Redmond tipped his hat back to rub his forehead as if just thinking about Ada Fuller gave him a headache. “According to the old pastor, Elsie—that’s the sister—was quite lovely with her blonde hair and big blue eyes. Even if she wasn’t right in the head, he said Fuller was quite taken with her. Anyhow, after they married Ada left town with them. The pastor thought she was going to help her sister keep house.”
Before he thought about it, Manny blurted out, “But I thought he treated them both like they were his…” Remembering the girl behind him, he cut off his sentence. After her arrest, Ada Fuller had claimed that she was married to Frank Fuller and that he had slept with her sister and made her pregnant. He didn’t want to say those things in front of Carlene. He knew it wasn’t right to mention such things in a lady’s presence.
“Yeah, Ada said a lot that I’m wondering about now. That woman’s loopy! We’ll see what she has to say when I tell her about my trip.” The sheriff shook his head and sounded tired when he spoke about confronting Ada Fuller. Manny was glad it wouldn’t be his job to face that crazy woman.
“Can’t even be sure now that she murdered anyone. Don’t see how I can pin a murder on her. Probably, I’ll just release her and run her out of town tomorrow.” This startled Manny. If the sheriff doubted Ada’s murder confession, then who did put those two bodies in Mueller Lake?
Manny decided to steer the conversation in a different direction. They had left Carlene out of the conversation for long enough. “Did the nuns tell you why Carlene didn’t stay in Idyll Wood like she’d planned to?”
Manny looked over at the sheriff when he asked that. The man nodded his head. “It was the reason I wanted to talk to her. I had a man come to town just after you left last month. Said his daughter came to work for Halderson but had disappeared. If I can believe Miss January--” at his remark Carlene interrupted him with a sort of strangled screech. He dismissed her noise with a snort. “--that would explain where the girl went.”
Provoked, Carlene finally spoke up. “You can believe it, sheriff. I’m a good girl. I don’t lie.” She punctuated her declaration with a “harrumph!”
The sheriff tried to smother a smile by brushing his free hand across his mouth. Leaning to the side of his horse, he spat before he did his best to pacify her.
“While we ride, how’s about telling me what happened? I’d especially like to know if you heard any names?”
Manny didn’t believe he had ever met a nun before. After falling under the angry gazes of these two, he didn’t think he would ever want to meet any more nuns in the future. Sister Magdalena looked ready to have his guts for garters.
When Manny and Carlene had arrived in town behind the sheriff, the two figures stood on the boardwalk with black garments snapping in the breeze like some odd battle flag or banner. The women waited outside the jail. Manny wondered how they had known to be there to see Carlene arrive. He did not doubt that they weren’t there by accident. Somehow, they seemed inscrutable, as if they possessed knowledge beyond this world.
Their faces were solemn, almost as if carved from wood. Then Carlene poked her head around Manny’s arm to greet them. Seeing her sitting close to him, touching him must have set them off because the granite features fixed their heated glares on him. And the looks they cast in his direction hadn’t changed since that moment.
As soon as Manny had Carlene out of the saddle with her feet on the ground, they rushed forward. One of the nuns, Sister Magdalena he thought, had pushed Carlene behind her and away from him, while the other fired questions at him. Manny realized the loss of his close contact with Carlene upset him more than the abrasive questions about his time alone with the girl.
After the interrogation, they hovered over Carlene and put their heads together. With a great deal of head-shaking by Carlene and emphatic nodding by both nuns, it seemed a decision had been reached. With Carlene between them and each nun holding onto one of her arms, they walked the few steps back to the spot where Manny stood beside his horse at the hitching rail.
“Sister Lydia and I urge you to do what is right. You must honor Carlene since you have been alone with her.”
The nun’s formal language seemed to hint at something, yet Manny wasn’t quite sure what she meant. He shook his head to indicate his confusion. This seemed to enrage the nun.
“Do not turn her away. We expect you to do right by her.” The woman looked ready to take a swing at him and her face reddened when he didn’t say anything.
