The Mail Order Bride's Quilt (2 page)

“That was my bedroom as a child,
” he told her. “Now it’s fairly except for some trunks used as storage.”

He saw her blush at the mention of a bedroom. They hadn’t yet discussed those arrangement and he wasn’t keen on starting that conversation right at this moment. 

“I’m going to take care of the horses, and then I’ll bring your trunks in.”

“Thank you. I will see about starting us a meal to eat.”

He briefly told her where she could find all the supplies and then went outside. The comfort they had rapidly developed seemed to dissolve as easy as it had come.  His thoughts were on the awkward and sensitive subject of sleeping arrangements.  He had no intentions of forcing her into something she wasn’t yet ready for.  Only, he wasn’t sure how to broach that subject without making her more uncomfortable.

Finishing his tasks outside, he unloaded her trunks, carry
ing them individually to the house.  For now he set them in the living area, against the wall of the bedroom.  The smell of bacon reached his nose and the sizzle was music to his years.  He’d never mastered the art of cooking and had been eating burnt or undercooked food for far too long.  Just the thought of a home-cooked meal brought another smile to his face.  He’d been doing lots of that this afternoon.

They ate their meal
, and Jenny asked him if he’d mind her beginning to unpack.

“Go right ahead, Jenny. This is your home now also and I want you to feel you belong here.”

He lit another candle to provide extra light.  She opened the first trunk and took out carefully wrapped plates and cups.

“Can I help?” he asked her.

“These were a wedding present from my best friend, Abigail and her parents,” she explained, unwrapping another one.

“They’re very pretty.  Would you like to put them out with my others, or keep them in a special spot?” he asked, remembering his mother kept her fancy settings packed away for special occasions.

“If it’s okay with you, I’d like to keep them out. They’re a reminder of my dear friends.”

“Of course,” he answered.  She looked sad for a minute and he wished he knew a way to erase it.  He kneeled beside her, taking out a wrapped bowl and undoing the packaging.  They worked together until the final piece was undon
e. Then he helped her carry them to the shelves nailed up in the kitchen area.  

“Next time I’m in
town, I’ll see about getting some lumber to build you a nice cabinet for them,” he offered.

“That’s very kind, but you don’t have to go through that trouble,” she told him.

“It’s no trouble.”

They fell into a silence again until it was time to start on the second trunk. 

“This one, uh, goes into the bedroom,” she explained to him blushing again.

He figured this would probably be the opportune time to have that discussion.

“I’ll move it in now.  You can have this bedroom, and I’ll sleep in the loft for now,” he said.

Her face was a full crimson now
, and he couldn’t help thinking she was adorable. “There’s no need for that,” she choked out.  “I am aware of what happens in a marriage bed, and I am your wife now.”

She turned quickly before John could see the look on her face.  Not that he wouldn’t love to share his bed with her, but only when she was comfortable with him. He walked to her placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

“When you are ready, Jenny.  I want us to have a good marriage, and there are lots of things that go into that besides the bedroom.”   He turned and left the room, sensing her need to be alone and compose her thoughts.

Sitting down in
his rocking chair, he read the newspaper he had picked up in town. It was several weeks outdated, but often they were by the time they trickled down from the big city. About an hour had passed when he heard the bedroom door open.

“John?” he heard Jenny’s soft voice question.

“Yes sweetheart,” he answered, testing out the endearment and deciding he liked it.

“I don’t mean to be offensive, but I noticed that your quilt is rather worn.  Would you mind if we use a quilt that brought?”

“That’s a grand idea.  I’ve been meaning to find someone to patch up that old quilt, but never got around to it.”

“I can fix it for you, and then we’ll put it back on.  The quilt I have is special
, and Mama didn’t use it often, but I’d like to have it out for now.”

John yawned before he could stop it from escaping.  Jenny giggled
, and he felt some of the tension easing back into a comfort they’d found earlier.

“It’s been a long day; shall we go to be
d, Mrs. Thomas?” he asked.

“I’m rather tired myself,” she answered.

They walked back into the bedroom, where the new quilt was still folded on the bed. Jenny went to spread it over the bed, and John grabbed a side to help.  When it was fully opened, he gasped.  It couldn’t be.  He saw Jenny staring at him as he lift the corner for confirmation.

Chapter 3

“John, what is it?” Jenny asked her new husband, confused by his sudden behavior. Had he guessed she’d had money sewn up in it and meant to take it? She didn’t figure him for that type, but one never could tell for sure. And she’d already removed the money before going out to him.  She hadn’t mentioned anything about money yet. Her plan was to wait until she knew she could trust him.  It wasn’t in her nature to keep secrets, but she figured this was self-preservation in case
her judgment about him was off.

“Where did you get this quilt?” he demanded, but not unkindly. In fact, he actually sounded rather excited.

“It was my mother’s. Her best friend and she made it and an almost identical one when their husbands were at war.  It became a symbol of their friendship.”

“Wait her
e a minute, Jenny.  I just can’t believe this.  It’s too big of a coincidence.”

She watched him run of the room and heard his feet climb the ladder to the loft.  Several minutes later he r
eturned with a quilt in his arms that looked eerily similar to the one Jenny had unpacked.

“Look here in the corners,” he said.  “It’s the same embroidered initials.”

“No,” Jenny gasped connecting the pieces.

“You are Jenny Lane, my best friend from childhood.”

“And you are Johnny Grayson, my best friend that I’ve never forgotten. But how could this be? What are the chances? And you told me your last name is Thomas.”

