Aundy (Pendleton Petticoats - Book 1) (4 page)

Nora hurried off then returned with a warm, flannel robe in a dark shade of blue.

Handing Aundy a towel, Nora turned her back, giving the girl some privacy while she dried off.

“I appreciate you helping me,” Aundy said as she pulled on the robe after rubbing herself briskly with a rough towel. A masculine scent clung to the robe and she knew it must belong to Erik.

Watching her struggle to dry her long, blond tresses, Nora took over, using the towel to squeeze out excess water.

A noise from the front room sent Nora hurrying out the door while Aundy waited in the bathroom. She heard the clomping of boots in the hallway, going past the bathroom door and the sound of something heavy being set on the floor in the next room.

The men’s footsteps thudded back toward the front door as a knock sounded on the door. Nora opened it and motioned Aundy to follow her to the bedroom next door, where her trunks sat against one wall.

“The boys used some burlap at the barn to get your trunks clean, although I think that one,” Nora said, pointing to the trunk with the broken lid, “is sadly beyond saving. I’ve got your dirty clothes soaking so we can get that nasty mud out of them.”

Nora unfastened the straps and latches on the trunks, pushing up the heavy lids and watching as Aundy dug inside, taking out clothes. Noticing the sensible girl chose a dark green dress she could wear without a corset, Nora nodded her approval. Although wrinkled, it was clean and serviceable.

Noticing the fine stitching that made the dress look special, Nora smiled. “Did you or your sister make this dress?”

“Ilsa made it for me. Like I said, she’s the one who’s talented with a needle. I can run a sewing machine with the best of them, but Ilsa makes things lovely,” Aundy said while Nora helped her dress.

Studying the bruising on Aundy’s injured arm, Nora didn’t like the looks of a knot that formed under the skin. “Where’s your hairbrush, honey? I can help you with your hair,” Nora asked. Aundy pointed to her bag sitting on top of the broken trunk.

Nora took out the hairbrush and a length of black ribbon. “Come sit here and I’ll brush your hair.”

Aundy sat in the chair Nora indicated and was quiet while the woman brushed her long hair. Although not curly, it wasn’t exactly straight either, and most often took on a life of its own. Nora brushed it until she was satisfied with her efforts then pulled it back and tied a ribbon at Aundy’s nape to hold the hair out of her face. Enjoying the experience, Aundy couldn’t think of the last time someone brushed her hair for her. It was probably Ilsa back before their parents died.

“Your hair is lovely, honey. So long and thick, and such a pretty color.”

“Thank you, ma’am. I appreciate you brushing it for me,” Aundy said, getting to her feet and digging in her trunk for a pair of slippers. Sliding them on, her cold toes instantly felt warmer. “May I sit with Erik, please?”

“Certainly,” Nora said, smiling at Aundy and patting the girl’s cheek. Traveling across the country to marry a man she’d never met had to be frightening. To have the horses spook and wreck the wagon before they even got home from the wedding must be terrifying. She was very impressed with Erik’s bride, especially when she didn’t complain about her arm hurting though it clearly had to.

Walking down the hall together, Aundy looked up when Garrett opened the front door. “Ma, I thought…” Garrett said, but lost his ability to focus as he noticed Aundy, clean and fresh with her blond hair hanging in golden streamers down her back.

“You thought what, son?”

“Um… I… we might need a couple of sticks for a splint for Mrs. Erickson’s arm,” Garrett said, handing Nora two thin but sturdy sticks as he suddenly remembered why he’d come into the house. He hadn’t counted on Erik’s bride being so young, tall, or attractive. Giving himself a mental shake, Garrett reminded himself the woman was married to one of his very good friends.

“I was hoping to wait until the doctor arrives, but maybe we should go ahead and set it,” Nora said, eyeing Aundy’s arm.

“I can wait,” Aundy said, not anxious to have anything done to her arm. She’d seen plenty of accidents at the factory. It was going to hurt like everything to pull her arm back into place, if that was, in fact, what needed to happen.

