A Groom's Promise Read online

  “Yes, they came yesterday.”

  “What do you think?”

  Maybell’s face warmed. She should have expected the question, and she knew exactly what her friend was asking her. Last time Maybell saw Ada, she’d made the mistake of saying she hoped one might marry her. As she thought back on it, she wished she’d kept her big mouth shut.

  “Are they dreadful?” Ada asked.

  Surprised by the question, Maybell laughed. “No. They’re both very nice.”

  “That’s a good thing, right? It makes it easier to pick out who you’ll want to marry.”

  “Oh, I already know the one I want. I’m just not sure he wants me.”

  “How come?”

  “I don’t know. I think I might have said or done something yesterday at supper to upset him.”

  Ada put her shirt down and stared at her. “I have a hard time believing you could say or do anything to upset anyone.”

  “Well, I made the mistake of letting him sit in the wobbly chair. I should have sat in it. It ended up breaking on him, and he fell on the floor. I’ve never been so embarrassed in my life. What kind of housekeeper do I look like when I give a guest a chair like that?”

  Maybell picked Fred up and put him on her lap, but he wanted to get back down. Obliging him, she set him on his feet then, holding his hands, she stood up and helped him walk.

  “It was an accident,” Ada said. “It could have happened to anyone.”

  “I know but it’s not a good way to start things. I was nervous yesterday, and when I’m nervous, I have a tendency to talk too much. I probably joined in the conversation much more than I should have. Some men don’t like it when a woman does most of the talking.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with a woman talking as long as she’s being pleasant, and Maybell, you’re one of the nicest people I know.”

  “You might see it that way, but not all men do. I probably annoyed him. All morning, I’ve been wanting to apologize, but he didn’t come to breakfast.”

  “He did come a long way,” Ada replied. “He probably slept in.”

  “Maybe, but his brother was up.”

  “Brothers don’t always do the same things. His brother might not need as much sleep, or maybe his brother is a morning riser while he prefers to stay up late.”

  “Maybe,” Maybell admitted, though she doubted it.

  “Their names are Hugh and Jack Warren, correct?”

  “Yes.”

  “Which one do you like?” Ada asked.

  “Jack.” Even as she confessed it, her face went from warm to hot. “But like I said, I made a mess of things. I wouldn’t be surprised if he never talked to me again.”

  “I’m sure you’re worried over nothing.”

  Maybe. Hopefully. Maybell wasn’t sure what to think or do. She’d never been this attracted to a young man before. These feelings were all new to her, and she wasn’t sure what to do about them. She turned Fred around, so he could do more walking on the porch.

  “Ada, were you nervous when you married Pete?”

  “I sure was. It was hard to know what to do or say the first couple days. Of course, that was before I knew he was deaf. Being nervous is natural when you first meet someone.”

  “I wasn’t nervous when we met.”

  Ada smiled. “I should amend what I said. It’s natural to be nervous when you meet a man you’re attracted to. I’m not a man. There wasn’t a need for you to be nervous around me.”

  “You’re right. There was no reason to impress you,” she teased.

  Ada giggled. “No, there wasn’t.” After a moment, she added, “You want me and Pete to go over to your place?”

  “Would you? I’d like to get your opinion. Maybe you can see how he reacts to me and let me know if there’s any hope for me or not.”

  “I’ll be happy to. When did you want us to come by?”

  “I should probably let Jack and Hugh get settled in before I bring company over. Would two days be alright?”

  “That will be just fine.”

  She bit her lower lip. Did she dare ask her friend what was on her mind? She should. If she couldn’t ask Ada for a favor, then she couldn’t ask it of anyone. “Ada, while you’re visiting, do you think you could find out if Jack has someone back home he’s planning to bring out here? I don’t mean for you to come right out and ask. Slip it into the conversation.”

  “We aren’t going to do this when your pa’s around, are we?”

  “Of course not.” That would be much too embarrassing. “We’ll have to do it when my pa’s distracted.”

