The boys each sat two to a side. The twins had taken the seats beside their father who was obviously used to helping them with their meals. Albert and Lewis sat on either side of her, calmly waiting for the prayer before they fixed their plates. Susan was impressed. Her brothers would have fallen on the food like rabid dogs.
David smiled at Susan. “Let’s all hold hands as we thank God for the meal.”
Susan’s left hand found Albert’s while her right hand joined with Lewis’s. She bowed her head while David said a quick prayer thanking God for sending Susan into their lives. Susan felt her eyes tear up as she listened to it. His boys seemed so well behaved and he obviously wanted a wife so badly. If nothing went wrong, she knew she’d agree to marry him on their trip back into town.
They passed the dishes very politely around the table with the older boys helping the younger boys with their portions. Susan was amazed. She could easily take on the boys if they were always this well behaved.
She took a bite of her mashed potatoes with the cream gravy. “This is wonderful! Do you always eat so well?”
David nodded. “Sadie is the housekeeper and the cook. If you’d like to cook meals, you can always let her know you’d prefer to cook a certain night, but she’s used to cooking for all of us. The ranch hands have their own cook and live in the bunkhouse, so they never intrude on our family time unless there’s some kind of emergency I need to know about.”
Susan took a moment to think about that. She wouldn’t even have to cook? And there was a nanny for the boys? What would she do with her time? “What do you need a wife for? You have a nanny, a cook, a housekeeper. Would I just sit around and file my nails all day?”
He laughed. “I do have four boys. There need to be two women working together to take care of them. Caroline did a lot of charity work as well. And you’d do all the sewing for us and the mending. Caroline used to say the sewing itself was a full time job.”
She nodded, thinking about the life she’d have as his wife. She turned to Albert. “I hear you love horses.”
Albert turned his big brown eyes to her and nodded. His whole face was lit up by his favorite subject. “I do. I want to train horses like my pa. Someday I’m going to train the fastest horse in all of Texas!”
“Not in all of the United States?”
“If it’s the fastest horse in Texas, it is the fastest horse in all of the US!”
She laughed. “You’re not proud to be a Texan are you?”
Lewis poked her arm from her other side. “Of course, he’s proud to be a Texan. If you’re not a Texan, you’re nothing!”
“Well, I think it’s a good thing I moved here then!”
The boys regaled her with tales of the Alamo among other stories from when Texas was a republic. She was amazed they knew their history so well.
She watched as the twins ate their meal. They had horrible table manners, but she expected that from two year olds. She could work with them on that.
Once the meal was over, the boys all went into the parlor and she followed. The parlor was next to the dining room with an open archway in between. David was right behind her with his hand at the small of her back. “Would you like a tour of the house?”
She turned and smiled at him over her shoulder. “Yes, please!”
“This is the main parlor. If we have guests over, we usually come in here with them.” He took her elbow and steered her down a hallway. “This is our washroom.” He opened the door and she saw a small seat with a pull chain. “That’s our water closet.” Next to it was a large claw foot bathtub with two knobs above it. She assumed they were to adjust water.
He led her to the next room and it was another smaller parlor. “What’s this room for?”
He shrugged. “We use it more as a family gathering room. The boys play here a lot, and Caroline used to do needlework in here.” He ran his hand over the back of a blue sofa that had seen better days.
Susan liked this room better than the formal parlor at the front of the house. The furniture was older and the rug on the floor was faded, but it felt a lot more homey than the formal parlor. She could see herself sitting there with the twins playing at her feet. “I really like this room.”
He smiled. “The boys love to play in here.”
She could see a box of wooden blocks in a corner of the room pushed up against the wall. There was also a bookcase along one wall with old worn books that had obviously been read and loved. Susan loved to read when she had time, so she liked the idea of exploring them all.
He led her up the stairs and showed her the boys’ bedrooms. The two older boys shared a room and the two younger boys shared a room as well. The rooms were tidy, but not spotless, just like a boy’s room should be. She ran her hand over the dresser in the twins’ room. There were small beds that were low to the ground with quilts covering them. “Do the boys like sharing rooms?”
“It’s all they’ve ever known. They don’t really need to share, because we have two spare bedrooms, but I think it’s good for them to learn to get along at a young age, and learn they can’t have everything they want when they want it.”
She nodded in agreement. He showed her the two spare bedrooms which were perfectly made up and ready for occupants. He pointed to another room, and said “My room’s through there.” She just nodded and headed for the stairs to go back down.
“Where do Sadie and Mrs. Hackenshleimer live?” She asked over her shoulder as she descended the stairs.
“There are two small rooms on the other side of the kitchen. That’s their portion of the house. There’s another small bathroom over there for their use, and the family uses the one on our side.” He gestured toward the kitchen which she hadn’t seen yet.
“May I see the kitchen?”
“I don’t think you’ll spend much time in it, but sure.” He led her through the dining room, and she saw the table had been cleared off and the dining room cleaned. Walking through the door on the other side of the dining room, he showed her the kitchen.
