Sarah: Bride of Minnesota (American Mail-Order Bride 32) (6 page)

"Where is Bobbie now?" he asked.

"Wisconsin. But she arrived at her destination many hours before I did, so I know she's far away."

"I'm sorry," he said, covering her hand with his. "Will the two of you write each other?"

"Oh, yes. I'll write my other roommates as well."

"And they were?"

"Poppy and Gabrielle. Neither of them came from good homes. When you really think about it, of all of us, I'm the only one who came from a good home. The other three were all good people though. I do wish Gabrielle didn't have so much disdain for God's people, but I understand why she does."

"Bobbie didn't come from a good home?"

"Well, she did and she didn't. She was born to a very wealthy couple, who didn't like each other. When Bobbie was ten, her father kicked her and her mother out, because his mistress was having his baby. She has two younger brothers she's never even met, despite living in the same city with them."

"That's sad."

Sarah nodded. "It is. What about you? What was your upbringing like?"

He shrugged. "We lived in Germany until I was eleven, and then we came here to Wisconsin. Father thought he wanted to be a dairy farmer, but he ended up working in a lumber mill instead. It wasn't long before he owned the whole operation. He died in a work accident, so my brother and I own the mills now."

"I see. Where's your mother?"

"She died of a broken heart. Father died only a month or two before her."

"I'm sorry. How old were you?"

"I had just turned eighteen. I lived with Jakob and his wife Erna for a month or two, and then I bought this house. I wanted to live on this side of the lake, so I could manage my men more easily."

"Do you still miss them sometimes?" she asked.

"My parents? Every day. Jakob is my half-brother, but my father was definitely a father to him as well. We had the same mother."

"Does Jakob have children?" she asked.

Karl nodded. "He has two. Lukas and Konrad."

"What's his wife like?"

He shrugged. "We'll both meet her for the first time at Christmas. I always row across the bay to stay with them for a couple of days at Christmas every year. I hope you won't mind."

She shook her head. "But you don't know his wife?"

"Jakob's wife, Erna, died in February, and he just remarried."

Sarah frowned. Hadn't Bobbie married a Jakob? No, it didn't make sense for that to be him. Bobbie was far away from them. "I would love to meet your family."

Karl said nothing else about his sister-in-law, so she didn't either. "Do you want a big family?" she asked.

He grinned. "Of course. I want fourteen strong sons, and then last I want one daughter. Then all the boys can help me protect her."

"Fourteen sons and one daughter? Are you kidding?" Sarah clutched her stomach, not wanting to think about carrying that many children. "My mama said seven was plenty for any woman."

"Not for us," he said with a laugh.

"Karl Schneider, I sure hope you're kidding!"

He caught her hand and kissed her fingers. "I'm not, but I'd be happy with one or two. I just have in my head I want fifteen children. I have to have more than Jakob, you see. It's a rivalry thing."

Sarah got up to get him some more soup from the pot on the stove. "Maybe you'll need four wives to have that many children."

"Then I'll settle for what you can give me. After having you as a wife, how could a man want another?"

She blushed at his words. "For a German man, you're very good with sweet talk."

He laughed. "I watched my father with my mother. He loved her all his life."

"He did? But, she was married before him?"

"Her parents didn't like him, so she married the man they wanted her to marry, and she had Jakob. She was miserable, though. She loved Jakob, but she never loved Gunther. Then she married my father, and they had me. She always wanted more children, but God meant for her to only have two."

"I think that's very sweet. I wish she'd have been able to marry your father right away, though."

"I think that sometimes too, but Jakob wouldn't be the man he is if we'd had the same father, I don't think."

"You're probably right. It sounds like he's a good brother to you."

"And a good father to his boys, as well."

Karl watched her as she got up and served slices of the cake from the night before. "Will you always spoil me with sweets?" he asked.

She nodded. "Of course. Mama always said if you want a sweet man, you have to fill him up with sweets to help him be sweet to you."

"I think I would have liked your mama."

"Oh you would have. She was wonderful. I miss her every day."

"But you have many sisters and brothers. Do you write to them?"

"I will. I've been writing most of them for years. Only one of my brothers was still in Lawrence when I left. Papa made it clear he didn't want us staying there and working in the factories forever. He wanted us to have good lives, and to him, that meant getting out of Lawrence."

