On Sunday, Dave noticed that Mary wore her best dress which happened to be the same one she arrived to Omaha in. He also wore his best clothes. Understanding that she was nervous on their way to town, he pulled her close to him to reassure her that he would be with her.
As they arrived in town, he gave her a brief description of his family so she wouldn’t be at a total loss when she saw them.
“My oldest brother, Richard, is thirty. He works in construction and lives in town. He is married to Amanda, and they have three children, eight-year-old twin boys and a five-year-old girl. Then there’s Sally. You met her already. She’s twenty-seven and is married to Rick Johnson, the judge. They have Greg, the four-year-old. Tom is twenty-five and is married to Jessica. They have two girls, ages four and two, and a baby on the way. They work the farm right next to ours. Of course, you know me.” He winked at her. “My younger sister, Jenny, is twenty. She has two-year-old Jeremy. Then there’s Joel, the seventeen year old.”
“I hope I can remember all of these details.” She shifted against him and adjusted her bonnet.
“Oh, after we get together with everyone a couple of times, it’ll come together. I hope that seeing them at church first will be less intimidating. At least, this will ease you into it. Then, when we go to build my parents the barn, you’ll know their names and faces.” He glanced at her. “I usually head home within minutes of the final hymn so I can get back to work, but would you like to stick around longer?”
“No. I’d rather go home shortly after the service is over. I doubt that I’ll be what they expect.”
“Probably not. You’ll be even better.” He kissed her cheek. Before she could respond, he parked the wagon in the large churchyard. Most of the people stood outside the brick building, talking and laughing. “Be prepared for the bombardment of my family who’ll want to meet you.”
She took a deep breath and nodded.
He did admire her ability to confront new situations with surprising ease since she didn’t show her anxiety on the surface. After he helped her down from the wagon, he smiled at her. “As excited as I am to show you off to my relatives, I confess that I like having you all to myself. I can’t be affectionate with you in public like I can be when we’re alone.”
Her eyes grew wide. “You want to show me off?”
His eyebrows furrowed. That was an odd question. “Sure. You’re my wife and I’m proud of you. Why wouldn’t I want to show you off?”
She blushed, stared at the ground and shrugged.
Giving her a quick kiss on the cheek, he whispered, “I’ll be with you, Mary.”
She slipped her hand through the crook of his arm.
Sally ran over to them, nearly dragging her husband and son with her. “I’m glad you brought her here,” she told him.
“We are going to go home when the service is over. After my month with her to myself, I’ll stay longer,” he promised. “How are you doing, squirt?” he asked the boy who waved at him.
“You won’t stay for the potluck?” Sally asked.
“Sally,” Rick gently inserted over the chatter around them, “don’t you remember what it was like to be a newlywed? Give them time so they can enjoy being alone for awhile.” He shook Dave’s hand and grinned at the couple. “It’s nice to see you two again.” He nodded to Mary.
Sally glanced over her shoulder. “Jenny!” She bolted across the lawn, swerving around two groups of people who mingled before the service.
Rick chuckled. “You’ll have to forgive her. She’s a little excited about you, Mary.”
“A little?” Dave rolled his eyes.
Sally and Jenny made their way over to them. Jenny held the hand of her two-year-old son.
Dave sourly noted that several people stepped away from Jenny, as if being in her presence would pollute them. He suddenly wondered if he should have warned Mary about Jenny’s lack of a husband.
“Good morning, Mary,” Jenny greeted, obviously glad to meet her sister-in-law. “Hello, Dave.”
He smiled. “Good morning, Jenny. Hey there, Jeremy.”
“You have a new aunt,” Jenny told her son. “Her name is Mary.”
“I see Richard and Amanda over there!” Sally took Mary’s hand and urged her away from Dave.
“What are you doing?” Dave asked, annoyed that he had to fight his sister to hold onto his wife. He knew Sally could be pushy but this was ridiculous!
“Richard and Amanda are entering the church,” she argued, not letting go of Mary’s hand while he held Mary’s other hand. “I want to introduce her to them before the service is over and you haul her home.”
Mary, who looked overwhelmed, assured Dave that it was alright with her, so he let her go. Jenny and Jeremy followed them.
He sighed.
Rick laughed. “I’ll retrieve your wife for you before the service begins.”
