A week later, Sally arrived right after Mary cleaned the breakfast dishes. Dave put the plate he finished drying on the shelf, took one look out the window, and sighed. “She doesn’t waste any time in stealing you from me, does she?”
“She’s not stealing me.” She grinned at him and shook her head, secretly pleased that he didn’t want her to leave him for the day. Done with the dishes, she pushed the chairs back to their proper position around the table.
He shrugged. “I reckon it depends on how you look at it.”
To her surprise, he crossed the short distance between them. He held her to him and gave her a passionate kiss, his tongue brushing hers. The action sent a thrilling spark through her.
“I hope you win,” he whispered, his lips lingering against hers.
Lightheaded, she nearly stumbled against him as he pulled away from her.
“I better greet her before she barges in on us,” he said.
She took a moment to regain her composure before removing her apron and folding it. Then she set it on the table. Following him outside, she breathed in the sweet scent of clover. The July air felt refreshingly cool that morning, a strong contrast to the oppressive heat they endured for the past week and a half. The thunderstorm from the previous night helped to cool things off. She wondered if she would ever get used to the nighttime storms. The thunder crashed so loudly, she bolted upright in bed, her pulse racing, as if a gun just went off. Her action stirred Dave out of his slumber, and he held her to calm her. Of course, holding soon led to lovemaking.
Shaking her head to clear it, she turned her attention to Sally who pulled on the reins of her horse so her buggy came to a stop. “Why, David, I believe you put on a little weight,” Sally greeted. “Married life is treating you well.”
He grinned and winked at Mary. “I can’t complain.”
Mary blushed. She tied her green bonnet over her hair which she had pulled back into a bun. The breeze rustled the lower half of her green dress. “I made you a sandwich and a salad for lunch.”
He placed a hand on the small of her back and kissed her cheek. “I’ll miss you.”
“I’ll miss you too.” She still felt shy when he showed her affection, especially when they were in front of other people.
Sally shook her head. “Honestly, David, I’ll have her back at six. With the way you’re acting, you’d think I’m taking her away for a year.”
He helped Mary get into the buggy. Her cheeks flushed a wild shade of red when he patted her behind. She glanced at him, shocked but oddly pleased. To her relief, Sally didn’t notice it.
He chuckled and waved to them. “Go and show that Maureen Brown there’s a better cook in town.”
Sally clicked her reins so her horse trotted away from the house. “I’ve never seen my brother so happy. I guess placing an ad in the paper asking for a wife does work out. Though why he didn’t bother telling us about it, I’ll never understand. We would have been thrilled to come meet you at the station and see that you had a church wedding. Every bride deserves a memorable wedding.”
“I did have a memorable wedding. Dave was very romantic.”
“It’s obvious he wants you all to himself. That’s to be expected for a man in love. And your face is glowing as well. I’m glad you two found each other.”
“He is a wonderful man.” Mary glanced back and saw him enter the barn. The horses neighing at the sight of him brought a low chuckle to her throat. Most likely, they were glad to see him because he fed them.
Sally’s horse turned down the well-worn grassy road and the house and barn slipped from view. Mary held onto the seat, bracing herself for the bumpy ride. Turning back to Sally, she couldn’t help but note the resemblance between the two siblings. Sally shared her brother’s wavy blond hair, gray eyes and high cheekbones.
Mary cleared her throat. “Dave said that we will all get together when your parents get the lumber for the new barn.”
“I should hope so. Church isn’t enough time to learn about you or to have you learn about us, and poor Tom’s kids have been sick so they had to stay home for the past two weeks. And you haven’t even met Joel. He got stuck in the ditch on the way to church last Sunday, though how that happened, I don’t know. I suspect there’s a brother among us who’d rather not go to church.”
Sally smiled and continued, “Just wait until harvest time. You’ll get to meet your neighbors. Do you know who your neighbors are?” Without waiting for Mary’s reply, she laughed and shook her head. “Probably not. David barely mentioned his family. I’m sure he didn’t give you details on the people who live around you. Well, there’s Tom and Jessica Larson. Then there’s Jimmy and Doris Parson, Zachary and Mildred Phillips, Roger Sloane and Neil Craftsman. They’re good, hardworking people. Of course, they’ll bring their kids. Poor Roger’s wife died two years ago. He has a couple of teenage sons. Neil’s still single and has no children, though rumor is he posted an ad for a wife.”
