Loving Eliza Read online

  “If you need anything at all, be sure to let me know,” Troy told her.

  “Well, that’s very kind of you,” Eliza replied.

  John clenched his jaw. Did her smile mean she looked forward to seeing Troy again? He stepped up to her.

  She jerked. “Oh, John. You gave me a good scare. I didn’t even hear you coming.”

  Troy’s eyebrows furrowed. “He’s sneaky that way.”

  “Then you’d better watch your back. You don’t know when he’s coming,” she replied, chuckling. She turned to John and showed him the purple and white flowers. “I hope you don’t mind but I thought I’d collect some flowers to put into your home. Flowers brighten up the place, don’t you think?”

  He smiled at her and nodded. Take that, Troy. She’s bringing flowers into my house, not yours. Still, he realized he had no yellow flowers for her to choose from. He’d have to rectify that. He thought he’d seen some along the small creek winding through his property. He’d go back there before the day was over to check on that.

  “Come on, Troy,” Guy called out, sounding annoyed. “We have to get back.”

  “I’ll see you around.” Without a glance in John’s direction, Troy tipped his hat in her direction and approached his horse.

  Shawn whispered something to him.

  “Shut up,” he growled before he got on his steed.

  John relaxed. Good. They’d be gone...at least for awhile. Maybe long enough for him to convince Eliza to marry him. Then Troy would have to stay away for good.

  Eliza waited until his brothers were out of earshot before she spoke. “Do they come around often?”

  He shook his head.

  “Then it must be good when they do.” She picked up a couple more purple flowers before she turned back to him. “I’m sorry I interfered. I should have let the five of you be by yourselves.”

  He wondered why she said that so he lifted his hands, palms up and gave her a questioning look.

  “Naturally, I was in the way. They came by to see you, not me.”

  Before he could protest, she turned back to the flowers. What did it matter what she assumed? He couldn’t explain it, nor did he really care to. If she knew that Troy wanted to get to know her better, then she might consider the possibility of being with him, and if she did that... John frowned. He didn’t like that idea at all. Maybe it was best to let her think what she did. Then she’d leave whenever Troy came around in the future. It’d give John a better chance with her, though it was probably wrong for him to manipulate things like he was.

  She straightened up and warmly smiled at him. She was so beautiful. He’d love to wake up every morning and see her smile at him like that. Fine. So maybe he’d have to pull some strings until she agreed to marry him. But he’d be good to her. He wasn’t exactly sure what husbands did to care for their wives, but he could learn.

  “I think these will be enough for your home. They’ll smell nice too.” Closing her eyes, she lifted the bouquet to her nose and inhaled. When she opened them, her brown eyes were sparkling. “There’s nothing as wonderful as fresh flowers.”

  No. There’s nothing as wonderful as you.

  “I’ll get out of your way so you can go about your day as you usually do. I’ll yell out for you when lunch is ready. Is noon alright for that?”

  He nodded.

  “I’ll holler for you at noon.”

  He wanted to follow her in the house and join her in whatever she planned but figured she must not want him nearby since she specifically said she’d call for him when she was ready to be with him again. Sighing, he dragged his feet to the shed. Noon suddenly seemed a long way off.

  ***

  Eliza finished making the bean soup and loaf of bread before she spread out the nice lacy green tablecloth she’d found tucked away at the back of the cupboard while she examined the kitchen to see what she could make. She found containers for the flowers and placed a bouquet in each room. Pulling back the heavy drapes in his bedroom, she realized that the place needed a good scrubbing. She already knew she had her work cut out for her in the kitchen and parlor, but the bedroom came as a surprise for he had made it a habit of putting all his things in their proper place. The darkness of the room hindered anyone’s ability to see the faded walls.

  Paint. The whole place needed a fresh coat of paint. She thought a nice cheery yellow would do for the kitchen. A nice soothing green would work for the parlor and maybe the bedroom too. She’d scrub the hardwood floors too so they would look much better.

