The clang of the iron triangle in the front of the house meant it was time for supper. He set the logs on the pile and brushed his clothes down. He needed a good scrubbing, not to mention the state of his clothing.
Scraping his feet on the porch before entering the house, he found Prudence standing at the door waiting for him. “Hi. How was your day?”
“Fine.” She held her hands behind her back and had a smile as wide as Cumberland Falls on her face.
“What?” he asked.
“I made you something.”
“Oh?” He pulled his boots off and left them by the door.
“Mrs. Campbell would like you to wash up before dinner.”
Urias chuckled.
“She put a clean set of clothes for you on the bed. I’m to bring your dirty clothes down for a good scrubbing.”
“They can use it.”
“Uh-huh.”
Urias fought off the urge to smell his armpits and headed up the stairs, taking them two at a time. He halted halfway up and turned to see Prudence stepping on the bottom step. “What did you make for me?”
“You’ll see.” She grinned once again.
Urias continued up the stairs and went to the front bedroom. Folded in a neat pile were a clean shirt and a pair of pants.
Prudence leaned on the doorjamb with her hands still behind her back.
“You’ve got my curiosity up. What are you hiding?”
“You’ll see after you give me your dirty clothes.”
“Am I to undress in front of you?”
Prudence blushed. “Sorry.” She stepped away from the door and waited in the hallway.
Urias closed the door, slipped off his clothes, then reopened it enough to pass them through a small opening. Prudence hesitated, then grabbed the soiled clothes with one hand while keeping her injured arm behind her.
“As much as I want to see my surprise, I think I should wash up and dress first.”
Prudence’s face beamed hot-coal red. Without saying a word, she hurried down the hallway and descended the stairs.
Urias let out a light chuckle, then went to the basin to wash. He looked at the bruises on his leg. They were a deep purple, and the soreness had continued throughout the day. Clean and dried off, he put on undergarments and the shirt, then sat on the bed and wrapped a warm damp towel around the bruised thigh.
“Urias …” Prudence opened the door.
He jumped off the bed. The towel slipped to the floor.
“Oh!” Prudence gasped. “Did I do that to you?”
Prudence stared at the bruises on Urias’s thigh. “Can I do anything for you? Get you anything?”
Urias cleared his throat. In a whisper, he said, “Prudence, I’m not dressed.”
“Oh right. Sorry.” Prudence stumbled out of the bedroom. She assumed he’d be dressed by now. Why did I come upstairs, anyway? she wondered.
The bruises on his thigh were the size of silver dollars. The door opened slowly once Urias was dressed. “Come on in.”
“I’m so sorry,” she apologized.
“It’s all right.”
“Do they hurt?”
“Huh?”
She pointed to his thigh. “The bruises.”
“Not too bad. Now can I see my surprise?”
He was worse than a child at a birthday celebration. “It’s not that special, but I had some free time today, and Mrs. Campbell had the yarn so …” She handed him the gift.
“A scarf. You made this?”
She didn’t know whether to be upset with him for his assumptions about her upbringing again or to take it as the compliment it appeared to be. She decided on the latter. “Yes, I learned to knit from my grandmother.”
“It’s beautiful.” Urias wrapped the scarf around his neck. “And warm, too.”
“Thank you. I’m glad you like it.”
Prudence then felt that awkward silence that often fell between them when they were alone. Not knowing what to say, she stepped back.
“This is really sweet. Thank you, Prudence. I spoke with Frank Jr. today, and he’s willing to lend me a hand with the hogs if you’re not up for travel. Speaking of which, how’s the arm coming?”
“It’s still sensitive, and it’s bled a bit, too.”
“Would you like me to change the dressing?”
“If you wouldn’t mind, I’d appreciate it.”
“Sit on the bed and I’ll get the supplies,” Urias ordered.