Mary quickly glanced away from her, not wishing Sally to take a good look at her and detect the truth. She didn’t wish to think of Neil. Though she wouldn’t trade Dave for anyone, the rejection was still fresh.
Sally grinned at her. “You must be overwhelmed by the idea of meeting everyone at once. I know I’d be shaking if it were me. I don’t know how you gathered the courage to leave your home to come here.”
Relieved to be off the subject of Neil, Mary turned back to her new friend. It seemed to Mary that Sally loved to talk, and as they continued their ride to Omaha, she discovered that she was right. Sally spent the entire time telling her stories about how her family left New York because their father got tired of living in the confines of a crowded city with little pay from his job.
“So when he learned of the Homestead Act passed by Congress, he decided it was time to head out. Richard was old enough to stay back there since he was twenty at the time. However his wife’s parents had just died and we all thought of her as one of our own, so she insisted that she and my brother come with us. We went with a wagon train and have been here ever since.”
As more buildings and houses popped up around them, Mary knew they were in the city. A handful of people lingered about and talked to each other, their laughter carrying on the wind to greet her ears. Most of the people strode to their destination, some entering or leaving the shops that lined the street. The other horses pulling buggies or wagons kicked up dust in the air. The noisy activity in the town seemed like a drastic change from the quiet and stillness of the farm.
“I should tell you ahead of time about Jenny.”
Noting the uncertainty in Sally’s voice, she turned to her. “What is it? Is she sick?”
“No. Jenny has a two-year-old son, and she’s not married.”
“Did her husband die?” That’s what she assumed since she hadn’t seen him at church.
“Clyde didn’t marry her. In fact, when he found out she was expecting, he ran out of town. Our brothers spent a month trying to track him down, but they couldn’t find him. She sews clothes for a living so she can be home with her son.”
“That must be hard for her.”
“She doesn’t complain, but you’re right. I suspect she spends a lot of time wishing she had done things differently.”
By the time they arrived at the boarding house, Jenny was waiting for them on the porch while her son ran back and forth collecting rocks and throwing them. When she saw them, she smiled and picked the boy up in her arms.
“I’ll help you,” Mary called out to her.
“If you’ll take Jeremy, I can get myself in,” Jenny said.
Mary nodded and leaned forward to take the blond-haired boy who looked startled.
“Don’t you remember your Aunt Mary?” Jenny asked him. She sat next to Mary and brought him to her lap where he watched Mary with intense interest. “You saw her at church for the past two Sundays. She married your uncle Dave.”
“It looks like he got his Uncle David’s memory,” Sally teased.
“I’m sure he’ll warm up to me soon enough.” Mary smiled at him. “I have lots of nieces and nephews back in Maine, so I’m used to children. He needs time to get used to me. Hi, Jeremy.”
He briefly curled his lips upward before sucking his thumb and resting his head against his mother’s breast. Sally clicked on the reins as soon as two men on their horses passed them.
“He’s a cute boy,” she told Jenny, hoping the woman heard her over the shrill laughter of a woman who talked with her friend in front of the beauty salon.
“If you look close, you’ll notice he has David’s chin,” Sally said.
Mary glanced at the woman sitting on her left. “Do you mind if I ask why you call him David?”
Sally chuckled. “I like the name David more than Dave, but he prefers Dave. We agreed I could call him David after I won the race.”
Jenny peered across Mary to look at Sally. “To be honest, that wasn’t a fair race since you’re five years older than him and you were fifteen at the time.”
Sally shrugged. “He insisted that he could beat me because I was a girl. I don’t think he’s ever claimed to be better than a woman ever since that day. I did Mary a favor.”
Mary turned to Jenny. “Sally told me that you’re twenty. I’m nineteen.”
“I wondered how old you were. Sally guessed that you were my age. I don’t get a chance to talk to women my age, so I’m glad you’re here. No offense, Sally, but sometimes it’s nice to have someone who’s as old as me.”
“That’s why I was excited that we’re doing this baking contest together,” Sally replied.
