“I’m happy to be here.” Coral hoped the woman would move on, because she had absolutely nothing to say to her.
“Where are you from?” Mrs. Sanford asked.
“I lived in Massachusetts until just recently.” Please walk away. Please walk away.
“Wow. That’s far away! Are you any relation to Mrs. Finnegan?”
Coral should have known Esther would already have met at least half the community. She was so outgoing. What Coral wouldn’t give for just a bit of that now. “Yes, she’s my sister.”
Mrs. Sanford’s brows drew together, and Coral could read her mind. They don’t look like sisters.
“I see.” Mrs. Sanford took her leave then, and Coral sighed heavily.
“What’s wrong?” Jack asked, his hand going to the small of her back.
“I’m being compared to Esther again and found lacking.”
“That’s because they’ve never seen you do mathematics in your head. Or seen you barely glance at a page before memorizing it. If they could see those things, they’d be impressed.”
“And shocked and frightened…” Coral couldn’t believe it when a giggle escaped her. She was making fun of how different she was, and she didn’t think she’d ever been able to do that before.
Jack laughed, the sound loud and booming, causing everyone to turn and look their way. Several of the men gave approving nods.
Esther entered the schoolhouse then, and sashayed across the room. Coral couldn’t believe just how much her sister filled up a room. She stopped to talk to everyone as she walked through the small building. All of the desks had been taken outside for the evening, and would be returned after the party.
Coral leaned over and whispered to Jack, “I wish I could be half as likable as she is. She has everyone in the room eating out of the palm of her hand, and she just arrived.”
“You’re not jealous of your sister, are you?”
“Only a lot.” She put on a brave face as Esther made her way over to her. “I’m glad you were able to make it.”
Esther smiled, reaching out to hug her sister. “Of course, I made it. I wouldn’t miss this for anything.” She was wearing her prettiest dress, a pink silk gown with an embroidered bodice. The only woman in the room wearing gloves, she should have looked odd, but instead, she made every other woman in the room look positively dowdy.
“Where’s Brody?” Jack asked, not able to stop himself from comparing the sisters. The first time he’d seen them together, his wife had been the loser in the comparison. This time, though, he could see the inner beauty his wife displayed. Her sister was kind enough, but she didn’t glow from within the way Coral did.
“He’s seeing to the horses.”
“You brought the wagon?” Coral asked, without thinking first. Of course they brought the wagon. Her sister wouldn’t dream of walking all that way, dancing the night away, and then walking home again.
“I didn’t want to mess up my gown by walking,” Esther said, as if her sister should have known that’s what she was thinking.
“Of course not.”
Jack smiled at Esther. “It’s good to see you again.”
Esther nodded at her new brother-in-law. “And you. I hope you’re taking good care of my baby sister.”
“It’s my job. And she’s taking good care of me as well.”
“I’m sure she is. Brody is missing her cooking already.”
“You’re welcome to come to our place for supper any time.” He made the offer automatically, hoping she wouldn’t take him up on it. He knew Esther was a lot of the reason Coral thought so little of herself.
“Thank you.” Esther turned toward the door, her eyes catching Brody. “There’s my man.”
Brody was in the doorway, and his eyes were scanning the room. When they lit on Esther, he walked toward her as if pulled her way by a magnet. When he’d reached his wife, his arm went about her shoulders, anchoring her to his side.
Brody’s eyes met Jackson’s. “How’s married life, Mr. Smythe?”
Jack smiled. “I couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful sweet woman. I’m thrilled with married life.”
Brody looked surprised. “You are?” He looked back and forth between Coral and Jackson. “Of course you are. Coral’s an excellent cook.”
“She is. She’s wonderful at so many things, isn’t she? I just thank God every day that she chose me.”
Brody seemed to want to argue with Jack’s version of events, but he didn’t. “You are a fortunate man.”
Jack nodded. “That I am.” He kissed Coral’s cheek. “I need to say the blessing, and then we’ll eat.” He looked at Esther. “Did you put your dish on the table?”
“Oh, I knew Coral would make enough for both of us.”
Jack blinked for a moment, having a hard time believing that she’d said that. She was right though. “Yes, she made enough for several households. Excuse me, I’ll say the prayer.”
Coral watched him as he said the prayer and then led the way to the food table. He not only filled a plate for himself, but he filled one for her as well. Coral was thankful. They stood around eating while holding their plates in their hands. “I got a big portion of your stew,” Jack told Coral. “It’s delicious as always.”
After they’d eaten, it was time for the dance, and Coral realized that other than her debutante ball, she hadn’t danced with a man. When Jack took her into his arms and slowly began to twirl her around the room, she felt like she was dancing on air. He was a good dancer, guiding her through the steps seamlessly.
“Where did you learn to dance so well?” she asked.
“My mother. She hated that I wasn’t getting the kind of upbringing I’d been born for, so she would dance with me in the evenings, so I could return to the life I’d had to leave when she married my step-father.”
“I don’t understand. How could you return to it?”
