Farmer's Daughter Romance Collection : Five Historical Romances Homegrown in the American Heartland (9781630586164)

by Peterson, Tracie; Davis, Mary; Hake, Kelly Eileen; Stengl, Jill; Warren, Susan May

  “No, I truly can’t,” Amy admitted. The things that attracted her twin held little interest for Amy, and while she hated to hurt her sister’s feelings, she couldn’t lie.

  “If I were to marry that man,” Angie continued, “I could probably live with his parents in Kansas City, while he rode the circuit. Wouldn’t that be a dream? Everything in the world at your fingertips!”

  “For pity’s sake, Angie. The man just arrived in Deer Ridge, and already you’re acting as though he’s proposed.” Amy didn’t want to admit the twinge of disappointment she was feeling. Her sister was used to getting her own way when it came to men. Most of them simply fell at her feet whenever she batted her eyes, and now Angie was contemplating the new minister as if he were a prized hog at the local fair. Amy shrugged her shoulders.

  “Things move pretty fast among frontier folk,” Angie mused with a coy smile. “But I think I would like to get to know this Tyler Andrews better. I’m going to see to it that he dances at least half the dances with me tonight. I’ll bet I can have him proposing before the night is over.”

  “Angie!” Amy gasped. “You don’t even know this man. You surely don’t love him, so how can you even think of trying to snag him into marriage?”

  “I can love anybody, dear sister. In fact, love is the easy part. I haven’t met a man yet that didn’t make me feel happy and loved.”

  “What about the man?” Amy asked and noticed the smile leave Angie’s face. “Don’t they deserve to be loved by their wives?”

  “Well, don’t get vulgar about it.” Angie feigned a shocked expression. She hated it when Amy revealed a flaw in her ideals, and now she tried to distract her twin by deliberately misunderstanding. “Of course, whatever is expected of a wife would come along with the marriage. I’m sure it can’t be too unpleasant.”

  “You know very well I’m not talking about that,” Amy said with a blush. “I’m talking about caring and supporting. That’s the kind of loving I’m talking about.”

  Angie tossed her precisely placed curls. Unlike her twin, she had little trouble keeping her hair pinned, despite the number of suitors that followed her around the farm. “You are such a bother, Amy. I don’t want to argue with you, so let’s just drop it for the time. I like Tyler, and he likes me. If something more comes about tonight, then it must be meant to be.”

  With that, Angie bounced off in the direction of the newly arrived Nathan Gallagher. Nathan was Deer Ridge’s only lawyer and the third of Angie’s more serious boyfriends. Amy shook her head and sighed. Sometimes her sister could be infuriating.

  By nightfall the barn was completed, with the exception of some indoor work, and it was as fine a structure as any farmer could ever hope for. Its completion signaled time for supper and everyone knew what would follow that—the dance!

  Amy was busy with kitchen work, but she found her thoughts still caught by Tyler. She couldn’t help but remember the way his eyes seemed to laugh even before his face cracked a smile. She had already memorized each feature of his handsome face, she realized, and she nearly found herself tracing its lines in the potatoes she was mashing before the clatter of pans behind her brought her back to reality.

  She looked around her to see if anyone had seen how silly she was acting, but the bustling group of older women seemed to scarcely notice her presence. Most of the other women Amy’s age were outside, enjoying the company of the young men. Through the open window, Amy could hear Angie’s exuberant laughter. No doubt she had cornered Tyler again and was working him into her snare.

  Amy threw down the potato masher. Why did Angie have to be like that? Trying to ignore the sound of her sister’s joy, Amy took the large bowl of potatoes to the table and fled to the safety of her room.

  After an hour or more had passed, Amy rejoined the festive crowd. She had changed her grass-stained dress and now wore a soft muslin gown that had been dyed a shade of yellow. The dye was made from goldenrod plants, and the color was called nankeen. The gown was simple, with gathers at the waist and a scoop-necked bodice that had been trimmed with handmade tatting. The bodice was a bit snug, as the dress had been made nearly three years earlier, and it accentuated Amy’s well-rounded figure and tiny waist.