Still carrying the sticks, Nora led the way to Erik’s bedroom where he rested pale and unmoving on the bed.

Aundy stood at the door, listening to his labored breathing. His chest rattled with every effort he made to draw in air. Although a blanket covered him to his waist, she could see Nora tried to bandage the multiple scrapes and open wounds that were bleeding. A red spot soaking through the blanket on his thigh indicated more wounds. Aundy hoped the doctor would soon arrive.

Walking to the bed, she gratefully sank down on the chair Garrett placed behind her and picked up Erik’s hand.

“Erik, it’s Aundy,” she said, lightly rubbing her fingers on the back of Erik’s hand. Garrett and Jim did a good job of removing the mud from Erik. Even his fingers were clean and he smelled faintly of soap. “Please wake up. Please?”

Aundy felt a hand on her right shoulder and lifted a teary gaze to meet Nora’s. Nora nodded her head, indicating Aundy should keep talking to Erik.

“If you’d told me you were going to plan so much excitement for my first day here, I might not have been so willing to come,” Aundy said, trying to add a touch of humor to her voice. “Next time, I’d appreciate a little warning before the horses run off like that, if you please. I’d at least take off my best hat before it ended up looking like a plucked chicken.”

Garrett chuckled and, taking his mother’s arm, pulled her out of the room.

“Let’s leave her be until the doc comes,” Garrett whispered as he and Nora went back to the kitchen. Jim rode out on Jester to see if he could find any of Erik’s hands. The ranch foreman, an older man everyone called Dent, didn’t usually get too far from the home place.

Nora was making a cup of tea for Aundy when they heard the jingle of harness. Garrett greeted the doctor and pastor at the door. Tom was already taking the doctor’s buggy and horse to Erik’s barn for a little feed and rest after the trip out to the farm. The sun was nearly set and the night looked like it would be dark and cold.

“Garrett,” the doctor said, as he removed his coat and hat, hanging them on the hall tree near the front door. “Tom wasn’t sure what happened, just there had been an accident.”

“Erik’s horses spooked, flipped the wagon over on him,” Garrett said as the pastor shook his hand and followed the doctor to Erik’s bedroom. “This is Aundy, Erik’s bride. We think she’s got a broken arm, but haven’t been able to talk her into letting us set it yet.”

“Mrs. Erikson, it’s nice to meet you, although I’d prefer to have done so under other circumstances. I’m Doctor Reed, but everyone calls me Doc,” the doctor said, setting his bag on the end of Erik’s bed and rummaging inside. When she got to her feet, the doctor, who was a few inches shorter than Aundy, looked at her in surprise.

“Thank you for coming,” she said, stepping aside so the doctor could get close to Erik.

Pastor Whitting put his hand on Aundy’s shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Why don’t we wait in the front room while Doc takes a look at Erik. Garrett will help him.”

Aundy nodded her head and followed the pastor to the front room where Nora was setting down a tray laden with cups of tea and a plate of sandwiches. Accepting a cup, Aundy sipped the flavorful brew while sitting in a comfortable armchair. For the first time, she noticed the nicely furnished room, done in shades of brown and tan. Although masculine, the space was inviting and welcome heat filled the room from a large fireplace.

Pastor Whitting and Nora chatted while Aundy sat waiting for the bedroom door to open and the doctor to give her some good news.

Since she realized Erik was hurt, a gnawing sense of foreboding clawed at her mid-section and filled her with dread. She had no idea what she would do if something happened to Erik. He wasn’t just a man who’d sent for a mail-order bride. Through their letters, he had become a friend. One she cared for even if she couldn’t profess to love him.

When the door opened and the doctor stepped out, followed by a grim-face Garrett, Aundy set her cup on the low table in front of her and got to her feet.

“Mrs. Erikson, perhaps you should sit down,” the doctor said, taking her right hand in his. When she shook her head, looking at him wide-eyed and fearful, he took a deep breath. “I’m terribly sorry, but Erik isn’t going to make it.”

