa inherited the other half. They’re a mite different, but the same company made them and the color’s the same.”

  “Staffordshire,” Lovejoy read from the bottom of the plate in a reverent voice. “Please give your women our thanks for sharing their finery.” After packing it in with the others, she smiled up at him. “Now how ’bout I make you a mouse?”

  The light brown square looked much bigger in her hands than it did in his. In a mind-boggling series of intricate folds, tucks, flips, and knots, it became Polly’s mouse again. “You cain make this little feller move and jump if you hold him jist so and do this.” She demonstrated cradling him in her hand and coordinating a stroke and carefully timed squeeze. Sure enough, the mouse wiggled and flipped.

  He grinned at the sight.

  “Dan, you ready to push off?” Paul was leaning against the doorjamb.

  “Paul Chance!” Lovejoy called over to him. “How’s Delilah’s belly?”

  Delilah’s belly? Daniel nearly choked at her coarse question.

  “She’s sick as can be morning, noon, and night.” Paul’s mouth tightened with worry. “Have any suggestions?”

  “That poor gal. She sippin’ ginger tea like I tole her to?”

  “Yes.” Paul’s shoulders slumped.

  “She keepin’ anything down a-tall?”

  “Not much.”

  Lovejoy crossed the cabin and picked up a forked stick. She used it to hook the strings on a small muslin bag hanging from the ceiling. “I’ll mix up some tea. Y’all have any melons?”

  “Yes.” Paul and Daniel exchanged puzzled looks.

  “Real problem is her growin’ parched. Boil a teaspoon of this till the brew turns the same color as this here leaf I’m putting in the jar. I want her to have a cup of tea laced with honey every other hour. Try her eatin’ melon. It’s mostly juice, but it might sit in her belly better than the tea. Tell her I’ll be holdin’ her up to Jesus, and you come git me if ’n she don’t start keeping more down.”