Read Online A Bride for Donnigan by Janette Oke - Free Book Online
Authors: Janette Oke
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hitching rail.
Donnigan was at the door before the older man had a chance to take a step toward the house.
“C’mon in,” he called eagerly. “C’mon in.”
Wallis advanced on the house, talking as he came. The man’s usual chatter sounded good to Donnigan.
“This foul weather. Ain’t good fer man nor beast. Here I was fixin’ to have my harvest all in before thet there ship brings my lady—and then this here.”
Wallis had turned from saying “Risa” and had begun to refer to the woman as “my lady.” Donnigan smiled to himself. He hadn’t even dared to think of his ordered bride so possessively as yet. For one thing, he still didn’t know one thing about her. Not even her name. It would have been nice to have a name.
“I just got me going good—cut the west field and was hopin’ fer sun—” kept on Wallis. Donnigan paid little attention. He pushed the door shut and turned to the stove as soon as the man entered the kitchen.
“Sit yerself,” he interrupted. “I’ll put on a fresh pot.”
While they waited for the coffee to brew, they talked of farm matters.
“Thet second sow farrowed yet?” asked Wallis.
“She sure did. Got a nice litter. Six—plus a born dead. Got one runt in the bunch, but he’s doing okay,” replied Donnigan.
“Not a big litter—but a fair start,” observed Wallis.
“Yeah. It’s okay for a first one. She should do better next time.”
Wallis knew the first sow had presented a litter of seven piglets—all healthy and of good size.
“They should be good sows,” Wallis commented. “Came from good stock.”
Donnigan nodded as he poured the coffee and took the two mugs to the table.
They sipped in silence for a few minutes and then Wallis spoke again. “Heard who yer gettin’ yet?”
Donnigan shook his head.
Another silent spell.
“Must be kinda hard to wait,” observed Wallis.
Donnigan nodded. “Yeah,” he admitted at last. “A little.”
“I been doin’ a bit of fixin’,” went on Wallis to Donnigan’s surprise. “Ya know—when ya look at a place as a woman might—ya see it a little different.”
Donnigan nodded. He hadn’t even thought to look at his place through a woman’s eyes. It looked just fine to him.
“So what’re you doin’?” Donnigan asked his friend.
“Well, I put glass in thet there winda in place of the oiled paper.”
Donnigan nodded. He had always wondered why a body would bother to have a window you couldn’t see out of.
“An’ I patched the roof. Rain ain’t comin’ in at all now.”
Wallis stopped to take another long draft from the coffee cup.
“I figured how I might put up a few hooks on the wall,” went on Wallis. “Ain’t a place to hang bridles or nothin’.”
Donnigan nodded. His bridles all hung on pegs in the barn.
“Might even put up a shelf or two,” went on Wallis. “Kinda stack up the dishes and food stuff so thet they don’t need to sit on the floor.”
“Sounds good,” said Donnigan with another nod.
“Figure I’ll have it all fixed up fer her,” Wallis concluded, looking real pleased with himself.
They played a game of checkers to help pass away the long hours of the rainy day, and Donnigan fixed pancakes and pork gravy for their supper. It was dark by the time Wallis retrieved his old Willie from the barn where he had been taken out of the cold rain and fed his supper.
Donnigan hated to see his friend go. He sure hoped the sun would be shining again on the morrow.
Donnigan began to take stock of his own cabin. Though it was sturdy and basically neat for a bachelor, he soon realized that it wasn’t exactly the kind of home that would bring pleasure to a woman. He felt panicky. He didn’t know where to start or what to do to make it more homey.
He did add a few more shelves and pegs. There would undoubtedly be more things that needed to be put away and hung up after there were two people occupying the premises. Then he went a step further and divided the one
Donnigan was at the door before the older man had a chance to take a step toward the house.
“C’mon in,” he called eagerly. “C’mon in.”
Wallis advanced on the house, talking as he came. The man’s usual chatter sounded good to Donnigan.
“This foul weather. Ain’t good fer man nor beast. Here I was fixin’ to have my harvest all in before thet there ship brings my lady—and then this here.”
Wallis had turned from saying “Risa” and had begun to refer to the woman as “my lady.” Donnigan smiled to himself. He hadn’t even dared to think of his ordered bride so possessively as yet. For one thing, he still didn’t know one thing about her. Not even her name. It would have been nice to have a name.
“I just got me going good—cut the west field and was hopin’ fer sun—” kept on Wallis. Donnigan paid little attention. He pushed the door shut and turned to the stove as soon as the man entered the kitchen.
“Sit yerself,” he interrupted. “I’ll put on a fresh pot.”
While they waited for the coffee to brew, they talked of farm matters.
“Thet second sow farrowed yet?” asked Wallis.
“She sure did. Got a nice litter. Six—plus a born dead. Got one runt in the bunch, but he’s doing okay,” replied Donnigan.
“Not a big litter—but a fair start,” observed Wallis.
“Yeah. It’s okay for a first one. She should do better next time.”
Wallis knew the first sow had presented a litter of seven piglets—all healthy and of good size.
“They should be good sows,” Wallis commented. “Came from good stock.”
Donnigan nodded as he poured the coffee and took the two mugs to the table.
They sipped in silence for a few minutes and then Wallis spoke again. “Heard who yer gettin’ yet?”
Donnigan shook his head.
Another silent spell.
“Must be kinda hard to wait,” observed Wallis.
Donnigan nodded. “Yeah,” he admitted at last. “A little.”
“I been doin’ a bit of fixin’,” went on Wallis to Donnigan’s surprise. “Ya know—when ya look at a place as a woman might—ya see it a little different.”
Donnigan nodded. He hadn’t even thought to look at his place through a woman’s eyes. It looked just fine to him.
“So what’re you doin’?” Donnigan asked his friend.
“Well, I put glass in thet there winda in place of the oiled paper.”
Donnigan nodded. He had always wondered why a body would bother to have a window you couldn’t see out of.
“An’ I patched the roof. Rain ain’t comin’ in at all now.”
Wallis stopped to take another long draft from the coffee cup.
“I figured how I might put up a few hooks on the wall,” went on Wallis. “Ain’t a place to hang bridles or nothin’.”
Donnigan nodded. His bridles all hung on pegs in the barn.
“Might even put up a shelf or two,” went on Wallis. “Kinda stack up the dishes and food stuff so thet they don’t need to sit on the floor.”
“Sounds good,” said Donnigan with another nod.
“Figure I’ll have it all fixed up fer her,” Wallis concluded, looking real pleased with himself.
They played a game of checkers to help pass away the long hours of the rainy day, and Donnigan fixed pancakes and pork gravy for their supper. It was dark by the time Wallis retrieved his old Willie from the barn where he had been taken out of the cold rain and fed his supper.
Donnigan hated to see his friend go. He sure hoped the sun would be shining again on the morrow.
Donnigan began to take stock of his own cabin. Though it was sturdy and basically neat for a bachelor, he soon realized that it wasn’t exactly the kind of home that would bring pleasure to a woman. He felt panicky. He didn’t know where to start or what to do to make it more homey.
He did add a few more shelves and pegs. There would undoubtedly be more things that needed to be put away and hung up after there were two people occupying the premises. Then he went a step further and divided the one
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