  She had pulled back her hair at the sides and pinned it into a loose bun at the back of her head. Tiny wisps fell stubbornly loose, framing her heart-shaped face, but Amy felt satisfied with her appearance. She shouldn’t let Angie’s zeal for life annoy her—and she certainly shouldn’t let her irritation make her miss the fun of the evening.

  Amy stepped into the yard just as the fiddles began tuning up for the dance. Her father had hung several lanterns from poles and trees, and their light cast a hazy glow over the party. The light was so soft, so muted, that Amy felt as though she were in a dream.

  She couldn’t help but hear Angie’s vivacious voice, though. Her twin stood with several girls her own age, telling them about the pink satin gown she wore. Amy sighed and turned toward the dessert table to help the older women cut pies and cakes.

  “Amy!” a voice called out from the sea of people.

  Amy was surprised to see Jacob Anderson, younger brother of Ed and Jack, pushing his way toward her through the crowd.

  “Hello, Jacob.” Amy smiled. “I didn’t know you’d be here tonight. I thought you were still in Hays.”

  “I wouldn’t have missed a chance to dance with you. My, don’t you look pretty tonight. How come you won’t marry me? We could run off to find our fortune in gold. You know they’re pulling nuggets as big as sows out of the Rockies. We could have it all, Amy.” Jacob took hold of Amy’s elbow. “Come over here where it’s quieter and talk with me a spell.”

  “Oh Jacob,” Amy sighed. “I have a great deal of work to do. Ma counts on me to help out, seeing’s how Angie’s always so preoccupied.” She allowed Jacob to lead her to the back of his family’s wagon and accepted his hands on her waist as he lifted her to sit on the edge of the wagon bed. “I can’t stay long.”

  Jacob stood in front of her, his boyish face illuminated by the glow of a lantern that had been mounted on the wagon. “You know how I feel about you, Amy.” He took hold of her hands. “I can’t stand not being around you and when you’re not around, you’re all I can think about.”

  Amy shook her head. Poor Jacob. He wasn’t at all interesting to her. He was only a year older than her and so immature with his wild dreams of gold in the Rockies. “How you do go on, Jacob Anderson. How come you aren’t taking after Angie, like your brothers?” Amy smiled, hoping to lessen the seriousness of Jacob’s face.

  He smiled sheepishly, not wanting to admit that he had been interested in Angie, but his brothers had threatened to skin him alive if he so much as dared to speak with her. “Don’t you think your sister has enough beaus?” he said instead. Amy was every bit as pretty as her sister and she was always kindhearted, listening to his gold rush stories. That made up for a lot, Jacob reasoned.

  Amy pulled her hands gently from his. “Jacob,” she began, “you know I’m not interested in being courted by you. Why do you keep after me like this?”

  Jacob pushed a hand through his blond hair and shrugged his shoulders. “I keep thinking it can’t hurt to try. Sooner or later you’re bound to come to your senses. Why you’re already older than most of the unmarried girls in the county.” He grimaced as he realized what he’d said. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like it sounded.”

  Amy laughed and pushed herself off the wagon to stand eye to eye with her suitor. “I know you didn’t, Jacob. Don’t worry, I’m not Angie and I couldn’t care a fig how old I am. I won’t marry anyone until I’m in love and know that it’s the man God wants me to marry.”

  Amy left Jacob to contemplate her words and joined her mother at the food table. An array of pies, cakes, cookies, and fruit breads lined the long wooden planked table. Amy noticed that here and there someone had placed a cobbler or custard dish, and someone had even gone to the trouble of making a tray
of fruit tarts.

  “Did I see you with the youngest Anderson boy?” Dora was ever hopeful that Amy would find someone who interested her.

  “Yes, Jacob proposed again, in a roundabout way.” Amy laughed. “And, I told him no, in a most definite way.”

  “One of these days, girl, you’re going to have to settle down with someone.” Dora reached out to caress her daughter’s cheek. “But until you do I’m mighty glad to have you here with me. You’re a blessing child, both to me and to your pa.”

  “I could never doubt that for a minute!” The masculine voice belonged to Tyler Andrews, and Amy felt her face grow hot with embarrassment.

