A Husband for Margaret (9 page)

“
It’s easy,” Doug
said.

She rolled her eyes. “Sure,
it is.”
If you’ve done it a bunch of times
already.
“You’ll have to show me later.”
Her own growling stomach notified her that she wasn’t in the mood
to go through a step-by-step instruction on getting the tray in
place. She would wait. She turned to the pitcher on the work table
and filled the glasses with water. “I’ll make tea punch later
today. Water is boring.”

“
Tea punch?” Bob’s eyes lit
up. “We haven’t had that since Ma died. Our other ‘ma’, I
mean.”

She turned her gaze to him and smiled.
“I’m sure she did a fine job of making it.”

Joseph entered the kitchen, carrying
Charles with him. “Well, he didn’t want to use the privy or chamber
pot. I’m afraid you’re stuck with diapering another one. Got enough
cloths ready?”

The question wasn’t how many clean
cloths she had on hand; it was if she could get them to stay on
right. She glanced at Doug who had worked through the process with
Ben. As long as he continued to help, she could manage it. Not
feeling as brave as she sounded, she replied, “I’ll be
fine.”

He set Charles in the chair next to
Doug and went over to kiss her. “You look wonderful this
morning.”

The way he smiled at her made the heat
rise in her cheeks. Even if he didn’t say it, she knew the message
in his eyes—he couldn’t wait for night to come. Clearing her
throat, she decided that she couldn’t keep looking at him and sound
calm. The boys were just children, after all, and they didn’t need
to know how his touch and kiss affected her.

“
Breakfast is ready,” she
said.

She cleared her throat again. So that
wasn’t as smooth as she’d planned. She was doing just fine until he
entered the room. Now she was a bundle of nerves. And she couldn’t
wait until they were alone either. But now it was day and time to
focus on the tasks at hand.

“
It looks great,” Joseph
replied.

“
Can we eat now? I’m going
to die if I don’t get some food!” Bob groaned and clutched his
stomach again.

“
You are not going to die.”
Joseph turned to the work table to collect the glasses and helped
her set out their drinks.

“
Ma’s going to make tea
punch today!” Doug said as he took the cup of water Margaret handed
him.

“
That will be a treat,”
Joseph said. “We haven’t had that in a long time. I tried to make
it once, but I couldn’t remember the right amount of rich sweet
cream to use.”

“
A half pint if you use a
pint and a half of tea,” Margaret replied.

“
We’re sure glad you’re
here,” Bob piped up. “He can’t make tea punch or cook
right.”

“
You survived, didn’t you?”
Joseph asked, grinning despite his reproving tone.

“
Barely,” Bob
teased.

Margaret sat down and waited for Joseph
to sit and say grace before she allowed the boys to start passing
the plates around, careful that Ben and Charles didn’t grab them.
She didn’t know how much they would eat so she let Joseph select
their portions.

“
I’m looking forward to
tomorrow when I start at the paper,” Joseph told her from across
the table as he cut into his eggs.

“
Are you staying here today,
Pa?” Doug asked.

“
No. I have to deliver
supplies for the mercantile.” He took a bite of his food and
swallowed before telling her, “I agree with Bob. The food is much
better now that you’re cooking it.”

“
Thank you,” Margaret
replied, glad he approved.

“
I like it too!” Bob and
Doug added.

“
And thank you,” she told
them before she handed Ben a pancake which he ripped apart with his
hands. Startled, she pulled his hands down from his face so he
didn’t stuff his mouth.

Joseph chuckled. “I should have sat
next to him.”

“
Well, I have to learn how
to do this sooner or later,” she said as she removed all the pieces
he’d made and gave him one that was safe. “There. He won’t choke on
that.”

“
He’s such a baby,” Bob
said, shaking his head and rolling his eyes before he gulped down
some water.

“
You did the same thing at
his age,” Joseph pointedly replied. “I remember the first time your
ma left me alone to feed you. I gave you oatmeal and a spoon. You
got food everywhere.”