It was huge, and had a small table for four people as well as a modern cook stove with a coal bin beside it. There was a sink with running water and cabinets lined the walls. “This is a beautiful kitchen,” she told Sadie who was standing at the sink with her hands in dishwater. “May I help you finish?”
Sadie shook her head and shooed them toward the door. “This is my job. You go have fun with the family.”
Susan sighed. “I’m used to doing dishes for a large family. I’m happy to help anytime.” She didn’t want anyone to think she was afraid to get her hands dirty with household chores.
“When I decide to go off and spend a week with my son’s family in a few months to help when his wife has a baby, you’re more than welcome to cook and clean to your heart’s desire. For now, I’ll do the dishes.”
“I’ll take you up on that,” Susan said with a smile.
She followed David out of the kitchen and back to the formal parlor where Mrs. Hackenshleimer was sitting with the boys. The twins were sitting on the floor playing with small wooden trains while the older boys were sitting on the couch taking turns reading a book aloud to one another.
Susan’s younger brothers went on a literacy hiatus during the summers and refused to open books at all. She was very impressed with the young Dailey boys and knew she’d tell David that on the way back to Fort Worth. She’d seen what she needed to see. She would marry him if he still wanted her.
She smiled over at David. “Would it be okay if I went back to the boarding house now? I haven’t slept in a bed except for my thirty minute nap today in over a week, and I’m exhausted.”
David nodded turning to Mrs. Hackenshleimer. “I’ll be home in an hour and a half or so. Thanks for working late this evening.”
“It’s never a problem.”
Susan smiled at the older woman. “It was nice meeting you.” She waved fondly at the four boys. “Thanks for having me over for dinner tonight,” she told them.
David opened the door for her and led her outside. He signaled to the young man who had unhitched the team earlier that it was time to get the buggy ready to return to town. He took her hand and helped her down the steps so she wouldn’t fall in the setting sun. She was amazed at just how beautiful the sunset looked over the Texas prairie.
“It’s beautiful here.”
He nodded. “I can’t imagine living anywhere else.”
She grinned at him. “I noticed your boys were very proud of being from Texas.”
“Only because I raise them right, ma’am.” He winked at her as he said the words.
She shook her head and sighed. “Will I always be considered inferior around here because I’m not a native Texan?”
“Well, you can’t become a native if you weren’t born here, but you got here as fast as you could, and that’ll have to do.”
The buggy was led in front of them and he handed her up. He walked around and climbed in beside her taking the reins. “Thanks, Sam. Go on to bed. I’ll unhitch the team myself when I get home.”
“Okay, boss.” Sam tipped his hat to Susan before David moved the buggy away and down the long driveway leading to the road.
David rested his arm across the back of the seat against Susan’s shoulders. “So what did you think of my boys?” He said a silent prayer thanking God they’d been so well-behaved that evening. Bribing the older two with a dollar each to spend however they wanted had certainly worked. He’d never seen the two boys voluntarily pick up a book in their lives.
She smiled at him. “They were very sweet and well behaved. I was expecting hellions like my own younger siblings and was very pleasantly surprised. You’ve done a good job with them.” She folded her hands together in her lap watching the darkened road as they drove back toward Fort Worth. “Would Mrs. Hackenshleimer stay on if we were to marry?”
“Absolutely. She knows the boys’ routine and I think it’s better if she sticks around to help them with the transition.”
Susan breathed a sigh of relief. She really didn’t think his boys would be a lot of work, but knowing they wouldn’t be released into just her care immediately made her feel a lot better about accepting his proposal. “I think that’s good.”
He looked at her out of the corner of his eye, hoping against hope she’d made the decision he so badly wanted her to make. “So do you think you can join my little family and be a mother to four boys?”
She bit her lip, wondering if she was making the right choice as she nodded. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”
With an excited yell, he pulled the buggy off to the side of the road and turned to her. “Thank you! You won’t regret it.” He used the arm across her shoulders to pull her toward him. “I think all engagements should be sealed with a kiss, don’t you?”
Her eyes widened. She hadn’t expected that. “I guess….”
“Trust me on this. I’ve been married before and you haven’t.” He cupped her face in his hands looking down into her green eyes in the moonlight. His thumb traced against her bottom lip.
She stared up at him, enthralled by the look in his brown eyes. She’d never been kissed before, and being touched by a male who wasn’t a member of her family was completely foreign to her. His thumb against her lip sent a shiver down her spine that surprised her. Then his head was lowering toward hers and her lashes fluttered closed.
The first brush of his lips against her was as gentle as a butterfly’s wings. His lips just barely touched hers. When his lips came back for a second brush against hers they were less tender and more demanding. He pressed them hard against hers, his tongue tracing the seam of her lips and asking for entrance.
She parted her lips to ask what he wanted, and his tongue gained access before she could get any words out. At the first stroke of his tongue against hers, she was startled. She hadn’t known people kissed that way, but then she opened her mouth further to give him access. His kiss was causing a tingling right down to her toes she couldn’t help but enjoy.