  “I’ve been looking all over for you,” Tyler said with a grin, amused that Amy was so self-conscious, while Angie had boldly flirted with him through a half a dozen reels already. “Come share a dance with me and let me see if twins dance differently from one another.”

  Amy laughed. “I don’t dance nearly as well as Angie. In fact, I quite often avoid the activity if at all possible.” Her heart pounded in an unfamiliar way, and she noticed her mouth felt suddenly dry.

  Tyler wouldn’t be put off. He surprised both Dora and Amy by coming around the table to take Amy’s hand. “I won’t take no for an answer. Now, if you’ll excuse us, Mrs. Carmichael, I intend to waltz with your daughter.”

  Dora Carmichael nodded and smiled as Tyler fairly dragged Amy toward the other dancers. Amy flashed a look over her shoulder at her mother. Dora shrugged in amusement at the stunned expression on her daughter’s face.

  “Maybe,” thought Dora aloud, “just maybe he’s the one.” The thought gave her a great deal to contemplate as she watched the new circuit rider take her daughter into his arms.

  Amy stiffened at the touch of Tyler’s hands on her waist. She felt her hands go clammy and wished she’d remembered to bring her handkerchief with her. She was glad for Tyler’s towering height, because usually she had no choice but to look directly into the eyes of her dance partner. With Tyler, however, she was granted the privacy of his chest.

  “Relax, you’ll do just fine,” Tyler whispered into her ear.

  But instead of relaxing, Amy felt a shiver run up her spine. Her stomach did a flip, and she felt weak in the knees. “I don’t think I can do this,” she murmured beneath her breath.

  “Of course you can,” Tyler said with knowing authority. “Look at me, Amy.”

  Amy’s head snapped up at the command. Tyler’s face was only inches from hers, and the look he gave her seemed to pierce her heart. She’d seen looks like this before, but usually they were intended for her sister.

  She swallowed hard and unknowingly tightened her grip on Tyler’s hand, as she stepped on his toe. She frowned. “I told you I wasn’t any good at this.”

  Tyler laughed and whirled her into the flow of the other waltzers. “You dance perfectly well, Miss Carmichael. I fear it’s my inept skills that caused your misplaced step.”

  “How gallant of you, sir,” Amy said, playing the game.

  “My pleasure, ma’am,” Tyler teased, and Amy found herself relaxing almost against her will.

  When the dance ended, Tyler suggested a walk. “You did promise to show me the orchards.”

  “I did?” Amy tried to remember. “Oh well, come along then.”

  Tyler took hold of her arm and allowed her to lead. As they passed from the warm glow of the lighted farmyard into the stark brilliance of the moon’s light, Amy felt her breath quicken. She chided herself for being so childish. Next thing you know, she thought, I’ll be swooning!

  Tyler’s large, warm hand securely held her arm to keep her from stumbling. He had no way of knowing, of course, that Amy knew this land as well as her own bedroom. He was being chivalrous, as she’d noticed him to be with everyone. Tyler Andrews, she told herself, was simply a gentleman; the caring way he treated her meant nothing special.

  Familiar laughter rang out, and Amy and Tyler saw a very busy Angie talking nonstop to a group of four or five men. She was flitting about inside a ring of suitors, as she made promises for upcoming dances.

  “That sister of yours is something else,” Tyler commented. Amy’s response stuck in her throat. She’d always wished she could be more like Angie, and now even Tyler seemed to be as captivated with her twin as most men were. But before she could reply, Tyler continued. “You two are so different. Such a contrast of nature. I thought twins were supposed to be alike.”

  Amy giggled. The sound touched Tyler’s heart with the memory of another tenderhearted woman. A young bride who’d only lived as his wife for a few months before losing her life to influenza.

  Seeing Tyler’s frown, Amy’s laughter died. Her worried look made Tyler say, “I’m sorry. For a moment you reminded me of my wife.”

  “Your wife!” Amy nearly shouted the words. “I didn’t know you were married.” She was gripped with guilt for the thoughts she’d been having. Thoughts about how nice it would be to be married to Tyler Andrews. Now she’d coveted another woman’s husband.

  “I was married.” Tyler put Amy’s racing thoughts to an abrupt halt. “She died over ten years ago. We’d only been married four months when she caught influenza and died.”

