Her Heart's Desire (28 page)

Sally walked over to her and patted
her on the head. “With any luck, you won’t have to worry about the
kind of thing I do.”

Before Jenny could press her for more
information, she hurried out of the room and went to the kitchen
where her mother was pouring some tea punch. Glad they had time
alone, Sally pulled out a chair and sat at the table.

Her mother set the glasses on the
table and sat across from her. “Sally, you can’t run away from your
problems. If something’s troubling you, you need to stay home and
take care of it.”

“
I know, Ma. But does that
mean I can’t ask you for advice when I need it?”

Her mother smiled. “No, of course not.
What’s wrong?”

After she took a sip of the tea punch,
she sighed. “I found out why Rick’s mother doesn’t like me.” For
the next half hour, she explained everything she learned, often
expressing her frustration over the situation. When she was done,
she concluded by asking, “What am I supposed to do?”

“
I think you and Rick
should sit down with his parents and explain everything. Allow them
to express their concerns, and answer those concerns
honestly.”

“
And if his mother still
doesn’t like me?”

Her mother shrugged. “Then she doesn’t
like you. I’m afraid there’s nothing you can do to make her like
you. You’re just going to have to be honest with her and hope for
the best.”

Sally knew her mother was right, but
she’d hoped there was some magical thing she could tell his mother
that would make everything better right away. Hiding her
disappointment, she thanked her mother for the advice.

The kitchen door opened and Tom
blinked when he saw Sally. “What are you doing here?”

“
Joel didn’t tell you?”
Sally asked, surprised since Joel usually told Tom everything that
happened on the farm.

“
I haven’t seen him since
supper, which means I had a good day,” Tom quipped.

Their mother stood up. “Go to the
parlor, and we’ll bring you some tea punch.”

As he hastened to obey, she walked
over to the door and peered out of it. Returning to Sally, she
said, “Joel and Dave are washing up at the well.”

“
You mean Joel didn’t run
off to hide in the loft?” Sally teased.

Her mother shot her a pointed look.
“He has been known to work out there.”

“
Sure, when someone is
hovering over him to make sure he does it.”

“
You’d be surprised by how
hard he works when he wants something. Now, let’s get the men
something to drink. They’ve been working hard and need something to
quench their thirst.”

Deciding to stop teasing her mother
about Joel, Sally stood up and helped her pour tea punch into more
glasses.

***

The next day, Sally’s mother almost
didn’t take her back to town because of the thunderstorm that
rolled through the area. But when Sally looked out the window and
saw that the rain had ceased, she grew anxious and turned to her
mother who was resting on the couch in the parlor.

“
I think it’s safe to go
back,” Sally said, hoping her impatience wouldn’t betray
her.

Her mother, however, noticed it and
laughed. “For someone who made it a point to come out here last
night, you sure are in a hurry to leave.”

She sighed, her cheeks warm. “I’m
sorry. I didn’t mean to imply I don’t enjoy being here.”

With an amused smile, her mother rose
from the couch and peered out the window. “I know, honey. It’s only
natural for a young bride to miss her husband when she goes away.”
She glanced at her and nodded. “You’re in luck. I think the worst
is over. If we get any more rain, it’ll be light. I’ll have your pa
bring the buggy to the house.”

“
Thanks, Ma.”

Sally returned her attention to the
window as her mother left the room. The refreshing breeze wafted
into the room, and she closed her eyes to enjoy it. Few things were
as refreshing as the smell of the air after a rainfall. When she
opened her eyes, she saw her mother as she headed for the barn to
talk to her father.

With a glance at her carpet bag, she
decided to wait on the porch. She picked up her bag, but before she
left the house, she went to the kitchen where Jenny was sewing. A
couple of sheets of paper rested on the table, and she stopped
every couple of seconds from her sewing to read from the
instructions.

“
Are you working on a
skirt?” Sally asked.

Jenny looked up at her and smiled.
“Yes. I want to try to make something bigger than a
shirt.”

“
You really enjoy sewing,
don’t you?”

“
Yes. It’s a nice way to
relax.”

“
I don’t mind it myself.
It’s certainly better than cooking.”

Jenny shrugged. “Cooking’s not so bad
as long as you just have a few ingredients to worry
about.”

“
If you say so.” Sally
didn’t care for it whether she had a few ingredients or a lot. She
could think of many things she’d rather be doing, and not all of
them were pleasant tasks. “Good luck with that skirt.”

“
Thanks.”

Sally stepped onto the porch in time
for her father to pull the buggy up to the house. Her mother sat
beside him, and Sally noticed the way he patted her mother’s hand
affectionately before getting out of the buggy. She moved over in
the seat and picked up the reins while Sally bounded down the
steps, her heart pounding in excitement. Soon, she’d see
Rick!

Her mother gave her a knowing smile as
she set the carpet bag at her feet and sat beside her. “I’m sure
Rick is as happy to have you back as you are to return
home.”

“
Am I that
obvious?”

“
I’m afraid so.” Her mother
picked up the reins and urged the horse forward. “Do you feel
better about his mother?”

“
A little. I suppose I
won’t feel completely better until she likes me.”

“
I’m sure she will, Sally.
It’s just a matter of talking to her and letting her get to know
you.”

Sally nodded, praying her mother was
right. Even if she was eager to return home, she wasn’t that eager
to talk to his mother, but she knew it had to be done. As it was,
things wouldn’t get resolved unless she did something.

She looked out at the land around her
and noted the lush green hills in the distance. She studied the
cloudy sky, and decided her mother was right. The worst of the
storm was over since these clouds weren’t dark like the ones before
had been. As she scanned her surroundings, she noticed a fallen
buggy up ahead with a woman sitting near it. From the distance,
Sally couldn’t tell who it was.

