Everett

by Christine Sterling

  With a grunt, Everett dropped his end to the floor. The trunk banged against the floor with a thud.

  “Everett!” Alice said. “That was rude.”

  Everett ran his fingers through his hair. “Well, that was heavy.” He turned to look at Polly, his dark eyes studying her. Polly felt her hands grow clammy and she turned to look away. “Appears to me, Miss Phillips that you packed for a longer stay than just for a wedding.”

  Polly’s eyes snapped to his. She opened and closed her mouth a few times trying to get the words to form. Finally, she blurted out the first thing that came to her head. “Well maybe I won’t leave. Maybe I’ll find a husband out here and stay.”

  She heard Ellie and Alice snicker behind her, and Polly felt her cheeks start to flush.

  “I’m sure you won’t have any problem with that, Miss Phillips.” The man with red hair took off his hat and held it against his chest. Polly could see that he was young. Much younger than she originally thought. He had pale skin and his face was covered in freckles. “I must say you are the prettiest thing I’ve seen come to Flat River.” Realizing what he said, he immediately turned to Ellie. “Except for you, Miss Brooks. You believe me, don’t you?”

  Ellie was trying hard not to laugh at the young man. “Of course, Rich. Every single word.”

  Rich put his hat back on his head. “That’s mighty fine, ma’am.”

  “Let’s go,” Everett said. His voice was harsh as he spit out the words.

  “What about my other trunk?” Polly said, her voice sounding as sweet as she could make it.

  Everett used his thumb to indicate the great room. “It’s in there. You can manage it yourself, given it is smaller than this one.”

  Polly gasped and turned to see her friend Ellie quickly lower her head and pretend interest in an invisible object on the floor.

  “Miss Phillips?” Rich said moving forward. “I’d be more than obliged if you let me help you move it.”

  Polly silently counted to five before plastering on the biggest smile she could. “Thank you, but I can manage.”

  “Well then, uhm, I was wondering…” He paused, waiting for Polly to let him continue. She gave a little wave of her hand. “You see, there is a harvest celebration in two weeks. I was wondering if I could escort you to it?”

  “She may not be here then,” Everett interrupted. “She was just planning on seeing what’s what and then heading home.”

  Polly wrinkled her brow. Where was Everett going with that. She turned back to the young ranch hand.

  “If I have no other obligations, then I would definitely need an escort to the dance.” She saw Rich beam and Everett scowl. “Is it like a barn dance? I read about those in one of my dime novels. Let’s see what happens closer to the celebration, shall we?” She thickened her southern accent as the words rolled from her tongue.

  “I certainly will check back with you, Miss Phillips,” the young cowhand said.

  “Rich, let’s go,” Everett insisted. When the young man made no attempt to move, Everett growled, “Now.”

  Rich put his hat back on and followed Everett, giving a little wave to the women.

  Polly closed the door, leaning her back against the wooden frame. She could hear Everett and Rich talking excitedly as they headed down the hall. She closed her eyes and raised her head to the ceiling, counting to five once more. When she opened her eyes, she blinked a few times and saw Alice looking at her with curiosity. She turned her eyes to Ellie, who couldn’t hold her laughter any longer and she burst into loud chuckles.

  “What is it, Elenore Elizabeth?” Polly asked.

  It only made Ellie laugh harder. “Oh, my goodness,” she finally said, using the corner of her apron to dab at her eyes. “I really do think you protest too much, Polly.”

  Polly put her nose in the air and pushed off from the door to walk across to her trunk. “I don’t know what you are talking about.” She quickly unlatched the trunk and flipped the lid open. “After I get cleaned up and change out of my traveling clothes, why don’t we go through the other trunk and I can show you all the wedding clothes that your Momma sent.”

  After a quick wash and changing her clothes, Polly went to find Ellie. She walked into the great room and quickly glanced around. The room was indeed exceptionally large. Ellie had alluded to the great size of the room, but there were no words that could adequately describe the large room.