  She grew tired at the thought of all the work she’d end up doing but already knew it would be worth it. The furniture was so beautiful. John needed a house to go with it. As she left the house to find him, she calculated the cost for everything, remembering the curtains she wanted to put up too.

  She found John in the shed. He was painting the table he had just completed. She whistled. “This is the prettiest table I’ve ever seen. The person you’re making it for will be pleased.”

  He looked up from his brush and smiled at her.

  She cocked her head to the side and studied him. “You know, you’re a heartbreaker when you smile.”

  His eyes grew wide.

  She laughed. “Hasn’t anyone ever told you that your whole face lights up when you smile?”

  He shook his head.

  “Well, I’m sure your mother did at some point. Once I trim that shaggy hair of yours, you’ll be one of the best looking men in town. You just wait. That Daphne’s going to take one look at you and thank her lucky stars she came out to marry you.”

  His smiled faltered.

  “Oh, don’t give up hope. She’s coming.”

  He shook his head and pointed at her.

  She sighed. What in the world was he trying to tell her? “That’s it. We’re starting you on your lessons today. The sooner you learn to read and write, the sooner I can understand everything you’re trying to tell me.” She waved him to the house. “When you’re done with that table, come on into the house. Lunch is ready. It’s nothing fancy, mind you, but I just started learning to cook.”

  He nodded and motioned to the unpainted part of the table.

  “You’re right. It won’t take long. Just come in when you’re done. I have a surprise for you.”

  His eyebrows rose in interest.

  Who could resist a surprise? She grinned. “After you finish the table.”

  He immediately dipped the brush into the paint and continued his work.

  While she walked back to the house, she made a mental note to ask him about making the purchases to get his house looking better. The outside of his house was in shape, so he obviously cared about its appearance. That should make her job of talking to him easier.

  Ten minutes after she spread out the meal for them to eat, he entered the house.

  “Do you only wear a hat when you go into town?” she asked.

  He nodded.

  “It’s fun to feel the sunlight on your face. Is that why you do it?”

  He shook his head.

  “I guess the reason doesn’t matter.” She clapped her hands and turned to the table. “Do you notice anything different?”

  A smile spread across his face as he pointed to the flowers at the center of the table.

  “Anything else?” she pressed, enjoying this game.

  His eyes grew wide and he touched the tablecloth.

  “You’re right. I found it in the cupboard. Was it your mother’s?”

  He nodded.

  “I bet she was a good woman.”

  He nodded again, looking sad for a moment.

  She sighed. Her son would never know about her. As she requested, Matilda and Harvey Wright raised them to believe he was their son. He’d be twelve now. She hoped he was happy. The baby picture of him was all she had.

  John approached her, his face sympathetic as he brushed a tear from her cheek.

  She quickly touched her face. She didn’t realize she was crying. Laughi
ng off her tears, she waved her hand at him. “Don’t mind me. I get sentimental when I think of mothers.” She took his hand and led him to the parlor. “Look. I put flowers in here too. Don’t they brighten up the room?” Then she took him to his bedroom. “Do you ever open those drapes?”

  He shook his head.

  “You should. This room faces north. That means you don’t have to worry about the sunlight coming directly into this room, so you can enjoy it throughout the day. I’d like to paint the rooms and get lacy curtains. I love lace. It’s so pretty. Will you let me do that?”

  He pointed to himself and made a painting motion.

  “You’ll paint too?”

  He nodded and squeezed her hand.

  Her face flushed. She didn’t realize she was still holding his hand. Before he got the wrong idea, for she had no intention of leading him on, she gently removed her hand from his. “Then it’s alright with you if I do this to your home?”

  He reached for her hand again.

  “John,” she warned. Despite his pleading look, she shook her head. “Save that for Daphne. Now, come and eat.”

