When Michael pulled back as the catcalls from the crowd got louder, he met her eyes with a look of chagrin but she just smiled up at him.
“Thank you,” Susan said.
“For what?” Michael asked as he looked at her lips. She smiled again thinking he probably thought she was pleased with his kiss. Well, she was in fact, but that wasn’t what she meant.
“For making me your wife. I appreciate your trust in me.”
Michael nodded and took her hand. “Guess we’d better get moving outside before Mrs. Howard comes to push us out there.”
Susan glanced at the woman who was wiggling her way past all the other people still standing in front of their benches. Susan tugged on Michael’s hand and the two of them walked down the aisle toward the front door to more cheers as they passed the crowd. When they stepped outside, another woman Susan couldn’t remember the name of waved them over and insisted they sit down at the front table so they could be first to eat and hear all the welcomes and congratulations of the town.
Susan kept a tight hold of Michael’s hand, grateful he let her. She watched all the people mill around and studied her new home.
She knew women in the late nineteenth century where she found herself were still not given all the rights and privileges she’d experienced in her own day, but with the need of women in the west, Susan was well aware they had a lot more opportunities than back east.
She thought for just a moment about some of the girls she’d become friends with at Mrs. Tanner’s boarding house. If things turned out well for her here, she’d have to let them know. Annabelle had been especially fascinated at the thought and almost seemed to think Susan was crazy for agreeing to come marry a stranger. But already, here in Birch Creek, Susan felt more welcomed and valuable than she had in the three weeks she’d spent in New York.
***
Michael had never really relished the thought of being the center of attention. Though he’d been doted on by most of the women of the town at one time or another, he’d also gotten in trouble with every single one of them for one reason or another. He watched as everyone milled around and celebrated with him and Susan.
He had tried to stand in line to get food for himself and his new bride, but the ladies had insisted they sit at the table closest to the church while they all brought the newly-weds plates with all the fixings.
“This is amazing,” Susan said, thanking each new person that arrived at their table. She handled the attention much better than he did. It also helped that the women were more interested in getting a peek at his wife than talking to him. Each visitor took the chance to introduce themselves and invite her to come visit or make plans to stop at their house to help her get settled.
Michael made a mental note to stay at his shop for most of the day so he wouldn’t have to make small talk with them. As he watched Susan, he knew she’d be able to handle herself even if the entire population of Birch Creek descended on his little house over the next few days.
Eventually, the whole town who were in attendance had all filed past their table and the meal was consumed until there was nothing left but crumbs, but he could tell the celebration was just getting started.
One of the older men had sent a runner to his house for his fiddle and another had a harmonica. Before long, everyone was up and dancing including the dogs that hadn’t been scared off by the noise.
Susan laughed as the crowd started to dance, and began to clap along in rhythm to the music. Her joy was contagious and even though Michael didn’t know much about dancing, he wanted to get up and move with her. He only had to turn toward her and offer her a hand before she was up and had him around the table and in the center of everyone in less time than it took to swallow his surprise.
Susan leaned in close, laughing as she spoke. “I have no clue what I’m doing, but I’m gonna dance anyway!”
Michael laughed with her. “You and me both. We’ll just do what we can and hope I don’t end up knocking you down.”
“Oh, I doubt that,” Susan said looking him up and down. “You seem mighty solid and quick on your feet.”
Michael took both her hands in his and followed the crowd in the movements and steps as they moved forward and back then up and down an aisle they formed with their hands for the couple to move through.
He’d watched others dancing when the town had come together to celebrate before, but he had rarely danced with them. One of the problems with the community being so much heavier on the male population.
Whoever had come up with the idea of sending for a wife would have his gratitude. If married life was full of this much joy and excitement, he was in for a treat.
As he caught sight of a few of the older gentlemen who had complained about their wives nagging them, he could see most were happily dancing and laughing with their wives, or smiling and clapping together as they sat close.
He wasn’t naive enough to think there would be no problems, but Michael was happy to know that he was off to a good start. He met Susan’s eyes once more as they came together again in the dance. As he grabbed her hands and they moved down the row, her laugh bubbled up from deep inside and he felt his own laugh join hers.
Now if only he could make the whole town disappear or decide to head home so he could have this fascinating woman all to himself.
***
Susan had always imagined what her wedding would be like as she grew up. She’d planned on having a big wedding in a magnificent chapel with flowers and garlands and white ribbons everywhere. She’d planned to wear an elaborate dress with a long flowing train and have adorable flower girls walk down the aisle tossing flower petals in the air.
Instead she had exactly what she needed. A celebration full of fun and joy. The welcome of a town and the happiness at the good fortune they felt their son deserved.
She couldn’t have been more wrong in what her wedding was like, but she was so glad for what it turned out to be.
This was truly the beginning of something amazing. And though she wasn’t actually in love with her husband, she liked him immensely already. And he had agreed to marry her even with her request to give themselves time.
