Chapter Ten
Sally’s mother stopped the buggy in front of Ethel Mae’s house on Tuesday. “I’m only taking you to town as much as I am because you’re of marrying age, and I suspect Rick has taken a liking to you. But it’s not fair to keep Jenny stuck in the kitchen now that we’re into planting. Your father and brothers get hungry during this time, and it’s hard to make enough for all of them when it’s just one person.”
Sally turned to her mother and rolled her eyes. “They’re always hungry. Being in the kitchen is all we ever do, unless we’re doing laundry.”
“Now, Sally, it’s not easy for them out in those fields. Besides, you’ve been managing to get quite a bit of free time in whenever you take an interest in a young man.”
“And I appreciate it, Ma.”
With any luck, her mother’s sacrifice wouldn’t be in vain. She very much wanted to be married to Rick. Her elbow still tingled whenever she remembered how he touched her. There was a good chance he might be interested in her. But she couldn’t jump to conclusions. She had to find out what was going on with Ethel Mae and find out what was going on with Samuel. She still couldn’t believe Rick had talked to him…and about Ethel Mae!
As she got out of the buggy, she turned and smiled at her mother. “I’ll do my best to make sure Rick becomes your son-in-law.”
Her mother chuckled. “I believe you will. Now go ask Ethel Mae if you can stay here before I leave.”
Nodding, Sally headed for the house, catching sight of Hugh as he chased Vivian down the street. She grinned. Poor Vivian. Being chased by boys at her age. With a sigh, she hurried up the porch steps then knocked on the door. If only she had the trouble of being pursued by Rick. Except, she wouldn’t run away from him. She’d run right into his arms.
Just as she imagined what it’d be like for Rick to kiss her, the front door opened. Breaking out of her daydream, Sally smiled at her friend. “Surprise!”
Ethel Mae smiled in return and opened the storm door. “And a pleasant surprise it is. Come on in!”
“Before I do, I wanted to ask if I can stay with you for a couple days? My ma said it’s alright as long as your parents say yes.”
“Let me ask.”
Sally nodded and waited while her friend went to talk to her parents. She heard a shriek and turned her gaze back to the street where Hugh was holding a piece of paper from Vivian who protested that she needed it back. Wondering if she should intervene and help Vivian, she caught sight of an attractive blond man coming toward the house. Her eyebrows furrowed. Who in the world was he?
“My parents said it’s fine with them.”
Sally turned back to her friend, her smile growing wider. “Perfect! I’ll get my carpet bag.” As she hurried down the porch steps, she saw that the man was coming up the walkway. “May I help you?” she asked, figuring he might be wanting to sell something, except he wasn’t carrying a box of goods to sell or taking a wagon with him wherever he went.
“Oh, Sally, he’s here to see me,” her friend called out.
With a glance between Ethel Mae and the young man, Sally grew even more confused. She didn’t recall her friend taking a suitor.
“Ethel Mae is correct,” he said and tipped his hat. “I’m Samuel Dixon.”
“Samuel Dixon?” she dumbly repeated, flabbergasted for the first time in her life. Rick had told her Samuel really did exist, so she should have been prepared for it…except she wasn’t!
Ethel Mae rushed over to them. “I’ll explain more later, Sally, but I met him last week.”
“Yes, and she was my beautiful companion at the play on Wednesday,” he added, winking at Ethel Mae.
With a blush, she shrugged. “It was a lovely play. You would have enjoyed it, Sally.”
Did Rick know that Ethel Mae had gone to a play with Samuel? Sally shook her head and stared at her friend before turning her gaze back to Samuel. Good heavens. Who knew he not only existed but was also the type who appealed to her friend?
Samuel chuckled and looked at Ethel Mae. “I thought you said Sally was a talker.”
“She is. Usually.” Her friend touched her arm. “Are you alright?”
Forcing her mind off of Rick, Sally cleared her throat and nodded. “I’m fine. I just… I mean… So, you’re Samuel? And you’re here to see Ethel Mae?”
Her friend sighed. “Why don’t you get your carpet bag? Your ma’s waiting for you.”
Deciding that was a good idea, Sally turned and headed for the buggy where her mother sat with an expectant look on her face. “She said I can stay,” Sally told her.
Her mother retrieved the carpet bag and handed it to her. “Why are you so surprised? You’ve stayed over at Ethel Mae’s before.”
“Yes, I know. It’s just that Samuel is courting her.”
Her mother laughed. “I don’t see what that has to do with your staying over.”
“It doesn’t.”
She debated if she should tell her mother about Samuel being made up but then turning out to be real. It was confusing enough without trying to explain it, so she decided to keep quiet about it.
“I’ll see you in a week,” her mother said.
With any luck, this was the week where Rick would profess his undying love for her and ask to court her. “I’ll see you then, Ma.”
Waving to her daughter, she released the brake and directed the horse down the street. Sally turned her attention back to Ethel Mae who was laughing at something Samuel said. She blinked and took a good look at them. There was no doubt about it. They were interested in each other. Her friend was blushing and grinning. He looked equally smitten with her, if the way he focused only on her and nothing else was a good indication of his feelings for her.
