Cole turned away, cursing himself silently for being honorable because, right now, he wanted to be so very dishonorable with her. He wanted to lose himself in her and strip her down in the grass.
“Someday, you will have to decide what you want from me. Go inside and I will take care of this, Beth,” he said harshly and winced hearing exactly how it sounded and her murmur of acquiescence. He found himself plodding up to the doorway, unlocking it for her and returning to the wagon, grabbing a crate of hens in each hand. Walking off, he took them to the henhouse out back to free them.
Not sure what caused the sudden change, Beth reached into the wagon and picked up the packages. She didn’t plan to stay out here and have him snap at her, especially undeserved. They had a spent a good day together. She had embarrassed herself and he had not teased her mercilessly as others might be tempted to. Beth wanted to help but felt he must not want it, plus she wasn’t one hundred percent sure how to aide him. She clutched the packages and stepped onto the plank decking, harshly, to mimic his attitude. After three loud stomps, she realized how childish it was and gave up.
Ladies did not stomp
, her mother had always told her. He probably couldn’t hear her as she saw him round the corner with the crates in his hands.
Beth stepped alone into the dark house and was honestly miserable. She was frustrated at his display of frustration towards her, embarrassed about the debacle at the mercantile store and, frankly, dismayed at how her body was betraying her each time Cole looked at her or touched her. Cole had been so blatant in his pursuit of her, looked so pleased at her claiming to be his wife- to see this sudden turnabout was very disconcerting. Beth decided that she would stay away from him. It would give her time to decide exactly what she wanted and give him space to get over his attitude.
She was lonely.
Beth’s idea to give Cole breathing room backfired in the worst way. It seemed that he was avoiding her at every turn and she spent the last few days trying to occupy herself and keep busy but failing miserably. Cole had not returned to the house and was gone from the barn each morning when she went searching for him. Every evening for the last few days had been spent alone and hungry.
Good thing I learned how to start a fire in the fireplace
, she thought, just wish I could cook more than bacon and beans. She cringed at the small pot over the fire. The first day Cole did not show, she had made a pot of beans and awaited his arrival. At dark, she had walked to the barn to see he had not returned.
Where was he?
The first day he was gone, she didn’t think much of it and figured he was off huffing somewhere after the snapping last night. She had not seen a temperamental side of him and he could be as hardheaded as she was it seemed. Cole had been quite blatant in his pursuit of her. Was he now going to make her chase him?
The second day she noticed that there was a large urn of milk on the front porch waiting for her and a few eggs. Beth put the eggs on the counter, unsure how exactly to cook them and took the milk gratefully. She knew butter was made from milk and had seen photos of urns in catalogs. How hard could it be to make butter?
The idea of the creamy goodness on the remaining bread wrapped in a cloth was appetizing and would be a tremendous change from the stupid beans she was sick of. Beth found the churn inside of the large pantry that had hidden the larder hatch.
Pulling out the churn, she poured the milk inside and happily started pumping the handle like she was born to it, or so she thought. After a few churns, she pulled off the lid and stared at the white liquid inside.
Must not be enough
, she thought and began churning once again. Checking it repeatedly, uttering a few choice words, Beth grabbed her new gloves and yanked them on in frustration.
She had been thinking about warm bread and butter for the last ten minutes and now wanted it with a passion. Angrily, she grabbed the slender pole of wood and began churning viciously. Beth churned until her arms throbbed and wretchedly yanked off the lid expecting to see golden butter staring at her.
Letting out an unholy epithet, she stepped away from the large wooden churn and kicked it angrily. She wasn’t sure what hurt more, her toe that had smacked head-on with the heavy wooden contraption or her pride that here was yet another thing she could not do! The milk inside looked no different whatsoever from when it had been first poured inside.
