Aundy (Pendleton Petticoats - Book 1) (2 page)

“The pastor?” Aundy asked, trying to keep from swiveling her head back and forth as Erik drove past stores and business establishments. There were so many interesting buildings and fascinating people.

“Pastor Whitting,” Erik said, trying not to stare at Aundy. She was young, tall, and much prettier than he’d anticipated. Not that her looks mattered,  but her smooth skin, dusted by a few freckles across her nose, golden hair, and sky blue eyes made him glad he’d placed an advertisement for a bride.

Although most of his friends thought he had lost use of his mental faculties, Erik was tired of being alone and didn’t have time to find a wife or court a woman properly. He vowed to make it up to Aundy by spending the rest of his life showing her she was special to him. Falling in love with the girl in the letters she wrote, it was easy for him to see he’d love the woman beside him even more. “I thought we could get married, have lunch, and then head out to the farm. I wanted to have time to show you around the place before it gets dark.”

“Oh,” Aundy said, absorbing the information. It looked like her mother’s wedding dress would stay firmly packed in the trunk and a bath would have to wait. Resigning herself to exchanging vows with Erik in her current state of disrepair, she smiled at him and put a hand on his arm. “That sounds fine.”

“Good,” Erik said, grinning at her in such a way he took on a boyish look as he turned the horses down a side street. Aundy could see the church ahead and tried to calm her nerves. The warmth of the sun beating down, despite it being February, forced her to remove her coat. Erik tucked it behind the seat, placing it on top of one of her trunks.

Stopping the horses close to the church steps, Erik walked around the wagon and reached up to Aundy. When she started to put her hand in his, he gently placed his hands to her waist and swung her around, setting her down on the bottom step.

The breath she was holding whooshed out of her and she looked at Erik with wide eyes. She’d never been handled so by a man and wasn’t sure if she liked it or not. Part of her thought a repeat of the experience might be in order for her to make up her mind.

“Shall we?” Erik asked, offering her his arm as they went up the church steps.

Before she could fully grasp what was happening, she and Erik exchanged vows, he slid a plain gold band on her finger, and the pastor and his wife offered congratulations on their marriage. Walking back out into the bright afternoon sunshine, Aundy had to blink back her disbelief that she was finally a married woman.

“We can eat just around the corner, if you don’t mind the walk,” Erik said, gesturing toward the boardwalk that would take them back toward the heart of town.

Aundy nodded her head and felt Erik place a hand to the small of her back, urging her forward.

Taking a seat in a well-lit restaurant, they were soon enjoying a filling, savory meal. Several people approached their table, offering words of congratulations. Aundy smiled when a few of the women invited her to stop by for a visit sometime soon. It appeared that Erik was a well-liked member of the community and for that, Aundy was grateful. She’d never lived in a rural town before, but assumed getting along with your neighbors spoke well of a man’s character.

Watching Erik finish his piece of pie, Aundy hoped this marriage would be a blessing to them both. She didn’t know what had prompted her to act so boldly, writing to a stranger, but right at this moment she was glad she sent Erik that first letter.

“Well, Mrs. Erickson, are you ready to go home?” Erik asked as she took a last bite of cherry pie and wiped her lips on a linen napkin.

“I suppose so,” Aundy said, realizing she was no longer Aundy Thorsen, but Erik’s wife.

Leaving money for their lunch along with a tip on the table, Erik stood and put on his hat, offered Aundy his arm, and escorted her back to the wagon.

Expecting him to help her into the wagon, Aundy was surprised when Erik pulled her into his arms, right there in front of the church for any and all to see as they passed by.

“Thank you for coming, Aundy. For marrying me,” Erik said, kissing her quickly on the lips. He seemed unable to stop himself from giving her a warm hug. “I promise to be a good husband to you.”

Looking into his eyes and seeing the questions there, Aundy tamped down her unease at having a man who was still a stranger kiss her. She placed a hand to his cheek and patted it with a growing fondness. “I know you will be. And I’ll do my very best to be a good wife to you.”

“You could start by giving me a kiss,” Erik teased, waggling a blond eyebrow at her.

Aundy smiled and kissed his cheek, grateful that Erik seemed to have a fun, playful side. “You’ll have the town gossiping about me and I haven’t even been here two hours.”

“Everyone knows I came into Pendleton to marry you today and I can’t see a thing wrong with a husband kissing his lovely new bride.”

