The Shotgun Proposal

by Barbara Goss

  Clara relayed the message.

  “Gute Nacht,” Elsa replied.

  Rance tossed and turned in his bed that night. He had no idea what a beauty his wife had turned out to be. Her face haunted him. If only she spoke English. If he decided to consummate the marriage‒which had been on his mind since he'd seen her in the robe‒he wouldn’t have been able to even whisper words of love. Without words of love, the act might seem cold and heartless to her. He wiped the thought of making love to her from his mind. He had to accept the life God had given him. He’d care for her materially and give her a good, safe home. It was the least he could do.

  Thoughts of Elsa in her robe and nightgown stayed with Rance on his travels.

  The English lessons continued and with Rance gone, Clara had relaxed her duties so she could spend more time with her lessons. Clara told her that she was bright and was learning quickly. The first day Rance was gone, Clara had taught her so many words she was sure she’d forget them the next day, but she hadn’t forgotten any of them. Clara seemed surprised, but Elsa explained that it was because her desire to learn was strong.

  As summer approached, the days grew warm and Clara and Elsa often sat on the porch. Now it was Elsa’s turn at being the teacher. She taught Clara Russian knitting, and Clara soon finished her first potholder. She held it up proudly.

  “It’s very good,” Elsa said.

  Clara watched Elsa’s intricate knitting. “Where did you learn to knit like that?”

  “We learn at a young age. We had to make our own sweaters, hats, gloves, and scarves,” Elsa said.

  A man walked past the corral and Elsa glanced up and then gasped.

  “What is it, Elsa?”

  “That man! He was the man who wanted to marry me. That’s Emil.”

  “But he said he wasn’t from Victoria,” Clara said as she put her potholder down.

  “He’s from Hillsboro. He is with the Mormon sector.”

  “Elsa, you must not speak with him. Those were your husband’s orders,” Clara said.

  “But he is a dear friend.” Elsa saw the man turn and stare at her. She waved and he waved back.

  “In the house, Elsa‒now!” Clara ordered sternly. “I gave Rance my word you wouldn’t talk to that man.”

  Clara pushed Elsa into the front door and closed it tightly.

  “I don’t understand…” Elsa said.

  “Do you want to displease your husband?” Clara asked her. “He'd be very upset if I let you talk to Emil.”

  “What is he doing here?” Elsa asked.

  “He was looking for a job and Rance gave him one, but now I’m wondering if he applied just so he'd be near you.”

  “He loves me, Clara.”

  “Yes, but you're a married woman now, and it would be highly improper to disobey your husband.”

  Elsa felt disappointed. She would loved to have spoken with Emil, if only to ask after him and his family and explain her marriage, but she didn’t want to anger her husband after he’d been so generous and kind. She decided she'd obey him.

  Clara did everything possible to keep Elsa indoors, but the days grew so warm that Clara finally allowed Elsa to sit in the backyard of the house, in a rocking chair beneath a tree. She knew Clara was keeping an eye on her from the kitchen window. The breeze felt wonderful. Sometimes Clara would come out and sit with her for a while, and they’d practice English.

  “Someday, Clara, I’m going to surprise my husband by speaking to him in his own language. Won’t he be surprised?”

  “I imagine he'd be thrilled,” Clara said. “Can you repeat the sentence I just gave you?”

  “Hello, I am pleased to met you,” Elsa said.

  “Almost,” Clara said. “This time, the word is ‘meet’—present tense.”

  Elsa noticed Clara frowning. She turned to see what Clara was staring at and saw Emil standing by the fence near the barn, staring back at her.

  Clara yelled, “Go away! You have work to do in the stables.”

  Emil nodded at Clara, winked at Elsa, and moved on toward the stables.

  “That man is going to bring trouble,” Clara said. “Rance won't be happy if he sees him hanging around you. Please don't encourage him.”

  Elsa nodded. She was fond of Emil, but she was married to Rance now, and she would obey him. She vowed not to speak to Emil or do anything to encourage him.

