Falling In Love With Her Husband Page 19

  “We’ll discuss it later. I want to enjoy the day.”

  I nodded. I wondered if Todd would mention what he and my father discussed in the barn. As long as he wasn’t upset with me, I was content to wait.

  My mother came down the stairs. We waited for her at the door before we headed out to the sleigh. The ride to John and Barbara’s was spectacular. The sunlight glistened off the snow. The weather was warmer than the day before, so we didn’t have to bundle up with as many blankets. It was a perfect day for a ride through the country. My father and mother sat up front, so Todd and I had the back to ourselves. We sat close together and held hands. I couldn’t believe I spent so much time trying to avoid him while we were growing up. Now all I wanted to do was be near him.

  When we reached John and Barbara’s house, their children were playing in the snow. Calvin was beating Bruce at their snowball fight, though Bruce tried his hardest to hold his own. Molly was eating the snow, obviously enjoying the cold white stuff.

  “Why do boys play rough?” I asked Todd, recalling how he wanted to bang his trains into mine when we played together as children.

  He grinned. “It’s fun. There’s action and adventure. All you girls seem to do is sit down and stare at your dolls. That’s boring.”

  “We didn’t stare at the dolls. Agnes and I made up stories with those dolls.”

  “And you wonder why that’s boring?”

  “I suppose girls and boys find different things interesting. Our parents never should have made us play together.”

  “Growing up with sisters, I didn’t have a choice but to play with girls. At least you fought back when I rammed my trains into yours.”

  “What did your sisters do?”

  “They ran to my parents. Since I was the boy, they usually took their side. My sisters used that to their advantage.”

  “So what happened?”

  “I either had to go to my room or play whatever they wanted. I spent most of my time in my room.”

  “If we were boring, why did you want to be around us when I came over?”

  “Isn’t it obvious? I thought you were pretty.”

  I guessed as much but it was nice to hear.

  We got out of the sleigh and introduced John and Barbara to my parents. As Todd was about to join John and my father out to the Russell barn, I quickly asked Todd why men liked to separate themselves from women.

  “Because, you’re still boring,” he good-naturedly replied. “When you get together, you talk about cooking, cleaning or children. God forbid you should mention a female problem. Those are the scariest of all talks, and I’ve heard enough of those from my sisters.”

  “So what do you men talk about?”

  “Work. Sometimes we discuss how to fix things.”

  “Oh. Now that’s boring.” Thank goodness I didn’t have any brothers to listen to while growing up.

  “At least when we get together, the conversation is better for both of us.” He kissed the top of my nose. “Just so you know, I enjoy our time together the most.”

  “Me too.”

  I smiled as he walked to Calvin, John and my father. As much as I looked forward to spending time with Barbara and my mother, I knew my thoughts would be on Todd and how wonderful he was. Barbara was delighted to see that things were better between Todd and me.

  “I prayed day and night that you two would be alright,” she confided while my mother talked to Molly and Bruce. “But today, you are glowing.”

  “I appreciate your prayers. They worked.”

  “Thank goodness.”

  “How are you feeling?”

  “Tired but happy, especially since you and Todd are alright.”

  Bruce led my mother to us. “Can Mrs. Statesman see my jacks?”

  “Yes, she may,” Barbara replied.

  He ran into the house.

  “Would you like to come inside?” Barbara asked my mother and me.

  We nodded and joined her.

  ***

  When we decided to go to town, I was surprised that Todd, John and my father went to visit Mr. Fields who had puppies he was eager to give away. I wondered why they brought two light brown and white puppies. I soon discovered that one was for John’s children and the other one was for Todd and me. I wanted to ask Todd why we needed a puppy but knew he would tell me later. While the men stayed to talk to Mr. Fields, Barbara took me and my mother to visit her mother and to meet Mr. and Mrs. Coley.

  Afterwards, we returned to the Russell house to prepare dinner. My mother insisted on playing with the children since she made a better nanny than a cook.

  “She enjoys the children as much as you do,” Barbara commented as she rolled the dough.

  I stuffed the dough with cheese and folded the dough to make ravioli. “She spent a lot of time with me when I was a little girl. I suppose since I was the only child, it was easy to devote most of her time to me.”

  “She seems like a compassionate person.”

  “She is. I think she took my heartbreak over Kent worse than I did. It wasn’t that she liked him. She liked Todd more, but it hurt her to watch me in pain.” I sighed thoughtfully. “She’ll make a good grandmother.”

  Barbara looked at me. “Is that a possibility?”

  “A lot has changed in two days,” I simply replied, my cheeks hot from embarrassment.

  “What great news! Maybe you’ll be expecting soon and we can have our babies close together. They could be good friends.”

  I smiled. “What if I have a girl and you have a boy?”

  “Then maybe they’ll marry someday.”

  “You’re horrible!”

  She shrugged. “It’s fun to imagine.”

  I grinned. Yes, it was.

  ***

  After my parents settled into bed for the night, Todd said he wanted to talk to me, so I sat next to him on the couch. The puppy quietly played in the corner with an old shoe. I hoped this talk would explain the sudden need for a dog.

