by Sarah Thorn
The way he told the story made it much funnier than it would have been. Helen had been surrounded by her siblings so there wouldn’t have been a way for her to drown.
“Unless we all turned our backs,” he concluded and looked down at her. “And we never would have done that. We may not be that close now, but when we were young, we were much closer.”
“How many years are between you?”
“Somewhat like stepping stones,” Eric responded. “There’s about a year and a half between each of us, except Amy. She was our surprise miracle.”
“Your mother must have been very happy about that.” Olive snorted. Once again, she felt her cheeks flush when the words came out.
Eric chuckled. “I’m not too sure she enjoyed those years, to tell you the honest truth. I’m sure she would have lost her mind if my pa hadn’t been there to help and Aunt Helen, too. One of my sisters is Helen, named after her. It was Henry, then me, then Helen, then Jane and then my younger brother, William and our little sister, Amy. She’s sixteen, so that’s the youngest we go. Henry has his own land and…he had his own house and property. I guess that will be sold to pay…his debts.”
Olive frowned. “Was he in debt?”
Eric shrugged. “He had some debts, yes. He was a businessman. He had debts.”
Olive didn’t say anything more about that. It was pointless to dwell on information about a man she would never meet. Since she had not married him, she was not entitled to inherit anything from him. “And where do you reside?”
“I keep a loft in town over one of the shops. Usually…” He hesitated, whistled at the horses and pulled the reins so that they would miss another large hole in the road. “Usually, I just stay at the family home. I like to be there for ma when I need to be.”
“She isn’t sick, is she?”
He shook his head. “No. Just small and frail.” He gave her another teasing grin. “Like you.”
Olive smiled at him. She may have looked small and frail on the outside, but she felt like a large wolf inside. She would repress that instinct with everything she had, for fear of losing her new home.
Chapter Three
When Eric finally announced they were close to the house and pointed it out to her, she was relieved. It was placed at the back of long path that looked like it had seen many, many wagon wheels. There was some greenery around, long strips of grass along the side of the path and trees of varying shapes and sizes giving them much needed shade. She was glad to see the color because she had been afraid it would be nothing but dirt as far as the eye could see. She had, in fact, pictured something similar to the Sahara Desert, which she had never seen a picture of but was fully aware existed.
Virginia was covered in green, the mountains, the plains, the trees, bushes and shrubs. There was much vegetation in Virginia. There was very little here.
She noticed the cacti growing all around her and wondered at the different types there were. Some had round flat sections with tiny needles sticking out of them and others had arms reaching up to the sky with very long, scary-looking needles in them.
“Try to stay away from the cacti,” Eric said, noticing her staring. She turned her wide green eyes to him, and he felt his heart squeeze. He gave a nervous laugh and looked back toward the house. “Those needles are not our friends.”
She looked back at the cacti and nodded, murmuring, “I’ll surely stay away from them.”
They pulled up in front of the house, and Eric called to his mother, who was standing on the porch, waiting for them. She was holding a lantern high up in the air, which for her was about five and a half feet. Eric quickly exited the wagon and came around to the other side to help Olive down. The light from his mother’s lantern lit up the stairs and the porch so they could see.
“Thank you, ma. I appreciate you waiting out here.”
“It’s a nice night out, dear.” His mother turned her cheek toward him to receive her kiss. He greeted her by taking her hand, leaning to kiss her cheek and smiling at her.
“This is Olive Kelsey.” Eric took a step back to allow his mother to see Olive fully. “She’s the woman Henry sent for.”
“Yes.”
Olive took in the older woman with much curiosity. She didn’t look like she could be the mother of such fully grown men. Though her hair was streaked with white, the blond that it had been almost hiding that fact. Her face was nearly wrinkle-free, and her eyes sparkled in the light of the lantern as if she had just thought of a delightful prank she wanted to play on someone.
Eric took the lantern from her so that she could approach Olive.
Olive’s heart stopped for a moment, thinking she might not meet Mrs. Lewis’ approval, and she would be sent away.
Mrs. Lewis reached out to her, taking one of her hands gently. “You must be frightened beyond imagination, my girl. Why don’t you come inside and have some ham biscuits and hot tea? I would bet you haven’t eaten for many, many hours.”
“You would win that bet, Mrs. Lewis,” Olive said, the mention of food suddenly bringing sharp hunger pains to her stomach. “I would love to have a bite to eat.”
Mrs. Lewis nodded. “And I’ll bet you are exhausted, too. Ready for a good sleep?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Mrs. Lewis patted her hand softly and nodded again. “I have made up a bed for you in one of the back rooms. You will be safe and warm there. But first, we must get something in that very small stomach of yours.”
“I’d be ever so grateful for that, Mrs. Lewis.”
The older woman shook her head. “You mustn’t call me Mrs. Lewis since you will be made part of the family. You may call me Hannah. That is my given name.”
Olive felt a bit of confusion drape over her. “I…I was coming for…Henry. He’s…gone, isn’t he?”