  After a week, Elsa wondered when her husband might return. It wasn't that she saw him much when he was at home, but just knowing he was there had made a difference. She always felt more secure when Rance was within shouting distance.

  That afternoon, her mother, Frieda, and sisters, Marta, Johanna, Olga, and Emma, came for a visit.

  Clara set out a remarkable lunch for them. Elsa could tell that with all the fast talking the sisters did, Clara was lost in trying to keep up.

  Marta, pulled her aside and said, “Your husband is very handsome. Did you enjoy the marriage bed? What was it like?”

  Elsa could understand her sister’s curiosity since she’d be the next to marry, but she didn’t want the humiliation of confessing that she had no idea.

  “It was good,” Elsa said. “He is wonderful.”

  “Do you love him?” Marta asked enthusiastically.

  “Of course, I do,” Elsa answered. She needed to change the subject.

  “Has Father tried to pick out your husband, yet?”

  “No, not yet. He’s still happy with how your marriage turned out, but he’s angry that he’s being excluded from visiting. I think he thought he’d benefit from your marriage in some way,” Marta said.

  Elsa led her family to the front porch where they sat and watched the men training horses in the corral. They made small talk, but stopped when a rider approached. Elsa stiffened. She was afraid without Rance there,. She got up and ran to get Clara.

  When she came back to the porch with Clara in tow, the man had tied his horse to the post and was approaching the porch.

  Chapter 5

  Elsa glanced quickly at Clara. Her expression told Elsa all she needed to know as to how Clara felt about the visitor. Elsa relaxed when she saw Clara smile.

  “That’s just Wade, Rance’s best friend,” Clara said, and then she turned to greet him.

  “Welcome, Wade. Rance is away this week.”

  “I just stopped by to say hello. I didn’t know he was away.” His eyes took in the four lovely lasses and their beautiful mother.

  “Nice to see you, again, Elsa. Is this your family?” Now she remembered—he’d been a witness at her wedding. She’d been so nervous on that day she hadn’t taken too much notice of him.

  Elsa looked quickly at Clara who repeated Wade’s words.

  Elsa smiled. “I am pleased to meet you,” she said proudly.

  “Very good.” He clapped his hands silently to let her know he was pleased.

  Elsa saw his eyes drift to Marta so Elsa asked Clara to introduce her family.

  Clara said, “This is Elsa’s mother, Frieda, and her sisters, Marta, Johanna, Olga, and Emma.”

  Elsa smiled proudly at her family. She could see the gleam in Marta’s eyes, so she knew Marta liked Wade’s looks. Johanna—who was twelve—nodded politely. Olga, age ten, said hello in her language, not realizing he couldn’t understand. Little Emma, age six, turned her face to Olga’s arm to hide.

  Wade turned to Clara. “A very attractive family.”

  Clara smiled. “They’re all beautiful. Thankfully, they all take after their mother.”

  “It was a pleasure meeting them,” Wade said, eyeing Marta as he spoke. “But I’ll return when Rance is home. There’s something I need to tell him.”

  He mounted his horse, waved farewell, and rode away.

  Marta sighed.

  Elsa wondered if Marta should learn English, seeing as how she seemed attracted to Wade. The match would please her, as long as they waited, since Marta was only sixteen.

  It was another hot day, and Elsa told Cl
ara she was going to sit in the backyard with her knitting. Clara nodded as she was busy mopping the kitchen floor.

  Elsa loved the warm sunshine but always wore a hat to keep from getting freckled or sunburned. She took out her knitting and relaxed. Emil suddenly appeared beside her and she dropped a stitch when she jumped, startled.

  “You should not be here!” Elsa cried in alarm. She stood and grabbed her yarn in preparation to move back into the house.

  “Wait!” Emil said. “I just want to ask—is your husband good to you?”

  “Yes, and he’s forbidden me to speak with you. You must go!”

  “I still want you,” Emil said. “I’d hoped you weren’t happy so we could run off together.”

  “I’m quite happy. Now, go!”