Mary couldn’t recall a time when anyone, except for Grace, seemed to be as interested in her as these women apparently were, and their attention made her feel special. Dave made her feel special too, but it felt different with his sisters.
Sally led the horse to turn left on another street where houses stood close together. They stopped in front of a modest yellow home. Mary followed the women and Jeremy out of the buggy and followed them inside the house which was as sunny and bright as Sally’s personality. Mary had grown up in a home similar to this one, and strangely enough, she didn’t miss a home made of wood. The simple sod house appealed to her for the simple reason that Dave came with it. She glanced at her sisters-in-law when they stopped to stare at her in amusement.
Jenny grinned. “I told you she was thinking of Dave.”
Ignoring their knowing looks as they stood by the counter in front of the window overlooking the small backyard, Mary took off her bonnet and placed it on the table in the corner of the room. “Where’s Greg?”
“I just told you that he’s at Rick’s parents’ house.” Sally burst out laughing. “You’ve got it bad. I hope you can concentrate on baking.”
“I’m sorry. I’ll focus.”
Sally took a box of toys from the counter and placed it on the floor so Jeremy could play. The excited youth didn’t need any prompting as he knelt before the box and sorted through the colorful trains and blocks.
Mary joined the sisters who walked to the kitchen table and sat down.
“Alright,” Sally began. “We need to decide what we’re going to make. There are three categories we can join: cookies, pies and breads. Every year we enter all the categories, but Maureen Brown’s group manages to snag first place for each category. Should we enter each one again this year?”
“We might as well,” Jenny replied.
They looked at Mary who shrugged, surprised they wanted her opinion. “It can’t hurt.”
“Great!” Sally nodded, satisfied. “I figure we can each pick a category and enter it. Who wants to make what?”
“When I worked at a restaurant in Maine, people complimented my pies,” Mary said, her shoe tapping the wooden floor. “I’ll make an apple pie.”
“Good. Jenny?”
“I’m not as good at cooking as you are, so I’ll take the cookies.” Jenny glanced at Jeremy.
“Then I’ll make the bread. I hope it turns out better this year.” She glanced at Mary. “Last year, the wheat loaf we made turned out soggy. I never saw the judges spit food out as fast as they did. It was quite embarrassing.”
Jenny chuckled. “Maybe. But looking back on it, it was funny.”
Sally joined in the laughter. “How did it get soggy anyway? I mean, it was like a damp sponge.”
“I think we’re better off not knowing.”
“I think I’ll make banana bread since last year’s fiasco made me realize that I have trouble with the wheat.”
Aware of her anxious foot tapping the floor, Mary shifted in the chair and crossed her ankles to stop the irritating sound.
“I’ll make walnut sugar cookies,” Jenny offered.
“Great! Now that we have everything planned, let’s get started.”
After sorting through Sally’s food pantry, Mary realized they needed more sugar, yeast, and apples. “I’ll go to the mercantile and pick up the things we need.”
Sally laid down the flour, bananas, walnuts and baking soda on the counter. “I’m sorry. I thought I had enough for whatever we planned to make.”
Jenny stopped setting aside the bowls and spoons on the table. “Mary, I can show you how to get to the mercantile from here, and it would be nice to take a walk. Sally, do you mind watching Jeremy?”
Sally shot a smile at the boy who was too wrapped up in stacking the wooden blocks to concern himself with their conversation. “I think I can manage. Without Greg here, he behaves very well.”
Jenny nodded as she took off her apron and set it next to the bowl. “Ralph Lindon will probably have his hands full with women buying last minute supplies.” She handed Mary her bonnet and put her own on. Glancing at Sally, she said, “We won’t be long.”
The walk to the mercantile should have been pleasant since the sun shone brightly and the air refreshed Mary’s lungs. People went about their business, going from one building to another, depending on the tasks they needed to do. Horses pulled buggies down the streets. People passing by talked and laughed. The smell of steak cooking drifted from the restaurant, bringing back a sense of nostalgia as Mary briefly recalled working for Mrs. Jones. Next to her, Jenny pointed out the businesses they walked by. On the surface, everything was normal. But try as she might, Mary couldn’t shake off the strange sense that something remained amiss.
