Esther cleared her throat, her face redder than Megan thought humanly possible. “Forgive me. I didn’t realize you’d still be asleep.” She backed away from the door, paused, and reached for the doorknob. “I’ll leave you two alone.”
“We’ll be down soon,” Megan promised. Once the door was shut, she breathed a sigh of relief. “I’ll be glad to get out of here.” She released her hold on him and sat up.
“You and me both.” He pulled back the blanket and sheet and stretched. “But I guess we got lucky. I mean, here we are without money, and she and Miriam have given us food and a place to sleep.”
“And all we had to do was get married.” She laughed. “You know, it is funny.”
“Yeah. In our time, no one cares if someone is married or not.”
“Did you have a girlfriend you lived with?”
“No. I always wanted a wife, not a live-in girlfriend.” He retrieved his shoes and slipped them on. “Not that I went out with anyone long enough to propose but still…”
“What about that woman you were on the train with? In the snack car.”
He shrugged. “She was more interested in my paycheck than me. We’d been friends for a long time. I heard that you should marry a woman who’s a friend first. It betters your chances of a lasting marriage. But she made a better friend than a girlfriend.”
She didn’t know why she should be pleased to know he hadn’t had a serious relationship so she shoved the curious notion aside.
He stood up and studied her, his hands on his hips. “How did you know I have a girlfriend?”
Her cheeks warmed. “I saw you with her in the snack car on the train. I was by myself and I heard you two talking.”
“Well, it couldn’t have been anything interesting. I don’t know why, but as soon as I took her out on a date, she got needy and boring.”
“I gathered that from your conversation.”
He sat on the bed.
She couldn’t tell if he was amused or annoyed. His slight grin could mean either emotion.
“What did you hear?” he pressed.
“She wanted to do whatever you wanted to do. I believe the Libby dam was mentioned.”
His face broke into a large grin. “I thought I recognized you. I remember you. You looked lonely.”
“Lonely?” She thought she had looked bored, not lonely. She frowned. She didn’t like the thought of looking lonely. Did that make her desperate?
“I didn’t mean to upset you. I just assumed it was because you were sitting by yourself. Most people have that lonely look when they’re alone. It’s not a big deal.”
No, maybe it wasn’t a big deal, but he’d been right. Despite her relationship with Mike, she did feel lonely when they were together. Maybe being with someone wasn’t the same thing as belonging with someone.
Ted patted her on the arm. “What’d you say? You ready to get this day started?”
She nodded. “Might as well.” She grabbed her ring and threw on the dress, wishing she could shower first. Then she put on her loafers and joined him down the stairs.
As soon as Aaron saw them, he sat at the kitchen table and asked his wife, “Can I eat now?”
Esther shot him a reprimanding look. “There’s no need to be rude.”
“I wouldn’t be rude if I wasn’t starving to death.”
“You are in no such danger.” She smiled at Megan and Ted. “You’ll have to forgive him. He’s usually agreeable.”
Ted didn’t look convinced of that but sat down.
The dog settled next to him.
Megan eased into her own seat, wondering why the dog was so attracted to Ted. “You must be good with animals.”
Ted patted the dog’s head, and the dog wagged his tail, obviously happy with the attention. Ted grinned. “I grew up with a dog.”
Esther took her skillet and set portions of scrambled eggs and bacon on everyone’s plates. They bowed their heads to say grace and then started to eat.
Aaron grabbed a fresh slice of bread from the center of the table where a stack of slices waited for them. He buttered his slice and motioned to Ted with his dull knife. “I never saw a dog take a liking to a man the way Buddy’s taken a liking to you.”
Ted scratched the animal behind his ears. “He’s a friendly one.”
“You want him?” Aaron took a bite of his bread.
“Isn’t he yours?” Ted asked.
Megan picked up her fork and poked a good heaping of scrambled eggs and took a bite, noting the hint of salt and cheese in them.
