Unfortunately, now that he had recalled Jim’s book, the spooky sensation of being the only person left in the world was still lingering in the back of his mind. Yes, he was a grown man, and yet, sometimes his imagination could get the best of him.
Since the bedding was dry, he began taking it down. He started with the sheets and worked his way to the blankets. The breeze caused one of the blankets to wrap around him as he struggled to unpin another blanket from the line.
Laughter drifted across the air, so he stopped what he was doing and peered around the blanket he was taking down. Three men were heading his way. One was Seth, one was Scott, and the other was Zane. The only reason he knew about Zane was that he was helping with the cattle earlier that day.
He grimaced. Maybe being the last person on Earth wouldn’t be so bad.
“Well, well, well,” Seth called out. “Look who’s doing women’s work.”
“Ma’am, is the man of the house home?” Scott asked.
The men laughed.
Val gritted his teeth. These were no gentlemen. In Boston, he’d make it a point to put his chin up at them and then ignore them. But he couldn’t very well do that when they were quickly surrounding him and he was still trying to take down the blanket. Letting them see him roll his eyes so they’d know he wasn’t amused, he finished unpinning the blanket and then untangled himself from the blanket that had been wrapped around him.
“Aren’t you sweet? Taking care of the laundry and all,” Seth said. “Next thing I’ll learn is that you do the cooking, too.”
This caused more laughter.
“Is there a point to you being here?” Val snapped.
“After we saw the terrible fall you took at my place, we wanted to make sure you were alright,” Seth replied.
Val glared at him. “I’m fine.”
As if to mock him, the blanket swept around him again. He tried to get away from it in time, but he tripped on a rock jutting out of the ground and nearly fell over. If he hadn’t caught his footing in time, he would have dropped the items he was holding.
This, of course, only made the men laugh harder.
“It’s no wonder you fell off the horse,” Zane called out. “You can’t even stay up on your feet.”
With a groan, Val turned from them and stomped into the house. Maybe if he went inside, they would go away. The last thing he wanted to do was engage these morons. He couldn’t believe Seth could be so petty. So what if Seth had wanted to marry Nelly? Nelly hadn’t wanted to marry him. A gentleman would have honored her wishes and let the matter go. But no, not Seth. He couldn’t let it go. Seth was going to hold a grudge because she’d chosen to marry him instead.
Val set the bedding on the bed. He would have made the bed if he had any idea of how to do it. He hadn’t bothered watching the maid in the past. Back then, he didn’t think he’d ever need to make a bed. He always assumed a maid would do it for him. Well, he’d just have to settle for letting things stay on the bed in one messy heap until Nelly got back.
He left the bedroom, and when he looked out the window, he saw that the three men had gotten down from their horses. He sighed. It was just his luck. They were still here. They weren’t going to leave him alone.
He’d just have to deal with it. Yes, there were three of them and only one of him. Seth had done that on purpose, of course. There was an advantage to outnumbering one’s opponent, and if Val guessed right, Seth had waited until Nelly was gone to make his move. Giving Seth’s vantage point from his house, he knew exactly when she was here and when she wasn’t.
Val adjusted the collar of his shirt and headed for the door. If he had to deal with this, he might as well face them like a man.
He stepped outside and strode over to them. “I already told you I’m fine. Is there a reason why you’re still here?”
“All kidding aside,” Seth began, “we wanted to know if there’s anything you need. You know, since you’re new to farming and all.”
“Yeah, we didn’t realize you didn’t know what you were doing until we saw you unsuccessfully try to round up the cattle earlier today,” Scott said. “Had I known you hadn’t done it before, I would have told Nelly to leave you here.”
Val had a feeling that these men were never going to let him forget about this afternoon, and worse, they were probably going to rib him about it for years to come.
“I fell on purpose,” Val finally said, deciding he might as well try a different tactic.
The three men chuckled, but Seth was the one who said, “Sure, you did.”
“I did,” Val insisted. “Things were too serious out there. I overheard you,” he glanced at Zane, “saying some words that should never be spoken in the company of a lady. And,” he turned to Scott, “it took you several tries before you were able to lasso the cow you were chasing. As for you,” he looked at Seth, “you’re just a miserable person. The three of you needed a good laugh. And quite frankly, rounding up cattle is long and boring. Something needed to be done for amusement. So, I jumped off the horse and enjoyed a fun ride along the grass in order to lighten the mood.”
Seth’s mouth twitched. “Is that so?”
“Yes.” Then, with an elaborate bow, Val added, “You’re welcome. From all the laughing you three have been doing, I can tell I made you very happy. Now, if you don’t mind, I promised to help Nelly with the bedding.” Though he hadn’t intended to drag her into the middle of his lies, he added, “In addition to bringing everything in for her, I’m also going to help her make the bed.” He winked. “Nelly happens to be very appreciative when I help her.”
“He has a point,” Zane told Scott and Seth. “My wife happens to be very appreciative when I help her around the house.”
“Yeah, mine is, too,” Scott agreed.
Seth glowered at them. “Nelly’s not even here.”