“Thomas is my biological father’s last name.  It’s the name I’ve went by for years?  And what about you? How’d you get the last name Mason?” John asked her.

“Mama remarried shortly after you moved west.  Mr. Mason was the gentleman, and I took his name.  He was a good Pa,” she explained, smiling at the wonderful memories she’d had with him.

The exhaustion they felt earlier was gone, replaced by the excitement at rediscovering a best friend.  They moved back out to the living area, and Jenny put so
me hot water to boiling for tea. For hours they talked and reminisced.  John already knew through her letters what had happened to Mama.

“What happened to your mother
?” Jenny asked.  “My mother lived for her letters and was distraught when they stopped. I always wondered myself.”

“Mother got sick with the influenza one year and
couldn’t recover it from.  She’s buried a little past the barn, if you’d like to visit her grave.”

“I’d like that,” Jenny told him.  She’d like to pay final respects to her mother’s best friends. “How come your Pa never wrote and told us?”

“I don’t know, sweetheart.  He was rather distraught for some time though, and my assumption would be that he just didn’t think about it in his grief.  I was so young when it happened.  If I had been older maybe I would have thought to write."

Jenny reached over and pat his shoulder. He looked so contrite. “Don’t pass any blame on yourself.  It’s no one’s fault.  And who’s to say if a letter had been written, that it would have reached us.”

“You do have a point. Part of me is still is still in disbelief at this turn of events. When I first saw you today, I didn’t feel as though I’d met a stranger. And every time you smiled, I knew I’d seen that smile before,” John confessed.

“I felt similar.  My nerves felt like butterflies in my stomach, but once I met you, I felt a peace I couldn’t understand wash over me.
I think our Mamas are looking down from Heaven, singing praises right now.”

“I would venture to say you’re right. And to think, it was those quilts they made while in the family way with us, that told us.  Do you believe in destiny, my dear Jenny?” he questioned, pulling her to her feet.

Her heart fluttered at his touch. “Maybe now I do,” she answered with a smile.

“Would it be alright if I kissed you now?” John asked.

“Perfectly, alright,” she answered, wrapping her arms around her husband.

Chapter 4

Three Months Later

Jenny could scarce imagine a more perfect life. John and she had settled into a comfortable routine, enjoying the bliss that came with being newlyweds. He would find any excuse to pop into the house during the day, just to see her and maybe sneak a kiss. 

She had fallen completely in love with
her husband; the man who’d been her best friend as a child was now her best friend as an adult also.  There was no doubt in her heart that she loved him with everything in her.  She suspected he also felt the same, but as of yet, hadn’t said the words. How she longed to hear them come from his mouth.

Tomorrow, they would be making a trip
into town. Jenny was so excited because this trip she had something extra materials to buy.  This winter she’d be having a baby, and she’d like to start on some clothing now. She hadn’t told John and was planning on telling him tonight after their evening meal. There was also something else she had to tell him.

She’d yet to disclose the money she had in the bank back home. In the excitement of everything, it had slipped her mind.  The second she discovered that he was her Johnny, it was never a matter of not trusting him. But now so much time had passed, that she was afraid he might think that, and that’s the last thing she wanted. So she decided she would tell him tonight to clear the air between
them.  She desperately loved him and wanted no secrets among them.

She went outside to hang their laundry on the lines. A sudden wave of nausea swept over her
, and she moved to the side while her stomach purged. She’d been fortunate so far to not experience much of the sickness a lot of women spoke of, and what she did have was able to keep from John.  From the little she knew, most men didn’t deal well with seeing their woman sick.

This bout of sickness stubbornly refused to go away
, and now Jenny also felt light-headed on top of everything else. The world seemed to spin around her and she wiped her face with her apron. She started back towards the house, but collapsed and everything went black.

***

John felt something amiss. Gut instincts told him to get back to the house and now. Forgetting the fence he was repairing, he dropped the tools and ran home.  His heart dropped when he saw Jenny crumpled on the ground a few feet from the door.

“Jenny! Jenny! Are you okay? What’s wrong?” he shouted
in vain. He shook her and saw her eyes flutter, but no verbal response.

“Jenny sweetheart, wake up l
ove. Please wake up,” he begged.

“Baby,” she murmured, fluttering her eyes again.

“What happened Jenny?” he asked again, though she was still basically unresponsive.

He slid his arms underneath of her and carried her inside to the bedroom.  She was starting to come back to life. Quickly, he went and dipped a cloth into the
water pitcher returning and dabbing it against her pale skin.

“What happen
ed?” she asked as she came back to full consciousness.

“I’m not sure,” he answered. “I felt something telling me to come back to the house
, and I found you crumbled a few feet from the door.”

“I remember doing the laundry and feeling sick.  Dizziness started taking
over, and that’s the last thing I remember.”

“We need to get you to a doctor,” he demanded.
He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so frightened. The sight of Jenny laying on the ground just about brought him to his knees with terror.  He loved her so much- more than he ever thought possible to love someone. In that split second he’d understood the grief his step-father had experienced over his mother’s death.

“I don’t need to see a doctor, John. Everything is coming back to me now. From what I understand, it’s a normal part of pregnancy,” she told him.

“I’d still feel better if you saw a doctor. What if it happens again and I’m not around.” No matter what she said, he’d feel much better after she saw a doctor. That’s when her last words finally hit him. “Wait a minute- What? Did you just say what I think you said?”