Groom Wanted (12 page)

They discussed Fitzwilliam and his arrival. Just thinking about his coming in three days stripped away the melancholy that plagued her moments before. She had so much to prepare—herself most of all.

* * *

Later that evening, Leah sat in her bed and pulled out her diary and quill.

Dear Mr. Darcy,

Today I think Jake wanted to kiss me. A part of me wonders what it would be like. Another part of me is really glad he didn’t. That would change everything. I would be uncomfortable around him if he had. In fact, tomorrow I’m wondering if it will be awkward around him after that incident. I hope not, but I still wonder. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that in three days I’ll be meeting Mr. Barrington. I can hardly wait.

Leah continued to write about her day and all that had transpired with her brothers. A wide yawn brought moisture to her eyes. She wiped it away, signed off with a
Good night, Mr. Darcy,
closed the journal and locked it securely inside her nightstand. Another long yawn and she decided it was time to get some sleep. She had a lot to do before Mr. Barrington arrived.

Snuggling underneath her covers, she nestled her head into the downy pillow and prayed that Mr. Barrington would like her.

Her eyes drifted shut.

* * *

“Father, where are you?” Leah hollered, running through the forest. Pine needles pricked her bare feet, stinging them, but she ignored the pain they inflicted. She had to find her father.

Deeper into the forest she ran, her shouts now filled with panic.

The sun settled behind the mountain and darkness shrouded everything.

Cedar, pine and cottonwood trees pressed in, encapsulating her and looming over her like the monsters they were.

Right before her eyes, their branches morphed into hands, and their knotholes turned into sinister eyes and mouths.

Evil now glared down at her.

Her heart slammed against her ribs with such force that Leah thought they would surely break.

With slow, menacing movement, the branches descended their arms downward toward her, straining closer and closer.

Leah ducked until she could duck no further. “Father, help me! I need you!” Her screams sucked all the air from around her. Breathing became difficult.

Long, spiky fingers dotted with leaves spread wide to take her into their grasp.

Leah pinched her eyes shut, waiting for the hand to grab her.

Seconds ticked by and nothing.

She slowly opened her eyes.

Her hands flew to the side of her head.

She screamed into the black void, “No! No!”

The monstrous tree had captured not her but her father, burying him underneath its mighty trunk. Only his legs, arms and head stuck out from underneath the massive beast.

Leah stared in horror.

Blood ran from her father’s face in rivers.

“Lea—Leah. I—I love you, princess.” Each word came out gurgled, slow, in painful gasps. Suddenly, his eyes rolled toward the back of his head and he went limp.

“Nooo! I’m sorry, Father! I’m sorry!” she wailed, her heart splintering from her chest.

* * *

Leah bolted upright and her gaze darted about the darkened room. Her heart beat so fast it throbbed in her ears as the images pursued her, even in reality. Blinking them back, she struggled to shake herself completely awake. With a toss, she yanked the covers back and swung her feet onto the cool floor.

The nightmare left her gasping for breath.

Tears slipped down her cheeks.

Those horrific dreams always ended the same—with her saying she was sorry. Sorry for what? She had no idea.

Exhausted, she wanted to lay her head back onto the pillow but couldn’t. The gruesome image of her father might haunt her again.

Instead, she lit her kerosene lamp, lifted her Bible from the drawer and opened it to where her ribbon lay.
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the path of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, thou I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Two more times Leah read Psalm Twenty-Three before closing her Bible. She slipped her peach-colored muslin robe over her nightgown and walked over to her bedroom window. She tied back the curtain and lowered herself into the chair in front of her open window, resting her arm on the windowsill. Staring up at the stars, in the quietness of her mind she sang the song her father had made up.
Sweet twinkling stars above; there to remind us of our Heavenly Father’s love. Each one placed by the Savior with care; as a sweet reminder that He will always be there.

Too weak to battle the tears from coming, they streamed down her cheeks, and she ran a hand over them to wipe them dry.
Oh, sweet twinkling stars above. When my children gaze upon you remind them, too, of my love.

She sniffed back the rest of the tears, but more replaced them.

Each twinkle is a kiss from me; a hug, a prayer, a sweet memory. Oh, sweet twinkling stars above.
Sniffing as the tears continued to fall, she sang it over and over until finally a blanket of peace covered her. She could almost feel her father’s arms around her. It was the one sweet memory from this place that held any sway over all of the bad. She sighed with the hard-fought contentment.

Insects hissed and clacked their wings.