Her hands rose to his shoulders and clung to him. It felt so very strange to be in a man’s arms, but so good at the same time. She’d worried about what her wedding night would be like with a man she barely knew, but the way he was making her feel let her know her worries were unfounded. He knew exactly what he was doing and would make everything right.
After a moment, he lifted his head, his dark eyes staring down at her in the darkness. “I want to get married tomorrow,” he whispered.
She nodded. “I thought today would be my wedding day, so that’s fine.” Her mind was sluggish and she tried to think. “Are we going to marry at the courthouse?”
“It’ll be faster that way.” He brushed her lips one last time with his before turning and picking up the reins again. “Do you mind if the boys attend the wedding?”
She shook her head. “Of course not. They’re well behaved, so I don’t see that being a problem at all.” She could picture how sweetly they would sit with their hands folded in their laps paying attention to the vows.
He took her hand in his and held it for the rest of the drive to the boarding house. “Why don’t I pick you up around ten in the morning, and we’ll go to the courthouse to speak our words? I’ll get Sadie to cook up a nice wedding lunch for us, and I’ll have a few of the area ranchers and their wives over so you can get to know a some people before you settle in.”
She leaned back against the seat and stretched a bit. “That would be nice. Just not too many people. I’m too tired to have to play hostess for a big party. One night’s sleep isn’t going to be enough after that long train ride.”
He pulled up in front of the boarding house and helped her down walking her to the front door. “I’ll keep it to five or six of my closest friends and their wives.” He noticed Mrs. Duckworth had been kind enough to leave a lit lantern on the front porch for Susan. He brushed his lips against hers and opened the door for her. “I’ll be here at ten. Have your things packed and ready to go.”
“I’ll be waiting for you.”
She stifled a yawn as she went inside and closed the door behind her. Mrs. Duckworth went to the door to see who was there. “Is that you, Susan?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Susan had explained a little about her situation earlier in the day, and Mrs. Duckworth was understandably curious. She knew little of David Dailey, but she had thought he was a kind enough man when he’d reserved the room for Susan the previous day. “So what did you decide?”
Susan blushed. “He’s picking me up for the wedding at ten tomorrow morning.”
Mrs. Duckworth smiled. “We’ll start getting you ready as soon as the breakfast dishes are done, then. I know you just had a bath today, but we’ll get you another, and I’ll fix your hair for you if you’d like.”
“Oh, I don’t want to take you away from the other things you need to be doing.”
“I never had a girl. Only boys. I’d love to help a young lady get ready for her wedding. Will you let me play mother for a few hours tomorrow?”
Susan laughed softly and nodded. “Thank you. I’d like that very much.”
“Go and get a good night’s sleep. With a husband and four boys to deal with, this may very well be your last full night of sleep for a long while.”
Susan didn’t tell the woman how angelic her future step-sons were. She didn’t want to brag too much. “Good night. And thank you.”
*****
While Susan bathed after breakfast the following morning, Mrs. Duckworth ironed the dark green dress Susan had made for the wedding.
By the time Susan was out of the tub and wearing her petticoats, Mrs. Duckworth had her dress ready. “Do you know how you want your hair for the wedding?”
Susan shook her head. “I’ve worn it in braids and in a bun all of my life. I’ve never even looked at other hairstyles. At home, it was all about what was the best way to keep it up and away from your face so you could work.”
Mrs. Duckwor
th walked in a circle around Susan who was standing in the middle of the room with her hair piled on top of her head to keep it from getting wet during her bath. “Take your hair down so I can see how long it is.”
Susan pulled the pins she’d put in it to keep it up, and her blond hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall. It went to the back of her knees. She stood still as the older woman eyed her. “What do you think?”
Mrs. Duckworth smiled when she saw all the hair and gave a quick nod. “I know just what we’ll do.” She waved to the straight back chair she’d brought up to the room earlier. “Sit. We need to get started.”
Susan sat down and stared straight ahead as Mrs. Duckworth went to work on her hair. She brushed it out little by little, and once it shone, she began the elaborate up-do she had in mind. While she worked Susan asked her questions about her life to fill the silence.
“You said you only had boys. How many did you have?”
“Only three. I wanted an even dozen, but the good Lord knew I couldn’t possibly handle that many once my husband died.” There was a note of sadness in the older woman’s voice as she mentioned her husband.
“When did he die?”
“Well, let’s think. I was twenty five when he died so it must have been thirty eight years ago. He died in the Texas War of Independence. I didn’t want him to fight, because I was pregnant with my third at the time, and had a six year old and a three year old, but he was filled with pride for his homeland. He couldn’t stand to let Santa Anna’s troops take over, so he fought.” The woman stopped and wiped a tear from her eye before resuming her task of fixing Susan’s hair.
“I’m sorry. It must have been really hard for you to raise three boys on your own.”
Mrs. Duckworth nodded. “This house was all I had back then. I put the two older boys in a room together, and when the baby was born, he shared with me. I started taking in boarders. Just two to start with, but then I realized I could easily handle more. Now I have up to six boarders at any given time.”
Mail Order Madness Page 5