Six weeks later when Mary woke up, she saw Dave watching her. She was curled up on her side, and he laid on his side next to her, facing her.
He smiled at her and caressed her cheek. “Good morning.”
She glanced up at the window, noting that streaks of light blue had begun to light up the sky. The longer nights hinting to winter made it too easy to sleep in. Returning his smile, she whispered, “Is it time to get up already?”
“Unfortunately.”
For a month and a half, she had joined the women while he and the other farmers in the neighboring area helped Neil build his small three bedroom two-story home.
“Do you think it’ll be completed this week?” she asked.
“I hope so. It’s already December. We’re lucky snow hasn’t fallen yet.”
“You’re a good man, Dave. I know that it’s not easy to work twelve hour days in the cold weather.”
“Do you think we’ll ever be done doing things for Cassie?”
She looked sympathetically at him. “Is it that bad?”
He raised an eyebrow. “You tell me. You made her clothes, even redoing one that wasn’t up to her standards,” he rolled his eyes, “and then you and the women spend all your time fussing over her.”
“We don’t fuss over her.”
“No? That’s news to me. Children have a tendency to tell us men what’s going on in that house.”
She shrugged. “Cassie thought life would be similar to the one she experienced back east. I don’t think she’s adjusting to it very well.”
“Or she could be use to using people to get what she wants.”
“You don’t usually speak ill of people. She must really bother you.”
“Let’s just say that I’m grateful I ended up with you. I was ready to write an ad for a wife, and if you hadn’t shown up when you did, she might have answered my ad instead of Neil’s.” He wiggled closer to her so that their bare bodies touched beneath the warm blanket. “I knew you were special the first moment I saw you.”
“You do make me feel special.”
“Good.” He softly kissed her. “You’re not pushing yourself too hard over there, are you?”
“You don’t need to worry about me. I can handle cooking and watching the children. Besides, ever since Doris, Jessica, and your mother found out that I’m expecting again, they’ve been forcing me to sit down often.”
He closed his eyes and brought his forehead to hers. “Promise me that if you feel any pain or start bleeding, you’ll tell me right away.”
“I promise you every day. Do you think I’ll forget?”
“No, but I worry about you.”
She snuggled into his arms and pressed her cheek to his shoulder. Inhaling the strong masculine scent she’d come to associate with him, she enjoyed his warm embrace. “If it makes you feel better, I’ve been slightly sick to my stomach and more tired for the past two weeks.”
“Why would that make me feel better?”
“Because as long as I feel this way, it means the baby is alright. My sickness stopped right before the miscarriage.”
“It seems like a double-edged sword to be glad you’re not feeling well.”
His kisses worked their way from the top of her head, down the side of her face and to her mouth where it deepened. Then he made love to her. For a reason she couldn’t explain, the pleasure she received from it intensified the more they came together, and she loved the affection he showered on her. She couldn’t recall a time in her life when she felt as wanted or needed as he made her feel. Her love for him grew stronger each day.
Afterwards, she reluctantly joined him in getting dressed and made breakfast while he brought her fresh water. When they finished eating, she milked the cow while he fed the animals. Then he hooked Lewis and Clark to the wagon.
She brought out a pair of leather gloves and a knitted scarf to him. “I finished these last night.” She wrapped the dark green scarf around his neck and tucked it into the neckline of his coat.
He leaned forward to kiss her. “You take good care of me. Thank you.”
Blushing from his compliment, she took his hand so he could help her onto the wagon. She watched him as he walked to the other side. The leather gloves matched his leather belt and boots. She didn’t make the boots but had ordered them through Ralph as a birthday gift when he turned twenty-three in November.
Sitting close to her, he snapped the reins to urge the geldings forward and told Jasper to watch the farm during their absence. As if the dog understood his mission, he barked.
Dave smiled at her. “You know, that pink shirt you’re wearing brings out the color in your cheeks. You look good in pink.”