Blushing, Aundy accepted Erik’s help into the wagon and sat down, pleased at his words.

Heading out of town, Aundy relaxed as the noise and activity of Pendleton fell behind them, and the rolling fields opened before them. Releasing a sigh, she gazed up at the sky and breathed in the fresh air.

“Anything you want to know? Any questions?” Erik asked, watching Aundy as she settled against the wagon seat.

“I don’t think you ever told me how old you are,” Aundy said, studying Erik’s profile.

“I’ll be thirty-nine next month,” he said, turning to look at Aundy.

“And you’ve never been married?”

“Never. I got so busy building the farm after my parents died, I kept putting off finding someone to court. I woke up one day and realized if I wanted to have a wife and a family, I had better do something about it. So I placed the ad and you know the rest of the story.”

“I guess I do,” Aundy said, looking with interest at the fluffy clouds drifting across the azure sky overhead and the fields that surrounded both sides of the road. If the land had been flat, she was sure she could have seen for miles. Instead, the gently rolling hills provided their own unique perspective to the landscape. Unfamiliar with wide-open spaces and such clean air, Aundy breathed as deeply as she dared and soaked up the sunshine.

“How old are you?” Erik asked, breaking into her thoughts.

“Twenty-one, although people often mistake me for someone older,” Aundy said, then let out a soft laugh at a memory. “Someone once asked if Ilsa, my sister, was my daughter. I didn’t know whether to be insulted or pleased.”

Erik chuckled. “Pleased, I would think. People can’t help but see the way you carry yourself with confidence and strength. That’s a good thing.”

“It is?” Aundy asked, thinking she liked the sound of Erik’s laugh. Although she’d only just met the man, it wasn’t hard for her to imagine spending her future with him. Since stepping off the train, what she'd seen and experienced led her to believe Erik was gentle and mannerly. He might not be handsome or young, he might not make her heart pound or butterflies take flight in her stomach, but she thought he would treat her with respect and care. If they were fortunate, they might even come to love one another someday.

“Certainly, it is. I wouldn’t want some flighty young thing, so wrapped up in herself that she wouldn’t take proper care of a home or her husband. It’s easy to see that you’ll be a good wife, Aundy. You’re a sensible girl and I appreciate that,” Erik said, turning to look at his new bride with a teasing smile. “I also appreciate your fine figure, beautiful eyes, and that sweet smile.”

Feeling her cheeks turn pink and grow hot at Erik’s words, Aundy lifted her gaze across the fields, dotted with a few skiffs of melting snow.

She heard Erik chuckle again before she felt his fingers on her chin. He gently, but firmly, turned her to face him.

“I didn’t mean to embarrass you, but I want you to know I think this marriage is going to work out just fine,” Erik said, leaning over and pressing another quick kiss to her lips.

Aundy closed her eyes and waited to feel something, anything. Instead, Erik pulled back and she opened her eyes to see him studying the road ahead.

“Do you think… if it isn’t… what I…” Aundy stammered, trying to figure out a way to ask if she could take a bath when they reached his farm.

“What is it? Go ahead, Aundy. Don’t be afraid to ask me anything.”

“May I please have a bath? I feel like I’m wearing dust from way back in Wyoming and half a train car of soot.”

“Yes, you may,” Erik said, bringing his gaze back to Aundy with an indulgent smile. “You can do that while I take care of the evening chores after I show you around the farm. How does that sound?”

“Wonderful,” Aundy said, excited at the prospect of being clean. “As soon as I’m finished, I can fix the evening meal.”

“No need. One of the neighbors said she’d have a basket waiting on the table for a cold supper so you wouldn’t have to cook on your wedding day.”

“How thoughtful,” Aundy said, thinking Erik must have some good neighbors. “I’ll have to thank her later for her kindness.”

“It’s Mrs. Nash. She and her husband and son live on the farm to the south of us. They’re good folks. Ol’ Marvin Tooley lives on the farm to the west but he’s cantankerous on a good day, so stay away from him if you can.”

Aundy nodded her head, wondering what made Mr. Tooley crotchety.

Passing a lane that turned off the road, Erik inclined his head that direction as the horses continued onward. “That’s the Nash place. Been here for many years. Raise mostly cattle and wheat. Good folks and good friends as well as our closest neighbors.”

