A Bride for Tom (10 page)

“And proud you should be, Connie.”

Jessica glanced around them, wondering if
there was anything—another person passing by or an animal—that
might serve as a good distraction...or as a means of escape. She
actually preferred the latter.

Maureen turned to Tom. “Have you given
thought to real work?”

“I already do real work,” he said, his cheeks
growing pink.

Jessica couldn’t decide if he was angry or
embarrassed, but it didn’t matter. “He does work hard,” she spoke
up. “Peter goes in at eight and leaves at five, but Tom works from
sunup to sundown.”

“No time for a wife then,” Connie remarked,
giving Jessica a pointed look.

“And for minimal pay,” Maureen added.

“Do you really believe you can support a wife
and any children you may have?” Connie asked Tom.

Jessica could only stare at the woman in
horror. Not for a single minute did she ever think Peter’s mother
could be this rude!

Tom looked taken aback by the question before
he cleared his throat. “My father owns a farm and has done a fine
job of raising me and my five siblings.”

Maureen looked him up and down in obvious
disapproval. “At least your clothes don’t have any holes in
them.”

Jessica scrambled for something to say but
her mind drew a complete blank.

“Why would we have holes in our clothes?” Tom
asked.

Maureen looked as if his question surprised
her. “Don’t farmers’ wives spend their free time sewing patches
onto their children’s pants?”

“No.”

“Well, just what do they do?” Connie
asked.

Before he could answer, a squirrel darted
across his path. He was in the process of shifting to his other
foot when he tripped on the squirrel and fell forward.

Maureen gasped and stepped back just in time
for the startled squirrel to leap onto Connie who lost her balance
and fell on her rear end in a puddle. The squirrel bounced off
Connie’s hat and raced up the nearest tree.

Jessica clasped her hand over her mouth to
stifle her giggles.

“Oh! Are you alright?” Tom asked, reaching
out to help Connie up.

“Don’t touch me!” she shrieked and slapped
his hand away.

Maureen offered her a hand, which the woman
accepted, and helped brush the leaves off her wet skirt. “You
should change at once.”

Red faced, Connie nodded. “Yes. I must.” She
adjusted her hat and straightened her shawl. Lifting her chin up,
she told Tom and Jessica, “It seems that I am in need of a new
dress. Good day to you both.”

“Well, shoot, my ma doesn’t bother changing
when squirrels jump on her. She just laughs and plays in the fields
with them,” Tom replied. “Says it’s good for the soul to get along
with the critters.”

Jessica glanced at Tom. Was he being
serious?

Maureen blinked. “She doesn’t do such a vile
thing.”

He shrugged. “You wanted to know what
farmers’ wives did.”

Connie huffed. “There’s no need to be
flippant.” She shot Jessica a meaningful look. “Peter is always
polite.” Then she pressed forward and hobbled down the sidewalk
with Maureen who talked to her in soothing tones.

After a moment, Tom said, “I probably wasn’t
as gentlemanly as I should have been.”

Jessica burst out laughing. “Are you kidding?
That was great.” Then she quickly sobered. “Your ma doesn’t allow
critters into the house, does she?”

“That depends on what you call a critter.
Some days she says that my brothers are no better than a pack of
wild animals.”

She smiled. “Who knew you had it in you?”

“Had what in me?”

“That you had such wit.”

A slow grin crossed his face. “There’s lots
you don’t know about me.”

“I look forward to finding out more then,”
she shyly replied.

“Mind if I take your arm?”

“No.”

He took her by the elbow, and they continued
their walk.

Chapter
Fourteen

Jessica’s mother rolled her eyes when Jessica
lifted her new veil for her to inspect. “You’ve only been courting
for one month. It’s much too soon to think of weddings.”

Jessica set the veil back on her lap. “He’s
going to propose. It’s just a matter of when.”

“And ‘when’ isn’t going to happen any time
soon.”

Jessica turned her attention back to pulling
the pink thread through the needle.

Her mother crossed the parlor and fiddled
with the curtains. “I notice you put in red and pink roses.”

“Of course. I asked him what he thought of
those colors, and he said they were fine.”