Aaron swallowed and took a large drink from his cup of coffee. “No. That mutt followed me home one day, and I didn’t have the heart to turn him loose. He spends his days outdoors but comes home at nightfall, eats and sleeps. Then he leaves after breakfast. One can only imagine what he does during the day.”
“He’s quite the mystery,” Esther added. “I have yet to figure him out.”
“A dog can be useful out there at your new home,” Aaron continued. “He’d probably be good at hunting rabbits and such.”
Megan wrinkled her nose. “I’m not having rabbits for pets.”
Aaron chuckled at her. “Rabbits are for meat. You eat them.”
He couldn’t be serious! She wasn’t a vegetarian, but she didn’t want to eat a cute little bunny.
Esther wiped the sides of her mouth with her napkin and put the cloth back on her lap. “They can be tasty if you season them right. I’ll give you a recipe for rabbit stew.”
Megan glanced at Ted who seemed as opposed to eating rabbits as she was, but it’d be easier to take the recipe than to get into another debate over what was expected of her. “Alright,” she finally consented.
“You want him?” Aaron asked, pointing at the dog.
“No,” Ted replied. “I’m sorry, but I can’t.”
“Let me know if you change your mind. He’s sure taken a shining to you.”
The dog rested his head on Ted’s leg and peered up at him with sad eyes.
“What do you feed him?” Ted wondered.
“Table scraps,” Esther said. “We wait until we’re done and give him leftovers.”
Ted brought a strip of bacon up to his mouth and halted when the dog whined. “I hope it’s alright if I feed him while I eat.” Without waiting for their response, he bit into half the bacon and let the dog have the other half.
During the course of the meal, Megan and Ted took turns feeding the animal whose gusto for food surprised her. At one point, Buddy got so excited, he bumped into her. As she jerked back, the ring fell out of the pocket on her dress and rolled onto the floor. Before she had a chance to pick it up, the dog licked it off the floor and swallowed it.
“No!” Megan leapt out of the chair and pried the dog’s mouth open. Curse it all! His mouth was empty. The stupid animal ate her ring! “Someone get me a knife!”
“Why?” Ted asked.
She held onto the animal as it struggled to jump up and lick her face. “I’m going to rip his stomach open and get my ring back.”
Esther gasped and brought her hand to her throat.
Aaron laughed.
Ted shot up from his seat and hugged the dog. “You can’t do that. He didn’t know what he was doing.”
“But I need that ring, Ted. We both do. How else are we supposed to get money to-” She stopped and looked at Esther and Aaron who watched them with intense interest, especially Aaron who narrowed his eyes at her. She bit her lower lip as she debated how to handle this. “We need money. That ring was all I had.”
Esther shook her head. “No, it isn’t. I’m sending you home with enough food to last until Ted gets paid. And we’ll get you both clothes and some furnishings today.”
Aaron frowned. “And where are we going to get all the money for this?”
“From the charity collection at the church. We need to give to those in need, and if there’s anyone with needs, it’s them.” She motioned to them, as if forgetting they stood ac
ross from her. “I’d rather be giving to our community than to some out-of-state place anyway.”
Aaron’s shoulders relaxed. “Alright.”
“So you have nothing to worry about. Your wallet is safe.”
“I work hard for my money.”
She patted his hand. “Of course you do, dear.”
Megan gave Ted a pleading look. “That ring is worth a lot of money.”
“We’ll make do,” Ted replied, and the dog was, once again, wagging his tail, as if he understood that his life had been spared. “I guess we’ll just have to stick around a little longer.”
“Stick around where?” Aaron demanded, not looking at all pleased. “You don’t mean this house, do you?”
Esther huffed and threw her napkin on the table. “That’s it, Mr. Thompson. You go head right on over to work because if I have to put up with your rudeness one more minute, I’m liable to do something I’ll regret. And that wouldn’t make me a good witness for the Lord.” She stood up and pulled his chair from the table. “Now get going.”