  “I don’t believe you. I saw three bedroom lamps turned on the first night I was here— yours, your husband’s, and the housekeeper’s. I could fix things so that you can be mine once more. I would not let you sleep alone, believe me.”

  “No! You must go!”

  Emil sighed. “Your kisses told me you were a bit more than fond of me, once.”

  “Just go, please!”

  “All right, I’ll go, but I aim to keep trying. I love you, Elsa,” he said. “I’ll make it happen.”

  “It’s too late, Emil. I’m married now, to a good man. Please, go.”

  “Until death do you part,” he sneered. “Never fear, Emil will fix things.”

  Elsa wasn’t sure what he meant, but she backed slowly toward the house.

  “I’ll go if you give me a farewell kiss,” he said.

  “No! I cannot.” Elsa took another step toward the house.

  “A hug, then?”

  “No!” Elsa exclaimed and took still another step toward the house.

  “Then I’ll have to take both,” he said, and stepped close enough to grab her by the shoulders. He bent down and kissed her forcefully. Elsa hadn’t been kissed in so long, she was almost tempted to return the kiss and enjoy it, but she knew that would be wrong, so she kept her lips stiff using all the will power she could muster. It wasn’t so much that she’d enjoyed his kisses as much as she loved the idea of someone who wanted to kiss her. She craved attention from a male figure since her father had never given her or her sisters any affection.

  “Hey! There! You!” a male voice bellowed loudly, causing Emil to jump and quickly release Elsa from his grasp.

  “Get away from Mrs. Balcomb! Right now!” Manny yelled.

  Emil jumped back, and Elsa ran into the house without looking back to see if Emil had left or not.

  Rance trotted down the path to his house, glad to see the sight of it after having been gone for over a week. He handed his reins over to Manny who’d run out to greet him.

  “How are things?” he asked Manny as he slid off his horse.

  “Well, the honey-colored filly gave birth, but the foal died shortly after. I did all I could,” Manny said.

  “I had a hunch she’d have problems,” Rance said. “Anything else?”

  “Oh, I had to fire Emil, so we’ll have to find someone else to muck the stables. A young man of twelve asked for the job, but I told him he’d have to wait for your return for an answer,” Manny said. “The black stallion broke through the corral behind stable three—”

  When Manny had changed the subject so quickly he’d become suspicious. “Why did you fire Emil?” Rance asked, cutting him off.

  Manny fidgeted. “Well…he wasn’t doing his job, and he made a habit of wandering around.”

  Rance didn’t buy it. They’d always given the stable cleaners a bit of freedom and were lax in the discipline since it was so hard to find someone to do the job.

  “Spit it out, Manny. What’d he do?” Rance demanded.

  Manny sighed. “I caught him bothering your wife.”

  “Bothering?” Rance’s anger was rising quickly. “Bothering how?”

  “He kissed her, but I don’t think she invited it. She looked shocked and—”

  “Unwilling?” Rance asked making fists of his hands. How dare someone kiss his wife? Then he realized she wasn't really his, not completely. He’d have to remedy that, and soon. He’d thought a lot about it during his trip. It had, in fact, been constantly on his mind.

  Manny shrugged. “It looked that way, but it was hard to tell.”

  Rance shook his head and then looked out over the fields, thinking, but not really seeing anything. Did Elsa know this man? Even he hadn’t kissed her yet. He quietly said, “Good job, Manny—as usual.”

  Rance turned and walked to the house. He wasn’t sure how to handle the situation. Had Elsa encouraged the kiss or not? Did she know this Emil? Since he himself had never been intimate with his wife, he wondered if he even had the right to do anything about what had happened, though he knew he would, he was that upset.

  Clara was stirring something in a pot on the stove when Rance entered the kitchen.

  “Welcome home,” she said. “Wait right here, because I have a surprise for you.” She set her spoon down and ran up the stairs.

  Rance sighed. He’d just stepped through the door and before he even had the chance to discuss the matter with Clara, she’d left him standing by the door, holding his small duffle bag.

  Clara reappeared with Elsa in tow. “Go ahead,” Clara urged Elsa.

