Mail Order Motherhood (Brides of Beckham Book 8) (5 page)

Albert shook his head.  “No.  They need to know that no matter how tired you are, you don’t go to bed without finishing all of your responsibilities.”

She wanted to argue with him, but she knew he was right.  The children did need to learn to be more responsible.  “All right.”  She hated asking the girls to do it, but she would, because she wanted to raise the best girls she could.

They walked up to the house and saw that the girls already had the job half done.  There were bags full of apples leaning against the walls in the kitchen while the pumpkins sat on the floor.  She had a lot of work ahead of her to get everything canned before it went bad, and she knew she wasn’t going to pass up the chance for berries the next day.  Blackberries had always been her favorite, and she was going to have lots of blackberry pies through the winter.  The patch had been a big one, and she was going to take full advantage.  It was a good way to teach the girls to work while the sun shined as well. 

It was obvious to her that Albert felt very strongly about instilling a strong work ethic in all four of their children, and with that as his philosophy, she was going to make sure she worked hard to do the same with them.

Her new husband may not want to be married to her, but she knew that he would be a good father to her children, and a good provider for them all, so she couldn’t complain.  He seemed to be a good man, but he was very obviously still a sad one over the death of his first wife.

She still missed Nathan every day, but she’d had two years of back-breaking work to distance herself from his horrible death.  He’d been out working the fields one day and hadn’t come home.  She’d found him there on the ground.  The doctor had said his heart had just given out.  He’d been such a young man, it had seemed ridiculous to her that he could die that way, but she couldn’t argue. 

After she got the children to bed, she went back down the stairs, wondering if Albert would be willing to talk to her.  She did miss adult conversation a great deal.  She poured herself a glass of milk, and sat at the table across from him.  “Is there anything in particular you want me to do first?  Around the house I mean?”

He gave her a blank look and shrugged.  “I don’t even know what needs to be done.  I tried to keep everything up, but I’ve never kept house in my life.  I’ve never cooked a meal that didn’t end up in the trash either.”

“You’ve done a good job with the house.  Better than I did with the farm I tried to run.”  She smiled at him to let him know she understood.  “I’m planning on going out and picking the berries with the children in the morning.  Then we’ll spend the next couple of days canning everything to have it ready for the winter.”  She didn’t know why she was explaining it to him when he obviously didn’t care, but she needed to talk to someone.  “Do you know if there are other vegetables or fruits that would be ripe about now that I could can for the winter?”

He shrugged again.  “My wife did all that.”

“Okay.”  She asked something she’d been worried about for a while.  “Do you think we could head into town and buy more supplies before the snows start?  I’m worried we’ll be stuck here.”

“I’ll make another trip into town at the end of this week or beginning of next.  If you’ll make me a list of what you need, I’ll take Clarence, and we’ll get enough for the winter.  Usually, we can get through on the sleigh, but I can’t make any promises.  Some winters are worse than others.”

She nodded.  “I’ll make the list.  I’d like more food and some fabric so I can make the girls some more clothes.  Both need a couple more.”  She looked down at her dress.  “This is the only work dress I have that isn’t old and patched over and over.  I need to make some more for me as well.  Clarence needs shirts.  I’m sure Robert does also.  Sewing is a good way for me to keep the girls occupied in the winter.  They need to be able to keep their hands busy, so their minds won’t be idle.”

“Just write it all down, and I’ll take care of it.” 

“I have some money from selling my things before I left Massachusetts.  I’ll give it to you before you go.”

He shook his head.  “I don’t need your money.  I make more than enough to support this family.  Save it for when Natalie marries, and she needs things to set up a household.”  He hated the idea of using the money she’d made before coming there.  If they were destitute, he wouldn’t hesitate, but he made good money, and there was just no need.

Clara nodded, not liking his answer, but agreeing to do as he said.  “I’ll do that then.”  She stood up, taking her glass to the sink and rinsing it out.  “Good night.”

