Mail-Order Bride Ink: Dear Mr. Weaver (8 page)

“They’re adorable!” Ebba said with a smile. “What are their names?”

“Justin and Jason,” he said.

Ebba studied them. “How on Earth do you tell them apart?”

“Justin has the clouded eye,” a woman said as she came through the back door.

Ebba turned to her and noted the baby girl in her arms. She couldn’t be more than a year old. “You must be Samijo?” She hoped she was pronouncing it correctly.

“And you must be Ebba.” The woman balanced the child on one hip and held out her hand.

Ebba shook it. “And whom might this be?” she asked, pointing to the babe.

“This is Autumn, our youngest. Did you sleep well?”

“Well enough to forget where I was this morning,” Ebba said with a laugh. She peeked past Samijo through the open door. “When will the others come in?”

“They’re headin’ this way now,” the man said, then offered her his hand. “I’m Arlan, in case you ain’t figgered it out yet.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Ebba said politely. “I understand you and Samijo have a cabin across one of the orchards.”

“That’s right,” Samijo said. “After we get some things taken care of I’ll show it to you. We’ll have to go over there anyway to start the baking.”

“Baking?” Ebba said.

“Yes, for your wedding,” Charity chimed in. “We’ve got a lot of pies to make between now and then.”

Ebba could feel her cheeks grow hot “Er … when exactly … is the wedding?”

Everyone looked at her, their mouths half-open, before they glanced at each other. “I thought it was tomorrow,” Arlan said.

“No, that can’t be right,” Samijo told him. “I think it’s the day after tomorrow.”

“You probably don’t know this yet, but a lot of people in town are planning to come,” Charity replied. “It’ll likely be in a few days.”

“Land sakes, doesn’t anybody listen to anyone around here?” Ma barked as she entered the kitchen. “Samijo was right – it’s the day after tomorrow. There’s too much work to be done and folks can’t get here that fast. We had to plan on an extra day.”

“So we have two days to get ready.” Charity crossed her arms in front of her. “Who’s in charge of the main meal? Did you tell those invited to bring something, Ma?”

“Betsy and Charlotte are bringing bread,” Ma informed her. “Leona and her girls are bringing the fruits and vegetables. We’re making the cake and the pies.”

“What about the meat?” Samijo asked.

“Mr. Davis is bringing a pig.”

“A … pig?” Ebba asked in surprise.

“Yes, isn’t it wonderful?” Ma said. “That pig will feed everyone and then some. We can roast it right in the barnyard.”

“Roast it?” Ebba squeaked. “You mean it will be …
alive
when he gets here?”

“Not for long,” Arlan chuckled.

Ebba fell onto the nearest chair. “Oh dear. The poor pig.”

“I bet you never said ‘poor pig’ when you bought pork chops at the butcher shop in Denver,” Ma said as she went to the hutch and got herself a cup and saucer.

“I never thought about it,” Ebba said with a grimace. “Maybe because we didn’t buy much meat.”

“If you’re squeamish about such things,” Ma said, “then make yourself scarce when Mr. Davis does the deed.”

“The … deed?” Ebba swallowed hard.

“Good grief, child, you’re white as a sheet!” Ma quickly set the cup and saucer in front of her, went to the stove and grabbed the coffee pot. After pouring Ebba a cup she went back to the hutch for more cups and saucers and served up the rest of the pot. “Charity, we’ll have to make another.”

“Right away, Ma.” Charity said, then froze as a sudden wail from upstairs caught everyone’s attention. “Never mind – Truly’s awake. Samijo, will you do the honors?”

“Sure, I don’t mind.” Samijo reached for the empty pot.

“I’ll be right back.” Charity left the kitchen and headed for the staircase.

Ebba sat as Samijo and Ma picked up where Charity had left off with breakfast. She had to admit, the women were like a finely-tuned machine as they worked together. She just hoped she didn’t do anything to mess up the gears.

B
reakfast was
a boisterous affair complete with crying children, a barking dog and lots of laughter between Daniel, Arlan and Benjamin. Ebba had yet to meet Calvin, Benjamin’s twin, and wondered when he and Bella would come by the house. Ma told her that they usually ate in their own home, which had been completed last year. It had taken the men quite a while to get it built, what with having a farm to run, but they’d managed to help their brother out.