  “Alright. I’ll be happy to do my part to help you.” Ada set the shirt and thread in the basket by her feet. “Would you like something to drink?”

  “I’d love it, if you don’t mind.”

  “I don’t mind at all.”

  “Where’s Pete?”

  “Oh, he’s out in the fields today, checking on the crop. It won’t be long before the harvest.”

  “He keeps busy, doesn’t he?”

  “He does. And it’s nice. This year, he picked what crop he wanted to plant instead of his brother doing it for him. I think that meant a lot to Pete.”

  Maybell smiled. “I’m sure it did.”

  “Well,” she waved her friend toward the door, “come inside, and we’ll get something to drink.”

  More than happy to oblige her friend, Maybell followed her into the house.

  Chapter Four

  All Jack had to do was stay out of sight and quietly do his work. He could do this. True, he was on a stranger’s land, tending to his things, but that didn’t mean he had to talk to anyone.

  So after everyone was gone, he snuck from his bedroom and hurried to the barn. He just couldn’t bring himself to face Archie Smith and his daughter. Even having Hugh there wasn’t enough to convince him to stick around.

  Hugh had written down a list of things that Archie wanted done and given it to him. That was all he needed. He hoped Hugh wouldn’t be upset. Granted Hugh had tried to understand how hard it was for him to be around people, but he didn’t truly get it. And quite frankly, Jack couldn’t adequately explain it either. Jack could only hope Hugh would forgive him.

  Jack searched the barn until he found a rake then he pitched hay into the troughs. The two horses looked nice and healthy, a testament to Archie’s care and intelligence.

  The morning and early afternoon had been quiet, which was exactly the way he liked it. Archie and Hugh went to town to work on the business agreement after Archie left him breakfast in the bunkhouse. Then Maybell had left to go somewhere. That meant it was just him.

  Most people didn’t understand why he liked to be alone, but he preferred it because if he did something stupid—like bump into something—he was the only one who saw it. And the animals didn’t bother him one bit. They wouldn’t tell anyone if he didn’t get all the words right to a song he was singing, and they didn’t care that he couldn’t hold a tune to save his life.

  Why sing when you’re no good at it? his pa used to ask when he’d walk in without Jack realizing it. Something isn’t right with someone who does something they’re bad at.

  But his pa wouldn’t walk in on him all the way out here. Nope. Out here, it was just him and the animals. After he finished several chores, he went over to the milking cow.

  “You ready to fill up a pail?” He grabbed the clean pail off the hook by the stall door and showed it to the cow.

  It looked at him and mooed.

  With a smile, he said, “I’ll take that as a yes,” and opened the door.

  The process of milking a cow was easy enough. He used to take care of a neighbor’s animals from time to time since the elderly couple had no children to do it for them. In return, they’d let him take home some eggs and milk.

  His pa hadn’t been pleased, figuring he’d make more if he worked in a factory. But there were people in factories. Many people. And there were also people who came by in his pa’s s
hoe shop. No matter how hard he’d tried, he couldn’t speak eloquently to them, and this embarrassed his pa.

  Jack hoped everything went well at the bank today for Hugh. He liked it out here. He wanted to stay. They were out of town. They had their own bunkhouse. The only thing he didn’t like was going to the house for breakfast and supper. He’d been able to avoid it this morning, but only because he hadn’t woken up when everyone else ate. But in the future, he would need to do it.

  If it weren’t for having to eat meals with others, everything would be perfect. But, as his ma had often said, there was nothing perfect in the world. This place, however, was as close to perfect as a person could get.

  He just hoped Hugh didn’t regret it. Hugh had friends back home. There were even pretty young ladies who’d taken a liking to him. One, in particular, caught Jack’s attention. Jack spent a good month repeating how he was going to ask to court her, and when he finally got the nerve to talk to her, he learned she liked Hugh instead.