Coyotes howled somewhere faraway.

Leah listened to them, enjoying the peace and quiet.

How long she sat there, she didn’t know. Only when the grandfather clock downstairs chimed five times did she move from the window. With a heavy sigh, Leah went and washed up, got dressed and headed downstairs. She had a lot to do before Mr. Barrington arrived. Two days. It seemed an eternity.

Mr. Barrington. Her heart said the name again.

The man who might very well become her husband. At the word
husband,
Jake’s face slipped into the front of her mind, and Leah shook the notion from her brain. As much as she enjoyed Jake, he would not be a part of her future. He couldn’t be. She was leaving. And after that nightmare, the sooner she got away from this place, the better.

Chapter Ten

F
or the first time ever, Jake’s insides squirmed like a restless snake at the thought of seeing Leah. He wasn’t sure how things would be between them after he’d almost kissed her. Or if she even knew how, for that one brief second, he’d thought about doing just that. He had a feeling she did because her attention had fallen to his mouth. Truth was, he wouldn’t mind seeing what it would be like to kiss her. To see if her lips were as warm and soft as they looked.
What are you doing? Stop it, buddy boy. Best get your mind off of her and get your work done. Thinking like that could get you in trouble, that’s for sure.

Jake haltered another cow and sat down with his back to the barn door. Streams of milk pinged into the bucket. A few squirts later, he spurt some of the warm, sweet liquid into his mouth. “Ah. Nothing better than fresh milk.” He wiped his mouth and continued milking the Jersey. He had just finished when he heard someone coming into the barn. This early, it either had to be Jess or Haydon.

The familiar scent of roses reached his nose.

Leah.

His insides writhed with a mixture of excitement and uncertainty.

“Good morning, Jake.” Leah’s greeting and lighthearted step eased the tension inside him.

Whew. Leah was acting as if nothing was out of the normal. “Morning, sunshine.” Jake continued milking, keeping his sight trained on Leah as she strolled up to him. To get a better view of her, he thumbed his hat off his forehead and stopped milking. Worry crowded in on him the second he got a good look at her.

Dark, puffy circles sagged underneath her eyes.

“You all right?”

“I’m fine. Why?”

“You look tuckered out.” He moved the bucket behind him and stood.

“Oh, that.” She smiled, but it was forced and drowsy. “I didn’t sleep well last night.”

“How come?”

“I had a lot on my mind.” Her hands slid into the pockets of her light blue skirt and she fiddled with something inside them.

“Getting ready for that Barrington fellow, huh?”

“Yes. I have a lot to do to get ready for his arrival. But Mother asked if I would take care of the milk this morning because Veronique can’t. With Mr. Barrington and his sister coming, Mother wants Veronique to make sure our house is sparkling clean.” She looked around and stopped when she spotted the two covered pails he’d just finished. “Have you taken any milk to my brothers’ houses yet?”

“Nope. Not yet.”

“Would you mind if I go ahead and take those?” She pointed to them.

“Nope. Don’t mind at all, but what’s your rush?” He suspected he knew, and both reasons ate at him.

“I want to hurry and get done so that Mother, Abby and I can head into town to buy some more material. I want to look my best when I meet Mr. Barrington.”

He tipped his hat again and gazed the length of her. “You always look nice, Leah.”

“Ah, that is sweet of you to say. Thank you, Jake.” Those dimples appeared again when her lips curled. It was a friendly smile and cuter than a six-week-old kitten.

“Just a minute, okay? Don’t go anywhere.” He released the Jersey into the corral, where she’d stay until he finished milking the rest of them, then he’d shoo them back out into the pasture.

He haltered another one and moved the cow where the other one had been.

Leah stood on the cow’s left, staring at the animal with inquisitive eyes. “This is going to sound strange, but I’ve never milked a cow before. I always wanted to, but my brothers always did it. Would you mind showing me how it’s done?”

Jake looked at her clean yet simple dress. “You might get dirty.”

“So?” She shrugged. “It doesn’t matter if I do. This dress is old. I wear it when I help Mother and Veronique around the house. Besides, I’ll change before I head into town so no need to worry about soiling it.” She glanced at the cow and then back at him. “What do you say? Would you be willing to show me how it’s done?”

Was he? Sure. Why not? Could be fun even. He gave a quick nod, grabbed the brim of his hat and lowered it back into place. “Come around to this side. Make sure you walk out and back far enough that she can’t kick you.”

She did as she was instructed to. Farther than necessary, even.