  “I know this is something you don’t like to think about, but I need you to remember something for me,” he said.

  I frowned. This didn’t sound promising.

  “When I saw you and Kent in the mercantile, did he say anything after I left?”

  I blinked in surprise. I stared at the fire as I processed the events through my mind. I had focused so much on the fact that Todd saw us kissing that I hadn’t considered what happened afterwards. A feeling of dread washed over me. “He said he would be back.”

  “That’s what Mrs. Carson said. You didn’t mention it before, so I couldn’t be sure that is what happened but now I know. Your father recommended that we get a dog for protection. I can’t be here all the time.”

  I sat up straight. “You think he’ll come here? To our home?”

  “I don’t know but I’d rather play it safe. I want you to come with me to the barn.”

  I reluctantly put on my coat and followed him outside. Once he set the lantern on the ground, he picked up his gun.

  “What are you doing?” I asked, though I really didn’t want to know.

  “You may need to use this. The dog won’t do enough damage to stop him. It will just buy you time. If Kent’s serious, he’ll still come after you. Ann, shooting someone to protect yourself is not murder.”

  I shivered. I didn’t feel comfortable using a gun. “Can’t I use something else?” Did I really want to be out here, having this conversation?

  He thought for a moment. “I guess the gun is intimidating to a woman.”

  This whole conversation was intimidating to a woman. Was Kent going to drag me off and force me to be his wife? Did Todd think that would actually happen? I recalled the way he kissed me, the force he used and how he wouldn’t go away when I told him to. I quickly turned around so I could regain my composure.

  Todd wrapped his arms around me. “Ann, I hope I’m overreacting, but I can’t afford to take my chances. You said you were afraid of him. I can only do so much to
protect you. As long as you’re with someone in town, I think you’ll be safe. But if you’re alone here, there’s no one to help you. Your father is going to discuss the situation with Kent’s father. Hopefully, they can resolve the issue. In the meantime, I need you to be strong for me. Please?”

  I took a deep breath. “I’ll learn to shoot the gun.”

  He smiled. “There’s the girl that threw sand on two class bullies.”

  I laughed, glad to have the mood lightened. I didn’t want to think of Kent. I wanted to focus on Todd and how wonderful it felt to be loved by him.

  “We won’t practice tonight, but I want to show you where to find the gun in case you need it.”

  I watched him put it behind the pile of chopped wood.

  He continued to explain, “I figure that if you’re at the house, the dog will attack Kent and it should give you enough time to get the gun. I’m going to install door locks on the front and back doors of the house.” He picked up the axe that had been behind the chopped wood and placed it on the shelf above the wood. “We’ll start practicing after your parents leave.”

  As he took my hand and led me back into the house, I hoped that I would never have to follow his plan.

  ***

  My parents stayed for two weeks before they went back to Virginia. Todd and I spent Thanksgiving with the Russells and their relatives. For Christmas, I gave Todd a new pair of boots that would be durable for farming. He gave me a wedding ring.

  “Todd, it’s beautiful,” I said that night as we sat together in front of the fire in the parlor. “I think it’s the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen.”

  “You’ve owned fancier rings than that one.”

  “Maybe. But none of them were from you.”

  He put his arm around me. “Is it any wonder that I love you?”

  I finally stopped staring at the ring and turned to him. “I would like to go into town tomorrow and help Mrs. Carson take down Christmas decorations at the church. She’s really a different person now. Even Mr. Carson decided to go to church. He wanted to know what caused the big change.”

  “It’s nice to know you two are friends.” He held my hand. “You don’t have to keep working for the Coley’s. We have plenty of money.”

  “I supposed that was the case when I gave you the dowry. I still get food and cooking supplies, but I also enjoy being there. I’ve made some friends in town and it’s a great way to visit them. You would be surprised at how many women go shopping during the day.”

  “More boring women talk. No wonder men rarely enter the mercantile.”

  I didn’t take offense at his comment since I knew he was joking.

  Someone knocked at the door so I jumped up to answer it. I blinked in surprise. What was Mr. Richard doing here?

  He took his hat off. “Good evening, ma’am. May I speak with your husband?”

  I glanced over my shoulder at Todd who hopped off the couch.

  “Mr. Richard, it’s a pleasure to see you. Come in,” he invited.

  I moved aside and took his coat and hat, which I hung on the nail by the door. “Would you like some hot cocoa?” I asked him.

  “No thank you, Mrs. Brothers.”

  I looked at Todd to see if he wanted something to drink.

  He shook his head.

  “If you’ll excuse me, gentlemen,” I said and left the room.

  I went upstairs and changed into my nightgown. As soon as I got into bed, I realized how tired I was and fell asleep. I didn’t wake up until the next morning. I squinted as I lifted my head off the pillow.

  Todd smiled at me. “Good morning.”

  “What time is it?”

  “Almost seven.”

  “I must have been more tired than I thought.”

  He chuckled. “Would you like some good news?”

  “Sure. It’s a good way to start the day.”

  “Mr. Richard discovered who stole the money.”

  “Really? Who did it?”

