This time Maddie laughed. "Maybe I should take a look inside now." She stepped inside onto a hard packed dirt floor to see the interior of the cabin was essentially a large rectangle with doors to two bedrooms on one end and the kitchen at the other with a living area in the middle. The size wasn't the problem but Hank's housekeeping skills were zero.
There were three large windows, two either side of the front door and one placed by the kitchen bench on the back wall. Light was plentiful and it would be peaceful to sew in front of one of them. Hank knew he should say something but didn't know where to start. Maddie did though. "When was the last time you did the dishes Hank?"
He looked embarrassed. "Maybe two months ago."
"And the stove, can you remember the last time you cleaned it out?"
"No, and I stopped using it because it wouldn't draw."
"So I can't boil water for a pot of tea or cook anything."
"Well, no."
"It's a sorry state of affairs Hank, but fixable. I need to change out of these clothes. Could you please bring my trunk in?"
"With pleasure," said Hank, pleased to finally be able to do something helpful.
Maddie was dismayed but felt sure that a good cleaning would make a huge difference. Hank had obviously not cleaned up anything since his grandmother died and suspected he wasn't any worse than most bachelors. No wonder Rita had been feeding him. Hank came back with her trunk and headed for one of the bedrooms.
"Maddie, if you're agreeable, you can have Gran's room until we're better acquainted... and I thought you might be tired after your trip and need a little time to yourself."
"Oh, Hank, how considerate of you to think of me like that. I am tired and I do need some time to take everything in. Thank you for understanding my feelings, I appreciate it."
"Do you think you could open the door please, before I collapse?"
"Of course... sorry. This one?"
"Yes," he gasped placing it on the floor at the foot of the bed. "I'll leave you alone for a while and bring in the other boxes and I'm guessing you'll need some water. I'll fill up the barrel out by the back door for you and bring a bucketful for the kitchen."
"That would be perfect Hank."
"Well, Maddie this is going to be an uphill battle. At least you have somewhere to sleep tonight... good thing you brought your own sheets. This is a lovely room with two windows and I wonder if Hank's grandfather made all the furniture. It's beautiful, but uncared for. I can fix that too, but I must see what the problem is with the stove or there'll be no supper.
She finished changing into a dress more suitable for cleaning and donned one of her new aprons, ready to face the first task of her married life.
~#~#~#~
Hank was hovering nervously waiting to see what Maddie was going to do. He thought she was beautiful and could spend the whole day just looking at her, but sadly she still didn't like him because of the state of the cabin. She was just being polite to him. He'd filled up the water barrel outside like she'd asked and left a fresh bucket on the bench for her.
She smiled at him and he though his insides were going to melt. "Thanks for the water, now let's take a look at the stove. You said it wouldn't draw? Well there's two things can cause that. The chimney is blocked or the ash box is overfull. I'm going to pull out the ash box first. See, this is it here." She pulled it out to show him. It was overflowing. "Got another bucket I can tip this into?"
"Sure, but wouldn't you want me to go tip it outside?"
"My mother used to make soap and saved the ashes to put in it. Seeing you have such a good supply I might try it myself. It'll save buying soap."
Hank smiled. "I remember now, Gran used to do that right up until she got sick. Sure I can find something to put the ashes in for you."
"I expect your Gran was the one who used to empty this out of the stove too."
"She must have because I don't recall ever doing it."
"Some of this is going to spill out and I'll need a pan and broom to clean it up."
"I can get that for you too." Hank was happy to help. "I expect you'll need some kindling and wood so I'll bring that as well. Woodpile's out in the barn."
While he was gone, Maddie checked out the stove. It just needed a good cleaning as far as she could see but should be OK to cook on. There was a small curtain strung along the edge of the bench and she looked behind it, pleasantly surprised. There was a tub for soap making containing molds and other necessary items, as well as tub for washing dishes and washing clothes. She pulled out the dish washing bowl and kept looking. The end near the stove had shelving specially built to house a range of cooking pots and pans. "Thank you Lord, I can do this."
