Mail Order Bride: Christy (6 page)

Christy gave him a shy smile and nodded, setting the basket down and pulling out a blanket to spread across the grass and leaves. The two men washed up at the water pump and then sauntered over to join her.

“Christy, this is Kip. He helps around the place and lives over yonder with his parents,” Brent pointed down the road towards town.

“Please to meet you Kip,” Christy smiled warmly at him and handed him a sandwich. Kip took the sandwich with a nod, “Ma’am,” he said and began to eat hungrily, gulping the whole thing down in just a few bites.

Christy looked over at Brent and giggled at the sight of Kip, feeding like a pig who hadn’t been fed in days. Brent returned the grin and they each munched on their sandwiches, sneaking glances at each other.

CHAPTER NINE

Brent

Brent had spent the morning in a temper, snapping at Kip and yelling at the cattle. Spurring his horse forward, then jerking the bit to make it turn or stop. Kip watched him with a worried expression but didn’t say anything. Brent knew that Christy was to return on the train to Topeka the following day and he felt powerless to do anything about it. She was so beautiful that he became almost tongue-tied when he was around her. His heart beat rapidly and his face grew flushed and his words came out all wrong. It seemed everything he said upset her one way or the other and he was frustrated with how everything was turning out. He had been so happy to stand beside her at the courthouse and marry her, imagining how their life might be when they returned to the farmhouse. But the ride home had gone awry when a snake had caused the horse to rear, and everything had gone from bad to worse since then.

When Christy emerged from the house with a packed lunch for them, Brent had felt the trembling of his nerves begin the moment he saw her. They were sitting close together on a small blanket under the shade of a majestic tree when a breeze blew a strand of curls against her white neck. Brent could think of nothing else other than kissing her skin where the stray curl swayed.

She looks lovely,
Brent thought, watching as Christy sat with her legs curled up beneath her. He admired her curvy figure, how stunning she looked with the sun shining down on her, the way it seemed to pick up on the golden highlights streaking through her red mane.

“I hope the calf is doing much better,” Christy commented.

Brent nodded and swallowed the last of his sandwich. “She’s as good as new today. Running around the field as though she was never sick at all.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Not that I can really take the credit.”

Christy smiled shyly as she sat her sandwich down. “I’m sure you’re very good to your animals Brent. I was watching you from the window…” She stopped short.

“You were?”

Christy blushed. She reached over and picked her sandwich up again. “I mean, I was just watching you brand the cattle. Just for a few moments. But I saw how gentle you were with them, making sure that none of them were in any distress.”

Brent nodded and grinned at her. “Thank you.”

He felt his neck beginning to flush red, and feared that it would travel to his face giving away his true feelings for her. He coughed into his hand and gazed across the field in front of them.

Christy blushed again and reached for a glass of lemonade. Then she stood up. “I’d better take these dishes back to the house.” She gathered up the empty items in the basket and turned to leave, but first she said to Brent, “I’ll see you back at the house for supper. If you like.”

Brent raised his eyebrow. “You’re going to cook?”

Christy smiled. “Yes. If that’s all right with you.”

Brent grinned at her. “I’ll be looking forward to it for the rest of the day.”

She returned his smile with a look that seemed to be full of relief.

She turned to walk back to the house, and both Brent and Kip watched her skirts sashaying from side to side as she moved across the grass. Brent wondered what he could possibly do before tomorrow to convince her to stay. He’d only known her for a day, but he was already beginning to see that he didn’t want to live his life without her. He lifted his hat from his head and scratched his hair, thinking on the matter. Returning the hat to his head, he spun on his heel and returned to his work with a whistle. Kip watched him with a sly grin on his face, and shaking his head with a laugh he followed Brent to the cattle yards.

CHAPTER TEN

Christy

Christy was daydreaming as she stirred the hot stew on the stovetop. Again her mind returned to the thought of Brent’s lips.