“I haven’t made the bed yet,” Val countered. “I only took the bedding in. When she comes back, I’ll offer to help her. And while I’m helping her, I’ll give her a kiss and see where things lead.” He wiggled his eyebrows.
“I should try that sometime,” Zane whispered to Scott.
“You two need to hush,” Seth snapped then turned his attention to Val. “You’re a city boy. You don’t belong here. I know you didn’t fall off that horse on purpose. You’re inept. You don’t have what it takes to help Nelly with this homestead.” He glanced at Scott and Zane. “You don’t really believe he fell off the horse on purpose, do you?”
After a moment, Zane shrugged. “I don’t care if he did it on purpose or not. It was hilarious. And besides, he has a good sense of humor about it. If nothing else, that says a lot about him. Most people take things too seriously. It’s nice when someone doesn’t.”
Seeing that things were no longer going according to what Seth wanted, Val said, “Falling off of things doesn’t bother me at all. I don’t mind having some flaws. Besides, you’d be surprised how much women want to take care of you when you’re hurt.” Before the doctor had come, Nelly had wiped his forehead with a cool cloth and had even kissed his cheek.
“I didn’t think of that, but he’s right,” Scott said. “It’s their mothering instinct. Sometimes I think my wife only notices me when I’m hurt.”
“Maybe you should do more around the house,” Zane told him. “Maybe she’ll notice you if you’re helping out with all those kids you got. I know you work hard outside, but she probably works just as hard inside.”
Val nodded. “There is a lot of work to do inside a house.” And considering how much it took to do laundry, cook, and clean dishes, he was learning that from firsthand experience.
Seth rolled his eyes. “Considering the fact that you haven’t been married for long, I don’t think you’re qualified to give advice about marriage.”
“I might not have been married for long,” Val admitted, “but that doesn’t mean I haven’t learned a thing or two about what makes a woman happy. And just so you know, I plan to help Nelly was
h more things in the future, so you’ll see me at the clothesline often when you spy on us from your house.”
Seth glowered at him. “I don’t spy on you.”
Val didn’t expect Seth to come out and admit it. “I’m not going anywhere, Seth. Nelly’s my wife, and my place is right here with her. I don’t care who you bring over or how much you laugh at me. You’re not getting her.”
Scott and Zane turned to him, but it was Scott who asked, “Is that what this is all about? You want to run Val off so you can have Nelly? Did you let your cattle loose on purpose in hopes a city boy would embarrass himself in front of everyone?”
“Of course not,” Seth snapped.
Seth was lying. Val knew it, and by the expressions on the other men’s faces, he realized they knew it, too.
“I should go home,” Zane said as he got on his horse. “I’m glad you’re doing alright, Val.”
“Yeah, glad you didn’t suffer any serious injuries.” Scott hopped on his horse and left with Zane.
Val turned his attention back to a sour looking Seth. “Why are you still here?”
Seth’s jaw clenched and unclenched before he swung his fist at Val. The punch came so fast that Val didn’t have time to block him. Val stumbled back but managed to find his footing before he fell.
“Don’t you ever embarrass me like that in front of the men again,” Seth warned. “You hear me?”
Ignoring the pain in his jaw, Val glared at him. “What did you expect me to do? You think I’m going to let you ride on in here with those men and let you treat me like a fool?”
Seth pointed at him. “You’re a smooth talker. Now I know how you got Nelly to marry you, but that city-boy charm can’t work forever. I’ve seen you out here. You don’t do any of the chores except for gathering eggs. Nelly does the real work. You don’t have what it takes to manage this place.”
Val narrowed his eyes at him and put his hands on his hips. “I knew you were watching us.”
“My land is close to here. It’s easy to see what’s going on.”
“That’s creepy, Seth. It’s not right to watch other people the way you do. You need to mind your own business. It’ll do you no good to focus on something that doesn’t belong to you.”
Seth grunted and finally—mercifully!—got on his horse and left.
It was a shame Val couldn’t build a wall—a very large wall—to keep Seth from spying on him and Nelly. With a groan, he turned and grabbed the last blanket from the clothesline before he went into the house. His head was aching again. He was sure a lot of it had to do with the punch Seth had given him.
He set the blanket on the couch and then returned to the bedroom. The medicine the doctor had given him was on the table. He’d told Val if his head still ached, he could take another spoonful of it. Val unscrewed the cap and poured more of it into the spoon.
Why was Seth so insistent on getting this land? Was it really that important to him that he expand his boundaries?
Probably. Val had witnessed businessmen who went after other people’s factories in order to increase their reach in the community. The one who’d paid off his father after he lost all of his money had only given his father pennies on the dollar for the family business. His father had taken such a huge loss on that deal that it’d only afforded him enough for a ship ride to England with Val’s mother and sister. So in the end, the man who purchased his family’s company had done very well in the transaction.
Seth, no doubt, would probably manage very well if he acquired this property. There was no way Nelly would sell it. She loved it here. He had no idea if Seth had ever offered to buy it from her, but Val knew that would have been a pointless attempt. The only other alternative was for Seth to merge his land with hers through marriage. Men and women in Boston married to merge their family businesses all the time. It was a very common and legitimate process. Of course, Val was the thing that had gotten in Seth’s way. This explained Seth’s animosity toward him.