"Here you go," said Hank as he deposited the wood and kindling in the wood box beside the stove. "I'll keep it topped up for you - same with the water."
"Shall we see if it works now?" Maddie was praying it would because she couldn't see herself climbing onto the roof to unblock the stove pipe.
Hank grabbed some newspaper from one of the many piles scattered around the room and set the fire. "Want to do the honors?" He handed the matches to Maddie who smiled at him and lit the fire. It worked.
"Thank the Lord," cried Hank. You've fixed it. I feel stupid not knowing about the ashes."
"You're not stupid Hank and I believe the Lord and I know so too. Now I'm putting some water on to boil. If you show me where you keep your coffee pot, I'll make you some so you can sit and read some of those newspapers you seem so fond of. And if you show me where your Gran used to keep her supplies, I'd be grateful."
"Here you go." He passed her the coffee pot which of course was filthy and he grimaced.
"Don't worry about it." She washed it out and put some coffee in it, hoping it would taste alright. "I'm not going to do too much until tomorrow, except for making supper and seeing to the lamps and candles before it gets dark."
"I've only been using candles and didn't worry about the lamps but Gran had lamps. I'll check the barn and see if there's any lamp oil for you."
"Thanks."
Maddie was tired and wanted nothing more than to lay down and go to sleep but she made a pot of tea and coffee, cleared and cleaned the kitchen bench, moved the box of supplies off the table and put the hardware supplies on the floor for tomorrow. She fetched out her tablecloth, lamps and china from her trunk, pleased they had all survived the trip without mishaps. It made her feel better to have a few of her own things out to use, knowing they were clean.
Hank was going to be hard work and by the time supper was over and the dishes dried, Maddie was exhausted. She excused herself and went to bed, knowing she sounded curt, but hoping Hank would understand she was exhausted. Maybe when she had the cabin sorted out, there would be time and inclination to work on her marriage.
~#~#~#~
Hank was sure now that Maddie didn't really like him. After all why would she, especially after the mess he had deposited her into. There had been a few moments when he thought they'd made a connection, like when they made the fire together. She made a tasty supper too and kept him supplied with coffee as she'd promised. But by the time she'd cleaned up, she wasn't making the effort to speak to him any more and finally, went to her room.
He hoped it was just tiredness that was bothering her because he didn't think he could live with a grumpy woman. She didn't seem grumpy, but you never could tell with women. His Gran never had trouble with keeping up with the housework in the cabin and he still wasn't convinced Maddie was up to everything that needed doing. She was from the city after all. Still, time would tell, even if she did seem to know what she was about.
For all that, he did like her and he remembered the small frisson between them when they first shook hands. He was sure she had felt it too, but she sure didn't act like it after they'd arrived home. Maybe he should take heed of Robin's advice and take things slowly as they got to know each other. And he thought offering her his Gran's room was an inspired idea. In any case, it av
oided an awkward situation at bedtime. As he fell asleep, he decided he'd just have to wait and see how things turned out.
Maddie on the other hand was grumpy. She wanted to fall into bed and go to sleep but she had to strip the bed of linen that had graced it since his Gran had died before making it up with her own. The more she thought about it, the more she thought Hank should have hired someone to thoroughly clean the cabin before she arrived. To do so would have demonstrated that he cared about his wife.
As things stood, she'd be working her fingers to the bone for a long while and there were repairs needed on the cabin as well. She certainly couldn't fix the roof but maybe the fence and the chicken coop could benefit from her attention. It was unbelievable how he was so out of touch with how to manage a few basic things around the cabin and had no idea how to look after himself.
Maybe there were things she didn't know about and should give him the benefit of the doubt. There was no denying he was a kind hearted man and his consideration for her feelings regarding their sleeping arrangements showed he knew how to take someone else's feelings into account. She would make an effort, but while there was so much work to do on the cabin, she certainly wouldn't be going out of her way to focus on any type of relationship with him.
