Cora laughed. “I’m pretty sure the dress and Gertrude match as well as with her groom, now knowing a little bit about the woman. She and Les White will make a fine couple.”
“Have you picked out your wedding gown from the five-trunk room too, Amy?” She’d like to wipe that wide grin off Zach’s face since he was looking back and forth between her and Eli.
But maybe she’d be bold to see Eli’s reaction.
“Yes, I have my dress picked out, Zach. Now if I can just find a groom, I’ll hope to be wearing it sooner than later,” Amy clearly stated and watched Eli intently for any sign of interest.
Eli looked down, trying to keep from smiling. Did he think it was funny, or was he secretly planning for a future with her?
“Amy, now that the front is done, you should start planting some perennials around the foundation. I doubt Eli will have time since he needs to work on the interior, and you seem to have a green thumb with the work you’ve done in our garden. Kaitlyn said you can dig up irises and phlox from her garden.”
“I can drive you into town tomorrow morning, and help dig up plants for you,” Zach suggested.
“Thank you, Zach. I’d appreciate that.”
Amy watches as a frown crossed Eli’s face. Did he not like the fact that Zach was taking time off tomorrow morning or for offering to help her?
“Come on Zach, we need to keep painting,” Eli said as he turned his back to them and started climbing the ladder to where he was working before they interrupted them.
“Let’s walk through the house, Amy. We need to decide what furniture and rugs to order for the house.”
Amy followed up the new steps and in through the front door behind Cora, enjoying the smell of fresh lumber.
“The house is far from done though.” Amy could still see some of the walls weren’t lathed and plastered yet.
“By the time the furniture is ordered and delivered, Eli will be close to finishing the house.”
“Shouldn’t Eli have a say in what he wants? It will be his home,” Amy remarked but wished it was her home too.
“A typical man wouldn’t care, but I will ask him this evening after supper.”
Gunner started to cry, and Nels followed suit.
“They’ve been good babies while we had company, but it’s past time I fed them. We need to go back to the house,” Cora said as she turned around. Amy wished she could spend time wandering around the house thinking of how to furnish it, but Cora’s babies were always the priority.
Someday she’d love to live in a house like this and have her own baby in her arms.
Chapter 12
Amy looked surprised when she walked out of the house and saw Eli waiting for her by the wagon instead of Zach.
“Are you taking me into town instead of Zach?” She asked as Eli helped her up to the wagon seat. Eli enjoyed putting his hands around her waist as a reason to touch her.
“Yes, on orders from our scheming boss, Cora. Besides digging up plants, we’re to pick out and order the furnishings for the foreman’s house,” Eli answered as he walked around to the other side of the wagon and climbed into the seat beside her.
“Why did you just call Cora, scheming?”
“Pushing us together to dig plants, pick out furniture, together. See a pattern?”
“And that bothers you,” Amy said as she straightened her back and stared straight ahead.
“No, I’m grateful for Cora’s help. With the ranch work and building the house, I haven’t had time to think of furniture for my future family. I could use your help.”
Amy quickly turned her head and slowly smiled at him.
“Your future family?” Amy asked as if she wanted to be sure she heard Eli right.
“Yes. There will be one.”
“Do you have anyone in mind for your wife?” Amy asked with a hint of worry.
“I’ve thought about you. We both work on the ranch. Makes sense, don’t you think?”
Oh boy. He didn’t word that right according to Amy’s frown. But what did he say wrong?
“Is Cora—or Dagmar—pushing you into a marriage with me? Sort of arranged, like your last attempt?” Amy whispered in shock.
Eli drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. They got along well with each other, but he needed to clarify his intentions to this hurting woman. Her past made her feel undesirable.
He reached for her hand, but she pulled away, wary of him now.
“Amy, I really like you, but you’ll have to be patient with me. Marriage is a big step, and I want the house done first.”
Eli breathed a sigh of relief when a small smile brightened Amy’s pretty face.
“Did you walk through the house and make a list?”