  Polly knew that there was the main house, which probably consisted of this large room. Ellie said that as children were born, the Chapmans simply added hallways and rooms, reaching out from the great room like wagon spokes. Ellie and Polly were sharing a room that was occupied by one of the Chapman sisters. Which one, Polly wasn’t sure. She knew it wasn’t Alice’s room, because Alice was sleeping in another room. There were also five brothers. Polly wondered where they slept.

  Her eyes quickly darted around the room, taking everything in. The west was so different than Atlanta. For starters, the house and furniture. Everything in Atlanta was crafted by master woodworkers. Most furniture replicated the styles that were still popular overseas.

  But in the west, everything was just… enormous.

  A large table with a dozen chairs jutted from the far wall towards the center of the room. Wooden chairs of varying sizes were placed around it. A tablecloth with eyelet edges decorated the table as well as a stack of plates, a pitcher and silverware.

  Across from the table was a large stone fireplace. Polly gasped. She had never seen such a tall chimney. The rocks stood out against the wooden logs of the room.

  On one side of the room were several chairs and a large settee. The floor was decorated with braided rugs made from fabric strips. A mason jar filled with dried flowers sat on a small table. On the opposite side was a large iron stove with several pots boiling over the flames.

  Mrs. Chapman was busy putting a skillet in the oven. She held the pan with her apron so as to not burn her fingers. Once the pan was inside the oven compartment, she closed the door and waved her hands by her hips, trying to shake off the burning heat.

  “Whatever you are cooking smells wonderful,” Polly said.

  The woman jumped and pressed her hand against her heart. “Oh, my word, you gave me a fright.”

  “I didn’t mean to.”

  Mrs. Chapman laughed. It reminded Polly of birds singing in the park.

  “I know you didn’t dear. I just thought you’d go straight outside and be with Ellie.”

  “Is that where she is?”

  Mrs. Chapman nodded. “On the porch. She’s snapping the beans for tomorrow’s dinner.”

  “Is there anything I can do to help?”

  Mrs. Chapman blinked her eyes, as if assistance was a newfound concept. “No. I’m quite alright.”

  “How about setting the table?”

  “Honestly, dear no. You didn’t come out here to work. Go spend time with Ellie.” Mrs. Chapman turned back to the stove and lifted a lid from one of the pots, stirring the contents inside.

  Polly walked onto the porch and found Ellie sitting on the porch swing snapping beans and tossing them in a Dutch oven on the wooden floor.

  “Here you are,” Polly said. “Would you like me to help you?”

  Ellie shook her head. “I’m in a rhythm.” Polly watched as her friend picked up a bean, snapped off both ends depositing them into one bowl and then snapping the bean into two shorter pieces before dropping them into the cast iron pan. She picked up another bean and used it to point on the other side of the porch. “Grab yourself a chair and come sit with me.”

  Polly fetched the chair and placed it just far enough away where she wasn’t interrupting Ellie’s flow, but she could see the ranch before her. She could hear laughter and dogs barking coming from the barn. It was much different than the barking she heard earlier as the dogs were chasing the livestock across the road.

  “That sounds like quite a few dogs,” Polly said. She didn’t have any animals at home. Her
mother thought dogs were a filthy nuisance. When Polly asked for a kitten, her mother said that cats were ten times dirtier than dogs and the answer was no. As an only child, Polly really wanted something to play with and love. Something of her own.

  “I guess Caleb found five puppies in Texas. Mr. Chapman brought them home.”

  “Where’s he?”

  “Mr. Chapman or Caleb?” Ellie didn’t wait for a response. “Mr. Chapman is probably in the barn or the field. Caleb is in Owl Canyon. From what Owen said, he hurt his leg and needed to stay there for a bit.”

  “Five puppies. That is quite a number.”

  Ellie nodded. “Precious little things. I’ve never seen anything like them.”

  “Don’t these look like dogs?”

  “They are definitely dogs, but they are blue in color.”

  “Blue dogs?” Polly stood and leaned forward on her tiptoes hoping to catch a glance of a blue dog. “I’d like to see one of those.”