  And he couldn’t blame her. Why would she want someone like him when she could have Hugh? Except Hugh hadn’t wanted her. Hugh said she wasn’t his type. Jack asked him what Hugh meant by that, but Hugh said he wasn’t sure, that when he met the woman he wanted to marry, he’d just know. And he knew that particular one wasn’t the right one for him.

  But that was over a year ago, and none of it mattered. She’d gone on to marry the son of a factory owner, and last he heard, she was expecting her first child. It was like his ma used to say. Everything happened for a reason. One might not understand why at the time, but after enough time passed, it would become clear.

  His ma had died when he was eight, and he hadn’t understood it. Besides Hugh and their grandpa, no one else seemed to care about him. He took both of their deaths much harder than Hugh ever did. But Hugh had friends and their pa’s approval. He didn’t know the sting of rejection, nor did he walk into a room when everyone got silent because they’d been making fun of him and suddenly got embarrassed because he caught them doing it.

  Now, though, he could have peace with their passing. In the scheme of things, he realized neither he nor Hugh would have left home if their ma and grandpa were alive. Everything happened for a reason. There were no coincidences. All of life played out as it was meant to.

  Jack finished milking the cow, took the pail, and brought it to the house. It was quieter there than it had been in the barn. The silence was both good and bad. It gave him a reprieve from having to come up with something to say, but it also gave him too much time to think.

  What he needed was to be busy. The animals were taken care of. For the moment, there was nothing to do there. After he put the pail on the worktable in the kitchen, he scanned the room for things to fix. He adjusted the curtain rod then, finding nothing else, went to the dining room. The broken chair was still there. Good. He’d take care of this today. He quickly retrieved the pieces and returned to the bunkhouse before Maybell or her pa returned home.

  ***

  “Hugh’s g-g-gone?” Jack forced out that evening.

  Jack glanced at the dining room table where there were only three plates set out for supper. Three. Which meant Hugh wasn’t going to eat with them.

  “Only for a couple hours,” Archie told him. “He’ll be back later. He wanted to have supper with Alex Boyer. He met him in town today.”

  Oh. Jack had hoped this wasn’t going to happen so soon, but Hugh was good with people and liked social activities. He should have expected it.

  Maybell smiled at him and patted the back of his chair. “Come on in and sit. I made fried chicken.”

  “She makes the best in the county,” Archie added, winking at her as he sat down. “Might even be the best in the state.”

  “You’re too kind, Pa,” she replied, blushing prettily at his words.

  “No, I’m not. That Mrs. Reynolds was fit to be tied when you won the last cooking competition at the church. Don’t think I ever saw a woman so upset.”

  “I’m sure Jack doesn’t want to hear about that.” Maybell shot him an apologetic smile. “Don’t be shy. Come on over.”

  Jack took a deep breath. He had to do this. Hugh was out at Alex Boyer’s house, taking care of his future. All he had to do was get through supper. Releasing his breath, he proceeded forward, watching to make sure nothing could trip him. As luck had it, he was able to sit down without any problems. And better yet, the chair they gave him was sturdy. If he could get through tonight without breaking it or spilling food everywhere, he’d have it made.

  “I noticed you fixed the other chair,” Archie told him as he took the plate of fried chicken and put a couple pieces on his plate.

  Clearing his throat, Jack forced his words to come out as smoothly as possible. “It was easy.”

  Jack took the plate from Archie and tried to decide which pieces of chicken would make the least mess. Probably the ones with the least bones in them. He finally decided on a couple legs and a breast. Then he handed the plate to Maybell, who smiled at him.

  “Well, you’d never know it was broken at all,” Archie said. “How long did it take?”

  Forcing his eyes off of Maybell, he told Archie, “A-a-bout half an hour.” He took another deep breath. Relax, Jack. Archie’s talking about things you’re familiar with. It’s alright. Accepting the large bowl of coleslaw from the man, he added, “Found a g-g-good piece of w-wood.”

  This was awful. No matter what he tried, he couldn’t seem to relax. If only Hugh was here. He spooned out a good amount of coleslaw then handed the bowl to Maybell. That went well. So far, he hadn’t dropped or spilled anything. He’d only stuttered. Maybe this was going to be alright after all.