  He didn’t know what to expect, but Elsa was blushing. She turned to him and smiled, she was wearing a bright red dress with black trim. She looked so different in colorful, modern clothing.

  She looked up at him and smiled. “Welcome home, husband,” she said with the cutest of accents.

  The shock of hearing her speak English had stunned him, and he stood there with his mouth open until he realized she was waiting for his approval.

  Finally, he smiled. “Very good! Thank you.”

  Rance had always thought accents from different places interesting, and he often enjoyed listening to Helge from the livery talk. But Elsa’s accent was different; somehow more alluring‒or was that because it had come from such a beautiful woman?

  A look of pride flashed on her face, and Rance forgot the very incident he’d meant to handle.

  Elsa nodded and went back upstairs. As she turned to leave he noticed she was wearing her hair down, but pulled back with combs. No wonder she looked so different.

  “I take it you’re teaching her English,” Rance said. “What an excellent idea.”

  “She’s a quick learner,” Clara said and then frowned. “She’s dedicated to making the marriage work, Rance.”

  “By kissing another man while I was gone?”

  Clara straightened her back. “It wasn’t her fault. She was knitting in the backyard and he charged in and grabbed her. He forced the kiss, which she didn’t return, and that’s when Manny scared him off.”

  “Are you sure she didn’t encourage him? I think this might have been the man who wanted to marry her,” Rance said.

  “He’s the one, but she didn’t encourage him. In fact, every time she saw Emil anywhere near the house she ran inside to avoid him.” Clara wrung her hands. “Please, don’t mention it to her. She’s been practically hiding in the house ever since. She’s afraid to go outdoors, and she’s afraid of what you’ll do when you find out.”

  “Why would she be afraid?” Rance asked. “Have I ever given her reason to fear me?”

  “No, but her father has, and those reactions are slow to leave someone who’s been abused for so long,” Clara said.

  “I suppose so,” he agreed.

  He noticed how fiercely Clara had defended Elsa. “I think we need to at least talk about it with Elsa. I promise not to show any anger.”

  “All right. Do you want to do it now?”

  “Yes,” he answered. “By the way, how long do you think it’ll be before I can carry on a conversation with her in English?”

  Clara replied, “At the speed she’s going, a few months, I think.”

  “That long, huh?�
�� he asked and then sighed. “Let’s have that talk.”

  Rance and Clara entered Elsa’s room after knocking and being granted admission. She sat in a rocking chair, knitting. She looked up and Rance saw a look of fear on her face, as if she knew what he’d come to talk about. Surely she’d known Manny would tell him. Her face paled and she bit her lower lip.

  To put her at ease, Rance smiled at her. He turned to Clara and spoke as softly as he could. “Let’s start with the fact that I know about what happened, and I’m very upset with Emil for accosting her.”

  When Clara had relayed that, he continued. “I’m happy that she obeyed me, and if the man comes around again, he’ll face a very nasty and protective husband.”

  Elsa smiled when Clara told her that. When Clara was done Elsa spoke to her.

  “What did she say?” Rance asked.

  “She said that she respects her marriage vows and did not invite the kiss, nor did she return it. She told him several times to leave.”

  Rance smiled at her and nodded. That was just what he needed to hear. She was a faithful wife. He had to consummate their marriage before Emil tried to steal her away. It would be no chore making love to Elsa; she was lovely. But he didn’t want to make love to a woman without love, as it would be meaningless without it. Without love, the act would be nothing short of animalistic. He’d have to court his own wife, but to do that, she first had to be able to speak English.

  Chapter 6

  “Manny,” Rance said, “I’ll need you and Sam to take those mares to the blacksmith to be shoed.”

  “We’ll do it this afternoon,” he answered.

  Rance was about to go into the house for a bite of lunch when he saw Wade riding in. Wade jumped from his horse and said, “I need to talk to you—in private.”

  “Sure. We’ll go into the stable office,” Rance said. “What’s up?”

  “I’ll tell you when we’re alone,” Wade said.

  When they were seated in the office, Rance asked, “What’s the problem?”