As they rounded the corner of the street where the mercantile stood, it occurred to her what was wrong. The women who went by them seemed to purposely avoid eye contact with them. Though Mary’s trips to town had been limited, she understood that common courtesy dictated that people acknowledge one another as they strolled past each other. She glanced at Jenny who didn’t notice it. Or did she notice it and chose to ignore it?
When they entered the store, the bell above the door rang, causing two women standing by the baskets full of fruit to turn to them.
The rail thin, middle-aged woman took a moment to look Jenny up and down as if determining whether or not she was worth the polite greeting. Finally, she said, “Good morning, Miss Larson.” The woman wore a flashy blue dress and had so many feathers in her hat that Mary unwittingly recalled an image of a male peacock strutting about in front of the female of his species.
“Good morning, Mrs. Brown.” Jenny stiffly smiled. Turning to Mary, she said, “This is Maureen Brown. Mrs. Brown, this is Mary Larson.”
“Oh really?” The woman now turned her attention to Mary and inspected her from head to toe. “I don’t recall seeing you before.”
Mary shifted uncomfortably. “I arrived two weeks ago.” Her voice sounded weak to her ears.
“Are you the girl who married David Larson? The one who answered his ad asking for a wife?”
Mary blushed. How could this woman know that? She didn’t go to the church that Dave did, and Mary didn’t recall seeing her before. “Yes, ma’am.”
Her eyes made another sweep of her frame. “Well, I guess you never know what you’ll get when you ask for something.”
Shocked at her words, Mary failed to respond. Shooting Ralph a quick look, she prayed that the man wouldn’t be too much longer in dealing with the male customer. She could use a distraction right about now.
“My, my though,” Mrs. Brown continued as she motioned to the young woman standing next to her. “Isn’t this a neat little coincidence? Cassandra Tyler answered a similar ad that Neil Craftsman posted asking for a wife. She arrived two days ago. They will wed in church this Sunday after the service. Isn’t that romantic? Did you and David marry in church?”
“Uh...no. We married at the courthouse.”
“Oh.” Her disapproval showed. Then she shrugged. “Well, at least he did right by you. In the meantime, I am taking Cassie in since I am good friends with Neil’s mother. We can’t have unmarried couples fornicating now, can we?” She looked pointedly at Jenny.
It was then that Mary understood what was wrong. Most of the people had shunned Jenny for having a baby out of wedlock.
“Everyone calls me Cassie,” Cassandra offered with a courteous smile. “It’s nice to meet you both.”
“It’s nice to meet you too,” Jenny softly answered.
Mary nodded and did what she could to smile. Cassie fit the very definition of beauty. Her raven curls framed her flawless pale skin. Her clear blue eyes, perfectly constructed nose and full pink lips went very well with her slender, hourglass figure.
“Mr. Craftsman must have been pleased when he saw you,” Mary commented as she recalled the look of revulsion on his face when he saw her. He had looked as if he just sucked on a lemon.
“I dare say he was,” Mrs. Brown enthusiastically agreed. “He couldn’t stop grinning. Why, he was like a little boy who just received a new toy. He’s one lucky man. And Cassie is as sweet as she looks.” She patted the woman’s arm affectionately. “We get along as if we’ve known each other our whole lives.”
“Of course we do,” Cassie sweetly responded.
To Mary’s relief, the male customer purchased the watch and turned to leave the store, leaving Ralph free to help them. “Good morning, ladies,” he jovially said as he made his way to them.
The customer passed them, offering an obligatory greeting before exiting the building.
“How may I help you?” Ralph looked at each woman, his hands behind his back.
“Mr. Lindon, I am not particularly fond of the selection of cherries you have here.” Mrs. Brown motioned to the basket full of ripe cherries on the shelf behind her. “Surely, you have ones that are fresh. I can’t make one of my infamous pies with wilting fruits.”
“Mrs. Brown, I assure you that those are fresh. The farmer brought them in first thing this morning.”
“Hmm...” She wrinkled her nose and inspected them. “I don’t know, Mr. Lindon. I can’t see paying this price for cherries that look as if they’ve been sitting here for a week.”
By the gleam in Ralph’s eyes and subtle smile on Mrs. Brown’s lips, Mary realized that this bargaining appealed to them. The bell rang behind her, but she didn’t dare look away from the intriguing exchange taking place in front of her.