Manny decided to try to calm her down. “I’d be glad to do right by Carlene. I’ll take her to the Hoffmans’ home. I’m sure they’ll take care of her.”
Those weren’t the words the nun wanted since she looked ready to spit nails. “I don’t think you understand me. I expect you to marry Carlene.”
Manny suddenly craved a drink.
When the incredible thirst had hit him, Manny explained to the nuns that he needed spiritual guidance before he would commit to marrying Carlene. Giving her a rueful smile, he promised to meet them at the hotel. Then he remembered the fright Carlene had received there and instead suggested that they meet at Ed’s Eatery.
Sister Magdalena scowled and then derisively suggested, “Trying to run out on this dear innocent.” Then she moved to Manny’s side and wrapped her gnarled fingers around his arm. “We’re going with you.”
The Nillsons had welcomed the group, behaving as if nuns visited their manse regularly. Mrs. Nillson steered the women into her parlor while the pastor and Manny closeted themselves in the study.
The afternoon sun cast shadows across the desk in Pastor Nillson’s study and kept the expression in that man’s eyes hidden from Manny. After he had poured out the entire story to the Pastor, Manny waited quietly while his mentor sat in contemplative silence.
“How is the struggle going with the dipsomania,” the pastor repeated. As he asked the question he leaned meaningfully forward, waiting for Manny’s response. Considering the topic at hand was a forced marriage, Manny found the question confusing. Still, the pastor’s posture indicated that Manny’s response was somehow essential in how they would proceed.
Mimicking the man, Manny too leaned forward. With a sigh, he confessed, “I still have the cravings and some crazy hallucinations. Those are getting better, but the cravings can become mighty intense.” Then he admitted, “Carlene’s sat by me a night or two without me even realizing it. Sort of sang to me, she told me later.” Rubbing the back of his neck with a hand, Manny admitted, “Those were the nights when I actually got some rest.”
With a thoughtful hmm, Pastor Nillson sat back in his chair. “Sounds to me as if the young lady holds some degree of affection for you. Actually, you could do worse than to marry her.”
A snort that Manny could stop erupted from him. “What would she get out of a marriage? I don’t even have a job. My father’s certainly not going to hire me back and I refuse to belly-crawl back to him.” He shook his head. “Besides, she’s catholic. Won’t that be a problem?
The pastor smiled. “That’s something the two of you will have to work out. Maybe she is more flexible about that than you think. Remember, we don’t have a catholic church in our town so Carlene may be willing to attend services with you.”
The ease with which Pastor Nillson dismissed the religious differences surprised Manny. Probably the man was right. The lack of job was much more important than where or how they would worship as a couple.
The pastor rose from his chair and came around his desk to stand by Manny. With a hand on the younger man’s shoulder he asked, “Are you at all attracted to the girl?”
Giving a nod Manny admitted, “Very much.”
Smiling Pastor Nillson suggested, “Well, let’s get Carlene in here and ask how she feels about getting married.” He waited and, when Manny nodded, left the room. Within minutes he had returned with Carlene, who preceded into the room.
She smiled timidly at Manny and took a seat in the chair next to him. Mann
y resisted the urge to reach out and pat her hand. For some odd reason he desperately wanted to reassure her that all would be well.
After he had taken his seat behind his desk, Pastor Nillson watched the two of them for a moment. Then he asked with a soft but serious tone, “Carlene, do you want to marry Manny?”
All traces of her earlier smile disappeared from Carlene’s face. “He hasn’t asked me.”
Typical, Manny thought, for her to be concerned about him and what he wanted. He could do worse than spend his life with a beautiful woman who wanted him to be happy.
Turning in his chair to look directly into her eyes, Manny picked up Carlene’s hand and asked, “Will you marry me?”
Carlene first looked doubtful before hope filled those eyes that Manny stared intently into. As if overcome, she didn’t say anything. Instead, she nodded her head.
With a low chuckle the pastor said, “Well that was easy to sort out. You two will need to discuss religious differences, but I can help with your other problem Manny.”