The community stayed long and the music continued even after the sun went down. A few of the families had to leave early. Many of them had come to wish them well and say their farewells, apologizing for having to leave so soon to get back to their animals and chores.
She hugged each of the women and gave farewell hugs or waves to many of the children, thrilled to know they had all accepted her so quickly. When it finally came to the point where Michael stood up and thanked everyone for such a wonderful gift of their time, food, and even money or store bought goods, Susan was relieved to see an end to the celebration.
“Shall we give you a ride home?” Colten asked as he shook hands with Michael.
“I think we should clean up first,” Michael said. Susan nodded her agreement, but the townsfolk all insisted they would take care of it.
Michael turned to Susan and whispered softly. “Would you like a ride home, or would you be willing to walk with me? Give us a bit of time on our own?”
Susan smiled. “I’d love to walk. That will give me a chance to cool off after all this dancing and celebrating.”
Michael looked at Colten and shook his hand once more. “Thank you for the offer. We’ll walk.” He turned back to the people moving the tables into wagon beds. “You sure you don’t want help?”
“Get on home, you two,” someone hollered from somewhere to the left. A couple people chuckled and everyone started shooing them away.
Michael took Susan’s hand in his and turned to her. “Are you ready?”
Susan nodded. Her heart skipped a couple beets knowing she was on her way to her new home with her new husband in a new world she wasn’t used to, but she was more excited than scared. Hopefully the feeling would last.
They walked in silence for a few minutes. The moonlight was bright enough they could see by,
and the road was completely empty. She would be excited to explore more of the town in the following days, but she couldn’t deny she was looking forward to the quiet of home.
“Oh, wait,” Susan said and stopped suddenly.
“What?” Michael asked, concern apparent in his voice.
“I forgot all about my trunk. It’s still at your shop.”
Michael shook his head. “I had some help getting it to the house. Along with some of the gifts the town was so kind to help with.”
“Gifts?” Susan asked.
“I didn’t have a lot of food or supplies,” Michael spoke, sounding embarrassed. “Since it was just me and all. So everyone chipped in and got some flour and salt and lard and things.”
Susan took a deep breath. “Uh, I have a confession.”
“What’s that?” Michael asked.
“I don’t know a lot about cooking. Where I came from, I didn’t do much. Just some really basic things and lots of it was already pre-started for me. I might need some instructions.”
“I know a bit. Never any good at bread though. How are you at that?”
Susan gave an embarrassed laugh. “Never tried it actually. I always just bought mine already made.”
“I’m sure there are some ladies who’d be willing to teach you. We’ll be fine.”
“Thanks,” Susan said, squeezing his hand. She was hesitant to bring up more of her lack of knowledge of things in the west. And basic homemaking skills that didn’t involve ordering take out or buying pre-made frozen dinners. “I’ll do my best to adjust to things here, but I feel I must warn you that I will probably be kind of hopeless in a bunch of things at first. But I’ll work hard and figure it out as quick as I can.”
Michael nodded. “Sounds reasonable. I’m sure you had different experiences back east in New York. Not a lot of it would be the same as out here. More shops and more jobs there.”
Susan chuckled. If he only knew the half of it.
“What do you know about animals?” Michael asked after a few minutes of silence as they walked.
“Depends on the animal.”
“Chickens and pigs. I was able to get a couple. Didn’t have them before. Mostly did trading work for the stuff I needed. But I figured with a family, I might need to have some.”
“I don’t know much at all about that. Had a dog once though.”
“No dog currently, but when someone has some puppies, I’ll ask for one if you’d like.”
“I would love that,” Susan said. “I haven’t had a dog in a while. I missed it. And I’ll figure out what to do with chickens. I think that might be easy enough. Pigs though, you might have to teach me.”
“I’m also looking into a goat. For milk.”
Susan almost felt her stomach rebel at the idea. “Uh, not sure how I feel about that. What would it take to get cow’s milk?”
Michael rubbed his jawline with his free hand that wasn’t holding hers. She smiled at the gesture and loved that he wasn’t taking offense at her question, but actually considering it.
“I’ve asked around. Not a lot of cows for the taking right now, but when a calf comes available, I’ll see what I can trade for her.”
“Thank you, Michael.” Susan squeezed his hand and he returned the pressure.
After a couple more steps, he tugged gently on her hand leading her to the side of the road. “The house is just over there. Pretty small, but I hope you’ll be happy here.”
“I’m sure I will,” Susan said, though as she looked at the little building she wondered how anyone could feel anything but claustrophobia inside.
When Michael opened the door, he had to duck to step inside. “Stay here for just a bit. I’ll go find the lamp.” She listened from outside to the rustling in the little cabin and after a moment heard the strike of a match. Soon the warm glow of a little light slowly grew brighter as he adjusted the wick.
