Cold.
Empty.
As that realization sank in, he shucked his boots. The house was quiet. Too quiet.
He strolled to the kitchen, but it was empty as he’d suspected. He smelled something delicious cooking on the stove. Lifting the lid on a deep pot, he was greeted with the mouthwatering scent of ham and bean soup. With supper on the stove, he knew Nancy couldn’t be far. After a quick search of the rest of the house, he realized she must be outside in the garden. So he stuffed his aching feet back in his boots and slogged out back.
She wasn’t in the garden either.
Perplexed, he looked around, wondering if perhaps she was out in the field talking to her little family of deer, Mama Daisy, and babies Raindrop and Honeydew, as she’d named them. The idea of naming deer still made Hal laugh. He’d never heard of such a thing.
After a moment of scanning the empty field, he looked across the yard and saw the barn door open. A minute later he entered his woodshop and found Nancy seated on an overturned milk churn in front of his workbench. A dark ring of soil ran around the hem of her day dress telling him she’d been working in the garden at some point. Her flowing green skirt was covered with wood shavings and sawdust. So were her hands and arms. Nancy’s chignon, usually so tidy, was hanging loose, and several stray hairs fell across her face and into her eyes.
Taking it all in with a mixture of surprise and horror, Hal watched as she swiped her arm over her forehead, sweeping hair out of her eyes and depositing a layer of sawdust along her brow. Her forehead was furrowed and her dark brows framed determined eyes as she studied the wood piece before her.
“What you doing?” Hal asked.
Nancy gasped and clutched the wooden piece to her chest as she spun to face him. “Gracious, Hal! You startled me.”
“I’m sorry. What are you doing out here?”
“I’m sanding these panels for you.”
Hal swiped his hand over his mouth to hide his grimace. “I planned to get to those tonight or tomorrow. Sanding affects the quality of the end product, Nancy. If you don’t get it just right, the entire piece is ruined. I don’t mean to sound ungrateful, but I’d just as soon you not help me out here. I can’t afford to replace any of those pieces.”
A look of dread crossed her face. “I thought I’d be helping, but now I’m terrified I’ve ruined your work.” She stood up and handed the flat panel to him. “Please tell me I haven’t damaged this panel. I’ve been out here so many nights watching what you’ve been doing that I thought I could manage this for you.”
Her level of concern made him feel bad that he’d said anything. He should have waited for her to go inside to put supper on the table and he could have looked them over without distressing her. But here they were, her eyes filled with worry as she handed the cabinet panel to him.
And so Hal took the rectangular piece of cherry to the workbench where he could view the piece in the bright light of the lantern. He angled the panel and ran his fingers gently along the edges. He lifted it and eyed the corners finding them smooth and straight. There were no noticeable gouges or scratches or divots from inexperienced sanding. Somewhat surprised, he ran his palm and fingertips over the door panel, surprised and immensely impressed that it was smooth as satin. Astonished and deeply relieved, he looked at Nancy standing beside him wringing her hands. “This is an excellent job.”
Skepticism lingered in her eyes.
“Truly, I couldn’t have done finer work myself.”
“Then I haven’t jeopardized the piece?”
“On the contrary, you’ve just saved me a good bit of time. How many panels did you sand?”
She cringed. “All of them.”
“Are they all like this?”
She nodded. “I believe so, but perhaps you should check to ensure I haven’t compromised them.”
“All right. I suspect they’re fine, but I’ll check them over when you head inside.” Hal laid the panel on the workbench and then cupped Nancy’s shoulders in his hands. “You are one amazing woman, Nancy Grayson.”
A tremulous smile lifted her mouth. “I expected you to say I’m one intrusive and irritating woman.”
He laughed. “Headstrong and sassy maybe, but not intrusive or irritating.”
“Then you’re not upset with me?”
“No. I’m touched and awed by all you do.” He rubbed his thumbs across her slender arms. A jolt of awareness rushed through him and as their eyes met he saw that same awareness in her eyes. She’d looked back at him with the same longing he’d witnessed the day they had tumbled into the creek. He’d kissed her that day. . . and she’d kissed him back.