Prudence realized she didn’t mind his orders—he didn’t bark them out like her father. She watched him as he went to the dresser that held the cotton strips of cloth. His red curls seemed masculine on him, quite unlike his sister’s, which enhanced her femininity. He turned around.
“What?” he asked.
“It’s frivolous really, but you and your sister have the same hair, and yet the curls look feminine on her and not on you.”
Urias chuckled. “I’m glad I don’t look like a girl.”
Prudence blushed. “I didn’t mean that.”
“No. I know what you mean. I grew my hair out once. Dad wears his rather long. I had to be careful how I brushed mine. If I didn’t, you could do me up in a dress and not be sure if I was a boy or a girl. Short hair made more sense. It’s easier to care for, and I don’t have to worry about it.” He approached, carrying the cotton strips for the fresh bandage, and sat down on the bed beside her. “Once I let my little sisters Molly and Sarah play with my hair. They had it all teased up like a beehive. If you set a bonnet on my head, I would have looked quite cute.”
Prudence giggled. “I’d like to see that.”
“Not on your life. Little sisters playing is one thing but … well, a man must maintain some level of self-respect.”
Without thinking, Prudence reached out and touched his hair. “I don’t think you could pass for a woman now.”
“Thank you. I tried to grow a mustache, but it’s not thick enough yet, and it looked funny—like a fuzzy red worm lying across my lip.”
Prudence let out a full laugh now.
“Give me your arm, please.”
She reached over to him, and his hands set a flicker of awareness so bold up her arm that she almost pulled it away from his touch. He cut off the knot that held the bandage in place and proceeded to unwind it. With each revolution, her arm tingled as the blood surged through to the wound.
When he reached the pads on top of the cut, he lifted them slowly. In a couple of places, the pad stuck to the wound. “Ouch!” Prudence cried out.
“Sorry. I’ll need to dampen those spots. These are probably places Mrs. Campbell could have placed another stitch.”
Once all of the bandage was off, she got a good look at the wound. “It’s going to be a nasty scar, isn’t it?”
“Probably. Depends on how you heal. I scar easily. My dad, not so easily but …” His words trailed off.
“But what?”
“Well, Dad’s back has these huge scars from when he tried to save his first wife from a bear attack. He was too late.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“It happened long before I met him.”
“You and your family have lived such interesting lives.” At the moment, Prudence felt she would love to be a part of Urias’s family. He was a kind man, a gentle man, yet she still couldn’t figure him out.
“We’ve traveled a bit more than most farmers. What about you? Did your family ever travel?”
“When I was younger. I remember trips into the city. But for many years now, we’ve stayed close to home. Father goes off, but he doesn’t take the family with him. He says it’s business, but I have my doubts.” Prudence cut herself off from saying anything further that could incriminate her father.
“Prudence, I know I’m paying more for Katherine’s bond than I should. Is your father in financial trouble? Is that why he insisted we marry?”
“No, not that I’m aware.” Prudence looked down at her lap and played with the materia
l of her dress. “He forced you to marry me because he doesn’t believe any man would want me.”
“That’s nonsense. You’re a beautiful woman.”
“Who speaks her thoughts when women should keep silent.”
“Look,” he said as he lifted her chin with his forefinger, “I know what your father says about women and money, but he doesn’t speak for all men. Some of us appreciate a woman with a good head on her shoulders.”
Her heart started pounding. She took quick, short breaths. She searched his eyes, those wonderful green eyes. She wanted him to kiss her. Moving ever so slowly, she leaned toward him. And he leaned toward her. He slipped his gaze down to her lips and back to her eyes.
“Prudence, Urias, dinner is ready,” Mrs. Campbell hollered from downstairs.
“Be right there,” Urias answered. He finished replacing the bandage and took up the soiled strips.
Prudence sat like a boulder on the bed. What had just happened? Were they falling in love? No … she’d already fallen. But could Urias feel the same way? Oh dear Lord, help us understand what’s happening.