“You didn’t tell him what you were doing with
those colors, did you?” She put a hand on her hip and studied her
daughter with a disapproving look.

“No. I just said I liked those colors
together, that’s all.”

“Hmm...” Her mother didn’t look
convinced.

Shrugging, she tied the thread and got ready
to add more to the rose she’d just started on her veil.

“The poor boy doesn’t stand a chance.”

She gasped. “Why would marrying me be a
burden to him?”

“I didn’t say it would be a burden. I feel
bad because he doesn’t have a chance.”

“Why would he want a chance to avoid marriage
to me?”

“You know what I mean.” She chuckled as she
shook her head. “I hope you’re letting him believe that he’s the
one leading this relationship.”

“You know I do. I learned from watching you.
You made Pa think he made the big decisions around here.”

“He did make the big decisions.”

“Deciding what to eat for supper is not a big
decision,” Jessica said.

“It sure was. It made a huge difference as to
how long I spent in the kitchen each day.”

Jessica laughed. “If you say so.”

Before her mother could protest, there was a
knock at the door. Her mother glanced out the window. “We’re not
done with this conversation, young lady.”

“Who is it?”

“Margaret.”

“Oh good! I want to talk to her about putting
those red roses back onto her bridesmaid gown.”

Her mother groaned but opened the front door.
“Come on in, Margaret. The bride is right over there.”

“The bride?” Margaret entered the parlor and
looked at Jessica. “Did Tom propose already?”

“No,” her mother said. “But he certainly
would have if Jessica here had her way.”

“He’s planting apple trees for me,” Jessica
told Margaret.

Margaret’s eyes grew wide. “Is he
really?”

Jessica’s mother frowned. “Just what is so
important about that?”

“Nothing. It’s just nice to have fresh
apples, that’s all,” Jessica quickly answered.

Giving a loud sigh, her mother said, “In this
case, I suppose ignorance is bliss. I’ll be in the kitchen.”

“I’ll join you soon,” Jessica promised. She
glanced at her friend. “Will you stay for supper?”

“I suppose I can.” Margaret took off her coat
and hung it on the hook by the door. “So, you’re really going to
marry Tom?”

“It’s a sure thing. He’s a lot better than
Peter, and the best part is Tom’s mother isn’t controlling like
Connie is.”

“So he isn’t clumsy all the time?” She sat
across from Jessica and folded her hands in her lap.

“He’s clumsy when he’s nervous. Otherwise, he
handles himself quite well.”

“Is he nervous around you?”

“Only when I kiss him.”

Her eyes grew wide. “Who would have thought
you could be so bold!”

Jessica giggled. “What? If I waited for him
to make the first move, it’d never happen.” And how delightful
those kisses were. She supposed that it was unladylike to instigate
kisses, but the reward was well worth it—and he certainly didn’t
seem to mind. “I’ve never felt a desire to kiss Peter like I do to
kiss Tom.”

“You never smiled as much when you were with
Peter, so obviously, you’re better off.”

She blinked in surprise. “Then you no longer
detest Tom?”

“I never detested him,” Margaret argued. “I
just wondered how he could possibly be near a woman without
knocking her over. Plus, I thought you loved Peter and didn’t think
it was right for you to entertain Tom while you were engaged. But
since I realized how things really were between you and Peter...”
She shrugged. “Well, what’s the point in fighting fate, right?”

“Right.”

“And since things do look promising between
you and Tom, I’ll remove the white roses on my dress and replace
them with the red ones.”

“Thank you.”

Margaret chuckled. “You know, Connie’s sorely
disappointed. She’s been bedridden.”

Jessica glanced up from her veil. “Is she
sick?”

“No. She’s been crying. You ruined her
special day, you know.”

Forcing aside the urge to roll her eyes,
Jessica returned her attention to pulling the thread through the
veil. “I’m sure she’ll find another woman to marry her son.”

“Sadly, it won’t be him making that
choice.”

“It wasn’t his choice to pick me either. I
didn’t realize it at the time, but she was the one who selected
me.”

“I wonder what kind of woman he might pick if
he had the choice.”

“Who knows?” And who cared? Then she glanced
up at her friend. “You aren’t thinking of—”

“Oh, of course not!” Margaret shivered. “I
watched what you went through, and there’s no way I’d deal with
that. But I was thinking of taking your advice.”

