A blast of light woke Grace. She opened her eyes and turned toward the sun, red and round, rising above the horizon, heralding morning by flinging ribbons of orange and pink across the gray sky. Birds answered the call, hundreds of unseen birds filling the sky with song. Grace lay on her back, eyes closed, listening to the serenade. Never had she heard such a cacophony of sound. Then it settled to a murmur as if the birds had called their morning greeting to their sundry neighbors and now chattered in their own homes in a quieter, more sedate fashion.

Grace turned toward their house—their house! The idea sang through her. They were finally to have their own home, their own life. Now, she reasoned, she would be treated more as a wife and less as a daughter. She liked the idea.

In the unforgiving morning light beaming past the low unpainted barn, the house looked more forlorn than it had in yesterday’s softer evening rays. But she smiled. This was their first home. Anxious to make the place liveable, it was all she could do to lay still.

She knew the minute Billy woke up. His breathing paused, a jolt of energy twitched through his limbs, and he turned over on his back, instantly awake and ready to face the day.

“Well, it appears we survived our first night.”

She giggled. “I can’t make out if you’re happy about this or disappointed. Were you hoping the night would be more eventful?”

“I think I would have slept through most anything.” He stretched and sat up. “What first? Food or tackle the house?”

Grace’s stomach churned. “Just thinking of having to scour that house makes me feel sick.”

He jumped up. “I guess I could get a fire going and make some tea.” The flames soon leapt into life. He fashioned a wire across the fire and hung a pot of water to heat.

Grace lay clutching her stomach, trying to keep the nausea down.

“We need something besides tea,” Billy mused.

Grace kept her eyes closed. “We really are a pair of babies, aren’t we? Neither of us knows the slightest thing about some rather essential skills like cooking. I hope we don’t starve to death.”

“No need to fear.” He rummaged through the supplies. “There’s plenty here. The store man said I had everything I’d need. Here’s flour.” He pointed at a large, cloth-covered sack, then at a smaller one. “And sugar.” He grinned at her. “Know what we can make with that?”

She shook her head. “Haven’t the foggiest. Any suggestions?”

“I ‘spect there’s all sorts of things, but don’t ask me. Did you happen to bring a cookbook?”

She sat up so suddenly, her stomach protested. “I never even thought of it. Now what are we going to do?”

“We’ll muddle through somehow.” He turned back to the box of supplies. “You think we can survive on beans?” He held up two cans.

Clutching her stomach, she moaned and lay back down. “I don’t think my tummy likes beans. What else do you have?”

“Lots more beans. The man at the store said they were an essential staple.”

She groaned.

“Never mind. We’ll find something else. Ahh. More peaches. We’ll have tea and peaches. How does that sound?”

She sat up cautiously. “Sounds palatable enough.”

A few minutes later they shared a pot of tea and a can of peaches.

“That takes care of breakfast.” Billy tossed the can in the fire and stretched his arms high over his head.

Normally she found his energy and enthusiasm catching, but this morning she could think of nothing she’d rather do than lie down again. The tea and peaches had done nothing to settle her stomach. Beans definitely did not agree with her. “As soon as we get the stove set up, I’m going to make a proper meal.”

“Great. What will it be?” His grin was wide and teasing.

“I think I could scramble some eggs.”

“Trouble is, we don’t have any. The man at the store suggested we buy some hens so we could have our own supply.”

Her jaw went slack. “Our own chickens? We’re beginning to sound like farmers.”

“Too bad it’s too late to put in a garden.”

Grace stared at him. She had so much to learn.

Billy filled two buckets at the pump. “I’ll get some water heating. In the meantime, let’s see what needs to be done.”

She followed him to the house. The smell inside was overpowering, and she clutched her midsection and moaned.

“What’s wrong?” Billy stared at her.

“It’s the smell. It makes me feel sick.”

“Then let’s get rid of it.” He grabbed the broom. “I’ll sweep the floor, then we’ll start scrubbing.”

She nodded, too nauseated to speak. He swept through once, shoveling out a pile of dirt, then handed her the broom.

“Give it another going over while I get the water.”

With one hand she took the broom, pressing the other to her stomach, determined not to let the sick feeling get the best of her. Without a backward glance, Billy hurried outside.