“Okay. Sit down.” He motioned for her to sit on the stool.

She tucked her skirt under her and sat with her shoulder against the cow’s right side.

He placed the bucket underneath the udder, squatted down next to her and rested his weight on the heel of his boot. “Okay. Here’s what you do. Reach under here and grab the...um...grab the...uh...” Heat rose up the back of his neck. From the corner of his eye, he peeked at Leah. Her face reminded him of a ripened tomato.

God, help me out here, okay?

He roped some courage to himself and after a deep breath, he said, “Wrap your hand around...um...this right here.” Jake demonstrated where she should place her hand. “Keep it close to the...um...” He cleared his throat. “The udder. Then squeeze.” A stream of milk landed in the pail. “Okay. Now you do it.”

He avoided looking at her face but watched as she did just as he’d told her to. Nothing came out.

She turned toward him with concern. “What did I do wrong?”

“Don’t know. Try it again.”

She did, and again nothing happened.

“You squeezing hard enough?”

“I don’t want to hurt her.” She blinked wide eyes at him as if what he’d said was the most absurd thing she’d ever heard.

Jake chuckled. “You won’t hurt her. Here. Let me show you how much pressure to apply.” He laid his hand on top of hers. Her small hand disappeared under his larger one. Gently, he guided her hand with his and the milk spurted out. A couple of tries later, he removed his hand. Milk continued to splatter into the bucket.

“I did it.” The sound in her voice and the look on her face reminded him of a child who’d just learned to catch a ball for the first time.

“You sure did.” He watched as she continued to milk the cow and even managed to get most of it into the bucket. “Hey, you’re not doing too bad for a girl.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” She cocked her head the way she did so often.

“You said your brothers never let you milk a cow. Figured they didn’t ’cause you were a girl.”

“Don’t see what being a
girl
has to do with anything. Lots of
women
milk cows.”

He noticed her emphasis on
girl
and
women.
Her way of letting him know she wasn’t a girl but a woman. No need for her to point that out to him. That detail definitely hadn’t skipped his notice. “Prissy little
women
like yourself don’t,” he teased.

“Prissy? Me?”

Just then drops of milk hit the top of his cheekbone.

She giggled.

“Hey.” He jumped up, raised his hat and ran the back of his sleeve over his face.

Another round of drops splattered against his neck. She chuckled again.

“What is wrong with you,
woman?
” He grabbed the ratty handkerchief from the back pocket of his jeans and wiped off his neck.

“Nothing’s wrong with me.” She sent him a cheeky grin, then dipped her fingertips in the milk bucket again and flicked the liquid toward him. This time it landed near his mouth. After a quick swipe to remove the splatters, before she could hit him again, he dropped to a squat, dipped his hand in the bucket and tossed it at her. The milk landed in her hair.

She squealed, then nailed him again in the ear with a handful before he had a chance to block it.

He scooped another handful, and this time the milk landed on her cheek.

She shrieked and started to shove the stool out of the way, but one of the three legs caught on the dirt floor, and the stool tipped over. Her arms shot out in front of her. He tried to catch them but couldn’t. She landed on her rump, then her back, and ended up with her legs draped up and over the stool.

“What’s going on in here?” Michael strode in the barn door and right up to them, where he put his hands on his hips to survey the mess.

In one fluid motion, Jake rose and helped Leah up. He faced Michael, expecting to see anger but instead saw a face spiked with humor. Jake knew what Michael was thinking, but he needed to set that right and fast.

Leah wiped her soiled hand on her skirt and brushed the dust and hay particles from her dress. Stems of hay hung in her hair, but he wasn’t going to remove them and give Michael any more wrong ideas to speculate over. He quickly used his handkerchief to wipe the milk from his hand.

“Uh. Hi, Michael,” she said before Jake got anything out. “I, um, I asked Jake to show me how to milk a cow.”

“Oh. Is that what you were doing?” Michael rubbed his chin.

“Yes.” Leah slammed her hands on her slender hips. “I’ve always wanted to learn, but you would never teach me how. So I asked Jake to. And I’m pretty good at it, too.” Leah gave her brother a smug look filled with pride.

“Yes, real good.” Michael peered into the nearly empty pail and then at the two of them. “Looks like you got more on yourselves than in the bucket.”

Her eyes narrowed. “What are you doing here, anyway? Don’t you have something better to do? Seems to me you’ve been leaving Selina a lot more often lately. You sure that’s wise?”