He seemed lost in thought as she left the room, and she didn’t feel his eyes watching her as she climbed the stairs. 

Albert sighed as soon as she was out of sight.  He rested his elbows on the table and put his face in his hands.  He’d never dreamed that having a woman around the house would wake up the old desires in him.  He’d truly thought he was immune and would never feel passion again without Sally.  Now here was this new wife of his, working hard for his family, and doing it so prettily.

He liked that she worked so hard, but why couldn’t she have a wart on the end of her nose, or be unattractive in some other way?  How was he going to be able to resist her forever?  He needed to be able to help his children remember his wife forever.  Why was it that it was so hard to remember Sally when Clara was in the room?

*****

She stumbled into the kitchen at the same time as he did the following morning.  He started the fire in the stove for her, while she ground the coffee beans.  She rubbed her hands over her arms, trying to warm them.  “Would you like anything special for breakfast?” she asked.

“No, just something to fill my stomach.  Anything will do.”  He hated that she was such a good cook.  Sally had tried, but she’d never enjoyed cooking, and had been unable to come up with creative ways to fix food.  He hated comparing the two women, but couldn’t stop himself.  “I’ll get the eggs and milk.”  He left without another word.

Clara stared after him, wondering what she’d done wrong.  She felt like she constantly fell short of what he wanted from her.  She wished she knew how to make him happy, but with the way things were going, she was certain he’d never be happy with anything she did.

She stirred the batter for pancakes and had just taken the first of them off the griddle when she heard footsteps behind her.  The children were up, and the boys took their seats at the table waiting for their meal.  The girls automatically set the table for her, and they poured the last of the milk from the previous night into the cups for everyone. 

When Albert came back into the house, the table was set and everything was ready.  He looked at the pile of pancakes on the plate she’d set in the center of the table as well as the bacon.  “Looks good,” he said, complimenting her efforts for the first time.

She smiled.  “Thank you.”  Taking her seat at the opposite end of the table from him, she bowed her head and waited while he prayed.  It was her third day there, and she felt like she’d done nothing to break the ice that had formed between them.  How could she spend the rest of her life with a man who only wanted a cook, maid, and nurse for his children?  She needed so much more than that.

While the girls did the breakfast dishes, she made the beds.  She hadn’t been in Albert’s room before, and saw that he had a photograph of a young woman on his dresser.  She assumed it was his first wife, Sally.  Sally was very different physically from Clara.  She had blond hair and her eyes looked light, although it was hard to tell from a photograph. 

She made his bed quickly and picked up his dirty clothes from the corner of his room.  She and the girls would spend some time doing the laundry before going out and picking berries.  She looked at the bed she’d already made, and with a sigh, stripped it clean.  The sheets and quilts needed to be washed as well.  It wasn’t something she’d planned for the day, but she’d do what needed to be done. 

She was coming out of his room with the linens in her arms when he walked into the house with a chicken.  She took it from him and plucked the feathers, scalding it and preparing it for supper.  They’d have something simple for lunch, probably bacon sandwiches, and she’d make a big pot of chicken and dumplings for dinner. 

The girls started on the laundry while she prepared the chicken for boiling.  Natalie efficiently showed Gertie the correct way to use the scrub board and how to rinse everything perfectly clean.  Clara felt the pride prick her again that her daughter was so adept at doing household tasks and so willing to help her younger sister.  The girls got along well, despite the four year age difference.  She couldn’t be prouder of the girl she’d raised.

Each of the children carried two pails to put the berries in, and she took along a huge cook pot.  She wanted to get as many of the berries as they could before they went bad or animals got them.  The four of them worked quickly and efficiently, leaving not a single berry on the bush for scavengers. 

They carried their bounty back to the house, and Clara began the painstaking process of washing the berries and removing the twigs that inevitably ended up in the mix.  She lost track of time, and it was just before noon, when she realized that she hadn’t fixed lunch.  “Natalie, hurry downstairs and get the bacon from the cellar.  I’ll heat up the frying pan.  We’re having bacon sandwiches for lunch.”

