Val thought he should at least wear a tie since he was going to Nelly’s family’s for dinner, so he opened up one of his trunks and sorted through the large number of ties he had. He had no idea just how many clothes he owned until he came to this small house. He didn’t know what he should do with them all. He couldn’t wear them. At some point, he was going to have to get rid of them. Painful as the realization was, it had to be done. But it didn’t have to be done today. Today, he had enough to think about.
He took out a tie that would match the green-and-black plaid shirt Nelly had picked out for him. He’d chosen it simply because green was her favorite color. He took a look at himself in the mirror and then decided to get a vest. Yes, the tie and vest were a little too fancy, but he felt they matched the outfit better. Then, on a whim, he opened another trunk, retrieved his pocket watch and slipped it into the pocket of the vest and clipped the chain to the small hole at the edge of his vest.
He checked his reflection again. That was a lot better. He picked out the hat that went with his vest and tie and put it on his head. Just being in these few items made him feel a little more like his old self. He felt more confident and ready to mingle with Nelly’s family. The truth of it was, he was slightly nervous about this evening. He hadn’t arrived here under the best of circumstances. He could only hope that this evening would make everything better.
He left the bedroom and was surprised to see that Nelly wasn’t in the parlor or the kitchen. He heard the sound of horses neighing and went to the parlor window in time to see Nelly leading two horses to the front of the house. They were already saddled, and she had a sidesaddle on the one she’d be riding since she was still wearing the skirt. He didn’t know how she managed it, but she hadn’t gotten the skirt dirty at all that day.
Impressed, he left the house and called out, “How did you keep your skirt so clean?”
“I wore a long apron while I was taking care of the animals,” she replied. “My ma made it for me once she realized she couldn’t talk me out of living by myself on a homestead.”
“Why would she want to talk you out of living here?”
She handed him the reins to his horse. “She thought I was better off being inside the house. Most women spend most of their time in the kitchen or parlor while the men have all the fun.”
Amused by the way she worded that, he said, “It makes no sense to miss out on fun if you don’t have to.”
“That’s what I figured.” She got up on her saddle as if she was born to do it.
Again, he was impressed. Not every woman could manage that so easily. “For what it’s worth, it’s obvious to me that you belong outdoors.”
“It is?”
He smiled as he got up into his saddle. “Yes. You’re happy doing this. In fact, you’re happier than most men I’ve come across in the business world. I’ve seen a couple of them on their deathbeds, and they looked miserable. The years are too short, and you only get one life. You might as well pick a job you enjoy.”
Her face lit up. “I hadn’t thought of it that way, but you’re right.”
He was sure it was his imagination, but when she was happy, the whole world seemed to brighten up around her.
She urged her horse forward, so he followed her lead. The ride to her family’s farm was surprisingly nice. He hadn’t realized it before, but he hadn’t ever taken the time to relax and take in the scenery around him when he was in Boston. Sure, he’d taken horse rides and been in carriages, but he’d been focused on talking to the person beside him. With Nelly, he didn’t feel the need to fill in the silence with mindless chatter. And that was nice.
When they arrived at her family’s farm, he heard dogs barking. He turned his attention to a fenced area where three dogs were watching him and wagging their tails. He smiled at them and almost commented on the excited animals when he noticed the house. He had to blink a couple of times to make sure the house was really pink. Sure enough, it was. For a moment, he had thought the sun was playing tricks on him.
“It wasn’t my idea to paint the house pink,” Nelly spoke up.
He glanced over at her.
“My ma and sisters wanted it pink,” she continued. “Ma loves pink. That’s why the sides of the wagon my family brought you to my homestead in were pink.”
Were they? He thought back to the wagon, but he still didn’t recall that. Of course, that was understandable. He had, after all, been afraid Nelly would tell him to hightail it back to Boston.
“I’ll show you,” she said.
He was ready to tell her that it wasn’t necessary, that he believed her, but she led her horse over to the barn. After a moment, he urged the horse to follow her. They reached the barn, and she got down from her horse.
“You know, I don’t mind helping you down if you ever want me to,” he told her as he got off his horse.
“Oh, I’ve been doing this for years. I can do it by myself.”
He realized that, but it didn’t make him seem like much of a gentleman. Besides, if he helped her up into the saddle, or down from it, it would give him an excuse to touch her. Yes, he was impressed at seeing how skilled she was on a horse, but there were benefits to helping her.
