by Carré White
I glanced behind me, gasping. The bottom of my petticoats had caught alight, and they burned vigorously, the flames reaching halfway up my legs. I hadn’t even felt it.
“Oh, bother!” I shouted, panicking and running.
“No!”
This made it worse, as I now felt heat against my thighs. Ryan’s hat had fallen off, his raven hair flying out behind him, while his expression revealed distress. He grabbed me, throwing me to the ground, where he proceeded to pound out the fire by folding my skirts over on each other. This effectively put out the blaze, but the dress was ruined.
“Never run, if you’re on fire! You would’ve gone up like a Roman candle, if I hadn’t been here.” Too shocked to speak, I glanced at the blackened cloth that had once been my skirt. “Are you burned?” he asked.
“I-I don’t think so.”
His hand found my leg. “You’re hot.”
“My stockings saved the day, I suppose.”
“Another few seconds and you would’ve felt it.”
“I’m glad you were near.”
“I’ve been keeping an eye on you.” He grinned, holding out his hand. “I’m sorry I had to throw you down like that.”
He helped me to my feet. “It’s fine. I understand.”
“Let’s make sure it’s all out.” He examined my backside, his hand skimming over my shoulder. “It looks good.”
Had he been referring to the fire or my person? “I’m glad you think so, sir.”
He dropped to his knees, feeling my boots. “They weren’t touched. You’ll need a new dress.”
“I can wear this one for the day. I don’t care what it looks like.”
“There isn’t much salvageable, eh?”
“It’s completely ruined, but I’m still alive.”
Ryan got to his feet, facing me, his expression earnest. “Have you decided yet what you’ll do?”
“About what?”
“Letting me court you.”
“I-I haven’t had much time to think on it.” But that had been a lie. It was all I thought about.
“If you weren’t attached to this Wesley person, would you consider me?”
“I hardly know you.”
“That’s why people court one another. That’s how they get to know each other.”
“I haven’t heard from Wesley in weeks. I’m…not certain of what I’ll do. I have a habit of rushing into things without thinking them through. I don’t wish to do that again.”
“Will you be at the social on Friday? I hate town, and I hate places with lots of people, but, if I knew you were there, I’d go.”
“They’re so mean to you in town. I can understand why you’d want to stay away.”
“They have to get used to me at some point. Then they’ll know I’m a white man who only looks Indian.”
“But you live in a tipi.”
He grinned. “They’re very comfortable.”
I regretted my words instantly. “Oh, never mind.”
“As I recall, you enjoyed my tipi rather well.”
“Ouf!” I brushed by him to leave, but he held my arm, bringing me close.
“You do remember that afternoon, don’t you?”
“Let go.”
“I can’t stop thinking about it,” he murmured. “It’s burned into my memory, but I don’t mind.”
I met his gaze, feeling my resolve crumble, which was worrying. “We shouldn’t talk about this.”
“Is it the way I look? Am I too Indian? Is that why you won’t let me court you? Are you afraid people will throw things at you and call you an Indian lover, if you were with me?”
I gasped. “No! I don’t care two sticks for what others have to say.”
“Am I too poor? I’ve a tipi, and not much else. I don’t have any money for land.”
“It’s not that either. Let go, sir.” I struggled to free my arm, but his grip was firm.
“Are you in love with this Wesley person? Is he rich? Will he build you a pretty white house?”
“I can’t explain myself to you. You wouldn’t understand.”
“What’s to understand?”
“I’m in a relationship with someone, but…but he’s far away. I don’t know when he’ll return, but, until then, I have to keep my word.”
“And what was that?” His look hardened.
“He wants me to be his wife. He’s going to propose when he returns.”
“What if he doesn’t?”
“He will.”
“What will you do then?”
“That’s what I have to think about. I…don’t know.”
The anger evaporated. “So you do think about me? You do wonder what we could be like?”
“I have,” I admitted reluctantly.
“Then you’ll tell him you don’t want him.”