“
Oh no, not this story
again,” Bob muttered to her.

She winked at him. “Thankfully, you’re
a big boy now.”

“
It’s amazing we survived at
all under Pa’s care,” Doug added with a hint of amusement in his
eyes. “All we ate was oatmeal.”

“
Oatmeal’s easy,” Joseph
said.

Bob looked at her. “You see why we
needed a ma?”

“
Now, your pa does a lot
too,” she argued. “Why, today he’s going to deliver things, and
then he’ll get paid. That’s how you can get food on your plate, you
know. Not everyone grows their own food. Some day you’ll be the
ones going out and making money to buy food at the mercantile.” Her
gaze turned to Joseph. “Will you be gone all day?”

“
Only until three,” he
replied.

“
Can we come?” Bob
asked.

“
I’m afraid not. Work isn’t
a place for children.”

“
You took us to the
newspaper office in Dayton.”

Joseph cut into his pancakes. “Yes, but
that was only when your uncle and grandparents couldn’t watch you.
And there was no way I was going to let Miss Potter do
it.”

That caught Margaret’s attention. She
handed Ben another piece of pancake. “What is it about her you
don’t like?”

Joseph’s eyebrows furrowed, as if he
was trying to decide the best way to answer her. Fiddling with his
fork, he shrugged. “I’m not sure. I just knew she was never meant
to be my next wife, that’s all.”

“
She’s mean, Pa,” Bob said.
“She’s nice to you, but she hates us.”

“
Yep,” Doug agreed,
polishing off his plate. “She said we were meant to be seen and not
heard.” He turned his head in Margaret’s direction. “Can you
imagine that?”

Joseph cleared his throat and looked at
her. “Hannah, Debra, and I grew up together, and I married
Hannah.”

“
That’s our first ma,” Bob
unnecessarily said.

Joseph didn’t need to add anymore.
Margaret got the picture. Debra had wanted to marry Joseph, but
Hannah did instead. Naturally, she thought it was her turn, and now
Margaret was the new Hannah.

Even if Joseph didn’t seem to welcome
Debra’s attentions, Margaret thought it might be flattering, at the
very least, to have two women wishing to be with him at the same
time. Margaret knew that had been one of her childhood fantasies.
Two young men trying to woo her. She’d struggle to choose the right
one, but she figured she’d have a wonderful time making that
agonizing decision.

Surely, Joseph must have enjoyed it to
a point? She thought to ask what it was like. Jessica said she
hated it because it meant she had to hurt someone’s feelings. She
wondered if Joseph thought the same before he married Hannah. No.
Probably not. He just knew he’d marry her. She still didn’t
understand how a man could possibly know something that important
early on in his life.

Joseph finished his meal and stood up.
“I hate to rush, but I just noticed the time. I don’t want to be
late on my first day.”

She blinked and turned her attention to
her plate. She glanced around and noticed that she was the only
person who wasn’t almost done. Standing up, she decided to finish
up her plate once everyone else was taken care of. She set her
plate and glass by the sink. “I hope you have a good
day.”

“
It’ll be fine.” He placed
his dishes in the sink and looked at her. “You think you can
manage?” He directed his gaze to the four boys who finished their
food with amazing gusto.

“
Sure. They’re well
behaved,” she replied.

Even as she tried to sound confident,
she couldn’t deny the underlying sense of apprehension that crept
over her. But she wasn’t sure about the wedding night and that
turned out alright. She had no doubt that today would too. It was
just a matter of jumping in and doing it.

He didn’t look convinced. “I probably
should have asked Ralph Lindon if I could start later this
week.”

“
You don’t think I can do
it?” she asked, surprised that the notion stung her as much as it
did. If there was one thing she knew, it was that she didn’t
collapse under pressure. Maybe she’d have her moments of weakness,
but deep down, she was tough as nails.