“From the way Sally’s acting, it’ll take both of us to pry her off of her.” He examined his surroundings. “Are Tom and Jessica here?”
“No. I haven’t seen them. Oh, there’s your parents.”
They waved the middle-aged couple over.
“Where’s Joel?” Dave asked his father while his mother picked Greg up and hugged him.
“He stayed on the farm to kill the rat stuck in the walls of our house,” his father replied. “Your mother refuses to return until it’s gone, so I told him to skip church today so he can take care of it.”
His mother shivered. “A rodent doesn’t belong in a house. The Lord will understand that this is an emergency.” She set a giggling Greg down and looked at Dave. “I heard you got married on Wednesday. Where’s your wife?”
“Sally went all the way to the farm to tell you about Mary?” Dave asked.
“No. I paid her a visit this week and found out when I saw her.”
“Sally took her into the church to meet Richard and Amanda.”
“Well, I think I’ll introduce myself. It’s only right that I welcome her to the family.” Smiling, she skipped to the church, holding Greg’s hand.
His father grinned. “I have to confess that your ma was excited to hear you married. She’s hoping for more grandchildren.”
“Well, Mary’s a fine woman.”
“I’ll have to give the women time to talk to her before I make my introductions. I don’t want to overwhelm the poor girl.”
“Where are Tom and Jessica?” Dave wondered.
“Oh, their daughters got sick so they had to stay home today.” his father replied.
The church bell rang, announcing that the service would soon begin so they entered the church. Once Dave spotted Mary surrounded by Sally, Jenny, Amanda and more women and children, he shoved his way through the group, took her hand and led her to his usual spot which was, thankfully, away from his siblings.
“What do you think of my family?” he asked as they sat in the wooden pew.
“They are very nice,” Mary said, her face blushing from all their attention.
“I have to admit that I’m jealous. I was hoping to be the one to introduce you but Sally beat me to it.”
“You have nothing to be jealous of, Dave.”
That’s what she thought. He knew his family would be interested in getting to know her, but he didn’t imagine for a minute that they would hog all of her attention.
They stood up to sing a couple of hymns before Minister Greene stood up to give his sermon. Dave was secretly relieved that after the service, he could take Mary back out to his home and be alone with her.
***
Three days later after supper, Susannah was ready to foal. Dave had set the other animals in the pasture so he could concentrate on the mare. He inspected her in the stall with a strange feeling of apprehension. Her water broke as she laid down on the clean straw, but the birth slowed once a hoof poked through. Twenty agonizing minutes passed without further progress. He shook his head and examined the irritated mare that grunted and snorted while she struggled to push her foal from her belly. He took off his shirt so he could wash his arms up to his elbows with the soap and clean water in a bucket waiting for him by the stall.
Mary ran into the barn, her expression controlled in the midst of the stressful situation. “I brought the clean towels for you.”
“Hold onto them until I ask for them.”
She nodded and stayed back while he rushed to the mare and knelt before her. His attempt to walk Susannah around so the foal would slide back into the womb and reposition itself failed, so he needed to intervene. Thankfully, he went through this with his father’s mares, so he knew what to do.
“Easy, Susannah,” he softly said as he stroked her belly. “I’m going to help you.”
The horse snorted her reply.
His hand followed the foal’s hoof up into the birth canal, making his arm slippery as he kept his other hand on the mare’s belly and braced his knees on the ground so he stayed in place. At least the hoof out of the womb was a front hoof. He sought out the other front hoof which was bent to its chest. He grabbed it, the muscles in his arm and back straining as he pulled the hoof towards the mare’s hind hooves so he could rotate the foal’s head to the birth canal.
Susannah neighed and jerked her head to look at him.
“Your babe will be out soon,” he assured her.
Turning to Mary, who silently watched them, he asked for one of the towels which she handed to him. The two slippery hooves were safely out of the birth canal, so he took the towel and grabbed them. He pulled them towards Susannah’s hind hooves, straining against the weight of the animal that struggled to get out of the womb. When the shoulders and head appeared, he decided to see if the foal would progress without further help. He backed up and stood next to Mary so he could give the two animals space.
To his relief, the foal’s upper body emerged on its own. It stopped when its hips were at the threshold of entering the world.
