“See you at Church on Sunday.”
“Bye and thank you.”
Chapter 21
Mary curled up on the chair nearest the fire. She had a book in her lap but had given up trying to read it. Her thoughts were too jumbled up. His voice startled her making her stomach turn over.
“You like to read?” Davy asked, warming his fingers in front of the fire.
“Oh, yes, but I didn’t get much of a chance to at the orphanage. Back in Ireland, I worked at the big house. The master had a library and allowed us servants to borrow books. He believed all people should be educated. He was different from most of his class.”
“Why? Because he lent you books?”
“You have no idea what it was like in Ireland. The majority of the wealthy landlords were opposed to teaching their staff anything, let alone allow them to borrow books. They wanted to keep people ignorant and poor so they wouldn’t rise up against them. Kind of backfired on them though. There is only so much cruelty and unfairness people will put up with. Then they start to rebel.” Mary shuffled in her seat. Maybe Davy wouldn’t approve of being married into a rebel family. She should have stuck to the version of truth she told Katie. The other girl had believed Mary’s family had gone to America under the assisted package system offered by some Irish landlords. Mam had told everyone that story so they wouldn’t take against the family. She didn’t want her husband to be refused admission to America. Daddy had died, followed by Mam and the baby, but still Mary hadn’t told Katie her parents had lied.
“Were you part of the rebellion?”
Davy’s question brought Mary back from her memories. “My father was a member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood and therefore, we were all guilty. Daddy had to leave Ireland in a hurry. Otherwise he could have been arrested, or shot. Mam wanted the family to stay together so we all came over to America. Well, only Cathy and myself arrived. Daddy got fever and Mam died after having my little sister. They were all buried at sea.”
Mary stared into the fire but she wasn’t looking at the flames. She could see the wrapped bodies being lowered over the side.
“And Cathy? Katie said something about your sister being adopted.”
“Yes, she was adopted a few months ago. Her new family are well off. They spotted Cathy at church. She looks like an angel and sings like one, too.” Mary sniffed, causing Davy to stroke her back. She liked the feel of his hands but it made concentrating on his questions difficult.
“Could they not have offered you a home too?”
Thank goodness they didn’t. Then I wouldn’t be here with you. Mary’s face flushed. She wasn’t sure if she had verbalized her thoughts. But Davy was waiting for an answer. She took a deep breath.
“No, there wasn’t any room in their lives for an older girl. Cathy was only 12. She was very unwell on the voyage over. Her new family can provide her with everything she needs.”
“But not her real family. That must be difficult for you.”
“It was but it gets easier with time, I think. Katie was very kind to me. She is like another sister. And Ellen too, of course.” The conversation was getting too intimate and she didn’t want to start crying in front of her new husband. She didn’t want to go to bed though either as she was enjoying his company. Frantically she looked around, the books prompting her next question. “What books do you like reading in particular? You have so many in the house.”
“I love Charles Dickens. A Christmas Carol is one of my favorites but don’t tell anyone. I have a reputation to consider.” He waggled his eyebrows as he joked.
“Oh, with Tiny Tim. I loved that story, too.”
“I guess you thought I would prefer more manly stories. Like ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ for instance?”
“I enjoyed that, too. It was very romantic.” Mary sighed, tiredness and relaxation made her lean backwards, right into his chest. His arm fell around her shoulder as he moved closer.
“Romantic?” He breathed, his eyes glued to hers.
Mary’s heart beat faster, she was having difficulty breathing never mind speaking. He was so close. She looked at his lips, wondering what it would be like if he kissed her again. “Well, umm, yes, the hero…well, saving those people and trying to comfort the young girl.” Mary gave up trying to think. She closed her eyes, waiting.
The only sounds in the room were the crackling of the fire and their breathing. The rest of the house was silent. Mary shivered but it wasn’t from fear.
