“Eloping with him was very romantic.”
“Was it?” Intrigued, Alice indicated for Emily to sit on the couch and then sat next to her. “Tell me everything.”
“I hardly know where to begin.”
“Begin where we last saw each other. You told me Isaac figured out you were pretending to be Elmer, apologized for how he acted, and kissed you. Then he brought you here.”
“Alright. On Thursday, some pebbles hit my bedroom window, and as it turned out, Isaac was trying to get my attention. He told me to pack my things and come down to see him.”
“Did you know he wanted to marry you?”
“I had a hunch. He told me to take my clothes, and there’s only one reason he’d do that.”
“I’d think the same thing if I were you. So, when you went to see him, what happened?”
“He asked me to marry him, so I said yes and we went to his uncle who married us.”
“That does sound romantic.”
“It was, but I have a hard time believing it’s real. I keep expecting to wake up in that horrible schoolhouse with Eva up front yapping on in that irritatingly I’m-better-than-everyone-else way of hers.”
“Oh come now, Emily. Eva isn’t as bad as you make her out to be.”
Emily rolled her eyes. “You’re only saying that because she’s going to be your sister-in-law.”
“No. I’m saying it because I’ve talked to her, and she’s quite nice.”
“Sure, she’ll be nice to you. You’re marrying her brother.”
“You shouldn’t let the whole thing with the report bother you so much. You proved your point when you walked out of the schoolhouse, and what’s more, Isaac chose you.”
“I just don’t like being told I can’t do something because it’s not ladylike. Who in the world ever came up with such nonsense? I’m as smart as a man.”
“Of course, you are.”
“And if I want to read a book that has some objectionable material in it, that’s my right.”
“You never read that book, Emily. You had Isaac tell you what was in it.”
Emily shrugged. “I still found out what was in it, and it wasn’t a bad tale.”
“So, are you going to read it?”
“Why would I do that when I’m busy being a wife now? I have better things to do than read books. Well, except for dime novels. I might indulge in those from time to time.”
Alice laughed and nudged her in the side. “You know what your problem is?”
“What?”
“You have a hard time admitting you are more of a lady than you pretend to be.”
“That’s silly.”
Giving her a pointed look, Alice asked, “Is it?”
“Yes.”
“There’s nothing wrong with enjoying some of the things that make you a woman.” Lowering her voice, she added, “I understand why you persisted in challenging the boys while we were growing up, why you took on all the boy chores, and why you pushed yourself so hard to be the best hunter you could be. Your father was the only one there for you before your mother came along. You wanted to be like him.”
Emily blinked back her tears. “He protected me from my real mother.”
“I know he did. And I know that’s why you tried so hard to be like him. In some ways, you are like him, but in other ways, you aren’t.”
“I don’t understand what this has to do with what we were talking about.”
“I’m just saying that, deep down, you want to be the kind of lady Eva would approve of. You want to be loved and cherished. You want to be taken care of and provided for. You’d rather act like a lady than try to prove you can do everything a man can.”
Relenting, Emily shrugged. “Alright. So I like being more feminine than masculine. That doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy some masculine things.”
“You’re right. It doesn’t. I just want to be sure you don’t keep competing with Isaac like you did when we were children.”
“Well, he’s proven he’ll win if I do.” With a sly smile, she said, “He beat me at hunting, you know, but since I lost, I had to spend more time with him.”
“Hmm… It doesn’t sound like you lost to me.”
“He caught the larger deer.”
“And would you have rather had the deer or him?”
“Him, of course.”
Giggling, Alice added, “And I suppose being whisked from your home to get married was worth losing as well?”
“I’m beginning to think I didn’t lose at all.”
“Maybe you’re learning how to win the way a woman’s supposed to win.”
Emily considered her friend’s words and smiled. “It’s much more fun to win as a woman.”
“Like I said, you’re not as much of a tomboy as you’d like to believe.”
“You knew I read romances. Didn’t you suspect it then?”
“I thought you were so bored in school, you’d read anything. I saw you pick up action and adventure and mysteries, too.”
“Only when I ran out of romances. I did a lot of reading in that schoolhouse.”
“Now you can do a lot of reading at home while you wait for your husband to come home from work. If you ask me, I’d much rather tend to the home than go out and work.”
“Ah, so that’s why you’re marrying Ben. And here I thought you loved him.”
“Oh, you,” Alice playfully nudged her in the side. “For that, I’m making you help me get snacks from the kitchen.”
Emily stood up with Alice. “I’ll help as long as I have a say in what we’ll eat.”