She wished she hadn’t brought it up, but she hadn’t understood the woman’s statement and needed clarification that she wasn’t losing her mind. She took a chance and glanced at Eric, who was just standing, staring at them with a peaceful look on his face.
She wondered what he was thinking.
Hannah’s face dropped a bit. “Yes, my oldest son was killed in an accident today. We are having a feast tonight to honor him and will bury him tomorrow. You must join us for some food and wine and then off to bed you go.”
“If I drink wine, I won’t make it to the room you have prepared for me.”
Hannah laughed softly for a moment and then turned to go into another room down the hall. Olive looked back at Eric before following. He lifted one hand to indicate she should go.
“I’ll be right behind you,” he said. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
Olive was surprised to hear those words. Why would Eric care what happened to her? He hadn’t been the one to send for her. She walked slowly so that he was right behind her and whispered back to him, “Why did she say I would be a part of the family when Henry is not here now?”
When Eric responded, he leaned close behind her, she could feel his soft breath on her ear. It sent violent chills down her arms and thighs, and she almost felt like fainting. She held it together, though, drawing in a deep breath as quietly as she could and straightening her spine.
“I think she’s already decided your fate, my dear. Welcome to the family.”
Olive’s eyes widened at him, and she hurried to catch up with Hannah. He straightened up again, clasped his hands behind his back and continued to walk at a normal pace, watching Olive get further away from him before turning into the room the Wake was being held. He was in no hurry. The room wouldn’t be packed with people attending a get-together in his brother’s honor. He wasn’t a well-liked man.
When he turned into the room, there were even fewer people than he expected. Then he remembered the late hour and assumed if more were here, they had already left. There was no body to look at and that suited everyone just fine. The sour look that had dominated Henry’s face would not have been something for Olive t
o have in her mind of the man she almost married.
Eric went immediately to a high backed cushioned chair in the corner by a large indoor plant his mother was so fond of growing. She took care of her plants as she had taken care of her children, with gentle love and firm discipline. The plants were trimmed and watered on a regular schedule that never wavered or faltered. She was a woman who liked to keep things in order, looking presentable and, in the case of her children, physically and mentally healthy. He sat there, watching Hannah take Olive around the room.
Hannah introduced her to Eric’s other brother and his sisters and brothers-in-law one by one. The older woman made no immediate mention of her being Henry’s intended bride, simply introduced her as a new friend in town. The siblings weren’t fooled, however, and began to question Eric about Olive’s sudden appearance as soon as Hannah took the girl to the kitchen to retrieve some real food and drink.
“What’s going on, Eric? Where did you find her? Where have you been hiding her?” Helen was the first one to quiz him, coming over to stand directly in front of him. She had her arms crossed in front of her chest as if she was upset but her voice and face said she was more curious than anything.
“You’re going overload the poor man, Hellie. Just let him answer one before you ask another.”
“I wasn’t speaking to you, William Lewis. And don’t call me Hellie. You know I hate that. I am just wondering where she came from, that’s all.”
Eric nodded, lifted his hands and gestured for them to calm down.
“She looks really nice, Eric.” His youngest sister smiled at him, approaching slowly to sit on the floor next to him. She ran her fingers through the carpeting, looking up at him with large brown eyes. “Did you meet her in town?”
Eric touched her nose before answering. “I did, yes. But not the way you are all thinking. It seems our eldest brother was up to something before his accident today.”
His statement was met with widespread frowns of confusion. It wasn’t until that moment that he realized how much he and his siblings looked alike. They all looked like they were frowning with the same mouth. The thought amused him, and he smiled wide.
“I know that smile, Eric!” Helen said, sternly. “You are playing with us. What are you hiding?”
Eric shook his head. “No, no, Helen. You are mistaken. It isn’t me who was hiding. It was Henry.”
“I don’t understand.” Jane spoke up for the first time from her seat on the couch. She had been wrapped in her thoughts of Henry and just realized that she had been introduced to a strange woman in her mother’s home. “What’s going on?”
Her siblings glanced at her before turning their eyes back to Eric. She was just being her typical self. There was no need to inform her what the conversation was about because she would be back into her own world within moments anyway and they would have to explain it all again later.
“Eric, you need to come forth with the truth. What are you saying?”
“Our brother sent for a bride from the East.”
He was met with silent stares from his brother and sisters. He had even succeeded in making his youngest sister’s face register shock and bewilderment.
“Pardon me?” William took a step closer to him, and Eric lifted his hand in a stop motion.
“I’m telling you, that’s where Olive is from. She is from a small town in Virginia. Henry sent for her.”
“What could possibly make any woman want to do that?” Helen sounded belligerent. “I can’t imagine! Leaving your family and your home and traveling all the way…”
“That’s just the thing.” Eric interrupted her. It was uncommon for him to do such a thing so Helen’s mouth snapped shut and she stared at him with wide eyes. “She is escaping an unhappy home life, and I think you should give her a chance. She is not some wild woman who was looking for a man with money, and she has not shown herself to be loose or impudent in any way. I would appreciate it if you would give her the chance to show you who she is.”
