“They’re taking Mother and Father’s belongings to the cottage across the grounds, where they’ll live from now on.”
“They’re moving today?” She had hoped they’d wait a little while. She wasn’t sure she was ready to live alone with Jack. Having a buffer for a while could only be a good thing.
“Yes. I thought you knew they’d move out as soon as we were married.”
“Well, I knew, but I didn’t know. That makes no sense. I thought as soon as we were married meant within a week or two. Not the very day of the wedding. That’s crazy.”
“It’s a way to give us our privacy. They’re ready for more grandchildren, and you know you’re expected to give birth to seven sons for me. It’s time for us to start our own family, and what better way for them to encourage it than to give us complete and utter privacy to start off our marriage.”
“I suppose.” She was nervous about being that alone with him, though. She’d expected someone to be there. Why it mattered to her, she didn’t know, but . . . it did.
“Does that bother you?” he asked.
“A little. I guess I thought they’d be there for a while longer. I felt safer. I’ve only known you for a few days.”
“Maybe that’s true,” Jack said, “but you’re my wife. It’s time for us to be alone together.”
Beulah nodded her agreement, although reluctantly. “Is it all right that the mere idea makes me really nervous?”
He nodded. “Absolutely. You have every right to be nervous. We’ll both have a new experience tonight, but I hope it’s one we’ll both enjoy.”
She didn’t meet his eyes at that. She knew physically what to expect, but she didn’t know how it would affect her emotionally. How could she? The whole thing was a bit overwhelming. She’d survive, though. And she’d get her own school, where she could teach children and shape minds from it. She was sure the move was worth it. And the marriage was worth it. Oh, if only she could believe that.
As the night wore on, the guests slowly went their own ways. Mary had hired servants to clean up the mess when the party was over, and they were all in the house, doing their job.
Beulah looked at her new husband and needed a little more time before they would go inside and be together. “Would you like to sit on the porch swing for a little while?”
He shrugged. “Not particularly, but if it will make you feel better, I’ll do it.”
She smiled. “It will make me feel better.”
Jack offered his arm. “Then by all means, let’s sit.” He wanted her to be less nervous about the whole situation, but he knew it was an impossibility he was asking of her. She was not someone who went into new experiences lightly, and that was obvious. She liked things to be familiar around her, and she’d just moved across the country to marry a stranger. No wonder she was nervous.
As soon as they sat, Beulah asked a question that had been on her mind all day. “Josie told me that there’s a McClain curse.”
He smiled. “Some people call it that. My brothers in particular, but I don’t feel cursed. I feel blessed.” He thought about the best way to explain it. “As far back as our family can be traced there have been seven sons born to the seventh son. And each seventh son has had a special power. My power is the ability to know when someone lies. No one wants me on a jury, because I automatically know if I should believe what’s being said.”
“That would make things difficult.”
“It does. If one of my brother suspects that his child is lying about something, the child is brought to me, and I know immediately if they are speaking lies or truth.” He leaned his head on the back of the swing. “I know it’s not something that’s exactly normal, but it’s always been in my life, so I don’t see it as anything unusual, if that makes sense. I’m happy to have the power even though my brothers think of it as a curse.”
Beulah wasn’t sure how she’d feel about a power like that. “What are some other powers?”
“I’ve heard that some of my family has had the power to heal, the power to speak to animals, and the power to detect when danger is around. The powers do seem to repeat themselves, but none are two generations in a row. I have to wonder what power our youngest son will have.”
“Wait . . . I hadn’t considered that we would have a child with one of these mysterious powers. That is a bit frightening.”
“Not at all.” He grinned at her. “Just think . . . he’ll be special, whoever and whatever he is.”
“Special or cursed. I guess I can see both sides of that coin.” She stared off into space a little longer. “I guess if you’ve grown up knowing all these things and how your family would be different, it would seem normal. But from where I’m sitting . . . it’s a bit overwhelming.”
“It would be.” Jack reached over and took her hand in his, gripping it tightly. “I promise that I won’t let life overwhelm you too much. I’m in this with you, and we will raise the children together. You won’t be on your own.”
She frowned at him. “You plan to take an active role in child-rearing?” Beulah had never heard of such a thing. Every man she’d heard of had let his wife do all the work with child-rearing while he had the fun of begetting the children. It had seemed like an unfair way to do things, but she had known it was the way of the world.
“Yes, I do. That’s how it is in my family. I will not only run the ranch, but I will be very active in helping out with our boys. Together, we’ll manage. I promise.”
“But you didn’t want to marry.” There it was. That was the truth as she knew it. He hadn’t wanted a wife, and his mother had sent off for her. How did he feel now?
“I didn’t want a wife until I saw you get off that train, your eyes glued to the anatomy book in your hands. That’s when I knew that I had to have a wife. I had to have you from that instant on.”
“Really? Why was my anatomy book so important to you?”