“Do you need to pull it out again?” Mary whispered.
He glanced at her. “I don’t know yet. The foal could be resting for a moment. Birthing can be a lengthy process.”
She nodded and waited expectantly beside him, her hands clenching the second clean towel as she stared at the mare and foal.
Before long, the foal’s hind hooves left the womb and the animal rested against its mother’s belly. Satisfied, he returned to the bucket of water and dipped the soap into it.
“They’ll lay like that for about fifteen minutes,” he said as he rubbed the soap in his hands.
“I must admit that it was thrilling to watch the birth.” She smiled at the two horses.
“Would you like to name the foal?”
“Really?” Her eyes turned in his direction.
He nodded.
“I’d have to think of a good name. How did you decide on Susannah?”
“Jenny named her. I’m no good with picking out names.” After working up a good lather, he spread it on his arms and chest.
“I’ll have to think of one.” Shooting another look at the stall, she smiled. “It’s not all that different from a human giving birth. Every birth I’ve been to has been like this.”
“You have to stick your arm up the woman’s birth canal?”
She shook her head, seeming amused at his joke. “You know, I have seen the midwife stick her hand up there to help rotate the baby so it comes out easier.”
He cringed, not wishing to imagine an entire hand in that area of a woman’s body. He quickly rinsed his upper body. “I’m sorry I jested.”
She laughed and rubbed a towel over his arms and chest to dry him off. “What I meant was that Susannah is already bonding with her foal. It’s the same way with human mothers. Despite all the pain and length of the labor, they can’t wait to hold their babies.”
Smiling, he enjoyed the way she fussed over him, making sure she wiped all of the water off of him before she put his shirt on. “You’ll have your turn,” he promised.
She paused, her fingers on his buttons.
By the pretty shade of pink that rose in her cheeks, he realized he caught her off guard. His hand cupped the side of her face, his thumb caressing her cheek. “You’ll make a wonderful mother, Mary.”
Her eyes met his and he detected the unshed tears there.
“Did I say something wrong?”
She blinked and shook her head. “It’s just that I never thought I’d be a mother. I mean, I hoped but...” She shrugged. “It’s hard to explain.” When she looked at him, the tears were gone. “I’m happy here, Dave.”
Glad to hear that, he wrapped his arms around her and pressed his lips firmly against hers. He could feel her heart beating with his. He now fully understood the meaning of two lives becoming one when a couple married.
The mare neighed, and they turned their attention back to the animals. Susannah stood up. The foal stumbled but followed suit. The umbilical cord broke easily under the mare’s hoof.
“They got it from here,” he announced, touched that Mary buttoned his shirt for him.
“I’m glad I was here to watch it.”
His arms felt empty when she went to pick up the bucket and dumped the dirty water in the grass outside the barn.
He retrieved the used towels from the ground and gave them to her. She plopped both into the bucket and picked up the bar of soap
“I would like to wash these in the river.”
“Alright,” he said. “I’ll finish cleaning up in here.”
She paused in the entryway of the barn. “I left you a cup of fresh water and some cut up apples and oranges on the kitchen table. I thought you might want a snack after all the work you did.”
An unexpected emotion that he didn’t understand tugged at his heart. “Thank you, Mary.”
She nodded before turning back to the river.
***
Two days later, Mary lifted the lacy curtain that framed the kitchen window so she could watch her husband take the mare and foal out to the gated field where they could be free from the confines of the barn. Dave’s broad shoulders made him appear larger than life. His clothes were loose, though his belt held his pants up so they didn’t fall down. She blushed as she recalled how his naked body felt as it pressed against hers. That he made love to her as willingly as he did meant everything to her since it meant that he found her acceptable to touch. She found becoming one flesh to be very pleasing, especially since during the act, she actually felt beautiful. She forgot how she really looked when it was just the two of them in the dark.
He called out to his stallion but the horse shook its head and neighed in protest. She chuckled as he made a pleading motion to the animal which took a moment to consider its options before it trotted over to him. She caught sight of his profile as he turned to lead the animal to the saddle resting on the ground. His handsome features intrigued her, making her eager to stare at him.