He sighed. "That's sad. I think it's the nature of man to want more for his children than he had, though."

"I think so too. Mama hated the idea of any of her girls working in the factories, even the ones who only employed women. She thought we should marry and head West."

"And you did."

Sarah laughed. "I guess I did."

She finished her cake and immediately did the dishes. He watched her a minute before asking, "Can't the dishes wait until morning?"

She turned to him, shocked at the question. "Of course not. First off, I'd have to get up thirty minutes earlier to clean the kitchen so I could cook breakfast, but also, we would get bugs. No one wants bugs."

He nodded. "No, we can't have bugs." He took his newspaper from a chair where he'd laid it earlier. "Join me in the parlor when you're done."

She smiled. "I will!" She hurried and washed the dishes looking forward to their time. She loved spending time in the parlor with him at night, even when they didn't really talk about anything. It was just nice to have the time.

When she got into the parlor, she saw he'd sat on the couch in the same place as yesterday, so she took the same spot as well, sitting close to him on the couch. "Do you mind if I do more mending, or do you want me to wait on that?"

He looked at her, and put down his paper. "I'd rather we talked to each other than concentrated on other things. I think someday we'll be a society who will be together but ignoring one another the whole time. That will be a sad time."

Sarah put down the mending, and curling one leg under her, in what her mother would have described as a hoydenish manner, she turned to him. "Tell me about your day at work."

Karl smiled, surprised she was interested. "Well, today was a pretty normal day. One of my men was sick, and we sent off a shipment this afternoon, so we have two weeks to get the next together. If all the men stay well, then we'll have plenty of time to get done, and even get ahead before the next is due."

"So did you get to chop logs today?"

"Get to?" he asked, raising one eyebrow. "I had to. I was planning on staying in my office and doing paperwork, but because of my man's illness, I had to spend the day working in the cold."

"Do you prefer to work with your hands or work in the office?" She knew he'd told her that once, but she couldn't remember what his answer was, because she'd been annoyed with him at the time.

"I prefer to do whatever I go to work planning to do. Today I went to work thinking I would sit in my nice warm office, and I didn't wear the clothes I needed to keep warm."

She frowned. "Well, I hope you don't get sick then." She narrowed her eyes at him, as if trying to sense if he would be ill. "You look all right so far."

He grinned. "I will do my best not to get sick." He took her hand and brought it to his lips. "Would you take care of me if I was ill?"

She laughed. "Of course I would. You're my husband."

"Even though you don't want to have fifteen babies?"

She made a face. "That sounds like an awful lot of children. I'm not sure I could take care of that many without going insane."

"You could." He scooted a bit closer to her, and put his arm around her shoulders. "I believe you could do anything you set your mind to, Sarah."

She grinned. "My mama used to tell me that. Do you want me to pack a picnic for Sunday, or do you want to eat at home first?"

He shrugged. "If you think picnics are romantic, and would rather eat on the ground than in our comfortable chairs, then we can take a picnic."

Sarah laughed. "We'll eat here first. I've never been a fan of eating outdoors. I can make a stew for dinner tomorrow night and heat it up for lunch Sunday. That's simple enough."

"That sounds good to me."

"Tell me about your church. I've been going to the same church since I was born, and I've never really even visited other churches much. I'm a bit nervous about going to a new one."

Karl frowned. "It's a church. You met our pastor. He has a good sense of humor, but he does like to get men in trouble with their wives. I'm not sure why, but he's always been that way."

"Is that why he told me that you told him how ugly I was?"

"Yes. He did it hoping he would make you mad at me. He thinks a good rousing fight helps a marriage instead of hindering it. He says it keeps the passions running high, and you never get bored with one another."

"I'm not sure how I feel about that. Maybe we should find another church to attend."

Karl laughed. "I don't think so. He's a good man."

They talked well into the night, and Sarah didn't realize how late it was until she stifled a yawn. "It's past ten! We need to sleep!"

He nodded, getting up and taking her hand. He stopped outside her bedroom door, kissing her. "Sleep sweet, my dear."

"You too." Sarah went into her room with a smile on her face, closing the door with a loud click. He'd called her dear. That was sweet of him, but she hoped he meant it. She so wanted what her parents had, a marriage full of love. Hopefully Karl was going to provide that for her.

