Mail-Order Bride Ink: Dear Mr. Weaver (5 page)

“Fair ‘nough. Ya ever been married, Hank?”

“A long time ago, before I ever came out West. Lily was her name. Prettiest thing on two legs.”

“What happened to her?”

“Influenza. I’d never seen anyone cough up so much blood in my life. Terrible business. That’s something I never want to see again.”

“I’m sorry, Hank. I never knew ya had a wife, and here I’ve lived here all my life.”

“It’s not something I talk about. What for? Unless someone comes along and asks.”

Daniel took up a dishrag and waited for Hank to hand him something to dry. “Does anyone else know ya were married before?”

“Mr. Davis does. I told him one day when he was the only one in here, having some coffee and pie.”

“Ya told Mr. Davis and the whole town still don’t know?!” Daniel asked in shock.

“That’s because he obviously never told
Mrs.
Davis,” Hank commented, handing him a plate.

They spent the next several minutes washing and drying before a knock sounded at the doorway. Daniel turned to see Ebba with her bowl in her hand. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to add one more to your pile, gentlemen.”

Daniel smiled. “The more the merrier, I hear tell. Bring it on in and we’ll take care of it.”

No sooner had she stepped forward than a man took her place. “Hey, Hank, can I get some coffee and pie?”

“Sure,” Hank said. “Here, Daniel, you take over.” He wiped his hands on his apron and headed into the dining area, coffee pot in hand.

Daniel watched him go, then turned to Ebba. “I’ll take over the washin’ if’n ya’ll take over the dryin’.”

She smiled tentatively. “All right.”

Daniel plunged his hands into the metal tub and flinched. “Hank must’ve just poured a kettle of hot water into this – it’s warmer than I expected.” He scrubbed a plate, dipped it into a smaller tub of water to rinse it, then handed it to her. “I bet the last thing ya expected when ya got off the stage was doin’ dishes.”

“You’re quite right,” she said with a small giggle. “Maybe he won’t charge me for the stew.”

“That’s somethin’ ya wouldn’t have to worry about anyway. I’m payin’ for yer lunch.”

“I thought that might be the case, but on the other hand, if you don’t have to …”

He laughed. “I see what yer saying. Maybe if’n we do these dishes, he won’t charge me for nothin’.”

“One never knows,” she said, her eyes bright. The food had definitely done her some good. Before she’d looked tired, haggard even. But now she seemed right as rain as far as he could tell. Of course, he didn’t really know her yet, but that would be remedied the moment they married – in more ways than one.

Until then, Daniel was content to enjoy doing dishes with his future bride.

E
bba did
her best not to just stare at her intended. Daniel Weaver was much bigger than she’d first thought, now that she found herself next to him. The top of her head barely reached his shoulder.

But more important than his physique was his character. She had a list of moral attributes she wanted in a husband and hoped he could fill it. Yes, a literal list. She’d worked it up on the train trip west to fill time, revised it here and there along the way, and was now ready to start ticking off Mr. Weaver’s qualifications. She at least wanted to know if she’d get most of what she’d hoped for in a husband.

So far she liked that he’d offered to help Hank with the extra workload. That poor man was trying to do everything. Maybe if her husband’s farm wasn’t too far out of town, she could come help him out a few days a week – perhaps even earn a little extra cash for the family. She wasn’t averse to hard work. Besides, being indoors was better than being outdoors, where the air could send her into a fit of sneezing.

“I’m sorry I ain’t asked ya yet,” Daniel said, “but how was yer journey?”

“Very tiring, but I managed to get some sleep at the last couple of stage stops.”

“Did ya stop at the Gundersons’?” he asked. “It’s the last stage stop before ya reach Nowhere. We sell fruit to Mrs. Gunderson every year.”

“Yes, we did. That’s where I met Sheriff Hughes.”

“Harlan’s a right fine fella. But I already told ya that.”

“He certainly is. I … hope he and your mother are able to spend time together, like he plans.”

“Bein’ as how he was so quick to offer his assistance earlier, it’s a good bet they will.”