“Is that what you are looking for, Mary? A hero?” He whispered so close to her ear, she was sure his lips kissed her hair. Well, as sure as she could be. It could also be wishful thinking on her part. He was flirting with her. She hadn’t imagined that.
“Maybe. Isn’t every girl?”
Chapter 22
Mary rose early to find Mrs. Higgins already in the kitchen. The delicious smell of bacon frying filled the room. Mary watched Mrs. Higgins work. She had two skillets on the stove, one for the eggs and the second for the bacon.
“Mr. Davy he likes his bacon crispy. He also prefers the potatoes cooked in the bacon fat.” Mrs. Higgins chatted as she deftly sliced the potatoes and added them to the skillet. Next, she started on the eggs.
“What can I do to help?” Mary asked, wondering how many people Mrs. Higgins was cooking for. All that food couldn’t just be for the three of them.
“It’s just you and Mr. Davy this morning. So would you prefer to eat in the kitchen or the dining room?”
“The kitchen please.” Mary preferred it to the dining room, which seemed too big for two people. “Aren’t you joining us?”
“No, but thank you for the invite. You newlyweds need some time alone.”
Mary panicked. She didn’t want Mrs. Higgins to leave. Having her here would make the conversation flow easier. She might get less tongue-tied. She had always been quite shy but this was ridiculous. It seemed she lost the ability to think clearly when facing her husband. “Please join us. I’m sure Davy would say the same if he was here. Where is he?”
“Out in the barn catching up on some of the work. He’ll be in shortly.” Mrs. Higgins set three places at the table much to Mary’s relief. She took out the silverware as the housekeeper dished up plates of breakfast.
Mary took a seat starting at the amount of food on her plate. “I don’t mean to be rude, Mrs. H, but I don’t think I could finish all this food.”
“You need fattening up, young lady. What you been eating back in Boston? You look half starved.” Mary flushed. “Oh, me and my big mouth. I didn’t mean no offense but you need your strength out here.”
“There was never enough food in the orphanage. The young ones were always crying. They got stomach ache from hunger.”
“Let me guess. You used to share your portion.”
Mary nodded, her mouth full of delicious food. “Not just me. All the older kids did it. It was easier for us to manage the hunger pains. Drinking water helped.”
“Well, there is no shortage of food around here so you help yourself. Come winter you will be glad of a few extra pounds.”
“Are the winters very bad?” Mary asked, more to make conversation. She had read reports of the harsh winters in old newspapers at the library in Boston.
“They are long and can be tiresome as we often get cut off from town.” Davy replied, having come in just as Mary asked the question.
Mary’s stomach flipped at the sound of his voice. She looked up to find him gazing at her, his eyes as bright as his smile.
“Did you sleep well?”
“Yes, thank you.” She smiled back at him shyly.
Davy took a seat and smiled his thanks at the housekeeper as she put a plate piled high with food in front of him. “When we finish eating, would you like a tour of the ranch? I have to check on some of the herd and I want to start on your shooting lessons.”
Drat, I hoped he had forgotten about them. She forced herself to smile, not wanting to appear stupid at being afra
id of guns. “Thank you, that would be lovely.” Davy gave her a funny look at her tone but she was saved from reacting by Mrs. H.
“Should I pack you a picnic? Then you can make a day of it?” Mrs. Higgins asked.
Mary hoped he would say yes, as a picnic would be good. Maybe she could eat really slowly so they wouldn’t have time for the shooting lessons. She didn’t think he would like the fact she hated guns.
“You have the nicest ideas, Mrs. H. A picnic sounds great.” Davy winked at Mary, causing tingles to race up and down her spine. “I will just go grab the old rifle. Mary can use it for practice.”
They travelled in silence for a bit as Davy checked on a couple of strays from his herd.
“I thought you would have lots more cows given the size of this place.” Mary looked surprised as Davy burst out laughing.
Mary shifted in the seat. Davy pointed in the distance. “The cattle graze all over the range. We don’t keep them penned in.”
“But how do you know which ones are yours?”