After donning her nightgown, she climbed into the strange bed and fell into a deep dreamless sleep.
~#~#~#~
Chapter Six
Hank woke the next morning looking forward to having breakfast with his new wife, but it wasn't to be. He dressed for work and waited at the table in the kitchen for Maddie and his breakfast. When neither appeared he sliced some bread, buttered it and wolfed it down. It was better than nothing but he would have liked some coffee with it. A wife was supposed to be up and about in time to make her husband's breakfast and his disappointment at finding out it wasn't so, left him wondering if Maddie was everything he'd thought her to be.
He didn't bother cleaning up and headed out to the barn to saddle his horse, completely forgetting to top up the water barrel and the wood box as he'd promised Maddie. For so long now, it was something he'd not thought about, so it slipped his mind. As he mounted up and headed into town for work, he was torn between genuinely liking Maddie, with hopes of building on it, and the nagging feeling that she was too citified to be a farm wife.
No farm wife he knew of slept past dawn and didn't make breakfast for her husband. It wasn't done and even though his mother didn't do it, his grandmother most certainly did. Maybe Maddie was like his mother and had servants to do all the work, but she'd said she was a pieceworker for a factory and never had anything new in her life. That made her unlike his mother. Whatever the reason, he needed to do something about it and not allow her to get away with it, like his father let his mother do anything she pleased.
He feared he was like his lawyer father in that he'd become accustomed to allowing the lady of the house call the shots. His father never stood up to his mother and would do anything to keep the peace. Hank didn't want to be like that. At the same time, he was never comfortable with his mother and becoming a telegraph operator was the only time he'd stood his ground against her. She'd had nothing to do with him since. He couldn't believe Maddie could be like that. She was too kind.
So why didn't she get out of bed and make his breakfast? Maybe she was sick but surely she would have come out and said so. It never occurred to him that she'd not slept properly since leaving New York and was completely exhausted. Physically and emotionally done in. He tied up his horse like he did every day in the small barn behind the telegraph office, glad that Robin wasn't out back, because this morning, he wasn't in the mood for chatting.
Next door, Annie West was in the mercantile picking up a few supplies and having a chat with Rita about Hank. Rita was the mother of Annie's best friend Cora Paine and both women came to Tipton as mail order brides and knew what it was like trying to settle in.
"Did you know I've had Hank's cow and chickens over at my place for around six months now? The cow wandered over with it's tether rope still attached so I figured Hank hadn't tied it up properly. And you remember that big storm we had last November? Well it blew his yard fence down and the chickens escaped. He forgot to put them in the coop. He would have to be the most absent minded man I've ever known, but he has a good heart."
"His new wife seems to have her head in the right place, thank goodness, but I wouldn't want to be in her shoes trying to make that cabin habitable. Hank won't have cleaned it since his Gran died and without her telling him to do things, he'll have done nothing in the way of repairs. I sent a box of supplies home with them yesterday and Robin made up a box of bits and pieces for some basic repairs to the chicken coop. Maddie, that's her name, seemed to think she could fix it."
"Hmm... knowing Hank there'll be more needs fixing than the chicken coop. You know Rita, I'm going to go home and bring the cow and chickens over to her, and maybe help her clean the place up. If there's anything urgent needs doing, I'll arrange for a couple of the hands to go over and do the repairs. It's the neighborly thing to do, don't you think?"
"You've a kind heart Annie and I believe she'll be grateful for it... seems like a determined young woman."
~#~#~#~
Maddie slept late on the first morning in her new home and it was mid morning before she emerged from her room. She'd meant to get up early to make breakfast for Hank, but he was long gone. His bachelor habits weren't though, as she noted the bread left out on the bench with crumbs covering the surface. His dirty plate was still on the table along with the uncovered covered butter dish and jam pot. She had just finished tidying these away and lighting the stove when she heard a buggy coming along the track. By the time she had smoothed her dress and tidied her hair, her visitor had pulled up outside the back door.
