Nordin, Ruth Ann - South Dakota Series 02 - Bid for a Bride (6 page)

John and Eliza came out of their house with Eliza chatting on about going to town the next day. She carried a kerosene lamp, and he carried a box. When they reached the wagon, Lucy let go of Brian’s hand so she could take the lamp from her. John set the box of grocery items and cookware in the back of the wagon before he helped Eliza in.

As Eliza settled next to Lucy, she said, "Brian eats with us, so he doesn’t have much of anything over at his place."

"That’s good thinking, Ma," Brian replied. "She’s right, Lucy. I just have a pot to make coffee in. We’ll add more things to our home as we need them."

"Thank you." Lucy glanced at the kerosene lamp. "For everything."

"Think nothing of it," Eliza said. "We’re happy to help."

John got onto the wagon and drove the horses forward.

The ride was quiet, and Lucy took the opportunity to scan the area again as the sun set. In Minnesota, she’d been surrounded by trees and lived near a lake. The train ride to Sioux Falls with Adam had given her a good view of the prairie lands, and when he purchased the buggy and horse with a portion of her dowry, they traveled west. And then he brought her to this town to get rid of her before he headed off to who knew where.

When John pulled the wagon up to the house, Eliza said, "Tomorrow, John and I will get your buggy and bring it to the barn. Brian can’t drive a buggy, of course, which is why we always used this wagon, but now that you’re here, you can drive to town in that buggy if you need to."

As much as Lucy didn’t want to see anything connected with Adam ever again, she figured it would be useful out here. Plus, it was her parents’ money that paid for it, so technically it belonged to her anyway.

Lucy turned her attention to her new home. It was a little bigger than John and Eliza’s place, but not by much. It was made of wood and wasn’t a two-story home like the one she’d grown up in. On the porch were three rocking chairs. Not too far from the front of the house was a well and further down the property, she saw an outhouse. Well, at least she knew where she was supposed to get water and answer nature’s call.

Everyone got out of the wagon, and Lucy’s body was stiff from all the traveling. She walked about, loosening her muscles and watching as Brian grabbed his walking stick and her carpet bag while John retrieved the large box he and Eliza had taken out of their house.

Eliza motioned for Lucy to follow her so Lucy did. As Eliza opened the front door, she said, "John will bring in the things Addy gave you."

Lucy stepped inside the house and noticed how dark it was. She found a box of matches next to the cook stove and lit the lamp.

The kitchen was small but adequate for what she and Brian would need. It had a table and three chairs, a work table, shelves that currently held a meager pot and pan, a tray that held a couple of utensils, and the cook stove that looked to be in good shape.

"We have a cellar we share where we store most of our food," Eliza said.

The men entered the house and set the items they were carrying on the work table. John nudged Brian and they left.

"They’ll get those things Addy gave you," Eliza explained and picked up the lamp. "We’ll get another chair for this table."

Lucy followed her to the room at the side of the kitchen.

"This is the main bedroom. I thought it might keep warmer in the winter if it was close to the kitchen.

That may not be so great in the summer, but we have cooler weather more often than not in this part of the country. Where I came from in Omaha, we had seasons and such, but you never knew if it’d be hot or cold in the fall and spring. Up here, the weather is much more predictable."

Lucy’s gaze turned to the small dresser, a closet, and the double bed.

Eliza chuckled and looked at her. "Men never think of the basics, and my son is no different. You’ll need curtains. We’ll get started on those. And a better rug than this one. Why, Brian should know this worn down thing won’t work, even for a single man. As for the bed, he thought he’d only need a single one, but I told him some day he’d get married, and then what was he going to do? Sleep on the floor?"

She shook her head but smiled. "Men need us women around, you know. They just don’t take the time to think of things that make a home. But I suppose I shouldn’t be too hard on him. He’d just asked that Annabelle Courtney if he could court her and she said no. It broke his heart. He wouldn’t talk to anyone for a good two weeks. But don’t you worry none. He’s over it now. It was years ago. I don’t even remember how many. All I know is she’s married and has a child and another on the way."

