A Bride for Tom (6 page)

“Alright,” Peter said. “As you said, it’s
just a kiss.” He lowered his head and kissed her.

She stood there, waiting for something to
warm her, to let her know that she wasn’t making a mistake in
marrying Peter. She should get some feeling—a sense of peace—about
the wedding. But she didn’t. She just felt more confused...and
restless. His kiss was nothing like Tom’s, and it worried her.

When he pulled away, he smiled and softly
said, “That was nice.”

Nice. Somehow, she didn’t think a passionate
kiss should seem ‘nice’. She smiled at him and joined him as he
walked her home.

Chapter Eight

Tom swung the reaper and cut through a few
cornstalks just as his father yelled out that cattle were
approaching. He immediately threw the stalks onto the pile he’d
accumulated and joined Dave and Joel as they emerged from the
field.

“Craftsman, what are you thinking in letting
your cattle go free through here?” his father yelled at their
neighbor.

“I didn’t do it on purpose,” Neil Craftsman
argued.

Jimmy Parson stormed over to them. “How are
we supposed to get the crops in on time when we have cattle to tend
to?”

Neil’s face grew red. “I didn’t open the gate
and set them free.”

“No, but you don’t mend your fence when it
needs it either,” Jimmy said.

“I just bought the place. How am I supposed
to know there’s a defect somewhere in the fence? I haven’t had time
to examine it.”

“Look,” Tom’s father inserted, “standing
around here and arguing isn’t going to solve anything. Let’s divide
up. Half of us will take care of the cattle and the other half will
continue on here.”

Jimmy nodded. “Since this is your land, you
stay here and make sure none of the cattle do any damage to your
crops. I’ll go with Neil and take care of the animals.”

“I’ll go, too,” Tom offered.

“That’s a good idea,” his father said. “Tom’s
great with the lasso. Why, he can catch anything that moves.”

“Too bad that can’t be said for women,” Joel
whispered to Dave who chuckled.

Tom shot them a glaring look, but they’d
already returned to their row of crops.

“The cattle are down by the beans,” their
father said.

While Jimmy and Neil went to their horses,
Tom made his way to the barn. “I’ll catch up to you,” he called out
to them, knowing it was going to take longer to retrieve his horse
than it was going to take for them to head out.

He found his steed standing idly in the
grassy pasture, seeming to be content to stare at the low hills in
the distance. Sometimes Tom felt the same way. All he wanted to do
was be off by himself and just be at peace with everything around
him. Such peace, however, wasn’t possible as long as his brothers
insisted on giving him a hard time. He took the bridle and put it
on his horse. The horse looked disappointed to be disturbed.

“I know. I told you that you’d have the whole
day to relax, but it turns out I need you to work. Here.” He
stopped at the barrel beside the barn door and picked out an apple.
“Maybe this will help.”

The animal eagerly ate so he picked out
another one.

“You can’t enjoy it that much if you go too
fast,” he warned.

“He’s probably hoping that you’ll give him
the whole barrel’s worth.”

Startled, he turned around and saw that
Jessica was there. Right there. In front of him. He saw that she’d
taken a buggy out to his place. But why? “Did I leave something at
your house?”
Besides my pride?

“No,” she replied, looking down at her hands.
She shrugged. “I just thought that there were some unanswered
questions.”

“Oh?”

“Well, yes. I mean, I didn’t have anyone but
my mother there at the house when you came over, and yet you think
I did. Why?”

“I guess I thought it was odd that a woman
who was engaged would have me over.”

She sighed. “Apparently, a lot of people
thought the same thing. But I told Peter and he didn’t care.”

He rolled his eyes. “No man wants his fiancée
to be with another man, especially if they’re dancing.”

“I’m just saying that is how he responded.
You can choose to believe that or not.”

Now he was really confused, but then he
thought it wasn’t his business. He turned back to the horse and led
it into the barn. “I have to help rein in some stray cattle. Look,
whatever’s bothering you, don’t worry about it. Everything’s fine,
alright?”

“You mean, you’re going to go out in the
fields...on that horse?”

He tied the horse to the post in the center
of the barn and walked over to the large closet. “That’s the idea.
I sure can’t catch them by running on foot.”

She giggled, and he cracked a smile. “Can I
come along?” she asked.