  Chapter Five

  John didn’t want to take Eliza to town the following week. What if she went there and decided she didn’t want to come back? What if she met a man there that appealed to her? Troy wasn’t the only single man in the area. There were a couple of others who’d like nothing more than take a bride like Eliza home.

  Like usual, he parked the wagon on the outskirts of the main part of town. And again, he stopped her in front of the church and pointed to it.

  She gave him her typical ‘no’ look.

  Why did she have to keep doing that? Couldn’t she just say yes and marry him? Daphne wasn’t going to show up, and even if she did, he no longer wanted to marry her. He wanted to marry Eliza. Eliza was beautiful. Eliza was full of life and joy. She thought it was the flowers that brightened up his house, but it was really her that did the trick. He hadn’t realized how empty his life had been until she came into it. Now he didn’t want to go back to the way things were before.

  He took her hand and nodded to the church. He even used the expression on his face that she claimed reminded her of an adorable puppy. She seemed to like that expression.

  She laughed but shook her head. “John, you know I’m not marrying you. As it is, I missed the Sunday worship. Why won’t you go to that?”

  He should have driven her to town on Sunday. Maybe that was why she refused to marry him. But if she knew...If she understood the way people stepped away from him. Not everyone was as kind as Addy or Frank. Some people would rather pretend he didn’t exist. It wasn’t a situation he exactly sought out, and being in a small church would force that. He recalled how his family all sat in their own row while he grew up. People found reasons to sit away from them. But if Eliza sat with him, it wouldn’t be so bad.

  He nodded and pointed to the church.

  “I don’t believe you. You really don’t stop when you set your mind to something, do you?”

  He shook his head and motioned to it again.

  She put her hands on her hips and gave him a scolding look.

  He looked at the door. Next to it was a sign. He recognized the letter ‘S’ from what she’d taught him. Walking to the sign, he pointed to it and then turned his gaze to her.

  “That’s the word ‘Sunday’.”

  Good! He nodded and tapped the word.

  “Oh. You’ll drive me to church this Sunday?”

  Excited, he nodded. Then he pointed to himself.

  “You’ll come too?”

  He grinned.

  She raised an eyebrow. “You wouldn’t be doing this to get me to marry you, would you?”

  The thought hadn’t occurred to him. He was thinking of sitting next to her. He liked being close to her. Shaking his head, he walked back to her.

  “I don’t know. I think you’d do anything to get me to agree to marry you.”

  She was right on that assumption, but even if he could speak, he wouldn’t tell her that. He just shrugged.

  “John, you are the sweetest man I’ve ever met, but it can’t be. There are things about me that you don’t know. Believe me, this is for the best.”

  She turned from him and proceeded down the street before he could argue with her. He didn’t care what things were in her past. All he knew was how she treated him and how wonderful she was. What more could there be in order for him to love her?

  “You know what you’re problem is?” she asked when he caught up to her. “You haven’t been around a lot of women. I’ve seen it before. A man who’s spent most of his life alone sees the first woman he meets and thinks he loves her. Most of those men end up regretting it because they didn’t wait for the right one. I’m not the right one, John.”

  So she wouldn’t marry him today. He wished that Aaron had never talked him into posting an ad for a wife. If he hadn’t, then there would be no Daphne and Eliza wouldn’t cling to the notion that he needed to wait for her. Daphne wasn’t going to show up. But Eliza had and he wanted her.

  After she cut his hair, she took him to a mirror and said he was the best looking men she’d ever seen. That made him feel as if he really was attractive. He’d never felt that way before. Then she was teaching him how to read and write. That meant she thought he was smart enough to learn. No one else had taken the time to teach him because they thought they’d be wasting their time.

  Why would he want someone else? Eliza made him feel as if he mattered, and he liked that. He might be a fool in some areas, but this wasn’t one of them. Eliza had the warmest heart of anyone he’d ever met, and he wasn’t going to let her go without doing his best to convince her to marry him. She was so completely wonderful.