Beth grabbed a metal cup, determined not to waste the liquid and filled it. It was deliciously cool and rich sliding down her throat, definitely different from the milk she had back home. Deciding she would leave the milk in the churn, she would try for butter again later, once her arms had recovered. Beth snacked on the few precious apples instead and tried to eat one of the figs off the tree only to find it was not ripe yet. She could still taste that horrifically bitter bite that had made her reel in disgust. Shaking her head at the thought, she grabbed another cupful of milk. She wondered how Cole was faring on his own.
Cole was frustrated at Beth and their situation. He wanted her, that had not changed at all, but she was confusing. She would tell him to court her, then back away. Beth would initiate a kiss and then sidestep any further advances. She would tell a perfect stranger that she was his wife and then vehemently not want to discuss it or the implications that came with it.
He regretted snapping at her but he needed to put distance between them so he didn’t say something he would regret. His father had told him he was impulsive and a hothead, but he thought he had mellowed with time.
Apparently not.
Here he was panting after a desirable young lady like a dog in heat, his body burning with desire from just her looking at him. It was crazy to think that they could mesh as one so soon after meeting when any other woman had not rung his bell like she had.
So he gave them time…time to decide what each wanted or needed. Was this right? Was this what he needed? Did he need a wife? Did he need Beth? After the first day of being alone and camping out under the stars, thinking of her constantly…it was a decided “yes”.
He missed her.
It was as simple as that. He was watching the house from afar and had not seen her stray from the house much. He woke early one morning and put a container of milk on the porch for her along with a bowl of eggs he had collected from the hens they had purchased. He noted later that they were gone and he hoped she had liked the fresh cream off the top of the urn as well as maybe some fried eggs. He sure had! He had fried up eggs for breakfast over a fire and ate a rabbit that he had caught later in the day, wondering if she would like roasted hare or if she would pass out like the description of the plucked chicken.
Laughing at the imagery in his mind, he missed her terribly.
Cole knew his choice and was unsure of Beth’s, but he was determined to sway the decision one way or the other. He had spent several days watching the house, avoiding the talk that they needed to have. He rode into town, with the idea to purchase a bolt of cloth for her and decided against it. Could Beth even sew? He knew most ladies from the big city bought their clothes from a seamstress or designer. Maybe a few flowers for the yard for Beth would please her. It was a long ride in and he spent it deep in thought of what made women tick.
Arriving at Sam’s small shop, Cole perused the shelves while Sam chatted amicably with another customer. It had been a week since his last visit, a long week avoiding Beth. At hearing their conversation, Cole froze. The two were discussing a telegram that was sent from Sam’s store to Indianapolis.
Could Beth have sent a letter home? If so, what had it said?
Beth had given no indication that she ever wanted to return and the idea of her sending a message home shocked him. He knew she had mailed a letter to May, but did she send one to her parents as well? He listened intently to the young man’s derisive tone that he used towards Sam and decided it would be a good time to butt in.
“Hey Sam, when you are done with him- I could use your help getting my wife a wedding present. She took a fancy to you and really liked your shop,” Cole announced loudly, interrupting the two of them. He took great enjoyment at seeing the annoyance on the stranger’s face… the stranger, he assumed, was Elias Barney by the subject of their conversation. His Elizabeth.
The slim, dark-haired man turned a cold eye towards him ever so slowly. “When he has completed his business with me, I am sure he will be more than happy to sell you something, my good man. Until then? Polite society, as well as I- demand that you wait your turn. Now, as I was saying, you sent a telegram from my fiancée to Indianapolis and I demand to know where she is located. Do not make me contact the police,” he threatened ever so calmly.
Elias Barney had come for his Beth! Cole would not back down from the slick-haired man that oozed snake oil and deceit. The man seemed like a crook and he was surprised to find that this was Beth’s doctor she had been engaged to by her family. Apparently the name was known, but not the person – or so he hoped. The idea of a loving family bartering off their child was a common practice that confused his mind. He hated the idea and always felt that a person should have a say in their life. Cole had been raised that way and it worked well enough for him.
