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Book: Nordin, Ruth Ann - South Dakota Series 02 - Bid for a Bride by Frederique
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Authors: Frederique
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met, she insisted they paint all the rooms in the house."
Eliza set the coffee pot back on the cook stove and shook her head. "Really. I didn’t insist," she told John. "You wanted me to pretty the place up. Why else would you have planted those flowers all around the house?" She looked at Lucy as she picked up a plate of cookies. "He didn’t plant any flowers by that cabin I stayed in. His plan all along was to marry me and have me live in this house."
John shrugged, turned to Eliza, and raised his eyebrows.
"I know it worked," she told him before she put the plate on the table and sat down. "Lucy, would you like to paint your new home? That Willy has some paints on hand."
Lucy thought about the wood walls of Brian’s place. "Well, I wouldn’t mind something off-white. It’d lighten up the rooms."
John signed under Brian’s hand, and Brian said, "Pa says you have good taste."
"Oh, come on now," Eliza told John. "You didn’t mind it when I wanted to paint this kitchen yellow."
He winked at her.
She smiled and turned to Lucy. "What kind of curtains would you like?"
Lucy thought about it for a moment. "A light blue might be nice."
"There you go," Eliza told John. "She does want some color. You’d want white for everything."
Lucy hid her amusement and couldn’t help but wonder if she and Brian might one day share the easygoing relationship his parents did. She’d like to have that kind of closeness eventually. She glanced at him as he reached for a cookie.
To her surprise, he held it out to her. "Would you like one?"
She took it, thanked him, and bit into it. "It’s good," she told Eliza.
"It’s one of the few things I make without periodically burning it," Eliza said. "It’s not that I try to be a bad cook, but I don’t have whatever it is women are born with to be good cooks."
"Lucy did a real fine job of making pancakes this morning," Brian spoke up as he selected another cookie.
"Yes," Eliza began, "I tried those a couple times. I never can figure out when to turn them. Hence why I burn those. You know what I like? I like making scrambled eggs. That’s easy. You just stir them and they pretty much cook themselves."
Lucy finished her cookie and drank some of the coffee. She listened for the most part as they talked while she ate a couple more cookies and drank the rest of her coffee. It seemed the day’s plans had been set, and she rather enjoyed the notion of picking out things to make her new home with Brian a more cheerful one.
After they got through eating, they got the wagon ready and headed for town. As before, Brian held her hand, and she leaned against him. The contact was beginning to feel more comfortable, more familiar. This time, she took better note of her surroundings as they traveled down the beaten path.
As the town came into view, there was the moment where she recalled her first time entering it, when Adam came to get rid of her. She tightened her hold on Brian’s hand, and he placed his other one on top of hers.
Eliza looked over at her. "I think we should get the paint first. Then we can pick up the fabrics for the curtains. Addy makes curtains, unless you can do it yourself. Can you make curtains?"
"Yes," Lucy replied. "I can sew just about anything."
Eliza laughed. "Why, aren’t you a marvel. Addy tried to teach me how to sew. I can make something basic like a pillowcase, but other than that, I’m not very good. I once made a shirt for Brian when he first came to live with us, and one sleeve was much shorter than the other. From then on, I let Addy do the sewing or ordered items in the catalogue at the mercantile."
"I remember that shirt," Brian said.
"I thought since you were a boy, it would be easier to make you a shirt than try to make one for John,"
Eliza replied. "Some lessons have to be learned the hard way, I suppose."
Lucy relaxed her hold on Brian’s hand as they entered town.
Brian wasn’t Adam. He wasn’t going to leave
Eliza set the coffee pot back on the cook stove and shook her head. "Really. I didn’t insist," she told John. "You wanted me to pretty the place up. Why else would you have planted those flowers all around the house?" She looked at Lucy as she picked up a plate of cookies. "He didn’t plant any flowers by that cabin I stayed in. His plan all along was to marry me and have me live in this house."
John shrugged, turned to Eliza, and raised his eyebrows.
"I know it worked," she told him before she put the plate on the table and sat down. "Lucy, would you like to paint your new home? That Willy has some paints on hand."
Lucy thought about the wood walls of Brian’s place. "Well, I wouldn’t mind something off-white. It’d lighten up the rooms."
John signed under Brian’s hand, and Brian said, "Pa says you have good taste."
"Oh, come on now," Eliza told John. "You didn’t mind it when I wanted to paint this kitchen yellow."
He winked at her.
She smiled and turned to Lucy. "What kind of curtains would you like?"
Lucy thought about it for a moment. "A light blue might be nice."
"There you go," Eliza told John. "She does want some color. You’d want white for everything."
Lucy hid her amusement and couldn’t help but wonder if she and Brian might one day share the easygoing relationship his parents did. She’d like to have that kind of closeness eventually. She glanced at him as he reached for a cookie.
To her surprise, he held it out to her. "Would you like one?"
She took it, thanked him, and bit into it. "It’s good," she told Eliza.
"It’s one of the few things I make without periodically burning it," Eliza said. "It’s not that I try to be a bad cook, but I don’t have whatever it is women are born with to be good cooks."
"Lucy did a real fine job of making pancakes this morning," Brian spoke up as he selected another cookie.
"Yes," Eliza began, "I tried those a couple times. I never can figure out when to turn them. Hence why I burn those. You know what I like? I like making scrambled eggs. That’s easy. You just stir them and they pretty much cook themselves."
Lucy finished her cookie and drank some of the coffee. She listened for the most part as they talked while she ate a couple more cookies and drank the rest of her coffee. It seemed the day’s plans had been set, and she rather enjoyed the notion of picking out things to make her new home with Brian a more cheerful one.
After they got through eating, they got the wagon ready and headed for town. As before, Brian held her hand, and she leaned against him. The contact was beginning to feel more comfortable, more familiar. This time, she took better note of her surroundings as they traveled down the beaten path.
As the town came into view, there was the moment where she recalled her first time entering it, when Adam came to get rid of her. She tightened her hold on Brian’s hand, and he placed his other one on top of hers.
Eliza looked over at her. "I think we should get the paint first. Then we can pick up the fabrics for the curtains. Addy makes curtains, unless you can do it yourself. Can you make curtains?"
"Yes," Lucy replied. "I can sew just about anything."
Eliza laughed. "Why, aren’t you a marvel. Addy tried to teach me how to sew. I can make something basic like a pillowcase, but other than that, I’m not very good. I once made a shirt for Brian when he first came to live with us, and one sleeve was much shorter than the other. From then on, I let Addy do the sewing or ordered items in the catalogue at the mercantile."
"I remember that shirt," Brian said.
"I thought since you were a boy, it would be easier to make you a shirt than try to make one for John,"
Eliza replied. "Some lessons have to be learned the hard way, I suppose."
Lucy relaxed her hold on Brian’s hand as they entered town.
Brian wasn’t Adam. He wasn’t going to leave
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