Julia

by Ashley Merrick

  “The baby is here,” Emma laughed. “And you said he’s willing to take things slow? That’s how it was with Ethan and me. We were married, but we took our time getting to know each other. You both seem to be attracted to each other. It’s not like he’s an ugly old man!”

  “That’s true.” Julia smiled at the thought. Liam was far from ugly, or old. Except for the fact that she was nervous about the whole idea, she couldn’t find one good reason not to marry Liam.

  “Plus, his farm is just a few miles down the road, on the way into town. You can still come here most days to keep me company and visit Emily and the baby. We’ll still be together and then you’ll go home to your place at the end of the day. It will be perfect!” Emma sounded so excited for her.

  “Okay, when he comes by either tomorrow or the next day. I’ll give him my answer.”

  ###

  At nine sharp the next morning, there was a knock on the door. Julia opened it and Liam stood there, smiling and looking the tiniest bit nervous, which only made him all the more attractive.

  “Are you here for the cookies?” she teased as he followed her into the kitchen.

  “The cookies?” He looked confused for a moment and then said, “Oh, sure. I didn’t think Emma would be up to it, to be honest.”

  “I wasn’t,” Emma said as she walked into the room, holding Jeremy. “But Julia is great at baking, so I just gave her my recipes and she’s been making them all morning.”

  “Here you go!” Julia handed him a basket full of cookies and then said, “Was there something else you wanted?”

  Emma chuckled at that. “I think I have a diaper I need to go change.”

  As soon as she was out of earshot, Liam’s expression grew serious. “Have you thought about what we discussed? Will you marry me?”

  “Yes.” She met his eyes and smiled. “I’d be happy to marry you.”

  His face relaxed, and then that lazy smile appeared and stretched into a happy grin that made tiny wrinkles dance around his eyes. Impulsively, he pulled her toward him and hugged her tightly, then said, “Wonderful! I’ll talk to the reverend and see if he can do it after services on Sunday.”

  “This Sunday?” It was just a few days away.

  “Yes, this Sunday, if that works for you?”

  Julia paused for just a moment before saying, “This Sunday is fine.”

  ###

  After services on Sunday, Liam’s family gathered at the front of the church for the wedding ceremony. Emma had insisted that Julia borrow the dress she’d worn to marry Ethan, and was sure it would bring her good luck. Emma had also done her hair, pulling a section of it back and tying it with a pale blue ribbon so that the waves cascaded down her back. It all felt a bit surreal to Julia, to be standing there exchanging wedding vows with Liam. She’d never seen him look quite so handsome. He was wearing his one good suit and it made him look older. As she glanced his way, the seriousness of it all hit her—she was getting married. Married!

  “By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride,” the pastor announced.

  Liam grinned, and then leaned in and lightly brushed his lips against hers. The kiss was brief, too brief—just as Julia was thinking how nice it was, it was over.

  “Congratulations! Now, everyone back to our place for dinner.” Liam’s mother was the first to congratulate them. Julia rode with Liam to his parents’ house, and the next few hours flew by as everyone congratulated them. After dinner, there was a lovely cake. Before she knew it, everyone was leaving and it was time for them to go, too. Emma gave her a big hug as they left. “Come by tomorrow after Liam leaves for the day, say around ten?” Julia agreed, and after they said their goodbyes, she followed Liam out to their wagon and climbed in. She and Liam hadn’t had a moment to themselves all day. Everyone had been wishing them well and she was still trying to get to know them all.

  “Crazy day, huh? Can you believe we did it? Husband and wife?” Liam said as they drove off.

  “It doesn’t seem real, somehow. It was a fun day, though. I think everyone had a good time.”

  “Oh, they definitely did. The family likes you.”

  “I like them, too.” She thought they were wonderful, actually. “I’ve never been part of a family before. It’s a little overwhelming, but in a really good way.”

  “You’ll get used to us all soon enough,” Liam said, and then flashed her a grin.