“She was going into a saloon – of course he would offer.”

“Yes, but around here everyone knows Ma.” He winked. “And I’ll let ya in on a little secret.”

“What’s that?”

“Ma don’t need no escort. Once she starts givin’ orders, the menfolk ‘round here jump to get things done.”

“Really? Why is that?”

He shrugged. “Always been like that, for as long as I can remember. She may be little, but she’s got more bark to go with her bite than most armies.”

Ebba laughed. “I’ll be sure to behave myself around her. I wouldn’t want to get on her bad side.”

“Not much chance of that ‘less ya do somethin’ real stupid. Trust me, I know.”

“Oh dear. I can’t imagine what you could have done to bring about her wrath.”

To her surprise, he cringed. “Just don’t mention wells ‘round Ma and ya’ll be fine.”

“Wells?” she asked. “I don’t understand.”

He chuckled. “Ya will if’n ya mention ‘em, especially if’n my name is in the same sentence. Try it one day and see what happens.”

She smiled lopsidedly. “I’m not sure I should, not after listening to you.”

He was about to reply when his mother walked into the kitchen. “There you are!” Mrs. Weaver crossed the room to where she stood, a glass in her hand. “Here you go, child. Swig this down and you should be fine.”

Ebba dried her hands on her dishtowel and stared at the glass. “What is it?”

Mrs. Weaver swirled the brownish liquid around a few times. “My own invention. But I’d better not tell you what’s in it ‘til
after
you drink it down.”

Ebba took an unconscious step backwards and gave the glass a worried look. “Maybe you shouldn’t have told me that.”

“There’s nothing bad about it, child. It might taste a little funny, but trust me, it works.”

Ebba steeled herself and reached for the glass. Once she had it in her hand she sniffed at the contents, grimaced and coughed. It had an odd smell that she could not identify – not terrible, but not exactly pleasant either.

“Maybe ya oughta hold your nose when ya down it,” Daniel suggested.

“There’s an idea,” Ebba agreed. “Are you sure this will work? I’ve seen more than my share of doctors, Mrs. Weaver, and none of their tonics have done much for me.”

“This ain’t some tonic made by a quack. This here is good wholesome … ingredients.”

“Best just drink it, sweetie,” Daniel said.

Ebba brought the glass to her lips and took a tentative sip. It didn’t taste any better than it looked, but it was drinkable. She looked at Mrs. Weaver. “There are herbs in here. I can taste them.”

“Yep – several, in fact. Now drink up. Won’t do you any good while it’s still in the glass.”

Ebba exhaled, took a deep breath and downed the contents in one shot. She coughed and sputtered a few times, almost dropping the glass in the process. “Thank … you …”

Daniel patted her on the back. “Maybe she should drink some water now, Ma.”

“No, that stuff needs to coat her throat – it’ll help with the coughing. You don’t want her hacking all night, do you? Poor thing looks as if she hasn’t had a full night’s sleep for a week as it is.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Weaver,” Ebba managed. “I hope it helps.”

“It will, you’ll see. Now let’s get you to the hotel and settled. Then you can rest a while before supper.”

“The hotel?” Ebba said. “I don’t understand why we’re spending the night in town.”

“It’s on account of everyone who can’t attend the weddin’,” Daniel said. “Not everyone can make it all the way out to our place, so this way they get a chance to meet ya before we leave.”

“Oh.” Ebba looked between Daniel and his mother. “We’re to be married at your farm?”

“Yep! It’ll be a lot nicer than having it in some stuffy old church …” Daniel stopped, then quickly corrected himself. “I mean, not that the church here ain’t nice or nothin’, but the weather’s been right fine lately and I thought it might be nicer to get hitched in one of the orchards.”

Ebba smiled as she pictured the two of them standing beneath blossoming apple trees. “I think I’d like that.” Provided I can breathe through it, she mentally added.

The man actually blushed! “I was kinda hopin’ ya would.”

A tingle ran up her spine at the boyish look on his face. “Do you have a lot of apple trees?”