“It must be a large house for it to take so long to build,” Ebba said.

“It’s big, all right,” Arlan agreed. “Come to think of it, about as big as this place.”

“How many bedrooms does it have?” Ebba asked.

“Four, same as this one,” Ma said. “The good Lord knows they need the room.”

“Four bedrooms?” Ebba said in surprise. “Are they planning on having a lot of children?”

“Planning?” Benjamin said with a laugh. “Too late for that!”

Ebba glanced around the table, confused, and noted everyone had the same amused expression. “Did they have … triplets?”

Daniel, who was seated next to her, flew into a fit of laughter. “No, darlin’, they ain’t got triplets. Not that that couldn’t happen, ‘specially in this family!”

“I could be so lucky,” Ma said. “But I have enough on my hands as it is with the ones we do have.”

Ebba sipped her coffee, placed the cup in its saucer and glanced at Justin and Jason sitting across from her in their parents’ laps. Ma held Autumn in her arms. “Four is a good number of grandchildren,” she said. “They’re close enough together in age so they’ll grow up together and always have each other for playmates.”

Everyone stared at her.

Ebba glanced around the table again. “What did I say?”

Ma smiled and looked at Benjamin. “When
is
your brother coming up to the house?”

“Pretty soon, Ma,” he said. “Why?”

“I think it’s time to get all the introductions over with, that’s all,” she said.

Daniel smiled and covered his mouth with a hand. “Yeah, I guess we’d better.”

“So I will meet them before you go to work for the day?” Ebba asked.

“That’s a good idea,” Ma said. “We have a lot of work today too, ladies. Ebba, how are you at baking cookies?”

“I make very good cookies. At least my father
thought so.”

“Then you’re in charge of baking those today. Samijo, what were you planning?”

“Well, I’d like to show Ebba my home, but I’m going to need my oven for pies.”

“You girls can run across the orchard and take care of that after breakfast and the introductions,” Ma said. “Then Ebba can come back here and start on those cookies.”

Ebba was about to ask her what kind of cookies she wanted when a commotion sounded outside the kitchen door. Everyone ignored the ruckus except her. It was all she could do not to stand and look to see what was coming – it sounded like quite a crowd!

The kitchen door burst open and a small boy with dark curly hair ran in. “
Nonna
! Did ya save me any bacon?” He had the oddest accent – like a cross between the Weaver men and Mr. Milioti, the greengrocer back in Denver.

“Now you know I love you as much as the next person, Leo,” Ma said, “but I’m afraid I ate all of it. Though Daniel’s mail-order bride is going to bake cookies later.”

The boy looked around the table, his eyes finally landing on Ebba. “Are you?” he asked and pointed at her.

“Leonardo, didn’t yer ma tell ya it ain’t polite to point?” Daniel asked.

The boy’s hand dropped as he looked at Daniel. “Who is she?”

“Yer grandma just told ya,” Daniel said. “This here’s Ebba, my mail-order bride. We’re gonna get hitched in a couple days. Ya wanna come?”

Leo didn’t have a chance to respond, as five more children piled in through the door, followed by the most beautiful woman Ebba had ever seen. She actually gasped at the sight of her.

Behind the woman came a man carrying an infant in one muscular arm – clearly Benjamin’s brother Calvin. Ebba wouldn’t have been able to tell them apart except that Calvin hadn’t shaved that morning. Well, his chin was shaved, but his upper lip sported a few days’ growth of hair. “Mornin’, everyone!” he said happily and headed straight for Ebba with his hand extended. “I’m Calvin – I’m gonna be yer new brother-in-law!”

Ebba was about to return the greeting when a girl in her early to mid-teens came in with a baby on each hip. The girl went straight for the beauty standing next to Calvin. “Here, Bella, I changed them both for you.”

“Thank you, Rufi. You are such a help to me. You will make a fine wife one day.”

“Here, why don’t you take Thatcher for me?” Calvin handed the toddler he was holding off to the girl.

