Scruffy and the Bride Read online

  Aunt Polly filled her own cup and sat across from Megan. “Now, I think it’s time you tell me just what this is all about.”

  Megan swallowed hard and began. “Well, of course you know my Aunt Beatrice from when you were girls at Sunny Lake, and she told me how you were wanting Joshua to settle down and be married. So, as you know from your letters to Aunt Beatrice, the two of us wrote a few letters and agreed for me to come out and we could meet, and, well, see if we are. . .”

  Aunt Polly listened and nodded, drinking her coffee between nods. “Sunny Lake was a beautiful place, back when we were girls.”

  ”I wrote back and gave Joshua the date of my arrival. And I guess that that is about all.” Megan concluded.

  Aunt Polly set her cup on the table and stared at the swirling liquid. Finally, she looked up at Megan. “I guess Joshua didn’t get the letter. He’s gone to help a friend take some cattle up to Karville. He won’t be back for a couple of days.”

  “Oh.” Now she felt sillier than ever. Of all the things that could happen, she never imagined that Joshua had not received her letter.

  “No need to fret, girl,” Aunt Polly assured her. “We’ll get along just fine in the meantime. It will give us a chance to get to know one another,” she grinned, swigging the last of her coffee.”

  Megan finished hers, as well as the last bite of the delicious cake. She hoped that Aunt Polly would share this recipe with her. “Thank you so much. This cake is delicious and I think I’m finally feeling a little better.”

  Megan stood and picked up her plate and cup, heading toward the counter.

  Aunt Polly was up from her chair at once. “Now you just hold on, girl. You’re tired out from your trip and long walk. I’ll take care of all of this once I show you around. Now, let’s get you to your room and settled in there first. Then, I’ll show you the rest of the house and yard.”

  ***

  Megan followed Polly Tatum down the hallway to a door on the left. Inside, the walls were log, cleaned and polished. Pretty lace curtains hung from the two open windows; their scalloped bottoms caught up in the warm afternoon wind. A small table stood beside the quilt covered bed, and a mirrored dresser was opposite.

  “I hope it’s satisfactory to you, Megan. I know it’s small, but it’s comfortable and doesn’t get any of the north wind.”

  “Oh, it’s perfect,” Megan assured her. “Thank you for allowing me to come and stay and get to know Joshua before...well, I mean, just get to know him.” It seemed presumptive to assume that she and Joshua would marry, even though that was her purpose for coming to stay with them.

  Aunt Polly shook her head. “I’m just happy that you are here. I’ve waited a long time for Joshua to settle down. Seems he’s always so busy that he doesn’t have time to court girls. Not to mention, the young women are mostly few and far between out here.”

  Megan nodded. The west needed more women. At least, that was what all the papers had you to believe, with all the advertisements of men wanting wives out on their ranches and in their businesses.

  Megan set her bag on the bed and turned to the older woman. “I’m looking forward to meeting him. I’m afraid that our letters weren’t very informative.”

  Polly Tatum laughed. “I can imagine not. Joshua isn’t one for writing much down. Nor talking that much, either. But I assure you that he has a good heart.”

  Megan smiled. “I’m glad to hear that.”

  “So, if you’re up to it, I’ll start showing you around the place.”

  “I know it’s hard to tell from the outside, but we’ve got plenty of room here, in the house. Your bedroom is the front one, part of the old log structure that was here when we arrived. We always use it when folks come to see us. Which isn’t often,” she added. “Seems most folks like the towns and cities better than the country.”

  Megan nodded. “Yes, most of my friends do love the city. But I spent time on my Uncle’s farm in Tennessee and it was my favorite place to be. I was sad when we had to move back to my aunt’s house in town.”