Without being told, Gertie quickly set the table and got everything as ready as she could.  When Natalie gave the slab of bacon to Clara, she rushed over to start slicing the bread while Clara sliced off pieces of the bacon to fry. 

They weren’t quite finished when the men came in, and Clara apologized.  “I was caught up in getting the berries ready for canning and lost track of time.  I’m so sorry.”

Albert looked disappointed, but he said nothing.  They all ate quickly, and he and Clarence hurried out to finish their day together.  Clara hoped he wasn’t angry with her. 

She worked with the two girls, laughing at the sight of Gertie standing on a chair that had been turned backwards with an apron wrapped around her so she could be of some help.  Robert took a nap in his room, because he’d started rubbing his eyes and become cranky.

By the time the men came in for dinner, the chicken and dumplings were cooling on the corner of the stove, and they had filled every jar in the house with homemade preserves and pie filling.  She still needed to take care of the apples and the pumpkins, but they would keep longer. 

The bread from the previous day was still good, but she toasted it, buttering it before she put it into the oven to make it a little tastier.   The girls had helped her make two pies for dessert, so she knew the majority of her family would be happy with the treat.

She hadn’t been able to get the clothes in from the line yet, but she’d do that while the girls did dishes after supper and get everything folded and put away.  After the prayer, she looked at Albert.  “I’m going to need several more jars to be able to finish the canning.  I haven’t done the apples or the pumpkins yet.”

“I’ll see to that Friday.  Can it wait that long?”  Albert looked up from his meal long enough to ask.

“Yes, that would be wonderful.  Would you also see if anyone is selling any other fresh fruits or vegetables?  I’d love to have some green beans, carrots, potatoes… anything you can find really.  I’ll can what I can and a lot of that will just keep in the cellar through the winter.”

He shrugged.  “I’ll get whatever anyone is selling.  A lot of times farmers will try to sell fresh produce on the side of the road leading into Billings.  If I find that, I’ll buy some of everything and let you do what you want.”  He looked down at his meal and grunted.  “You did a fine job on dinner tonight.”

She smiled, knowing it took a lot for him to be able to give a compliment like that.  “Thank you.  I’m sorry lunch wasn’t ready when you got here.”

He shrugged.  “No matter. We got a lot done today anyway.  I’m amazed at how much faster work goes with my helper.”  Life was easier all around with his new wife and her children.  He hated to admit it, because it felt like a betrayal of Sally, but Clara was a much better housewife than his first wife had ever been.

Clarence flushed with pleasure, and Clara smiled happily.  As hard as it was for Albert to compliment her, it seemed to come naturally for him to compliment the children.  She knew it meant a lot to her son to hear that he was doing well.  “I’ll make that list tonight and tomorrow.  I do want to make sure we have enough to make it through the winter if we get snowed in.”

Albert nodded.  “We’ll do fine.”  He’d been in Montana long enough that he respected the winters, but he didn’t fear them.  He hoped his wife would calm down in her fear of them soon.

Clara looked at the girls.  “I’m going to get fabric for you each to have some new clothes as well.  If you want to think about colors, you can let me know.”  She looked at Robert.  “Do you want to pick the color for your new shirts?”

Robert shrugged.  “Whatever Papa likes.”

She smiled, having expected that answer.  She was almost excited for the canning to be over so she could move on to making the new clothes for her family.  She’d never been fond of sewing, but after spending two years farming, she was thrilled to have the opportunity to stay in and do women’s work.

After supper, Albert and Clarence went out to do the milking while the girls dealt with the dishes.  Clara went to the line and took everything down.  She was happy the quilts were done, and she wouldn’t have to wash them again until spring.  She carried everything in, carefully folded the clothes, and went in to make each of the beds.