Ebba openly gawked – she couldn’t help it at this point. Children spilled into the hallway, the kitchen not big enough to hold everyone. Some ran upstairs while others went into the parlor, jumping and laughing all the way. The house was suddenly a cacophony of English seasoned heavily with Italian. Perhaps she shouldn’t worry about slipping into her native Swedish now and then. But all of these children couldn’t possibly belong to Calvin and Bella, could they?

“I suppose you’re wondering where all these younguns came from,” Ma yelled over the noise.

Ebba slowly nodded, eyes wide.

“Well, Bella’s parents passed away, so after she and Calvin married, she sent for her brothers and sisters to come join them. They were staying with an aunt in New York, but her health wasn’t so good. So here they are!”

Ebba continued to stare in shock at the children running here and there. Daniel reached over and put a hand over hers. “You okay, sweetie?” he asked.

His touch snapped her out of her stupor. “You … never mentioned … any of
this
in your letters!”

“What for? I figured ya were gonna meet them once ya got here anyway. I thought it’d be a nice surprise. So, ya surprised?”

She gaped at him. “I’m beyond surprised, actually. How do you feed them all?”

“Why do ya think it took us so long to build Calvin’s house?” Daniel asked. “We had to plant a few extra fields to feed ‘em all. But we gotta system now and it works just fine. Don’t worry, sweetie, you’re only one extra mouth,” he added with a grin.

Ebba looked at him in horror as visions of cooking for this army of Weavers stretched before her. She looked at Ma. “Are you sure one pig at our wedding will be enough?”

S
amijo guided
Ebba through an orchard and across a field to her cabin. The peace and quiet was a far cry from the chaos of the farmhouse, and Ebba reveled in it. The little valley where the farm was located was beautiful, peaceful and serene … so long as Calvin, Bella and company, weren’t around.

But after Samijo elaborated on why Calvin and Bella had brought her siblings to the farm, things made better sense. Ebba supposed that if she had a lot of brothers and sisters being raised by a sickly aunt, she’d have done the same thing. Bella had married an exceptional man. Most wouldn’t do what Calvin Weaver had done, taking on seven of his wife’s young siblings and putting them all in the same house. He’d become an instant father, of sorts, not to mention having his own children.

She shook her head. Nine children under one roof with two adults … not that such was uncommon. But it certainly wasn’t easy. It was a testimony to Calvin Weaver’s kind heart and generous spirit that he hadn’t told his wife no.

“I think I’ll make apple pies,” Samijo said, pulling Ebba from her thoughts. “And maybe some peach cobbler.”

“How do you get the apples? Ebba asked. “There aren’t any on the trees.”

Samijo stared at her a moment, then laughed. “I’m sorry, you’ll have to excuse me. It’s been a long time since I lived in a city. We harvest the apples in late summer. I’ll use the ones we canned last year. Canned ones work better for pie anyway, I think.”

Ebba glanced around the small kitchen. “I’ve never canned before. There was no need in the city.”

“I know – I came here from New Orleans. I used to go to the market for my Uncle Burr three times a week or more.” She too looked around the cabin. “Out here, though, it’s a lot different. But having lived in both places, I wouldn’t trade this life for ten thousand dollars.”

“Ten thousand? That’s a lot of money. You might think differently if someone set that much money in front of you.”

Samijo smiled and turned away. “Not as hard as you might think.” She went to a cupboard, opened it and pulled out several large jars. “I’ll start with these, but first let me show you around. When Arlan and I were first married, the place looked very much like it does right now.”

Ebba studied her surroundings. There were two chairs and a couch in the living area. The kitchen and dining area was small, but adequate for the size of their family. Two doors led into two separate bedrooms. “What will you do when you have more children? They all can’t share a room forever.”

“No, they can’t,” Samijo agreed. “Which is why we plan on adding a second story. That way we can have two more bedrooms. Justin and Jason can share one, then we’ll go from there.”

“I can’t imagine what your brother-in-law Calvin’s house is like.”

“I can tell you, it’s a lot more organized than you might think. I know Bella’s brothers and sisters are loud and boisterous, just like the Weavers. But they’re happy children, very polite, and they do as they’re told. The oldest has her own room, while the boys share one and the rest of the girls another. The older kids take care of the younger ones, and Bella runs it all like an Army sergeant. It all works out.”