  “So, tell me more about your place. It’s smaller than Ethan’s farm, I imagine?”

  “Yes, maybe a quarter of the size. We all had roughly the same size pieces of land originally, but I gave most of my land to Ethan, Paul and David in return for helping me to open the pub. I just kept a small lot for myself. I just have a few cows, horses, chickens and a small garden out back. We don’t need much.”

  “That makes sense.” Julia wondered what his house was like, if it was small, too. Almost as if he’d read her mind, Liam started talking again.

  “My brothers helped me to build my house, too. We all helped each other, actually. My house is bigger than they think I need, but I like to be comfortable and I was thinking ahead to when I got married and had kids. Easier to build the right size house first than to keep adding on.”

  “How many kids are you hoping for?” Julia was curious.

  “Honestly, I don’t have a specific number in mind. One or ten is fine by me, as long as everyone is healthy. Do you like kids?” He chuckled then, and added, “I suppose that would have been a question to ask before we got married.”

  “I do like kids. I’ve always assumed I’d probably have several.”

  “Good, that’s a relief!” They chatted comfortably the rest of the way home and Julia was grateful that Liam was so easy to talk to. When they pulled up to the house, he helped her out of the buggy, she started to feel a bit nervous, though. She followed him into his house and watched as he lit several oil lamps and threw several logs into a wood stove by a small kitchen.

  “Are you tired?” he asked once he got the fire going.

  “Yes, it has been a busy day.” The day had caught up with her as she found herself barely able to keep her eyes open.

  “If you follow me upstairs, there’s a guest bedroom next to mine and I thought you could sleep in there for a while, to let you settle in.” Julia’s nerves calmed a bit as Liam explained the sleeping situation. Although he’d said before that they would take it slow, it was still a relief to know she would have her own room.

  “I would like to kiss my wife good night, though, if that’s okay with you?” His voice was a bit tentative and Julia suddenly felt shy as well.

  “Okay.”

  “I know we had our official kiss in the church, but it’s not the same.” He gently took hold of her hands and pulled her in close. He then brought his lips down to hers and kissed her sweetly and softly and Julia moaned. As soon as he heard the sound, he pulled back, much to her disappointment.

  “Is everything okay?” he asked.

  “Yes, of course. It’s fine,” she said quickly.

  He paused for a moment and she wondered if he was going to kiss her again. He looked like he was thinking about it. But then he let go of her hands and stepped back.

  “I should let you get your sleep. There’s an extra blanket on the chair by your bed in case you need it. That stove downstairs throw a lot of heat, though. It should warm up quickly.”

  “Thank you. Good night.”

  “Good night, Julia.” He walked into his room then and Julia stepped into hers, undressed and climbed into bed. What an interesting day it had been.

  CHAPTER SIX

  When she woke the next day, Julia was disoriented, at first, until she realized where she was. She could hear movement downstairs, and quickly got up, dressed, then headed to the kitchen.

  “Good morning.” Liam was putting a pot of water on the stove for coffee.

  “I could make us some breakfast if you like,” she sai
d, and glanced around the kitchen trying to guess where everything was.

  “That would be great. Let me show you around. There’s some eggs on the counter. I’ll go milk the cows while you cook. It won’t take me long.”

  Liam gave her a quick tour of the kitchen. Then once he stepped outside, Julia got busy melting butter in a pan and then scrambling eggs for both of them. There was a little bread left, so she cut several slices and toasted them in a pan with butter as well.

  When Liam came back inside, they sat down to eat and he filled her in on his schedule for the day.

  “I’m afraid I won’t be back until much later tonight, so don’t worry about me for dinner. There’s an extra horse and small buggy right outside, so you can use that to visit Emma or go into town.

  “Do you think you’ll be busy today?” she asked.

  “I hope so! It’s hard to say, though. We have some regulars, but a lot of it depends on if the trains are coming in that day or what the weather is like. There’s really no rhyme or reason to it.”