He wanted to kiss her now.
A gentle softness filled her eyes and she said, “I missed you today, Hal. After I finished weeding the garden, I wandered in here and saw you’d left these panels on the workbench. I knew you’d planned to sand them tonight, so I thought perhaps I could do that job for you. I thought if I could relieve even just a little of your burden it might shorten your day. I had hoped by easing your workload you wouldn’t have to be out here so late every night. It would please me if we could spend more time together in the evenings.”
“That would please me as well,” he said, and he meant it. He cupped her cheek and rubbed his thumb across the smudge of garden dirt and sawdust. “You are quite a sight, you know.”
Nancy dipped her head. “I can well imagine. I’m covered in dirt and sawdust and my hair is falling down everywhere. I’m a mess.”
Hal pulled her into his arms and held her close. “You are positively stunning and I find you irresistible.”
She laughed and pushed him gently away. “You’re just being kind because you’re happy you don’t have to sand those panels.”
“You wound me, woman.” He playfully wrestled her back into his arms. He’d been aching to hold her again, to connect with his beautiful wife. “I confess that I am happy I don’t have to sand those panels, but I meant every word I said. You are amazing and simply irresistible.” With that he tilted her chin up and placed a tender kiss upon her sweet lips. “And you’re beautiful.” Before she could react, he clasped her hand and spun her away as if they were dancing. “I have a surprise for you.”
Gasping from the unexpected kiss and twirl around the workshop, she stared at him with wide eyes and a happy smile. “I hope you’re not going to tell me you have more panels for me to sand.”
Hal’s hoot filled the room. “No, darling, but I’m not revealing my hand just yet. I shall arrive home early tomorrow evening at which time I’ll clean up and put on my suit. You’ll need to wear a dress and shoes you can dance in.”
Her eyebrows lifted. “Is someone having a ball?”
“No, but we will be dancing. Please be ready at five o’clock.”
A delighted smile graced her face and she executed a deep curtsey. “I shall be waiting with great anticipation, sir.”
Hal was riveted, mesmerized by her smile, lost in her sparkling eyes and thoroughly taken with his beautiful wife. But as he reached to pull her back into his arms, she backed toward the door.
“I must see to our supper before it scorches.” She continued walking backwards, a twinkle in her eyes. “I shall have supper on the table in twenty minutes.” With that, she spun on her heel and hurried from the room.
A deep sense of gratification filled Hal’s chest. It pleased him to know that Nancy was receptive to his romance and that she was excited about their plans for the following evening. It surprised him to realize how eager he was for a romantic evening with his wife.
Chapter 20
The sun had not yet risen when Nancy abandoned any hope of further sleep. She had spent the night dreaming of her husband and anticipating an evening out with him. They had shared a very pleasurable hour together before going to bed the previous evening, but at bedtime he’d merely pecked her on the cheek and wished her a good night.
And so she was starting out yet another day of her un
traditional marriage lying alone in her bed. And on her birthday to boot.
A wave of melancholy washed over her. She’d always spent her birthday with her sister and her family. To know that Elizabeth would also be celebrating alone made Nancy’s heart ache. She could only hope that her sister would be able to spend part of her day with Stuart. And hopefully one day Nancy and Elizabeth could again spend their shared birthday together.
For now, however, Nancy’s life was in Fredonia with her husband and she had much to be thankful for right here. She had tonight and Hal’s surprise to look forward to.
Sitting up, she swung her legs over the edge of the bed and placed her bare feet on the worn floorboards. What a relief to get off the lumpy, hard-packed mattress. She simply couldn’t face one more night on the wretched thing. It stank and offered no comfort whatsoever. This was one chore she could take care of herself.
