“You really are a ninny, Eliza.” Cora stretched and yawned. “You’ll know well enough when I marry George.”
Eliza crossed her arms. “I hope you never marry him.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t like him, and if I marry Ralph and you marry Aaron we’ll be sisters-in-law. We could live next door to each other.”
“Sisters-in-law?” Cora laughed as she threw the covers back and crawled from the warm bed. “Brrr. It’s cold in here.”
“I thought you liked Aaron.” Eliza sat on the bed and draped the covers over her while Cora dressed.
Cora spoke from the midst of her dress. “I like him well enough, but it’s George I’m marrying.”
As the dress fell into place, Eliza frowned at her. “Are you honestly and truly in love with that…that…? Oh, I don’t know how you can even stand to be around him. All he wants to do is talk like a book and make everyone think he’s the biggest toad in the puddle. He isn’t anything like John. Who would ever believe they’re brothers?”
“Eliza!” Cora struggled to keep from laughing. She should be angry, but Eliza was so serious. She really believed those outrageous things about George. Finally she settled on a shrug. “Don’t worry, little sister. We’ll live in St. Louis so you won’t have to put up with him.”
“That’s another reason I don’t want you marrying him.” Eliza hung her head.
Cora stared at her sister. Eliza would miss her if she left with George? Love for her sister spread through her heart, and she sat on the bed with her arm around Eliza. “Don’t feel bad. It isn’t as if we’ll never see each other again. George will bring me back to visit.”
Eliza made an unladylike noise. “Sure he will—if he wants to.”
Deep in Cora’s heart, the truth of Eliza’s words settled, but to agree would be disloyal to George. “He’ll want to see John.”
Cora stood and crossed the room to the opening leading downstairs. She turned and looked at her sister. “Tell me which corner you saw.”
A saucy grin lit Eliza’s face. “Ralph’s, of course.”
~*~
By midmorning, slow, steady rain drove the cold deep into Cora’s bones, bringing depression and a longing for St. Louis.
Father came inside, dripping rain from his oilskin coat. He held up a load of boards before dumping them in the middle of the floor. “Time to shut out the cold.”
Cora shivered. Past time as far as she was concerned.
Ben came in, followed by John. Each added their load of boards to the wet pile. Cora peeled potatoes for the noon meal, but kept watch on the men’s activities. Father used an auger to drill holes through the boards and log walls while Ben held one end of a board and John held the other. Ben occasionally winced and pressed a hand to his head, but otherwise he seemed fine after his encounter with Mr. Stark’s corn liquor.
When Father had all the holes he needed, he used a mallet to drive a locust peg into each until it was flush with the smooth board. After they had one wall finished, Cora added a stick of wood to the stove and crossed the room.
“This looks nice, Father. A lot nicer than I expected.”
Father laughed. “When we get the logs chinked, you won’t feel the cold wind at all.”
Cora ran her hand down the wall. The side of each board had been beveled so that the one above and below interleaved, creating a weather-proof seal. Aaron had told her the boards would stop the wind. Already, she could tell a difference. “I can see that now. Aaron said you’d use clapboards. But how will you chink them?”
“There’s some sticky red clay down on the creek bank that’s just what we need.” A twinkle flashed from Father’s eyes. “If you want to run down and get some, we’ll let you work on the outside while we get the inside ready for you. All you’ll need do is daub it between the logs.”
“I don’t think so.” Cora laughed and moved away.
“That’s a woman for you. Afraid of a little dirt.” The men’s laughter followed her back to the kitchen.
The rain slowed to a drizzle by late afternoon while the men worked their way along the west wall. Three days later, the drizzling rain changed to snow as the men finished paneling the house.
“Now that ought to keep out the cold.” Father stood in the kitchen.
John folded his arms across his chest and nodded. “Yep, I’d say we did a pretty good job.”
Cora looked from one member of her family to the next. Warmth fueled from her love for them filled her heart. She tucked away the memory of Father, John, and Ben so proud of their work. Mother and Vickie set hot chocolate in front of everyone at the table. Then they all gathered around and listened while Ben read from Treasure Island, a book they’d almost finished for the second time. She tucked the memories of the moment away to bring out later when she was in St. Louis with George.