Urias kept his distance after dinner. Out in the barn, he looked for any possible odd job that would keep the separation between him and Prudence. He hoped he could sleep in the spare bed again tonight. Sharing the same room with her right now could prove to be dangerous. What was he thinking earlier?
Fess up, boy. You know you wanted to kiss her and taste those sweet lips. Urias picked up the pitchfork and headed over to the stall.
And that’s what bothered him so much. He wanted to kiss her. But what he feared most was that the want would become a need. It was borderline, at best, at the moment. Leaving Prudence with Mrs. Campbell while he finished the trip would probably be best for both of them. They were spending far too much time with one another. He found her to be an attractive and smart lady.
Why had Hiram Greene forced a marriage on both of them? To Urias, it seemed to be more than Hiram Greene’s fear that he couldn’t marry his daughter off. And this whole business with Katherine’s bond being so high after her having worked for two years … Well, something wasn’t adding up. Urias needed more facts to understand the matter, but he doubted Prudence knew what was going on. She seemed as upset with her father for the forced marriage as he was.
Married to a woman he couldn’t touch. It didn’t seem right. Everything about this marriage was false. Yet there was something about Prudence that he was drawn to. He recalled her giggle when he’d talked about what his sisters had done to his hair. They were only three and five at the time. It was a fun memory.
Urias pitched the hay from the stall to the wheelbarrow.
“Urias,” Mrs. Campbell called from the opened barn door.
“What can I do for you?”
“You can stop taking care of my chores and spend some time with that pretty little wife of yours.”
Urias turned away and pitched some more hay. “I will. Prudence understands.”
“Does she? I sure don’t.”
He couldn’t explain to Mrs. Campbell. It was bad enough that she knew that he was married before his parents knew.
Urias placed the pitchfork against the stall. “I’ll come in.”
“Good. I started some water boiling for a hot bath. I know your wife needs a good soak. She’ll need your help washing her hair.”
“I can’t.”
“Why not?”
Urias pulled in a deep draft of air. “Mrs. Campbell, I need to tell you something. When I was a boy, I ran away from my mother because she’d beat me when she was drunk. Apparently, after I left home, my mother started beating my sister, Katherine, in my place. From what Katherine says, Mother sold her into bondage six years ago. She’s been working as a servant ever since. It took me five years to find her.”
“I’m so sorry, Urias. But what’s all this got to do with you not being able to wash Prudence’s hair?”
“Prudence’s father owns Katherine’s bond. Prudence was talking with me about how I could earn some money selling hogs to pay Katherine’s debt when her father caught us. And, well, he forced us to get married. He said either that, or I’d go to jail and he’d sell Katherine’s bond to someone else.”
“What? Is this man a fool?”
“I couldn’t wager a guess on that. He’s overcharging me for Katherine’s bond—of that I’m certain. Even Prudence agrees with me on that. Prudence is my legal wife, but we’ve not …”
“Oh, I see. I’ll help Prudence bathe.” Mrs. Campbell turned toward the house. “You’re welcome to stay in the other room if you wish.”
“Thank you. I don’t know what this marriage means. Prudence says we can get an annulment, but I want to speak with my parents on the matter first.”
“You have my prayers, son.”
“Thank you. Prudence is a sweet woman. She’s got a good head on her shoulders, and her parents don’t seem to appreciate her.”
Mrs. Campbell smiled. “Perhaps the good Lord can take something horrible from this situation and make something beautiful.”
Could He? Urias wondered as she left the barn. Would He?
Thoughts of Prudence danced through his mind once again—the feel of her soft skin, the gentle fragrance that was her scent … a scent so intoxicating it drove him to want to kiss her.
“Argh!” Urias lifted the pitchfork once again.
The sound of a horse’s hooves pounding over packed dirt interrupted him in midstride. He turned to see a horse come running up between the house and the barn, its rider hollering, “Is there a Urias O’Leary here?”