Chapter Three

Garrett watched Aundy’s face turn white and her knees give way as she sank onto the chair behind her. Hearing her quick intake of breath, he saw her pinch her lips together, like she was trying to hold back her grief.

The pastor stepped beside her, awkwardly patting her shoulder while the doctor took the chair next to hers.

“I wish I had better news for you, Mrs. Erickson, but the accident crushed several vital organs and resulted in internal damage that is beyond healing. Erik’s lungs are filling with liquid and soon he won’t be able to breathe. In addition, his right leg is broken, but I’m not going to put him through the agony of resetting it,” Doc said, rubbing a weary hand over his tired eyes. “I don’t know how long Erik will linger, but considering his injuries, I would think no more than a day or two. I’ve given him some medication, to help with the pain, but that’s about all anyone can do at this point.”

“I see,” Aundy said, looking at the doctor with unshed tears in her eyes and unasked questions she was afraid to voice.

“I don’t have the supplies with me to put a cast on your arm tonight, but we can splint it until I get back out here in the morning. I’ll bring more medicine for Erik,” Doc said, reaching over and carefully examining Aundy’s broken arm. Looking up at Garrett, the doctor knew from experience the pastor was practically useless when it came to medical situations. “I’m going to need some help setting this. Shall we do it in the kitchen?”

“Certainly,” Nora said, getting to her feet, leading the way to the kitchen where she still had water boiling on the stove.

Garrett retrieved the doctor’s bag from Erik’s bedroom and set it down on the kitchen table. The doctor washed his hands at the sink while Nora handed the pastor a cup of coffee. He took a seat at the far end of the table while the doctor motioned Aundy to take a seat on the opposite end. Pushing her sleeve high above her elbow, the doctor more thoroughly probed her skin, determining that she had a clean break to the bone that should heal fine, once they got it back into place.

“Mrs. Erikson, I…” the doctor started to say, interrupted by the woman whose arm he held in his hands.

“Please, call me Aundy,” she requested, looking up at the doctor with eyes that held determination and strength.

“Aundy,” Doc said, nodding his head as he placed her arm on a stack of towels Nora set on the table. “This is going to hurt and if you need to scream, just go right ahead.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Aundy said, hoping she didn’t embarrass herself.

Scooting back in the chair, Garrett observed Aundy grasp the edge of the table in her good hand and brace her leg against the table. He would help hold her shoulder while Doc set her arm. Nora had the splints and bandages at hand, ready for Doc to wrap her arm while Pastor Whitting excused himself to sit with Erik.

“Ready?” Doc asked, waiting for Aundy’s nod. “Okay. On the count of three. One, two…”

The doctor pulled on two and Garrett felt Aundy tense at the painful tugging. To her credit, she didn’t scream or even cry. Garrett wanted to yell for her when he helped the doctor pull the broken bone back into place, but she just pressed her lips together and gripped her right hand against the edge of the kitchen table so tightly her fingers turned white.

“Good lands, honey, I’d have been bawling and screaming my head off,” Nora said with a smile. As the doctor wrapped the broken arm with the splints, Nora placed a steaming cup of fragrant tea in front of Aundy.

Reaching for the tea, Aundy wasn’t sure it would stay down and instead took a deep breath, followed by another. She wanted to scream and shout, maybe even throw something at how bad her arm hurt, but she’d learned long ago to quietly accept what had to be done and go on.

“Will it hurt her more to cast the arm tomorrow?” Garrett asked, feeling pity for Aundy. She took having her arm set better than most men he knew could have handled it, convinced it had to hurt. He’d broken his arm once when he was a kid and he screamed like Lucifer himself was putting on the cast when the doctor set it.

“No. The worst of it is over. I’d leave it like this, but something tells me Aundy isn’t one to sit idly by for the next six weeks or so while it heals. A cast will protect it and give her more mobility. I think the best thing you can do is eat some dinner and get some rest. I’ll be back early in the morning,” the doctor said, gathering up his supplies and gulping down the cup of coffee Nora handed him. Walking to the front of the house, he checked on Erik then put on his hat and coat.