Lucy followed Eliza out of the room, noting the hardwood floors that made their footsteps seem louder in the quiet house.

They passed the kitchen and entered the parlor.

"At least this rug is decent," Eliza said as she bent to inspect the red and white circular rug beneath the table and two chairs. "If you want more furniture, let us know and we’ll make it. Well, when I say ‘we’, I mean John and Brian."

Lucy noticed the room off to the side of the parlor.

"That’s the children’s room for when that time comes," Eliza said. "I painted the room yellow when we built this place, but if you want a different color, we can repaint it. The same is true for all of the other rooms."

Lucy didn’t see any furniture in it.

"Of course, you can use the room for whatever you want," Eliza added.

Lucy nodded, having no idea what she’d do with it, but then, a baby was a real possibility. She pushed aside the unwanted thought and turned back to the kitchen.

The men returned with the blanket and pillows.

"Is there anything you need?" Eliza asked Lucy. "John and I can run back to our place and get something."

Lucy glanced at everything around her and shrugged. "I don’t think there’s anything else we need."

Then she glanced at Brian.

"Do we need anything else?"

Brian shook his head. "I already have everything I need."

"Alright then," Eliza said as she set the kerosene lamp on the kitchen table. "John and I will be on our way. If you think of anything, don’t be afraid to holler."

Lucy thanked her again.

"I’ll see you to the wagon," Brian said. "I’ll be back in a little bit," he told Lucy.

She nodded but then remembered he couldn’t see her. Before she could speak, he headed out with his parents. She stood there for a moment and took in her surroundings. It was definitely a bachelor’s place. She guessed Eliza came over to clean it up, but the things in his place spoke of a man who lived by himself and after all she’d been through with Adam, that was a great relief.

She glanced at the carpet bag which held her things and wondered where she ought to put them.

Should she put them in the only bedroom with a bed? Deciding she’d ask Brian about it when he returned, she turned her attention to the box of goods on the table and put those away in their respective places on the shelves.

It wasn’t long before Brian returned. Lucy turned from the shelves and waited to see what he’d do. He set the walking stick by the front door and closed it.

"It’s still cool enough at night to leave the door and windows closed," he said and turned in her direction.

"You know where I’m standing?" she asked, surprised.

"I can smell you, and I hear you breathing."

She nodded. "I think it’ll take me some time before I get used to your talent."

He chuckled. "It’s not a talent. It’s just something that comes naturally to me because I’ve grown up listening and smelling what is around me."

"Well, I consider it a talent. I could never do it if I closed my eyes."

"My parents say the same thing."

Wiping her hands on the lower part of her dress, she cleared her throat and asked, "Where should I put my things?"

"In the bedroom. Over here." He stretched out his arm along the work table and grabbed her carpet bag. Then he led her to the bedroom. "Some of the drawers are empty, and you can use the closet if you wish. I hang my church suit in there so it doesn’t wrinkle."

She wondered how he knew if his clothes wrinkled but figured he probably touched them to find out.

She’d have to stop thinking like a seeing person and start thinking as a blind one if she was going to best understand him. Picking up the kerosene lamp, she followed him, noting it was dark out now.

He placed her carpet bag on the dresser and smiled in her direction. "I’ll let you put your things away.

You’re a better judge of what to do with them than I am."

Biting her lower lip, she watched as he went to the kitchen.

Were they going to share this bed tonight? He mentioned not being intimate until they had time to know each other better.

Maybe he didn’t remember saying it.

Slowly opening her bag, she debated the best way to broach the subject with him. He returned to the room with the blanket and pillows. Sighing, she put her things away while he spread the blanket out over the bed and fluffed the pillows before setting them at the head of the bed. He picked up his old pillow and stood in the room.

"Don’t know what to do with it?" she asked, finally breaking the silence.

