Chapter Four
When Merry saw the bathroom, she let out a little squeal and clapped her hands. She’d lived her whole life without one, but a few weeks in Elizabeth’s home had gotten her to where she wanted to have the luxury of an indoor bathroom forever. “I can’t believe you have a bathroom!”
He grinned, watching her. “I built this house knowing that one day I’d bring my bride here. I wanted that bride to have everything she could possibly want or need. That included a bathroom.”
“I love it!”
“I’m glad.” He took her hand and headed for the stairway. “The bedrooms are up here. I chose one for each of the kids and tried to make them feel at home there.” He opened the first door at the top of the stairs. “This is our room.” He’d paid a neighbor woman to come in and do a thorough cleaning the day before, so he knew it would be clean enough for any woman.
She looked at the big bed in the middle of the room, swallowing hard. “I’m not sure if I’ll be ready to share a bed tonight.”
He shrugged. “I want to share the bed and the room, even if we don’t make love. I don’t want Charlie thinking anything.”
“Charlie? What do her thoughts matter?”
He frowned. “I just want her to think our marriage is a normal one.”
“She knows we met today, and I came here as a mail order bride.”
“I know. I just don’t want her to know if we don’t make love.”
Merry studied him for a moment before agreeing. “That’s fine. I won’t say a word.”
“Good.” He pulled her down the hall a little to the next room. It had a crib against one wall and there were blocks on the floor. It looked ready to be played in. Merry knew it would look just perfect once she put Joseph's blanket into the crib. His mother had made it for him, and it had only been saved from the fire, because he’d been wrapped in it when Merry had carried him out.
“The room is lovely. Thank you for getting him a crib.”
“Of course. He’s mine now too.” He closed the door and walked to the next room.
She smiled when she looked into it. There was a small bed with ruffles on the cover. Several stuffed animals were lying on the bed, ready for their new little girl to arrive. “Addy will love this.”
“Addy? Do you call her Addy?”
Merry nodded. “I go back and forth. I call her Adelaide half the time, and Addy the other half. The same with Joey.”
“Do you mind if I do the same?”
She shook her head. “No, of course not.”
He led her to the last bedroom. “I guess for now, this will be Charlie’s room.”
It was sparsely furnished, but knowing that she’d had to share her room with three sisters at home, Merry knew her friend would like it. There was one more door, and she looked at it for a moment. “What’s there?”
“It’s been empty, and I always figured I’d use it for something. When you told me about your business, I did what I could to make it a room for you.” He opened the door and watched her face, hoping he’d done well. He’d stayed up late into the night since he’d gotten her letter, hoping to make it just perfect.
Merry stepped into the room, tears filling her eyes. “It’s perfect!” There were two tables that she could use as work tables, each with a chair. The walls were covered with shelves, but not just any shelves, they were almost like little printer’s drawers turned sideways. The shelves had little holes where the ornaments could easily be stored, so she could build up an inventory, something she’d never had time to do.
“I didn’t know what kind of paint you’d want, so I didn’t get any of that.” His hands were in his pockets, and he looked a bit nervous about her reaction to the room.
She turned to him, rushing at him and throwing her arms around him. “Thank you so much! No one has ever done anything this kind for me before.” She sniffled, rubbing a tear away.
“I’m glad you like it. I’m sorry about the paint.”
“I brought my own paint. I’ll have to order the kind I like. You did a perfect job!”
“I feel bad that I didn’t have a tree set up when you got here, but we’ll pick one out together. Did you bring ornaments to put on it, or will you make them as we go?” he asked. He loved Christmas, because to him it was a symbol of all that was right with the world. His sweet little bride being an ornament maker filled him with pride.
She shook her head. “I don’t have any ornaments at all.”
He frowned at that. “I guess that’s like the cobbler’s kids going without shoes. You should make one ornament for each of us every year, so we all have something special every Christmas.”
Obviously he loved the idea of them each having an ornament, and he’d already done more for her than she’d imagined he would, so she nodded slowly. “Sure. I can do that.”
“This is going to be the best Christmas ever!”
Merry smiled. “I’ll do my best to make it perfect for you.” She hoped he would get so caught up in his love of the holiday that he didn’t notice her feelings about it at all.
When they joined the others downstairs, Charlie was sitting on the sofa holding baby Joey, who was sound asleep. Adelaide was lying on her side with her head on Charlie’s lap. “I didn’t know if I should let them sleep or keep them awake so they’ll sleep tonight.”
Merry shook her head. “We’re all so exhausted. Just let them sleep if they can now. It might take me a week or two to get them back into a regular routine, but they need sleep. I don’t think it’ll even disturb their rest tonight with as little as they’ve gotten in the past week.” She turned to Clyde. “We haven’t eaten since lunchtime, and it’s after six. I hope you have some magic food that doesn’t take long to cook.”
“I didn’t think about supper!” He sighed. “I was so busy showing my new bride the house that I forgot about the children needing to eat. Let me go get the supplies in.” He hurried to the door, pulling on his coat and hat, before rushing out to the sleigh.
Merry smiled at Charlie. “Thanks for staying to help with the children. I’m not sure if I’m ready to be their full-time care taker. I’ve had people helping except for the two days after their parents died.”
“I’ll stay as long as you need me. Although…” Charlie broke off, biting her lip.
“Although what? What’s wrong?”
“I don’t think Clyde likes me very much.”
“Don’t be silly. Clyde likes everyone from what I can see. He’s already got beds and toys for the children. Oh, and there’s a nice spare room for you, and he made me a workroom! It’s got everything we need.”