Ralph puffed his chest and said, “Now you know that I pride myself on my word. When I say that I got those cherries today, I mean I got them today.”
She crossed her arms and tilted her head to the side, the feathers on her hat ruffling by the action. “Be that as it may, I am suggesting that the farmer who brought them in misled you into believing that these are fresh.”
He rubbed his chin. “You have another price in mind for those cherries?”
Nodding, she said, “I’ll give you half of what you’re asking.”
“I’ll give you ten percent off.”
She gasped. “That’s robbery.”
“I believe you need those cherries to make that pie for the baking contest today.”
With a loud sigh and a pained expression, she replied, “I want forty percent off.”
“Twenty-five percent off and you got a deal.”
“Very well.” Glancing at Cassie, she said, “Sometimes you have to give in. I have won every baking contest for the past five years. I’m not superstitious by nature, but I think fresh cherries have something to do with it.” Returning her eyes to him, she rummaged through her purse. “Have them delivered to my home. I have a few other errands to do before I start cooking. I can’t be trudging these all through town.” She handed him the money for the cherries. “And I don’t want a single one crushed. I don’t get famous for my pies by using inferior fruits.”
“It’s nice doing business with you.” He took the coin and slipped it into his pocket.
Mary thought the big smile on his face stemmed more from the haggling process than from making money.
“Come along, Cassie. We have many things to do before we win the contest. We’ll see you later, Mr. Lindon.” As they strolled past the two women, she nodded at them. “Miss Larson, Sherry.”
Jenny offered a half-hearted greeting while Mary stared after the two women, not surprised that Mrs. Brown forgot her name. It happened several times in Maine. Though the woman’s manners came off as snobby, Mary couldn’t help but be impressed with her ability to get a lesser price on the cherries.
Looking at Jenny and Mary, Ralph asked, “What can I do for you two ladies today?” He put his fists on his hips and waited for their order.
Once they gathered the ingredients they came for, they returned to Sally’s residence where they made their assigned dishes.
***
The contest took place in the flat, lush green church yard. Mary noticed the afternoon sun shining brightly on the ten tables by the time they arrived with their food. Jenny took Jeremy to Sally’s in-laws so they could watch him for the two hour event. They set up their table among the other contestants so that the tables formed a circle. Each table had a selection of breads, pies or cakes, and cookies on it, and the teams varying from two to four women arranged their entries.
The breeze cooled things off enough so that Mary hardly noticed the heat. The sound of chatter and laughter filled the air as Mary helped Jenny set out the red and white striped cloth over their table. Sally took the apple pie, cookies, and sliced banana bread out of her son’s wagon and placed them neatly on the table. Jenny added a stack of saucers and a pitcher of water while Mary laid out the utensils and cups.
“I think we have everything,” Sally said, straightening a wrinkled section of the cloth.
Jenny shook her head. “You are too particular about things.”
“I’m not particular. I’m thorough. Besides, presentation is important.”
“To male judges? I don’t think so. Men hardly notice little details like where you place a flower.”
Sally arranged the daisy in the porcelain vase and smiled as she put it between the pie and the bread. Then she took out another daisy and vase and set that one between the pie and cookies. She sighed and clapped her hands. “Perfect!”
Jenny rolled her eyes, causing Mary to chuckle.
The minister stood in the center of the lawn, surrounded by the tables. He held up his hands and asked for their attention. “Good afternoon, ladies. I am glad you could all make it to our annual bake off. Your judges will include Ralph Lindon, Sheriff Meyer, and yours truly. We will begin sampling your goodies in five minutes.”
Sally squealed. “This is so exciting! I just know we’re going to win.” She began cutting sections of the pie and putting them on three saucers and adding a fork to each one.
“Don’t forget the red napkins.” Jenny handed them to her. Turning to Mary, she whispered, “I’d set them on the table, but she’ll just pick them up and put them somewhere else. Once she gets started on something, there’s no stopping her.”
When Sally was satisfied that she put everything where it belonged, she chose the chair next to Mary so that Mary sat between her and Jenny. She smiled. “I think I got it just right.”
“It looks terrific,” Mary assured her.