“What?”

She motioned to the horse. “I’ve only ridden
a horse a couple of times, but it would be fun to go out
again.”

“This isn’t a leisurely trot. I’ll be riding
that horse hard.” He reached for the saddle, but she placed a hand
on his arm. The action startled him, though in a good way. He
recalled how nice it had been to kiss her. Nice? It was
incredible.

“That sounds exciting,” she said, her eyes
lit up with obvious enthusiasm. “Can I ride with you?”

“But this isn’t fun. It’s work.”

“I don’t mind. I’d like to see what it is you
do out here. Please?”

He did want her to stick around. He really
wanted to spend time with her. But... “What about Peter?”

“We’d be doing this as friends. I mean,
unless you thought...I mean... You knew I was engaged, so you
didn’t think that I—”

“No,” he lied. “But it’s still not right. The
least you can do is have Peter join us.”

She sighed and then smiled. “What if one of
your brothers come along? Or even one of your sisters? You do have
a sister or two? What about Jenny?”

How was it possible that she knew more about
him than he ever knew about her? “Well, alright. But you’ll have to
ride with her. There’s no way you’re riding on the horse with me.”
It was hard enough to concentrate on anything when she was near
him, and he needed a clear head for roping cattle. “Deal?”

She nodded. “It’s a deal.”

He was ready to tell her that she’d need to
borrow one of his sister’s riding skirts, but she already had a
pair on. “Why didn’t you just ride a horse out here instead of
taking that buggy?”

“My mother hates it when I ride a horse. She
thinks it’s unladylike.”

So maybe she just came out to ride a horse.
Maybe it had nothing to do with him. The thought stung, but he
ignored it. He had work to do. He could worry about everything else
later. “Alright. Hang on and I’ll get Jenny.” He didn’t bother
waiting for her reply as he jogged to the house.

Chapter Nine

Jessica wondered if she was being smart in
asking to join Tom, but she wanted to speak with him. She just
wasn’t sure what she wanted to speak with him about. She smiled at
Jenny as Tom saddled up two more horses and set Jessica’s horses
out to the small gated area so they could rest and eat.

“I hope I’m not intruding,” Jessica softly
told Jenny, not wishing for Tom to overhear.

“Nah. Neil Craftsman’s cattle get loose a
lot. They pretty much all go down the same path too. Afterwards,
Jimmy will probably recommend they find the troubled spot in the
fence and fix it. I figure I better go anyway. The men will be
hungry and want to eat something.”

“Oh. I hadn’t thought of that. Let me help
you. It is the least I can do since everyone will show me how
this...” Jessica paused, not knowing what to call chasing cattle
around and bringing them home. “Well, I’ve never seen anything like
this, so I asked Tom if I could watch. There’s really so little of
farm living I know about.”

Jenny smiled. “It’s not that exciting, but I
certainly don’t mind coming along. It’s a nice break from being
stuck in the kitchen all day.”

Jessica nodded, not really sure of what else
to say.

“Tom, I swear you have got to be the slowest
person alive,” a lanky youth said, sauntering into the barn. He
didn’t even look in Jenny and Jessica’s direction. “What are you
doing? Have you lost your senses? Why are you saddling three
horses? Dave and I aren’t going with you.”

“I’m taking Jenny and Jessica with me.
Jessica wants to see how we round up cattle.”

The boy laughed. “Oh Tom. Doesn’t this just
beat all? You don’t need to make up these silly lies to save your
pride. We all know that there’s no way Jessica would venture out
here to see you when she’s got Peter.”

Jenny cleared her throat.

As soon as the boy turned around, his face
turned bright red.

“We have a guest, Joel,” Jenny said, sweetly
smiling. “Her name is Jessica Reynolds. Jessica, this is our
youngest brother, Joel. Sometimes we call him ‘foot in the mouth’
Larson. Don’t worry though. His jaw doesn’t usually hang that
low.”

Sensing that Tom had been getting some grief
over her...for whatever reason, Jessica walked up to Joel and said,
“Hello, Joel. Will you be joining us?”

“Uh...uh...” he stammered.

Another young man entered the barn, and
Jessica assumed that this was another brother since they shared the
same blond hair and good looks.