Charlie smiled, nodding. “I’m sure you’re right. I’m glad you’re happy with the house.”
“So happy. I’m going to like it here.”
“Of course you will. My sister always gets the matches just right.”
Merry smiled. “She’s a bit of a genius when it comes to finding the right man for a woman.”
Clyde came in with the supplies then, carrying them into the kitchen and putting them on the counter. “I’ll let you put things where you want them.”
Merry hurried into the kitchen, digging through the box. “Would you be all right with pancakes and bacon for supper? It’s a fast easy meal, and we can get the children to bed at a decent hour.”
He nodded. “Sounds good to me. I’ll get the rest of your things in and unhitch the team. I should have done that already. I guess having a new wife distracts me too much.”
“Does that mean you want me to go?” Merry asked with a smile.
“I wouldn’t let you if you tried!”
*****
An hour later, the children had been fed, tucked in, and Merry was ready to go up to bed. It was dark out, and she was exhausted, having not slept well on the train even once.
Charlie helped her with the dishes, and when they were finished whispered, “I’ll listen for the children tonight. I don’t want you to worry about them at all.”
“I’ll do my best!” Merry responded, hugging her friend. “I was nervous about bringing a member of the demon horde with me, but you’ve made this trip so much easier for me. Thank you.”
Charlie hugged her back. “I told you I’m not the same girl you knew in school.”
“Goodnight. And thank you for all your help.”
“I’m here for as long as you need me.”
“I appreciate that.” Merry turned toward the stairs. “Have you seen your room yet?”
Charlie shook her head. “I didn’t know if I should ask.”
“Of course you should! You need to know where you’ll sleep. Come on. I’ll show you, and then I’m going to bed.”
A short while later, Merry hurriedly changed into her nightgown and slid between the covers. Clyde had told her he’d give her ten minutes before coming in to bed. She lay there, waiting nervously for him. He’d never said for certain whether or not he was granting her the time she wanted to get used to him before they made love. He’d made her feel like he probably would, but she wasn’t certain.
Everything was so uncertain now. She thought she was glad to have made the journey across the prairie to him, but it was hard to know for certain just yet. He’d been great, but there was no telling what a man was really like until you’d lived with him. She’d never forget the talk Elizabeth had with her about getting away if he was unkind to her. She wouldn’t stay in a situation like that, and she certainly wouldn’t allow the children to stay.
She turned to her side, facing the center of the bed, wishing he’d hurry. She was getting more nervous by the moment.
Finally, the door opened, and she heard Clyde undressing in the dark. “Are you still awake?” he asked softly.
For a moment, she thought about feigning sleep, but then she answered. “Yes, I’m awake.”
He slid into the bed beside her, pulling her close. “I’m not going to ask you to do anything tonight, but I’d like it if I could hold you while I sleep.”
“Like Addy holds her dolls?” she asked, amused.
“Did she like the doll I got her?” he asked.
“I’m sure she did. She lost all her toys in the fire, so I’m sure she’s grateful for anything.”
Clyde stroked his hand over her hair. “How long ago was the fire?”
She sighed. “November. I’d already decided not to respond to your letter when the fire happened.”
He pulled away a bit, trying to see her face in the darkness. “Why weren’t you going to respond?”
She shrugged. “I wanted to. I had lunch with Elizabeth the day she got the letter, and she told me it had been written for me.” She was quiet for a moment, struggling to find the right words to explain how she’d felt. “My parents died when I was sixteen. My sister was newly married, but she and her husband didn’t hesitate to invite me to live with them in the tiny little house they had. I helped my sister with the children, and I helped with expenses with my business. I didn’t feel like I could leave right then.”
“But then the fire happened.”
She nodded. “Yeah, and I lost the last of my connections to Beckham. My parents died there, and then my sister and her husband died there. I have no desire to ever go back. I needed to be away from there, so I answered your letter.”
“Did you want to marry?”
She thought about that for a moment. “I did. I think. I never really thought about it a lot. I know girls are supposed to live for the day they will someday be a wife, but for me, it wasn’t like that. I probably would have been waiting for a beau like everyone else if my parents hadn’t died when they did. Instead, I worked hard so I wouldn’t be a burden on my sister. I’ve felt like a charity case for four years.”
He frowned. “I guess I never thought of it that way. It seems strange that you weren’t really looking to marry, but yet you answered my letter.”
“I wasn’t looking to marry anyone from Beckham. I had no preference about people outside of Massachusetts. I didn’t want to stay there where all the memories were bad ones.”
“So are you glad you decided to marry and made the journey all the way to Montana?”
“Ask me that again in a couple of weeks, and maybe I’ll have an answer. For now, I don’t. I think I made the right decision to leave Massachusetts and bring the children west. I don’t think I could have done it on my own, so I’m probably glad I did it this way. We’ll see.”
He kissed her forehead. “How long do you want to wait before we consummate? Are you thinking months?”
She shrugged. “I’m really not sure. I hope not months. I would like some time to get to know you first, though.”
“I believe that’s a reasonable request. We’ll get to know one another, but while we’re getting to know one another, I get to hold you at night. And kiss you when I feel like it.”
She laughed softly. “I think that’s perfectly fair. We’ll take it from there.” She didn’t add that she found him very attractive, because she didn’t want to be forward. It felt so strange lying in bed with him, with nothing but her nightgown between them.
He kissed her softly, as he had in the school that day. “Go to sleep, Merry. We’ll worry about everything after you’re rested.”
She sighed, burrowing closer. That sounded like the perfect solution to her. “G’night, Clyde. Thank you for making us feel so welcome.”
“You’re my new family. You are welcome.”