A Bride's Agreement

by Elaine Bonner

  “You’re right about that, son,” Steven said. “Let’s go in and get the milk strained and have breakfast so we can get started. I thought I’d let the twins help today,” he added as he took the pail of milk from Matt.

  Emily and Sarah hurriedly cleaned the kitchen. Emily was anxious to get started on the new curtains for her bedroom and a new dress for herself from the material Steven had given her. Sarah took her doll and went outside to play. Precious, her faithful dog, stayed continually at Sarah’s heels as she baked mud pies for her doll.

  Emily put a pot of black-eyed peas on to cook and a pound cake in the oven to bake before she pulled out her sewing. She knew her pound cake was Steven’s favorite. She spread the cloth out on the kitchen table and carefully cut each piece. She would do as much as she could this morning and hoped that as soon as dinner was over she could finish at least one of her projects.

  Stopping her sewing for the morning, Emily finished the preparations for lunch. She prepared baked squash, new potatoes, fried okra, corn on the cob, and a big pan of cornbread. She still had fresh tomatoes and cantaloupe to complete the meal. Sarah rang the dinner bell as Emily lay the spread on the table.

  Once the dinner dishes were washed and put away, Emily returned to her sewing. She cooked enough that morning so all she would have to do to get supper on the table was warm the food, that would enable her to sew right up until the last minute.

  When her curtains were at last complete, she stood back and admired her handiwork. She was very pleased with what she saw. Her old bedspread still covered the bed, although it didn’t go with the curtains as well as she would have liked. At least now the room felt more like it was hers. She hoped that before long the room would no longer be just hers.

  Emily thought back to the night before last when Steven had kissed her. There had been no more such displays of affection. She knew he had been very hurt and upset that night, and she prayed that his turning to her had not been just because of the misery he felt. She hoped he kissed her because he wanted to.

  It was a very hot day and Steven was having trouble keeping his mind on his work. Not because of the heat, but because his thoughts kept going to Emily. She had been so loving and understanding the other night. Emily had been there for him during his time of need. But most of all he couldn’t get that kiss out of his mind.

  As he picked up an armload of firewood and started toward the wagon, he very distinctly heard his little voice, Steven, now that you have things basically under control with your children, are you going to get started on building a relationship with Emily? You keep stalling and making excuses. You have a terrific lady just waiting to be your wife and you keep acting like an idiot. It’s time to get into the game.

  “I know. I know,” Steven said aloud before he remembered there was no one there. He then began to develop a plan. He and Emily were married, but they didn’t really know each other. He would continue with what he had halfheartedly started and court his wife. Maybe a walk after supper would be a good way to begin.

  After making sure the younger children were ready for bed, Emily let herself relax. The sun was low in the sky, but there was still at least an hour of daylight left as Emily walked out the front door. Steven was seated on the edge of the porch, leaning against one of the posts.

  Before she could sit down in the swing, Steven asked, “Are you too tired to take a little walk with me?”

  A little surprised by his question, she softly replied, “No. That’s sounds nice.”

  “From the looks of those clouds in the distance, we may get a little shower later tonight,” Steven observed, as they started down the lane toward the creek.

  “We could use some rain. Maybe it would cool things off a little,” Emily returned.

  Their words were few and far between, but the silence was not awkward. As they continued their lazy stroll, Steven reached over and took Emily’s hand in his. Just the touch of his hand made her stomach flip and her heart race. They stopped at the widest part of the creek, just a few yards upstream from the spot Emily had come to think of as her private sanctuary. Steven picked up a small stone and threw it across the water.

  “I guess you think that was pretty good,” Emily teased.

  “It skipped three times even on this narrow creek,” Steven returned. He offered her another stone. “Think you can do better?”

  Emily took the stone and closely examined it before she gave it a toss. “Five skips,” she bragged.

  “Four and a half. That last one fizzled out, so I’m being generous even calling it a half,” he returned.

  “That’s still one and a half better than you,” she quipped.

  Steven searched and found two more flat stones. “Okay, let’s throw together and go for distance and number of skips.”

  The two stones made five skips each across the water, but Emily’s outdistanced his and landed at the water’s edge on the opposite bank.

  “Just where did you learn the skillful art of stone skipping?” he asked.

  “On the banks of the Rio Grande. My daddy used to take me to the river. He could skip a stone farther than anyone I’ve ever seen.”

  Steven seated himself on the soft grass and Emily joined him. “Tell me about your father,” he said.

  “There’s not much to tell. My mother died when I was a baby and Daddy raised me. He worked hard all his life and never had much to show for it. He was a kind, honest, loving man. He couldn’t give me much in the way of worldly possessions, but he gave me lots of love. He kept the two of us fed and sheltered. He never remarried, although he had lots of opportunities. Every widow and old maid in town was after Daddy and he took advantage of their eagerness to please him. He got them to teach me to sew and cook. He could cook, and he taught me all he knew, but he thought I could benefit from a woman’s influence.” Emily couldn’t help but chuckle.

  “The most important thing about my father, though, was the fact that he was a Christian. He loved God, and you could see that love in everything he did.”