Shrugging, he said, "I’ve never had this problem before."

She laughed and took it from him. "Might as well put it in a drawer. You have plenty of space."

"That’s a good idea."

As she bent to open the drawer, he left the room. She wondered where he was going but resisted the urge to follow him. Once she finished putting the pillow away, she decided to put the carpet bag at the bottom of the closet. When Brian came back in, he no longer had his hat and bandana on. She stood quietly in the room while he sat on the bed and took his boots off.

After he set them under the small table by the bed, he began to unbutton his shirt.

Drumming her fingers on the knob of the closet door, she asked, "Will we be sharing a bed then?"

"I don’t have anything else to sleep on." He stopped unbuttoning his shirt. "If it bothers you, I will sleep on the floor."

She thought over how to best express her concerns for a good moment before speaking. "Well, no. I don’t think you should sleep on the floor. It’s not comfortable down there, but if I am expecting Adam’s child…" She took a deep breath to settle the sudden nausea in her stomach at the thought and continued, "I’d rather know."

"I meant what I said at Addy and Frank’s house. I don’t expect us to know each other as husband and wife until you’ve had time to adjust to your new life. You’ve been through too much already. I don’t want to add to it."

"Thank you."

He nodded and turned his attention back to undressing.

She closed the closet door and went to the dresser to retrieve her nightgown, trying not to notice that he’d taken off his shirt.

Even if he was blind and she’d seen Adam naked, she didn’t want to undress or see Brian without his clothes on, at least not tonight.

Reaching for the kerosene lamp, she said, "I think I’ll visit the privy before retiring for the night."

"Do you want me to show you where it is?" he asked, standing up.

"No. I saw where it was when we came here. I’ll be back soon."

"Alright. If you need anything, holler and I’ll go out there." He stepped to the window and opened it. "I can hear you if you call for me."

"I’m sure I’ll be fine. After all, it’s just us."

Without another word, she carried the lamp and nightgown with her and went outside. The cool night air greeted her, and for a moment, she stood on the porch and took in her surroundings.

Insects buzzed and an owl hooted from a tree nearby. The path to the outhouse was marked with a rope, so she followed it.

When she reached the outhouse, she opened the door and frowned. It was smaller than it looked from the outside which meant there was no room to change clothes. Sighing, she placed the nightgown and lamp on the ground and hurried to relieve her bladder.

As she sat there, it suddenly occurred to her just how dark everything was. She tried not to let her mind wander in directions where it shouldn’t, but the memory of the darkness reminded her of the night before her wedding to Adam.

She’d lingered too long at the lake and fell asleep until the sun was nearly set. It would be her last time in her favorite childhood spot, and after spending a long week preparing for the wedding, she wanted time alone to rest. The house wasn’t too far, so her parents could see where she was, which might have been why they didn’t bother her. She stirred from her slumber, briefly aware of the sound of someone approaching.

Lucy shivered, her mind returning to the present and reached out around her for something to wipe with, mentally cursing herself for not taking the time to inspect the outhouse better before she entered it. She opened the door, only a little relieved by the light from the kerosene lamp showing her a newspaper with a few torn pages. After she was finished, she hurried out of the outhouse and threw her clothes off, trying not to think of every little sound that echoed through the still night.

She’s not here. I’m safe.

But these assurances did little to ease her mind, and she could hear animals — squirrels maybe —

scamper around from one tree to another.

It’s not footsteps.

She grabbed her nightgown and pulled it over her head when she heard what had to be footsteps that could easily come from a human. Uttering a muffled cry, she yanked the nightgown down and snatched the lamp and her clothes before she rushed toward the house. She glanced behind her and almost tripped on a tree branch.

There’s nothing to be afraid of out here!

But even as she thought it, the memory of her sister’s hands clamping down on her shoulders jarred her into a faster run until she bumped into something solid. She screamed and would have fallen back if a hand hadn’t reached out to steady her.