Val took the bitter medicine, screwed the cap back on the bottle, and set out the blanket on top of the bed so he could lie down on it. Nelly would have to show him how to put the bed sheet and pillow covering on later.
Val closed his eyes and released a deep, cleansing breath. He would have to figure out what to do about Seth at another time. Right now, thinking of him was only making his head hurt worse. He took another deep breath and slowly released it. Before long, he drifted back off to sleep.
Chapter Sixteen
Val woke up to the feel of someone touching his forehead. His eyes flew open, and he bolted up, almost bumping heads with the other person.
When he realized it was Nelly, he relaxed. Thank goodness. For a moment, he thought that Seth had come in here to get rid of him for good. He didn’t think Seth would go that far. He figured Seth was more of a petty kind of person, not one who was dangerous. But while he was in a dreamlike state, his ability to reason had been suppressed.
Nelly offered him an apologetic smile. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I thought you were sound asleep.”
“No. I’ve just been drifting in and out of sleep.” He noted the glass of water she’d set down by the medicine. Thanking her for the water, he drank it.
After he was done with the glass, she took it from him. “I’ll get you more water.”
“That’s not necessary. I’m fine now.” He put the glass on the small table. “How late is it?”
“It’s eight o’clock.”
“Already?”
“I made something to eat, but I wasn’t sure you were hungry. It wasn’t anything fancy. It was a cheese sandwich. Would you like one?”
“No, I’m not hungry. I’m just tired.”
“Uncle Joel said the medicine would make you sleepy.” She took the pillow and slipped the pillowcase over it. “You should sleep in here tonight.”
“This is your bed. I can’t let you sleep on the floor out there.” It wasn’t the least bit comfortable. He didn’t care how many blankets a person laid down. Sleeping on a hard floor wasn’t anything like sleeping on a bed. Her bed wasn’t as nice as what he’d grown up with, but it felt like a luxury compared to the floor. “I’ll help you make the bed, and then I’ll go out to the parlor to sleep.”
He swung his legs to get out of the bed, but she stopped him before he could stand up. “I can’t have you sleep out there,” she said. “Not after you got dragged through the field today. You need to sleep in the bed.”
His eyebrow arched as he entertained the idea he could finally get his chance to stay in this room with her. Was this change of plans something he could use to his advantage? Sure, his head still ached, but it didn’t ache so much that he couldn’t enjoy being with her.
“We could share the bed,” he offered, wondering if she’d accept that arrangement.
To his relief, she said, “That’s what I was thinking. It’s large enough for both of us.”
He had to stop himself from jumping up and down for joy. Clearing his throat, he managed a casual, “It is. We can both sleep in here together.” Then he held his breath. Had she thought that far ahead? Had it occurred to her that they would be in here together all night long?
She nodded. “I should get ready for bed.” Then she stood up and went to the dresser.
“After you get ready for bed, you’ll come back here, right?” Yes, it was a silly question, but he had to make sure he knew exactly what was going to happen tonight.
“Right.” She undid the pins in her hair then picked up her brush.
Well, that was all he needed to hear. “I suppose I should get ready for bed, too.”
“Are you sure you’re not hungry?” she asked as she brushed her hair. “Maybe you should get something to eat before you go to sleep.”
“I’m not hungry.”
His stomach growled in protest. He held his breath and waited to see if she was going to turn around and say anything, but fortunately, she didn’t seem to notice. Good. He didn’t care
if he was hungry or not. He was not going to miss the opportunity to finally share a bed with her. What if he went out to the kitchen to get something, and she changed her mind? It was best if she didn’t have time to think about what they were about to do.
He threw off his clothes. Usually, he’d put on his nightshirt and keep his drawers on, but he removed everything. He didn’t want anything to come between them. Since she had her back turned to him the whole time, she couldn’t see what he was doing. He didn’t know if she would have been appalled or not. Since there was no sense in scaring her, he picked up another blanket and pulled it over his body. There. She would probably assume he was in his nightclothes.
He put her pillow on her side of the bed and settled into a comfortable position.
She put the brush down and looked at him. She blinked in surprise. “Did you change your clothes already?”
“There’s not much I need to do to get ready for bed.”
“Oh.” She scanned her clothes, and her cheeks went pink.
Hoping she wouldn’t ask him to leave the room, he offered, “I’ll turn my back to you. Then you can have some privacy.” Before she could say she preferred him out of the room, he rolled onto his other side.
She paused for a long moment then said, “I guess it’s silly that I’m so shy.”
“I don’t think it’s silly. You’ve never been in the same room with a man before.”
“Have you ever been in the same room with a woman?”
Surprised by the question, he said, “No, but then, there wasn’t anyone I ever wanted to marry until you came along.” With a chuckle, he added, “Or rather, your sisters came along and pretended to be you. But I will say they did a good job. Since getting to know you, I can honestly say they accurately portrayed you in those letters.”
“I suppose they have their good moments.”
Noting the humor in her voice, he grinned. “Well, I’m glad they answered my ad. I was beginning to think I’d have to settle for someone to marry. With you, I didn’t settle. I was excited about coming out here to marry you.”
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