As soon as she got Hal off to work she would open the tick, dump the soiled stuffing and wash the dust and smell of perspiration out of the tick. While it was drying on the line she would gather scrap pieces of fabric from the attic to patch the worn areas. Then she would visit William Tucker to see if she could collect some fresh straw for stuffing. That would do for now. Later on, when Hal had extra funds, she would see about adding a soft feather or horsehair filled tick to lay on top of the straw mattress. At home she’d slept on a luxuriously thick feather mattress and it was one comfort from her former way of living that she truly missed.
Determined to make herself a fresh bed for the night, Nancy took her blue, quilted housecoat from the hook on the closet door and slipped it on over her night dress. She hadn’t been able to pack all of her possessions, but she was glad she brought some of her best clothes because it would be a long time before Hal would be able to afford more than necessities. She wrapped her housecoat tightly around her waist and secured the tie. Not wanting to take time to pull her hair up, she brushed it and drew it back with a ribbon. She’d always had soft, smooth hands because she’d not been required to do the type of physical, backbreaking, callous-causing work that she was currently doing. Despite the fact that her rough hands snagged her ribbons and clothing, she loved her new life. She was proud to have learned so much in the short time she’d been here, and she was growing more eager by the day to become a wife in every way to Hal Grayson.
When she crept into the parlor Hal was sprawled across the sofa, one long leg hooked over the back, the other sticking a good foot off the end, his arms slung above his head. His long, bare feet stuck out from beneath a worn blanket, and it appeared he wasn’t any more comfortable in his bed than she was in hers.
This situation simply must change.
Hal may think he was being a gentleman to give her time to adjust to him and to what marriage entailed, but it just seemed silly and unnecessary to Nancy. They were married for Pete’s sake and it was time the man accepted and fully acknowledge that fact by sleeping in his bed — with his wife.
It was not only time to cross that bridge — it was a bridge she wanted to cross.
Just the thought of Hal’s touch, of his tender kisses, made her breathless and sent a rush of butterflies through her belly. She’d seen the same passionate response in Hal’s eyes each time they touched.
Giving her husband a last admiring look, Nancy left him to his restless sleep and slipped into the kitchen.
She worked quietly to start breakfast, first filling the kettle with water and placing it atop the stove while she went about starting a fire in the firebox. The simple act of building the daily fire never failed to bring a smile to her face as she remembered her first attempt and the ensuing mess she made. She’d come so far since her first days in Fredonia. The ache in her back and callouses on her hands were her badges of honor. Before coming here, she would have never thought that the simple act of making breakfast for her husband and tending their home would please her so deeply. It was such a change from her high expectations of directing a staff when she arrived that it made her laugh.
The fire blazed to life in the firebox and she set to work pressing out the dough she’d left to rise the night before. Throwing a bit of flour onto the sideboard and generously covering her fingers, she pushed and pulled until the dough was just the right thickness. She floured the rim of a glass and used it to cut several round biscuits, and then placed them on a baking pan.
She had just finished putting the biscuits in the stove when she heard Hal stirring in the parlor. Eager to see him after their playful moments in the barn and in anticipation of the evening ahead, she quickly cleaned her hands on her apron.
“Good morning,” he said, strolling into the kitchen buttoning his shirt. The man was a disheveled mess with his clothing hanging askew and his hair uncombed, and yet he took her breath away. She watched him stride confidently across the room and stop directly in front of her. He placed a quick kiss on her cheek. “Happy birthday.”
Surprised by his familiar greeting and that he remembered her birthday, Nancy touched her cheek where the feel of Hal’s lips lingered. “I... well, thank you.”
He reached into his pocket and withdrew something. He extended his closed fist to her and then turned over his palm and opened his fingers. “This is for you.”
A small flat piece of shaped wood rested on his palm. Intrigued, she picked it up and studied it more closely. “It’s a hair pin!” she exclaimed in amazement.
“That it is,” he said, a small grin tugging at his lips.
Nancy examined the two-pronged hair pin. A carving of three maple keys perched on top like birds in flight. Whirligigs, that’s what she and Elizabeth used to call the maple keys that would flutter from the trees and cover their lawn. She ran her finger along the smooth edges. “This is simply exquisite. It’s a work of art, Hal. Where did you find such a thing?”