Michael shrugged as Jake assessed Leah out of the corner of his eye. He didn’t dare do more. “Abby’s there. And I don’t leave her for long periods. Besides, they were all sound asleep when I left.” He frowned at Leah. “What are you doing here so early?” Michael eyed Jake and Leah suspiciously.

“If you must know, Mother asked me to come get the milk.” She looked over at Jake. “May I have those two?”

Jake snatched up the two cloth-covered buckets sitting on high shelves off of the dirty floor. “I’ll carry these up to the house for you.”

“You don’t have to do that. I can get them. But thanks anyway.” She reached for the buckets, but Jake refused to hand them over to her. They were heavier than they looked.

“I said I would carry them for you.” He sent her a look that left no room for argument, then turned his focus onto Michael. “Did you come down here for a reason?”

“Yes.” Michael looked at Leah. “Would you excuse us for a minute?”

She glanced at Jake and the pails.

“I’ll bring them up to the house in a minute, okay?”

Leah nodded, then picked up the milk pail he and Leah had dipped their hands in. “I’ll take this and give it to the pigs.” She left the barn with a quick glance over her shoulder.

Jake faced Michael and waited.

“I was wondering if you’d do me a favor.”

“What’s that?”

“Leah posted an advertisement in the New York paper for a husband.” Michael stared at Jake, waiting for his reaction, no doubt.

“I know.”

“You do?”

“Yep.” And that was all he was going to say about it.

Michael’s mouth twisted. “Well, some man answered it and he’s coming out here in a couple of days. I... We... That is, Haydon, Jess and I were wondering if you’d take Leah into town to pick him up. Jess and Haydon can’t, and I don’t want to leave Selina that long. Would you mind? We’d feel a whole lot better if we knew you were with her.”

Jake wanted to ask why they’d feel better about him being with her, but he didn’t. He would do it to protect her and keep an eye on her—and to meet this dandy who was about to take his place. His place. Listen to him—as if he had a place in Leah’s life. “Be happy to.”

“Thanks, Jake.” Michael laid his hand on Jake’s shoulder. “I’ll feel a lot better knowing you’ll be there.”

So would he. So would he.

* * *

Leah paced the kitchen floor, wondering where Jake was and what was taking him so long. She couldn’t wait to get the milk. The sooner she did, the sooner she could take care of it so they could head to town.

“Leah, would you sit down? You’re going to wear a path in the floor. Pacing isn’t going to get that milk here any faster.” Mother added another uniformly diced potato into the large cooking pot filled with cool water. She wanted to have everything ready for when they got back from town to fix pyttipanna, better known in America as Swedish hash.

Veronique normally did most of the cooking, but with all the extra housecleaning she had to do, Leah and Mother would take care of the cooking and baking for the next couple of days.

The sound of heavy boots climbing up the steps to the kitchen stopped Leah’s fretting. She darted toward the door and swung it open.

“Where do you want these?” Jake had a bucket in each hand.

“On the table will be fine.”

“Good morning, Katherine.” Jake’s muscles bulged beneath his shirt when he hoisted the pails onto the table. The man sure had nice muscular arms.

“Good morning to you, too, Jake.”

He smiled then looked at Leah. “When you’re ready to head into town just let me know and I’ll get the buggy ready.”

“Thanks, Jake.” Leah watched the broad-shouldered man walk out the door and down the steps. Jake was the sweetest, gentlest man she knew. Someday she hoped he would find a nice woman to marry. She tilted her head, wondering why that thought pinched her soul.

“Leah, are you listening?” Mother asked from only inches behind Leah.

Leah whirled and blinked. “Sorry, Mother. I didn’t hear you. What did you say?”

“I said, are you going to stand there gawking at Jake all day or get that milk taken care of?”

“I wasn’t gawking at Jake,” she murmured under her breath after she brushed past her mother. She snatched up the pails of milk and headed to the creamery room. The heavy buckets weighed her arms down as she trekked through the pantry and into the room farthest away from the heat of the kitchen. Inside the cool room, she continued to murmur. “Sweet twinkling stars above. First Michael and now Mother. Can’t a woman admire a man without everyone assuming they’re a couple? Or that they’re in love? Jake and I have fun together. So what?” She thought about their playful encounter. Jake had such a playful side to him and was so much fun. Too bad Michael had to show up and ruin it.

Leah set the buckets down and tugged at her lower lip, pondering over what Michael could possibly want to talk to Jake about that she couldn’t hear. Something about that bothered her.