Grace tackled the floor, relieved to discover work eased her nausea. By the time Billy returned with hot soapy water and rags, she felt a great deal better and had the floor ready to wash.

Billy stood at the doorway and looked around. “I suppose we should start at the top and work down.” He glanced at her and then around the room. “How ’bout if I wash the top of the walls and you wash the lower part?”

“Let’s do it.”

Three hours later they stood back and surveyed their efforts.

“Not bad,” Billy said.

“Not bad,” she agreed. The upper walls were dark green, the lower half leathery looking wainscoting that seemed none the worse for the neglect it had endured. After much scraping and scrubbing, the bare boards now looked smooth and clean.

“Any idea what we will eat?”

Grace shook her head. “I’m guessing it will be beans and peaches. I suppose if we set up the stove—” Her voice trailed off. “Do you know how to set it up?”

“About as well as you know how to cook on it, though I was given some rather cryptic instructions.”

She brushed a loose strand of hair from her face. “We are quite a pair, aren’t we? What’s the expression?”

“Hardy pioneer stock?”

She laughed. “More like babes in the woods.” She cocked her head. “Sounds like someone driving by.”

“Or driving in.”

“Hello, the house.” A man’s voice echoed through the room.

Billy leapt out the door, Grace hot on his heels.

“Name’s Tom Deans,” said the youngish man, jumping down and extending his hand.

The woman at his side stood, waited a moment for her husband to help her down, then hurried to Grace. “I’m Nellie. We’re your neighbors.”

“That’s our place right over there.” Tom pointed. “Two miles due north.” He lifted a box from the back of the wagon.

“We thought you would be busy getting moved in,” Nellie explained. “So we brought over dinner.”

The smells flooded Grace’s mouth with saliva. “How nice,” she said. “We were just wondering if we would have to eat another can of beans.”

“We haven’t got the stove set up yet.” Billy chuckled. “Guess you can see that for yourself.”

“You’ll be needing a hand with that,” Tom said quietly.

“First, we eat. We could use the table out here or—” Nellie smiled gently at Grace. “We could set it up inside. What would you prefer?”

“After all the work we’ve done getting the kitchen clean, I’d like to eat inside. That is,” Grace added, growing doubtful, “if the smell from the other room isn’t too overpowering.”

“We’ll ignore it.” Billy said, already taking one corner of the table. Tom took the opposite side.

Grace grabbed a chair and followed.

“This is wonderful,” Grace announced a few minutes later as she dug into the stew Nellie had brought. She took a bite of the fresh bread. “I doubt I’ll be able to do anything like this.”

“Don’t you know how to cook?” Nellie’s voice was soft.

“Not to save my life.”

Tom chuckled. “This ought to be quite an adventure.” He grinned at Billy. “Think you’ll survive?”

Grace liked Tom immediately with his rolling laugh and dancing blue eyes. He and Nellie were as opposite as day and night: she, pretty and dark, petite, and quiet; he, blond, big, blunt featured, and a little boisterous. She darted a glance at her own husband, contrasting his dark hair and fine features with Tom’s bluntness. Billy was handsome to the extreme.

“I’d be pleased to help you learn how to cook,” Nellie offered.

“I’d appreciate that.”

“I hear you’re one of them there flying aces.” A hint of awe made Tom’s voice deep.

“I flew in the war alright.”

“And you managed to return home unscathed?”

Billy shook his head. “I sport a few scars. In fact that’s how I met Grace.”

Nellie leaned forward, her face alight. “How exciting. Do tell us.”

Billy shrugged and looked at Grace. “Go ahead.”

“My sister was a nurse in a convalescent hospital in our town. She worked long hours there, leaving me on my own. It was very boring.” Grace sighed. “I was supposed to stay away from the hospital.”

Billy interrupted. “She was only sixteen. Her father thought she should be spared the horrors she would see there.”

Grace nodded. “In my boredom, I would sometimes slip up the hill and wander around. Sometimes I would talk to the soldiers sitting out in the garden.” She grimaced. “I avoided the ones who were burned.”

“Good thing I wasn’t burned,” Billy muttered.

