Adolph's Choice (Grooms with Honor Book 7)

by Linda K. Hubalek

  “A salad of new leaf lettuce and green spring onions tops covered with a dressin’ of smokin’ hot pork fat. And I’d fix beans and cornbread to go with it.” Poppy could just taste the wilted greens in her mouth.

  Adolph laughed. “I think you’d fix beans and cornbread every meal if you had a choice.”

  “And you’d eat only meat, potatoes, and gravy at every meal if you had a choice.”

  Adolph wrapped his arm around Poppy’s shoulder and pulled her against him. “How about we mix our heritage as well as our food in our garden and on the table? We’ll remember the good memories of our past and start new ones of our own making Deal, Mrs. Bjorklund?”

  “I agree, Mr. Bjorklund, including having a neighbor boy or two help me dig up this garden. We have a lot of vegetables and memories to plant in the next week.”

  “That we do,” Adolph said as he rose from the step.

  “I need to get back to work, but I’ll talk to some boys on my way, and try to get you some help, Poppy. I’ll be back for dinner.”

  “Thank you, Adolph. I didn’t mean to snap at you, but—”

  “I wasn’t paying attention to your needs, as Mack happily pointed out.”

  “The more I get to know Mack, the more I like him,” Poppy teased Adolph.

  “But I’m not jealous. Mack and all the Reagans have helped me out over the years. In fact, Kaitlyn should be your first to visit about planting your garden.”

  “Why? Does she save seeds?”

  “She has a strawberry patch that I bet she’d gladly give you runners from. Then we’d have new plants to start our own patch.”

  “And what goes with the strawberries, you’re already dreaming about?”

  “Angel food cake, whipped cream…after a meal of roast, potatoes, and gravy…” Adolph said as he walked around the house to go back to work.

  Poppy chuckled at her husband’s words. He’d dispelled her homesickness and foul mood with his kind banter and sharing about his past. Adolph already had years to work through the sadness of leaving his childhood home. Hers was still fresh being only a couple of weeks, but her husband was patient and kind about it.

  How did she get so lucky to marry this man?

  “He is right, Poppy. You don’t have to work this hard on everything, be it digging up the garden or spending so much time in the meat market,”Mack surprised her by walking up and leaning against the porch post.

  “But I need to prove I can do it,” Poppy explained after a moment, but not sure why she thought that way.

  “Adolph is a good man, nothing like I’ve heard how your pa was. You can depend on Adolph. And if something would happen to him, townspeople would step up to help you and your future family.”

  Was that her drive to do everything she could? Probably because her world had collapsed when her mother died, and her pappy had turned to drinking and ignored her?

  “Thanks, Mack, for your words of wisdom, besides digging the post holes. You did notice I left those for you to dig?”

  “Yep, and that’s fine. I don’t mind digging the holes besides building the fence. I know Adolph will pay for it,” Mack said as he moved to get back to work.

  Poppy watched Mack a minute, then looked up at the cloudless sky. There was a stiff breeze today, and the temperature and humidity were climbing.

  Oh, Momma, I wish you were sittin’ here with me to see my new garden patch. Not a weed, vine, or tree in sight. Just open blue sky and sunshine to help my garden grow. You would have loved it. And the fact I have men to help me get it ready to plant it…it’s a double blessin’. I just hope Adolph never tires of me…”

  Chapter 13

  "Excuse me? What did you say?" Poppy couldn't figure out what Vernabell Trumbull was talking about as the woman dropped a clump of rhubarb root on the meat market counter. So much for a clean counter now with dirt scattering everywhere from the recently dug-up root.

  "Since you're having a sale, I'll take two pounds of bacon today," Mrs. Turnbull repeated.

  Her words still didn't make sense. What sale?

  "Ah, I didn't realize we were havin’ a sale or special today. I'll have to ask Mr. Bjorklund about that," Poppy said as she turned to step into the back room to find Adolph.

  "Well, it was his idea, so you don't have to do that. The sign out front spells it all out," Mrs. Turnbull said as she waved her hand back toward the door.