*****

On Saturday, Sarah didn't have extra housework to do, so she mended his clothes. After four hours of mending, she was ready to scream. She hated to sit still. She knew it was unladylike to admit it, but if she sat in that same spot for another hour, she would lose her mind. She thought about scrubbing her perfectly clean kitchen floor, just so she'd have something to do, but quickly dismissed the idea.

Instead, she baked some cookies and took a plateful next door to visit Mrs. Norman.

The woman was thrilled to see her, opening the door wide. "I brought you cookies to thank you for your hospitality on Monday night."

Mrs. Norman took them straight into the kitchen with Sarah trailing behind. "I'll make a nice pot of tea and we'll chat."

Sarah was thrilled. That was the answer she'd hoped for. She couldn't stand another day home alone now that her chores were caught up. She still had to make curtains, but she had to get out of the house first. She was not one who enjoyed being home all the time. "That sounds nice."

Once they were seated in the parlor, Mrs. Norman asked, "How's that crazy German treating you?"

Sarah smiled a bit dreamily. "Very well actually. He brought me flowers and a bag of candy."

"Karl? I'm surprised you were able to teach him to do that so quickly. I know it wasn't his idea."

"No, sadly he thought cleaning supplies were appropriate courting gifts, but I've taught him differently. Now he knows that I'm like every other woman in the world, and I want candy or flowers or jewelry. Something nice."

"I'm impressed that he's figured it out so fast. I bet he still messes up gifts from time to time."

"I'm certain he will. I like him, though. I think I'm going to have a good marriage with him."

Mrs. Norman smiled. "I'm so glad to hear that. He needed a good woman in his life."

"I appreciate you keeping up with his laundry and cooking for him. It made my life much easier not to have to do six weeks' worth of laundry when I arrived."

"Do you feel like you're caught up on the cleaning now?"

Sarah nodded. "I am. I even gave the upstairs a thorough cleaning. I'm working on mending his clothes now, and I don't know what I'll do after that. Probably go quietly insane."

Mrs. Norman laughed. "We have a good relief society at church. The women get together and make food for the sick and quilts for the families who have just moved here. I think you should join, and help out. At least until you start having babies."

"That sounds wonderful. Do I talk to someone at church about it tomorrow?"

"Yes, in fact, I'll introduce you. We'll get you all set up and ready to go."

"Oh, thank you. I'm so glad Karl had the sense to bring me to you as soon as I arrived. I don't know what I would do without you!"

Mrs. Norman laughed. "You'd find a friend closer to your own age, and you'll do just that at church tomorrow. I'll make sure you meet all the young ladies."

"Oh, that would be wonderful. Thank you." Even as she said the words, she knew she would never let anyone take the place of Bobbie. How could she have another lifelong friend of that caliber? It couldn't happen. She couldn't be so blessed with friendship more than once in her life. "What about the women who stay here?"

Mrs. Norman shrugged. "Most of them are here while they wait for their man to be able to build a house. So many men come here from the East and work in the lumber camps. Sometimes their sweethearts join them before they're quite ready. Some of the women here decided to stay when their families moved West. I only have three ladies here now, but that's low for me."

"Do you make enough money with just three?"

Mrs. Norman laughed. "I don't really need the money. My second husband left me with this house and a small fortune. I just take in boarders so I won't be lonely."

"Well, my children won't have any grandparents. Maybe you could be a special grandmother."

"You're not already thinking you're carrying, are you? You've not been here a week!"

Sarah laughed. "No, not yet, but Karl wants fourteen sons and one daughter."

"Fourteen..." Mrs. Norman trailed off. "That boy doesn't have a lick of sense!"

"I don't understand it myself, but that's what he told me. I just laughed. I can't imagine having that many to fuss with."

"I'll tell you what
—
if you have anywhere near that many children, I'll help you out."

"There are eight empty bedrooms upstairs. I suppose it's time to start filling them."

"You want a little time alone first," Mrs. Norman said in response to her jest. "The children will come soon enough, and as much as you think you want them now, when you realize how little alone time you have after they come along, you'll miss the early months or years of your marriage."

Sarah nodded. "My mother told me that once as well."

They continued chatting for about an hour before Sarah finally stood. "I should get home, but I thank you so much for your hospitality."