“The wagon’s in here.” She nodded to the barn and walked into it.
Since she was still holding the reins of her horse, he did the same as he went into the barn. Right away, he saw the pink buggy in the corner. But soon after, he saw the wagon, and sure enough, the sides of it were pink.
“What did I tell you?” Nelly asked with a chuckle in her voice.
“You said your favorite color is green, right?” he replied.
“Yes, but even I’m not going to take the time to paint my wagon. There are better things to do with my time. My ma and my sisters all painted it. Sometimes I wonder if my sisters will paint the wagons their husbands have pink.”
He hid his grimace. “I’m glad you’re not going to do it to ours. Pink is a nice color, but too much of it doesn’t work.”
“I agree. But my ma and sisters can’t get enough of it. Just wait until you see the inside of the house.”
“There’s pink inside of it, too?”
“Ma decorated the entire place.”
Ah, so he was going to definitely see a lot more pink.
Just as he and Nelly were done putting the horses into the stalls, he heard someone call out, “Oh, good! You’re here!”
Val looked over at the entrance of the barn and saw Patricia, Erin, and Daisy running over to him.
“We were hoping you would come over,” Erin said.
“Yes, we made you a shirt,” Patricia added. “It’s our gift to welcome you to the family.”
“It’s not pink, is it?” he asked. Now that he saw how much they loved that color, he wouldn’t put it past them to make a pink shirt for him.
Patricia blinked in surprise. “No. Why would you think we’d make a pink shirt for you?”
Val glanced at Nelly who was trying not to laugh. “I couldn’t help but notice how much everyone here likes pink. There’s the pink house, the pink buggy, and the pink wagon. Nelly said the inside of the house is pink, too.”
“Only the curtains, bedding, and couch,” Erin replied. “We have plenty of things that aren’t pink.”
“Don’t forget the pink rug in the parlor,” Nelly said. “You and Daisy made that last year.”
“We needed a rug,” Daisy piped up. “It only makes sense that it matches the rest of the room.”
Nelly waved for everyone to leave the barn. “Alright, let’s go into the house so Val can see just how much pink all of you love.”
“And we can show him the shirt we made!” Patricia added. “We also made a vest to go with it.”
“That was supposed to be a surprise,” Erin admonished her as the group left the barn.
“I know, but I couldn’t resist saying something. I’m too excited by what he’ll think,” Patricia said.
Nelly glanced over at her, and Val thought he caught a flicker of worry in her eyes.
Before he had time to think about it, Daisy asked him, “Do you like white and green colors?”
“Daisy!” Erin called out.
“What?” Daisy shrugged. “If he doesn’t like those colors, then what’s the point in showing him the shirt and vest?”
Erin groaned. “So much for the surprise. You two couldn’t help yourselves, could you? You just had to let him know what we did.”
“He would have found out as soon as he got into the house anyway,” Daisy said. “They’re in the parlor.”
Erin shook her head but didn’t respond.
“We picked white and green because Nelly likes those colors,” Daisy whispered.
Val looked over at Nelly to see if she’d heard her sister, but she didn’t give any indication that she had.
“I remember you saying that you like steak and potatoes, so we’re having that for supper,” Patricia told him.
“I hope it wasn’t any trouble,” Val replied. Steak was an expensive menu item. Could these people really afford it?
As if she could read his mind, Patricia added, “It wasn’t any trouble at all. The old cow we had was due to go to the butcher.”
His steps slowed. They were going to eat one of the cows that used to be on this property?
Nelly chuckled. “I thought you knew steaks came from cows.”
Leave it to Nelly to pick up on his apprehension. He cleared his throat. “Yes, of course, I knew it.”
“You just didn’t think you’d be eating one so close to home,” Nelly finished for him.
“Our cows are good quality,” Patricia said. “We take good care of them.”
“And Pa made sure to give you the best part,” Daisy added before she ran up the porch steps and into the house.
“You’re our guest of honor this evening,” Erin said. “It’s not every day we have a man over.”
If he, their brother-in-law, was getting such great treatment, he could only imagine what would happen when they started having suitors come by. They’d probably make him an entire outfit and then serve him an even better meal than the one they were giving him. By the looks of it, they enjoyed cooking and sewing. They were such a strange contrast to Nelly. He wondered how she turned out to be the way she was.
Patricia and Erin took each of his arms and led him into the house. “Ma, Valentine’s here!” Patricia called out. She smiled at him. “I hope you don’t mind that I called you that. I know Nelly likes Val, but Erin and I both think Valentine is much more romantic sounding.”
