Chapter Nine
Rick caught himself whistling as he got ready to leave work that Monday. He stopped and glanced around his chamber. Good. No one had come in to check on him. It wasn’t exactly a crime to whistle at work, but he didn’t want to be caught doing it. Standing up from his desk, he retrieved his hat and headed out of his chamber.
He kept thinking of how far away it was until Saturday. Five days wasn’t really a long time, but it would take that long before he could see Sally again. It might be nice to surprise her with some flowers. He wasn’t sure if she liked him or not, but he found himself thinking of her more and more each day and realized he wasn’t as interested in Ethel Mae as he used to be. He didn’t know when or how it happened, but it did. Now he faced a problem: did he come right out and say it or let Sally think he was still seeking her advice on how to get Ethel Mae?
Maybe she’d start finding him to her liking. For sure, she showed more interest in him than Ethel Mae did. Well, Ethel Mae showed a bigger interest in him after he went to Sally’s house for supper, but playing that kind of game to get her attention just didn’t hold much appeal to him. What if he started courting her and she lost interest in him because he was no longer paying attention to Sally? Maybe Samuel didn’t mind that scenario, but he did.
Rick left the courthouse and nearly ran into Samuel. Laughing, he shook his hand. “It’s ironic that I keep bumping into you now that I met you.”
“It only proves how small the world really is,” Samuel replied with a grin. “I hope there are no hard feelings about Ethel Mae.”
“No, there’s not. Besides, I’ve found someone else who interests me more.”
“Good to hear.”
“You know, if you want to surprise Ethel Mae with a gift, her friend said she likes cameos.”
“Does she?”
Rick nodded. “But don’t tell her how you found out. It’d ruin the surprise if she didn’t think you came up with it on your own.”
“You’re a good man, Rick,” Samuel replied. “It’s not everyone who’d help out the competition.”
“I don’t think of you as the competition. I thought Ethel Mae was the right one, but it turns out she’s not. She’ll be happier with you.”
“I appreciate that, and if there’s anything you need, just let me know.”
“Will do.” Though he didn’t think he’d need Samuel’s help with anything, he thought it was nice the man made the offer.
As they said good-bye, Rick’s mind turned back to Sally and how he might surprise her on Saturday.
***
By Saturday, Rick timed it so that he arrived at Sally’s house after lunch when the women wouldn’t be so busy. While her family had been gracious to feed him the last two times he’d been out there, he didn’t want to wear out his welcome. As he arrived on the land, he saw her father and brother working in the fields and nodded as he passed by. They returned the gesture before returning to their work.
When he rode up to the house, he saw that Jenny was sweeping the porch. He turned to the bouquet of flowers resting on the seat next to him and picked them up. The woman who owned the boarding house let him have them from her garden for free, though he’d offered to pay for them. When she found out why he wanted them, she said she was excited to help him and assured him the tulips didn’t last long anyway.
“Might as well get some use out of them before they die off,” she’d added before she went to pluck them from her garden.
Now as he examined the purple, red and yellow tulips, he thought the variety in color might appeal to Sally. Taking a deep breath, he straightened his tie before he set the brake and got out of the buggy and picked up the bouquet of flowers.
He expected Jenny to be at the porch steps waiting for him, but she went back into the house. Curious, he headed up the porch steps and saw Sally coming toward the open door. So that’s what Jenny was doing—getting Sally.
Sally wiped her hands on her skirt and opened the storm door. “Hello, Rick. I didn’t expect you here.”
He shrugged. “I thought I’d come by and thank you for all you’re doing to help me.” While that was partially true, he decided it wasn’t best to give away his other motive. At least not yet. He held the flowers out to her. “So, thank you.”
“Oh, they’re beautiful,” she replied as she took them. She smelled them and grinned. “They’re lovely.”
“I’m glad you like them.”
“I do.”
She glanced at them before turning her lovely blue eyes back to him. That was funny. Why hadn’t he noticed how nice they were to look at before?
“I should put these in some water,” she said. “Do you want to come in?”
“Yes, but I was hoping we could go for a walk?”
“Sure, I’d love to. It’s a perfect day for it.”
She was right. It was, but he figured any day with her would be perfect. Forcing aside the thought, he followed her into the house and to the kitchen where her mother and Jenny were washing dishes.
“Did I come at a bad time?” he asked. He thought they’d be done with cleaning up from lunch by now.
“No, you’re fine,” her mother assured him. “We’re almost done.”
As Sally retrieved a vase from one of the shelves, her mother finished washing the last dish and set the rag on the edge of a chair to dry. “What’s your favorite dessert, Rick?”
He shrugged. “I like all desserts, Mrs. Larson.”
Jenny wiped the dish dry. “While that’s true, I’m sure there’s one dessert you like more than others.”
“Well, if I had to choose one, I suppose it would be an apple tart, but I don’t want you to go through any trouble.”
“Oh, that’s no trouble at all,” Sally said as she filled the vase with water.
“And what luck,” Jenny added. “Sally can make those so no one gets sick.”