"I'm glad you stopped by," Mrs. Norman said. "You should do it more often. Any afternoon around this time, I'm free. Come on over, and we'll talk."

"Thank you," Sarah said. "It's nice to have a friend here." She hurried home to start the stew for dinner and for lunch after church. She also wanted to make sure their clothes were pressed nicely.

When Karl came home two hours later, she had the stew ready to serve. "How was your day?" she asked, quickly serving them each a bowl.

"It was good. Much better than yesterday. No one was out sick. Although, John, the man who was sick yesterday, is still not up to full speed. It was enough that he was there, so I was able to catch up the ledgers."

"Oh good. I'm glad it was better." She put the stew in front of him and poured them each a glass of milk.

After the prayer he took a bite. "I have never tasted cooking like yours, Sarah. This is delicious."

She smiled. "One of my papa's favorite meals, so Mama made sure it was the first thing all of us girls learned to cook. I'm glad you like it."

"Oh, I really do!" He took another bite of his bread, dipping it into his stew. "I thank you for cooking today."

"And I thank you for working hard to provide for us today." She wanted to talk to him about getting out and doing things with the ladies of the relief society, but decided that would wait. Surely he wouldn't mind if she was helping out the church ladies.

*****

Sarah woke up excited on Sunday morning, ready to go to her new church and meet people. She was still uncertain about the pastor, but Karl thought a great deal of him, and she trusted Karl, so she'd trust his judgment. She was worried about getting strange glances from people who thought she should be ugly, but she was certain she would make it through.

She had breakfast ready before she knocked on Karl's door, calling out to him. "Karl? Breakfast is ready!"

She poured them each a cup of coffee and put Karl's beside his plate, adding milk like she knew he preferred.

He came out of his room yawning and moved to the table to sit down. She put his French toast and bacon in front of his plate and he took a big drink of the coffee. "I need that this morning."

"Didn't you sleep well?" she asked, leaning down to kiss his forehead on her way to her spot at the table.

He shrugged. "I had a lot of strange dreams," he said with a frown.

"Anything you want to talk about?"

"Let's pray first." He took her hand, bowing his head to pray for them. When he lifted it, he took another sip of his coffee studying her over the rim of his cup. "I dreamed about you."

She wasn't certain how to respond to that. "Good dreams, I hope?"

He shook his head. "Not exactly. I dreamed that we went to church today, and everyone talked to you about how hideous they'd heard you would be. So you went to the pastor and said you refused to be married to me for another minute, and you demanded he introduce you to all of the unmarried men in the congregation."

Sarah laughed softly. "Oh, Karl. I'm almost used to you. Do you really think I'd do that?"

He made a face. "Almost used to me? Is that supposed to be a compliment?" He took a bite of his bacon, his face sad.

She grinned. "Really, I think we're going to suit very well. I can't imagine starting over with a new man now. You're too special to me."

His eyes met hers, startled. "I am?"

She nodded. "You are. You're a good provider, and you treat me very well. I couldn't ask for more in a husband."

"Except maybe a romantic Irishman who doesn't tell everyone he knows that you're ugly?" He looked embarrassed as he talked about what he'd done.

She laughed. "I forgave you for that, remember?" She wasn't sure how she'd feel in a few hours when she was reminded of it again, but she had forgiven him, so she wouldn't bring it up regardless.

He took her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing it softly. "Thank you for that. You really don't want to go find another man to marry?"

She shook her head. "I really don't. I like you, Karl. I
—
I think you're the kind of man I could fall in love with." The last words were spoken softly, as if she was embarrassed to say them.

Karl smiled. "I'm happy to hear that." He took a bite of his French toast, a silly grin plastered to his face. "Do you still want to go for a drive after church? It's not freezing outside yet, but it could turn colder any minute."

She nodded. "I really would like to see the area before the snow starts. We'll take a couple of quilts and bundle up well."

"And we can cuddle close under the quilts and keep each other warm."

She blushed at his words. "We're married, so we can."

On their way to church, Sarah fought to calm her nerves. Karl sat beside her wearing his Sunday best. His suit fit him perfectly, and he actually looked like a gentleman in it. She was so used to seeing him in his work clothes that it startled her to see him looking so distinguished.