“Sounds good. Have a wonderful day.” Michael leaned against the counter. “Should we try to come home for lunch, or will you bring us something?”
Susan gave him a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll bring you something. Then later today I’ll make up some more bread. Mrs. Lewis was going to show me how to get some cheese started.”
“Looking forward to it.” Michael wished he could kiss her more thoroughly, but with Jessie right there, he figured he probably shouldn’t. He nodded for the boy to follow him out and the two headed to the smithy for a long hot day. It would be nice to have Jessie there with him. He was almost certain they could get the required work done before late afternoon, allowing him to get back home and get started on building another room. Or even the shed first and get the cow close by.
***
Susan mixed up a batch of bread as she mentally mapped out her day. She wanted to make sure the women wouldn’t be bothered by all her plans. She would need some help. If only she had immediate access to her money to get started. She doubted any bank out here would give a woman like her money even if she did give them the information about her bank back home. Of course, now that she was married, they would probably insist on doing business with her husband instead of her.
Michael was a good man, she reminded herself. He would support her in this. She would take him with her to the bank to talk with them about getting started, once she figured out all the details. Knowing everything about what might stand in her way would be important. Before she wrote to her uncle’s lawyer to explain she was ready for some of her money to be transfered to the bank out here, she would write up a detailed outline of everything she needed.
Uncle Charles had taught her it was important to be thorough and look at all of the little details. Susan could find out how much it would cost to get the lumber and the building materials as well as what it would take to hire builders. She had been gifted some of the furniture and household supplies from her uncle instead of all of it being sold for cash. She would want at least six rooms to let and space for her own family to occupy. A few kids for sure. Plus a large kitchen and dining room with a few parlors for guests to gather to visit.
But now to find the location. She’d have to walk the main part of town and look around. It would be nice to be in close proximity to the church, the mercantile, and when an official school was built, to that. Also, the train station should be within easy distance for any guests who might want to stay temporarily before continuing on their journey or if the stage coach schedule might be inconvenient.
Excitement built in her at the thought of all they could do for the people in Birch Creek.
Once her bread dough was in the pans, ready to rise, Susan closed the door to her little house and headed back to the mercantile to talk with Mrs. Howard. Maybe their little quilting bee would be ready to go.
Upon arrival at the mercantile, Mrs. Howard was nowhere to be found, but her son, Colten, met Susan with a smile. “How can I help you, Mrs. Clark?”
“I was looking for your mother. She said she was going to get a few of the ladies in town together to start a quilting bee.”
“Ah, that’s right. I believe she said she’d be asking the preacher if they could hold it there at the church. Those pews are movable so they could get it set up in the back.”
“Thank you,” Susan said and headed back outside and toward the church. As she neared the building, she saw Mrs. Howard standing outside with the young preacher. Susan gave the man a look and wondered what his background was like. She wasn’t aware of him being married. Susan wasn’t sure if the preacher was allowed to have a wife or not. Maybe he just hadn’t found the right person yet.
Maybe once she got her boarding house built, she could help the reverend find a wife. Especially if she had women come stay at her boarding house.
“Good morning, Mrs. Clark,” the preacher said as Susan approached. “I hear you are coming up with a plan. I wondered if we might have a word before you join the ladies as they quilt.”
Susan looked at Mrs. Howard and then to the preacher. “Of course, Reverend Morrison.”
Mrs. Howard walked with them down the side of the chapel and into the small office he had to the side of the front pulpit area. Susan was relieved to know the other woman was with her so she wouldn’t have to try to convince him of the goodness of her plan alone.
“Mrs. Howard has mentioned a little of it and I must say it sounds like a fine idea, though one must look at all the options before moving ahead with something like this. She tells me you are aware of the troubles that certain establishments in Cassia have experienced because of the drinking houses there. The women you bring to your boarding house will need to be of upstanding character and have the skills and talents to improve our community.”
“Of course, Reverend Morrison. I know I’ve only been here a few days, but I think this place is incredible, and I’d love to do what I can to help it. I gave this marriage serious thought before I decided to come out here, but I realized I was incredibly lucky to find Michael is such a good man. I wanted to make sure that any other woman who came out west looking for a better life didn’t find herself trapped with a husband that was less than kind.”
“That is very wise and kind-hearted of you, Mrs. Clark.” The reverend smiled and Susan once again thought she needed to help him find a wife. He was just too nice a man to live his life alone out here.
“I see no reason the town would be against you building your establishment. So as you ladies discuss it, I’ll talk to a few of the men. We’ll need to let the town board know.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that,” Susan said. “I have no problem going to talk to them.”
The reverend looked at her as if she were out of her mind. She wondered if it was against some rule for a woman to talk to the men in the area, or if they would be a tougher sale.
Reverend Morrison looked at Mrs. Howard. “You’ll lock up the church when you’re finished?”
“Of course. I’ll drop the keys by and bring you some dinner as well later tonight.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Howard.” The reverend bowed and walked out then Susan and Mrs. Howard joined the ladies at the quilt.