“An orchard usually does,” he said with a laugh.

Now it was her turn to blush. “I suppose what I meant was, do you have a lot of orchards?”

“Sure do,” he said as he studied her face.

“Ahem,” Mrs. Weaver said. “The hotel?”

“Oh! Sure, Ma.” Daniel offered Ebba his arm.

A sudden shyness came over her and she hesitated to take it. When she finally did, a rush of heat hit as if pulsing through his arm to hers, then through the rest of her body. She’d never felt anything like it and wondered if there was something wrong with her. Maybe his mother’s concoction had a few side effects. She blinked a few times to make sure she could still see straight.

“Is somethin’ wrong, sweetie?” Daniel asked. “Ya ain’t getting’ sick or nothin’, are ya?”

“No, not at all. I just felt a little … funny for a moment.”

“Best get her to the hotel, son,” his mother suggested. “She’s going to need to lie down.”

Daniel looked from Ebba to his mother and back again. “That right, sweetie? Do ya need to lie down quick-like? If so I can carry ya to the hotel…”

“No!” Ebba blurted. “That won’t be necessary!” A sudden picture of him carrying her down the middle of the street made her shudder. It was bad enough she’d gotten all those funny looks from the townspeople. She could just imagine what they’d think of her if they saw that.

“Suit yerself,” he said. “But I’ll do it if I hafta.”

“You won’t have to,” she said quickly. “I’m sure I’ll be fine after I rest for an hour or two.”

“Ya sure?” he teased.

“I’m sure,” she said with a bemused look.

“Stop antagonizing the poor girl and let’s get going!” his mother barked.

Ebba watched him press his lips together as he tried not to laugh. “Right away, Ma.”

They left Hank’s and went up the street to a small hotel. All in all, the town was very charming – when she wasn’t being glared at – and Ebba found herself looking forward to spending more time exploring it after she and Daniel were wed.

Once inside the hotel, they didn’t bother going to the desk but headed straight for a staircase. “We done already got the room and the key,” Daniel explained. “All ya hafta do is unpack what ya need for tonight and take a little nap ‘fore supper.”

“Thank you for taking care of me,” she said. “One thing I’d better do is hang up my wedding dress. The poor thing probably looks a fright.”

“You leave that dress of yours to me,” said Mrs. Weaver. “I’ll have it ready for the ceremony, don’t worry.”

“Ma’s real good with a needle and thread too,” Daniel informed her. “She and my sisters-in-law, Charity and Samijo? They all make dresses and hats and sell ‘em in Aunt Betsy’s mercantile. My other sister-in-law Bella makes coats and real fancy dresses.”

“And does she sell them at the mercantile too?” Ebba asked. Her confidence in her own sewing skills slipped a notch at his words.

“Sure does. In fact, Bella makes her dresses so fancy, women from other towns come here to buy ‘em.”

Ebba looked away as they reached her room and Daniel unlocked the door. “I’d love to see some of them.”

“Don’t worry,” Mrs. Weaver said. “You will.”

Ebba forced a smile. She hoped his sisters-in-law weren’t the competitive type. From what she’d heard so far, they didn’t sound the sort. But one never knew until one actually met the person. She pushed the thought aside as she suddenly realized something. “Where do your brothers and sisters-in-law live?”

“On the farm,” his mother said. “Where else?”

“You mean … you all
live in the same house?!”

“‘Course not,” Daniel said with a laugh. “Can ya imagine all the noise?”

Ebba glanced at his mother as if to confirm his statement. “Where do they live?”

“On the farm, just like I said,” Mrs. Weaver indeed confirmed. “Arlan and Samijo got their own place and so do Calvin and Bella. Only Benjamin and Charity are in the main house with Daniel and me.”

Ebba’s mouth twisted up into a crooked smile. “How many brothers did you say you had?”

“Just the three,” Daniel replied. “But they’re more’n enough …”

Ma Weaver ushered them into the room. “Never mind about that. Where’s that dress of yours?”