“I haven’t worn pink before, so I thought I’d try something new.”
Wrapping his arm around her waist, he pulled her against him. “I like it.”
She adjusted her thick, long beige skirt, glad she succeeded in pleasing him.
He peered up at the gray sky. “The wind seems to be picking up. I hope it doesn’t snow.”
Resting her hand on his thigh, she smiled and enjoyed the ride.
When they arrived at Neil’s farm, she commented, “The house is finished on the outside. What are you doing today?”
“We’ll work on the bedrooms.” He locked the wagon wheels and jumped out to help her down.
She saw Tom, Jimmy, Zachary, Roger Sloane and Dave’s father, and Neil conversing in the front yard. Roger was a widower with sons who were seventeen and nineteen years old, so they helped with the house too. Jimmy’s and Zachary’s sons, who were old enough, helped as well. With the thirteen males constructing the house, she figured they should easily have it completed before Christmas.
“I’ll miss you.” Dave took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.
“I’ll be nearby,” she whispered, grinning. “I’ll save you a slice of pie.”
“Only if you feel up to making it. Don’t strain yourself.” He kissed her and walked her to the sod house filled with three women and Jessica’s baby girl, Erin. The rest of the children ran around in the yard.
After greeting the women, he leaned over and whispered in her ear, “When this project is done, I intend to spend as much time in bed with you as possible.”
In spite of the biting chill in the air, he had her blushing so much that she sweated under her coat. Too shocked to respond, she stared at him as he went over to the other men and started talking to Tom and his father.
Doris chuckled. “Young love. It makes a woman forget everything but her husband.”
Breaking out of her trance, Mary quickly closed the front door so the cold air wouldn’t cool down the house. She removed her coat and set it next to the others on the chair by the door.
Jessica giggled as she nursed her baby. “You and Dave make a good couple. We do hope that you’ll be nursing your own little one this summer. When are you due?”
“August.” She glanced at the women and realized Dave’s mother and Zachary’s wife weren’t there. “Where are Mrs. Larson and Mrs. Phillips?”
“Mrs. Larson had to go into town to help Joel get settled in. Mrs. Phillips didn’t feel well enough to come out.”
Mary nodded. She suspected Mildred’s reason for not feeling well had something to do with her arguments with Cassie over the past few days.
“We’ll certainly be keeping you in our thoughts and prayers,” Doris told Mary.
“My baby’s kicking all over the place,” Cassie interrupted, her feet plopped up on the bed. She adjusted the bow in her hair and straightened the dress that Mary made for her. “I wish I had my energy, but this little one hasn’t let me get it back yet, and I’m already halfway through this pregnancy.”
“You might be tired because you don’t work.” Doris made no qualms about hiding her irritation at the way Cassie had been lying around for the past five weeks. “In fact, I heard the doctor say that if someone gets up and moves around, it improves their ability to be beneficial. I know it seems like a contradiction, but I’ve found that the more I do, the more energy I have.”
“Cassie,” Jessica kindly began, “why don’t you make the coffee today? All you need to do is boil water, so you won’t get too worn out.”
Cassie stuck out her lower lip and crossed her arms. “You two have been on my case ever since I married Neil. I think you’re jealous.”
Doris scoffed. “I can assure you, I’m not jealous. I’m sick of hearing you complain about how tired you are all the time.”
“Well, maybe Neil won’t let me sleep at night. I am hard for men to resist.”
“Oh please! I know how men are. They do it and then they fall right to sleep, especially after a long day of building a house.”
“Neil is virile.”
“Honey,” Doris turned from the pot on the stove, setting her hands on her hips, “if Neil were spending the night amorously involved with you, he wouldn’t be wide awake this morning.”
Her face flushed with anger. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that you’re lying. You’re not tired, and I’ve had enough of your excuses. It’s time for you to earn your keep. Our men are building you a larger house. The least you can do is make them something to eat and drink.”
