Falling In Love With Her Husband

by Ruth Ann Nordin

  “This barn is in good condition,” he said.

  “Mr. Martin owned this land before I got here, and he took good care of everything he had. All I have to do is maintain it.”

  “Alex Dawson used to talk about farming, didn’t he?”

  I smiled at the thought of my childhood friend. “He has an aunt and uncle who live in Fargo. They knew some farmers, and they would share some stories with me and Alex when I went over to his place to visit.”

  Mr. Statesman nodded and walked over to the horses. “I don’t recognize this one.”

  “I bought that one in October,” I told him. “I wanted to be sure that two horses were here during the day so Ann could go into town if she wanted. I ride Lightning into town when I go to work.” I petted my favorite horse affectionately. “He’s always been a good horse.”

  “I remember you used to take him out and race him with Alex. Your father bragged that you were faster than Alex on any horse.” He looked at me. “Your father will come around. He just needs time.”

  I didn’t believe that was going to happen but didn’t argue with him.

  The snowstorm had finally died down, but the wind was still blowing the snow around. I hadn’t taken much notice of the snowstorm with everything that was going on. We returned to the house and sat down in the parlor to talk.

  “Are you sure you won’t take the dowry? It is yours since you married my daughter,” he said.

  “No, sir. I wouldn’t feel right about it. I don’t mean any disrespect.”

  “I’m not offended, son.” He paused. He lit his pipe. “I set aside the dowry when Ann turned sixteen. I knew it wouldn’t be long before young men started to court her. I have nothing to do with the money, and it will go to waste if it’s not used. May I put it in the bank in her name?”

  “That is fine.”

  He shifted in the chair. “One thing we have always told Ann is the importance of honesty. A person is only as good as his word. I remember when she was twelve and she was playing in the parlor. Later that day, I saw that her mother’s favorite vase was broken. This vase wasn’t expensive but it was sentimental. It belonged to her great-great-grandmother. We questioned her about the vase and she said that it was still intact when she left the room. We didn’t believe her, for who else could have broken it? She had no brothers or sisters. So, we decided that she couldn’t go anywhere but school for a month. That was the year she missed Agnes’ birthday dinner.”

  “I remember that. Agnes cried all night.” I grinned at the memory of my sister’s hysterics.

  “Yes. I recall hearing that too. Well, the next week, the servant who had been watching Ann the day the vase was broken returned from her vacation and reported that the neighbor’s cat had gotten into the house. That cat ran through the parlor and knocked the vase off the table. Apparently, the letter the servant left explaining this fell off the table so no one found it until we searched for it. It was under the couch. We felt awful after that event, but we learned that we could trust Ann. Believe it or not, she even confessed to sneaking a few cookies before dinner one time. You would think it’s easy for someone to admit something good but to admit to a bad behavior... That takes character.”

  “I understand.” He was telling me, in a very nice way, that Ann didn’t want to kiss Kent, that Kent had indeed forced the kiss upon her. I sighed. Certainly, he knew when Ann was telling the truth, right?

  “We received this from her.” He reached into the breast pocket of his suit and pulled a letter out. I took it as he handed it to me. “She is happy here, and for that, we are grateful to you. Now, to change the subject, I want to learn more about tractors. I haven’t seen one up close.”

  I put the letter in my pocket, unsure of whether or not I wanted to read it. “I have a book on the desk over there. Would you like to see it?”

  He nodded, so we spent the rest of the afternoon looking through the book together.

  ***

  I did feel better by the time dinner was ready. I still couldn’t look at Ann but did participate in the conversation, which was an improvement over my mood earlier that day.

  Ann’s father beamed at her. “That was delicious. Betsy back home doesn’t cook stew this good.”

  “Oh, Father. She’s an excellent cook,” Ann argued, obviously pleased by the compliment.

  “Which tells you how good this stew is.”

  He was proud of her, just as I was at times. I wanted to be proud of her again. If only Kent didn’t haunt me...