“When do you think you’ll get this going?” Mrs. Lewis asked.
“I hope as soon as possible.”
“But where will you get the money? Won’t it cost a lot to build something big like that?”
“I have a little bit saved up back east, but I wasn’t able to bring it with me. I planned to write my… acquaintance, and have them send the money to the bank here and I’ll use the funds for this.”
A younger woman with a baby on her lap looked at Susan. “I hope this isn’t impertinent, but if you have money back home, what made you decide to come out here in search of a husband?”
Susan smiled. “It’s hard to explain.”
The women all just looked at her as she studied the quilt, not sure how to even begin making any stitches. Susan knew she wouldn’t get any help with the needle and thread unless she gave them something.
“I suppose I was rather disappointed in the options available to me. I courted a few people, but the men were no where near as gentlemanly as they should have been. Now that I’m here, I just feel a desire to make the option of finding a better life out here a reality to other women.”
Mrs. Lewis shook her head. “You really think there are a lot of women who would come out here, sight unseen, to find a husband? I don’t mean there’s anything wrong with our men out here, but not even having a chance to court them before agreeing to marry? I can’t imagine.”
Susan smiled. “That’s why I thought this boarding house would be a good idea. It would give the women a safe place to live while they had the chance to meet the men out here without being forced to act on good faith that things would turn out all right.”
“Can you imagine if Lester sent for a bride?” a woman across from Susan asked.
“Poor soul,” another woman
said. “Now that the single men have seen how lucky Michael was when you arrived, I can just imagine there will be some sending their own advertisements.”
“Do you know who owns the land just to the west of us?” Susan asked. “I thought it would be a good idea to have it close enough to town where we could find someone willing to be a teacher, and even find some other jobs these women could do.”
“I believe Mayor Wilson owns that area. He might sell, but I think he’d want a lot of money for that.”
“I guess I’ll have to talk to him and find out how much.”
The ladies around the quilt all chatted about her idea and Susan looked at them, happy to know they were on board with her.
“Now,” Susan said. “Who will show me how to quilt, because honestly, I don’t have a clue what to do with this?”
Bessy Lewis laughed and leaned over, taking the needle and thread, then showed her how to make the stitches. “I’m sure you’ll be a quick learner in this too.”
Susan smiled. “I sure hope so.”
***
Michael took the horse shoe he’d finished shaping and dipped it in the barrel of liquid to the side to help cool and harden the iron. He set it on the counter to finish cooling and turned to Jessie. “Good work, boy. I think we deserve a break.”
“Mrs. Clark dropped off the basket of lunch while you were working. Said to tell you sorry she couldn’t stay, but that she had someone to talk to.”
Michael wished he could have seen her for a few minutes, but it was probably better this way. He took a long drink of water, then moved over to the basket and pulled out his lunch. She wasn’t making anything fancy for his meals, but it tasted good and he didn’t have to do it himself.
The two ate quickly and Michael studied the boy for a bit. “What would you say to helping me sharpen the axe? Then we can head out and cut down a few trees to get started on the shed.”
Jessie only nodded and before long, they had the horse hooked up to the wagon and the two were on their way down the middle of the street toward the small hillside covered in cottonwoods. He saw his wife slip inside the church but was too far away to call out any kind of greeting.
With Jessie’s help, they made short work of the tree cutting and were on their way back into town before he would have even been leaving his shop to head home for the day. As he neared the mercantile, Colten came out and waved him down.
“What can I do for you, Colten?” Michael asked.
“I just heard from my mother that Susan has quite the scheme planned. I wanted to come see what you thought about it.”
“What kind of scheme?” Michael asked.
“She hasn’t talked to you about it?” Colten asked, his eyes widening.
Michael wasn’t sure what to do with the news, and he didn’t like the way Colten was implying he couldn’t handle his wife. “What is she doing?” Michael asked again.
“Ma said she’s planning to open up a boarding house. To bring a group of other ladies here to town. I thought that was taking things a bit far. Ma even suggested she’d get a wife for me. I tell you, Michael, I ain’t having it. I want to find my own wife. Not everyone could end up as lucky as you. Though now that she’s here, it looks like Miss Susan is going to make a mess of things.”
“Now hold up, Colten. I don’t know a thing about what you’re talking about. It can’t be all that serious. I mean the woman’s only been here a couple of days. Maybe she’s just dreaming big.”
“Not how I’m hearing it. Overheard Ma say Susan had gone and talked to the preacher about it already. They’re going to go see the mayor. He’s got that land out there that she wants.”
Michael held his hand up. “I’m going to go get to the bottom of this. Don’t go spreading any more gossip. You sound like you’ve been to one of those quilting bees the ladies here do.”
“That’s where they came up with this whole thing. Reverend Morrison let them use the church and after that, they’ve been talking all about it.”