  “I’ll take you to the barn after dinner. I don’t know how many are there, as Everett and Sawyer are working with some of them down in the fields.”

  “Sawyer? He’s the older man I met earlier? I can’t keep everybody’s name straight.”

  “Sawyer isn’t that old.”

  “He has graying hair.”

  “Not graying. It is lighter because of the sun.”

  “How old do you think he is?” Polly inquired, looking back at Ellie.

  Ellie paused and dropped the bean in the pot. “I’d say he’s just a bit older than Caleb. Maybe twenty-nine or thirty.”

  “That’s not too old.”

  “Too old for what?”

  Polly shook her head, her blonde curls bouncing against her shoulders. “Nothing. I was just thinking.”

  Ellie stopped snapping beans. “What are you thinking?”

  “Well you mentioned about me finding a husband while I’m out here.” Polly’s eyes scanned the yard once more. “And there are certainly some nice ones to look at.”

  “Polly! You’ve just arrived.”

  Polly sat back down in the chair and picked up a green bean, studying it between her fingers. “Fine. I’ll wait until tomorrow. I’m only going to be here for a few weeks, and then I’ll be returning home.”

  “A few weeks? That means you’ll be leaving right after the wedding.” Everett came up the steps and went to the water pump on the side of the porch.

  How much had he heard? Polly would be mortified if he had heard her thoughts. There were no secrets between her and Ellie, but a stranger? She’d have to be guarded about what she said in the future.

  She looked across the porch and her mouth went dry. Her tongue felt like it swelled three times its normal size. Everett had taken off his hat and was leaning over the pump. His linen shirt tightened across his shoulders, revealing a very muscular back. She swallowed and her fingers reached to her collar. When did it become so warm in October?

  Everett cupped water in his hands and wet his hair. Using his wet hands, he scrubbed his face before rubbing the back of his neck. When he was done, he rinsed his hands under the pump and wiped them on his shirt. Wet hands made muddy palm prints against the dusty shirt.

  He walked over and reached down, picking a green bean from the pot. Popping it in his mouth he crunched it loudly.

  “What are you ladies doing this afternoon?”

  Polly couldn’t respond. She felt Ellie’s eyes boring into her.

  Finally, Ellie spoke.

  “I was just telling Polly about the dogs.”

  Everett lifted his eyebrow. “You were?”

  Polly cleared her throat. “Yes, I was hoping to see them later.”

  Everett looked at her and then back out towards the barn. “Then you are going to be disappointed. They are down in the field with the longhorns. We are training them, and they can’t be distracted.”

  “Oh.” Polly wondered why Everett’s words smarted. She understood that the animals on the ranch were working animals, but still… the way disdain dripped from his lips, Polly wondered if he had any redeeming qualities at all.

  “Have you found out if Ellie is happy out here, or are you going to convince her that she doesn’t belong?”

  “Why yes, Mr. Chapman, I’m interrogating her this very minute.”

  “My brother loves her. She belongs here.” He picked out another bean. “You, however, would never make it out here.”

  Polly held his gaze, never wavering. “Watch me.”

  Everett paused for a moment, a flash of unrecognizable emotion flitted across his face and then promptly disappeared. She heard him mumble something under his breath as he turned on his heel and entered the house.

  “What was that all about?”

  “Oh. I just told him that I would have no qualms about taking you back to Atlanta with me if you weren’t happy.”

  “I’m not going anywhere.”

  Polly’s eyes didn’t leave the door. “I know.”

  She felt Ellie’s hand clasp her shoulder. “Don’t you worry about him at all. You’ve just gotten under his skin.”

  “I’m not, and I don’t know why. He couldn’t care a whit about me, and I’m perfectly fine with that.”

  “Then what’s wrong?”

  Polly turned and looked at her friend. She wiped a tear away from her eye. “I don’t know. I think I’m only tired. I may lie down after dinner. It has been a long journey.”