Almost painfully Manny tore his gaze away from Carlene and focused on what the other man was saying. “What problem is that?” He felt overwhelmed. Happy but still struggling with the ever-present craving as well as the suddenness of his impending marriage.
“Why a home and job, of course!” The reverend laughed kindly at Manny’s befuddled look. “We need to get the two of you settled somewhere and it just so happens that Mrs. Hoffman is desperate for help.” Here the man’s expression grew grave. “Her husband is quite ill and can’t care for their farm.”
Though the possibility of a job should have made Manny happy, he felt sad at thinking about such a powerful and pleasant man as Mr. Hoffman being brought low. Perhaps he and Carlene could help the family as well as find a job and home with them.
Both Carlene and Manny rose from the table. He placed her arm within his and headed out the door. Looking across the field behind the house, Manny sighted the original homestead and turned them in that direction.
The cabin, when they entered it, smelled of age and dirt. A sort of musty smell that would improve, Manny was sure, after they aired it out. It certainly need cleaning as Manny already noticed a rodent’s nest in one corner of the small one-room home.
While she had been surprised when Manny and his young bride arrived at her door, Greta Hoffman had eagerly hired them both. She assured them that they could stay in the main house but also offered a cabin to them. “It’s the original home we lived in before building this house,” she explained. “With Rebecca being our only child for a number of years, we had time to put up the barn and sheds before we needed more room than just that cabin.” As she spoke her face took on a wistful expression before she looked sadly at her husband.
Manny had been shocked by the changes in the man. It was as if he’d somehow shrunk in brawn and even height. While they all sat at the kitchen table and visited, Mr. Hoffman rocked in a chair by the warm cookstove. A crazy quilt lay across his shoulders and wrapped around arms that rested uselessly on the chair. Manny wondered if anyone knew what was wrong with the man.
Even the two young boys were unusually subdued. Manny remembered that the younger of the two was always boisterous in church. Today, however, he played with tin soldiers on the floor next to his father’s rocker without making a sound. Somehow the entire house felt as if it was in mourning.
Now, looking around the cabin, Manny felt relieved that Mrs. Hoffman had offered to let them stay at the main house. At least for a few days. Picking up her hand in his, Manny squeezed Carlene’s fingers to reassure her. He had been busy surveying the cabin and hadn’t watched her reaction to it. Looking at her now, she surprised him with her look of excited expectancy.
He lifted an eyebrow in question. “You’re not upset about living in this?”
She released a joy-filled giggle. “Upset to have my own home? Never!” Then she shocked Manny by moving to the center of the cabin and twirling in a circle. “I’ll have a place to belong. This cabin is my dream coming true Manly.” She stuttered over his name and then said, “Uh, I mean Manny. Hard to change after thinking of you with the other name.”
Caught up in her happiness, Manny moved to her side and pulled her into his embrace. Earlier, when they’d hurriedly married in the Nillsons’ parlor, Manny had merely placed a chaste kiss on Carlene’s cheek. When the reverend had invited him to kiss his bride, a shyness restrained him. Or perhaps the dark expressions of the two nuns had been at fault. Now that they were alone, he wanted to know how his bride’s lips would feel against his own.
Putting a finger below her chin, he tipped her face up to look at him. As he lowered his face to hers, he locked gazes with her. Her eyes had a soft look and her lips pursed. “Relax your mouth,” he urged and then placed his lips on hers. She tasted of the lemonade they’d been served by Mrs. Hoffman. Tangy and sweet. And innocent. As innocent as lemonade compared to whiskey.
How he wished he could come to her innocent and sweet. Rather than a chaste groom, she was getting a drunk who wasted his first kiss on a saloon girl when he was fifteen. The shame of that had him pulling away from her.
When she looked at him in dazed confusion, he only shook his head. “We’d better head back to the Hoffmans before it’s too dark to see. Tomorrow, after work, we’ll have an hour or two of light to clean by.”