“Anyway, I was crossing the lawn when I saw this soldier drop his crutches. He had one leg swaddled in bandages, and I figured he had dropped them accidentally so I hurried over to retrieve them for him.”

“I was trying to walk on my leg so I could go back to flying.”

“And when I bent to pick up the crutches, he collapsed on top of me.” She laughed. “I always say he literally fell for me.”

“How romantic.” Nellie’s eyes had grown wide. “And you got married right away before he went back to active duty?”

Billy chuckled. “Not exactly. Her father about had a fit when he found out we wanted to get married. He didn’t mind her bringing home a young Canadian soldier for tea. It was the patriotic thing to do, you know, to entertain the Canadians. But at the thought of marriage—” He shrugged. “I guess I couldn’t blame him. Grace was so young. Life was so uncertain. Anyway, he made us promise to wait.”

Grace nodded. “We got married after the war ended.”

Nellie sighed. “I still think it’s romantic. A war bride.”

Back east, Grace had quickly learned not everyone welcomed English war brides, feeling they had stolen more than their share of eligible young men.

“And I love your accent.”

Grace smiled. “Thank you.” Apparently Nellie had no problem with accepting Grace. “How about you two. How did you meet?”

Nellie shrugged. “Nothing very exciting, I’m afraid. Our families lived on neighboring farms.” Her gaze softened as it rested on Tom. “We’ve known each other most of our lives.”

“There’s something special about that too.” In a way Grace envied Nellie. She would never have that sense of strangeness with Tom that Grace so often experienced with Billy.

Tom pushed back from the table. “We intend to spend the afternoon helping you get moved in.”

“That’s not necessary,” Grace demurred, even as she welcomed the idea.

“Of course it’s not, but we want to,” Tom said in his blunt way.

“That’s right,” Nellie added. “What do you want to do first, Grace? Move in the kitchen things or finish scrubbing down the house?”

“I’d like more than anything to get rid of the smell.”

Nellie nodded. “Then we’ll finish scrubbing first.”

With four of them tackling the rooms, the work went amazingly fast, and the front room and two small upstairs bedrooms were soon as clean as the kitchen.

“I’ll help you get that stove set up now.” Tom headed for the door as he spoke.

Billy sprang after him.

“I could help you unpack dishes or whatever,” Nellie offered.

“You quite sure you don’t mind?”

“Not at all. I’m enjoying the company.” They headed after the men. Grace selected several boxes that the women carried to the house. A row of shelves plus the cupboard Billy’s parents had shipped out waited for the dishes and cooking supplies.

“Not that Tom isn’t good company,” Nellie explained. “Only sometimes I wish for a woman to talk to.”

“There aren’t any neighbors?”

Nellie smiled. “The Welty family lives to the east. About three miles. Then there’s the ladies in town. It’s not that far, but we don’t go often, and when we do, Tom is always anxious to get our business done and hurry home.” She paused from unwrapping china plates. “This is the longest visit I’ve had with a woman since we married.”

Grace nodded. Despite Nellie’s serenity, Grace could see she longed for a visit. “How long have you been married?”

“Eighteen months.” Nellie ducked her head. “We’re going to have a little one in a few months.”

“How exciting.” Grace refrained from saying the idea positively frightened her. How would she cope with a baby when she didn’t even know how to make a proper meal? Was it possible to live on beans and scrambled eggs?

“I can hardly wait.” Nellie sighed. “I prayed so hard that I would have a baby right away. It seemed to take so long before it happened.” She smiled gently. “I guess God knew I wasn’t quite ready. It takes time to get used to being a married woman, let alone a mother.”

Grace paused from setting supplies on the shelves. “I’ve been married more than a year, but I still haven’t gotten used to it.” She lined up a tin of tea and some spices she had no idea what to do with. “I suppose it doesn’t help that we’ve always lived with someone else.”

“This is your first time alone?”

Grace nodded.

“Oh my. I guess you’ll have a lot of adjusting to do yet.”

“What do you mean?”

Nellie looked serious for a moment, then chuckled. “Two people don’t become one without knocking off some edges.” She shrugged. “Maybe you’ve already learned this, but I can’t imagine me being able to do so if I lived with either set of parents. Nor can I imagine how I would have managed without God’s help.”