“
Do you think she lives
around here?” Sally asked her mother who slowed the
buggy.

“
No. Someone who lived out
of town wouldn’t venture on this road while it was raining. This is
someone who isn’t familiar with the land. It looks like she ran
into a puddle, skidded down the path and ended up toppling into a
ditch. Her horse was spooked and ran off.”

Sally thought her mother’s assessment
was accurate and nodded. As they rode closer to the woman, her
mother was careful to avoid the puddles along the road. It didn’t
take long for Sally to see who the woman was, and when she did, her
eyes grew wide in surprise. What was Rick’s mother doing out
here?

His mother looked up at them in time
for her mother to call out a greeting to her. Sally couldn’t tell
what Rick’s mother was thinking but figured she couldn’t be
comfortable sitting out here…and for who knew how long? Her mother
pulled the buggy to a stop and set the brake.

They left the buggy and went over to
her. Sally noticed that her ankle was resting at an odd angle.
“Mrs. Johnson, what happened?” she asked as she kneeled beside her
and lifted the skirt of the woman’s dress to get a better view of
her ankle.

His mother grimaced. “I think I broke
it. I tried to move it, but it’s too painful.”

Sally’s mother patted her arm. “It’s
good we came when we did. I’ll get the doctor and come
back.”

Sally got ready to protest since she
didn’t want to be left alone with Rick’s mother, but she also knew
that this provided her the opportunity she needed so they could
talk. Despite her apprehension, she said, “I’ll wait here with
you.” She stood up and went to her family’s buggy so she could
retrieve her carpet bag.

“
You’ll be alright?” her
mother whispered as she got into the buggy.

“
I think so,” Sally
replied.

Her mother offered her an
understanding smile and released the brake. “I won’t be longer than
half an hour.”

Sally took a deep breath and nodded,
probably appearing braver than she felt. Her mother urged the horse
forward, and Sally turned her attention back to Rick’s mother.
Offering a hesitant smile, she sat next to her and opened the
carpet bag. “Ma says it’ll be thirty minutes. Are you in a lot of
pain?”

“
Not if I stay still,”
Rick’s mother replied.

“
I thought I’d wipe the
dirt off your face, if that’s alright?”

She sighed and glanced at her hands
and dress. “I’m afraid it’ll take more than removing some dirt off
my face to make me presentable.”

“
There’s no harm in doing
what we can so you can look your best.” She pulled out a
handkerchief and did her best to wipe the mud off the woman’s face.
“That’s much better.” Putting the soiled handkerchief aside, she
grabbed a shirt from her carpet bag and handed it to her. “You can
wipe your hands off on this.”

“
But it’s your
shirt.”

Sally shrugged. “I can clean it
later.”

“
Thank you,” she replied
and cleaned her hands.

After an awkward moment of silence,
Sally asked, “Did your buggy hit a puddle?”

“
I hit a rock first. Then I
hit a puddle. After that, everything seemed to tilt to the side and
the next thing I knew, I was thrown out of the buggy, and the horse
ran off.”

“
That must have been
scary.”

“
It was.” She handed Sally
the shirt. “It was foolish to come out when it started raining. I
didn’t think a thunderstorm would develop.”

“
In Nebraska, we get
thunderstorms more often than not.”

She chuckled. “Apparently so, and
that’ll teach me to take a simple ride in the rain for
granted.”

Sally cleared her throat. “If you
want, I can brush your hair. We still have some time before the
doctor comes.”

“
Alright.”

Sally dug her brush out of the carpet
bag and removed the pins in the woman’s hair, glad to have
something to do to help pass the time.

Rick’s mother held the pins while
Sally brushed her hair. “I thought I’d…” his mother began. “That is
to say, Rick came to see me and his father this morning, and when I
realized how you felt, I wanted to talk to you. Rick told me you
were at your parents, so I rented the buggy and horse. I had no
idea the rain would turn into a thunderstorm. So now I’m here,
and…and…” She shrugged. “I’m sorry, Sally. I should have taken the
time to talk to you, to ask you what your intentions were with my
son.”

“
I love him,” Sally softly
told her as she finished brushing her hair. “You see, Ethel Mae is
my friend. She introduced me to him in hopes he would take an
interest in me.”

“
She’s the one he mentioned
in his letter.”

“
Yes, he said he wrote to
you about her. When I met him, I liked him right away. If Ethel Mae
wanted to be with him, I never would have interfered. But she
didn’t, and I hoped if I could get him to spend time with me, he
might want to be with me instead of her.” She reached for the pins
from his mother’s hand and starting pinning her hair back into an
attractive style. “I didn’t do it to be manipulative. I was hoping
he’d like me, but if he didn’t end up liking me, I would have
stopped.” Unsure of what else to say, she grew quiet and finished
putting the pins in her hair.

A long moment of silence passed
between them before his mother finally spoke. “He’s happy with you.
I didn’t let myself see that sooner. I was afraid you tricked him
somehow into marrying him, but he explained that he figured out
what you and that friend of yours were up to and said he came up
with the idea to elope with you.”

Sally chuckled. “Yes. He pretended to
kidnap me. It was very sweet of him. You raised a fine son, Mrs.
Johnson.”

“
Thank you.”

After she finished styling the woman’s
hair, Sally put her brush in the carpet bag. She took out her
handheld mirror and handed it to her. “What do you
think?”

His mother looked in the mirror and
giggled. “You work miracles. I don’t think my hair’s looked this
good in years.”

Pleased by the compliment, Sally
teased, “Your husband better be careful. When the doctor sees you,
he’s likely to want you for his own.”