“If you’d like, I could take you out to see the creamery one day.” Thomas’s voice dragged her attention from the cash register.
“Where they make the ice cream? That would be wonderful.” She gave him her sweetest smile and watched the red flame his ears. “I planned to make mine in the back room of my shop.”
“Do you have a telephone where I can call you when they are making some?”
“I do.” She gave him the number and watched him write it down. Instead of no men in her life, other than Gerald, her best friend, now two men wanted to speak to her on the telephone? And on the same day? Maybe she wouldn’t be an old maid after all. She smiled. And then she frowned. This attention seemed to appear only in Bismarck, not in Blessing. Still, it did give her hope, or at least a great story to share at home.
8
“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” Linnea asked that evening.
“Writing a letter. Did you have your bath?”
“Yes. Will you read us a story like you used to?”
Rebecca smiled at her little cousin, whose hair was done up in rags so she would have curls for church in the morning. Had it not been for the white ties in her hair, she might have been taken for an angel in her white gown and robe. “I would love to do that. And Little Gus?”
“You aren’t supposed to call him that, ’member?”
“It’s hard to break a habit of nine years.” Rebecca closed the leather binder that held her writing paper, envelopes on one side, and a tablet on the other where she kept her notes for her soda shop. At the top of one she’d written Emporium, because she liked the word. She stood and held out her hand. “Come, let’s find the book. Which one is your mother reading to you?”
“Pa reads most.”
“I’m glad to hear that.” With Linnea at her side, Rebecca trailed her hand down the carved staircase rail. Compared to the house that was part of the store in Blessing, this one was a castle. Actually, considering most of the houses in Blessing, only Sophie’s house and Thorliff ’s could begin to compare to this one.
But already she knew that Penny was not happy here. Her smile did not flash immediately like it had at home, and lines etched her eyes and forehead. Not that she had said anything, but Rebecca had known her too long and too well not to detect the changes. Perhaps tonight they would have a chance to really talk.
She and her little cousin cuddled in a big leather chair in front of the fireplace in the parlor, and Linnea handed her the book from the side table. “Black Beauty. I love this story.”
“Me too.”
Hjelmer strolled into the room carrying his overcoat. “Ah, I see you’ve usurped my place.”
“I can move.”
He shook his head and waved off her protests. “No. Tonight I get to listen.” He folded his coat over the sofa back and sank down. “I marked the place we ended with a bookmark.”
“I see. Do we wait for Gus?”
“He thinks he’s too big to be read to, and Ma is busy.” Linnea tucked her nightdress over her toes.
“So what does that make me?” Hjelmer asked.
“My pa.”
He smiled. “Not Far?”
“Pa. All the kids here say pa.”
“I see. So we have to be the same as everyone else?”
She nodded, her eyes looking serious. “Yes.”
Rebecca watched the exchange. She was having a hard time remembering Hjelmer sitting down with either of his children. Or reading to them. Some things had changed. She opened the book to the proper page and began to read. When she closed the book half an hour or so later, Linnea was leaning heavily against her arm.
“That was sad.”
“I know. Some of this book is really sad. I’d forgotten about this part.”
“But Black Beauty tries so hard. How could that man be mean to him?”
Rebecca looked to Hjelmer. How did one answer a question like that?
“Some people do not know how to be kind to animals, or perhaps to people either,” he said.
“Jesus said to love one another. Doesn’t that mean animals too?”
“Yes. I think it does.”
“Do you know that Rebecca fell down on the ice and a nice man helped her get up? He was kind, huh?”
Rebecca felt the heat creeping up her neck. “Yes. Mor told me.”
“He walked home with us. I think he likes Rebecca.”
The heat reached Rebecca’s cheeks and bloomed over the rest of her face. She wished the discussion had never started. “I think it’s time you headed for bed.”
Hjelmer stood and gathered up his overcoat. “Come along, Lin, before you embarrass our guest any further.” He winked at Rebecca and said sotto voce, “Hear all, see all, speak all.”
Penny stopped in the door. “ Would you like a cup of tea, Rebecca?”
“Please.”
“I’ll bring it in. Hjelmer?”
“No coffee?”
She shook her head. “Tea.”
“I suppose.”
“Can I help you?” Rebecca started to get up but sat back down when Penny waved her back.
“So what did you think of Benson’s?” Penny asked later when the tea was poured and the lemon cookies passed.
“I loved the mural on the wall.”
“It is nicely decorated.”
“And the ice cream is good. Not as good as we make at home, but good. I liked the different flavors.”
“What did you think of Thomas?”
“He was nice, wasn’t he, to offer to show me around like that? When I saw the beef hanging in the freezer, I about jumped out of my skin. We don’t have such a thing as refrigeration in Blessing. He said that was run by gas, like the lights.”
“I’m sure Thorliff and his crew will be able to build you whatever you need.” Hjelmer propped his feet on a footstool and rested his saucer on his chest, sipping his tea. “Of course, in the winter you can just set it all out on the back porch.”
“I liked the glass-fronted display.”