It was? Val had never thought of his full name that way before.
The two guided him into the parlor. Val glanced back at Nelly, who seemed just as surprised as he was that her sisters were so interested in him. One would think they’d never seen a man before with the way they were acting.
“Here are your gifts,” Daisy said, gesturing to the white shirt and dark green vest. “Do you like them?”
Patricia and Erin let go of him so he could go over to the pink couch where they were neatly laid out.
“We should see if they fit before we ask him if he likes them,” Patricia told Daisy. She picked up the shirt and turned to him. “We guessed your measurements based on one of our cousins. You two have the same height and build.” She brought the shirt to him. “You should try it on.”
“Oh, uh…” He glanced around the room.
“He needs to go to another room if you want him to try it on,” Nelly said for him. “You can’t expect him to change right in front of you.”
Though Erin blushed in embarrassment, Patricia sighed in disappointment. “The rules are different for men. They can take off their shirts. Pa and the other men have done that at times during the harvest when it gets too hot.”
Nelly put her hands on her hips. “They don’t do that when I’m with them. Imagine if Pa and Ma could hear you talking like that. You have no business thinking of Val the way you are.” She turned her gaze to him. “Go on to any of the rooms upstairs.” She pointed to the staircase just outside the parlor doorway.
He wouldn’t have taken off his shirt in front of the three sisters, but it occurred to him that it bothered Nelly that he might have done it. She didn’t want anyone else looking at him without his shirt on. He didn’t know if it would make any difference if she knew he was wearing an undershirt, but he opted not to tell her that. He rather liked the idea that she wanted to be the only one who could see him without any clothes on. Maybe she would like to see him without his shirt on as much as he’d wanted to see her legs.
“I’ll be right back,” he told the expectant sisters then left the parlor.
As soon as he reached the steps, he overheard Nelly say, “You three have no business looking at my husband’s bare chest. If you try something like this again, you won’t like what I’ll do to you.”
“I think Nelly is falling in love with her husband,” Daisy replied in a sing-song voice.
He paused at the staircase and continued to listen.
“Yeah, I wonder what she would have done if we’d made him some pants,” Erin said with a giggle.
“That’s not funny,” Nelly snapped. “You three need to stop.”
“You’re welcome,” Patricia said.
“For what?” Nelly asked.
“For getting him for you,” Patricia replied. “We thought you might like having a husband.”
“It’s even better since he’s handsome,” Erin added with another giggle.
Val couldn’t make out Nelly’s words over Erin’s laughter, so he went up the stairs to try on the shirt.
***
Nelly did her best to pretend that her sisters weren’t ogling Val. Yes, she knew he was attractive. He was also sweet and charming. Most of all, he could appreciate a woman who had a mind of her own. He didn’t once try to tell her what to do on the homestead. He let her do as she wished. Just about any woman would be thrilled to be married to him.
She poked her fork into the steak and crammed it into her mouth as Patricia and Erin were telling him how brave he was to come all the way to Omaha.
“Weren’t you worried something bad was going to happen to you?” Patricia asked at one point.
“Why would I be afraid? I was on a train the whole time,” Val replied.
“Yes, but you were leaving everything you ever knew,” Erin said. “You didn’t know what you were going to get when you came out here.”
“Mail-order brides go through the same thing,” her pa interjected. “Your aunt Mary came out here to marry Dave. She didn’t know what to expect. There were also the girls your cousins, Tony and Mark, married.”
“Oh right.” Erin’s eyes grew wide as she looked at Val. “Velma and Natalie came with a third woman, and they found out the same man had answered their mail-order bride ads. It turns out he didn’t even want to marry them. He planned to auction them off for a profit.”
“Yeah, Aunt Mary got lucky that nothing bad happened to her when she came to Omaha,” Daisy said. “And you are, too. We would never have sold you.”
“But you did lie to the poor man about Nelly writing to him,” Nelly’s pa was quick to point out.
Patricia rolled her eyes. “That was a minor detail. I don’t know why you continue to bring it up.” Her gaze went to Val. “He’s been harping on that ever since it happened.”
“And that was days ago,” Erin added. “It’s time to let it go, Pa.”
Nelly’s ma chuckled then patted her mouth with her napkin. “You girls did a very deceitful thing. We don’t want you to do that again. There will be no lying to another young man in order to get him to come out here to marry someone else.”