He had shaved each day, saying that he didn’t want his beard to scratch her face. Her heart had raced with excitement when he kissed her afterwards. “You see, isn’t that better than having to rub your face against a stubbly bush?” She didn’t care whether he shaved or not. She would gladly kiss him anytime he wished. She owed him because he saved her from a spinster’s life. Truth be told, she doubted any other man would have been willing to marry her. She determined to be the kind of wife who would bless him. She hoped the apple pie she was making would be a start.
Glancing back from the crust she was rolling out on the table, she spied him saddling the horse. He had a big smile on his face. He was happy out here. His own joy spread outward until it affected her. She couldn’t recall a time in her life when she had been as content as she was at this moment.
As soon as he rode the stallion out of her view, she focused on making the pie. Once she set it in the oven to bake, she decided to mend his shirts. The process didn’t take long. She already finished sewing a pair of brown britches for herself. She hesitated to wear the pants, but Dave wished to teach her to ride Susannah. “She’s a gentle mare. You have nothing to worry about,” he had assured her. She could only hope he was right. The thought of riding a horse terrified her. What if she fell off?
She directed her attention back to the beige shirt in her hands and noticed another bug walking along the floor by her foot. She stomped on it, immediately killing it. Living with bugs in the house seemed to be a given, but she barely noticed their invasions. She was a woman in love, and love made everything wonderful.
She finished with the mending, placed his shirts in the wardrobe and returned to the pie which was done. The smell of apples and cinnamon filled the house. She couldn’t wait to surprise him with it. By the time she set the table, she happened to glance out the window and saw him. He returned and let Jack go into the field.
Pouring the coffee into their cups, she looked up and smiled when he entered the house. “Hello, Dave. I made johnnycakes, a salad, bean soup and apple pie.” She placed the cups next to their bowls and plates.
Striding to her, he returned her smile, took her in his arms and kissed her. “Coming home to you is my favorite part of the day.” She laughed as he spun her around before letting her feet settle on the ground.
“You might change your mind about that when you taste the pie. Then coming home to dessert will be your favorite thing. In Maine, the customers at the restaurant used to order more than one slice.”
He gave her another kiss. “They must miss you.” He released her from his embrace and went to his seat.
They missed the meals she made. As for her, she knew her family missed her, but they would most likely be relieved when they learned that she had married after all. They did worry about her. She did miss them too, but living in Nebraska was turning into more of an adventure than she hoped it would be when she got on the train. She turned her attention to her husband and sat across from him.
“I see that your pants are ready,” he noted. He bit into his jonnycake.
“Yes. I suppose I can’t talk you out of teaching me to ride Susannah?” She picked up a spoon and twirled it in her hand instead of putting it into her bowl of soup.
“I didn’t think anything scared you. If I had told you that I wanted you to ride her right after we married, would you have bolted for town?” His eyes twinkled as a grin spread across his face, so she knew he was joking with her.
Deciding to ignore his question, she asked, “Would you like to try a slice of pie?”
“Not until I’m done eating the main course. I love your pies too much. If I start in on one slice, I’ll eat another and another until I’m too full to eat anything else. You make the best pies I’ve ever tasted. Of course, everything you make tastes like a feast fit for a king. I reckon you’ll give my sisters the satisfaction of winning the baking contest next week.”
She blushed at his compliment. “Your mother and sisters seem nice.”
He took another bite of his food and swallowed it before he thoughtfully studied her. “A woman should have some female friends. I’ve been selfish in keeping you all to myself.”
“I enjoy being with you, Dave.”
“I hope so. It would be a shame if we didn’t get along.”
Placing her spoon in the bowl, she stirred the beans.
He took a drink from his coffee cup. “After dinner, I’m going to repair a part of the wall in the barn that is deteriorating.”
She paused, her spoon, full of bean soup, halfway to her mouth. “I thought you already did that.”
“Oh, this is another section of the wall. Sod barns need constant repairs. The family is planning on getting together in three weeks to build a wooden barn on my parents’ property. The lumber is due to arrive at that time. It would be a good chance for you to get to know everyone better. You’ll have to spend most of the day with the women since I’ll be helping the men with the barn. Do you feel up to going?”
She nodded. “Yes.” She took a bite of the soup. She hoped her nervousness didn’t show. She knew that sooner or later she would attend a family gathering.