Aundy again nodded her head and gazed up the lane, catching a view of the top of the barn over a rise in the road. Pole fences ran along a pasture down to the road and she could see dozens of cattle grazing lazily in the sun.

“Are those…” Aundy’s question was cut off when a sharp crack resonated around them and the horses spooked, lunging forward as they began flying down the muddy road.

“Whoa, boys! Whoa!” Erik called, pulling back on the reins, frantic to get the team under control.

Aundy clung to the side and back of the seat, praying for the runaway horses to stop.

“Get down, Aundy,” Erik yelled, motioning for her to climb beneath the wagon’s seat. She followed his orders, wedging herself into the space, as she listened to the thundering of the horse’s hooves and Erik’s shouts for them to stop.

The wagon veered sideways then slid back before hitting the side of the ditch bank and flipping over, sliding in the mud.

Aundy’s screams mingled with Erik’s shouts before everything went black.

Chapter Two

Cautiously opening her eyes, Aundy tried to recall where she was, what was happening.

Remembering the runaway wagon, Aundy shifted her gaze upward to see the floor of the wagon above her head while her back rested on the base of the broken wagon seat. Realizing the wagon was upside down, Aundy was grateful the seat had kept her relatively safe.

Taking a quick inventory to make sure she could feel her toes and fingers, she realized her left arm was throbbing painfully, but everything else seemed to be in working order.

Carefully turning over, she hoped her sister would forgive her for completely ruining the travel suit she had so painstakingly remade for her from some of their mother’s clothes.

Scooting forward over the front end of the wagon, she felt mud oozing through the fabric of her skirt and into her petticoat. Cold and slimy, it made her shiver as she climbed from beneath the wagon and pulled herself upright.

The horses were both still on their feet, hooked to the wagon, although Aundy could see blood trickling down the hindquarters of the one nearest her. Nervous and antsy, each time they moved, the wagon creaked and shifted. Afraid of them spooking again, Aundy looked around, wondering where Erik had gone.

Two of her trunks sat upended in the road, a little muddy but none the worse for wear, while the third rested at an odd angle, with the lid hinges broken. A pile of frothy white unmentionables floated in the mud near her bedraggled coat. Gathering her clothes, she rolled them in her coat and set the bundle on top of one of the unbroken trunks.

Craning her neck, hoping to see Erik, she heard a deep moan. Walking around the end of the wagon, she drew in a sharp gasp to see her husband pinned beneath the back corner where it rested on his chest, his head twisted to one side.

“Erik,” she whispered, hurrying to him. Dropping to her knees in the mud, she lifted his head to her lap. “Erik, can you hear me? Please, Erik. Please wake up.”

Another deep moan answered her pleading. Pulling a handkerchief from her pocket, she wiped at the mud on his face and begged him to wake up. His eyelashes fluttered and he finally opened his eyes.

“Aundy?” Erik asked, raising his eyes to hers. Pain filled their blue depths and Aundy felt tears roll down her cheeks.

“Erik, what can I do? How can I help you?” Aundy had no idea what to do. She certainly couldn’t move the wagon herself. She was afraid to get near the horses and nothing else was coming to mind.

“Unhook the horses,” Erik said, clenching his teeth as the animals moved nervously and the wagon shifted on top of his chest.

Aundy looked at him fearfully, but gently lifted his head from her lap. She spied Erik’s hat lying a few feet away and carefully put it beneath his head to keep him out of the mud.

“I don’t know how. What do I do?” Aundy said, straightening her spine and turning to look at the horses as they took another nervous step, dragging the upended wagon across Erik, causing him to gasp for air.

Finally regaining the ability to speak, Erik gave her instructions using as few words as possible and Aundy swallowed down her fear. She unhooked the horses, just as Erik told her, and hurried back to him. The horses took a few forward steps then dropped their heads to graze on the side of the road, seemingly unaware of the havoc they created with their wild run.

 “Get Garrett,” Erik said as Aundy bent down beside him. His voice was growing weaker and his eyes were squeezed shut.

“Who’s Garrett? Does he work on your farm?” Aundy asked, wracking her brain for the name Garrett. Had Erik mentioned anyone named Garrett in his letters? Not that she could recall.

“Neighbor. Garrett Nash,” Erik said and slowly turned his head in the direction of town.

