Maybe you"ll find something you enjoy.”
He remained silent while I continued to rub his cold
hands.
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“Is it alright if my parents stay in the guest bedroom?
They mentioned wanting to stay in a motel, but I would like
to have them here.”
“That is fine.”
“Thank you.” I gulped the nervous lump in my throat
as I considered how to make my confession. I wasn"t sure
when the feelings developed but going through this ordeal
with him made me aware of them. It was time I told him
what was in my heart. “I do appreciate you. I know I don"t
say it much, if at all. The feelings I have for you are still
new. I didn"t feel this way with Kent. It"s better with you.”
I stared at our hands, and despite the frigid air, my
cheeks flushed with warmth. I could tell he was looking at
me, which made me even more nervous.
“Sometimes,” I continued in a whisper, “I get cold at
night. I...” I paused, wondering how I could be bold while
being discrete. I was ready to consummate the marriage
but wasn"t sure how to come out and say it. “It would be
nice to feel warm.”
“Do you need more firewood?”
I cleared my throat. “Well, I was hoping you"d come
by my room.” My heartbeat pounded loudly in my ears. This
was harder than I thought it would be.
“I"l tell you what. I"l start a fire in your room in the
afternoon so by the time you"re ready for bed, it"l be warm.
I"l even add more wood before you go to sleep.”
“Oh.” I was surprised by how disappointed I felt.
“Is there something else?”
I shrugged. I didn"t have the courage to come out
and say it. “No. I suppose not.” I let go of his hands and
looked at him. “Wil you please come into the warm house
before you get sick?”
I thought he was going to argue again, but he stood
up and grabbed his gloves and coat. I took the lantern. We
walked side by side into the house.
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“You"re so cold,” I commented when I noticed how
red his face was. I set the lantern on the desk in the parlor.
“I want you to lie down on the couch in front of the fireplace.
I"l get some blankets and a pil ow so you can warm up while
I make dinner.”
I took his coat and gloves and went upstairs before
he could argue. By the time I returned, he was lying down.
I put the blankets over him and placed the pillow under his
head. The fire felt nice and warm.
“There. Now I order you to relax. If you need
someone to talk to, just say my name,” I said.
As I began walking away, he reached for my hand.
Surprised, I turned to him.
“You"re my strength,” he softly remarked.
I knelt in front of him. Despite my beating heart, I
allowed myself to follow my instinct. I leaned over and
kissed him. It was a simple kiss but it filled my heart with a
new sense of joy I hadn"t experienced before.
We smiled at each other for a moment.
“Everything wil work out,” I whispered.
Then I went to cook dinner.
After I finished dinner, Barbara, John and their
children came over with an apple pie. We spent the rest of
the evening just talking as the children played games. From
the look on Todd"s face, I knew he was grateful for our
support.
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Todd’s Point of View
To my surprise, I didn"t get sick. I fully expected to
after staying out in the cold for so long, but it was Ann who
got sick. It reminded me of the time when I visited her when
she was seventeen. Unlike that time, we didn"t have Ginny
watching everything we did. I didn"t miss the presence of
servants, and I found it refreshing to do something for Ann
for a change. I never appreciated all her work around the
house until I had to do it myself. I didn"t mind doing it since
it meant she could get her much needed rest. She was still
sick on Sunday, so I went to church without her. The seat
beside me felt empty even though Calvin sat next to me. I
missed her.
After the service, I waited for Barbara, Bruce and
Molly to leave to talk to one of her friends. Usually, Ann
would run off with her too. Calvin liked to hang around me
and his father. I think it made him feel like a grown up. I
grinned as Calvin followed me and John out of the church.
The air was cool but still refreshing enough to enjoy.
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I waited until we were out of earshot of anyone else
and said, “I need your advice on women.” It was the first
time I ever came to him with such a concern.
“I"m stil figuring them out myself, but I"l do what I
can. What"s the problem?” John asked.
“It"s not actually a problem. I was wondering what
you do when you want to show Barbara you love her?”
“I have a box that I keep things in for Barbara.
Whenever we have a fight or if I forget an important date or
if it"s just the kind of day when a little surprise gift is in order,
I take an item out and give it to her. I don"t know what she
wants, to be honest, so I have Calvin go along with her to
town.”
“I buy things that Mother says she likes when I"m in
town with her,” Calvin explained. “That way we know she"l
like it.”
“He"s my eyes and ears when I"m not around.” John
grinned at him. “This way I don"t have to wonder what she
likes. I already know.”
“Very clever.”
“Mrs. Brothers likes a gold ring in the mercantile,”
Calvin said. “She told Mother that she didn"t want to spend
the money on it since she needed food more.”
“It would make a nice wedding ring,” John added. “I
think every woman wants a wedding ring. It"s a symbol of
your love for her.”
“She also said she liked the kitchen towels with
snowmen sewed on them,” Calvin continued, obviously
enjoying his role as a spy.
I chuckled. Who knew kids could be so resourceful?
“Thank you, John. And thank you, Calvin.”
***
The next day, I went to the Coley mercantile and
walked to the counter.