Garrett ran out to the barn to get the doctor’s horse and buggy.

“Thank you for coming,” Aundy said, standing with Nora’s arm around her waist. Although she’d only just met the woman, Aundy appreciated the familiar and comforting gesture. “And for splinting my arm.”

“You’re  welcome,” Doc said, looking kindly at Erik’s wife. Pastor Whitting told him she was fresh off the train when Erik brought her in so they could wed. The farmer had talked of little else for weeks, since Aundy agreed to be his bride and travel to Pendleton. It was such a tragedy for their newly married life to end so harshly before it ever started. “Try and rest. There isn’t a thing you can do to help Erik, so get some sleep.”

“Yes, sir,” Aundy said, knowing she couldn’t sleep with Erik lying so injured, broken and alone, in another room. The least she could do was sit with him. No one else needed to know if she did that instead of slept in one of the other beds.

“Aundy, I’m so sorry at the way things have gone this afternoon, but remember God has plans for our good, even when it might not seem like it at the time,” Pastor Whitting said, giving Aundy’s back a gentle pat as he said his goodbyes. “Erik’s a good man, a good Christian, so don’t you worry about him.”

“Thank you,” Aundy whispered, unable to look at the pastor for fear the tears burning the backs of her eyes would escape and roll down her cheeks. Biting her tongue to keep a sob from escaping, Aundy felt Nora gently squeeze her waist, making it even harder to hold back her tears.

“I’ll return tomorrow with the doctor,” Pastor Whitting said, tipping his hat. “Rest well.”

Aundy lifted her head long enough to watch him walk out the door, then felt Nora lead her to a chair by the fire.

“Why don’t you sit and rest and I’ll bring you a plate of food,” Nora said, adding another log to the fire. The warmth the sun added to the day dissipated when the evening settled in, leaving  behind a cold, black night. 

“I don’t think I could eat,” Aundy said, staring into the flames, trying to understand why a good man like Erik was lying in the other room near death. Beyond that, Aundy wondered what she would do. She absolutely wouldn’t allow herself to think of returning to Chicago. There was no future there for her. None whatsoever.

“Yes, you can and you will. Anyone who’s been through what you’ve been through today without breaking down into hysterics can manage a little supper,” Nora said, nodding her head for emphasis as she left the room.

Hearing the front door open, Aundy looked up to see Garrett walk into the house, rubbing his hands to ward off the evening chill. “You might as well do as she says because she always gets her way,” Garrett said with a teasing smile, giving Aundy a conspiratorial wink.

“I heard that,” Nora called from the kitchen.

Garrett grinned, stepping closer to the fire and holding out his hands to the warmth. “I can stay and sit with Erik if you like or Ma will. You don’t need to be here alone.”

“I’ll be fine,” Aundy said, accepting the plate Nora held out to her, along with another cup of tea that Nora set on the small table near Aundy’s chair. At this rate, she might float away before the Garrett and Nora went home for the evening. “I don’t know how to thank either of you for all you’ve done today. You’ve both been so kind and...”

When Aundy’s voice broke, Garrett felt an unfamiliar tug in the region of his heart. The girl had been so strong and stoic throughout the entire day’s ordeal. He knew she had to be exhausted, frightened, and overcome by all that had happened on a day that should have been filled with love, happiness, and celebration.

“Don’t give it another thought. That’s what neighbors are for,” he said, stepping away from the fire and Aundy as he picked up his mother’s coat and held it for her.

“Pops will think we’ve abandoned him since we’ve been gone so long. We best get home. I sent Jim and Tom home earlier to oversee the chores, but it’s getting late,” Garrett said, picking up his mother’s basket of medical supplies as well as the gloves he thought were in his coat pocket when he went outside earlier.

“I didn’t even think to call your father and let him know what was happening,” Nora said, pointing toward the kitchen. “If you need anything, Aundy, anything at all, you pick up the phone and ask to be connected to the Nash family. We’ll be back to check on you in the morning.”