“It’s a deal.”
On their way to the kitchen, Emily snapped her fingers. “It just occurred to me that we’ll get to see more of each other now that I’m living in town. Well, at least until Isaac gets land from the Homestead Act.”
“We’ll have to take advantage of the time we got then.”
“I don’t think that’ll be too hard.”
Laughing, the two entered the kitchen and got the snack ready.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Isaac loaded the pile of lumber into the back of the buckboard wagon as Ben walked up to him. “How are things going?” Ben asked.
“Good,” Isaac replied, placing the last stack of wood onto the wagon.
“Here are the houses you need to make deliveries to.”
Isaac took the list from him. Fortunately, he’d be going by his parents’ place. If he managed it right, he could get there around the time his father would be going to the schoolhouse so he could talk to his mother alone.
“Check in with me when you get back, and I’ll see if there’s anything else for you to do,” Ben added.
“You said it’s alright if I stop by and talk to my ma for a bit,” Isaac said.
Ben nodded. “Right, I did.”
“I’ll try to keep it short.”
With a smile, he said, “I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
With his mother, Isaac was sure it would be fine. But with his father, he couldn’t be quite sure. He nodded to Ben and then hopped onto the buckboard. He released the brake and urged the horses forward. The journey out of town was pleasant enough, but he was so busy going over everything he could say to his mother that he hardly noticed it. He delivered stacks of lumber and wood to the houses on the list, making sure his parents’ place would be his last stop before heading back into town.
His second to last top turned out to be the Greene’s farm. He pulled the buckboard up to the front of the barn in time to see Wiley coming out of it. “So it’s true?” Wiley asked as Isaac set the brake. “You really did get that job at the lumber store?”
“Yep, I started work today,” Isaac replied as he got down and headed for the back of the wagon.
“So it’s also true you eloped with Emily Craftsman?”
Knowing his friend had an interest in her, he hesitated but knew he couldn’t hide the truth. “Yes.”
“Why didn’t you say something? I
didn’t know you were interested in her that way. I wouldn’t have tried to court her if I’d known.”
Isaac shrugged as he and Wiley retrieved a couple stacks of lumber. “To be honest, I didn’t think I could do anything about it. I mean, my pa didn’t want me talking to her, and until a couple weeks ago, I didn’t.”
“But the whole time you liked her?”
“Yes. I sort of always have.”
“How did you get around to talking to her when you didn’t for so long?” he asked as they headed for the barn.
“She had an argument with the school teacher, and I had to take her home. From there, we continued to talk and it seemed right to get married.”
Wiley nodded. “I didn’t see you two at church yesterday but your family was there.”
So that’s how Wiley found out. “Well, my pa isn’t too happy about it. We decided to go to the church her parents attend.” They entered the barn and he forced out a nervous laugh. “No sense in having a fight in the Lord’s house, right?”
“Your pa didn’t look upset.”
“Did he say he was happy?”
“No.” Wiley placed his two stacks of lumber on the work table and Isaac followed suit. “He didn’t say how he felt about it either way. Your Aunt Sally was explaining to everyone how romantic it was that you and Emily stopped by her house to get married.”
Despite the partial embarrassment at having his aunt tell everyone what happened, he found himself chuckling. “Aunt Sally is the talker of the family.”
“For what it’s worth, you look happy.”
“I am.”
“Congratulations, Isaac.”
Glad Wiley wasn’t upset by the marriage, he smiled. “Thanks.”
“I suppose this means you won’t be hunting with me and Clayton anymore.”
“I’m sure I can join you two once in a while, and maybe Emily can join us.”
Wiley furrowed his eyebrows. “Is she any good at it?”
“One of the best.”
“In that case, she’s welcome to come along. How about Elmer? Is he coming back out?”
Isaac considered telling Wiley that Elmer was really Emily but decided it wasn’t a good idea. Not only would it hurt Emily’s reputation if word got out, but Wiley would be horrified to know Emily heard everything he said about her. “No. Elmer had to leave Omaha.”
“Really? That’s a shame. I thought he was nice. Great shot, too.”
While they turned and headed out of the barn, Isaac said, “I’m going to see my mother.” He hesitated and asked, “Did she seem to be alright when you saw her yesterday?”
“She said she’s happy for you and Emily.”
“But my pa didn’t say anything?”
Wiley shook his head. “No. Sorry.”
That wasn’t too unusual. His pa didn’t talk as much as his ma, and he tended to steer away from any talk about how he felt regarding a given situation. He took a deep breath and steeled his resolve. “I better go and talk to my mother.”