  Poppy walked around the counter and opened the door. Now she saw a large piece of paper stuck on the window. It wasn't there when Adolph opened the door an hour ago. When did he post it on the window without her seeing it and why didn’t he tell her about it since she was the one working at the meat counter this afternoon?

  "Get ten percent off your meat purchase by bringing in seeds or starter plants for my wife's new garden." Mrs. Turnbull read out loud. "I figured you'd like to start a patch of rhubarb, so that's what I brought for my discount.”

  “Well, that’s very thoughtful of you. I would like to start a patch. Adolph was just sayin’ the other day he loved rhubarb pie,” Poppy fudged on her comment. She had no clue if Adolph liked rhubarb pie or anything baked with rhubarb in it. Hopefully so since she now had a plant of it.

  “Hello, Kaitlyn,” Mrs. Turnbull called out as Poppy’s next customer walked in the door. “What did you bring for Poppy’s garden?”

  Kaitlyn Reagan’s smile looked a little mischievous to Poppy.

  “Cucumber seeds I saved from last year, plus a few dill plants that have already came up volunteer on the edge of my garden. You need both for dill pickles,” Kaitlyn smiled and placed her items beside the rhubarb plant. Why had she known to bring over gardening supplies when she breezed past the sign on the window without reading it?

  “Thank you, Kaitlyn. That’s so thoughtful of you. I’m wrapping bacon for Vernabell. What would you like today?”

  A half-hour later Poppy excused herself from the line of customers to rush into the back room to talk to Adolph.

  “I need more meat out front, Adolph. I’m out of bacon, pork chops, and roasts,” Poppy jabbered as she stopped to drink a dipper of water out of the water bucket by the sink.

  “Out already? That’s unusual. Why today?” Adolph’s question surprised Poppy.

  “Everybody’s come in because of the sale, and we’re getting’ low. Did you butcher an extra hog for today?”

  Adolph dropped his meat cleaver on the work table, turned toward Poppy and put his hand on his hip.

  “What meat sale?”

  “Uh, the one you posted on the front window?” Poppy asked sheepishly. She should have asked Adolph about it when Vernabell came into the store, instead of waiting on the fifteenth customer who came in with a packet of seeds or another starter plant.

  “I did not put any meat on sale today,” Adolph emphasized.

  “Well, someone did, and now I’m about out of cuts to sell. Got any more chickens ready? I’m down to the last fryer, and I still have seven people in line to buy meat.”

  Poppy thought this was the first time in two weeks that she’d seen Adolph clueless. He quickly took off his butcher’s apron and hurried to the front room. Poppy hit his back when he stopped suddenly in the doorway.

  “The line of people is going out onto the boardwalk. What’s going on?” Adolph asked as he turned to look at her.

  “The sign on the front window says, ‘get ten percent off your meat purchase by bringing in seeds or starter plants for my wife's new garden.’ Didn’t you put that up?”

  “No! Did you?”

  “Of course not! But it’s helpin’ sales, and I’ve gotten lots of seeds and starter plants from people. I hope you have more meat to satisfy our customers because I’m still hoping for more things to plant.”

  Instead of going forward, Adolph leaned against the door sill and chuckled. Poppy looked into the front room and realized the women weren’t standing in line to be waited on, but were in a circle visiting, paying no mind to the empty sales counter. />
  “Who was your first customer in with something for you?”

  “Vernabell Turnbull, but Kaitlyn Reagan was almost right behind her. Why?”

  “Has it been the older church ladies who have come in?”

  “Why yes, I think every one of them, although I’m startin’ to see younger wives coming in. Even Iva Mae Reagan came in for a minute, explainin’ she didn’t have any seed for me, but she left a bar of lavender soap from her pharmacy in the tub I set up by the door. Come to think of it, she didn’t even buy meat,” Poppy answered. She’d been so busy, she’d lost track of who came in to stand in line to buy meat, but she knew some women had just popped in, dropped something in the tub and left again.