She visibly stiffened before her face reddened. “I’ve never been kissed. Sorry if it wasn’t, well, good enough.” As she spoke, she refused to meet his eyes. His reaction after the kiss had killed her earlier joy at the cabin.
Manny wasn’t sure how to reassure her. They might be married, but he wasn’t ready to bare his shameful past to her. Instead of saying anything, he took her hand and squeezed it before leading her out of the cabin and back to the Hoffmans’ home.
Chapter 5
With the money they’d earned in the lumber camp, Manny and Carlene were determined to set up house in the little cabin. After Lars, the older Hoffman boy, showed Manny how to milk the small herd of cows, Greta urged him to take Carlene into town to purchase items they would need to live in the cabin. Manny was sure she wanted the privacy of her home again and understood completely. After all, she was nursing an ill husband and would want to spend as much time with him as possible rather than entertaining guests in the evening.
It had been a blow to Manny’s pride that a boy had to show him how to do his job. Seems like most everything in life was designed to take a nick out of his pride. He supposed in the spring the boy would be the one to show him how to use a plow and plant. Maybe Hart would come back for a few days and help him learn instead of relying on a kid.
Before he and Carlene left for town, Mrs. Hoffman offered them an advance on their wages to purchase what they would need. Manny refused it, glad that between them they had enough money to get the necessities. Taking money he hadn’t earned would have been one more hammer blow to how he felt about himself as a man.
Borrowing the Hoffman buggy, he and his wife headed for Idyll Wood. For late fall, the day was sunny and the breeze was not as cold as the day before. Sunlight brought out the reds and yellows of the few leaves that remained in the maple trees. Holding the reins in one hand, Manny gently grasped Carlene’s with his other.
“Do you have any idea about what we need to purchase today? I’m not sure what all goes into making meals or keeping a house clean.” He took his eyes away from the road to look at her. She smiled and nodded reassuringly but didn’t say anything. He’d hoped that might be one thing they could talk about while they rolled along to town.
With a sigh, he tried again. “About last night I…” He paused, embarrassed about the topic he needed to bring up. “Well, I just don’t feel comfortable being intimate while staying with the Hoffmans.” Going by the warmth he felt flood his face, he must be as red as a tomato.
Carlene giggled before covering her mouth quickly with her hand. She cleared her throat and calmly said, “I understand, though
I did wonder why you slept on the floor last night.” Then with a shrug she teased, “I just thought you were probably missing your tent at the lumber camp so you camped out in the bedroom.”
Relieved that she could make a joke about their first night as a married couple, Manny chuckled at her teasing. Not only did she have a beautiful face and figure, but she also showed kindness and good humor to those around her. He didn’t deserve her. That thought created a sadness deep inside him. She was stuck with a recovering drunk who could hardly provide for himself much less a wife.
His wife must have sensed his sudden change of mood because she squeezed his hand as if to comfort him. At the touch, he looked into her shining eyes. Manny wondered if his wife had been brought in his life as a blessing, perhaps an affirmation that God hadn’t given up on him yet.
Shifting his thoughts Manny hesitantly suggested, “I think while we’re in town you should meet my father. Hope you don’t mind going to the bank. Better check my account while I’m there.”
Carlene nodded. Excitement edged her voice when she spoke. “I’d be happy to meet him, but I also want to be sure we get to the newspaper office. It’s been ages since I’ve added new clippings to my collection.”
Wanting to please her, Manny stopped the buggy in front of the Idyll Wood Gazette’s small storefront office. He had to rush around the buggy to keep Carlene from jumping out of it on her own. “You really are excited about getting a paper,” he said with some amazement.
She’d mentioned her clippings before. Nevertheless, he didn’t realize she was fanatical about them. An embarrassed giggle slipped out before Carlene put a hand on the arm he offered and pulled him into the building with her.
Once they’d purchased all of the available back issues as well as a few newspapers from other towns that the Gazette’s owner had sent to him Manny directed Carlene out of the building. When she would have climbed into the buggy his hand on her arm stopped her.
Manny's Triumph: Sequel (Secrets In Idyll Wood Book 2) Page 4