“What about the babies?” Ebba asked.”

“Alastair and Hugh are in Calvin and Bella’s room right now. When they’re old enough they’ll go to the boys’ room. Well, unless Rufina – we call her Rufi – is ready for marriage by then.”

“How old is she now?”

“Sixteen and a real beauty, just like her sister – she’ll have no trouble finding a husband. But there’ll be trouble if he doesn’t want to live here on the farm. I can’t imagine any of them leaving at this point, any more than I can imagine Arlan and I would.”

Ebba walked over to a chair at the table and sat. “I hope you don’t mind me saying this, but I’m overwhelmed. Daniel didn’t tell me anything about …” She waved a hand in the air. “… having so much family. I thought it was just him and his mother.”

Samijo sat across from her. “Oh, you poor thing. I’m sorry he didn’t tell you. I hope you’re not too angry with him.”

“I guess I am a little angry. I envisioned a nice little house with just the two of us and now I … I don’t know what to think.”

Samijo suddenly straightened. “You’re not
thinking of backing out of marrying Daniel, are you?”

“Oh no, it’s just that … I’m not sure what to think of all this. If he didn’t tell me about all of you, then what else hasn’t he told me?”

“Daniel wouldn’t lie, Ebba. Really, none of the Weavers would, ever. I guess because he’s used to having so many people around, he didn’t think that you might not be as comfortable with them. At least give him a chance to apologize. But first you have to tell him how you feel.”

Ebba shrugged, unsure of what to say. She didn’t want to use the words
betrayed
or
cheated
, but they were how she felt. “What’s done is done. It’s not important anymore.”

“It is if you think so. You need to tell Daniel. Trust me, you’ll want to be able to tell each other anything. Arlan and I have had our quarrels over the last few years, most of which could’ve been avoided if we’d only talked to each other instead of shutting each other out. It’s no different with Charity and Benjamin. They’ve had their moments.”

“And what about Calvin and Bella?”

“They don’t have that problem,” Samijo said with a smile. “Bella speaks her mind
all
the time.”

Ebba’s eyes widened. But she’d met Bella, and could see the woman wasn’t the type to hold anything back. “It’s my guess that she takes some getting used to?”

“You guessed right, but you will. And once you do, you will love her just like we do. I wouldn’t change her a bit.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” Ebba said with a smile. “Now how can I help you?”

E
bba helped
Samijo prepare some pies before heading back to the main house. Crossing the field and entering the orchard had a calming effect on her, and she stopped to note the beauty of the trees and landscape around her. She’d never been in an orchard before today and enjoyed the smells. The blossoms had long since fallen to the ground and were lost to the winds and rain, but it was nonetheless lovely.

She took a deep breath of fresh air, sighed … and sneezed. “Oh no!” she sniffed as she wiped at her nose with her hand. “Where’s my handkerchief?” She patted the pockets of her skirt in vain – she must have left it at the house.

She began to sneeze again and again. “Drat!” She lifted her skirt and tried to hurry back. Maybe Ma could whip her up another batch of that concoction she’d made in town. She could certainly use some, especially now that it was late morning – her affliction would be in full force soon. Would she even be able to bake cookies? She had one task assigned to her, an easy one at that, and here she was, fighting a sneezing fit.

She did her best to stay on the path, stumbling twice because of her sneezing and almost falling over. How embarrassing would that be? Good grief, she could barely walk, her eyes were so watery. She longed to rub them, but that would only make things worse. It always did. “Blast, blast, blast!” she said, pressing on. “Why do I have to be this way?”

“Ebba! Ebba what’s wrong?” Daniel asked as he ran toward her.

Ebba sneezed and looked at him, or tried to. “I’m fine, I just …” She sneezed again, and started to cry.

“Ah, sweetie, ya poor thing. Ya must be plumb miserable. Do ya know what’s wrong?”

“Of course I know what’s wrong!” she yelped, then sneezed again. “It’s just that I don’t know what to do about it!” More sneezing.

Daniel swallowed hard, trying to figure out what to do, then reached into his pocket, pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to her. “Here, take this.”