“We brand them as calves. In spring, we do a roundup where we separate out our cattle from the neighbors. If we find new calves, we brand those. Then come fall, we round up the ones ready to go to market. We used to have to drive them for miles to the train station but now we just take them to town. The railroad ships them to the east to the slaughter houses.” He noticed Mary’s grimace and smiled to himself. She wasn’t as hard as she made herself out to be.
Chapter 23
He decided to lighten the mood by pointing out various things to Mary making her laugh. He loved doing it. Her whole face lit up when she giggled making it harder not to lean over and kiss her. After a while, he couldn’t ignore the grumbling of his stomach any longer.
“Why don’t we sit and eat?”
“Over there?” Mary pointed to a spot under a tree. “I could do with getting out of the sun for a bit.”
Davy could have kicked himself. He had forgotten she wasn’t used to blazing sunshine. With her coloring, she was likely to burn. Mrs. H had packed a generous lunch, which they both enjoyed. Davy liked how Mary ate with gusto. He had little time for picky eaters. A while after they had finished eating, he got up.
“Are we leaving now?”
Delighted at her reluctance to leave, Davy decided now was a good time to start her shooting lessons. “The sun has gone down a little. We can start on your lessons.”
“Do we have to?” Mary busied herself with the leftovers so she didn’t have to see his reaction.
“There’s no need to be frightened. We’ll only shoot some old cans today. I’ll go set them up over there and you follow when you’re ready.”
You’ll grow roots and spread like a tree before I’m ready to fire a gun. But she didn’t say anything. Instead, she delayed as long as she could before following him. Mary eyed the can with trepidation. It was too far away. There was no way she would hit it. Especially with Davy stood beside her. He was distracting at the best of times but today it was worse. His hair curled along his collar. Fighting the temptation to run her fingers through it, she tried to concentrate on what he was saying. He showed her how to hold the gun, warning her yet again about the recoil. She bit her lip trying to concentrate on his words rather than his nearness.
“You ready?”
Mary stared at his mouth. She wondered what it would be like if he kissed her again.
“Mary?”
She started. “Sorry. I was…” What could she say? She wasn’t about to admit to wanting a kiss. She shook her head, rubbed her hands down her skirt and took the gun out of his hands. Taking aim, she squeezed her eyes shut and pulled the trigger. The loud noise shook her whole body. It seemed to echo off the mountains. It took a few seconds for her to realize Davy was laughing. “What’s so funny? You didn’t really expect me to hit it, did you?”
“If you opened your eyes when taking aim, you might fare a bit better.”
Mary blushed as she looked at the ground. He must think I am an idiot.
“Try again.”
She took aim again and this time, managed to keep her eyes open but forgot about the recoil. The can sat untouched. Rubbing her shoulder, she watched as Davy demonstrated again what she should do. Over and over she tried, until she had lost count of the number of times she fired the gun. Still the can didn’t move. Finally her patience gave out. She stalked down to where the can sat on the fence and shoved it off using the butt of the rifle. “There. I hit it. Can we go home now?” She stood glaring at her husband who was obviously trying his best not to laugh. His eyes were streaming as his cheeks reddened. “Don’t you dare laugh at me!”
“Sorry, Mary” Davy managed to stutter before erupting with laughter. He continued to laugh for a few minutes, as she got angrier. “I am warning you, Davy Sullivan. Stop laughing this minute or I will shoot you.” He stopped for a second to stare at her but the minute their eyes met, he started again. He shook his head but didn’t stop. She tried hard to contain her own giggles but failed miserably. She sank to her knees in the lush green grass, tears falling down her face as she giggled.
“I am real sorry, Mary.”
“You should be. A good husband doesn’t laugh at his wife.”