  Polly smiled. “I always say it takes a special kind of woman to live in the country. You have to be resilient and keep your head when things go wrong, as they often do on a farm. For me, there’s just no place else. I love the flowers and trees and growing my own food. There’s nothing like picking your supper the very afternoon you’re going to eat it. Now, down this hallway,” she said, taking a left turn out of Megan’s room, “are the other bedrooms. When Joshua added on to the place, he made sure that we would have plenty of room. None of the rooms are large, but they are adequate.”

  Megan followed and nodded. It was a nice house, very well laid out with the bedrooms in the back and the living quarters in the front. She liked it.

  When they were back in the kitchen, Aunt Polly stood in front of the door. “This was the final room to add on and Joshua wanted it to be large enough for cooking, as well as eating. I’m sorry to say that we don’t have any sort of formal eating area.”

  “I can see that it isn’t needed in a home like this,” Megan said. “I think that Joshua has done a good job of planning it all out. And, I suspect that maybe you might have helped with some of that planning,” she added.

  Polly laughed. “I guess you are right in guessing that. I had in mind what kind of house might work best for us. This is just a plain and simple farmhouse, meant to help us live the kind of life that we need to.”

  “And the kitchen seems quite adequate, as well,” Megan said. “You have a lot of room to cook as well as to work with any of the produce that you grow.”

  Aunt Polly nodded. “Let’s go on outside and I can show you more. Joshua is very proud of the place and how it is starting to come together.”

  ***

  Megan stared out of her window. Had she made the right decision to come out west and meet Joshua Tatum? She had imagined that by this time today, she would have already met the man that she might potentially marry. Instead, all she had met was a dog and Joshua’s aunt.

  A whippoorwill sounded outside somewhere and she felt at home. No doubt, spring was about to reveal itself and the world would be beautiful. She just hoped that her world would be beautiful. It would be embarrassing to head back home if things didn’t work out. Her aunt was so proud, maybe even relieved, that Megan was finally going to marry.

  Aunt Polly had said that he would be home in two days. That seemed a long time to wait after the long journey to get here.

  A tear escaped from her eye and she wiped it away. Being homesick, lonely and worried was no reason for her to resort to tears. She wasn’t a child. She should be able to handle her emotions.

  A whimpering sound caught her ears and she opened the window and looked down. Scruffy stood on his hind legs and wagged his tail.

  “Scruffy! Without thinking she leaned out the window and pulled the little dog inside. She examined him carefully, making sure he was dry and not covered in dirt or mud. “I guess you can stay for a while, sweet baby,” she said, patting his fluffy head.

  Scruffy followed her over to the rug beside her bed and at once lay down, curling himself into a fluffy white circle.

  She laughed. “It looks like you are settling in for the night.” She sat on the bed and watched him for a few moments, but his eyes were closed. Leaning over to the small chest beside her bed, she blew out the flame of the kerosene lamp.

  Darkness settled into the room as she pulled the quilts up tight to her neck. The rhythmic sound of Scruffy’s breathing was all that she could hear. And that was what lulled her to sleep.

  ***

  She squinted her eyes at the burst of sunlight that flooded her bed. She yawned and stared around the room. Where was. . .? The sound of voices outside of the room brought her to her senses. She bolted out of bed at once and grabbed her clothes. Scruffy, sitting on the rug stared at her.

  “You have to go out,” she said and led him to the window. She dropped him down and locked the latch. It had been nice having
him in the room, but it might not do for Aunt Polly to know, just yet. Megan wasn’t quite sure how the woman felt about dogs.

  She stopped as she picked up her brush. There was another voice in the house. A male voice. Was Joshua already home? She dropped down on the bed and listened to her heart pound in her ears. She had thought she had at least two days before he showed up. But, now. . .

  The voices were faint, but she could make out some of the conversation.

  “Letter? I guess, but. . .”

  His voice faded out at that point. He had admitted he got the letter. So, why didn’t he come to meet her? Her heart sank farther inside of herself. Maybe it would be best to pack her bags and head back to the station.