  “I’m sorry.” Amy truly meant the words. She’d seen a great deal of death here on the stark, lonely plains of Kansas.

  Tyler smiled the sad sort of smile Amy knew people to get when remembering something bittersweet. “Don’t be. She was a frail thing and she was ready to meet God. I’ve learned not to mourn, but to rejoice because I know she’s happy and safe. It was her fondest desire that I not wallow in self-pity and mourning. She even made me promise to remarry.”

  “I see.”

  “Losing her made me realize the void in my life. It was then that I decided to become a minister. Circuit riding just seemed to come as a natural way for me, what with the fact that I wasn’t tied to one spot. It’s been a good life, but I can see the time coming when I’ll be ready to settle down to one church and one town.” Tyler didn’t add the part of his heart that said “and one woman.”

  “It would be wonderful if you could settle in Deer Ridge,” Amy said, not thinking of how her words might seem to Tyler.

  “I was just thinking that myself.” Tyler smiled at Amy’s blunt honesty. “What about you, Amy? Do you have any plans for the future?”

  Amy laughed, the sound like music in the night. “You mean beyond today?”

  Tyler felt his heart skip a beat as Amy leaned back against the trunk of an apple tree. Her face was lit by the white glow of the moon, and Tyler decided he’d never known a more beautiful woman in all his life.

  “That was the general idea,” Tyler whispered in a husky tone that was barely audible.

  Amy smiled up at Tyler, knowing he didn’t understand the Carmichaels’ family joke. “I’ve learned to take it a day at a time. There’s too much that’s unpredictable in life. My grandmother used to tell me ‘Never make plans beyond today!’” Her voice was soft, almost hypnotic, and when she fell silent, Tyler stood completely still, captivated by the moment and the feelings he had inside.

  The night was unseasonably warm and the sweet scent of apples still clung to the ground and air around them. Amy couldn’t understand why her chest felt tight every time she tried to breathe deep. Or why, when she looked at Tyler looking at her the way he was just now, she felt moved to throw herself into his arms. What kind of thought was that for a good, Christian girl?

  Used to speaking her mind, Amy suddenly found herself blurting out a confession. “I don’t understand what’s happening to me. I feel so different. Ever since you appeared at the well, I just feel so funny inside.”

  Tyler refrained from smiling at this sudden outburst. He was amused to find a woman so innocent and unaware. Surely she must feel the same way he did. After ten years of loneliness, Tyler felt a spark of hope.

  Amy frowned as she contemplated her emotions, and Tyler couldn’t help but reach out and run a finger a
long the tight line of her jaw. At his touch, she relaxed. His fingers were warm, and she stood very still, hoping he would not take his hand away.

  “Tyler, I…” Her voice fell silent, and she lost herself in his eyes. The moment was too much for either one of them, and Tyler pulled her against his huge frame, bending her ever so slightly backward to accommodate his height.

  When his lips touched hers, Amy found herself melting against his broad, muscled chest. Molded there against him, Amy thought she would die from the flood of passion that filled her. Was this love? she wondered as his mouth moved against hers.

  Tyler pulled away only enough to look deep into Amy’s eyes. Amy suddenly realized that she’d wrapped her arms around Tyler’s neck; the impropriety of romancing the district’s circuit rider made her pull away.

  “I’m so sorry.” She backed out of his arms and found herself up against the trunk of the tree. “I didn’t know, I, uh…I didn’t mean to do that.”

  Tyler laughed and pulled Amy back into his arms. “Well, I did,” he said and lowered his lips to hers one more time.

  Chapter 4

  Sunday morning dawned bright and clear, and the temperature remained warm. Friends from far and wide crawled out from tents, where they had slept on pallets on the ground, and lifted their faces to the sunlight. As the sun rose higher over the brown and gold corn shocks, the shadowy fingers of night disappeared.

  Amy watched from her bedroom window. She’d had to spend the night with her sister, because Angie’s room had been taken by several of the elderly women in the community, and Amy had had to endure Angie’s account of Tyler’s life until the wee hours of the morning. She couldn’t explain to her twin that Tyler had kissed her, nor could she explain the feelings he had stirred inside her heart.