“No. It’s simple enough. Table, chairs, settee, two sets of bedroom furniture,” Eli shrugged. He’d never thought of furnishing a home because he was going to move in with Rebecca and her parents.
“Curtains and rugs for every room. Bedding—”
“I do have the quilt my mother made for me on my bed. But I don’t have anything for the two new bedrooms.”
“Chamber pots. Mirrors. Pitchers and wash basins. Towels… Shall I go on?” Amy smiled broadly now.
“My list of things to pick out just snowballed into a major undertaking, didn’t it,” Eli confessed. At least his confession brought Amy’s good nature back again.
“We’ll start in the front of the mail-order catalog the mercantile has and go through it page by page. Will that work? Cora said not to worry about the cost, but I need to spend sensibly for my own peace of mind.”
“I agree. Growing up, our house was so sparse of furniture, we only had two chairs. Us kids sat on a barrel, a couple of crates, stood, or sat on the floor. Bedding and towels were worn thin,” Amy’s voice tapered off in her memories.
“And now we walk into Cora’s ‘house of crystal,’” Eli drawled to make Amy laugh. It worked.
“Do you know, Cora gave both Kaitlyn and Gertrude a crystal vase when they left? She said she had to start giving it away before the twins started running around breaking them.”
“Good point. Can’t have the boys trying to maneuver through broken glass because you know two boys will run through the house, not tiptoe like their paranoid father.”
The boys looked like Cora with their dark hair. Eli glanced sideways at Amy. What would their children look like if he and Amy were to wed? With his russet curly hair and Amy’s blonde hair, their children would be fair-haired.
Eli thought of the rituals one did before preparing for a wedding. What about her father’s permission and blessing? It sounded as if Amy, or anyone else, shouldn’t contact the man about his daughter’s whereabouts. Would that cause problems in the future if Amy’s father came looking for her? Eli flexed his shoulders at the thought of meeting up with her father. That’s one case when he’d forget his compassionate upbringing.
*
“That took less time that I thought it would. You make fast and wise decisions, Amy,” Eli commended her as they walked down the street.
“I went with the cheapest item, as long as it was good quality. But can you imagine what the final cost will be? We’ll have a train carload of furniture and crates to transport up to the ranch.”
Eli liked that she said, “we.” The idea of asking her to be his wife was starting to excite him. Eli glanced at the jewelry page in the catalog but knew the Mercantile had a selection of wedding bands under the counter. He could pick one out when she wasn’t along on the trip.
“Shall we eat at Clancy’s Café after we pick up the mail? I worked up an appetite spending Cora’s money.” Eli felt proud of walking Amy down the street, pretending she was his wife.
“I’d love to eat at Clancy’s because I enjoy chatting with Edna. She was the very first person I met in town—who knew I was a woman when I walked into her café. But she kept my secret, then and still now.”
Eli laughed, thinking of how it hadn’t dawned on
him right away that the young boy he met was this wonderful woman instead. He opened the post office door and held it as Amy walked in.
“We’re picking up mail for the Bar E Ranch, if you have any,” Eli told the postmaster.
“Just a minute. I know there’s a letter from Cora’s mother,” he sorted through a stack of mail, “and a few for workers there.”
Eli watched as he pulled letters out of the stack and set them aside.
“Here’s a letter addressed to you too, Miss Sanders. From Texas,” he added as he handed the letter directly to her.
“I finally have news from my sister!” Amy exclaimed, but then her smile waned when reading the return address.
“Everything all right?” Eli quietly asked as the postmaster handed him a handful of letters.
“Um, we’ll see,” Amy said as they nodded thanks to the postmaster and exited the building and walked toward the café.
“Want to sit down on the bench outside the café and read the letter now?”
“Actually, I do. The return address says the letter is from Mr. Ferguson.”
Amy had her gloves off, and the envelope opened before they arrived to the bench. She sank down without thinking about the seat while scanning the letter.