Her mother shot her a warning look, so Jenny offered an apologetic smile and hurried to place the dishes on the shelves. Sighing, her mother returned her attention to him and smiled. “We’ll make some apple tarts so you can have one, but Sally won’t be making them this time.”
“I appreciate it,” he replied.
After Sally placed the tulips in the vase, she showed them to her mother and Jenny. “Aren’t these lovely?”
“They are,” her mother agreed. “Where do you want to put them?”
“I was thinking the parlor,” Sally said as she switched a yellow and red tulip around. “There. That’s better.”
Rick wondered what made the new arrangement better but figured it was one of those things only women knew. Besides, the flowers made her happy, and that was the whole point.
“Rick and I are going to take a walk,” Sally told her mother and sister. “We’ll be back soon.”
He placed his hat back on his head, nodded a good-bye to them and followed Sally to the parlor. She set the flowers on the table, stepped away from it to study the flowers, and moved the vase over about an inch. When she stepped back and studied the flowers again, his eyebrows furrowed. Just what was she doing? She moved the vase back to where it was before, shook her head, and moved it over another inch in the other direction. She sighed and put it back to where it was the first time.
“What are you doing?” he finally asked.
“Oh well, I want the flowers to be in the center of the table.”
“They are.”
She examined them and shook her head. “Not quite. They’re a little too far to the left.”
He laughed. “They’re just flowers, Sally. It doesn’t matter if they’re not exactly at the center of the table.”
With a grin, she shrugged. “You’re right. And to the average person, they look like they’re in the middle, don’t you think?”
“Yes.” And that was no lie. To him, they did appear that way.
The storm door opened and Joel entered the house.
Sally set her hands on her hips. “What are you do
ing here? You need to be in the fields helping your brothers and Pa.”
Joel paused in front of the parlor doorway and rolled his eyes. “I’m thirsty.”
“You get thirsty more than anyone else I know.”
“That’s because I need more water than other people,” he replied in a tone that indicated she wasn’t smart enough to figure it out on her own.
She rolled her eyes. “Maybe if you took a canteen out there with you, you could do actual work.”
“I work plenty.” He glanced at the table and smirked. “Those flowers aren’t in the middle of the table.”
“Why you…” She hurried toward him so he bolted off down the hall.
Amused, Rick stopped her before she could follow him to the kitchen. “Let him be. He was only giving you a hard time about the flowers because he knows it bothers you.”
She groaned but nodded. “I know.”
“The flowers look fine. Let’s go for a walk.”
Relaxing, she smiled and led him out of the house. “It is a beautiful day for a walk, isn’t it?”
“It is,” he agreed as the storm door shut behind him. “I’m glad you’ve been able to spend time with me over the past couple weeks.”
Her cheeks grew pink in a manner he thought made her especially pleasing to the eye. He rather liked it when she showed the shy side of her personality. “Why don’t we go that way today?” He motioned to the area along the property where the horses grazed.
“Alright.” She led the way down the steps and touched her hair which was pinned back into a bun. “I forgot to bring my bonnet.”
As she turned to head back up the steps, he asked, “Do you need to wear it?”
“Well, it’s sunny.”
“So?”
“I thought it would be appropriate to shield my eyes.”
“I’ll tell you what,” he began as he took his hat off and placed it on her head, “you can borrow mine.”
“This is silly.”
“Why?”
She chuckled and touched the hat. “I can’t wear your hat.”
“Of course you can. Besides, if you go back in the house, you might try to get those flowers in the center of the table again, and I’d rather be walking.”
“So they aren’t in the center?”
Realizing his error, he took her by the elbow and gently led her away from the house. “That’s not what I meant. I’d rather be with you, enjoying the nice weather, instead of being stuck in the house.”
She fell in step beside him and smiled. “Alright.”
“I’m glad you were able to get away so we could talk.”
They walked in silence for a few moments. He kept his hand on her elbow and wondered if she noticed. He glanced in her direction and thought she didn’t seem to notice. Either that, or she didn’t mind. He rather liked the physical contact, so he kept his hand where it was.
“Is there anywhere you want to go?” she asked.
He shrugged. “I’ve already seen everything there is to see out here. I figured we’d take our time and enjoy the day.”
She nodded.
Amused, he lightly squeezed her elbow. “You’re not usually quiet. Is something on your mind?”
“Not really. Did you want to talk about Ethel Mae?”
“We can if you want.”
“I haven’t talked to her in a week. Did you see her?”
He shook his head. “No.”
“Why not? I thought you were going to surprise her with something.”
He wasn’t sure how to talk his way out of this one. Words weren’t his specialty. He did a better job of listening and examining the facts. But this whole thing with women required some talking. After thinking over a good response, he finally settled for saying, “I’m not sure she’ll appreciate a gift from me.” And that was true. She’d be better off getting that cameo from Samuel.
“Why wouldn’t she?”
He sighed. Sally didn’t ask easy questions. “Well, she’s interested in Samuel.”