“I’m sure you’ll be fine.”
Isaac wished he had his friend’s enthusiasm. With a tip of his hat, he returned to the buckboard and hopped into it. The ride to his parents’ house seemed shorter than all the other times he’d gone from Wiley’s house to his in the past. It should be just his mother at this time of day, so there wasn’t anything to worry about. Reassured by repeating this to himself, he drove up to the house and set the brake.
He took his time in getting down from the wagon and walking up the porch steps. The house, which he’d grown up in, didn’t seem familiar to him today. Pushing the observation aside, he squared his shoulders back and knocked on the door. He was a man now. He wasn’t a child.
The sound of footsteps from the other side of the door alerted him that someone was about to answer it. He glanced at the barn and wondered if his father really was on his way to pick up his brothers and sister from school.
The front door opened and his gaze rested on his mother who gasped when she saw him. Stepping outside, she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him. “Oh, Isaac. I’m so glad you came.”
Noting the tears in her voice, he hugged her. “Did I worry you?”
She pulled away from him and brushed the tears from her eyes. “We heard from your Aunt Sally and Emily’s mother that you were fine, but it’s still nice to see you.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t think…” He shrugged. “I was afraid Pa would stop me if I told you.”
“I understand. The important thing is that you’re well.” She opened the storm door and motioned for him to follow her into the house. “Sarah said you have a job and a nice apartment?”
“Yes,” he began as he went into the house and took off his boots, “I’m working at the lumber store. Today’s my first day.”
“Oh, then I shouldn’t delay you.”
“No, it’s fine. My boss said I could stop by for a few minutes.”
“Your sisters are taking a nap.”
“Both of them at the same time?”
With a chuckle, she said, “I know. They rarely do that. But it gives us time to talk.”
“So Pa’s not here?”
“No, he’s on his way to the schoolhouse.” She paused and waited for him to hang up his coat. “Is that why you came here at this time of day?”
Sighing, he turned back to her and gave her a pointed look. “I don’t think he was happy when he learned I married Emily.”
“No,” she admitted. “That was a hard day for him. We were afraid a wild animal attacked you or that you fell off your horse and were injured. We had no idea you eloped.”
Those scenarios didn’t even occur to him, which made the stab of guilt that much more painful. Maybe he should have come out here last week instead of waiting for his father’s anger to simmer down. “I’m sorry, Ma. I figured you two knew what I’d done.”
“I knew you were looking for a job in town, but I didn’t expect you to leave so soon. I also didn’t expect you to get married. I didn’t even know you and Emily were talking.”
She headed for the kitchen, so he joined her. “I couldn’t tell you about Emily. It wouldn’t have been fair to ask you to keep it from Pa.”
“I understand why you did what you did. I’m just sorry it had to be done in secret.” When they entered the kitchen, she motioned to one of the chairs, so he sat down. “Would you like some coffee?”
“Yes, please.” Scanning the room, his gaze fell on the container of jerky on one of the shelves. “Are you expecting again?”
She chuckled as she grabbed a cup from a hook on the wall and poured coffee into it. “I just found out. Your pa went into town this morning to get some jerky for me before I start craving it.”
He nodded and accepted the cup she offered.
“He also went into town to talk to you, but you weren’t at the lumber store.”
“Did he talk to Ben Connealy?”
“No. It was someone he didn’t recognize.”
“Well, I deliver wood, so I’m not there at the shop except to pick up wood. It’s been a busy morning.”
“I figured as much.” She filled up her cup and glanced at him. “It’s not as bad as you fear, Isaac.”
Uncertain, he asked, “It’s not?”
“I’m not saying the situation is ideal. There’s a lot of worries your father has, and some of those worries are valid. I know Emily isn’t like her real mother and I know her father isn’t the same as he used to be. But you have to understand that your father is fiercely loyal to those he loves. It’s what I love most about him. When no one else wanted me, he did, and nothing anyone said changed his mind about wanting to be with me. When someone hurts someone your father loves, he feels as if they did it to him. You getting married to Emily doesn’t just mean he has to hope that Emily isn’t like her real mother, but it also means he has to associate with Neil. That’s not easy for him. Your father kept silent when Neil said some…unflattering things about me in the p
ast.”
“But it’s not hard for you to talk to him.”
She took the cup and sat across from him. “I grew up used to people saying uncomplimentary things about me.” She shrugged. “You hear bad things enough, it no longer bothers you. Sometimes you even start to believe it.”
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