“You don’t even know who she is, Eric,” William said. “Yet you defend her as if you are the one who called for her.”
Eric shook his head. “No, my brother. I didn’t call for her. It was Henry.”
“How do you know?”
“She showed me the letter he had sent most recently. She has others. They are in his handwriting. I would recognize it anywhere.”
“I… I don’t believe it.” Helen finally looked away and took a step back from him, her aggressiveness dissolved. She moved to the couch and let herself drop on it next to Jane.
Jane looked at her.
“What’s happening, Helen? What’s going on?”
“I’ll tell you later, Jane.” Helen patted her sister’s hand softly. “Don’t you worry about it.”
Chapter Four
The house was extremely long. It was obvious that Mr. Lewis, who built it in the first place, continued to add rooms as he saw fit. He never expanded the upper level, leaving the house looking very odd from the outside. The rooms he built on were comfortable, solid and very nicely decorated. He’d felt the need to add another room when his daughters married, in case they and their husbands wanted to visit at the same time. Then he had added two more rooms for the children he knew they would eventually have.
He was an extremely boisterous and fun man in his late 60’s. He was fit and trim, ready to take on the world. Olive enjoyed being around him whenever he was there.
Over the course of a week, she learned many things about the new life she was living and the people she was living it with. She learned that Helen and Matthew were daily visitors, that William and his wife were rarely seen and that Henry had not been a visitor more often than holidays. She couldn’t understand that, considering the kind of family he’d had. Eric was also there more often than not.
She took the time to wonder if his visits were more frequent now that she was here. She tried hard not to think about Eric all day. He was the brother of the man she was supposed to marry. She hadn’t corresponded with him, and he hadn’t paid for her ticket to come. He was under no obligation to her. She was someone else’s intended. She could only imagine what he thought of her decision to marry a stranger across the country.
But when he visited, her doubts and fears seemed to disappear. He was so friendly and kind; she had no time to think negative thoughts. He took her on a tour of the house and surrounding land a few days after her arrival and had been thoughtful enough to bring along a basket with fresh fruit, cornbread and small jars of a delicious strawberry drink Hannah had been making for her children since they were very young.
“This is a concoction my mother is famous for.” Eric had boasted.
She remembered laughing and saying, “Famous where? I’ve never heard of her strawberry drink before.” and not even caring that it sounded blunt and a little rude. Eric never took it that way. Her conversations with him were always smooth, flowing naturally from one topic to another, with a lot of laughing along the way.
They had spent that entire day together. The only possibly negative thing she noticed of the day was that he always steered the conversation away from Henry if the topic was broached. Olive had seen very little grieving of the brother that had so recently passed, not just by Eric but by his siblings, as well. Helen did not seem to be naturally friendly, but the rest of Eric’s siblings were.
Still she had not seen one shed tear from any of them. Their mother was the only one she had ever seen show emotion about her deceased son.
Nevertheless, the rest of the day proved to be a true blessing from God. It was one of the most wonderful days she had ever had in her entire lifetime. She couldn’t imagine a day in her future that could make her feel as comfortable and happy as that day.
Since then, she’d found it nearly impossible to keep him off her mind. She wanted to be with him wherever he was, no matter what time of day or night it was. She wanted to feel his hands and his lips against hers.
It w
as during these times of elation that her mind would begin to fill with doubts. It was wrong for her to feel that way about him. He was Henry’s brother. She still felt some kind of obligation to the deceased man, and she didn’t know why. She wondered what his family must think of her. They hadn’t once asked where she’d come from, but she suspected they talked about it when she wasn’t around.
It was with those thoughts that she woke that morning, exactly one week since her arrival. She looked around the small room, stretching her arms out wide and breathing in the fresh scent of coffee brewing.
She sat up and let her small legs hang over the side. Her feet touched the cold floor for just a moment before she slid them into the little soft slippers Amy had given her. Wrapping her robe around her, she stopped in front of the mirror and poured some water from the pitcher into a pretty ceramic bowl. As always, she hesitated before dipping her hands into the water and washing her face. It had become a habit when she was in Virginia to hesitate because oftentimes the water was very cold.
It was rarely cold here in Nevada. The weather was completely different. But she still hesitated.
Five minutes later, face clean, hair brushed and pulled back behind her to fall loose and curly down her back, Olive walked out of the room and down the hall toward the kitchen and dining room. There was a very long carved wooden table with matching chairs that took up an entire room size. The kitchen was open to the table, doubling the size of the room. Henry had made the table for his family several years past.
She heard voices and stopped, standing silently, listening to what they were saying.
“I still don’t see the point in all of this.” It was Helen she heard first, and the tone of her voice is what had made Olive stop.
“What do you mean by ‘point’?” It was Eric that responded. Olive’s heart skipped a beat, and she berated herself for eavesdropping but didn’t continue to the kitchen. “Why does there have to be a point in helping someone?”
“She’s a complete stranger. Maybe the letters were forged, and she found a way to move into a home when she did not have one?”