  She stood up and went to the mirror and stared at the reflection. A rather short girl stared back, long dark hair, brown eyes, her cheeks pale in the early morning light. Her aunt always told her she was pleasant to look at, not too pretty, but the kind of face that would age well through the years. Megan had never liked that description of herself, as if she was a nice, solid little horse that would look good for quite a few years.

  But there was no time to dwell on her appearance. The hard bristles of the brush caught on a tangle and she winced. In a few moments, she would go to the kitchen and meet Joshua. Maybe for the first and last time. She swallowed back the lump in her throat and pinned back a wayward strand of her chestnut hair. Smoothing her blue sprigged calico print dress, she turned a little and stared at herself. There wasn’t much time to ponder what he would think of her. She would know in a few moments.

  ***

  She opened the door to her room and stepped out into the darkened hallway. Light shone through a doorway that stood open along the way. She quickly made her way through that patch of light. The voices in the kitchen were still conversing and she would need to make her presence known in a few moments. She didn’t want them to think that she was spying on them.

  She reached the end of the hallway and turned toward the kitchen door. Though she couldn’t see Joshua, Aunt Polly was there, her hands busy working a large batch of dough. For bread, Megan guessed. In another hour or so, the house would be filled with the wonderful aroma of the yeasty concoction. But if she was on her way to the train station, she would not be there to smell it.

  Megan took a step forward and cleared her throat. Aunt Polly turned and saw her, and a large smile crossed her face.

  “Good morning, Megan! I know you will be glad to know that Joshua has made it home a day early. C’mon in and meet him.”

  Megan stepped inside and held her breath as she turned, her eyes locking with his at once. He was standing by the kitchen door, coffee cup in hand. He was tall, over six foot she guessed, dark hair, broad shoulders. The build of a man that was used to hard work.

  Megan swallowed hard. He was more handsome than she had imagined. Maybe too handsome for a plain girl like herself. But what struck her the most was the deep blue of his eyes. She had never seen eyes quite that dark and still blue.

  “Good morning, Joshua,” she managed, doing her best to smile.

  After a moment, he spoke. “Good morning to you. . .Megan,” he added, still staring at her face.

  She was quite sure that she was nothing as he had imagined. She had done her best to describe herself to him, never even hinting that she was a beautiful woman. Was he disappointed? It was very hard to tell by his expression.

  She smoothed her skirt and cleared her throat. “I hope that you had a good trip to help your friend.”

  He nodded, his eyes still intent on her. “I did. And you? Did you have a good journey from. . .your home?”

  She smiled. “Yes, it was an uneventful trip from Georgia.”

  “Georgia. For some reason I thought it was Tennessee,” he said, glancing at Aunt Polly.

  “No,” Aunt Polly corrected him as she kneaded the dough. “I said she lived in Tennessee before that.”

  He nodded his head. “So, Megan, about the letter that you mailed. . . “

  Megan took the coffee cup that Aunt Polly brought to her. She felt silly standing in the middle of the room. She moved to the table. “I’m sorry that I didn’t make it clear about when I would be arriving. I’m so sorry to have caused either of you an inconvenience.”

  Before he could speak, Aunt Polly interrupted. “Of course you are no trouble, Megan. No trouble at all. We’re glad to have you, aren’t we, Joshua?”

  He brought his cup to the counter and set it down. “Yes. Yes, we are. Now, if you will excuse me, Megan, I have some work to do.”

  ***

  The starched, checkered cotton curtains blew lazily in the breeze as Megan opened the oven of the cast iron stove and, towels wrapped around her hands, pulled the loaves of bread, one by one, from the heated depths. The smell was heavenly and she allowed herself a few moments to breathe in the scent. Moving the loaves aside, she put in the two cherry pies that stood waiting to be baked. She had made both of them and hoped that Joshua would like them. She would find out at the noon meal.