“I can’t say for sure. I…I’ve not figured it all out yet.”
“Will you go to the social on Friday?”
“Fanny might not let me. They’ll be too exhausted after fighting the bugs all week.”
“Today’s the last day. If the coal tar doesn’t work, the fields will be lost.” He gazed at the smoke above our heads. “This was a long shot. The flails did nothing yesterday. The crop is ruined.”
That was alarming. “What will you do then? You won’t have a job.”
“There’s always Pastor Bailey’s crop. He’ll need help harvesting the corn come fall. I plan to ask him if he needs workers. I’d be more than happy to set up my tipi on his property.”
That would be the worst idea imaginable. “I say no to that.”
“Why?”
“You know why.”
“Because it would be easy for you to visit me then?” He grinned teasingly. “I’d only be a few yards from the house.”
That was exactly the reason why Ryan Hartsock could not work on Fanny’s farm. “It won’t happen. You’re saying things to get my goat.” He’d let go of my arm. “We have to get back to work. There’s still another field to dig.” I turned from him, walking away.
“Remember what I said, Jane. Come to the social. There’s no reason why we can’t talk and dance and drink lemonade.”
I glanced at him over my shoulder. “I’ll think about it. Thank you for saving me from the fire.”
His smile was broad. “You’re welcome. Whenever you need rescuing, please let me know.”
Chapter Ten
“Oh, my word!” exclaimed Hannah. “What happened to you?”
“I caught on fire.”
“Are you burned?” asked Fanny, who grasped the bottom of my skirts. “This is completely ruined.”
“I’m fine. Mr. Hartsock came upon me and put the flames out.”
“Is that so?” Hannah craned her neck, searching for Ryan. “That was timely.”
“You could’ve died,” said Paulina. “You realize that, don’t you? Women die every day from catching on fire. It was even worse when the skirts were bigger a few years ago. Those crinolines are hazardous.”
“I’m not wearing one, but I must’ve stepped too close to the flames. It doesn’t matter now.” I grasped a shovel. “I’m fine. The dress is ruined, but there’s no harm.”
“We ought to thank Mr. Hartsock when we see him,” said Fanny. “He was most helpful.”
“Yes, he was,” murmured Hannah, a knowing glint in her eye. She whispered, “He just happened to seek you out at that precise moment to save you. How fortunate indeed.”
“Well, if it would please you better, I could’ve died, I suppose.”
“Oh, not with your savior near.”
I gave her a look, biting my tongue, as I wanted to say something less than polite.
“Have you given any thought about what you’ll do? Are you and Wesley still together?” We’d begun to walk up a lane, as wheat surrounded us, but it teemed with noisy grasshoppers.
“I haven’t heard anything from him in weeks. I’ve been waiting for his return. Then I’ll have to make a decision. I though
t that absence was supposed to make the heart grow fonder, but…” I glanced into the distance. “I’ve just forgotten a great deal instead.”
“I’ll tell you this, but it’s in confidence. I can hardly remember what Frank looked like.” He had been Hannah’s first husband, who had died tragically. “It’s not because I don’t love and miss him, it’s because so much time’s gone by. The images fade; they really do. I loathe that.”
“I’m sorry. Didn’t you have a picture of him?”
“One, but it was damaged with water on the wagon train out here.”
“But the feelings you had for him live on, don’t they?”
“Yes.” She smiled wistfully. “I’ve been lucky to have two men whom I’ve felt affection for. Nathan made it possible for me to go on; otherwise; I might’ve become an old widow. He wouldn’t let me feel sorry for myself.”
“How did you know? I mean, how did it feel to be in love? What was it that told you he was the one?”
“It’s a combination of feelings. With Nathan, he always made me feel safe and taken care of. But, it was more than that. I’d feel so giddy being near him. It was silly, really. I just enjoyed being where he was. I still do.”
“Then you knew you were in love?”
“No, then he went away for several months. I’d never been so miserable. That’s when I knew I loved him. Gosh, I missed him dreadfully. I thought I’d lost him for good.”