  “I think we’re witnessing a Peashooters Society project,” Adolph said as he turned to walk back to his work table. Poppy watched as he quickly filled the lined-up empty trays with the meat cuts he’d been working on.

  “Say what?” Poppy asked as she picked up the tray to carry to the front room of waiting customers.

  “The women came up with this sale idea to get people to donate items to get your garden started.”

  “Oh, how sweet. But should I pretend you thought of the sale, or acknowledge the women posted the sign without us seein’ them do it?

  “Let them have their fun. I’ll gladly take the credit for posting the sign—and give them a discount on their purchase—for them helping you. If anyone wants to place a chicken order that they can pick up tomorrow, we’ll honor the discount then too. We’re already out of cleaned chickens for the day.”

  Poppy grinned at her husband as she prepared to leave the room. “Sounds like I may be helpin’ you clean chickens in the morning instead of plantin’ my garden.”

  Adolph laughed as he went back to work. “You can thank your new friends for that.”

  Yes, Poppy could. Clear Creek had been a wonderful place to start a new life, not only because of Adolph but for the community.

  ***

  Adolph wasn’t surprised when Mack walked in the back door of the shop. If the man wasn’t busy on his construction projects, he loved to stop and talk.

  “The garden fence is done, and the Wilerson boys finished digging and raking the garden for Poppy. She’s set to start planting anytime,” Mack said as he pulled up a stool and sat down, apparently ready to visit.

  “Thanks. Let me know what I owe you. Poppy’s anxious to start her garden now that she has seeds and plants to put in it.”

  Adolph watched Mack try to hide a smile. Hmm. Was he in on the “discount meat for seed” idea?

  “You need any pork for your supper tonight, Mack? I have a special discount on today. Bring something to plant in Poppy’s garden, and you’ll get ten percent off your purchase.”

  “You know we don’t have a garden since we live above Pansy’s doctor’s office, but I’m sure I can dig something out of my ma’s garden to give to Poppy. It’s big enough to supply us sons’ families with produce besides for Ma and Pa.”

  Adolph stared at Mack a moment, wondering if Mack was the person to thank for the gifts customers were bringing into Poppy.

  Mack and his siblings were as close to brothers as Adolph would ever have. The Reagan clan had become Adolph’s family when he ended up waylaid in Clear Creek, waiting for Anna Marie to come back to him.

  “Thank you, Mack, not only for helping Poppy but being my friend for the past nine years. I appreciate it,” Adolph said with a nod. “You and your family have helped me through some tough times, even if you didn’t know it.”

  “You’re welcome, Adolph. Pa always said helping others was our family’s calling, not just for him as a pastor and ma as the pastor’s wife.”

  Adolph couldn’t help laughing when he thought of Mack’s brothers. “But somehow that hadn’t held true for Tully, your little brother, though has it?” Marshal Wilerson had quite a time with Pastor and Kaitlyn’s biological son. If there was mischievous trouble or petty thievery in town, Tully was usually the instigator of the group that caused it. He was not into the “family calling” at all.

  Mack shook his head. “Ma always said Tully caused problems because he didn’t have enough attention from her since she was helping the community, but that’s not true. Mischief has been his middle name since he was born.”

  “How’s he doing in school?” Tully lived and worked with his brother, Seth, at the Straight Arrow Ranch for several years after he finished grade school. Last year he left home to attend a college back East.

  “Tully’s letters say he’s acing the classes. Until Pa gets a letter saying Tully’s been expelled from college, we’ll never know anything different.”

  A thought just hit him square between the eyes. He and Poppy could be worrying about a child in the near future and eighteen years from now. Everything in his life had changed with answering a mail-order bride advertisement. Would they have well-behaved children or holy terrors like Tully Reagan?

  “Are you glad you married, Mack? Marriage is still so new to me, and I worry if I’ve done the right thing and the prospect of children soon,” Adolph blurted out, shaken by the thought of being the protector and provider for a family.

  “Yes, I’m glad I married Pansy. I was head over heels when I first saw Pansy and can’t imagine life without her. We don’t plan to have children right away, but I hope it’s in our future.”