That night Cora lay under a mountain of covers staring at the darkness. Snow continued to fall while her excitement stirred. Would there be enough for sledding? She went to sleep with a smile.
Ben came inside from chores the next day. “Hey, Cora, if it doesn’t start snowing again, we should have good sledding weather tomorrow.”
“Wonderful!” A romp in the snow would be so much better than confinement in the dark house. If only the Starks and Newkirks came.
Cora woke early the next day and reached for a candle.
“Oh, no you don’t.” Eliza’s voice came out of the darkness. “I got dressed without light and so can you. Father said to conserve our candles because they have to last until spring, when he and John go back to St. Louis.”
“When are they going back?” Cora fell against the mattress and pulled the covers tight against her chin.
“As soon as they can travel. Father said they’ll probably be gone a month.”
How did Eliza always know everything before anyone else? Cora threw back the covers and jumped from bed to dress. Midmorning, she heard the jingle of harness bells.
She grabbed her coat, struggling into it as she ran to the door.
“Better button that up good before you come out.” Ben flashed a grin as he brushed past, hurriedly buttoning his coat. He went outside, closing the heavy door behind him.
Eliza slipped into her coat and reached for her long, woolen scarf. Cora followed Ben, sweeping past her little sister.
Esther held Ben’s hand as she climbed from the wagon turned sleigh. Cora laughed. Oh, what fun! You have a sleigh just like St. Nicholas.”
Esther’s laughter rang out. “Probably not exactly like his. My father made this one from an old wagon. Is everyone here?”
“No, but here they come now.” Eliza pointed toward the woods.
Three dark figures emerged from the white-covered forest. Esther spoke in a soft voice. “They’ll be frozen by the time they get here. Isn’t there something we could do inside until they warm up?”
“Mother has hot cocoa. We could play a game or something.” Ben stepped closer to Esther as they watched the Starks cross the snow. Aaron pulled a sled.
“Hey, are we in time?” Ralph called to the others.
“You’re just right.” Ben answered.
“I didn’t know you had a sled.” Eliza took a few steps forward and met Ralph.
He grinned at her. “Didn’t ’til the other day. Aaron studied on it all the way home from your dance, and this is what he come up with.”
~*~
Aaron frowned. Ralph needed to learn to keep his mouth shut.
“You made this?” Cora made it sound like he’d done something great.
His cheeks burned from more than the cold and he nodded.
“I wish I’d made one.” Ben frowned. I never even thought, but we could have used it.” He looked from the sled to Aaron. “Looks like a nice one too.”
Aaron nodded. “Thanks.”
“No problem, I mean it.” Ben turned toward the house. “Let’s go in and warm up before we start. Mother promised hot cocoa and she’
s probably got some sweet bread.”
Aaron hung back waiting for the others to get a head start. His heart pounded at what he was about to do. “Cora.” He’d said her name to himself more times than he’d admit to anyone, and still it sounded strange and wonderful on his lips.
She stopped and turned back, her eyes wide. “Yes?”
“I was wonderin’.” He looked at the cabin behind her. Anywhere except in her eyes where he figured he’d see rejection. “Maybe you’d ride along with me? On my sled?”
Her eyebrows lifted. She’d say no. His heart sank. Shouldn’t have got his hopes up.
“That sounds like fun.”
His gaze snapped to hers. A smile lit her face. She’d said yes? His heart took up a rapid pounding. He’d made the sled for her. He wanted her to be first to ride it with him guiding, and she’d said yes. He stifled the impulse to shout and nodded. “All right. Reckon we better get inside afore we freeze standin’ out here.”
Inside Aaron joined the others around the Jackson’s store bought table. He’d never seen so many fancy things in one place before. A cabinet with glass doors held doodads that just sat there looking pretty. Ralph’d better steer clear of it just as he intended to so none of it got broken of his doin’.
Ivy stood close to the kitchen stove. She got her skirt and feet wet even after he’d had her ride on the sled most of the way. Mrs. Jackson pulled the rocking chair close to her. “Ivy, you’re soaked. Sit here and let the fire dry your skirt.”