Leaning forward, he kissed her. “I
didn’t mean to imply that. I remember what it was like for me my
first day with them and no one to help. They aren’t as easy as they
look.”

“
What are you saying, Pa?”
Bob asked, letting his fork clatter onto his plate. “Haven’t we
been good?”

“
We’ve been on our best
behavior, just like you ordered,” Doug agreed, looking as indignant
as a seven year old could get.

“
That’s what I’m worried
about,” Joseph mumbled under his breath. Giving them a critical
eye, he told them, “And it better stay that way.”

“
We’ll help Ma,” Doug said.
“We know she can’t do it all herself.”

Margaret’s jaw dropped.
What?

“
If she can’t manage, we’ll
go to the post office and get you,” Doug continued.

“
Mercantile,” Bob corrected.
“He’s not a post master.”

“
Oh, right. Mercantile.”
Doug grinned widely at her. “You don’t have to worry. We’ll
help.”

She sighed but turned so they wouldn’t
see her roll her eyes. She was a grown woman for goodness’ sakes!
Besides, her mother lived three blocks away...should things get out
of hand. But she was determined it wouldn’t.

Joseph placed his hand on the small of
her back and kissed her cheek. “I meant no disrespect and neither
do the boys.”

Her frustration cooled. “Alright.” She
gave him a hug. “We’ll see you at three.”

“
Have a good day. Bye,
boys.”

“
Bye, Pa!” Bob yelled as he
jumped up from the table, knocking the chair over in the
process.

Doug called out to Bob as he bolted for
the steps. “You got to stay and help Ma!”

“
Oh. Yes.” Bob dutifully
returned to the table and picked up his dishes.

With a loud sigh, Joseph strode to the
front door and grabbed his hat off a hook. “I think it’s you who
needs a good day,” he called out to Margaret as he left.

Ben giggled and grabbed for the
tablecloth and pulled on it.

Margaret ran over to him and stopped
him before he could drag the remaining dishes so that they fell to
the floor.

“
Ma, Charles needs a
washing.” Doug held up Charles’ yolk covered hands.

“
Just his hands,” Bob
added.

“
Here. Let’s go to the
pump,” Doug told Charles as he practically dragged his brother off
his chair.

Charles tripped and fell to the floor.
He let out a loud wail, and it was in that instant, Margaret truly
began to understand how much work four little boys could
be.

Chapter Nine

By the time Margaret got the children
out of the house and to the park, she was ready to sit down at the
bench. It wasn’t that the morning had been a bad one. But she was
tired. She considered that some of her exhaustion was due to the
little sleep she’d gotten for the past two nights. The night before
her wedding, she couldn’t sleep much, and last night had been her
wedding night. Naturally, all of that led to her inability to
sleep.

Now that she was married, she could get
settled into a routine, which meant she could relax. It was after
lunch, Ben and Charles had been changed, and Bob had found the
soccer ball he’d packed. So now the boys were ready to run around
and play in the grass.

She sat down on the first bench she
found and exhaled. It felt good to get off her feet. It was 1:30.
In an hour and a half, Joseph would come home. She glanced over her
shoulder and smiled. Her new home was as quaint as she remembered,
and she knew she was going to enjoy living there.

She turned her attention back to the
four boys who had gathered around her. Ben bent down to retrieve a
rock off the ground and seemed particularly interested in
inspecting it. Charles held onto her skirt but watched his older
two brothers.

“
We should play in that
spot,” Bob told Doug, motioning to the patch of grass not too far
from her. He glanced at her. “Will you watch us?”

“
Yes,” she replied. What
else would she do?

“
Great. Come on,
Doug.”

The two older boys darted for the
field, but Ben and Charles remained by her. She picked them up and
set them on the bench with her. Ben, however, squirmed right back
down to see if he could find more rocks. Charles snuggled up to
her, so she put an arm around him. It would take them time to
adjust to being with her and their new home.