“Sure,” Cole drawled slowly. “I don’t mind waiting my turn. But this ain’t polite society and it sounds like Sam here don’t know where your Elizabeth Pierce is at. Betcha there is more to the story, eh Sam?” he said with a wink.
He hoped that Sam would not put two and two together. Choosing “Beth” was a poor choice and anyone could figure out that Beth was a shortened form of Elizabeth. He could see that now and thanked God he had made her change her last name as well. Cole grinned widely thinking of how it had been changed twice actually. Rowlett and then Hale.
Sam grinned, looking between the two of them. “Now Cole, don’t get riled up in my store. The last man you killed shot first or you’d have hung. Now this guy? this man ain’t armed, I’m sure,” he said, exaggerating heavily and playing along.
“Sir, I assure you that if I knew of an Elizabeth Pierce, I would share the information but I don’t. Yes, I send telegrams all the time. But not many of the ladies give details nor do I snoop to see what it’s about. Do you have something you wanna buy?” Sam said bluntly and moved down the counter, separating them effectively.
Cole watched Elias turn up his nose and leave the store with not another word. The fancy man even had a silver-tipped cane he used to show his status.
Dandy
, he thought. Beth didn’t need a person like that. She needed a man like himself. A man who could love her and provide for her and their family. The idea of making a child with Beth almost brought him to his knees. He sure had a soft spot for his woman.
Sam joined Cole warily. “Beth, huh?”
Cole grinned at the unasked question. Sam was a good man with a quick mind. He knew Sam had guessed and wondered. Cole just thanked his lucky stars he was here to find out that Elias Barney was in town looking for her. They would have to keep a watchful eye out but no one else was marrying his Beth.
She was already married as far as he was concerned and planned on making sure it was official soon. “Sam,” he started. “We have known each other for a long time. Do you think I would steal someone else’s fiancée if she didn’t want to be stolen?” he asked, grinning.
Sam guffawed and clapped him on the back. “Probably wouldn’t take much to sweet talk her on over to you. Want to let me know what’s going on, in case that fancy man comes on back here? Just so you know, that is not the name she gave me at all, so are you sure that he is looking for your Beth?”
Cole sighed. Yes, he was looking for her- but she wasn’t planning on returning to him. His Beth was here to stay. He would make sure of it. He gave Sam the tale Beth had shared with him, along with spilling his guts as to his troubles wooing her.
“I’m here to get her a little something to make her want to think of me and could use your help. You and Mildred been married years, how’d you make her finally agree to it?” It was now Cole’s turn to laugh when Sam revealed he bought the cow her father was selling and decided when he saw her that she was the one. Mildred had no say in it whatsoever, but they had hit it off right away.
Lucky,
Cole thought. He wanted to “hit it off” with his Beth.
“Why don’t you bring her out to the church picnic? I know you aren’t big on it- but it would be a way for her to get out, socialize and meet others. You could introduce her as your bride and make it an outing for the two of you. Make it special, get her a dress and a pretty something for her head or some baubles for her ears,” Sam said, grinning. His love-struck young friend would benefit, as well as his store.
Laughing, Cole patted the older man on the back. “You’re good, you know that? I’m sold! Show me what you have for my lady and tell me about the picnic. Guess I’m going to need a new shirt as well. I can’t be looking like a ranch hand for my woman,” he said, agreeing with the man and grinning from ear to ear.
“That’s my boy! Now you are talking!” Sam said. “Let’s get you ready to win your lady’s heart. Let me show you the new stuff I just got in from Dallas,” he added as he led Cole off towards the merchandise that was still in boxes in the back.
Several hours later, Cole returned to the homestead and almost went straight to the house, but instead decided to pick up his things where he had camped. He would be returning to the godforsaken barn. He was determined to win over her hand soon and join her in bed as her husband. It was time to have a long talk with Beth.