“That you can most likely order. I’m sure if we talk to Mr. Benson, he’ll tell us where he ordered his supplies. You won’t be competition for him, clear across the state like that.” He reached for another cookie and, after a bite, held it up. “I think you need to have other kinds of desserts and things to eat besides sodas and ice cream.”
“We’ve been talking about that. Cookies go really well with ice cream.”
Rebecca sipped her tea and stared into the fire. So many things to think about. Deep blue eyes appeared in her mind. She nearly choked on her tea.
“Are you all right?” Penny asked.
Rebecca coughed and patted her chest. “I will be.” She swallowed and coughed again. “Just swallowed wrong.” Kurt von Drehl. What a strong-sounding name. She took another sip of tea. Skating with him had been more romantic than anything she’d done in her entire life. She could feel the rhythm flowing through her. Stroke and glide. “Ah, what?” She turned to find Penny studying her with an amused expression, and Hjelmer had left the room. “Did you say something?”
“Twice, as a matter of fact. You just floated off.”
“Ah …” Rebecca figured they might as well douse the fireplace. Her face would warm the entire room. “Could you repeat it, please?”
“I asked if you’ve talked this over much with Ingeborg yet.”
“No. We spoke some last summer, but then with the hoof-andmouth disaster, I gave it up. The whole town was so sad.”
“Strange to hear you say that—Blessing as a town. My store, the school, and the church were pretty much it for a long time.”
“And the boardinghouse.”
“True.” Penny sipped her tea, then leaned her head against the back of the chair. “Sometimes I am so homesick I want to throw up. My heart just aches. I am doing my best here, but it never seems good enough.”
Rebecca looked around the room. “You have a beautiful house here, and the children seem happy. They like having t
heir pa around more.”
“I know. I like that part too.” Her sigh could be heard over the snapping of the fire. “This ‘whither thou goest’ principle is not always easy. Keep that in mind when you are thinking of marriage. What if the man you fall in love with either isn’t in Blessing or for some reason wants to leave? I never dreamed I’d live anywhere but there.” Sorrow weighted her voice. “And yet I know that I did the right thing. Your mor and Ingeborg would say that one must make the best of whatever happens. That is a woman’s lot in life.”
“They also say that time heals all wounds.”
“Not sure it is time but rather the Holy Spirit. I’ve been spending more time in my Bible than ever before. I have to find the strength and the joy to deal with all this.” She shook her head. “Joy is sadly lacking in my life right now.” She smiled over at Rebecca. “That is why I am so grateful you came to visit. You have no idea what a help this is for me.”
“I thought I was coming for me. To see the soda shop and talk with you about running a business.”
Penny’s smile didn’t make it all the way to her eyes, but it was better than the somber look she’d been wearing. “That’s one of the good things about God. He turns one thing into good for several. Think how happy the children are to have you here to show you around.”
“Yes, and to watch me get flattened on the ice.”
“I thought Gus was going to go after that other boy and throw him down on the ice.”
“How will I ever get over calling him Little Gus?”
“It’ll take some doing, I suppose.”
Rebecca tried to stop a yawn and failed. “I should be knitting while I’m sitting here.”
“Should.” Penny rubbed her lips together. “What a heavy word.”
“Idle hands and all that.”
“Have you ever noticed that most men don’t keep their hands busy all the time like we women do?”
“Maybe that’s why some smoke a pipe. Others carve wood.”
“Fix harnesses, do leather work. Hjelmer repaired one of Linnea’s dolls. She thought he was God, but had I done it, she’d have taken that for granted. Mor can fix anything.”
Should I tell her about our lists? The thought niggled. “If I tell you something, do you promise to not tell anyone?”
Penny raised her eyebrows as she stared at Rebecca. “Of course. Who would I tell?”
“Hjelmer maybe.”
“Is this women stuff?”
Rebecca nodded.
“You learn early on to never tell men women stuff, even if you are married.”
“Someone better tell Ellie that.”
“She was in on this?”
“All us girls were. We celebrated my birthday late and New Year’s at the same time. We all slept at the boardinghouse.”
“A girl party. What fun. When I was your age there weren’t enough girls around to have a party. We all had to become women too soon.”
“By the way, Ingeborg said to tell you how much she misses you. She says the sewing circle isn’t the same without you, and the store is a mess. Her words, not mine.”
Penny chewed on her lower lip. “Tell me more about the party.”
“Well, I told the girls I’m becoming an old maid, and I asked for advice on how to get a man.”
“You didn’t.” Penny set her cup down and leaned forward, a chuckle dancing in the firelight.
“I did. How come none of the young men ask to walk with me or come to visit?”
“How can they with Gus and Knute guarding you like a stallion with his mares?”
“I was afraid of that. But I keep thinking maybe something is the matter with me.”
“Has nothing to do with you. Look at the attention you received today. I need to give those two brothers of yours a good talking to. And it’s time Gus got a wife of his own. He’s how old now?”
“Twenty-one.”
“Has he ever shown any interest in one of the girls?”
“No, but Maydell was flirting with him. She’s Ellie’s friend from Grafton. She said she’d give me advice.”
Penny rolled her eyes. “From what I’ve heard, that is a place for good solid advice,” she said sarcastically.