  “Would you like some rolls?” Maybell asked.

  “Um,” he glanced at Archie who was already eating his chicken, “yes.”

  Archie grinned. “I like to fill up on the chicken.”

  “Don’t worry about having more if you’re still hungry,” she told Jack. “I made plenty. How many rolls would you like?”

  Jack looked at the six rolls on the plate next to her. “Two. Or three.” It was less likely he’d make a mess with rolls. “Three.”

  She selected three and held them to him. He hesitated to take them since, this time, he’d have to touch her. There was no plate or bowl to come between them. It was just rolls. He could handle something as simple as taking rolls from her.

  He cupped his hands, hoping by doing so he would eliminate the need to touch her. But his fingers brushed hers anyway, and his entire body went warm. Praying no one noticed, he mumbled a thank you and put them on his plate.

  The touch had been innocent, but his mind was beginning to stray in a direction it had no right to. He could never be with her. Not in a romantic way. Women didn’t go for men like him. They went for charming ones, like Hugh. Those men could carry on a decent conversation and could go somewhere without embarrassing someone.

  “Do you miss Charles City?” Maybell asked.

  Though there was no one else in the room who came from Virginia, he glanced around the place, as if she might be talking to someone other than him. This was silly, of course, because he knew she meant for him to answer the question.

  Looking back at her, Jack managed a simple, “No,” then tore the roll in half and spread butter into it.

  “Then you like it out here?” she asked.

  He took a moment before saying, “Yes.”

  “What do you like most about this place?”

  Why was she asking him all these questions? Didn’t she want to talk to her pa at all? He glanced at Archie, who seemed content to sit back and eat. Jack stared at his roll. How could he answer her question without stumbling all over himself?

  “Uh… It’s out of…town.” Then, before she could ask him something else, he stuffed the roll into his mouth. There. No one could expect him to reply right away if his mouth was full.

  “I see what you mean,” Maybell replied. “The country is nice. Som
etimes I go for a walk just to enjoy the day. In the spring, there are many wildflowers that grow in the fields. Not only are they beautiful, but they smell wonderful, too. Don’t you agree, Pa?”

  Archie nodded and swallowed his chicken.

  Jack envied the ease with which both of them could eat and talk. They made it look so easy.

  “My favorite time of year is autumn, just before winter comes,” Archie said. “There’s a certain smell in the air that lets you know it’ll be cold soon, and there’s nothing quite like sitting next to the fireplace on a chilly night. I don’t care much for winter, though. All that snow to shovel out.” He looked over at Jack and smiled. “Hope you don’t mind if I put you to work out there come winter. I’m getting too old to keep a clear path to the barn.”

  “I d-d…” Jack paused. There had to be a better way to say what he wanted. Slowing down, he managed, “I’ll be happy to help.” Yes, that was good. Much better than trying to say he didn’t mind helping out.

  “The benefit of youth,” Archie said. “I remember when I was your age. I could shovel out a whole pile of snow and not get sore. These days, it can take me a couple days to make a path to the barn if it snows enough.”

  “We’re glad you and Hugh are here,” Maybell added, once again giving him a smile that made his heartbeat pick up. “You two are a godsend.”

  Well, Hugh was. Jack just happened to be tagging along, but it was nice of her to include him as if he could contribute anything worthwhile. But then, maybe he could. He didn’t mind shoveling snow. That was part of the deal in coming out here. Hugh would deal with the people, and he’d prove his worth by fixing things and doing odd jobs.

  “I w-will shovel,” Jack forced out. “And keep the place…looking good.”

  Jack released his breath. That took a lot of concentration to get through without tripping over his words. But he was proving he could do it. It’d be nice if he could become comfortable enough where he didn’t have to keep pausing in order to get a simple sentence out.

  “You’ve already done a terrific job with the porch, stable door, and chair,” Maybell replied. “I bet there’s nothing you can’t do.”