Oh, dear. My feelings for Wesley were not similar to this at all. “I see.”
“Do you miss Wesley terribly?”
“Um…of course.” I stopped walking, as we had reached the end of the lane. “I’m exhausted, and there’s still so much to dig.”
“There is. I’m not sure if any of this will do any good. We might have just lost it all this season.”
“Oh, I hope not. Let’s work extra hard then to assure our success.” I thrust the shovel into the dirt. “The faster we dig this out, the faster Nathan can light the coal tar.”
She sighed in response, echoing exactly how I felt.
Hours later, after the second field had been set alight, heavy smoke filled the air. The pungent, noxious smell permeated every stitch of clothing I wore, including my hair. When we had finished for the day, we gathered in front of Hannah’s house, tired, filthy, and demoralized. Several men had thrown themselves into the pond, emerging with wet hair, although they’d worn the same clothing afterwards, but not Ryan, as he had changed.
“Listen up,” said Nathan, who stood on the porch. “I want to thank each of you for your help. I’m a lucky and blessed man to have so many friends and family who were willin’ to lend a hand. I’m not sure how successful we were, but we gave it our best. I’m all outta ideas now.”
“I’m sorry, Nathan,” said Jack. “As of this morning, our field was fine. If it remains that way, I’ll be happy to share my corn with you come harvest.”
“We’ll see how you fare,” said Nathan. “We had a surplus from last year. Even if this goes belly up, we’ll be fine. It’s just a shame that all that hard work went for nothin’.” His shoulders had slumped. “You folks have done enough. I’ve taken you away from your homes and work for two days. I don’t expect you to return. There’s nothin’ more we can do here anyhow.”
“We gave it our all,” said Samuel, who had a streak of coal tar across his face. “It was an uphill battle from the start. It’s almost impossible to fight Mother Nature.”
“Indeed it is,” agreed one of the workers. “Let’s pray the cold weather kills off the eggs. There won’t be any pests left next year.”
“Darn straight there won’t,” agreed a man in a red calico shirt.
“Go on home then,” said Nathan. “Go clean up and have your supper. I’ve kept you long enough. Thank you again for all the help.”
It was sad that our efforts had failed, and that Nathan and Hannah would lose their crop. Feeling dejected and fatigued, I met Fanny and Jack by the wagon, as Mary and Susanna clambered onboard.
“Well, that’s it then,” said Fanny. “I wonder if they’re in our field?”
“We’ll find out soon enough.”
“What a travesty,” said Mary. “All that work.” There was dirt smudged on her nose.
“Will we have to go to school tomorrow?” asked Susanna. “I think there’s tar in my hair, and I don’t know how to remove it.”
“Please don’t make us go to school, Fanny,” implored Peter. “I’m all tuckered out now. I could sleep for twenty hours straight.”
Fanny glanced over her shoulder. “I…don’t know. You’ve already missed two days.”
“We’ll make up the work on the weekend,” said Connor.
“Let’s go home,” said Jack. “We’ll see how we feel later. We might need a day off to help with the laundry.”
Mrs. Hoffman brought out Thomas, who fussed. “Here he is. His underthings are clean now.”
“Oh, thank you so much,” said Fanny, holding out her hands. “You’ve been so kind to watch him, mother.”
Mrs. Hoffman looked wilted, as her cap hung limply upon graying hair. “It’s been a trial for everyone, I’m afraid. We occupied the little ones the best we could. We made cookies and built blockhouses. They played together very well. This one is a little scamp, but he was a doll.”
“He’s at that age where they tear into everything.”
“Oh, yes.” She smiled kindly. “You’ve been so helpful. I watched you from the window. Your girls worked tirelessly without complaint. I’m proud of all of you.”
Hannah approached. “Now I have to make supper. Heavens above, what a day. Thank you all so much for the help.”
“We’ll see you on Sunday.” Fanny patted Thomas’s backside. “Now stop fussing.” The toddler cried, rubbing his eyes. “He’s tired.”