He glowered at Ted and Megan.
Megan stepped back. Okay. So Ted wasn’t imagining the marshal’s disapproval.
“You two are up to something,” he told them. “I know it, and I’ll find out what it is if it’s the last thing I do.”
As he turned to leave, Esther asked, “Aren’t you going to kiss me good-bye?”
He groaned, spun around, gave her a quick kiss, and stormed out the door.
She waved her hand. “Don’t worry about him. He’s just moody today. He’s always moody when he has to pay the bills and Monday is bill day.”
Megan glanced at Ted who didn’t look any more convinced than she was.
Someone knocked on the screen door.
“Good morning, Miriam and Richie! Come on in,” Esther called out, a wide smile on her face. “As soon as I clean up, we’ll head out for a day of shopping.”
Megan snarled at the dumb dog before she pitched in to help Esther.
***
The next day found Ted at Ray Gordon’s farm. Richie had picked him up in his wagon, which was good since Ted didn’t know how to ride a horse…not that he had a horse. He didn’t have money for food, let alone an animal, though he had agreed to take the dog. Despite the fact that it upset Megan to have the animal nearby, he figured she’d get over the ring incident soon enough. At least he hoped so. She did glare at the dog a couple of times during breakfast.
Two men walked over to them, so Ted took that as his cue to hop down from the wagon. The landscape spanned before him in patches of brown plowed dirt and grassy fields. He wondered what his job would be.
Richie stood beside him and motioned to the short but muscular men. “This is Ray,” he motioned to the brunette, “and this is his cousin, Joel,” he motioned to the redhead.
Ted smiled and shook their hands, noting that they were in their forties. “I’m Ted Jacob.”
Richie patted him on the back, but this time Ted braced for the impact and didn’t lurch forward. “He just got married.”
“Joining the ranks of the married men, huh?” Ray replied. “Wives are great, aren’t they? They cook for you.”
“Clean for you,” Joel added. “Do your laundry.”
“Marriage is great,” Ray agreed, nodding. “Especially the honeymoon.” He winked at Ted.
“I have to find me a wife,” Richie said.
The men chuckled, so Ted laughed too. Yes, a honeymoon spent in separate beds. Wasn’t that what every man wanted? Except he wouldn’t define his marriage to Megan as a real marriage. Being forced into it was a different matter.
“Stop embarrassing him,” Richie said. “We need to give him the tour. Over there is Ray’s house.”
Ted saw the two-story yellow house with three kids running around the front yard.
“And there’s the barn,” Richie continued, pointing to the red barn that was probably half a mile from the house. “The cattle are in the pasture out thataway and there are the crops, or rather that is where the crops will be once harvest comes. That’s it. Tour is done.”
Ted nodded. “Looks simple enough. I don’t think I’ll get lost.”
“Do you know how to ride a horse?” Ray asked.
“No, I don’t.”
“Then that’ll be the first order of business.”
That’s what Ted figured. He’d never been close to a horse until he showed up in 1898. They didn’t look that scary, so he figured he might enjoy the chance to ride one because as soon as he returned to his own time, he’d be back to driving cars.
***
While Ted spent his first day on the farm, Megan reluctantly joined Miriam in setting up her new “home”. Not that she considered this two bedroom house just a few miles out of town home, but Miriam apparently did and was delighted to decorate the place with her.
Miriam unfolded the white tablecloth with sunflowers sewn onto it. Megan cleaned off the large wooden dining table so her new friend could cover it with the soft cloth. Then they worked on hanging up the yellow curtains. Afterwards, they cleaned the window and swept the hardwood floor. That completed the dining room.
“It’s my favorite room in the house,” Miriam cheerfully stated as she picked up the broom and dustpan. “And yellow is such a beautiful color.”