“Thank you,” Aundy said, starting to get up from her chair, but Nora waved her back down.

“Try to sleep, honey, and don’t worry. We’ll be praying for both you and Erik,” Nora said, then was out the door in a swish of her lavender skirts.

Setting the plate on her lap, Aundy took a bite of the food and found that she was hungry, after all. Cleaning her plate, she slowly drank her tea, lost in her sadness.

Traveling all the way across the country to marry Erik, her tired mind refused to register the thought that he was going to die. The doctor had to be wrong. Maybe Erik just needed a good night’s sleep. Maybe he’d wake up tomorrow and be fine. Maybe she’d wake up tomorrow and everything would just be a dream, and she’d find herself to be nineteen again, engaged to Gunther, and looking forward to a life with her beloved.

Sighing, Aundy got to her feet, put her empty cup on her plate and carried them both to the kitchen. It was awkward to wash them one-handed, but she managed. She didn’t take time to examine her new home. Instead, she walked back to Erik’s room and nudged the chair she’d sat in earlier close to the side of the bed.

Gingerly taking Erik’s hand in her own, she held it on her lap, rubbing the back of it with her right hand. Her left arm ached and throbbed and she was sure a multitude of bruises would show up tomorrow, but she ignored the pain and her discomfort, instead feeling sorrow for the man who had offered her a new home, a new life.

His breathing sounded shallow and raspy in his chest, but at least he continued taking one breath after another. His arm felt cool, so Aundy carefully slid it under the covers and reached up to smooth the hair back from his forehead.

Seeing a Bible on his nightstand, Aundy turned up the wick in the lamp and pulled the leather-bound book to her lap. Opening to one of her favorite Psalms, she started reading.

An hour later, she realized she really should either go to bed or find a more comfortable chair. Turning down the lamp, she set the Bible where she found it.

Unwilling to leave Erik alone, lest he should awaken or need her, she decided since they were technically married it would be okay for her to sleep on the other side of his bed. It had more than enough room for two people to rest comfortably and she was so tired.

Finding a quilt in a trunk in the corner of the room, she slowly stretched out on the bed, mindful of not disturbing Erik, and spread the quilt over the top of her. Turning on her right side, she closed her eyes, planning to take a short nap.

Awakening to the sound of footsteps on the porch, Aundy tried to remember where she was. Opening her eyes, she looked around an unfamiliar room, taking in a chest of drawers, a nightstand and a small closet.

Rolling onto her back, her arm felt heavy and she lifted it, surprised to see it bandaged with splints.

Her dream was real, not just a nightmare that would disappear with the morning light.

Sitting up, she noticed Erik looked just as pale and still as he had when she’d fallen asleep.

Swinging her legs over the edge of the bed, she tossed the quilt onto the trunk where she’d found it and walked into the front room. Noises from the kitchen drew her that direction and she wasn’t surprised to see Nora taking food out of a basket and setting it on the table.

“Mornin’, honey. You were sleeping so soundly when we came in, I told Garrett to keep the hands from banging on the door and waking you,” Nora said, walking over and giving Aundy a gentle hug.

“Thank you,” Aundy said, feeling worse than she did the night before.

“Do you think you could eat a little something?” Nora asked, as she took cups from the cupboard and set about making tea.

Knowing food was Nora’s way of reaching out and helping, Aundy nodded her head. Eating a bite or two would make the woman happy and after all her kindness, Aundy wouldn’t deny her that.

Nodding her head, Aundy sat down at the table while Nora slid a plate with two muffins in front of her. A jar of jam and a bowl of butter appeared and Nora cut open the muffins, slathering them with both.

Putting a cup of hot tea beside Aundy’s plate, Nora waited while the girl bowed her head over her meal and gave thanks, then sat sipping her own cup of tea quietly.

Eating both muffins, Aundy realized Nora was a wonderful cook and appreciated the good food as it filled the empty hollows in her stomach.