“Oh, my word!” She gasped, and her hands trembled as she read the letter.
“Everything okay?” Eli asked as he watched Amy. Her eyes now glistened with tears.
“No…but yes. I’m shocked, but at the same time—I hate to say it but—I’m relieved.” Amy stammered as she handed him the letter to read.
Miss Sanders,
I’m writing to inform you that your sister shot your father while defending herself and your mother. He died from his wounds, but Ruth was not charged for the murder. I attended your father's burial yesterday, and your brother was with your family.
I informed your family I knew where you were and would write to let you know it was safe to travel home if you wanted to.
Please send me a telegraph when you get this letter, and I'll pass the word on to your family.
Sincerely,
Mr. Will Ferguson
Eli folded the letter and handed it back to Amy. But it slipped out of her hand and slid to the boardwalk as she covered her face with her hands and started to sob.
Eli wrapped his arms around Amy’s shoulders and pulled her close, trying to comfort her as she shuddered and cried with pent-up grief and pain. Her emotions must be swinging from grief, relief, to confusion.
Eli held her, shaking his head as people passed by with concerned looks on their faces. He didn’t care what other people thought. Amy had received a shock from the letter, and she needed to release her emotions.
Amy’s cries had lessened to hiccups when Edna Clancy stepped out the door. Edna motioned to Eli as if asking if it was all right to sit down by Amy. He indicated so, and Edna sat down by Amy.
“Amy, how about you come into the kitchen for a bowl of soup? We can talk if you want,” Edna said as she rubbed Amy’s back in slow circles.
Amy gave one last shuddered breath, then pulled out of his arms and turned to Edna. The woman handed Amy a handkerchief and waited until she’d wiped her eyes and blown her nose.
“Thank you, Edna. I just received word my sister killed my father in self-defense. I hate she had to take a life, but at the same time I’m so relieved the man is dead,” Amy whispered.
“I’m sorry for your family’s tragedy. I can see how it’s a shock and a loss. But, God forgive me for saying this, it’s a blessing to you and your family too, Amy.”
Eli remained silent, one arm on the back of the bench to give Amy support, but he let Edna do the talking. Amy sighed and nodded, now calm as Edna consoled her.
His mind was swamped with the thoughts of Amy’s change of situations. She could move back to Texas. His gut ached with the admission he loved Amy and didn’t want her to leave. But he couldn’t hold her back now that she could be reunited with her family.
Eli thought of all the household items they’d just picked out at the store, and the wedding ring he was considering going back for in the near future. He’d dreamed of Amy being the person he’d enjoy the new bed with, but that wish was now gone.
Eli had finally met the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, but she’d be heading back to Texas in the very near future.
Chapter 13
“Dig up as many clumps of irises as you want, Amy. They’ve spread and need dividing. This is the yellow variety, and the purple is over here. You can see the difference in the leaf color,” Kaitlyn told Amy as they walked along the west side of the parsonage.
Eli followed behind them with a shovel, ready to dig up what Kaitlyn wanted to part with.
“Here’s a couple of wooden crates to put the plants in,” Pastor said as he joined them.
“A couple? That won’t be enough, Patrick,” Kaitlyn advised him.
“I also have four burlap sacks too,” Pastor said as he tilted the one crate to show her the folded contents.
Amy looked at Eli, wondering if he was regretting the idea of planting flowers around his house now. They both thought she’d be living at the ranch and could take care of them before she received her news.
But Mr. Ferguson’s report changed everything. Between Eli’s comfort, Edna’s words of wisdom, and Dan’s special chicken soup, Amy was outwardly calm now.
Amy insisted they still stop at the parsonage to dig the plants, even though Eli protested they should forget about them. She could tell he was upset with her family’s news as much as she was, but for a different reason. Eli thought she’d want to go back to Texas without a second thought about him.
She did want to visit her family, but if Eli so much as hinted about marrying her, she’d accept in a heartbeat.