  Eliza nudged him in the arm.

  Blinking, he turned his attention to what she was saying.

  “Where do you buy paint?”

  He took her hand to lead the way, but she shook her head.

  “You can’t do that here. You don’t want people to get the wrong idea.”

  No. He wanted people to get the right idea, and him and Eliza being together was the right idea. How he wished he could say it. But he couldn’t because he was mute. Many times he hated his handicap, and this was one of them.

  “Just walk and I’ll walk beside you,” she said.

  Reluctant, he obeyed. As they neared the center of town, his gaze fell on several groups of people who loitered around the buildings. Most of them refused to look in his direction, though they took note of Eliza. He glanced at her, wondering if she noticed that she held their attention...especially that of the men.

  He stopped in front of Old Willy’s place and knocked on the door.

  William Jafferty opened the door and grinned. “Mornin’, John. How are you doin’? And who’s this pretty lady with you?”

  “I’m Eliza Sweet,” she replied, smiling in her usual pleasant way.

  John really wished she wouldn’t be charming with everyone she met, but he figured that’s the way she’d always been. Still, if they were married, he’d feel much better about that.

  The forty-year-old widower ran a hand through his thinning brown hair and straightened his sloppy clothes. “If I’d known you were goin’ to bring over a lady, I’d have shaved. I heard you got a fine woman helping out around your property.” He smiled at her. “In a small town, word spreads like wildfire.”

  Great. Now John had to worry about Old Willy too. And suddenly, William didn’t seem so old anymore. John didn’t like that either.

  “I figured that much,” Eliza assured him. “But even in bigger places, word gets around.”

  William smiled at her. “My name is William, but people call me Willy. You can too.”

  “Willy is a fine name. I like it.”

  John frowned. Did she like the name ‘John’?

  Of course, Old Willy looked flattered. He turned his attention to John. “Did you come by for some paint?”

&nbs
p; He nodded.

  “What colors?” Willy directed his gaze to Eliza.

  “A soft yellow for the kitchen. A light green for the parlor. And,” she glanced at John, “did you want green or blue for the bedroom?”

  He pointed to the sky.

  “Blue. Like the color of the sky today. It’s such a beautiful color, isn’t it? And soothing too.”

  “That it is, ma’am. But I like red too.” He motioned to her hair and winked. “You’re the first redhead I’ve ever seen, which is too bad. It’s a great color on a woman.”

  She laughed and fingered the braid that hung over her shoulder. “You certainly have a way with words, Willy. Why, I bet you get a lot of kisses from your wife.”

  He blushed. “Oh, well, Bethann passed on to be with the Lord a good two years ago.”

  She stopped laughing and grew serious. “I am terribly sorry to hear that.”

  “She was a fine woman. We had twenty fine years together, and she gave me three terrific children. But the Lord has provided and I’m doin’ alright. I should probably be lookin’ to get married again.”

  John tensed. Could Old Willy be more obvious?

  “Maybe you should put in for a mail-order bride,” Eliza replied. “I hear lots of men do that when they are this far out west.”

  John relaxed.

  “Maybe. Who knows what the future will bring?” He turned to John. “You need any paint or stain for the furniture?”

  John reached for the wallet tucked into his back pocket.

  “Not this time, John. You took care of that wall for me, and I didn’t have money to pay you. This will make us even. Deal?”

  John nodded and put his wallet back into his pocket.

  “Well, that’s really nice,” Eliza commented. “Two friends helping each other out.”

  Old Willy grinned. “We do what we can to help each other out around here. I’ll load the usual amount and the extra paint into your wagon while you two continue on in town.”

  John nodded again. He was glad Old Willy did that for him. Old Willy had the cart to lug those heavy cans around, and he understood that John didn’t like to park his wagon inside the town limits. So even if the older man was interested in Eliza, he was still a good man. Still, John had no intention of letting the man have her.