  “It is very good, my dear,” her mother added. “You have done well in learning so much. I don’t know how you do it all. You must be exhausted by the end of the day.”

  “I was at first,” she confessed, “but after I got used to it, I hardly noticed how much work it was. You should have seen my first attempt at cooking pancakes. It was a disaster.”

  I chuckled as I recalled the mess in the kitchen. It took us a good half hour to clean it up. She was endearing as she frantically scurried around the room to clean it up, hoping I wouldn’t discover her mishap.

  “I don’t mean to be rude but I have some dishes to wash,” she said.

  “Can I help?” her mother asked.

  “Yes.”

  “We’ll get out of your way,” her father replied.

  I wanted to stay with her and ask her again about the events in the mercantile but realized it wasn’t the right time, so I followed him out of the room.

  ***

  That night, I sat on my bed. I was exhausted but didn’t want to sleep. I stared at the wall for the longest time as the events of the past two days played over and over in my mind. It didn’t make sense that Ann would want to consummate our marriage if she planned to leave me. Why would she risk getting a child with me? She had made it a point to never spend a moment alone with any men while she was living with her parents. Even now, I was the only man she let herself be alone with.

  She trusted me. She knew I wouldn’t force myself on her. But she never allowed Kent to be alone with her. I sighed. It didn’t make sense that she would be alone in the backroom of the store with Kent. Then I remembered the missing bell on the door of the store. That bell always made the loudest ring. No one could miss it if they were in the backroom. She would have come out of the backroom if she heard the bell. Had the bell been there on the door, she wouldn’t have been in the backroom with him. Then Mrs. Carson would have been in sight and the kiss most likely wouldn’t have happened. Could it be true that he forced her to kiss him? Did he take advantage of the situation? The thought was too appealing to my wounded heart.

  I stood up and walked to the window. It was a clear night and the moon was full. It was the perfect night to be enjoying Ann in her bed. Any night would be the perfect night to enjoy her. I turned from the window and stared at my room. It wasn’t as warm as her room, but I knew that it felt lonely because she wasn’t here.

  I remembered the letter her father handed to me. What did I have to lose? I took the letter out of my pocket and read it. It was written on October 13.

  My Dear Mother and Father,

  I was glad when I received your letter. In my hasty departure, there were many things I failed to explain. But first, I want to say I miss you both. Even so, I don’t regret coming here. There are many things I have learned. I actually cook and clean on my own. There is a good woman who lives on the farm next to ours who has taught me to cook. When I started cooking, I made many mistakes. I couldn’t even make scrambled eggs without cracking almost a dozen eggs the wrong way or burning them in the pan. I have gone through five pans already in my pursuit to be a better cook. The laundry is tedious at times but it gives me time to think.

  I can’t remember what my life was like when I had servants catering to my every whim, and to be honest, I would rather do these things myself. It is fulfilling to do hard work. Every time I see Todd’s eyes light up when he tries a new recipe that turned out right, all of my previous failures seem insignificant.
/>   As for Kent, my heart is free of the burden of my anger and grief. Todd has been patient with me during this time, which must’ve been hard for him. You were right about him. He is a good man. I wish I had taken the time to learn that while we were growing up. I keep wondering why I continually pushed him away in Virginia. I can only come to the conclusion that he didn’t stand out as men like Kent did. Todd was shy and quiet. He stayed mostly to himself, though Creepy Alex did bring him out of his shell. I hate to admit it, but Creepy Alex probably wasn’t so creepy after all. I should stop calling him ‘Creepy’ Alex. It’s a force of habit. Anyway, it was Alex who realized what a good friend Todd was when so few others did. Not that Todd didn’t have other friends, but I don’t think any of them took the time to see Todd for who he really was the way that Alex did. It was Alex who encouraged Todd to pursue his dream of farming.