“Because I needed an intelligent wife, someone who was concerned more than with the latest fashions and hairstyles. You are that someone. You are the woman I want for all time. I know I didn’t ask for you. I know you were the luck of the draw. But God sent me who I needed. That’s another thing about being the seventh son of a seventh son. Luck. We’re incredibly lucky people.”
Beulah shook her head. “I feel like I’m in over my head, and we’re barely married. How am I going to feel in a month or two?”
“Probably pregnant.” He grinned at her. “Another thing about my family is we tend to have babies quickly. Every generation that I’ve ever heard of has had seven babies within ten years of marrying. I hope you’re ready for the onslaught of children.”
“If I said I wasn’t, would you let me wait for the wedding night?”
He frowned at her. “We’ve been over that. I thought we both decided it was for the best we go through with it.”
“You decided. I’d like a little time because I don’t want to be pregnant at the beginning of the schoolyear.”
“I think we need to have our wedding night on our wedding night.”
Beulah sighed and nodded. “I guess I have no choice then, do I? That’s why I never wanted to marry. I liked having all of my choices as my own.”
“Well, you’ll still be able to make most of your own choices. This one is out of your hands, though. You know as well as I do that the passion between us is pretty spectacular. You don’t need to be nervous about it or worry. Just enjoy.”
She closed her eyes at that. “I’m not sure that’s possible, but I’ll try.”
“It’s possible. I promise you that.”
As the last of the servants hired for the night left the house, he took her hand and led her inside. “I’ll give you twenty minutes to get ready for bed,” he said softly. “But after that, I’m coming in.”
She gulped and nodded, heading upstairs. As nervous as she was, she knew he was right. She’d worry about it every day until they consummated, so for her it was best to just get it over with.
She washed up with the pitcher and bowl and put on her nightgown. A married woman now, her choices were no longer her own. Not all of them.
Monday morning, Beulah was at the site for the new school, watching as they broke ground. All six of the McClain brothers who still lived in Bagley were there to help with the work. She and her mother-in-law were going to make sandwiches for their lunches, but she wanted to oversee the building, at least this first day.
Once she was satisfied they were clearing a large enough area for the school she wanted, and they knew she wanted a window facing east next to the teacher’s desk, she went back to the house to start on making sandwiches. She had no idea how many to make for six working men, but Mary was there beside her.
“You bake the bread, and I’ll start frying ham,” Mary told her. “We’ll want at least four loaves.”
“Four loaves of bread to feed six men?” Beulah asked, stunned at the sheer amount of food.
“And two women. But those men will be working hard today. That kind of physical labor burns off a lot of energy, and the men will need to eat a lot to make up for it.” Mary stood in front of the stove with ham steaks, and she fried steak after steak. “Two ham steaks per man will make four sandwiches apiece. That should fill them up. We’ll want to take them water around ten for a mid-morning break as well. They’ll get the schoolhouse built in a couple of weeks, but we have to keep them fed and watered throughout the process.”
“I had no idea it would take this much effort to keep them fed. I guess I thought they’d eat a normal amount.”
“Oh, this is a normal amount for my boys,” Mary said. “But they all work jobs where they put in hard hours. So they need a lot of food to make up for it. You’ll be cooking this way for years and years as you have your own sons and they start working.”
“I’m not sure I’m up to cooking this much. I’ll be teaching as well.”
Mary frowned. “You may need to hire a housekeeper to do some of the cooking and housework while you teach. I’m not sure you can keep up with both.”
Beulah frowned. “Is that all right? I’ve always thought it would be my job to do everything once I married.”
“Well, if you’re teaching, I think it’s absolutely permissible. I’ll help you find someone. Trust me, Jack doesn’t want you wearing yourself out by working all the time. He wants you to have energy for him.”
Beulah blushed, thinking about what her husband would want her to do with her energy. Instead of saying something, she simply kneaded the dough in front of her.
She couldn’t help but wonder if her friends had found their new husbands yet, or if they were still back in New York. Each of them had promised to send her a letter once they were settled. She didn’t feel like she could send them anything at all yet, but she’d start writing later that day. She wanted to keep them all up to date on her school and everything she was doing.
When they took the men their lunches, Beulah couldn’t help but blush under Jack’s knowing look. He pulled her to him and kissed her softly. She was embarrassed, but it seemed like no one even noticed them. Maybe it was normal for the McClain family to kiss in front of one another.
“I’m going to go get another bucket of water,” Beulah said softly. “I’m sure you’re all very thirsty after working so hard.”
“We’d all appreciate that,” Jack said with a smile. “What a good, dutiful wife you are.”
She laughed. “As long as you’re building the schoolhouse, I am. Don’t be so sure about my actions once you’re done, though.”
Jack had a smile on his face as he watched her hurry back to the well for more water. She was exactly what he needed in a wife, and he thanked God for sending her to him.
Chapter Five
By the time the schoolhouse was built and it was time for classes to start, Jack and Beulah had settled into a routine. He worked all day while she did her best to keep up with cooking, cleaning, and her studies. They spent the evenings together, and they got along very well. Beulah was afraid that would change once school started, because she would have so many more demands on her time, but for now, it was nice.