  “Well, I hope it’s a good day for you.”

  Liam smiled at that, then as he stood up, he impulsively leaned in and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. “Thank you. I’ll see you later on tonight. Have fun visiting Emma.”

  He left, and she watched as he drove off in his buggy. All the energy left the house with Liam and it felt empty, even a bit lonely. Julia decided to get busy, to clean the dishes, wash up and make the drive to Emma’s.

  Less than a half-hour later, she pulled into Emma’s driveway and heard blood-curdling screams from inside as she approached the door. She knocked and then heard Emma call out, “Come in.”

  “Is everything okay?” Julia asked as she stepped inside.

  Emma was holding the baby against her and rocking back and forth while lightly patting his back. She flashed a tired smile when she saw Julia. “It’s fine. Someone is apparently hungry and maybe has a bit of colic, too, so is frustrated—and someone else is upset that I can’t drop everything to make her french toast right now.”

  Emily was sitting on the floor, tears streaming down her face, looking furious and about ready to scream again. Emma gave her a warning look.

  “I told her I will make it as soon as I get the baby fed.”

  “Well, I can help with that. French toast is one of the few things I do know how to make now.”

  Julia was glad for something to do, and had Emily help, which cheered her up immensely. Once both children were fed and happy, Emma put the baby down in his cradle and was then able to relax a little.

  “So, how was your first day of married life?” Emma asked as they sat at the kitchen table, sipping tea.

  “Busy. Most of it was a blur, to be honest. We got off to a good enough start today, and had breakfast together. I didn’t realize Liam worked such late hours, though. I suppose I should have since it makes sense he’d need to be there most nights to work and close up the pub.”

  “I didn’t think of that, either,” Emma admitted, and frowned. “Maybe once it’s more established, he’ll be able to have help at night and can spend more time at home.”

  “Or maybe I can help out at the pub, too.” Julia had been thinking about that during the drive to Emma’s. “It seems silly for me to just stay home when I could be working, too, and helping him to build the business.”

  “You could manage his books!” Emma said.

  “I could do that and pitch in wherever they need a hand, greeting people at the door or delivering food or drinks. It might be fun.”

  “It would certainly keep you busy.”

  “Speaking of busy, if we have time today, can you show me how you make bread? We are just about out.”

  “I have to make some anyway, so we can both make a loaf. And we need to make more cookies, too.”

  Emma insisted that Julia stay and join them for dinner since Liam wasn’t going to be home until late. After they ate, she took the loaf of bread she’d made earlier in the day and drove home, just as the sun was starting to set. She didn’t want to be out once it got dark and arrived home just in time. She led the horse out to the barn, fed him and put food out for the other animals as well, then came inside and got a fire going in the wood stove. The house felt cozy once the fire took the chill out of the air. Emma found a book to read and curled up on the living room sofa, settling in for the night. It was nice to finally be in her own home, and peaceful to have it to herself for the evening. The book was a good one and she quickly lost track of time. Hours later, she jumped when there was a sound outside. Then the door slowly opened and Liam walked in.

  “You’re still up? I wasn’t sure if you would be. I was able to finish up a little earlier than usual and was hoping you might still be awake. How did your day go?”

  “It was good, uneventful. Emma taught me how to make bread, so we’ll have toast again in the morning,” she said with a smile.

  “That’s great!” He hung his coat up, then settled on the other side of the sofa and stretched his legs out.

  “How was your day?” she asked.

  “Busy, which is a very good thing. People seem to be spreading the word, which is what I’d hoped for.”

  “Well, I have an idea,” Julia began. “I want to help you at the pub. It’s silly for me to just sit home at night when I could be doing something.”

  “You want to work at the pub?” Liam sounded surprised and a bit confused. “What were you thinking of doing?”