“My grandparents would have taken us in, and did for a short time before she decided to remarry. I always had an open invitation to go back East and take up the reins of my grandfather’s business.”
“What did he do?” she asked.
“He owned a bank.”
“And you didn’t want to do that?”
He shook his head emphatically. “My grandfather disapproved of my step-father, and I felt like he treated him unfairly. Although his mistreatment didn’t extend to me, I had no desire to be part of the lifestyle that led people to look down on others. We’re all equal.”
She smiled and nodded. “I agree. Wholeheartedly.”
After the dance was over, he and some of the other men put the desks back into the schoolhouse, and Coral was pleased to see that Brody was one of the men who helped. Esther stood beside her, yawning.
“You seem very tired tonight,” Coral said.
Esther shrugged. “I’m not used to all the physical labor. I’ll get to where I’m good at it though. Brody is worth that to me.”
When the men had finished, the sisters said goodnight with hugs and Coral set off with Jack toward their home. “That went better than I expected,” she told him.
“You didn’t expect it to go well?”
She shrugged. “I really don’t do well with people. I know you don’t believe me, but I tend to be prickly because I get so overwhelmed.”
“Like you were the night we met?” he asked, finally understanding why she’d seemed to be a different person the night he’d met her.
“Exactly! I don’t know why you agreed to marry me.”
“I was very nervous, and you agreed to cook all my meals.”
She laughed. “I always knew you had only one thing on your mind when you married me.”
He shrugged. “I don’t deny it. And I have to say, you’ve fulfilled that duty admirably. Now I have something entirely different on my mind, but that will still have to wait.”
She turned her head to him, a slight grin on her face. “We’ll know each other so much better in a month.
Don’t you think this period of getting to know who we are without the marriage bed interfering is good for us?”
“You know, I really do. Most of the time. But sometimes, I just want to have my way with you.”
She laughed. “You make it sound positively naughty, Mr. Smythe.”
He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. “Not when it’s between married people.”
She sighed contentedly. “Thank you for being so attentive this evening. I think Esther was worried about me until she saw us together.”
“And she’s not worried any longer?”
“She doesn’t seem to be. She seems to be surprised that we genuinely like each other, but she no longer is worried.”
“That’s a good thing, I guess.”
“Oh, it surely is.” She thought of something she’d been wanting to mention. “Is it possible for us to get a dog or a cat? I spend so many hours alone that I feel like an animal would be the perfect companion.”
He thought about it for a moment. “Why don’t I ask around and see if anyone has a new litter they’re trying to get rid of. I wouldn’t mind having an animal around either.” He opened the door to the house and let her precede him inside. “Do you have a preference of a dog or a cat?”
She shrugged. “I’d prefer a dog, but a cat would be helpful with rodents.” She’d seen mice in the house a few times and would be glad to get rid of them.
“So you’d be happy with either?”
She nodded. “I want a dog, but I can see the benefits of a cat.”
“I’ll see what I can do to make that happen.” He yawned widely. “It’s been a long day. Are you ready for bed?”
She nodded. “Just give me five minutes.”
“Are you certain that’s long enough?” He’d gotten into the habit of giving her exactly twenty minutes every night.
“I might still be braiding my hair when you come in, but if that won’t bother you, five minutes is enough.”
“I’ll see you in five minutes then.” He leaned down to kiss her cheek before heading outside.
As he wandered, he thought about how uncomfortable she’d truly been that night, and he realized something about her. She was much more at home with books than she ever would be with people. It wasn’t a criticism, of course, because he understood the feeling completely. For the most part, he felt exactly the same way.
He’d rather be with books than anyone else in the world. Except for her, of course. In just one short week, his Coral had managed to worm her way into his heart. He loved her.
He knew then he wanted to find a special way to tell her. Something that would make her realize that he accepted everything about her, and not just the parts that he liked. It would have to be a grand gesture of some sort, and it would take some planning. He’d do it though, because she mattered so much to him.
Chapter Ten
The next month flew by, with Coral getting to know Jack a bit better every day. On the eve of her birthday, she sat with him in front of the warm stove. He was grading papers while she read one of her anatomy books. “This is my last book,” she said. She wanted to ask for more, but she knew they really didn’t have the money.
He sighed. “And there’s no point in your trying to re-read anything because you have it all memorized still.” He reached out and took her hand. “I do wish I could buy you a whole library of books.”
“I know. I’m just going to need a new project to keep me busy for a while.” She looked out the window, watching the snow fall. “This is going to be a very long winter if I’m home all the time with nothing to do.”
“I know you were collecting some scraps of cloth. Do you have enough to make a quilt?”
“I do, and I’ll start on one tomorrow.” It wouldn’t take her nearly long enough, but she could stay occupied for a while with it.
“Will you have time to bake a cake tomorrow?” he asked.
She shrugged. “Sure, I can do that. Nothing else to do.”