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Mrs. Coley glanced up from her jewelry display.
At least I found the ring.
“May I help you, Mr. Brothers?” she warmly asked.
“I would like to purchase a couple of items for my
wife. Calvin Russell told me she mentioned liking them, so I
want them to be a surprise.”
Her eyes twinkled. “Oh how delightful! She will be
pleased. What did the boy tell you she liked?”
“He mentioned a gold ring.”
She nodded and took out her rings. “You"re in luck.
The merchant who usually comes to buy the jewelry was
delayed, so it"s stil here.” She took the ring out that Calvin
mentioned and handed it to me. “What do you think?”
“I think it would be nice to give her a wedding ring. I
wasn"t able to buy her one when we got married.”
“What a wonderful Christmas gift.”
“Does it fit her finger?” I looked at the price tag and
decided I could afford it if I took some money out of my
savings account.
“Yes. Ann couldn"t resist trying it on. It"s very
pretty.”
“Calvin also mentioned some kitchen towels
decorated with snowmen.”
She nodded. “One of the women in town made
them. She just brought in a matching washcloth this
morning. Would you like to see them?”
“Yes.”
She led me to an aisle filled with various kitchen
cloths and decorations. I didn"t know a woman could do so
much for a kitchen. She held up the complete set of items.
“They look like friendly snowmen. Mrs. Grant always does a
lovely job.”
Again, I checked the price tags.
“You can get the entire set for half price,” she said.
I blinked in surprise.
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“Your wife does more than her share to help me
whenever I need someone to fill in for me. I tried to give her
this set at the discounted price, but she wouldn"t take it. I
hope you wil .”
“Is there anything else you think I should give her?” It
seemed that Calvin and Mrs. Coley knew Ann better than I
did.
“There is something a woman always likes but never
tells a man she wants. I"m not saying that Ann has ever told
me this. It"s just something I know a woman likes since I am
a woman.” She handed me a card that had a red rose
painted on it. The edge of the card was covered with dark
pink lace. “My suggestion, and you don"t have to take it if
you don"t want to, is to write one thing you appreciate about
her and set this card with the snowmen cloth set on the
kitchen table after she goes to bed tonight. I always like
surprises, and Ann seems to like them too.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Coley. I"l take them.”
She nodded. “Barbara told me that Ann is sick.
When do you think Ann will be able to come back to help
me?”
I wondered what she meant by „helping" her but
decided I would ask Ann later. “She"s almost better now. I"l
let you know what she tel s me.”
After I purchased the items, I walked down the main
street. It felt odd carrying a bag full of items that only a
woman would want, but John had mentioned that Mr. Fields
was looking for help with fixing some tractors. “He"s only
looking for someone to work until Spring, and I mentioned
your name to him. He said he would be interested in talking
to you,” he had told me.
Mr. Fields" Tractor store wasn"t too far from the
mercantile, so I didn"t have far to walk. I ignored the looks
several people threw my way. I knew it would take time for
the gossip to die down. It didn"t bother me since the people
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I cared about knew I was innocent. I entered Mr. Fields"
store.
One of his grown sons came out from the backroom
as soon as he heard the front bel ring on the door. “Good
morning, Mr. Brothers. Mr. Russell said we should expect
you to come by today.” He shook my hand.
“Good morning,” I returned, surprised by his warm
welcome.
I had expected there to be some hesitation on his
part, given my sudden reputation in town.
“I"l tell my father you"re here.” He motioned to the
room on my right. “Have a seat in his office.”
“You trust me?” I tried not to sound guilty as I said it.
“You"re a friend of John Russel . That"s good
enough for us.”
I nodded and went to the office. No one was in it. It
was small but comfortable. There were two wooden chairs
in front of a small wooden desk. A wooden chair behind the
desk had been pushed back, so apparently, Mr. Fields had
been sitting there earlier and had to leave in a hurry. There
were stacks of orders for tractor parts neatly piled on the
desk next to a cup holding pencils. Mr. Fields was a neater
person than Mr. Richard was. I set the bag down next to me
and sat in one of the chairs. I adjusted my tie so it didn"t feel
so tight around my neck. On the wall was a calendar with
appointments written on it.
“Sorry to keep you waiting,” Mr. Fields said as he
entered the office.
I quickly stood up and shook his hand. I liked him
right away. He was in his 50s but seemed younger. “Hello,
Mr. Fields. I wasn"t here long.”
“So, John tells me you are looking for work and
would prefer something that involves farming,” he stated.
He sat on the edge of his desk.
I sat back down in the chair. “Yes, that"s right. I plan
to start farming next Spring.”
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“You bought Mr. Martin"s old place?”
I nodded. “He left it in excellent condition.”
“He was a good man. He stil is, I suppose. He
moved to Fargo to be near his grown children. I believe he
was good friends with Robert and Patricia Dawson. He
mentioned that you were a good friend of their nephew.
Alex. Isn"t that his name?”
“Yes. We grew up together in Virginia.”
“What made you decide to leave?”
“Alex"s relatives used to visit and I would listen to
them tell stories about farming out west. They brought