Grace turned back to her task without answering. Nellie talked about God like He was a special friend. Grace hadn’t heard talk like that before. But what she said about not being able to get to know each other while living with parents made sense. No wonder she often felt Billy was more stranger than husband. There was so much for her to learn. “Tell me about the community.”

“Daystown is a nice place. Real friendly. And growing. Why even since we came there’s been another grocery store opened and Rexal Pharmacy. And we have a nice church.” She paused suddenly. “Here I am assuming you are a church goer. Maybe I’m assuming too much.”

Grace shook her head. “No, I go to church every Sunday if possible.”

“That’s nice. I hoped we would share the same faith.”

Grace didn’t respond as she lined up cans of beans. Suddenly, she giggled. “The man at the grocers told Billy beans were the best staple. I think Billy took him seriously.” She added four more cans to the growing row.

Nellie laughed. “Don’t think I’d want to eat nothing but beans.” She looked into the box of groceries. “What else do you have?”

“A few cans of peaches. Oats, sugar, cornmeal, flour—” Grace lifted out more cans. “Baking powder, soda—what’s this?” She held up a square can.

“Corned beef. Another of those staples.” Nellie shook her head. “Mr. Tunney certainly outfitted you well, but this looks like a grubstake for a cowboy or a prospector. Most folk eat a little better than this.” She leaned against the table as she considered. “Several people go together and butcher a cow. I like to can as much as possible so it lasts.”

“I don’t know how to do that.”

Nellie shrugged. “It’s not hard. I’ll show you the first time and then you’re set.”

“I hope so.” Everything was easy for those who knew what to do. It seemed to Grace she didn’t know how to do anything. “I guess I shouldn’t have been so content to let others look after me.”

Nellie studied her openly. “I can see why people want to take care of you.”

“Why do you say that?” She didn’t think her helplessness was quite so apparent.

“With those big, dinner-plate blue eyes, hair the color of golden velvet, and that English complexion. Why, girl, you look like you should be sitting on a royal throne with servants at your beck and call.”

Grace burst into laughter at Nellie’s description. She held her hand out in a royal gesture. “How generous of you, but that’s not why I’ve been coddled.”

“Then why?”

“I was never a strong baby. My mother was ill following my birth and died when I was an infant. I guess that’s why I was sickly. Anyway, according to my sister, Irene, it was a miracle I lived. I suppose they never got over the fear that I might get ill again.”

“You’re fine now, aren’t you?”

Grace snorted. “I’m as strong as a horse and haven’t been sick since I was very young. I’ve had to fight to be allowed to run and play. I suppose I lacked the will to fight for anything more until Billy came along.”

“Well, we all have to start someplace.” On those practical words, Nellie resumed unpacking dishes.

The men staggered into the house under the weight of the stove and lowered it into place.

“We were looking around,” Tom said. “Billy was anxious to see what needed to be done in the barn. He’s got an airplane in Edmonton he’s going to bring here. He’s offered to take me for a ride.”

“The barn will do nicely as a workshop.” Billy addressed Grace. “I’ll be able to do repairs and tinker about.”

The men went out, returning with stovepipes and a handful of spanners, and immediately set to work joining pipes and adjusting things.

Nellie had a puzzled expression. “Won’t you be needing the barn for your cow and horse and chickens?”

“There’s a little pen at the far end where I can put chickens when we get them.”

“I said we could spare some milk,” Tom added. “Even with the baby, we have more milk than we can use.”

Satisfied that everything had been arranged, Nellie returned to her task.

“Let’s try it out,” Tom said a few minutes later. A fire was soon going in the stove, and Grace set the kettle to boil. “I’m afraid I haven’t much to offer except beans.” Everyone laughed. “But we can have tea.”

“Tom, I put in a tin of cookies if you want to fetch them from the wagon.”

“I can’t tell you how much I appreciate all this help,” Billy said as the four of them sat down for a break.

“Yes, thank you.” Grace glanced around the room. “It looks ready to live in.”

“We’ll help bring in the bed and dresser before we leave,” Tom announced.

“And I’ll get you started on supper,” Nellie told Grace. She stared at the row of cans. “There’s lots here, I guess. If you’ve a particular fondness for beans.”

Grace giggled. “We have flour and sugar.”