  What did Adolph hope for his and Poppy’s future?

  Adolph had fallen in love at first sight with Poppy’s photo in the advertisement, just as Mack had fallen for his wife. Adolph was shocked with Poppy’s features when she arrived, but he felt obligated to marry her anyway, hoping their marriage would grow strong over time.

  Adolph didn’t think he’d fall in love with Poppy, but now he wondered if he hadn’t. Yes, they made love at night, but was he in love with his wife?

  And a baby—with orange hair—might be part of their lives within a year. Adolph better start a college fund soon, because he’d want their children to have a better start in life than he and Poppy had themselves.

  Adolph looked into the front room where Poppy animatedly smiled and talked to their customers. Even though she had limited knowledge about how a wife should take care of a household, she’d forged ahead to learn. Plus, she’d pitched in with his business, gladly helping in any way she could, be it to pluck feathers or wait on customers.

  Why was his mind skipping around to different topics about his wife when he should be cutting up meat for their customers?

  Adolph turned back to a grinning Mack, who guessed Adolph was thinking about his bride.

  “Are you head over heels in love yet, Adolph? Whether it was planned or not, you have a special woman in your life. Poppy’s falling in love with you, and I hope you are too.”

  Chapter 14

  "I have something special for you to open," Adolph said with a smile. He handed her a flat package that had been wrapped in brown paper and string.

  It had been three weeks since they’d posed for their wedding portrait. Fergus had to wait for a new shipment of photography paper before he could print and mount their wedding photo.

  "It's kinda heavy," Poppy said as she lifted it a few times in her hand.

  Poppy was positive this was what she’d been waiting for. It was the silver filigree picture frame with their wedding photo.

  They sat down side by side on the settee, and Poppy carefully unwrapped the package. She paused a second when she pulled back the paper which revealed the corner of the frame. It wasn't the same frame she'd spied in Adolph's desk drawer.

  Poppy turned the heavy silver-plated frame over to reveal the front. She stared at the frame before looking at the photograph. The frame front had flower blossoms stamped into the metal around the frame.

  "I hope you like it. I picked out this frame because the flowers reminded me of your name," Adolph said as he leaned forward to see her reaction. But she kept her head down because she didn't want Adolph to look at the tears threaten
ing to fall.

  Poppy traced the frame with her finger, knowing Adolph had put thought into his choice.

  "I think our portrait is nice, considerin’ we were strangers that day," Poppy said to draw her mind away from the frame.

  "Fergus did an excellent job of making us feel at ease, but you were very fetching in your wedding attire anyway," Adolph said as he put his arm around her and pulled her close to kiss her temple.

  This frame was lovely but not as delicate and unique as the other frame. Did Adolph buy it first, then exchange it for this one, thinking she'd like the flower design better?

  Poppy had first seen the filigree frame the day after their wedding. She'd peeked in the drawer again the next day, but the frame was gone.

  "Where should we display it? I was thinking on the parlor table," Adolph said, still trying to make eye contact with Poppy.

  Poppy looked around the room, stood, and carried the frame to the mantel shelf.

  She studied Adolph's face as she set the frame on the right side of the shelf where she imaged Anna Marie's portrait sat for years.

  By the quick blanch on his face, Poppy knew she was right. Adolph recovered with a smile and a nod of his head as if he approved of the spot, but now Poppy knew the truth.

  The filigree frame had Anna Marie's picture in it, and it sat in the very same spot, directly across from the upholstered sliding chair that Adolph always sat in.

  The pretty picture frame was never meant to be Poppy's. It was a shrine to his beloved fiancée instead.

  “Thank you, Adolph. I’ll always treasure it.” Poppy took a deep breath and pasted a smile on her face. She shouldn’t be jealous of Anna Marie. The woman picked another man, and Poppy was fortunate to marry Adolph. But did he love Poppy, or did he still think of the other woman when they laid in bed together?

  Another thought struck her. Did Adolph get rid of Anna Marie’s photo and frame, or was it hidden in the house, so he could still pull it out to study her face?