“I don’t think she’s that interested in Samuel,” she argued.
“Yes, I’m sure she is. When I saw him the other day, he talked about her as if they were getting along great.”
“Really?”
He noted the surprise in her voice and wondered about it. There was something in her tone that suggested this was the last thing she expected. But that didn’t make any sense since she was the one who told him about Samuel in the first place. “You warned me, remember? You said unless I got her jealous enough, I wasn’t going to win her.”
“Oh, yes. I did say that, but I still don’t see how Samuel can claim that he’s getting along so well with her.”
Curious by the way she worded the statement, he thought over the possibilities why this should be something she hadn’t expected. It seemed to him that something important was missing from the puzzle. Most of the pieces seemed to be in place, but he suspected something was missing. The question was what.
“You know what I think?” she spoke up.
“What?”
“I think you’re not confident enough in yourself.”
“Oh?”
She stopped walking so she could face him. Letting go of her elbow, he turned to her and waited for her to explain what she meant.
“You’re a handsome man,” she told him.
Pleased, he smiled. “Thank you.”
“But most women aren’t going to see that.”
His smile faltered.
“Now don’t get me wrong,” she quickly added in a manner meant to sooth his feelings. “I saw it right away, but for women like Ethel Mae, it takes longer. What Ethel Mae likes is a man who looks like he’s sure of himself.”
“I don’t look like I’m sure of myself?”
“Well, you do when you’re talking about your job, but that’s because you’re comfortable there.” She paused before giving him a smile. “I get the impression you’re not comfortable around women.”
It was true so he didn’t bother denying it, though he sure wished she hadn’t made such an observation. “Is that what you want? A man who’s confident around women?”
She blinked in surprise. “Me?”
“You’re a woman, so you’re the best person to ask.”
“I might be a woman, but that doesn’t mean I like the same thing Ethel Mae does.”
That made sense. She didn’t like cameos like Ethel Mae did. She preferred flowers. So what other differences were there?
“Rick, I’m not Ethel Mae,” she began with a hesitant tone in her voice. “She and I are good friends, but we don’t always like the same things.”
“So do you prefer men who are confident around women?” he pressed.
She shook her head and then turned to continue the walk, so he fell into step beside her. Well, that was good. So she might not mind that he wasn’t as confident as Samuel was.
“You’ve seen Samuel?” she asked.
“Yes. He’s not just confident around women. He seems to be confident around everyone.”
“Really?” She glanced at the fields where her family was working before turning her attention back to him. “And he was with Ethel Mae recently?”
“He seems to enjoy her company.”
“I need to pay her a visit this week.”
Clearing his throat, he debated whether to say what was on his mind. He wanted to tell her that he was fine with Ethel Mae and Samuel being together, that it wasn’t necessary for her to pretend that they were courting, or close to it. But at the same time, he wasn’t sure if he’d have any excuse to see her if they didn’t talk about her friend. He wished to steer things away from Ethel Mae but didn’t know how to. Finally, he ventured, “I’m not sure I want to keep trying to make your friend think I’m someone I’m not.”
“We’re not doing that.”
“You’re pretending you’re interested in me?” He intentionally turned his statement into a question because he hoped to pick up som
e clue that would tell him she might not be pretending as much as he thought.
“It was the plan,” she replied.
He sighed. Sally was right. He didn’t understand women, and he wasn’t any good when it came to dealing with them. As it was, her answer was too vague for him to decide how he should proceed. Maybe what he needed to do was talk to Samuel since he seemed to have no problems understanding women.
Sally turned around and headed back, so he did likewise, thinking of what else he might say to figure out how to proceed with her. “I hope I’m not bothering you by coming out here as much as I am.”
“No, you’re not bothering me,” she replied. “It’s been nice.”
“It’s been nice for me, too.” Maybe he had a chance with her after all. He certainly hoped so.
“I don’t want you to get the wrong idea when I said you should be more confident. I didn’t mean you had to make a woman think you’re unobtainable. I just think you don’t realize what a wonderful man you are. You shouldn’t sell yourself short because any woman would be lucky to have you.”
Pleased by the compliment, he took her by the elbow again and stepped a little closer to her as they walked. “Tell me about planting. What exactly are your father and brothers doing out there?”
While she answered his question, he smiled in contentment. This was nice. He could see doing this for the rest of his life. Well, maybe not coming out to visit her family on the farm where he had to bear with the smells associated with it. But he could see spending time with her, maybe walking in a park, and listening to her. Perhaps some men didn’t want a woman who was a chatterbox, but he rather liked it.
He tended to be quiet, and when he’d been around other women, notably Ethel Mae, there’d been a lot of pressure to figure out what to say. With Sally, he didn’t have that problem. He could relax and enjoy the conversation while adding his thoughts from time to time. Sure, he might be wondering how to broach the subject of courting her, but he was sure he’d figure out that one soon enough. For now, he’d enjoy the afternoon and listen to her talk about her family. Maybe next time he saw her, he’d gather the nerve to ask if he could court her.
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