He patted her hand and went back to grading the papers in front of him. He wanted to finish them, so he’d have the weekend free. He wanted to tell her about his birthday surprise for her, but he wasn’t going to spoil it. He’d worked too hard to get everything just right without her knowing.
*****
When Coral woke the following morning, she stretched and rolled over. She loved to see Jack’s head on the pillow beside hers every morning. She sat straight up in bed when she realized he wasn’t lying beside her. Where could he be? In all their weeks of being married, he’d never woken up before she did.
She rolled from the bed, shivering and grabbed her wrapper, pulling it over her shoulders. Opening the bedroom door, she peeked out and saw Jack on one knee in front of the stove, starting a fire.
“What are you doing up so early?” she asked.
He sighed. He’d slept too late for the first part of her surprise. Without answering, he finished lighting the fire and then stood up. “I wanted to make breakfast for you for a change. For your birthday.”
She frowned. “It’s not my birthday. Not for another week.”
He grinned. “Did you lose track of the days? It’s November first. Happy birthday, Coral.” He walked to her and pulled her into his arms, kissing her sweetly.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, smiling up at him. “Well, I’m glad you remembered, because I seem to have forgotten.”
“Well, you sit down, and I’ll make you some breakfast.”
She watched him for a moment as he got down a pan and cut off some pieces of bacon, putting them into the cold iron skillet without even heating it first. “You know what, Jack? I know how much you hate to cook. I’ll do it.”
He looked at her over his shoulder. “I wanted to make your birthday morning special for you.”
“You already have, just by remembering.” She took the skillet from him and removed the bacon, then put the pan on the stove to heat it.
“I was supposed to heat the pan first?” he asked, watching her carefully. He wanted to be able to at least make breakfast sometimes.
She nodded. “The bacon will be crispier that way.” She broke the eggs into a bowl and added a dollop of milk before using a fork to mix them, holding the bowl against her belly.
“You look beautiful this morning, Coral.”
She looked at him with wide eyes. “You don’t have to tell me that. I know I’m not a beauty.”
“I disagree. The more I know you, the more beautiful I realize you are. It’s like there’s something inside you that just radiates goodness and beauty.”
“Have you been reading more love poems?”
He shook his head. “I haven’t. Those were my own words.” He watched as she removed the bacon from the pan and poured out some of the grease before adding the egg mixture. “Have you enjoyed the poems?”
Coral blushed and nodded. “I’ve kept every one of them.”
“Have you now? Why didn’t you say anything about them?” He’d left her at least one poem a day in various places around the house for her to find.
“I—well, I didn’t know what to say. No one has ever tried to woo me before.”
“Is it working?”
“Is what working?”
“My efforts to woo you. Are they working?”
She nodded slowly as she stirred the eggs, not looking at him. “You’re awfully good at it.”
He smiled at that, pleased she’d been happy with his efforts. “I’m glad you think so. I’m not so certain myself.”
“Why not?”
He shrugged. “Well, I still don’t know where I stand with my own wife. You’d think if I was good at wooing, I’d at least know how she felt about me.”
“I—I don’t know what to say to that.” She knew she loved him, but she wasn’t sure she was ready to give him that kind of power over her. What if he didn’t love her back? Then she’d be crushed.
He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms aro
und her waist, resting his cheek atop her head. “You don’t have to say anything just yet.”
“But I have to say something later?”
He shrugged. “I can’t ever force you to say anything. I hope you’ll want to say something.”
She carefully removed the skillet from the top of the stove and rested it on a potholder before turning in his arms. She was very aware that now she was eighteen all their agreements were over, and he could start asking for more from her any time he wanted. “I think you’re an amazing husband.”
He smiled, stroking her cheek. “That’ll do to begin with.”
She stood on tiptoe and kissed him softly before turning back to the food she’d prepared. “Sit down, and I’ll serve this.”
He shook his head. “No, you sit down and I’ll serve, and I’m cleaning up afterward. Maybe I can’t cook, but I know how to put food on a plate and wash a few dishes.”
“Are you sure?” She felt like she was doing something wrong by letting him serve her. It was supposed to be the other way around.
He nodded. “I’m positive. Sit.” He scooped the eggs onto two plates and added bacon while she made her way to the table. Then he took the toast she’d prepared from the oven and slathered it with butter, adding two pieces to each plate. Carrying them to the table, he asked, “Do you want coffee?”
“Yes, please.”
She waited as he got coffee and forks for both of them and sat across from her. Taking her hand, he blessed their meal. “I’m sorry I didn’t have time to make breakfast before you got up like I’d planned.”
“I really appreciate the thought, and it’ll be nice not to have to do the dishes for a change.”
While Jack did the dishes, Coral went into the bedroom to dress for the day. She wondered what else her new husband had in store for her, because it was apparent he’d thought about this day a great deal.
When she stepped into the main room, she saw that he was just putting the last of the dishes on the shelf. “Thank you for doing the dishes for me, Jack. It’s a perfect birthday present.”
Montana Sky: Mail Order Marvel (Kindle Worlds Novella) Page 6