A fly landed in the pie. Leaning forward, she shooed it away, knocking over one of the vases in the process. Gasping, she jumped up and set the daisy and vase back in its proper place. Then she returned to her seat, fidgeting.
“Relax,” Jenny said.
Sally glanced at them. “I really want to win this year. With Mary’s help, we have a good chance.” She reached forward and squeezed Mary’s hand and told her, “Of course, we like spending time with you too, but the fact that you’re an excellent cook is a bonus.”
Ralph approached them, a big smile on his face. “Good afternoon, ladies.” He tipped his hat. “Mrs. Larson, I have to admit that the dress you made holds up well to the wind. It didn’t seem long strong material when you bought it.”
“You made this dress?” Jenny inspected Mary’s dress while Sally directed him to the food in front of him. Jenny’s eyes widened. “You did some fine stitching.”
“Thank you. I learned to sew when I was eight. I find it soothing,” Mary replied.
“Can I come out to your place so you can teach me how to do this? Of course, I would like to see Dave too.”
“You better wait for two weeks before making the trip,” Sally good-naturedly warned while Ralph ate. “I had to pry him off of her in order to get him to agree to let her enter this contest.”
“It wasn’t like that,” Mary argued.
“Right.” She rolled her eyes. “Anyway, she’ll get to come out to Ma and Pa’s place when the men get together to build the barn. I’m sure anytime after that will be fine for you to intrude on David’s alone time with her.” She grinned knowingly at Mary who blushed.
“I see that Dave is eating better these days,” Ralph commented.
They turned their attention to him.
He pulled a writing pad out of his vest pocket and wrote his score on it. “Sally and Jenny, your foods have improved as well.”
“Oh, we can’t take full credit for that. Mary gave us some pointers.” Sally glanced at Mary. “I told you that you would be a big help to us.”
“Well, it’s much better than last year. I’ll talk to you later.” He winked and headed for the next table.
Minister Greene nodded a greeting to them as he arrived at their table. He lifted his fork to sample the pie before he ate a cookie and slice of bread. Though Mary tried to pay attention to him, her eyes kept drifting to Mrs. Brown’s hat because the breeze caused the crazy peacock feathers to flutter. For a reason she couldn’t explain, the effect seemed hypnotizing.
“This is good!” The minister’s statement brought her eyes back to him. His eyebrows raised and head nodding, he wrote their score on his pad. Holding the pad and pencil at his side, he told Jenny, “My wife was impressed with the banner you sewed for the church.”
Jenny smiled. “I enjoyed making it.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to join the choir? We could use a lead vocalist and my wife says have the sweetest soprano voice she’s ever heard.”
“I appreciate the offer, but I don’t think someone of my reputation would be appropriate for the choir.”
He frowned. Glancing over at Mrs. Brown, whom Mary guessed was the real reason behind Jenny’s hesitation, he sighed. Looking back at Jenny, he said, “The Lord is forgiving, even when people aren’t.”
Mary thought that was nice of him to say.
The sheriff hurried over to them. Without waiting for Sally to hand him a plate, he grabbed the saucer and shoved a fork full of pie into his mouth. The sunlight bouncing off of his shiny gold badge caused Mary to avert her attention back to Mrs. Brown.
She peered around his large, imposing frame when Mrs. Brown bolted out of her chair to stop a child from pulling the tablecloth off of the table next to hers. The plump matron at the table put her hand over her heart while Mrs. Brown returned the pie to its rightful position. The woman appeared grateful for Mrs. Brown’s assistance. Mary expected Mrs. Brown to scold the young boy, but she patted him on the shoulder and knelt by him so she could talk to him. When the child turned away, he joined his apologetic mother with a smile on his face, so whatever Mrs. Brown said to him, she displayed a kindness that Mary wouldn’t have anticipated from her. Perhaps there was more to Mrs. Brown than met the eye.
The sheriff’s huff directed Mary’s attention back to him. His face, void of emotion, unsettled her, for she had no clue as to what he thought of their food. He scribbled something in his pad and made a beeline for the next table.
“Don’t mind him,” Sally said with a wave of her hand. “He’s not very friendly, though he does a great job of enforcing the law.”