  Night had fallen as they started back toward the farmhouse. Steven held her hand for the entire walk home. The house was dark with the exception of a light shining through Matt and Mark’s window. Hidden in the shadow of the house, Steven took Emily in his arms and kissed her soundly.

  “Emily, why did Matt run away?” Sarah asked Emily as they were doing chores the next morning.

  “He was upset,” Emily responded. She didn’t know how much she should explain. Stepping on Steven’s territory was not what she wanted to do, but knowing Sarah, she would have to give the child a fairly thorough explanation.

  “What was he upset about?” Sarah continued.

  “I guess he was sort of mad at your daddy,” Emily said, still certain the child would not be content with that answer.

  “Why was he mad at Daddy?” Once again, Sarah’s relentless pursuit of the truth was at work.

  Emily decided she might as well give Sarah the only explanation she could. “You probably don’t remember when your daddy lived here before with you kids and your momma. But Matt does, and he has been very angry with your daddy for leaving. Your daddy and Brother Tom sat down and had a long talk with Matt and Mark the other day, and your father tried to explain to the boys why he left. Matt got really upset and went off by himself to think things through. Now he’s home, and maybe everything will be better between your daddy and Matt.”

  “Why did Daddy leave?” Sarah prodded.

  “Sarah, I can’t answer any more of these questions. You will have to ask your father why he left. I wasn’t around at that time and he’s the only one who can tell you that.”

  That must have satisfied the little girl’s mind, for the persistent questioning stopped for now.

  Emily laid aside the garment she was sewing and started outside to round up the kids for bedtime. She only got as far as the front door when she heard Steven’s and Sarah’s voices on the front porch. Sarah had her father cornered and was grilling
him on the reasons for his disappearance.

  Steven obviously didn’t know how to answer Sarah’s questions. Emily prayed for his guidance, and then quietly returned to her sewing for a little longer.

  Steven explained about the drought and why he left to find work, but nothing he said seemed to satisfy Sarah. Her questions kept coming. She was like a hound that had a coon treed, and Steven was the coon. No way was he leaving that porch until she was satisfied with his answers.

  “Sarah, I don’t know how to explain to you why I didn’t come home for so many years. Sometimes grown-ups make bad mistakes and bad decisions. My staying away was a bad decision. I love you children very much and I never stopped loving you. I thought about you all the time I was away. I wondered what you looked like and how big you had grown. But I just couldn’t come home. I should have though.” Steven looked into Sarah’s eyes.

  He looked for reassurance that she was understanding what he was trying to tell her and that she was satisfied with his explanation. Instead, he saw confusion in her face.

  “But why couldn’t you come home?”

  Steven was beginning to sweat now. Oh, how he wished someone could get him out of this hot seat. He looked around, hoping to see some help coming from somewhere, but he was alone with his interrogator. Where was that little voice when he needed it? It had been persistent about butting into things in which Steven didn’t want interference, but now when he could use some help, the voice was silent.

  Steven decided to try a slightly different approach. “Sarah, have you ever been afraid?”

  “Yeah. I’m afraid of snakes. Mark scared me with one once. It was just a garden snake, but I was really scared,” Sarah offered.

  “Okay. Do you know what it means to let someone down? To have someone disappointed in you?”

  “Uh-huh. One time I was supposed to help Momma fix supper, but I was playing and forgot to come in. She was really mad at me and said she was disappointed in me. It made me feel really bad.” Sarah’s little face was sad.

  “Well. When I left here I was really scared. I was afraid I would lose the farm. And I thought I had let everyone down. I thought your mother was very disappointed in me. So I stayed away. I guess you could say I was hiding. I was afraid of facing your mother and you kids because I thought I let you down.” Steven stopped talking and looked once again at Sarah.

  Her face showed signs of understanding. “You must have felt really bad. I’m sorry you felt that way.” She got on her knees in the swing so she could hug Steven’s neck. “Daddy, you didn’t disappoint me. I love you and I sure am glad you’re home.” She released her hold on her father.

  Tears filled Steven’s eyes. If everyone could be as forgiving as this small girl, the world would be a much better place. Giving Sarah a hug and a warm kiss on the cheek, he said, “I love you, too, Sarah. Now, I think it’s time you went to bed. It’s past your bedtime.”

  The little girl gave her daddy a big smile as she hopped from the swing and disappeared through the front door.

  Emily heard the screen slam and laid down her sewing. Steven was still seated in the swing when she walked through the door. Looking up at her, he motioned for her to come sit beside him. After she had seated herself next to him, Steven reached out and took her hand.

  “I wish you’d come out a little sooner,” Steven proclaimed.

  “I heard you and Sarah talking and thought I’d leave you alone. I thought you might need some time to yourselves,” Emily returned.

  “That child doesn’t let up when she wants an explanation about something,” Steven remarked.

  “I know. I’ve been through a couple of her relentless question sessions. It’s about time you had your turn,” Emily said as she let out a soft giggle.

  “There’s an evil side to you that I’ve never seen before,” Steven responded as he turned to look at Emily.

  His smile told her he was joking so she quipped, “I think it’s only fair that you get your share of answering her questions.”