“She’s like Sophie used to be. She likes to flirt. But I don’t know how to giggle and tease like she does. Although Gus doesn’t seem to notice or show that he does.” Maybe that’s why he’d been so grouchy with her lately. “So we all decided to make a list.”
“A list?”
“Of what we want in a man.”
Penny choked and patted her chest. “Why not just make a list of all the eligible men in Blessing and check off the one you want?”
Rebecca frowned. “You think that would be a good thing? There’s not many right now.”
“I am teasing you, for crying out loud.”
“Oh.” Rebecca stared into the fire. “What made you think you loved Hjelmer?”
“Oh, he was one dashing fellow. He made everyone laugh, and talk about good looking. There just wasn’t anyone around that could hold a candle to him. Plus, my aunt Agnes, your mother, said he was dangerous, a bit of a bad boy, I guess you would call it.”
“Like what did he do?”
“He made a lot of money gambling, smoked cigars, and those laughing blue eyes …” She shook her head. “He sure made my sweet little heart go pitter-patter.” Penny took a turn staring into the fire. “He was and is a wanderer and adventurer. He wants to see beyond the next horizon, but he’s a good businessman with a keen sense of what is coming next. At least when he’s the one responsible. I have to give him that.”
“I think I hear a but in there.” Rebecca surprised herself with her comment.
“Most likely. I never thought his adventures would include moving us all to Bismarck. Or how hard it would be for him to work for someone else.” Penny heaved a sigh while Rebecca caught another yawn. Yawning herself, Penny stood and picked up the tray. “We have more time to visit another day. We don’t need to do it all in one night. Do you have everything you need?”
“I most certainly do, and to think I don’t even have to go outside to an outhouse.” She stood, stretching and yawning again. “Do you bank the fire?”
“Yes, go ahead. Another thing I am grateful for is the coal furnace in the cellar. There are many good things about this house, but I’d still trade it for the one at the store any day.”
“You could always have Thorliff build you a new house in Blessing.”
“Maybe someday.” She waited while Rebecca banked the fire and then turned out the gaslights as they left the room.
Snuggled under the covers a few minutes later, Rebecca thought back to their conversation. If she were to make a list of all the eligible men, who would she mark as the one she wanted? A new face floated through her mind, the one she’d seen when she opened her eyes after the fall on the ice. Kurt von Drehl. What was it about him that made her think of Hjelmer? An adventurer, Penny had said. And wasn’t she always dreaming about an adventure? But look how unhappy Penny was now, no matter how much she loved Hjelmer. As Rebecca drifted off, Gerald’s familiar face grinned at her with a teasing twinkle in his eyes, as if sharing in her exciting day. She didn’t want to leave Blessing either.
9
“REBECCA, THE TELEPHONE IS for you.”
“Thank you, Linnea. Whoever would be calling me?”
“Ma said it was a man’s voice.”
Something wrong at home was her first thought. Gerald ’s calling from the switchboard. But surely if it were that, he would have told Penny. She left her letter writing and followed Linnea down the stairs. Picking up the dangling black receiver, she put it to her ear and stood on her tiptoes to speak into the black trumpet. “Hello? This is Rebecca.” She spoke slowly and loudly, as if she were hard of hearing herself.
“Hi, Rebecca, this is Kurt von Drehl, and you don’t need to shout. I can hear you fine if you talk in a normal voice.”
“Oh, sor
ry.” She could feel the heat rising from her neck up. Now he must think her frightfully stupid. She’d pretty much given up hope that he was going to call her, since it had been over a week since they’d been ice-skating. Now he was calling her on the telephone, of all things.
“Have you talked on a telephone before?”
His voice sounded as if he were standing right beside her. She lifted the earpiece away and stared at it a moment before answering. “No, this is my first on my own.” His laugh made the sides of her mouth lift, and she caught a giggle before it escaped.
“That’s better. I was wondering if you might like to go for a sleigh ride.”
“I—ah … um … when?” Now he would think her a dolt for sure.
“Now. I thought we might head west of town. I’m sure there will be a beautiful sunset this afternoon. We wouldn’t be gone a long time.” Take a sleigh ride to see the sunset? All that for a sunset? She could hear Gus’s snort of disapproval for wasted time. Surely it wouldn’t be more beautiful than the ones from home. “Ah, let me ask Penny.”
“Don’t hang up. I’ll wait for you.”
“All right.” She let the receiver dangle and headed into the kitchen to find Penny. “He’s asked me to go for a sleigh ride to see the sunset.”
“How lovely.” Penny turned from adding coal to the cookstove. “He said he would call, and he has.”
“You think I should say yes?”
“Well, why not?”
Rebecca shrugged and scrunched her face. “I don’t know. I mean, I don’t know him very well, and …”
“Do you want to get to know him better?” A hint of a smile curved her cheek. But she took pity on her cousin and crossed the room to give her a hug. “You go and have a good time. For a change your brothers aren’t here to scare away any young man who might want to get to know you better.”
“I thought about that.”
“Go on now. Leaving someone hanging on the telephone line is considered rude.”
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