It was embarrassing to greet a visitor via a doorway without a door attached, but the woman simply laughed when Maddie went out to meet her. "Please forgive me, I'm not laughing at you, but how like Hank to not bother fixing the door."
"He told me he nailed a blanket over it during the winter. And you're right of course, it is funny but I feel a bit awkward greeting you through it. I'm Maddie, Hank's wife."
"I'm Annie West, your neighbor. I hope you don't mind me calling without notice but I was just talking to Rita in town, at the mercantile and she told me about you. Rita thought you might have huge job ahead of you setting the cabin to rights so I've come to see if I could help... if you don't mind me being so forward that is."
"Pleased to meet you Annie, and I'm thinking the good Lord must have sent you. I slept late because I was exhausted and have just put some water on to boil for a cleaning spree. Please come in."
Annie pointed to the cow. "This is your cow and chickens too. They wandered over to my place six months or so ago and knowing Hank, I figured they would be better off with me. But now you're here, I've brought them back. Maybe we could fix the chicken coop and tether the cow out here and she'll be happy for the rest of the day."
It was Maddie's turn to laugh. "Hank told me the cow wandered off and the chickens ran off after the yard fence blew down in a big storm - he'd forgotten to put them in the coop."
"That's our Hank. He's the sweetest man you'll ever meet but also the most absent minded. Up until his grandmother died, he was doing well, but with no-one to tell him what to do, he needs to be house trained all over again. And it's you who needs to do the training, but first we need to make sure you have a cabin fit for habitation."
"Well I got the stove sorted out last night and today I thought I'd start cleaning, from the roof down. Then there's a few repairs, like the back door and I'm embarrassed to say, the privy has fallen down and all that's left is the seat."
Both women dissolved into gales of laughter before Annie continued. "And I bet he never noticed because there's a privy out back of the telegraph office and being a man, knows how to water the grass, if you take my meaning."
While they laughed and chatted, Maddie co
llected the box Robin had made up for her and they headed over to the barn to check out the chicken coop. It didn't require much fixing and the chickens were placed back into their abode in no time.
"Maddie, I'm thinking that this place needs more than a good cleaning. The house fence needs to be put back so the chickens can peck about and the privy can't be used until the outhouse is rebuilt. I notice there's some parts of the roof of the cabin also need fixing and I don't think you and I should tackle those. Before we get started inside, I'm going home to bring back a couple of hands and materials to make those repairs."
"I don't think we can afford it Annie but I'm sure I can save some money once I start making myself useful around here and everything we need doesn't have to be store bought."
"Nonsense. I've been reaping the benefits of your cow and chickens for more than six months so the repairs are simply a way of paying you back. Go inside and have a cup of tea and I'll be back in around half an hour."
Maddie did as she was bid, pleased to be able to watch the cow from her kitchen window when she noticed the wood box was almost empty. Hank hadn't topped it up, presumably because she hadn't told him to do so... or was it some kind of payback for not waking early and making his breakfast?
Hank left the telegraph office at five o'clock and rode home, hoping his new wife had managed to make a decent supper for him. He didn't want to take her to task for not making breakfast because it reminded him of the way his mother was forever nagging at someone. Never would he be like that, so he would say nothing. Still, he hoped to see her busy in the kitchen.
He turned of the main track, pleased to be almost home and as always, his heart skipped a beat or two when his favorite place in the world came into view. The first thing he noticed was the yard fence. It was no longer lying on the ground, but standing upright. As he moved around the back towards the barn, he noticed a cow tethered in the dooryard. The outhouse was standing up again over the privy and there were chickens in the coop. He stabled the horse, gave it a brush down, as well as a drink and a nosebag with a few handfuls of oats. What was going on here? The woodpile was neatly stacked too with fresh cut pieces ready for the stove.
Maddie's Quest (Valentine Mail Order Bride 2) Page 4