“Really? What advice is that?”

Her cheeks grew pink as she fiddled with her
skirt. “To post an ad for a mail-order husband.”

Jessica nearly dropped her veil. “An ad for a
husband?”

“Is that really so unusual?”

“Well...” Jessica thought about it. “I don’t
recall seeing any of those ads, but once in awhile, I hear of a
woman out west posting for one. Mostly, they have children and need
a man for financial support and protection. But I don’t see why a
single woman can’t post for one. Actually, there’s no reason why a
woman can’t take matters into her own hands and post an ad. After
all, men do it all the time. It’s only fair a woman be granted the
same right.” She finished sewing one of her rose petals before she
looked back at Margaret. “Have you posted the ad yet?”

“No, not yet. I was hoping you could help me.
I don’t know what to write.”

She smiled. “I’d be delighted to help.”

Margaret relaxed and smiled back. “It’s scary
but also exciting.”

“We’ll get started on it once I finish this
rose,” Jessica promised.

Then she picked up the pace on getting her
work done. It was an exciting prospect to find a suitable husband
for Margaret, and she couldn’t wait to see what type of men would
respond to a woman asking for a husband. She hoped there would be
some good ones to choose from. And, as an added benefit, she’d get
to see her dearest friend get married.

***

Tom stacked another dirt brick onto the wall
that would finish the last side of his new home. “You did mix the
dirt with the right amount of straw, didn’t you?” he asked Joel who
was snickering beside him.

Joel turned to him with wide eyes. “Of course
I did. The sooner I get rid of you, the better.”

“Then why do you keep laughing?”

Joel patted the brick in front of him. “You
really believe you’re going to marry Jessica.”

“Just don’t mess up the bricks, alright?” Tom
growled. “If you do and this house becomes one muddy heap, I’ll be
moving back. And I’ll be sure to sleep in your room, too. I
wouldn’t want you to miss out on my stinky snoring self.”

He gasped. “You wouldn’t!”

“As long as my house remains intact, I won’t
have to. So be sure you do a good job. Your peace of mind depends
on it.”

“You really know how to play dirty.”

“You’ll thank me when I’m living here,” Tom
said.

Their father came up to them and smiled.
“This place is coming along just fine. We should be done before
Christmas.”

Joel breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s
exactly what I wanted for Christmas. And to think I wondered if God
answered prayers.”

“Ha ha,” Tom replied. Even if his brother was
being his usual pesky self, Tom didn’t mind. He was building this
home for him and Jessica. It was too bad he couldn’t bring her with
him when he moved in. But he’d wait, just as his father
suggested.

“Are you going to see Jessica tonight?” his
father asked.

“She did invite me over for supper,” Tom
replied. “I told her that I’d try to make it. I wasn’t sure how
late we’d be working.”

“We’re making good progress. Go on and see
her.”

Joel rubbed his flat stomach. “That means
more pot roast for me! I’m hungry enough to eat a horse.”

“All you ever do is eat,” Tom said. “I’m
surprised you’re not rolling on over back home.”

“Now, Tom, you ate a lot when you were his
age,” their father intervened with a glimmer of amusement in his
eyes. “Your poor ma can’t keep enough food on the table to handle
all you boys. Frankly, I’m looking forward to the day when all of
you are out of the house.”

Joel shook his head and glanced at Tom. “And
to think we gave him the best part of our lives.”

Tom gave Joel’s shoulder a firm pat. “Don’t
worry. Someday you’ll get to move out, too.” He looked at his
father. “Do you think this is good for today?”

“Sure is. Tomorrow we start on the roof.”

“Great!” Tom couldn’t wait to see
Jessica.

Joel pinched his nose. “Make sure you clean
up before you go see her.”

Dave came from his side of the house. “Is
there anything else to do today?”

“No,” Joel answered. “We’re getting ready to
dump Tom into the tub so he doesn’t embarrass himself in front of
Jessica.”

“The house is going to be quiet without you
there, Tom,” their father said.

“Yep,” Dave began, “I don’t know what Joel’s
going to do without you.”