“I wasn’t laughing at you, darling, but with you.” He looked at her, lifting his hand to push some loose tendrils of hair out of her eyes. “Perhaps you are right. A good husband should say he is sorry. With a kiss…” He reached for her chin, rubbing his fingers tenderly along the outline of her face. His eyes never left hers as he tilted her head upwards. Leaning in, he grazed his lips across hers. Mary’s lips parted as she opened up to his gentle persuasion. With a groan, he gathered her to him not breaking the kiss. His hands caressed her back wishing there wasn’t any material between them. His mouth moved from her lips to kiss her face, her eyelids, and nose before moving back to her lips. She melted into his embrace, her fingers reaching up to play in his hair before moving to stroke the back of his neck.
He shuddered at her touch. His body responded, demanding more. As the kiss deepened, she wound her hands around him pulling him closer. He pushed her gently back onto the grass easing his body weight so he didn’t crush her. He didn’t want to scare her with the evidence of his growing desire. He resisted the temptation to intimately caress her body sensing she had lost control. In her innocence, she had no idea of how close to the edge he was. Reluctantly, he broke their kiss ignoring her groan of disappointment, twisting so that she now lay across him, her head cradled on his shoulder. Her quickened breathing matched his. He wished they were at home. He would pick her up and take her upstairs to claim her as his wife. But their first time wouldn’t be in a field. His wife deserved better.
Chapter 24
“I need to start working. I can’t sit around all day. It isn’t natural.” Mary sat at the table after breakfast. Davy was working and she was bored. She wasn’t used to sitting around with nothing to do. The guilt ate away at her, especially when Mrs. H never seemed to stop moving. “Please let me help, Mrs. H. I wasn’t cut out to be a lady of leisure.”
Mrs. Higgins laughed. “Davy was trying to ease you in gently. I think he was afraid you might leave if you knew just how hard it is here on the ranch. You might as well enjoy the rest while you can.”
“Please, Mrs. H. There must be something I can do. Can you teach me how to milk the cows or maybe I can collect the eggs? I would offer to cook but I don’t think Davy and the men would appreciate that.”
“Don’t sell yourself short, Miss Mary. There will be plenty who will do that for you. The boys aren’t too fussy. So long as the food is hot and plentiful, they are happy.” Mrs. H looked at Mary for a few seconds. “If you really want to be useful, I will show you what to do tomorrow. Today I have to go into town. You can come with me and visit with Katie. You’d like that wouldn’t you?”
Mary nodded.
Mrs. H drove the wagon toward town. “We grow most of the food we need. I like gardening. I am better
at growing vegetables than fruit. We have canning days at the end of the summer so we can put aside food for the winter.”
“What do you need from town?”
“Flour, sugar and spices. And some candy for Davy. He has a sweet tooth. What about you? Are you going to make a new dress for the festival?”
“I guess so. I don’t really have anything suitable. I’ve never been to a harvest festival before. We have fairs in Ireland. Daddy took us a couple of times but back when we were kids.”
“The festival is great fun. It’s a time for everyone to take a break. The men get to blow off some steam and us women get a chance to catch up with our neighbors. There are lots of competitions, including a pie eating contest. Davy always enters that one. You wouldn’t know by looking at him but he can eat a whole lot. I told Martha I would bake a load of pies for the festival. You can help me with that if you’d like.”
“Thank you Mrs. H.” She wanted to be useful and she liked spending time with Mrs. H. They pulled up outside the store just as Katie came out to sweep the step.
“Good morning, Mrs. H, Mary. Wasn’t expecting you in town today. You got a letter from Boston, Mary. Daniel has it behind the counter.”
Mary gave Katie a quick hug before running in to get her letter. She presumed it was one of the girls as Cathy didn’t live in Boston anymore. She scanned the contents of the letter before sitting down with a bump.
“What’s wrong, Mary?”
“Ben tried to run away. He didn’t get far but the nuns beat him.” She clenched her fist reading Sorcha’s letter.
“Beat who?”
“Ben. He’s a six year old cripple who came to live at the orphanage after Cathy left. The poor child has enough scars from the beatings his parents dished out. Oh, I wish I was in Boston.”
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