Ivy dropped into the chair and Ralph snorted. “Weren’t no sense her gettin’ so wet. Ma told her to wear my other britches, but she reckons she can’t wear britches and catch a feller too.”
Ivy’s head snapped up and her eyes flashed blue fire. “Ralph, you’re tetched in the head for sure. Just shut your mouth up.”
Ralph grinned and moved away. “Ooeee! We’re hot as a goat in a pepper patch, ain’t we?”
Ivy stuck her tongue out at him. She settled back in the chair. When she took off her boots, snow fell out. Both her stockings were wet.
Mrs. Jackson frowned. “You really should take those stockings off so they can dry.”
Ivy’s cheeks turned red and she glanced at Ben then shook her head. “No, they’ll dry all right. I’ll stretch my feet out to this warm stove.”
Ben called everyone to the table. “Let’s all sit down and have some hot cocoa. I’ll be right back.”
He climbed the ladder to the loft while they settled around the table. When he returned, he had a book in his hand. “This is Swiss Family Robinson. Have you already read it?”
When no one spoke right away, Ralph caught Aaron’s eye and grinned. Aaron shook his head, but Ralph never did listen. He just grinned some more and leaned back in his chair as if he was getting comfortable. “Nope, Ben. Cain’t rightly say we read that one. Why don’t you read it to us?”
Ben took a swallow of hot cocoa and set his cup down. “Back home we used to have readings. You know, we’d each take a turn reading a page or two from a book. Why don’t we do that now? By the time we’ve made a round, we ought to be warm enough to go outside.”
When no one objected, Ben opened the cover and began. “ ‘For many days we had been tempest-tossed. Six times had the darkness closed over a wild and terrific scene . . .’ ” He read the first two pages, then handed the book to John.
Aaron kept his eyes on the book as it made its way around the table. The story caught his attention until he almost forgot what was coming. He shifted positions, wanting to run out the door. He didn’t belong here. He shouldn’t have asked Cora to ride his sled with him. She’d change her mind for sure in a few minutes.
Ralph took the book next and passed it to Esther. “Cain’t get blood from a turnip.”
Everyone stared at him, and he grinned. Aaron slumped in his seat. Not Ralph. He sat tall. “Y’all gotta excuse us Starks. We ain’t never had no book learnin’.”
Esther smiled at Ralph then turned her smile to Ivy and Aaron. “I haven’t had much schooling, either. But if you’ll put up with me, I’ll try to read a page.”
If Esther couldn’t read real good, Aaron couldn’t tell it. Oh, she wasn’t as good as Ben or John, or even Eliza, but what little stumbling she did didn’t bother him. How could it when he couldn’t get past the first word?
Cora took the book next. Her gaze met Aaron’s for just a second, but he couldn’t tell what she was thinking. Probably the same thing he was—that he wasn’t good enough to be sitting in her home. Then she started reading, and he’d never heard anyone read so fast. At the end of one page, she stopped and slammed the book shut against the table. “This is ridiculous. Can’t we go outside now?”
Aaron felt as if Cora’s hand had landed as a fist into the pit of his stomach instead of on an unfeeling book. If he could slip away, he would. Then he wouldn’t have to face her when she told him she wouldn’t ride with him after all. He’d make it easy for her. He’d stay away from her in case she felt obligated.
Chapter 10
The cold air refreshed Aaron’s flushed face. He flexed his muscles as he helped Ben lift sleds from the Newkirk’s sleigh.
“Who’s riding first?” Ben looked at everyone, but his smile settled on Esther.
Esther’s full pink lips spread into a becoming curve, while her blue eyes spoke of feelings for Ben. “There’s room for three or four on each sled.”
“Yes.” Ben grinned. “But only if they’re small children. When I get on a sled, there’ll be room for only one more.”
Color filled Esther’s cheeks, and her gaze fell beneath Ben’s scrutiny.
Aaron grinned. It didn’t take a city boy with a passel of learnin’ to figure out what was going on between those two. Esther was beautiful, and she was as nice as could be. A cold, hard knot formed in Aaron’s chest as his gaze shifted to Cora. It sure was funny how the heart had a mind of its own. He didn’t much care to make acquaintance with Esther, but Cora . . .