If only we’d shared a kiss,
Christy thought wistfully.
I wonder what it would feel like to kiss him?
She imagined the hardness of his arms wrapped around her and pulling her close to his thick chest. What a silly thought. She shook her head and tried to change her train of thought. Her ma would have scolded her for such thinking, but she couldn’t help it. She couldn’t think clearly at all with him around. It was for the best that she was to leave the next day. She didn’t know how she could get anything done at all if she were to live with the man. She’d spend all her time daydreaming about his muscled arms and never get a moment’s peace. It would be torturous!

Christy looked down and saw the stew was about to burn. She took it off the stove just in time and quickly tested it, praying it wasn’t ruined. When it still tasted fine, Christy breathed a sigh of relief. The last thing she wanted to do was to ruin the one supper she was ever going to make for Brent.

Oh, but if only there could be more,
she thought,
here
I am just getting settled in. And to say goodbye to Brent already…
Christy gazed over at the sweeping property outside the window and wished she could make a home here. She loved the lemon tree by the back door, the wide verandah around the house, the useful little kitchen with a fully stocked larder, the cattle and horses grazing nearby, swishing at flies with their tails. But most of all, she loved to see the smile on Brent’s face when he looked up at her, or the curve of his muscular arms as he swung an axe to split the firewood they needed for the evening’s fire.

I have no home anywhere,
Christy told herself.
That’s the reason I’m finding this place so inviting. I must remember to keep my head about me. Brent doesn’t want me here. And I don’t belong. Mama would tell me to get my head out of the clouds and stop daydreaming about things that are never going to happen. I’ll be getting back on the train tomorrow, and that is that.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Brent

When Brent finally walked in the door that night he was met with more than one surprise. He was taken aback first of all by how pleasing the house looked. It was sparkling clean, all the dust and cobwebs were gone, and there were fresh flowers in every room.

The second surprise was the sweet scent of the beef stew that Christy had prepared. Brent was hungry after a hard day of working around the farm. The aroma of the stew was warm and comforting and it drew Brent to the table. Christy served Brent up an extra-large helping before they sat down to say the blessing together. Christy bowed her head and closed her eyes, and Brent took a moment to drink in the slope of her neck and the curve of her full lips before he too closed his eyes to pray.

After the blessing Christy encouraged Brent to take a spoonful of the dish. She watched expectantly as Brent chewed and swallowed.

“I have to admit Christy, I’m surprised to find you can cook so well. It’s delicious.”

Christy leaned forward with a peeved expression, “I’ve been raised right, and taught to cook by my Ma. Did you really think that she would let me grow up without knowing how to make a satisfactory meal?”

Brent shook his head so quickly he almost choked on his stew. “Gosh no, Christy. I didn’t mean no offence to your Ma.”

“I know,” Christy said, relaxing her face into a smile, “it’s okay. I’m just a little sensitive when I think about my Ma. I miss her a lot, that’s all.”

“I understand Christy. And I only meant…this is tastier than anything I’ve had in a long while.” Brent smiled over at Christy. “Please take it as a compliment.”

“OK, I will. Thank you,” Christy replied, ducking her head shyly.

Brent was relieved. He took another mouthful of stew and smiled as the succulent flavors hit his mouth and warmed his stomach. He gazed across the table at Christy, watching as she took a small spoonful and placed it into her mouth, chewing delicately.
I misjudged her terribly on that first day,
Brent thought.
She’s a kind woman, with a sweet heart, not vain or silly at all. And if she is vain, then she has every reason to be.
Brent looked at Christy’s soft, glossy curls, piled high on her head. No longer streaked with dirt or dust, but tucked up in a stylish manner that flattered her face and made her green eyes seem almost to glow in the firelight.
A woman as beautiful as that has the right to be vain,
Brent said.
Yet still, I don’t think she truly is conceited, I do believe she has no idea the effect she has on me.

Christy stood up as she finished her bowl. “I ought to clean up now.”