“Amy? Is everything all right? You seem preoccupied with something else,” Kaitlyn said as she laid a hand on Amy’s shoulder. Amy realized she’d missed what Kaitlyn had told her about the peony bushes they were standing in front of now.
They’d moved around the corner of the house, and Amy hadn’t even noticed.
“I’m sorry. I received a letter saying my father had died,” Amy explained.
“Oh, I’m so sorry for your loss, Amy,” Kaitlyn immediately hugged her.
“Well, now that I’m over the shock, it’s more of a relief,” Amy said and then explained the situation.
“Why don’t we stop picking out flowers and move into the house for coffee and counseling?” Pastor had shoved his spade into the ground and was ready to usher them into the parsonage.
Kaitlyn looked at Amy a moment, before turning to her husband. “I think talking flowers and you digging them up will be better for Amy this time. She needs to go home, dig in the dirt to plant these starts, and think.”
Go home. Which was her home now? Texas or Kansas?
“I’ll stand with your advice, Kaitlyn, but Amy, know that we are here for you, now and in the future,” Pastor said as he shoved the spade in the spot his wife was pointing to.
The future? Amy glanced at Eli, but he was remaining silent, not adding anything to the conversation.
“Thank you, Pastor and Kaitlyn. You’ve been so welcoming to me…” Amy started to say more but then stopped as tears clogged her throat again.
“I think Eli should travel with you if you want to visit your family, Amy,” Kaitlyn piped up, surprising her, and Eli and Pastor by their expressions.
“I doubt Dagmar would appreciate me leaving the ranch for an extending time,” Eli grumbled without looking up to Amy.
“Nonsense. Oskar and Annalina were gone for weeks, but they are back now,” Kaitlyn countered.
“Yes. Annalina is back, so Cora doesn’t need Amy. She’s free to move back to Texas,” Eli bit out with a hint of anger in his voice.
Kaitlyn twisted her lips to keep from saying more, but Amy knew what she wanted to say to the man, the same as she did.
Maybe I don’t want to le
ave the Bar E Ranch, or you.
“This is enough plants for the front of my house,” Eli said as he dumped the peony he’d dug up into a crate. “I’ll be lucky to keep this many alive.”
Eli handed the shovel to Pastor, picked up the first heavy crate and walked to the wagon without saying another word.
“Take your time to decide where you want to live, Amy. You’ve had bad news, and you need to see your family in Texas. But remember what you have here in Clear Creek too,” Kaitlyn quietly advised Amy as they walked together to the front of the wagon.
Amy looked back at Eli’s stone face as he dropped the other crate of flowers into the back of the wagon. There would be no soil left around the plant’s roots by the way he was roughly handling the containers, but she understood why he was upset.
Eli moved directly to his side of the wagon, letting Pastor help Amy up to the seat instead of doing it himself.
“God be with you, Amy,” Pastor said as he backed away from the wagon and stood beside his wife. Amy nodded her thanks then grabbed on to the side of the wagon as it jolted forward. Eli was in a hurry to leave, and it wasn’t because the irises and peonies needed to be planted.
“We’ll stop at the depot before we leave town,” Eli announced as he reined the horse to turn back toward downtown instead of north to the ranch.
Goodness. In her worries, she forgot that Mr. Henderson asked for a reply.
Eli pulled the horse to a stop in front of the depot, went around the side of the wagon and helped her down. “I’ll wait here with the horse while you send the telegram,” Eli curtly dismissed her.
Amy sighed but said nothing as she walked up to the depot door. She had too much emotional turmoil bouncing around her head without Eli’s mood adding to it.
At least he was still courteous when she thought of how her father would have acted if he didn’t like something. Someone in the family would have had a bruise rising on their cheek from his slap or fist.
It was going to take time for her to feel safe in the Texas ranch house. Was she ready to visit now, or wait?
“May I help you?” the agent pulled Amy from her thoughts.
Amy Admires an Amish Man: A Historical Western Romance (Brides with Grit Book 12) Page 8