“Tell Nathan we said goodbye,” said Jack.
“I will. He’s still digging trenches.” Hannah squinted into the distance. “It’s all over, but he hasn’t accepted it. Not all seasons are meant to be good, I suppose.”
Mrs. Hoffman put her arm around her daughter. “We have plenty to see us through. What we don’t have He will provide. None of us are sick or injured. We’re all here together, forging ahead in this brave new world. That’s the only thing that matters.”
Hannah nodded. “True.”
It was heartening how the Hoffman family had pulled together to help Nathan and Hannah, although they hadn’t been successful. The longer I was in their presence, the more I felt in communion with them. As we ambled out of the yard, I scanned the fields, which appeared green beneath the grayish haze, although the grasshoppers continued to make a meal out of each leaf and stalk. The damage had been done. The dress I wore was a reminder that I could have gone up in flames myself today, and I had. If it weren’t for Ryan, I might have been badly burned. We had indeed been lucky today.
The wagon slowed. “What is it?” asked Fanny. “Is there a problem with the axle?”
“I don’t know.” Jack seemed perplexed, glancing over his shoulder. “What is he doing?”
Being in the rear with my brothers and sisters, I wasn’t able to see what was happening, but movement caught my eye, as someone ran towards us. It was Ryan. His face was shaded beneath a broad-brimmed hat. A bundle of pretty wild flowers came my way.
“These are for you.” He handed them to me, grinning. “I’ll see you on Friday.”
Stunned, I could only stare, while Jack called to Sally Anne, the horse picking up her hooves.
“What was that about?” asked Fanny.
“Looks like he’s sweet on you,” said Connor.
“Oh, shush.”
“He got you some pretty ones too,” murmured Mary.
“What’s Friday?” asked Fanny. “Is there something we should know?”
“It’s a social in town,” I said, gazing at the flowers in my hand.
“I’d love to go to a social,” said Mary. “I’m sixteen after all. I’d love to me
et a handsome farmer or a miner or—”
“Stop that!” I was floored by the surprisingly romantic gesture, staring at Ryan, who stood at the edge of the property watching us leave.
“A social, hum…” Fanny turned to look at me. “I thought you were going to marry Wesley Hornsby?”
“I…suppose I am, but he hasn’t asked to marry me.”
“He’s working,” said Jack. “He’ll be back. I’m sure he’ll get on one knee then.”
“Not if this fella beats him to it,” laughed Fanny. “It looks like a foot race now. Poor Wesley might not stand a chance. Isn’t that the man who saved you today from being burned?”
“Yes.”
“Well, that was awfully nice of him.” Susanna smiled prettily. “He’s still standing there staring after us. He’s smitten all right. He must like a girl who smells like coal tar.”
My cheeks had begun to heat. “That’s enough. It’s just flowers.” Something moved upon one of the flowers, crawling on my hand. It was a ladybug.
“Well, if Mary and Jane want to go to the social, I suppose that would be fine,” said Fanny.
“What about me?” asked Susanna. “I’m fourteen, and I’d dearly love a dance. I might not be ready for marriage yet, but a glass of lemonade and a cookie or two would be nice indeed.”
“Susanna, if you feel compelled to join your sisters—”
“I do.”
“It looks like we’re going into town Friday evening, darling.”
“I don’t want to burst anyone’s bubble, but let’s see how the rest of the week transpires,” said Jack. “We might have to save our crops too, if they’re attacked.”
“But those efforts didn’t work at all,” objected Fanny. “There’s no reason to waste time flailing the grass and burning things down, if it makes little difference.”
“I know.”
“There’s still light. When we get home, we’ll check our field. I have faith that we’ll be fine.”
He grinned at his wife. “Yes, ma’am. I’m partial to a woman of faith.”
“Oh, now I know you’re pulling my leg.”
“Not at all, my dear. I knew the first time I saw you.”
“That’s an outright lie,” she giggled.
“You remember our first meeting?”