  I didn’t even know of this until the night you dragged me to the dinner at the Brothers’ house. I had wanted to stay home and mope in self-pity, but you insisted I get out, which I am very thankful for. That was the night when Todd and I were on the veranda and he told me he was going to leave for North Dakota. He also professed his love for me and told me he understood that I didn’t share those feelings.

  It wasn’t until the Monday before the dance that I decided to ask Todd to take me with him to North Dakota. I considered asking him to stay in Virginia so I could take the time to know him better, but it didn’t seem right to ask him to stay when it meant he had to work at the bank. So I opted to ask him to marry me and take me to North Dakota with him. If Todd left, I would be stuck with settling with someone who most likely would not love me as well as Todd did.

  You would be surprised at how he resisted my plan at first. I know he resisted because he didn’t think it was in my best interest. I had to threaten to run away if he didn’t take me along. We got married by our preacher and you know the rest. I have grown closer to Todd than I have ever been to anyone. He still treats me very well and considers my needs before his own. I can’t imagine my life without him and am thankful for his love. I only hope I can be the kind of wife who will bless him. He makes a wonderful husband and he will make a wonderful father.

  All My Love,

  Ann

  I set the letter down. She did love me. This time when I cried, it was with relief. She was still here. She didn’t leave with Kent. If she really wanted to run off with him, she wouldn’t be here. She didn’t know her parents were coming early, so she didn’t stay to appease them. She stayed because she decided to fight for our marriage.

  I went to her room and lightly knocked on her door. I wanted to talk to her and smooth things over. When she didn’t answer, I turned the knob. She was asleep. I wanted to go in bed with her and just hold her, but I knew she was as tired as I was and needed sleep. I smiled and shut the door. I would talk to her tomorrow. At least, I knew she would still be here to talk to.

  Chapter Twenty

  Ann’s Point of View

  I woke up past dawn. I looked over at the empty spot next to me. I hadn’t noticed how large my bed seemed until Todd had been in it. I was disappointed when he didn’t come to my bedroom last night. I laid in bed and stared at the ceiling for a good hour before I finally fell asleep.

  I got up and looked outside. The snow sparkled under the intense glare of the sunlight. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. I wondered how deep the snow was. I got dressed and brushed my hair. As I ran down the steps, I was surprised to find Todd and my parents eating breakfast.

  “Would you like some cornbread?” Todd offered.

  “Why didn’t someone wake me? I would have made a hot meal.”

  “We thought you could use some rest, so we didn’t disturb you.”

  “Thank you.” I sat next to him at the table. I was grateful that he seemed more like his usual self.

  “We measured the snow and we got three inches yesterday. I found a sleigh under some old blankets in the barn, so we can still hook up the horses to get to town. There is a large snowdrift blocking the large door of the barn. It will take some time to shovel but once the path is clear, we can get the horses and sleigh out.”

  “I’d like to help,” my father offered.

  Todd accepted.

  “I am eager to see the town,” my mother said. “We didn’t get a chance to take a good look at it yesterday.”

  “I would like to introduce you to Mr. and Mrs. Coley,” I replied. “They own the mercantile. Of course, you’ll have to meet Barbara and John Russell. They’re good friends of ours.”

  It felt strange to say “ours” since I wasn’t sure what would become of Todd and me, but I was hopeful from his friendly demeanor.

  After breakfast, my mother helped me wash dishes.

  “I’m glad you and Father are here. Thank you for being nice to Todd.”

  “My dear, we have always welcomed him. I think your father is relieved you married well. We had worried you might pick the wrong person.”

  “I almost did. I almost married Kent.”

  I put the dirty dishes in a bucket of water and added soap. The clean bucket of water was in the other sink.

  “The important thing is you didn’t,” she said. She picked up a towel and dried the plate I handed her. “You’ll never guess who is studying to become a minister.”

  “Who?”

  “Alex Dawson.”

  My eyes widened in surprise. “Todd’s friend?”

  “The same. That boy did nothing but play practical jokes all his life. Then he goes off to college and gets serious. Isn’t that amazing?”