“You don’t need to leave just yet,” Brent said. “Sit with me a while. Besides,” Brent said, looking around at the house. “You’ve done more than enough cleaning and tidying for the day, I can see that.”

Christy blushed. “I wasn’t even sure if you’d noticed.”

Brent grinned at her. “Of course I noticed. Why, the place is hardly recognizable as the same house I left this morning. Christy you’ve done a wonderful job. It feels like a real home.”

Christy squeezed her arms together, seemingly pleased to hear these compliments from Brent. “I think it just needed a woman’s touch.”

Brent nodded and scooped the last bit of stew out of his bowl. “You’re right about that. The last time the house looked like this was when Mama was feeling well.” He stopped and stared down into his bowl. It had been hard for him to lose his parents as well, and he missed them the way Christy missed hers.

Across the table, Christy sat very still and tense, seeming unsure of how to react. After a few moment she relaxed her body and smiled. “I’m sure she was a very wonderful woman and I know you must miss her.”

“She was.” His voice contained a bittersweet mixture of fondness and sadness.

Christy nodded, then stood up and pushed her chair away from the table. She took the plates and began to wash them in silence as Brent sat quietly at the table. Brent cleared his throat and stood up. “I suppose we both ought to get some sleep Christy. We’ve got another big journey ahead of us tomorrow.”

Christy nodded and turned her head away so that Brent couldn’t see the tears pooling in her eyes. “Yes Brent.”

CHAPTER TWELVE

Christy

As she cleared up the dishes and wiped down the table, Christy could hear Brent arranging his bedding on the living room floor again. She paused, holding the dishcloth in midair, as she listened to the noise of Brent’s body hitting the hardwood floor.

The possibility of a first kiss was getting further and further away with each passing moment, and tomorrow they would wake up and make the early journey to the train station where they would separate forever. Christy’s throat constricted with emotion, and she focused her attention on scrubbing away a stubborn piece of food from one of their plates.

Once Christy was finished cleaning up she crept quietly into the living room, dark now apart from the light of the candle in the next room, and looked at Brent lying on the floor. She leaned against the doorframe and watched him for a moment, wondering if he was sleeping.

“Good night Christy.”

She was startled. “Goodnight Brent,” she whispered, turning to leave.

***

Christy could still hear her mama’s voice as she read over the letter. “My dear Christy,” it started. Christy’s ma had written it months earlier, when Christy had been away for the summer, staying with a friend. Her Ma had sent it to her, and Christy had read it with tears in her eyes, keeping it close by ever since.

The letter told Christy of all the hopes and dreams her mother had for her.  Things she had never been able to say in person were poured across several pages of sloping hand writing. She expressed her desire for Christy to grow up into a strong, resilient woman. How she wanted Christy to find a good man to love, and to stick by him when times were tough. Most of all, her mother wanted her to grow out of her childish habits, and to be happy and grateful for the things Christy found right in front of her, and she finished by telling Christy how much she loved her and was proud of everything she had accomplished in her short life so far.

Christy hugged the letter tightly to her chest.
Oh how I wish I’d listened to her more while I had the chance.
Christy thought about all the times she had grumbled when her Ma’s words had dragged her out of her comfortable daydreams into reality. Now, it seemed to be the opposite. Christy wanted to escape her own thoughts and disappear into the comfort of her Ma’s letter. She wished she could live inside the words of the letter. She wished she never had to wake up the following day and face an unknown and lonely future. A future without Brent in it, and without a place to call home.

Christy lay down with the letter still in her hands and squeezed her eyes shut. She knew she would never be able to sleep, not with the knowledge of what was taking place the following day. How could she face what lay before her? How would she ever wake up and walk out of the house that had become home in such a short time, without knowing what, if anything was waiting for her?

A tear fell down Christy’s cheek.
It seems like all I have done in these last few weeks is say goodbye to people I love. Ma and Pa, then Meredith, now…

Christy suddenly stopped crying. She sniffled as she stared into the candle.
Do I really love Brent?