“Pa thinks maybe I should go lasso the cattle
up since you’re taking so long, Tom.” He stopped as soon as he saw
her. “Jessica? What are you doing here?”

“Never mind all that,” Tom called out. “We
have work to do. Don’t send Pa.” He brought the horses over to
them. “Here’s the horses. Jessica, do you need help getting on the
horse?”

She glanced at the two brothers who were
staring at her as if they couldn’t believe their eyes. She then
looked at Jenny who looked as if she was ready to burst into a fit
of giggles. Jessica didn’t know exactly what was going on, but it
did occur to her that the two brothers had somehow given Tom a hard
time about finding a woman. So she went over to Tom and said she
needed help, even though she really didn’t.

Before he took her hand, she kissed him on
the cheek. “Thank you, Tom.” Then she let him help her into the
saddle. She smiled at the three bewildered siblings. “Tom’s such a
nice person. All the ladies think so.”

She glanced at Joel who hadn’t budged an
inch. The other brother just shrugged and helped Jenny up onto her
horse.

Tom grabbed his lasso and hopped on his
horse. The graceful way he moved startled her, though she hoped she
didn’t show it. For some reason, she assumed that Tom would have to
give it a few tries before he succeeded.

“Are we ready?” Tom asked her and Jenny.

“I sure am.” Jenny looked at Jessica. “It’s
been a long time since I’ve been riding in the fields.”

“I’ve only ridden in town,” Jessica
admitted.

“Well, you’re in for a treat. The view is
much better out here.”

They followed Tom who had to stop his horse
when they got close to the exit. “Joel, you’re blocking my
way.”

“I got it,” the older brother said.

“Thanks, Dave.”

Jessica made a mental note on the names.
Jenny, Joel and Dave. She just hoped she remembered which one was
Joel and which one was Dave the next time she saw them. They looked
so much alike.

After Dave pulled Joel to the side, the three
headed out on their horses. Jessica kept pace with the two
siblings, but she had to concentrate. The landscape wasn’t as
smooth as what she was used to so she continually shifted her
balance to compensate for the horse’s movements. Once she noticed
Tom rush forward, she glanced at Jenny who slowed her horse.
Jessica followed Jenny’s lead and watched as Tom chased down a
stray cow.

Jenny moved her horse to close the gap
between them. “Neil and Jimmy are over there.”

Jessica’s attention turned to the left, and
she saw two men surrounding a group of about ten cattle. The dog in
the rear barked. The group moved at a slow pace. Glancing in Tom’s
direction, she saw the cow run from him. He swung the rope over his
head and caught it. Again, she wondered why she assumed that he’d
miss on his first attempt. Was her perception of him directly
related to how he’d acted at the barn gathering?

She looked at Jenny. “Does he handle cattle
well?”

“Oh, Tom’s one of the best. Whenever there’s
stray cattle, he’s the first one people ask for help.”

“Really?”

Jenny giggled, as if she understood Jessica’s
shock. “He’s only clumsy when he’s nervous. Out here, he’s
comfortable.”

“Is he comfortable farming, too?”

“Yes. He’s only uncomfortable around a woman
he’s not related to. But you can see how he is when he’s
focused.”

Jessica returned her gaze to Tom and saw him
take the rebellious cow back to the group. It did impress her to
watch how the men worked as a team. While a couple kept the herd
moving, the third would hunt down and retrieve another one they
found. More often than not, Tom would be the one to chase it down
and bring it to the group. She supposed she should have gotten
bored with the process, but she was too fascinated as she watched
Tom. His movements were fluid, and it intrigued her that a man
could be so in tune with his steed. If only Margaret and the other
women could see him now. They might not react so poorly to his
offer to dance.

She frowned. No. It was better they didn’t
find out. They didn’t need to take an interest in him. She
definitely had to talk to him because if that kiss he gave her was
an indicator of something he might feel for her, then she needed to
find out before she proceeded further with her engagement.

“It looks like they got everything under
control,” Jenny said. “Let’s head over to Neil’s home and make them
something to eat.”

Jessica nodded and joined her, leaving the
men to lead the herd back to Neil’s property. When they arrived at
Neil’s house, she hesitated. She heard of sod houses but hadn’t
seen one. It seemed to her that a house made of straw and dirt
couldn’t be too comfortable.