  She glanced out the window. Aunt Polly appeared as a small figure walking around the chicken house portion of the big white barn, located down the hill from the house. She had told Megan that she usually checked for eggs several times a day. Snake and fox trouble, she had explained. Joshua was standing just to her left. They were obviously having a conversation and Megan couldn’t help but guess that it was about her. What had Joshua started to say about the letter earlier that morning? Whatever it was, Aunt Polly had stopped him from voicing his words aloud.

  Megan chewed on her bottom lip and watched the two of them. After a moment,

  he turned and walked back toward the barn. Megan stepped away from the window, lest Aunt Polly see her looking out as she headed back to the house.

  Megan blinked back the tears that stung her eyes. There was no reason to cry. This was a trial, or was supposed to be, and if Joshua did not want her there, then she would leave. Simple as that. “I just don’t know, Lord. I just don’t know,” she whispered aloud as she checked the pies. Not sure what she had really expected of the situation, she would try her best not to worry.

  ***

  Joshua was very punctual for the noon meal, as he stepped inside the back door precisely as the clock chimed twelve.

  Megan smiled at him. “I hope you’re hungry. We’ve got a lot of food ready.”

  He smiled politely, but it seemed to her that the smile was all in his lips and not in his eyes. “Sure am. Aunt Polly is a wonderful cook. She keeps me fed good.”

  Megan turned away and pulled three plates down from a shelf. Was that his way of conveying that he didn’t need her to cook for him? That his aunt had everything in hand? Maybe Joshua had been against this match from the beginning. If there was one thing Megan understood, it was interfering aunts. With a couple of her own, her life had been steered in different directions than she had wanted, at times.

  Thinking of Aunt Polly, she wished she would come into the room. Megan hadn’t seen her in almost an hour. The woman had left her in charge of the kitchen.

  Megan grabbed two towels and opened the oven, pulling out a cast iron skillet of biscuits, hot and ready for the meal.

  Putting the biscuits on the board counter, she took the plates and set three places at the table. Joshua was across the room, washing his hands and face at the pitcher and bowl stand.

  Megan searched her mind for something to say to the man. She cleared her throat. “I noticed your apple and peach trees on my way in yesterday. They look really nice. Do you usually get a good crop?”

  Joshua dried his hands on the white cotton towel hung on the stand. He nodded. “Usually. As long as the weather is good, of course.”

  She nodded. So much for that subject. She had hoped the apples were a subject that he would warm to and enjoy talking about. It was a subject she at least knew a bit about.

  She filled a pitcher at the hand pump at the sink and set it in the middle of the table. She had a
lready laid the silverware and glasses. Where was Aunt Polly? She needed the woman to help fill in all the silence that seemed to be settling between herself and Joshua.

  ***

  Joshua took a seat at the table. Where was his aunt? It was just like her to order a bride for him, without his knowledge, then abandon him to her. The woman was obsessed with him getting married.

  Sitting in this room, alone with the girl, was not the way to win his heart to her. He was going to have to speak with Aunt Polly this evening. If they could find a time to be alone.

  He allowed his eyes to follow Megan as she filled a bowl with beans and spooned the potatoes into another. Her shiny, dark hair was pulled back with a blue ribbon that matched the sprigs on her calico dress. He had to admit that she was much prettier a woman than he would have thought his aunt would pick.

  Aunt Polly’s favorite phrase, when it came to women, was ‘pretty is as pretty does’. Something she kept quoting to him when he had courted Janet for a few months. In the end, Aunty had been right. Janet had constantly worried about how she looked. Was her hair in place? Was there a speck of dirt on her boot? Would the grass stain the hem of her dress?

  He sighed. It had been a wasted few months, that was for sure.

  ***

  “Is everything alright?” Megan interrupted his thoughts. She had to admit that he didn’t look very happy sitting there, waiting. “I’ll have everything ready in just a few minutes,” she forced a smile.

  He smiled back. “That’s fine. I was just thinking about…business.”

  “I’m not sure where Aunt Polly is,” she apologized, setting bowls of food on the clean oak table. Earlier, she said she was going down to check on the chickens.”