He stood in the center of a little room. A small table right behind him with a single chair and a small stool. To the right was a little wood burning stove that looked completely foreign to her. The frantic thought of how on earth am I supposed to learn to cook on something like that ran through her mind, then she saw a water pump and relief flowed through her. At least she wouldn’t have to haul a bunch of water.
There was no sink, but he had a good sized water basin. She’d have to toss that out, but she figured she could handle that. To the left was a single bed that thankfully looked large enough two people could fit on it, though she hoped he would remember her request. There was no couch, just the kitchen chairs, and there was a counter along the wall that would be her work station.
A few shelves built against the wall held some dishes. Not a lot, but at least enough they could each have a tin plate and tin cup and a bowl or two. There were a few pots for cooking in, but she didn’t see bread pans or anything of the kind. She’d have to figure out what to do and how to do it.
Off to the side near the shelves was a stack of wrapped packages. “What’s all this?” Susan asked.
“The food stuffs and things from the town. I didn’t have time to put it all away when we brought it in. Colten made me get cleaned up for the wedding.”
Susan turned to him and smiled. “Thanks. You looked mighty handsome when I saw you in the church.”
“We can put the things in the cellar tomorrow when it’s light. And you’ll be able to get a feel for the place. I’ll have to head to the shop first thing, but I’ll come back and help you figure things out as soon as I can.”
“That’s okay,” Susan said. “I can do it, unless you want to decide where things should go.”
“Oh no,” Michael said. “It’s your house and you’ll be in charge of the care of it. Makes more sense that you put things where you want them. I don’t have a lot of money saved up, but there is some. If you know of something we’ll need, let me know. Of course, the cow will be a bit more than I can do right away.”
“I can wait on the cow,” Susan said. “Don’t have a clue how to milk one anyway. Maybe I’ll have to see what I might be good at and do some trading services of my own.”
“Do you know reading and writing?” Michael asked.
Susan nodded.
“There isn’t an official school here. No teacher since the last one got married and moved to California with her husband who wanted to try his hand at gold mining.”
“That would be a wonderful idea,” Susan said. “Teaching I mean. I sure hope you don’t have plans to up and leave for gold.”
“No plans for that. Especially now that I’ve got you.”
Susan smiled at the gentle compliment.
Michael turned quickly then motioned to the bed. “I’ll let you take that and I’ll take the floor.”
“But you don’t have to do that. I could just sleep on…” Susan paused, realizing there really wasn’t a couch or anywhere else to sleep besides the chair, the floor, or the bed.
“It’s no problem,” Michael said. “I’ve got another quilt I use in the winter. It’ll be enough.”
“I’m sorry,” Susan said. “I didn’t think…”
Michael took her hand in his and she met his eyes in the warm glow of the lantern, feeling a bit of a thrill at the thought she was married to this man.
“I’m a man of my word and will give you time to adjust to being my wife. I completely understand your hesitance and think it wise that we both take things slow. So I’ll take the floor.”
Susan nodded, feeling a lump form in her throat at his thoughtfulness and understanding.
His thumb teased gentle circles on the back of her hand as he continued to look at her. “Though I do hope you wouldn’t mind if we shared another kiss before we go to sleep.”
“I wouldn’t mind at all,” Susan said softly, leaning toward him.
Michael released her hands and placed one of his on her waist and brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear before bending his head toward hers. As his lips touched hers, Susan fe
lt herself give in and she just let herself enjoy the moment. While their kiss in the church had been sweet and warm, this one started a fire inside her and she eagerly joined in the exploration of each other. He kept his kisses to her lips and the corner of her mouth, almost like he wanted to move to her cheek to stop the kiss, but they each returned back to the sweetness of each other’s lips.
She was just about ready to move away when he moved back first, resting his forehead against hers.
He took a few minutes to breathe slow and steady, allowing her time to regain her composure as well.
“I’m not sure if I should thank you or apologize,” Michael said.
Susan couldn’t help the burst of laughter that escaped. “I was just thinking the same thing.”
Michael joined her laughter and stepped back.
After a moment, Susan said, “I must say, I think we’ve got one thing going for us.”
“What’s that?” Michael asked.
“We can laugh together. Pretty important in my book.”
Michael nodded. “I think we have more than that though. I am one fortunate man.” He turned around and moved over to a wooden chest beside the bed along the wall. Once he opened it up he pulled out a blanket and spread it on the floor.
Susan moved over to the bed and sat on the side of it, giving her own luggage a look. Michael nodded when she looked back at him.
“I’ll give you a few moments. I’m going to go out and check on the animals. Good night, Susan.”
“Good night, Michael,” Susan said watching him go and wishing he was still in here instead.
CHAPTER FOUR
Michael had never slept as poorly as he did that night. And it wasn’t even the fact that he was sleeping on the floor. He’d slept on top of the quilt, not needing it for warmth on the comfortable summer night. No, it was the fact that he could hear his wife’s breathing and every breath in and out reminded him that he was no longer alone.
The Blacksmith's Bride Page 3