“You have nothing to worry about. You’ll get along with everyone just fine. Why, the women couldn’t get enough of you at church. And who knows? With any luck, we’ll announce that you’re expecting. Wouldn’t that be fun?”
She almost spit out her mouth full of soup. She quickly swallowed it so she could say, “Dave, it’s too soon to know.” Her cheeks grew hot, though why they should when it was just the two of them, she didn’t know. Perhaps it was the fact that making love to him was still new.
“We have three weeks to find out. If you don’t menstruate in that time, we’ll know. I wonder if we’ll have a boy or a girl.”
She stared at him in disbelief. “Really, Dave, with the way you talk, it would seem like a done deal.”
He shrugged and continued to eat. “Will you be going to the river to bathe this evening?”
“No. I did that earlier today.”
He looked disappointed but didn’t say anything.
Her eyes grew wide. Surely, he didn’t want to see her naked. Deciding he couldn’t possibly want such a thing, she turned her attention back to her meal.
After they ate and he congratulated her on another delicious meal, he left to repair the barn wall. She cleaned the dishes and set them out to dry. The humidity made the heat feel thick, so she reasoned he might be thirsty. She grabbed a cup and filled it with water. Upon her arrival in the barn, he sat on a stool and whistled a happy tune while he mixed the sand and water in a well-used bucket.
She frowned. “Doesn’t plaster include lime?”
He immediately stopped stirring the mixture and smacked his forehead with his hand. “I can’t believe I forgot that.” He jumped up to get the lime from the shelf in the corner of the barn.
She chuckled. She inspected the hole he had filled in with dirt. The hole wasn’t big but it could increase in size and cause damage if it wasn’t taken care of in a timely manner. Dave might be forgetful, but he did well in maintaining his things.
He returned with the lime and dumped it into the bucket. “Thanks for saying something. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“You’d probably do the same things you did before we met.”
“I remember that I did a lot of running around because I’d forget stuff, like adding lime to the plaster. You save me from having to redo my tasks.”
She shrugged. “Anyway, I thought you might be thirsty, so I brought you some water. I can see that you have your hands full so I’ll set the cup over on this bench. I’ll come back for it later.”
He thanked her again.
Smiling, she returned to the house.
***
The next morning, Dave saddled two of his horses in the barn. There was nothing quite like the smell of leather and a horse together. He thought that Mary’s adventurous spirit would endear her to riding a horse once she got over her fears. Noting the sound of footsteps, he peered over Susannah’s back and saw his wife making her way over to him. The sight of her in trousers intrigued him. He let her borrow one of his shirts, which he surprisingly noted she mended without saying anything to him about it, and the green shirt with dark brown pants and her new boots accentuated her curves. He smiled as he approached her. Since she didn’t have a hat, she wore her blue bonnet, which made her eyes appear bluer than her usual hue. The wind played with the braid dangling to the middle of her back.
“I’ll have to make my own shirt,” she stated as she unsuccessfully tried to expand his shirt’s width around her bosom. Giving up, she sighed, her arms dropping in defeat at her sides.
He hid his amusement. He rather enjoyed the way her breasts strained against his shirt. He had yet to see them, and any attempts to see her without clothes on had been met in vain. For some reason, she didn’t take a liking to the idea.
“Maybe you should undo the top two buttons,” he suggested.
“That might work.” She did so, and fortunately, her undergarment was low enough so he got a generous view of her cleavage. “Yes. That is better.”
He couldn’t agree more. Dragging his attention from her chest, he led her over to Susannah who was patiently waiting for them. “Now, Susannah is a draft horse. Actually, Jack, Lewis and Clark are too.”
She blankly stared at him.
He blinked. “Oh, right. You aren’t familiar with horses. A draft horse is gentle. Susannah likes to go slow, so you don’t have to worry about her running off with you. She knows to stay near me and Jack, and once she gets used to you, she’ll know to stay with you as well. I admit, it was difficult to pull her away from her foal, but here we are and everything is ready for you. I can help you get on if you’d like.”
She nodded and went to the mare. She closed her eyes for a moment, as if bracing herself for a dreaded task that loomed before her. When she opened them, he smiled reassuringly at her. He realized she was shaking the moment he touched her hand. Knowing that touch could soothe a horse, he figured it might soothe her as well. He applied enough pressure on her shoulders to be firm without hurting her. He kneaded the knots in her muscles until he felt her relax.