Megan smiled. She had to agree with the woman’s assessment. Yellow did suit the room, and she figured it matched Miriam’s sunny personality. She still had a hard time believing that Miriam and Esther were sisters. No two people could be more different, though she liked Esther too.
Following Miriam to the kitchen, Megan dumped the dirty rags on the small kitchen table. Whereas the dining room table could seat six people, this one could only seat four. The cookstove stood before her, as imposing as it had been the first time she’d laid eyes on it. She wondered if Ted really could cook. If she could get out of that horrible detail, she’d gladly do it.
Miriam pulled out a stack of new plates and bowls from a box. “We’ll put these in this cupboard over here. The mugs can hang on these hooks.” She motioned to the row of hooks under the shelf where the plates and bowls would go. “I think you’ll enjoy this kitchen.”
Not if I can help it. Megan simply smiled. Thankfully, Esther’s food gifts would last her and Ted a week. That’d be long enough for him to get paid and then they could hightail it to the train station and get out of here. So all of this decorating was really a waste of time. But she didn’t have the heart to disappoint Miriam who obviously enjoyed this. That was why she went along with it, pretending that she and Ted would stay married in this little house and start a family. It’s what the others expected, and in ordinary circumstances, it’s what would’ve happened. But these were not ordinary circumstances.
Miriam finished putting the dishes away.
Realizing how lazy she must look, Megan quickly retrieved the light green curtains from another box and scooted the wooden chair to the window so she could put them up. Her green dress fit much better than the brown one had, and she didn’t feel so dirty now that she’d had a bath in the river out back, but she did miss her shirt and shorts. It was easier to do any kind of housework in shorts.
The breeze drifting in through the open window helped to cool Megan’s hot skin. Though bras weren’t a piece from this time period, she wore hers. She couldn’t bring herself to wear a chemise or petticoats. No one could tell she only wore panties and a bra under her dress anyway. So why torture herself with extra layers in the warm weather if she didn’t have to?
As Miriam set the utensils away, she asked, “May I ask you a question?”
Megan pulled the curtains through the rod. “Sure.”
“Are you…content with Ted?”
Megan stopped and peered down at the woman who kept her attention on the forks she put in a drawer. A grin crossed her face. “I could have done worse. He’s better than Mike.”
Miriam looked up at her. “Mike?”
“He
was the fiancé I told you about.”
“Oh.” She nodded. Finished with the utensils, she went to the box and took out the mugs. “So, is it nice to be married?”
“Doesn’t your sister tell you?”
She shrugged as she put the mugs on their respective hooks. “She tells me that marriage is an honorable institution.”
“And?”
“And that’s it.”
Keenly interested in this discussion now, Megan quickly finished pulling the rest of the curtain through the rod. “Does she love Aaron?”
“I think so.”
She set the rod in its correct place and hopped off the chair so she and Miriam could talk. She hadn’t had a close friend to talk to about anything in the two years since her best friend died. She motioned for Miriam to sit. “What if she doesn’t?”
“But she must. Or else she wouldn’t have married him.”
“Did she and Aaron date for long?” she asked as she sat next to her.
“Date?”
That’s right. Date was a contemporary term. Megan searched her mind for the right term. Unable to find it, she clarified, “She must have known Aaron for a long time before they got married.”
“Yes, she did. We all grew up together. He lived next door. Our parents used to say that they’d end up together and so they did.”
“They married because they were expected to?”
She shrugged, her hands in her lap. “I suppose so.”
“And what about you? Are you expected to marry someone?”
“No. Aaron was the youngest child, and he’s two years older than Esther. She’s five years older than me.”
“How old are you?”
“Twenty.”
That explained why Megan felt old next to the two sisters.
“I worry that I will never get married. I’m getting old, you know.”
Megan laughed. How absurd! Miriam could be a college student for goodness sakes! She noted Miriam’s tense expression and realized that Miriam took this issue with grave sincerity. “How old are women when they usually marry?”
“Some marry as young as sixteen but most marry at eighteen.”
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