“Exactly,” Nelly’s pa said. “Until you three understand why what you did was wrong, I’m going to keep talking about it.”
Patricia sighed. “We get it, Pa. We won’t do it ever again.” Then, just as he was breathing a sigh of relief, she added, “We won’t need to. The rest of us aren’t too stubborn to get married.”
Nelly’s pa’s jaw dropped.
Nelly’s ma gestured for him to let the matter go. “It’s not worth arguing about. We’re just fortunate Val and Nelly make a good match.”
At this, her pa relaxed. “Yeah, you’re right.”
“How could they not make a good match?” Daisy asked. “He’s handsome, especially in that new shirt we made for him.”
Nelly glanced at the white shirt he was wearing. He was even wearing the green vest over it. The shirt she bought for him yesterday was currently on the couch. She hoped he was only wearing the clothes her sisters made in order to be polite. He better not be wearing them because he preferred their gifts to what she’d bought him.
“He’s so handsome,” Erin whispered to Daisy. “I just love looking at him.”
The two giggled, and Nelly felt her grip tighten on her fork. Granted, he was a very attractive man. She’d have to be blind not to notice that. But did her sisters have to be so vocal about it? Couldn’t they discuss this behind Val’s back?
Nelly’s pa glared at Erin and Daisy. “You’re both acting inappropriately. This is your sister’s husband you’re talking about.”
“We don’t want to marry him,” Erin replied. “We like him with Nelly.”
Nelly felt her grip on the fork ease.
“But that doesn’t mean we can’t look at him and like what we see,” Erin continued.
Nelly’s pa let out a frustrated sigh. “No, you can’t look at him like that. I forbid it. You girls need to show better manners. From this point forward, you will not think of him as being attractive. In fact, I forbid you to even look at him.”
“Tom,” Nelly’s ma began, “the last part is impossible unless you want the girls to be blindfolded whenever he comes over.”
Nelly’s pa stared at her for a moment and then groaned. “You girls know what I mean. Val is Nelly’s husband. You can’t look at him like you would your own husband.” He blinked. “Not that you have a husband. Not yet. And you shouldn’t be in any hurry to get one. Take your time. Make sure he’s the kind of man who’ll treat you right. Though I can’t imagine anyone treating you as well as I do. I am your pa. I have your best interest at heart.”
“Tom,” Nelly’s ma said when it became clear he was going to keep rambling.
Nelly’s pa waited for a moment before he continued. “The point is, you can’t look at Val the same way Nelly does.”
Nelly’s face grew hot, and she forced herself not to make eye contact with anyone at the table. They couldn’t really tell she was falling in love with Val…could they? Surely, someone couldn’t tell such a thing just by looking at her.
“But we’re not looking at him that way,” Erin insisted. “We have no desire to kiss him like Nelly does.”
Nelly shrank as far as she could into the chair. Erin did not just say that. Not in front of everyone at this table!
“Pardon me if I’m speaking out of turn,” Val spoke up, “but I doubt Nelly desires my kisses as much as I desire hers. She’s absolutely the most charming lady I’ve ever come across. Mr. and Mrs. Larson, you did a wonderful job raising such an intelligent, capable, and kind young woman. I’m grateful you let me have the honor of marrying her.”
The mood shifted in an instant. Nelly’s parents looked immensely pleased, and Nelly felt the heat in her cheeks cool.
“I think I speak for all of us when I say we’re happy to have you in the family,” Nelly’s ma told Val.
“Yeah, we are,” Nelly’s pa added. With a smile, he turned his attention back to the meal.
Nelly poked another piece of steak with her fork then ate it.
The conversation went to the upcoming harvest, and Nelly was assured the worst of it was over. She didn’t have to worry about her sisters continuing to embarrass her.
She picked up the glass of milk and was just about to drink from it when Val reached under the table and put his hand on her thigh. She grew still and glanced around the table to make sure no one else noticed. No. That was silly. They couldn’t notice. He was doing this under the table.
He gave her leg a light squeeze then brought his hand back up to the table. Once more, heat rose up her neck and to her cheeks. Thankfully, no one was looking at her, so they didn’t notice. She dared a glance at Val, and he winked at her. Then he turned his attention to the conversation as if nothing had happened.
It took an entire minute before her heart stopped racing so she could drink her milk. For the life of her, she couldn’t concentrate on anything the others were talking about. All she could think about was how Val had touched her leg. And how nice it’d been.