Chapter 10
Prudence heard the stranger holler and bolted through the front door of Mrs. Campbell’s farmhouse.
“How can I help you, sir?” Urias said. It was hard to see him in the moonlight.
“Are you Urias O’Leary?”
“I am. What do you want?”
“I’ve been trailing you for a few days. Hiram Greene over in Hazel Green said to give you a message.”
“What’s that?”
Prudence hurried down the steps of the front porch.
“He says you owe him a dowry for his daughter.”
“Dowry?” Prudence and Urias said in unison.
“Yup. Says you up and run off with his daughter after you were wed, and since you’re taking her from the house, you have to pay him for her.”
Prudence could see Urias clearly as he balled his gloved hand into a fist.
“Where are you headed?” Urias asked the stranger.
“Back to Mount Sterling in the morning. Does the owner rent rooms?” he asked, gesturing toward the farmhouse.
Mrs. Campbell placed her hands on Prudence’s shoulders. “Don’t have any available indoors at the moment. You can spend the night in the barn if you need a roof over your head.”
The stranger lifted his hat. “Thank ya, ma’am. I’d appreciate it. The wind’s blowin’ enough for a storm to come through later this evenin’.”
“Very well. That will be two dollars for the night, and I’ll have a warm meal for you in ten minutes.”
“I appreciate it.”
“Urias, would you show the man where he can bunk down for the night?”
“Yes ma’am.”
Mrs. Campbell trailed a hand down Prudence’s good arm and tugged. “Come on. We’ve got another plate to fix.” Prudence and Mrs. Campbell headed back into the house to retrieve clean dishes they’d already put away from their dinner.
Who is this stranger? And why would Father say Urias now owes him a dowry?
“Your father must be a strange one,” Mrs. Campbell muttered on the way to the kitchen. “Urias just told me about your marriage. Why is he wanting a dowry now?”
“I don’t know. I do know some of Father’s business dealings in recent days haven’t gone so well, but I’ve never known him to cheat a man. At least not like this. Up a price maybe, but never do something like this. I can’t believe it. Mother mentioned somet
hing about Urias moving into the house and living there. Can you imagine?”
“No, not at all. Your father has Urias over a barrel, and he knows it. How much were you expecting to earn from the hogs?” Mrs. Campbell questioned.
“With what we owe Thomas Hagins for the hogs, we might have a hundred left after paying the five hundred to Father for Kate’s bond.”
Mrs. Campbell let out a slow whistle.
Urias came in and stomped his feet at the door. “What is your father trying to pull this time?” he bellowed.
“I don’t know.”
“Did you and he plan this? How’d that man know where we were?” Urias paced back and forth in the large kitchen. “Your father didn’t even know we were selling the hogs. For all he knows, we’re heading to Jamestown to fetch the money from my parents.”
Holding down her anger, Prudence said, “I won’t even attempt to answer your absurd first question. As for how Father might know where we are, Thomas Hagins could have paid him a visit. He was certainly surprised to find out I was married.”
Urias stopped and looked out the rear window. The sun had completely set now, and he stood facing a black canvas.
“Excuse me for interrupting,” Mrs. Campbell began, “but I’d say that man in the barn is someone for hire. Perhaps he’d be willing to help you take the hogs down to the gap. And during your trip, you might find out more about … Mr. Greene, is it?”
Prudence nodded.
Urias turned around and faced the women once again. “That idea might have merit, Mrs. Campbell. What do you think, Prudence?”
All the anger she held for Urias instantly dissolved. He was outright asking her opinion. “As much as I don’t want to let you go on without me, it might be the best thing. I wonder how much Father paid him to deliver the message.”
“Enough to make it worth my while.” The stranger stood at the kitchen doorway. He’d come in unannounced and without making a sound.
“Who are you?” Urias asked.
“Sherman Hatfield. I was just passing through town when I heard how Hiram Greene was angrier than a hornet and wanting compensation for you just running off and leaving town with his daughter.”
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