Cora’s laughter sounded like music as she grabbed her little nephew’s hand. “Nicholas and I want to ride.”
“Good.” Ben grinned at his sister. “You can go on the second trip.”
Aaron leaned against the wagon bed, his arms folded across his chest. He’d felt like a fool when he couldn’t read Ben’s book. A dummy like him wouldn’t stand a chance with a girl like Cora. He shouldn’t have asked her to ride with him.
“You can talk about it all day if you want.” John grabbed the lead rope of one sled. “As your chaperone, I’d better take the first ride. You know, to make sure it’s safe. We wouldn’t want anyone getting hurt.”
Vickie playfully hit his arm. “Oh, sure. You can’t wait to hop on one of those sleds.”
John’s eyes twinkled. “Please don’t undermine my authority as the oldest child here.”
The others moved away laughing and joking with each other. The rough wood of the wagon rubbed Aaron’s back through his threadbare coat as he pushed away to follow. Life wasn’t fair. The Newkirk’s had a wagon for good weather and a sleigh for when it snowed, not to mention the two fine-looking horses pulling it. Look at all the things the Jacksons owned. His family had nothing but their cabin, a few hound dogs, a couple of hogs to butcher, another getting ready to farrow, and one old ox.
“Come on, Aaron.” Cora waited for him. His heart thumped hard in reaction to her smile. “You can guide one of those sleds, can’t you?”
He nodded. “Never tried before, but I reckon so.”
“You mean you built that fine sled, but didn’t ride on it?” She fell into step with him. Her nephew clung to her hand.
“I only got it finished this morning. There wasn’t no . . .” How would Cora say it? He couldn’t think with her there so close beside him. “No time to try it out.”
“Oh, I’m sure it will ride beautifully. I don’t know how you managed to make it so fast. You must be really good with your hands.” Her smile lit a spark inside him. She was so small, even wrapped in
that heavy fur coat. He was big and awkward. And dim-witted. He couldn’t think of anything to say.
Cora had no such problem. “Nicholas wants to ride with me. I’m glad I’ll have you to help us. The first ride’s already taken. Ben’s got Esther on one, John and Vickie on another, and I think Eliza has Ralph talked into taking your sled. It’s the one I want when we ride.” She stopped all at once and looked up at him, her sky blue eyes searching his face. “You don’t mind, do you? I mean about Nicholas.”
Mind? He was proud she wanted to ride with him. Knowing his expression revealed every beat of his heart, but unable to look away, he memorized each detail of her face. “No, I don’t mind. I like the little feller.”
They stopped at the top of the hill to watch the three couples take off. Ralph had Eliza with him. Too bad for Eliza. Ralph wasn’t ready to be serious about any girl. Besides, Ralph thought Eliza was a child.
The squeals and laughter coming from the younger children as they played in the snow caught Aaron’s attention. Rebekah called out to Cora, so he stepped aside. Ivy stood alone with a sullen expression on her face. Aaron shook his head at his sister’s attitude. She’d better be looking in greener pastures than these. Ben wouldn’t give her the time of day excepting he was a nice fellow. All Ben could see was Esther.
Aaron walked a few feet away, bent to scoop a handful of snow, and patted it into a snowball. It packed real good. Maybe the girls and little kids would like to build a snowman. That’d keep them warmer than just standing around.
Aaron knelt, balanced on the heel of one foot, and rolled his ball in the snow. “Nicholas, look at this.”
The little boy turned, his eyes large and dark in contrast to the whiteness of winter.
Aaron grinned at the child while observing Cora’s reaction. A slow smile lifted the corners of Cora’s mouth. “It’s going to be a snowman, Nicholas.” Her warm, blue eyes met Aaron’s. “May we help?”
“Sure, can you catch?”
Before she answered, Aaron tossed the ball. She reached for it and missed. Snow splattered against the front of her coat. Aaron’s heart stopped until she looked up and laughed. She grinned at Rebekah and Ivy who stood to the side watching. “Are we going to let him get away with that?”
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