Michael shook his head. “I’ll talk to her tonight and find out what she’s talking about. Don’t get all frantic. Besides, it’s not like you’ll have some bride knocking on your door tomorrow.”
Colten shuddered. “Hope not. Especially if she’s going to push me around. I don’t know how you do it. Maybe I’ll be lucky and get a mouse of a thing.”
Michael clicked the reins to get his horse to move and glanced at Jessie. “Let’s go see what all this fuss is about.” His voice was calm and from the outside, Michael was sure anyone looking at him would find him completely unaffected, but inside he was mad. Why wouldn’t Susan talk to him about this first? Why was she in such a hurry to get a bunch of women out here? And where on earth did she expect to get the money for the materials needed to build this thing?
CHAPTER TEN
After leaving the mayor’s house with Mrs. Howard, Susan took a walk down the street out of town toward the small forested area she’d seen Michael and Jessie headed for to get the wood they’d need for the shed. Her mind was abuzz with too many thoughts to sort through and she hoped a walk would help her figure things out.
From the look on Mrs. Howard’s face when the mayor stated his selling price, Susan knew it wasn’t actually worth it. She’d have to look into another place. Besides, the more she considered her options, the less she wanted it to be in the current center of town. She would want room to expand and grow. Apart from being a place for guests to stay, she also wanted it to be her own home and she wanted an area where her children could run and play.
As she continued to walk, she studied the area near the trees. It felt more peaceful, and it really wasn’t all that far from town. Susan stopped and turned around to face the buildings already established in Birch Creek. Beside the church, the train station, and the mercantile, there were a few smaller places and other buildings being set up, though not very fast.
She turned around again in a circle, and thought the place she stood might make a good location. She’d want to talk to Michael about it of course, but she liked this other side of town better than where she’d considered purchasing from the mayor.
The different women who came out west might have good ideas on what to do. If they brought someone who wanted to build a bakery or something, they’d need land to build it on. Yes, Susan thought, maybe building out here would be a better idea. She still had to find out who owned the land.
As she looked, she wished she had a better understanding of all that was needed to set up the building, get the bricks made and have the lumber brought in from the saw mill. She looked into the trees as she approached the area and couldn’t see any sign of Michael or Jessie.
Either they’d gone in further to cut or they’d already returned home. Susan didn’t want to go too deep into the trees but wanted a few minutes to think out loud. If she were still with her uncle, she could have talked this over with him. He would have found her idea amusing at least, but he would have listened to it. Then he could have challenged her to figure out a new way to solve any of the issues she came across. She found a fallen tree and sat on it, enjoying the quiet sounds of the forest. A few birds started chirping and Susan smiled. She hadn’t heard birds in the trees for ages. The simple beauty of this quiet life wasn’t lost on her and she was happy to have a chance to enjoy it.
“Mother and Father? Uncle Charles?” Susan said softly. “I know you can’t really hear this and I’m not even sure exactly what it is I want to do.”
She looked up into the leaves of the trees and marveled at the intricate beauty of it all. She spoke quietly as she verbalized her thoughts about her building plans, then soon found she’d shifted her thoughts and conversation more to how happy she was to be here in Birch Creek and how she finally felt like she might belong somewhere.
“It’s so liberating to not have the social pressures and be under constant scrutiny. The way the women in Birch Creek look at me is so different. It’s like I matter to them. I want more people, wom
en especially, to experience that kind of acceptance.”
Susan looked down at her hands and smiled at the simple wedding band Michael had made her. “You know, Uncle Charles. I think it was probably the best thing you could have done for me to insist I look for a husband. And to give me the freedom to do it my way as well.”
She stood up and brushed off her skirts then turned toward town and headed back.She couldn’t wait to see Michael again. After giving him a long hug, she would tell him what she’s thought of and ask for his help in making more detailed plans. He knew most everyone in town as well and would have a lot of insight as a man that Mrs. Howard wouldn’t have. He would also likely know who owned the land she wanted and if that allowed her to avoid dealing with the mayor about his property, that would be even better.
Because the more she thought about it, the more she wanted to be closer to the trees and creek here. It would be the perfect place to step away from the busy life that would come.
***
Michael paced his little house wondering where on earth his wife had gone. He’d managed to set Jessie to work on the logs, peeling off the outer layer of bark and cutting off the branches close to the tree itself. It should keep him occupied for a bit, but without Susan there to talk to about all this gossip going around about her, he just continued to steam.
Michael’s stomach rumbled and another flash of annoyance built inside. He grabbed his skillet and some of the smoked back bacon and cut off some chunks of it, then moved around the house looking for the other ingredients he’d need. The can of beans wasn’t where he’d had it last so he grumbled a little as he went searching for it. Finally, he saw it behind a few other cans she’d picked up from the mercantile. Michael rummaged through the little drawer searching for the can opener and once he found it, practically attacked the can.
The Blacksmith's Bride: A Golden Valley Story (The Brides of Birch Creek Book 1) Page 8