Well, Rick had one thing right: Samuel was charming Ethel Mae in a way he never could. But that still didn’t mean Samuel was better than him. Even for all the charm Samuel possessed, Sally much preferred Rick’s shy nature instead. Yep. There was no doubt about it. Rick was still the better of the two, and it was to her advantage her friend didn’t agree.
Exhaling, she put on a smile and headed over to the two lovebirds. Clasping her carpet bag in front of her, she waited for them to notice her.
“It was a lovely play,” Ethel Mae told him as she twirled a stray strand of her hair between her fingers. “The characters were witty. I can’t remember the last time I laughed so hard.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it. Since you found the play to your liking, perhaps you’d like to take a walk with me in the park this Saturday around noon.”
“What does that have to do with the play?” she teased.
“I can be witty if you give me half a chance.”
She giggled and swatted at his arm. “Oh you! I already know that.”
Sally watched the exchange, fascinated that they were so enraptured with each other that they didn’t even notice her.
“So will you delight me with your company this Saturday?”
“I’d love to, but I can’t leave my friend here by herself.” She turned to Sally who was surprised she did know she was there after all. “She’s staying with me until Sunday. However, if you wanted to come over for supper on Sunday, you may.”
“I look forward to it.” He glanced at Sally. “It was nice meeting you.”
As he headed for the sidewalk, Sally gave her friend a knowing smirk. “Who would have thought you’d really fall in love with Samuel Dixon?”
“It’s ironic, isn’t it?” she whispered, her eyes still on him. “He has to be the most attractive man alive. I thought for sure once I went to the play with him, he’d lose interest and move on, but he came by the next day and we talked for a couple of hours. It didn’t even seem like hours. Time flies by so fast when he’s around. I swear, I lose all track of time.”
Sally understood what her friend meant. “The same thing happens with me whenever Rick’s around.”
“It’s nice to know that when I need help, you two will run to m
y aid,” a very disgruntled Vivian snapped.
Surprised, Sally and Ethel Mae stopped talking and turned their wide eyes in Vivian’s direction.
Vivian held up a wrinkled piece of paper and shook it in their faces. “I was screaming for you two to help me, and both of you ignored me.”
“We didn’t hear you,” Ethel Mae replied.
Sally decided to keep quiet since she had noticed Vivian’s distress but got sidetracked.
Vivian’s face turned red. “I’m not surprised since you were falling all over yourself to talk to Samuel.”
Ethel Mae gasped and put her hand to her throat. “I wasn’t falling all over myself to talk to him!”
She rolled her eyes. “My private thoughts were in danger of being read to the entire public.”
Sally sighed. “It’s one piece of paper, Vivian.”
She turned her angry eyes to Sally. “One piece of paper that came out of my journal. That horrible Hugh came up behind me while I was writing in it and tried to steal it.”
“Maybe you should let him read it,” Sally said. “All you do is go on and on about how much you hate him. If he reads it, he’ll understand how much you detest him, and maybe then he’ll leave you alone.”
Vivian stomped her foot on the ground and huffed. “You’re missing the point.”
“I don’t see how.”
“My point is that you should have come and helped me.” Her head snapped in her sister’s direction. “And you, too! I would have helped you. In fact, I already did. I told Rick everything you wanted me to, and when I needed you, you ignored me.”
Sally groaned. “You should just let Hugh read what you think of him. It’ll be good for him to see that you’re serious about hating him.”
Vivian lifted her chin in the air and crossed her arms. “I see how things are. Let me make something clear to both of you right now. I will no longer be at your beck and call. If you want to get Rick to do or not do something, you’ll have to do it without me.”
As she stormed off down the street, Sally looked at Ethel Mae with raised eyebrows. “There goes one unhappy girl.”
Her friend sighed. “I think she secretly likes Hugh.”
“Really?”
“Have you ever noticed she only leaves the house when he’s either outside or looking out his window?”
No, she hadn’t, but she’d have to take Ethel Mae’s word for it. At the moment, however, she had more important things on her mind. “You like Samuel Dixon?”
At the mention of his name, her friend blushed. “Isn’t he wonderful?”
“I suppose…”
“I was shocked when he showed up here and told me his name. He ran into Rick, and apparently, Rick told him about me. But we don’t have to worry about anything. Samuel figured it out and isn’t telling Rick we made up the name Samuel in order for him to take an interest in you.” She giggled and clasped her hands together. “He’s much better than Vivian made him out to be, isn’t he?”
“I can see why you like him,” she admitted.
“Isn’t he wonderful?”
Sally laughed. “You already asked me that.”
“Did I?”
“You know, Ethel Mae, I can’t recall a time when I ever saw you blush so much over someone.”
She pressed her hands to her cheeks and giggled. “I feel silly, but I can’t help but think of how wonderful he is.”
Rolling her eyes, she put an arm around her friend’s and led her toward the house. “Why do I have the feeling I’ll be hearing the word ‘wonderful’ often while I’m here?”
“Did I say it again?”