“I think I’m ready,” she said.
He held her by the waist and guided her up on the animal. After she settled into the saddle, he stroked her thigh. “You did it on the first try. You’re a natural. You just don’t know it yet.”
Susannah shifted impatiently under her. Mary gasped and grabbed the reins. Deciding it was a bad idea to laugh, he turned his back to her, chuckled under his breath and tipped his hat lower so she wouldn’t detect the mirth in his eyes when he faced her again. He hopped up on Jack, the saddle conforming to him.
“You make it look easy,” she remarked, a hint of envy in her tone.
“It is easy, once you get the hang of it, which you will. Give Susannah a gentle nudge, like this.” He tapped Jack in his sides with the heels of his boots.
Jack started off at a leisurely pace. Dave glanced next to him and tried to appear nonchalant as he watched her on the moving mare. She gripped the reins, her knuckles whiter than the puffy clouds overhead. Her expression reminded him of someone who struggled to be brave while inwardly panicking.
“Susannah will pick up on your...” He paused, not wishing to embarrass her. “That is to say that horses are sensitive to people’s emotions. Now, she’s a great horse. She won’t buck you off.”
“Buck me off?” Though he wouldn’t have thought it possible, her face paled even more. “What does that mean?”
He reasoned that telling her that it meant ‘to throw her off’ might serve to increase her anxiety, so he pointed to the land that went along the river. “That area over there is nice and flat. It’ll be a good starting place.”
She looked as if she was going to insist he tell her the meaning, hesitated, and gave a slight nod of her head.
Relieved she didn’t pursue the topic, he led the way to the river, making sure he took it slow. Mary didn’t speak, which wasn’t surprising. She most likely needed all her energy to maintain her balance. His eyes drank in the rolling green hills in the distance while his ears tuned into the soothing babble of the river and tweeting of the birds. This path was one of his favorites on the property. It not only gave him a good view of the land surrounding his farm but he could monitor any activity that went on around him. Once in awhile, a stray bull, cow, pig, or horse would venture onto his property, so he’d have to return it to its rightful owner.
Most of the time, it was one of Neil’s animals that broke loose since he didn’t do a very good job of watching them. On occasion, Dave caught a tear in Neil’s fence when he returned one of the animals. Rather than wait for Neil to fix it since Neil didn’t rush on any of his chores, he repaired it himself. Tom’s cows rarely ventured onto his land. Fortunately, the branding on the cattle told him their correct owner, and since Tom didn’t raise pigs, he knew right away that those particular animals belonged to Neil. Fortunately, his property contained one hundred and fifty acres, so he rarely had any dealings with Neil.
“All of this land is yours?” Mary asked.
Surprised that she spoke, he waited for her to catch up to him before riding next to her. “Beyond this river is my father’s land. Tom owns the land in that direction.” He pointed behind them. “And Neil’s farm is that way.” He motioned in front of them. “His boundary is farther up ahead where that wooden post is. Can you see it from here?”
She squinted. “I think so.”
“Over on this side is the corn.” He glanced at the land to the other side of them. “Come harvest time, most of the neighbors get together to help with gathering the crops. It’s a good way for women to come together and gossip. I reckon you’ll have a good time, though cooking for us men might be exhausting. We can be worse than locusts when it comes to eating the goodies you women make.”
“Are you trying to scare me again?” She grinned at him.
She’s pretty when she smiles. Why didn’t I notice that before? He shook the thought aside. “Just a warning. I hope you’ll save a slice of your pie for me when no one’s looking. I’d hate to miss that special treat.”
“I’ll be sure to do that.”
He studied her as she sat on Susannah. Her shoulders dropped from their rigid position. Her thighs no longer clenched the sides of the animal. The reins rested loosely in her hands. The worried wrinkles on her forehead disappeared, and the firm line of her lips turned up in slight amusement.
“Well, just look at you,” he said.
She frowned. “What?”
“You’re riding a horse and your posture isn’t so stiff. You’re already graceful on the beast.”
She looked relieved and smiled. “I guess you were right. Riding a horse may not be so bad after all.”
He chuckled. She was a natural rider, alright.