Cassie jumped off the bed, her nostrils flaring in anger. “I don’t need to put up with this in my own home!”
“Are you ordering me to leave?” The woman crossed her arms, as if challenging her.
“I don’t need you around if you insist on putting undue stress upon my person. I do have my child’s health to think about.”
Doris threw the washcloth on the table. “Then I will take Jimmy and my children and get out of here.” She quickly said good-bye to Jessica and Mary before she grabbed her coat and stormed out of the house. She yelled to her kids to join her and made a beeline for her husband who looked shocked to see her.
Mary cautiously turned from the window to see what Cassie would do.
Setting her hand on her round stomach, Cassie sighed. “I handled that miserably, didn’t I?”
Glancing at Jessica who seemed as if she didn’t want to say anything, Mary stammered, “Maybe you should apologize.”
Cassie gasped. “You think I was wrong?”
She smoothed her hands on her skirt, gathering the strength for a possible confrontation. “I think that everyone is eager to get the house built so we can go home and rest. It’s been a long five weeks, and we’ve been together almost every day for twelve hours. Given those circumstances, an argument was bound to occur. If you apologize, it can help smooth things over.”
Though she opened her mouth, she decided to shut it. After an awkward minute of silence that hung in the air, she relented. “You’re right. I suppose I can make coffee.”
When she left the house, Mary stirred the rabbit stew and nearly gagged on the smell.
“Morning sickness getting to you?” Jessica kindly grinned.
“It strikes here and there.”
“A trick that works for me is to frequently snack during the day. It doesn’t matter what you eat as long as it’s something you can stand to swallow.”
Mary caught sight of the jonnycakes that she made the previous day. She could probably eat one without difficulty. She took a plate and sat at the table, confident that Cassie and Doris would work things out on their own. Taking a small bite, she poured herself a cup of water.
“I also recommend sipping the water instead of gulping it down,” Jessica added. She put her baby over her shoulder and patted her back until she burped. “Are you nervous about the baby?”
“To be honest, I’ve been so busy that I haven’t had time to worry, which is good. I don’t like to dwell on what might be.”
“Good. I have to agree with Cassie that the less stress you’re under, the better it is for you and the baby.” She smiled. “I’ll set Erin down for a nap.”
As she set her child on the bed, tucking her in with her shawl, Mary managed to finish the jonnycake, already feeling her stomach settle. “What do you want to make today?”
“This stew is for dinner. Neil seemed to collect a lot of jerky when he was single, so we can make pemmican with that.”
“Dave had a box full of jerky when he married me.” She chuckled. “Maybe it’s a single man’s meal.”
“It’s easy to prepare. You just bite off a piece and go.” Jessica got the can of jerky, container of lard, and sugar that rested on the shelf next to the window. “Pemmican is ideal for energy, and it fills the men up for a long time, which is what they need on days like this.”
Mary got up from the chair. Deciding she could stir the stew without getting queasy, she lifted the lid on the large pot and inserted a long ladle into it.
“How did you and Tom meet?” She had wanted to ask the question before but wished to do so when no one else was around.
“We met at a barn dance.”
“What attracted you to him?” She already knew what attracted Tom to Jessica. Jessica was beautiful.
A smile crossed her lips. “His dancing was awful. The other young ladies refused to dance with him, but I felt sorry for him so when he asked, I said yes.” She cocked her head in Mary’s direction. “He was so nervous around me. He’d keep stammering and tripping over his feet. I thought it was adorable that someone would put forth that much effort to try to please me. So I ended my engagement to another man and let Tom court me instead.”
“I didn’t realize you were engaged. Do I know him?”
“He was Peter James.”
“Connie James’ son?”
“The same.” She ground the jerky into a bowl. “He got married and has two children now, so it all worked out. I don’t regret choosing Tom. He may stick his foot in his mouth, but deep down, he has a good heart.”
“Well, he’s certainly proud of you and the three girls.”