“Garrett Nash,” Aundy repeated, remembering Erik pointing out the Nash farm about a half-mile down the road. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

Erik didn’t answer, but he opened his eyes and blinked.

Aundy grabbed her mud-soaked skirts in one hand while she held her injured arm close to her side and started running down the road, sending a steady stream of prayers heavenward for Erik to be fine. By the time she reached the turnoff to the Nash farm, her lungs burned and she was convinced she’d accumulated so much mud on her shoes and clothes, it added an extra twenty pounds of weight.

Topping the little rise in the Nash’s lane, Aundy took in a huge barn, corrals, and a big two-story farmhouse with a welcoming porch that wrapped all the way around. She hated to go to the front door in such a state, but she didn’t know what else to do. Racing up the steps, she knocked sharply on the door, trying to catch her breath.

Raising her hand to knock again, the door swung open and she looked into the cheery, round face of a small woman with dark hair and silvery gray eyes.

“My gracious, dear. What brings you to our door? I don’t think I’ve seen you around these parts before.”

“Wagon wreck,” was all Aundy managed to gasp out as she struggled to draw air into her lungs. If she hadn’t been wearing her hated corset, she’d have been able to run to the house with no trouble.

“Wagon wreck? Where? On the road?” the woman asked, stepping out on the porch and gazing in the direction of the road.

“Yes, not far,” Aundy said, moving back so she wouldn’t get mud on the woman’s spotless white apron or lavender dress.

“Is anyone hurt?”

“My husband. He’s pinned beneath the wagon,” Aundy said, trying not to let her growing sense of panic show.

 “What’s your name?”

“Aundy. Aundy Thor… Erickson,” Aundy said, correcting herself at the last moment, remembering her name was now Erickson.

“Are you Erik’s bride?” When Aundy nodded, the woman bustled across the porch, picked up an iron bar and beat it against a triangle hanging from the porch eaves.

“Yes, ma’am,” Aundy said, feeling like she could again breathe as air filled her lungs. “The pastor married us earlier today. The horses spooked and the wagon flipped over on Erik.”

“Oh, my gracious. The boys will be here soon and they’ll take care of everything,” the woman said, motioning for Aundy to sit on a chair by the door. “I’m Mrs. Nash, but I hope you’ll call me Nora. I’ll run in and call for the doctor. You’re welcome to join me.”

“Thank you, Nora, but I’ll just…” Aundy said, to Nora’s retreating back. The woman was gone a few minutes and returned to the porch just as Aundy heard the pounding of feet coming toward them.

“What’d you ring the bell for, Ma?” an extremely tall, handsome man asked as he took the porch steps in one long stride and stopped next to his mother. He noticed Aundy standing off to the side and gave her a brief perusal before turning to his mother with a quizzical expression.

“Aundy, this is my son, Garrett,” Nora said making a brief introduction. Turning her attention to Garrett, she pointed her finger toward the road. “Erik Erickson was in an accident. According to his new bride, the wagon is just down the road on top of him. I think you better get down there and see what you can do. I tried the doc but no one answered my call, so we should send someone to fetch him.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Garrett said, jumping off the porch and running in the direction of the barn.

“Why don’t you come inside, dear, and we’ll see about getting you cleaned up,” Nora said, reaching out to take Aundy’s mud-covered hand.

“Oh, no, ma’am. I couldn’t bring this mess inside your home and I promised Erik I’d be right back,” Aundy said, moving down the steps.

“I wouldn’t mind, honey. You’ll catch your death all muddy and cold like you are,” Nora said, taking a step toward Aundy. Before Nora could reach out to the wide-eyed girl, she turned and began running down the lane.

Garrett hustled out of the barn on his horse with Tom, one of the ranch hands, following close behind. Stopping at the porch to speak with Nora, Garrett motioned Tom on down the driveway.

“Go on and get the doc and the pastor if he’s home,” Garrett said then turned his attention to his mother. “I asked Jim to hook up the wagon. Maybe you could bring some blankets and whatever medical supplies you can round up. I don’t know what kind of shape we’ll find things in, but it might be a help.”

“I will, son. Go on, now, and see what you can do. I’ll be there as quick as Jim’s got the wagon hitched and I’ll let your father know where we’re going,” Nora said, reaching up to pat Garrett’s leg.