  “Well, I’m really good with numbers. I can look over your books to maybe see if there’s a way to save any money there and anything else that needs doing. I can talk to people, show them to their tables, check on them. Whatever you think best.”

  Liam looked thoughtful. “I could use an extra pair of hands, that’s for certain. But are you sure you wouldn’t mind? I wouldn’t expect you to keep working there once we have kids, of course. By then, we should be more established.”

  “I’m excited about it. Should I go in with you in the morning? Or come later in the day?”

  Liam thought about that for a moment. “It’s busier at night. Why don’t you stay here during the day, visit Emma if you like, and I’ll run home around four to get you and bring you in. It’s always slow late afternoon, so I can run out then and it’s silly for us to be both be driving home at night.”

  “Okay. So I’ll start tomorrow, then?” Julia was looking forward to it, to having a new purpose in life and just getting back to work in general.

  “Tomorrow it is.”

  ###

  The next day, Liam came to collect her a little after four and they were back at the pub less than a half-hour later. There were just a few men at the bar and a group of four sitting at a corner table, reading menus.

  “Billy, this is Julia. She’s going to help us out here.” Liam introduced her to his full-time employee, who was behind the bar.

  “Pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Donovan,” Billy said.

  “Please, call me Julia.” Mrs. Donovan sounded much too formal and foreign. Liam led her into the kitchen next to say hello to Mrs. Johnson. He then brought her back to his office, where an oil lamp cast a warm glow on the room.

  “I thought for tonight, maybe you might want to look through the books. They probably need some organizing, but I have all the notes and records there.”

  “Perfect.” Looking at Liam’s accounting was a great way for her to ease in to helping him. She settled into the chair behind his desk and opened his ledger.

  ###

  An hour later, Liam stopped by the office with a plate of food in his hand.

  “I thought you might be hungry by now. Mrs. Johnson made a pretty amazing chicken pie.” He set it down on the desk and glanced at the papers she was studying. “I hope this isn’t boring you too much. I have to admit, I find this part of the business tedious at best.”

  Julia glanced up and smiled. “Well, you’re lucky then, because I enjoy it. So you’ll be able to spend less time dealing wi
th the accounting.”

  “That is good news. Discover anything interesting?”

  Julia’s stomach rumbled as she caught of whiff of the pie.

  “Thanks for bringing this. It smells wonderful.” She took a tentative bite as there was still steam coming off it, and then swallowed. It was delicious. She took a few more bites and then brought her attention back to Liam’s question.

  “I have noticed some things I wanted to ask you about. Is it normal for prices to vary so much for some of the food items?”

  “What do you mean?” Liam looked confused. “I’ve paid roughly the same amounts each week for each product.”

  “Yes, on the surface it appears that way. But each week after an initial order, while your total price remains the same, your unit number has been reduced quite a bit, which actually raises your price.”

  “No kidding? How did I miss that?” Liam leaned over to see the receipts Julia was pointing to.

  “Do you have running orders for some items? Where you just have an understanding that they’ll send you duplicate orders?” Julia figured that was how they did it, avoided mentioning a specific unit number and hoping he wouldn’t look close enough to catch it.

  “Yes, for quite a few products. The ones we go through regularly—I have standing reorders on those.”

  “Well, we may want to have a chat with your supplier, and start ordering varying amounts so they won’t pull this again.”

  “Has it amounted to much?”

  “Enough. It won’t happen again, though.” She closed the ledger than and pulled her dinner plate closer.

  “I’m impressed. Emma said you were good at what you did, but I had no idea.” They heard loud voices then, coming from the bar, and Liam glanced toward the door. “I’d better get back out there and see what’s going on. After you finish eating, come on out and visit a bit.”

  ###

  When Julia walked into the main dining room, she saw that the pub was quite busy. The bar was completely full and about three-quarters of the tables, too. Liam was behind the bar while Billy was taking care of the tables. Julia stood there, watching for a moment and trying to keep out of the way.