  “Mr. Randolph. He’s been working at the bank for ten years. Shortly after I began working at the bank, his wife got sick. Since there wasn’t anyone to take care of her, he missed a lot of work. He took some money when they ran out of food. He thought that he could make up the work by doing overtime, but her health kept getting worse. Mr. Richard caught him taking some money out of the safe yesterday.”

  “But the bank was closed.”

  “That’s why Mr. Richard went to investigate the bank. He noticed someone was inside it. Mr. Randolph knew where Mr. Richard put the key, so that’s how he got in without being noticed.”

  “So did Mr. Randolph plant the money and the combination to the safe in your desk?”

  “Yes. He was desperate and scared. He was afraid if he lost his job, then he wouldn’t be able to support him and his wife at all.” He reached for my hand. “Mrs. Carson happened to be passing the bank and heard what was going on. She volunteered to watch Mrs. Randolph so he could go back to work. He’ll be working some overtime to pay back what he stole, but I think everyone is happy with the outcome. Even though stealing is wrong, I can understand why he did it. I’m glad he’ll be paying Mr. Richard back, and it’s great that Mrs. Carson is doing so much good for people in town.”

  I nodded.

  “Mr. Richard offered me the job back, but I said I was happy working for Mr. Fields. Isn’t it amazing how things work out? Mr. Richard gave me some money for what he did to me. I told him he actually did me a favor because I hated that job.”

  “That’s wonderful news for everyone.”

  “I had to resist the urge to wake you up last night and tell you. You were just too tired. I couldn’t wake you up.”

  I snuggled up to him and smiled.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Todd’s Point of View

  The next month and a half passed by swiftly. Ann and I fell into a very comfortable and pleasant routine. As much as I enjoyed my work, I couldn’t wait to come home. She would wait for me at the door and give me a big hug and long kiss to let me know she missed me when I was gone. We continued in our book readings, and I took her out to the barn twice a week to practice shooting at bottles. She was terrified when she first fired the gun, and it wasn’t easy to get her over the discomfort of using the weapon. But she pressed through her anxiety and became a good shot. I mastered my own shooting skills and had no problems shooting each bottle.

  The puppy grew into a big hairy dog. We finally decided to call him Patches since his brown and white spotted fur reminded Ann of a mended garment. I built a doghouse for him in the front yard, and we gave him some old blankets to help add to his comfort in the cold winter months. January and February were the coldest months, and we spent most of our time indoors whenever we had a snowstorm. I liked these days the most because we would spend all day in bed, enjoying each other. Farming couldn’t compare to the joy of being with her.

  ***

  One unusually warm day in mid-February, I took Ann to town. Since enough snow melted, I was able to take the wagon. She sat close to me and wrapped her arm around mine. She rested her head on my shoulder. I smiled, enjoying the moments I had with her before we went our separate ways. She went to the Coley’s store to help Mrs. Coley while I went to Mr. Fields’ to work. Ann planned to go to Barbara’s mother’s house during lunch, so I took that time to purchase Ann’s gift. It was another idea I got from Calvin. I smiled as I hid it in the back of the wagon. I loved to give her things I knew she liked but wouldn’t buy for herself.

  The rest of the day went by slowly as I waited for the end of the workday. Finally, I got off of work and went to Barbara’s mother’s house to pick Ann up. She was helping Barbara with some last minute cooking. I watched Ann as she took a pie out of the oven.

  “Would you like a piece?” she asked me.

  “There’s plenty,” Barbara added.

  “No thanks.” I was eager to show Ann her gift.

  “Can I have a piece?” Calvin and Molly a
sked as they hovered around Barbara who was showing in her pregnancy. Bruce was too busy chasing a cat to notice the pie.

  We said good-bye to them and left. As we strolled to the stable, she put her arm through mine and whispered, “I stopped menstruating.”

  Had it been any other woman, this comment would have repulsed me, but coming from Ann, I knew it meant that we could be physically intimate that day. I grinned and quickly pulled her into a small alley where we would be out of sight. I gave her a long kiss, my hands running down her back. “Just you wait until I get you home,” I said.

  “We’ll see,” she slyly replied.

  I raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean by that?”

  She shrugged and left the alley. Glancing over her shoulder, she said, “I don’t think you’ll make it that long.”

  I chuckled. She was shy in the beginning, but I liked the way she grew more assertive as she got more comfortable in our lovemaking.

  We went to the stable and I paid the owner before helping her into the wagon. As she hopped up into her seat, she brushed her body against mine. Did she do that on purpose? By the expression on her face, it was hard to tell. She appeared to have nothing on her mind. The ride home, however, soon proved that she did do it on purpose. She sat close to me again, but as soon as we were out of town and alone, her hands caressed parts of me that made it difficult to properly lead the horses. Her kissing on my neck didn’t help much either.

  When I couldn’t take it anymore, I stopped the horses and set the brake on the wagon. “I have a surprise for you,” I told her.

  “Are you going to show me?” She took my hand and urged me to follow her into the back of the covered wagon. She began to unbutton my pants. “I’ve been desiring you all day.” She kissed me.

  I almost forgot what the surprise was but suddenly remembered it was breakable. “It’s right behind you. Watch out or you’ll sit on it,” I warned.