“I made it.”
“Truly?”
He nodded.
“When could you possibly have found time to carve something so beautiful?”
He tucked his hands into his pockets and shrugged. “I’ve been working on it since the day I met you, but the piece only recently revealed itself to me.”
“It revealed itself?” she asked, puzzled.
“When I start carving a piece of wood, I don’t know what’s hiding inside. I just start carving away the excess wood until the piece reveals itself. I had started out thinking that this piece of white walnut was going to be a knife handle when all along it was a lady’s hairpin. Imagine my surprise.”
Nancy laughed and stared at her husband in amazement. “I’ve married an artist.”
Hal laughed. “That sounds so much better than pauper.”
“Oh, Hal...” Unable to help herself, Nancy slipped her arms around his waist. “I feel incredibly blessed to be your wife. You can’t know how I see you because you’ve got your eyes filled with your own vision of yourself. When I look at you I see a tall, dashing man. I see an artist and a gentle and kind husband who is going to take me out dancing this evening.”
“I think you have stars in your eyes, darling.”
“Only when I look at you,” she said, surprising herself with her boldness. But as she gazed up at her husband, he lowered his head and kissed her. It was just a soft, brief meeting of their lips, but the moment was filled with tenderness and desire.
He cupped her face, his eyes filled with warmth. “You, my darling, are a work of art.”
She smiled because he was so charming and sweet. “Well, you are like a piece of basswood hiding a treasure within.”
Hal laughed. “Thank you, but I suspect I’m more like a piece of old driftwood.” He tapped her nose with his finger. “I’m dying for a cup of coffee and I need to get to the mill if I’m going to get back here in time to take you out for the evening.”
“Well, then, you better stop trifling with me and let me fix your breakfast,” Nancy said, shooing him from the kitchen.
Hal left to wash up, and he returned just as she was pu
lling the biscuits from the stove. “Those smell delicious. I’m famished, but I’m woefully late. I’ll need to eat my breakfast during my walk to the mill.”
“If you must,” Nancy said, experiencing a momentary disappointment until she remembered she had a day full of chores ahead of her as well. “Let me butter a few of these biscuits for you.” She placed the pan on the sideboard, then buttered four fluffy biscuits and wrapped them in a kitchen linen. She handed the bundle and an apple to Hal. “Where are we going this evening?”
“Out.” With a playful wink, he hustled out the door with a laugh on his lips and a spring in his step before she could prod him for additional details about his surprise.
* * *
Nancy rushed through her daily chores before taking a long, luxurious bath, something she didn’t have time for during the week. She rarely had time to do more than wash up before dressing for the day ahead, but she was done with her work for this day. Now she would finish her lovely bath and get ready to go dancing with her husband.
She washed her hair, a time consuming task because it nearly reached her waist. When she finished her bath, she stepped out of the tub onto an old scrap of linen. She dried off and drew on her wrapper. Hal would want to bathe when he got home, so she kept a tall pot of water steaming on the stove so she could heat his bath when he came home. She hurried to the bedroom where her freshly laundered and newly filled mattress awaited. She had also freshened the pillows and laundered the quilts. The quilts had still been a bit damp before her bath so she would have to pull them off the line just before Hal came home. She wanted their bed fresh and clean because she planned for both of them to sleep in it together. Tonight.
A jolt of nervous energy and excitement zipped through her stomach. If the kiss they shared that morning in the kitchen was any indication of Hal’s intentions, she had high hopes for the evening.
After her hair had nearly dried, Nancy started to dress for the evening. She’d decided to wear the dress that she’d worn for their wedding. But when she reached for the gown, she was struck by a moment of melancholy. She traced her fingers along the beautiful lace that adorned the bodice and circled the puffed sleeves. Her father had originally commissioned the dress for her birthday ball, which would have been happening tonight. Was it still happening in her absence? Would her sister be attending, smiling at their guests with a gentleman at her side? If so, which gentleman? Robert, her intended? Or Stuart, the man she loved?
When I Fall in Love Page 18