“If you had eggs I could show you how to make pancakes. As it is. . .”

“I’m beginning to suspect we don’t have an adequately stocked pantry.”

Nellie sighed. “Unless you truly like beans.”

Grace wrinkled her nose. “I wouldn’t mind them once in awhile, I guess.”

“Maybe we should begin at the beginning. I’ll help you make a list of what you need.” Grace found pencil and paper and began to write as Nellie listed items. “Yeast so you can make bread. Potatoes and maybe some vegetables. I have so much in my garden. Too bad I didn’t think to bring some over. I will next time.”

As the list grew, Grace’s doubts doubled. “I have no idea what to do with all these things.”

“I’ll come over again in a day or two and give you a few lessons. In the meantime, ask Mr. Tunney for a cookbook. He’s bound to have something.” She picked up a pail of lard. “How would you like to learn how to make biscuits?”

Under Nellie’s capable supervision, Grace soon had a pan of biscuits ready to go in the oven.

“You could open a can of beans or the corned beef to eat along with this. Or you could eat them with syrup. I see Tunney gave you the largest pail available. Anyway, you won’t starve. Do you know how to make porridge?”

“Don’t you pour oats into something?”

Nellie rolled her eyes. “Close. Here, I’ll show you what to do.”

The men went back and forth with boxes, a dresser for the bedroom, and two rockers for the front room.

“That’s that.” Billy dusted his hands against his trousers. “Again, thank you.”

“I’ll be back first chance I get,” Nellie promised.

Amid a flurry of good-byes, the Deans left. Grace stared after them until the wagon disappeared behind a dip. “That was nice.”

“Sure was. I bet it would have taken us three days to do all that by ourselves.” He turned toward the barn. “Supper won’t be ready for awhile, will it?”

Following his gaze, she smiled. “Supper will be very simple tonight.”

“That’s fine.”

She knew his attention had already gone to the work he wanted to do in the barn. “I’ll be busy for awhile getting the bedroom set up. I’ll call when the meal is ready.”

“Fine.” He headed away.

Grace watched his long, easy gait. Everything about him spoke of self-confidence. It was part of the reason she loved him. For him, nothing was too big a challenge. Probably why he was a good war pilot; he loved the risk and excitement. She turned toward the house. It was no wonder he never noticed her reluctance, her lack of confidence. She took a deep breath. He didn’t seem to need the reassurance of her love the way she needed his assurances. Nellie’s words came back to her. If Nellie and Tom needed time to learn to be man and wife even though they had known each other for years, was it any wonder she felt as if she didn’t know who she was or what was expected of her?

As she filled the drawers in the bureau and made up the bed, she heard crashing about in the barn and smelled pungent smoke. Billy didn’t intend to waste time getting the barn to rights. When she finished and the biscuits were baked, she walked out to get him, pausing in the open door to watch him. She never got tired of watching him; he attacked everything with such enthusiasm.

He saw her, and a quick smile creased his face. “Isn’t this great?” He waved at the pile of straw he’d pushed up in the middle of the floor. “As soon as I clean this out, I’ll have room to work. I have a ton of ideas I want to work on. I’m sure if I changed the struts on the wings, I could strengthen them. And if I mount a camera, I could take aerial surveys. Wop May said several companies have been asking about that.” He looked past her, out the door. “I can hardly wait to get my airplane and park her right out there. It’s been way too long since I’ve been up in the air.” His eyes focused on her. “You’ll have to come up with me.”

She jerked back. “Me, fly?” She shook her head. “I couldn’t. I don’t want to.”

His mouth fell open. “You’re joking. There’s nothing like it. Once you’ve been up, nothing else in life is as exciting. It’s like being free for the first time in your life.” He nodded. “You’ll change your mind for sure when I get the airplane here and you see how beautiful she is.”

She narrowed her eyes. When was the last time he’d looked at her with that gleam in his eye and raved about her beauty? Or admired her with eyes burning with such passion? What was so special about a stupid airplane?

Her chin shot up. “Supper’s ready.” She couldn’t seem to help the way her lips tightened. Not that Billy noticed. His dreamy gaze sought the place where his airplane would one day stand. She spun on her heel and marched toward the house.