A week before school started, Beulah and Mary interviewed different women for the position of housekeeper. After long discussions, they’d decided that Beulah wouldn’t be able to keep up with the housework as well as the demands of her job as teacher.
The third woman they interviewed, a widow named Hazel Buchanan, seemed like the perfect fit. She would move into a small cabin that was vacant outside the house so she would be close at hand. Beulah was excited at the prospect of having the help, whether she had children yet or not.
Mrs. Buchanan seemed as excited as she was. “I won’t let you down, Mrs. McClain.”
Beulah had yet to get used to the name being used in regard to her. At first, she smiled at her mother-in-law waiting for a response from her, but she realized after a moment, Mrs. Buchanan was talking to her. “I’m sure you won’t. I appreciate the help.”
Together, the three of them put together a month of menus, so Mrs. Buchanan could just follow what was on her chart for meals and Beulah could do what she needed to do. It was a huge relief not to have to worry about household chores, so she could simply concentrate on her teaching.
As much as Beulah wanted to start a school, she was nervous. She had only ever taught biology, and now she would be teaching every subject for every age level. How would she manage to do all of that and not feel behind all the time?
The night before the first day of school, Beulah sat on the porch swing with Jack, curled into his side with her head on his shoulder. She was amazed as always about how easy it was to feel comfortable touching him and being touched by him. Having a man in her life who was allowed to touch her at all was odd. And this man was someone she readily went to.
“I’m nervous about school tomorrow,” she told him softly.
“Nervous about teaching? You? You’ve made it clear since the day you arrived that your whole goal was to teach.” Jack stroked her arm as he spoke, feeling badly for her. This was her goal, and now she was nervous? Didn’t seem like her at all.
“Well, I’m used to teaching one subject, and every class learns the same thing from me. This time I’ll be teaching all subjects for a group of children. I was only teaching fourteen- and fifteen-year-olds, and now I’ll teach every age group. I’ll teach reading and basic math, not just how the human body works.”
“I can see how that would make you nervous, but Beulah, you’re a born teacher. How can you doubt that you have the ability to do it all?”
“Oh, I know I have the ability. I wonder if I will have the patience to manage a classroom of so many students. Teaching someone to read and basic arithmetic is so different than anything I’ve ever done.” She snuggled closer to him, needing his touch for assurance.
He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “You’ll get through it, and you’ll excel as you always do. I know some of your evenings will need to be spent grading papers, but I believe in you.”
“You’ve been a good husband to me. This first month of our marriage has been almost idyllic. I certainly hope we can both continue that with me working.”
“Are you worried we won’t be able to?”
She shrugged. “I become a totally different person when I teach. I’m much more rigid with my schedule and what I’m doing. It might be difficult for you to be around me.”
“I don’t see why that would be hard. With Mrs. Buchanan doing most of the housework, it should be simple. I’ll still get my suppers on time. What else would I have to complain about?” He really didn’t see what her worry was. She’d been a docile, loving wife since the day they married. Why would that change simply because she was working?
She grinned at him, realizing he truly didn’t understand. In a few days he would, and then they’d discuss this all again. Truly, he wouldn’t know her when she started being the strong teacher and disciplinarian that would be required of
her as a teacher.
“Well, for now, I think I should be going to bed early. I’ll start the day with my own studies, and I need to be there before my students start arriving. I’ll be getting up at four instead of six.”
“Four?” He gaped at her for a moment before he laughed. “Oh, I see. You’re joking with me!”
She shook her head. “I’m really not. I’ll still be getting your breakfast in the mornings because Mrs. Buchanan won’t start her work until eight. Which means that I’ll need to study before breakfast. An hour and a half of studying should be enough, but then I’ll get ready and fix breakfast. I’ll want to be walking toward the schoolhouse by seven thirty at the latest. I can’t even imagine how difficult things would be if I got up as late as five.”
She didn’t add that she was grumpy if she didn’t get at least four hours of sleep sleep. She thought some surprises were better left for him to find out on his own. And that surprise was one that would knock him on his backside.
Beulah sat up and kissed his cheek. “I’m heading to bed. Tomorrow is going to be a long day.”
He stood up as well. “You’re not going to bed without me.”
She smiled, taking his hand. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
After finishing the breakfast dishes the next morning, Beulah gathered her things and walked to the school. She was thankful they’d decided to put the school on McClain property because it made the walk much shorter for her. She was already going to be stretched thin as it was.
When she reached the school, she carefully put her things on the teacher’s desk and walked to the brand-new chalkboard. It was so clean it was almost too hard for her to write on, but write on it she must. By the end of the day, it would never look the same, though she would do all she could to keep it looking as clean as it did at that moment.
Carefully she wrote the date and “Mrs. McClain.” She knew most of the children from going to church every Sunday, but she was told there would be a few she’d never seen before.
Beulah's Brains: A McClain Story (The Alphabet Mail-Order Brides Book 2) Page 4