  “Well, you could have at least come to my rescue when you heard her interrogating me,” Steven continued with the lighthearted teasing.

  “You weren’t around to help me. Turn about’s fair play, I always say.”

  “Like I said, you have an evil streak,” he joked as he dropped her hand and slipped his arm around her shoulder.

  Emily struggled to keep her voice steady as she asked, “Well, did you satisfy her curiosity?”

  “I hope I did. She seemed satisfied. At least for now,” Steven answered as he drew Emily just a little closer to him.

  It felt good having Emily next to him. The emptiness he had felt for so many years was beginning to lessen. Without removing his arm from her shoulders, Steven reached over with his other hand and picked up Emily’s left hand. He ran his finger over the gold band on her third finger. A cold shiver went through him. He had slipped that ring on her hand, but it wasn’t his ring. He had been so unfeeling that day. How could a fellow ask a lady to marry him and then forget to buy a ring?

  As the memory of that day began to flood his mind, Steven wondered why Emily had ever consented to marry him. He recalled the look on her face as she slipped Jim’s ring off her finger and handed it to him to place back on her hand. He didn’t understand why she hadn’t fled out the door at that very moment.

  Sitting there beside her now, he was certainly glad she hadn’t. With her beside him, his lonely heart was being warmed and filled. As he continued to stroke her hand, a new and very unexpected feeling overcame him. He was jealous. The ring on her finger wasn’t his; it had originally been placed there by another man. Emily had probably never taken it off until the day she slid it off for him to place back on her finger.

  For the first time Steven realized he didn’t like the thought of her ever being with another man. He knew from what she told him that she had loved Jim very much. Would she ever feel that way about him? He would do his best to make sure she did. And someday, someday soon, he prayed, he would replace the ring she now wore with one of his own.

  Emily’s voice broke into his thoughts. “It’s getting late,” she said. “I guess I’d better go inside.”

  Steven wasn’t ready to let her go, but for now he knew he had to. “Yeah, I guess you’re right,” he responded.

  Emily stood, but Steven didn’t let go of her hand. He rose from the swing and pulled her into his arms. As she looked into his eyes he covered her mouth with his.

  “Good night,” Steven said as he released his hold on her. “Have sweet dreams,” he continued as he opened the screen door.

  “Good night,” she whispered. As she passed in front of him through the door, she paused and gently touched his cheek. She gazed deeply into his eyes as she murmured, “My dreams should be very sweet tonight.”

  As Steven watched her disappear into her bedroom and close the door, he knew his dreams would be very sweet, too. That is, if he was ever able to get to sleep.

  CHAPTER 12

  On Saturday evening, Steven walked out behind the barn and found Emily sitting on a fallen log.

  “So this is where you are,” he said as he sat down next to her.

  “I just wanted a little quiet time, so I started to take a walk. I got this far and realized that maybe I didn’t want to be completely alone after all. So I sat down here to try and figure out a way to get you to join me for an evening stroll.”

  “You didn’t have to work so hard at figuring out how to get me to join you. All you had to do was ask.”

  “Well, I knew you were tired so I didn’t think you’d be interested in a walk this evening,” Emily said softly.

  Taking Emily’s hand in his, Steven told her, “I am tired but not too tired to take a walk with you.”

  Never letting go of her hand, Steven stood and pulled Emily to her feet. They strolled farther down the lane, hand in hand. Steven couldn’t remember ever enjoying time like this with anyone. Becky would have thought evening strolls down a count
ry lane were boring. Steven was learning that nothing he did with Emily was boring.

  As they walked, Steven began to tell Emily about his dreams for the farm. He spoke about someday building a bigger barn. He hoped to have several cows to milk and more horses, just for the pleasure of raising horses. His voice became excited as he talked.

  “I want this place to shine. I want my kids to be proud of their home. And someday I want at least one of them to want to take over and call this home for their family.” Steven stopped and stood still a moment. He gazed up at the stars, then turned to Emily. “Emily, what kind of dreams do you have?”

  Emily was quiet for what seemed like a long time. Finally she spoke. “Your dreams sound very nice. I’d kind of like to share them if that’s okay.”

  “I sort of had that in mind,” Steven replied shyly. “Someday I’d like to build us a new house. One with a big kitchen. Lots of space for the family to gather. One that is bright like sunshine. One so that when anyone walks into it, they can tell that it is your kitchen.”

  Emily was silent for another long moment. At last Steven prompted her, “Emily, would you like a new house with a big kitchen?”

  “It sounds wonderful.” He thought her voice trembled a little. “But I’m happy with what I have now. I don’t have to have anything big and showy. I don’t think the kids do either. It’s not the house that makes the home.”

  “I know. And I realize we still have a long way to go before we can call our place a real home. I also know we have a lot of work left before we’re a family. But Emily, sometimes you just have to dream.” Steven took a few steps away from her and began to survey his surroundings. “Emily, I like what I see here, but there’s still a lot of work to do. Not only to the farm but to the people that live here. Sometimes I get so anxious I have to just stop and visualize things the way I would like them to be. Do you know what I’m talking about?”