  “Quite. I can’t believe it.”

  “Miracles happen. It will be interesting to see how he behaves when he visits for Christmas. His parents are happy. They worried he might be a troublemaker for his entire life. He has an aunt and uncle out in Fargo, North Dakota who often visited his family. I wonder if they had an influence on Todd wanting to come out here.”

  “Yes.” And for the first time, I was actually glad that Todd knew Alex, for I loved it here.

  Two hours later, my mother took me to the guest bedroom so she could give me a photo album and my jewelry box filled with rings, necklaces and bracelets. “I thought you might like these personal mementos of your past,” she said.

  I took the items and left her so she could take a nap. I went to my bedroom and set the jewelry box on my dresser. I sat on my bed, opened the photo album, and flipped through the pictures. I was surprised to see pictures of Todd with his family. I chuckled at the picture of Agnes making a face at the camera. She hated sitting still for the photographer.

  Sitting there, with the pictures in front of me brought back memories from my childhood. My earliest memory was when I was four.

  My parents took me over to the Brothers’ house so we could see their fourth child who was two days old. While one-year-old Abigail slept, Todd, Agnes and I were in the toy room. A servant watched in amusement as we fought over what game to play.

  “Agnes and I want to play dolls,” I said, my hands on my hips.

  “Dolls is boring,” he protested, rolling his eyes. “Let’s play with the blocks.”

  “No. We build towers but you knock them down.”

  “That’s fun!”

  “It is not fun. It is rude.”

  “Fine then. Want to see my new train set?”

  Agnes and I looked at each other and nodded.

  He took his trains and tracks out of his toy box and we helped him set it up. Agnes couldn’t get most of the pieces to fit, so we had to finally tell her to wait until we were done. Then he set up the trains and small wooden people. I grinned at the display.

  “It’s pretty,” I commented.

  He gagged. “It’s not pretty.”

  “Here’s a Mommy and Daddy and their baby,” Agnes said. She took the people and went to the corner to play with them by herself.

  “She’s a baby,” he replied. “We don’t need those people anyway.”

&
nbsp; He moved his train down one of the tracks and I moved my train down another one. We played quietly for a few minutes. Then, to my horror, he rammed his train into mine.

  “Bam!”

  I shot him a dirty look. “Don’t do that.”

  “It’s fun!”

  “No, it’s not. I’m playing.”

  “We are playing. Now you crash into me!”

  I took his train and threw it across the room.

  “What did you do that for?” he demanded, his face red.

  “It’s fun.” I stuck my tongue at him.

  “This is my train set. Go play with Agnes.”

  I grabbed a train and ran to Agnes.

  “That’s mine! Give it back!” He ran after me.

  I giggled as I dodged him. Finally, he knocked me down and grabbed the train out of my hand. I screamed as loud as I could so the world would know the injustice of it all.

  The servant calmly took the train from Todd and put all the toys back, except for the people Agnes was quietly playing with. “Todd, go to that corner and face it. Ann, you do the same in the other corner.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” we replied, realizing we would get a spanking if we didn’t obey.

  I chuckled and looked at more pictures in the photo album. Poor Todd grew up surrounded by girls. He wanted a baby brother so badly but never got one. I used to tell him he should be grateful to have any siblings at all since I was often lonely as an only child. But Alex seemed to be the brother he never had. I shook my head as I recalled the first time I stood up to Alex.

  We were ten and I worked on my assignment in class when a pebble hit my head. Startled, I looked back to see who had thrown it at me. My eyes narrowed. I should have known. It was Todd and Alex again. They took an irrational pleasure in throwing things into girls’ hair. Our teacher wasn’t in the room at the moment, which explained why Todd was involved. He didn’t dare do anything wrong when the teacher was in sight. I gave them a “stop it” look and turned back to my work. Of course, they didn’t stop. I tried to ignore them as pebbles flew in my hair, past my shoulders and onto my work.