Once the judges were done, Minister Greene stood in the middle of the lawn. “I want to thank you wonderful ladies for coming out here today. As difficult as this decision is, there can only be one team that is declared the winner. We take the total of all three categories and the team with the highest score wins. This year, the award and five cent gift certificate to the mercantile for each member on the team goes to Sally Johnson and Mary and Jenny Larson. Congratulations, ladies.”
Sally gasped and hugged Mary.
Jenny laughed. “Let her go. You’re squeezing her to death!”
Mary didn’t mind. She was glad that Sally finally got to win. The women around them applauded.
“Ladies, now you can sit back and eat,” Minister Greene concluded.
After they ate their meals and were cleaning up, Mrs. Brown and Cassie strolled over to Mary. “We want to congratulate you,” Mrs. Brown announced. “Obviously, we have a worthy opponent.”
“Thank you,” Mary replied uncertainly as Sally and Jenny continued collecting the dirty dishes.
“I got a chance to sample your apple pie. You are an excellent cook.” Mrs. Brown smiled at her.
Surprised by the woman’s warmth, she wasn’t sure of how to respond.
“We must get together some time. You married one of the Larson boys. His name is David?”
“Yes,” she hesitated. Didn’t the woman remember their conversation earlier that day?
“He’s a fine boy. His farm is next to Neil Craftsman’s. I think they help each other when it’s time for the harvest. Cassie, you two will be neighbors. What a wonderful chance for you to get together and talk or come into town and shop with her.”
“Yes, Mrs. Brown. You’re right.” Cassie barely looked in Mary’s direction.
Mary had no such inclination to visit Cassie since she didn’t want to associate with Neil.
“There’s my fiancée,” came a familiar voice.
Mary braced herself for Neil’s arrival.
“Speak of the devil,” Mrs. Brown warmly greeted. “We were just talking about you.”
He kissed Cassie’s cheek before he noticed Mary. He suddenly stood up straight and glanced uneasily at her.
“Apparently, your farm is next to David Larson’s,” Cassie demurely told him, batting her eyelashes at him.
“We must all get together sometime,” Mrs. Brown stated.
From the looks on Neil’s and Cassie’s faces, Mary realized that Mrs. Brown was the only one who was enthused by that notion.
“Well, Mary has a real talent for cooking,” the woman insisted. “Of course, Cassie is wonderful at the task as well, though perhaps Mary might teach her a thing or two. It never hurts to improve your skills.”
Cassie slightly frowned in Mary’s direction.
It didn’t occur to Mary, until that moment, that as beautiful as Cassie was, she felt inferior to her. Mary couldn’t recall a time when anyone felt inadequate next to her. After all, Mary didn’t have much to offer. She was nothing compared to Cassie. Cassie had beauty, charm, and grace. She was the very definition of what a lady should be.
Feeling uneasy, Mary spoke up. “I had some of your bread, Cassie, and I thought it was delicious.”
Cassie relaxed.
“We should gather our dishes, Cassie dear,” Mrs. Brown said.
Mary turned back to her table, figuring that the discussion was over. Behind her, Neil cleared his throat. Sally and Jenny had stopped to talk to Minister Greene and his wife, so she had no option but to talk to him. Stifling a groan, she turned to him.
“You didn’t tell them about...” He shifted from one foot to the other. “Well, that is to say...” He faltered.
“No, Neil. They don’t know that I originally answered your ad,” she whispered. Like she wanted them to know he rejected her!
He appeared relieved.
“Don’t worry about it, Neil. No one will ever find out.”
He paused for a brief moment before asking, “Is Dave good to you?”
She blinked, taken aback. “Yes, as a matter of fact, he is.”
“I’m glad to hear that.” He glanced back at Cassie who smiled sweetly at him. “It looks like things have worked out.”
She sighed. He apparently wanted affirmation. “She’s lovely, Neil. You make a good couple.”
He nodded. “Thank you, Mary.” Then he walked away.
She took a deep breath to settle her nerves. She didn’t enjoy these confrontations and could only hope that they wouldn’t have another reason to talk.
Sally approached her. “Are you ready to go home? I better return you before David comes riding into town searching for you.”
Mary laughed at her joke, immediately feeling better. “I’m ready.”