Garrett hurried his big bay horse down their lane to the road. Caught off guard when he answered his mother’s summons, he never expected to see a woman standing on the front step covered in mud from head to toe.

A hat that had probably been the height of current fashion perched on her head like a dead bird and mud-streaked blond hair fell down around her ears, trailing along her back. The dress she wore looked to be finely made, although he doubted she’d ever get all the mud out of the burgundy wool fabric.

He tried not to think about her eyes, the same shade of blue as the sky overhead. Or the fact that she was extraordinarily tall. Under all that mud, he would bet that Erik’s new bride was quite striking in appearance. She certainly didn’t rattle easily, since she hurried to their house for help even though they were all strangers to her.

Nearing the end of their lane, he spotted Mrs. Erickson doing her best to run in the mud. It sucked at her feet and pulled her off balance, but she continued at a brisk pace. Nudging his horse forward, he watched as she turned and looked at him then came to a stop.

“How about I give you a ride?” Garrett asked, holding out his hand for her to mount behind him.

“I don’t want to get you or the horse dirty,” Aundy said, shaking her head. “But thank you for the offer.”

“Come on, we’re wasting time discussing it,” Garrett said, wiggling his gloved fingers at her.

Sighing she walked over to the horse and looked up at Garrett, noticing his eyes were the same silvery shade as his mother’s. “I’ve never been on a horse before, so tell me what to do.”

Garrett recalled Erik saying his bride-to-be was a city girl, so he offered her an encouraging smile. Noticing her skirt wasn’t full enough for her to ride astride, she’d have to sit in front of him although she would, no doubt, think the close proximity to him was highly inappropriate.

“Just put a foot in the stirrup and I’ll pull you up.” He was impressed that she didn’t put up a fuss, instead showing a strong, practical nature when she nodded her head.

Grabbing her left hand to steady her while she gathered her skirts out of the way so she could step into the stirrup, Garrett caught her wince.

“Why didn’t you tell me your arm was injured?” he asked, leaning over and grabbing her around the waist, lifting her in front of him. The mud-flecked feather on her bedraggled hat smacked him in the face and he fought the urge to grin.

 “It’s fine,” Aundy said, trying not to gasp at the throbbing in her arm making her feel lightheaded or maybe it was the impropriety of riding across a stranger’s lap. With Erik injured, what society deemed proper no longer seemed very important. Holding herself stiffly, she tried not to think about Garrett’s arms around her as he urged his horse, Jester, through the mud.

“Sure it is,” Garrett said, shaking his head at the woman with an obvious obstinate streak. Studying the road in front of him trying to ignore the feel of a woman held so close to him, he kept an eye out for the wagon. Rounding a little bend, the wagon was hard to miss, turned over in the middle of the road. It was easy to spy Erik trapped under the back of the wagon, his face a ghostly shade of white beneath the mud coating his head.

Stopping Jester, Garrett kicked his feet out of the stirrups and swung a leg over the neck of his horse, dropping to the ground. Before Aundy could figure out how to dismount, Garrett grabbed her around the waist and set her feet on the muddy ground.

“Erik? Can you hear me?” Garrett asked, kneeling by his neighbor and friend. Although Erik was more than ten years his senior, they often talked over the fence about farming, ranching, and life in general. Erik had been a guest at the Nash dinner table many times over the years and they were all pleased for him when he announced he was getting married.

Erik didn’t move so Garrett took off his glove and felt along the man’s neck, finding a pulse beating there, although it was faint.

“We need to move the wagon,” Garrett said, standing while he pulled on his glove. He looked around, expecting to see Erik’s team. “Where are the horses?”

“Erik made me unhook them before I went to get you,” Aundy said, kneeling next to Erik, holding his head in her lap again. “He said they’d find their way home.”

“They’re probably already at the barn, waiting to be fed,” Garrett said. He had no idea how badly Erik was injured but getting the weight of the wagon off his chest needed to happen immediately. Taking stock of the situation, Garrett noticed for the first time Aundy’s trunks scattered on the ground near the wagon. Striding to where they rested in the mud, he picked up the first one and carried it to the back corner of the wagon. He did the same with the second one, placing it next to the first trunk.

“We’re going to have to work together to do this, Mrs. Erickson,” Garrett said, looking into her scared face. He surmised she was much younger than he first guessed. She wore confidence in an easy manner, but right now she looked very young and frightened.