Ebba opened her mouth to speak and gasped instead. “Good gracious! Where is my bag?”

“Right there on the floor by the bed,” Daniel pointed. “Did you have Harlan take care of it, Ma?”

“Sure did. Told him to give it to the hotel clerk and have it brought to the room. Now, your dress?”

Ebba hurried to comply. She hefted the bag onto the bed, opened it and pulled out her wedding dress. She shook it a few times and grimaced at the wrinkles.

“Don’t worry about how it looks now,” Mrs. Weaver said. “I’ll get it ironed and ready. My, but that’s a beautiful dress.”

“Thank you. Mrs. Pettigrew gave it to me.”

“The lady who owns the bridal agency?” Mrs. Weaver asked.

“Yes. When she found out I didn’t have one she was kind enough to give this to me. I believe it belonged to her.”

Mrs. Weaver studied the garment. “It’s not really a wedding dress, but it can definitely be used as one.”

“Anything is better than what I had, ma’am. Which was nothing.”

“All I can say is Mrs. Pettigrew must be a very generous woman to part with such a frock,” Mrs. Weaver stated as she brushed at the skirt. “This is some fine material. Just look at the intricate stitching.”

Ebba watched the woman admire Mrs. Pettigrew’s gift. The gown was white and ivory with elbow-length sleeves trimmed in lace. Five big bows ran down the front of the bodice. Her benefactor had even given her a pearl necklace to wear with it. “You are right Mrs. Weaver, Mrs. Pettigrew is very generous.”
If a little odd,
she thought to herself. “I don’t know what I would’ve done if she had not given me this.”

“We’d have found you something, though nothing like this,” she said. “Just wait until Bella sees it. She’ll be green with envy!”

“Yeah,” Daniel agreed. “Then she’ll wanna make one just like it.”

“She will?” Ebba asked in surprise.

“For the challenge, mostly,” Mrs. Weaver said. She stopped fussing with the dress and turned to her. “Now I want you to do me a big favor.”

“What’s that?” Ebba asked.

“From now on I want you to call me Ma.”

Ebba smiled and blushed. “All right … Ma.”

“There now – that wasn’t so hard, was it?”

Ebba shook her head. “No.” She looked away, surprised at the tears in her eyes.

“What’s wrong, dear?” Ma asked.

“I’m sorry … it’s just that I recently lost my parents. They haven’t been gone for very long.”

Without warning Ma pulled her into a hug. “Well now, if you need to let loose some tears you go right ahead. It isn’t easy losing your parents. Daniel and his brothers know that. They lost their pa quite a while ago, but we all still miss him something fierce.”

“Ma’s right,” Daniel agreed. “I miss him all the time. There’s no shame in missin’ yers.”

That did it. The tears spilled down Ebba’s cheeks as Ma’s arms tightened around her. “I’m so sorry … I don’t know where this is coming from …”

“Of course you do, child. Who wouldn’t be crying? Your parents are gone, you’ve come West to start a whole new life, you met a passel of new people as soon as you got here and you’re plumb tuckered out. Land sakes, I’m surprised the waterworks didn’t start hours ago!”

“Maybe I oughta leave the room,” Daniel turned toward the door.

“We’ll both leave so you can rest,” Ma said. “If you need us we’ll be down at the mercantile. I’ll send Daniel to fetch you come suppertime.”

As Ma let her go, Ebba wiped at her tears. “Thank you, Ma. You too, Mr. Weaver.”

“Don’t ya think ya oughta be callin’ me Daniel? We’re gonna be married in a couple of days.”

Ebba started at the comment. “A couple of days? I thought we were getting married tomorrow.”

“Heavens no!” said Ma. “Not unless you want to get hitched in the dark.”

“Dark? What do you mean, in the dark?” Ebba asked.

Daniel chuckled nervously. “I did tell ya in my letters where we lived, didn’t I?”

“Only that you lived outside of town. You never said where exactly.”

Ma put her hands on her hips and eyed him. “You mean you didn’t tell her how far out?”