  Ellie looked at her friend as if she didn’t believe her, and then turned her attention to the door Everett just disappeared through. “Ev has a tremendous amount of pressure on him right now.”

  “Ev? You call your future brother in-law by his nickname; you are out here snapping beans like a hired cook. You are wearing a cover like I’ve never seen.”

  “It’s an apron.”

  “I know it’s an apron. I just would have never in my wildest dreams expected to see you like this. You look like you belong.”

  “I feel like I belong.”

  Polly reached over and took Ellie’s hands.

  She took a deep breath and looked out at the landscape once more. It was easy to see why Ellie had fallen in love with this land. It was lush as far as the eye could see.

  The trees by the river were starting to change color. It was like an artist came down from Heaven and painted each leaf individually. She could see Alice walking back to the house carrying a bushel basket filled with apples.

  Two men who looked exactly alike were making their way to the house with a small woman walking between them. That must be Owen and Oliver. Polly couldn’t wait to meet her best friend’s beloved.

  She turned to Ellie and gave her first genuine smile since arriving at the Chapman Ranch.

  “It is easy to see why. It is beautiful here,” Polly said.

  “I don’t think I ever want to leave.”

  “Well you don’t have to.” Polly stood, dragging Ellie from the bench. “Why don’t you introduce me to the man who has stolen your heart?”

  She felt Ellie give her hand a squeeze as they walked down the steps to meet the rest of the Chapmans.

  Chapter 4

  “Where is everyone?” Everett asked coming into the great room.

  Alice lay on the settee, her legs stretched out to her side. She had a newspaper in her hand. Everett could see it was dated for the previous month. News traveled slowly. It could take over a month for mail to arrive from the East Coast.

  Alice snapped the paper for effect. “Did you know that there was a woman arrested for voting for President Grant?”

  Everett scoffed. “Women voting. What’s next? Are they going to wear dungarees?”

  Alice swung her feet over the side of the sofa and sat up, her finger jabbing the newspaper. “This woman, I will have you know, realizes that we should be a part of the electoral process. There is a gathering next week in Grand Platte. I might just ride out and join them.”

  “You will do no such thing, Pint Jar.”


  “Why ever not?”

  Everett moved closer to the sofa and leaned over the arm. His finger jabbed the air as he spoke to Alice.

  “First, if anyone even has a suspicion of you going off the farm without an escort, I can guarantee that you will never get close enough to saddle a horse. Second, you don’t know the effect it had on Marmee when you disappeared for months. Everyone was scouring the country looking for you. And third, just get any fool-headed notions out of your head.”

  “Mrs. Anthony was fighting for more than just the right to vote.” Alice put the paper on the table and crossed her arms. “She was fighting for the right for a woman to own property. To be able to marry whom she chooses. To be able to keep that property if her husband passes, instead of having it being sold from underneath her.”

  “Things are just the way they are, Pint Jar.”

  “Well, they shouldn’t be. Oliver married Willow because she was viewed as property of that madman.”

  Everett raised his eyebrow. Alice didn’t talk much, but when she did it was either a rant or very well thought out. He wondered where she was going with her current discussion.

  He knew his brother had married Willow, the woman they found squatting on the far side of the ranch in a hunting cabin, but he didn’t question anything.

  “What do you know about Willow?”

  Alice froze. A look of panic came across her pretty blonde features. Everett saw her lower lip tremble and it went right to his heart. “It’s her story to tell, not mine.”

  Everett nodded.

  Occasionally, Alice would retreat into the memories of her abuse. He didn’t want to cause her any pain. Even though she could be a bit of a pest, she was still his sister. “Well, then we won’t talk about it.” He walked over to the long table.

  There was one place setting of Marmee’s best china, complete with a cloth napkin and her finest silverware brought from Boston. There were also plates piled high with cookies and a cake that smelled scrumptious.

  “What are these?” he asked, picking up a cookie to examine it. Marmee would make cookies, but they would be filled with raisins or other fruit. These cookies were delicate – pale in the middle and light brown on the edges.