Amused, she chuckled. “You are a lost cause.”
Ethel Mae giggled again as the two friends went into the house.
Chapter Eleven
Rick was heading for his home when he spotted Vivian sitting on a bench not far from the mercantile. Her arms were crossed and she had a scowl on her face. After he made sure the street was clear of traffic, he crossed it so he could talk to her.
“Vivian, is something wrong?” he asked once he reached her.
She looked over at him and shrugged in a manner that indicated she’d lost her closest friend. “No one cares about me.”
Surprised she said that, he sat next to her. “That’s not true.”
“Oh, it is. I just found out when I really need someone, no one will come through for me.”
“What’s wrong? Maybe I can help.”
She let out a long sigh. “It’s too late. That horrible Hugh already saw my private writings. I can’t think of anything more humiliating, can you?”
He considered that for a girl, having such a thing happen would be tantamount to utter and complete disaster. “No, I can’t think of anything worse than that.” At least not anything comparable that might happen to a grown man.
“When I think of all the things I did for them, I get so angry.”
“Things you did for who?”
“My sister and that friend of hers.”
“Sally?”
She nodded. “That’s the traitor. You go out of your way to do their bidding, and when you need them, they don’t care.”
“They care about you.”
“They didn’t come to my aid when Hugh was running off with one of the papers in my private journal. They just stood there in awe of all the things that horrible Samuel was telling them.”
“What’s so horrible about Samuel?”
Vivian grunted. “Nothing. He’s perfect. My sister can’t stop talking about him, and she can’t look away from him for a few seconds to see when I’m in great distress. Me! Her own sister!”
“If your life was truly in danger, she’d come to your aid.”
“One can only hope.”
“Sure, she would.” He glanced at the mercantile and nudged her in the arm. “Would some candy make you feel better? I could give you some change.”
“I’m not a little kid,” she replied.
He dug out some coins from his pocket. “Oh come on. You’re never too old to enjoy candy.”
She glanced at his hand full of coins and bit her lower lip. “But the kind of ache I feel can’t be soothed away by sweets. You got to understand that this is deep. It hurts me through and through. My sister and her friend just let me know they don’t care about me. I went through all the trouble of making up Samuel and Larry because Sally wanted you to take an interest in her—”
“You made up Samuel?”
Her eyes grew wide.
He focused in on her, willing her to maintain eye contact with him. “Vivian.”
She cleared her throat and shifted uneasily on the bench. “Oh, well…” She let out a half-hearted chuckled. “Did I say made up? I meant—”
“How much?” He took out a coin from his hand.
“Wh-what?”
“How much do you want for telling me the truth?”
She glanced uneasily at the change in his hand and shook her head. “I can’t. Even if I’m angry as can be at those two, I can’t.”
“They didn’t help you take that paper from Hugh,” he reminded her, purposely riling her up so she’d talk.
Her lips formed a thin line and she nodded. “You’re right, but I still wouldn’t feel right about it.”
“What if I promise you that I won’t tell them you told me the truth?”
Her gaze went from the change in his hand to his eyes. “You really promise?”
Winking, he said, “You have my word.”
“I could use a new journal. Hugh destroyed my old one with his grubby hands.”
He handed her a coin. “Is this enough for a new journal?”
She nodded. “My sister never wanted you to court her, but she didn’t know how to tell you so she invited Sally over to see if Sally would be interested in you.”
He had a feeling that Ethel Mae wasn’t that interested in him, so this didn’t come as a surprise. “I see. So how did Larry and Samuel come about?”
His face warmed with pleasure. Now this was better. “She did?”
“Yes, but it was obvious you wanted my sister.”
He sighed. So everyone could tell he was interested in Ethel Mae? That wasn’t so great, but he supposed in his eagerness to talk to her, he didn’t even try to hide his feelings. “What next?”
“I could use a new pen,” Vivian said, pointing to his hand full of change. “Hugh got a hold of that, too.”
“It’s a shame you can’t be a lawyer,” he told the girl as he gave her another coin. “You have a knack for giving a convincing argument.” To play it safe, he handed her two more coins. “I believe this will cover any other expenses due to Hugh’s carelessness.”
“It sure does,” she cheered, delighted as she counted the change in her hand.
“Are you going to tell me everything else?”
“Oh! Yes. Well, Sally came up with the idea to make you think the only way to get my sister was to pretend you liked Sally. So they told me to tell you that my sister only likes men who are interested in someone else. I made up Samuel and Larry to give you examples of men my sister wanted.”
“But Samuel turned out to be a real person.”
“I know. Wasn’t that something?” She smiled in amusement. “I must have heard his name somewhere and not realized it. But as it turns out, my sister can’t stop talking about him.”
“And what about Sally?”
“She adores you. She talks about you all the time.”
His smile widened.
“I’m getting sick of hearing it,” Vivian added.
“You’re getting sick of hearing about me?” he asked with a frown.
“Only because she can’t stop talking about how wonderful you are and how she hopes you’ll marry her.”
His eyebrows rose in interest. “She wants to marry me?”
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