Jessica looked out the window and frowned.
Curious, Mary ventured a peek through the lacy pink curtains. Apparently, Doris had talked her husband and children into leaving, so that left Cassie crying to the men and children.
“I wonder if they’ll believe Doris or Cassie,” Jessica murmured.
Mary sighed. “I think they understand that Cassie’s made things difficult for Doris. Dave doesn’t like her. He says that she takes advantage of me.”
A mischievous grin crossed her face. She skipped to the door and opened it a crack so they could hear the conversation outside. Though Mary didn’t make it a habit to eavesdrop, she wanted to know what was transpiring in the front yard, so she joined her sister-in-law.
“I don’t know why you’re being so hysterical,” Tom told Cassie as he struggled to hold onto his five and three-year-old daughters who insisted on climbing on him. “I mean, we all heard Doris bellyaching for the past month about how lazy you are. Didn’t you see this coming?”
“Leave it to Tom to speak his mind regardless of the consequences.” Jessica stifled a giggle so they could hear more of the conversation.
“That is not fair,” Cassie protested, her voice shaking. “I’m in the family way. I need my rest.”
“My wife needs rest too,” Dave snapped.
Mary’s eyes widened in surprise, pleased that he spoke up on her behalf.
Tom huffed. “Rest? Just wait until that baby comes out. Babies scream their lungs out all night long. Even when they finally sleep through the night, they follow you all over the place.” He motioned to his daughters who tugged on his clothes. “You can kiss your peace and quiet days good-bye.”
“It’s not a good idea to scare her,” Neil argued.
“Scare her? I’m giving her a dose of reality. Why, Doris has nine kids. They range from six to twenty-four. She spent many months in the family way during harvest time and cooked. Jessica is the hardest working woman I know. She juggled two kids, maintained the house, and cared for me when she was expecting Erin. If they can do it, you can too.”
“You can’t compare me to them.” She looked appalled. “I grew up in a city back east. This world is unfamiliar to me.”
“Pa,” the three year old said.
“Not now, sweetie,” he gently warned. “Your pa has a point to make. You remember what I said about interrupting adults.” Looking back at Cassie, he continued, “Fine. So you come from back east. My sisters, brothers and I came from there too. My mother worked hard for all of us, just like Doris and Jessica do. Even Mary’s managed to adjust to farm life. Why did you come to Nebraska if you couldn’t handle it?”
Cassie shot a look at Neil. “Are you going to let him talk to me like this?”
Neil shook his head in irritation. “This discussion isn’t necessary. We need to get back to work. Go join the women.”
“I can’t believe you’re defending him.”
“I’m not defending anyone. It’s already December, and I’d like to get this house finished before it gets too cold to be outside all day. As it is, my feet get numb if I stay in one spot for long.”
“Well, I’m sorry I’m inconveniencing you!” Anger dripped from her voice.
“We’re building this house for you.” He motioned to the almost completed structure.
“I will stay with Mrs. Brown until it’s done. I won’t spend another night in that dirt box.” She pointed to the sod house.
Jessica quickly shut the door. Mary followed her to the kitchen and returned to their work. A few seconds later, Cassie stomped into the house, Jessica’s girls at her heels. The girls ran to Jessica while Cassie grabbed her floral traveling bag and shoved her clothes into it.
“I need someone to take me to Mrs. Brown’s residence,” she ordered once she finished packing. Her back stiff, she stared expectantly at them.
“Uh…I have to ask Dave if I can drive the wagon,” Mary reluctantly volunteered since Jessica had to watch her children.
“I’ll wait.”
Mary didn’t realize that convincing Dave to let her take Cassie to town would prove a daunting task, but after five anxious minutes, he agreed and grabbed the geldings from the gated pasture so he could hook them to the wagon. She was secretly relieved to see Cassie stay in town for the next two weeks. Doris, Mildred, and Dave’s mother returned, so the remaining time was pleasant.