Orphan Train Romance 1 - 5 (6 page)

“I’m sure you can,” Craig answered.  “I actually know how to play and I can teach you if you want me to.”

He turned to Grace.  “I’m sure your new mom will read to you tonight out of your storybook.” Grace nodded her head in agreement, still feeling too shy to talk.

Within a few minutes, all their purchases had been loaded onto the wagon, the children sitting among them, and they were heading towards their new home.

It did not take long to get to Craig’s farm as it was located just outside the town.  It would only take a little while to ride into town to take care of her shop.

As they got closer, Amanda started to get more apprehensive.  She remembered what it was like living on the farm as a child.  She had very few good memories living on that farm.  She was always grateful that she was able to find a job so quickly after leaving when her mother died. 

She remembered when she first saw David.  He had come home from college, having just finished his schooling to become an attorney.  It seemed trite to say it was love at first sight, but that was what happened, for both of them.  They tried to keep their relationship a secret, mainly because Amanda did not think his family would accept her since she was just kitchen help and had grown up on a farm. Finally she agreed to marry him when she was 18.  She could not live without David any longer and David had finally convinced Amanda that he did not care what his family thought.  He loved her and he was going to marry her, with or without their blessing.

What Amanda feared did happen.  His parents did not approve and they threatened to disown him if he married her.  Instead of joining his father’s firm like his parents had wished, David had taken Amanda to Maple Grove and set up his own office for the town and surrounding community. 

A few years later, his family decided to accept David’s decision to marry Amanda and they had a pretty good relationship with his family until David died.  Amanda had had little contact with his family since.

The wagon came to a stop and Amanda was surprised to find that they had arrived.  She felt a little guilty thinking about her past.   She promised herself that she was embarking on a new life and she would accept all the changes that came with it, good and bad.

She looked around and then saw her new home.  She sighed in relief.  It was better than anything she imagined.  It was a large two-story farmhouse.  It had been painted white with blue shutters.  There was a porch that ran the length of the front of the house with a few chairs sitting on it.  Two large cottonwood trees on either side of the house offered shade in the heat of the day.  It had many windows and the house looked like it was well cared for.  Behind the house, there was a large barn with a few horses standing nearby, and a man was caring for them.

Craig looked at Amanda.  “Does it meet with your approval?”  He asked, his voice teasing her again.

All Amanda could do was nod.  She could immediately see that she would not be living the hard life her mother had, and neither would the children.

“I didn’t expect your house to be so large,” Amanda finally said, knowing that Craig was waiting for her to say something.

“The previous owners had themselves a passel of kids, so there is plenty of room.  They decided to move to Oregon and take advantage of the free land, so I got a good deal on it.  They left most of the furniture and animals.”  Craig jumped down to the ground and then reached up to lift her down.  “There are six bedrooms upstairs.  The downstairs has a parlor, a room I use for my study and a large kitchen.  Lily sure enjoys working in the kitchen.”

“Who is Lily?” Amanda asked as she scooped Grace up and followed Craig and Jeremy into the house.

“Lily is my housekeeper.  She cooks for me and helps keep the house clean.  Her husband, John, helps me on the farm and is basically my foreman, though I don’t call him that.”  He gestured with his arm to a small home some distance away.  “They live in that house over there, but they both help me around the farm.”

Amanda closed her eyes and sighed with relief.  She was starting to see that marriage to Craig was going to be very different than she had imagined.  She followed Craig as he showed Jeremy and Grace the house.  When they were upstairs, he allowed the children choose their own room from the five empty rooms available.  Both children were thrilled with the idea of having their own room and not needing to share, although Jeremy was probably happier about the idea than Grace. 

Each room had a bed and a small table next to it.  Amanda noticed that neither room had curtains to cover the windows and knew that she would need to sew some.  There was a chest at the end of each bed to hold clothes.

While the children were exploring their new rooms, Amanda walked into a room right across the hall from the room Craig was using.  “I can take this room,” she announced to Craig.  He looked at her and frowned. 

“What do you mean, you’ll take this room?” he questioned.  “You’ll sleep with me in my room.”

“Craig, I know we are married now, but we hardly know each other.”  Amanda tried to speak her words softly so the children didn’t hear her.  “Don’t you think we need some time to get to know each other before, you know…”

“No, I don’t,” Craig said firmly.  “But you seem to need some time.  I don’t think we should start this marriage off in separate rooms.  How about if we share my room and my bed, but I agree to not touch you until you are ready?”

Amanda thought about his idea for a minute and then nodded her head.  “Okay, as long as you can keep your promise.  We probably should share a room for the children’s sake, so they don’t get confused, since we are married and all.”

Craig wisely kept himself from smiling at her comment about the children.  “I promise.”

****

The rest of the evening was spent putting their new purchases away and getting to know their new home.  Jeremy started to act like a regular boy as he ran through the house, outdoors around the house, to the barn, and back again.  He was thoroughly enjoying himself.  He was thrilled to see a black and white dog and spent some time playing with him.  Craig explained to Jeremy that the dog’s name was Shep and he helped with herding the cattle when needed, but he was mainly a pet.

Grace stayed close to Amanda as she put their purchases away, but seemed more relaxed as she watched Jeremy run in and out of the house.  She started to talk a little bit to her new mom.

That night, after the children were settled down and finally in bed, Amanda and Craig were laying side by side in his bed.  Both were silent for quite awhile.  Amanda then turned to Craig. 

“Thank you for marrying me to keep the children together,” she whispered in the darkness. 

“I married you for other reasons besides the kids,” Craig whispered back.  “Remember, I’ve wanted to marry you for a long time.”

“Why did you want to marry me so badly?”  Amanda questioned.  “I would think you would have given up after a while.”

“When I first saw you, I knew you were the woman God had chosen for me,” Craig explained.

“When did you first see me?  I don’t remember it.”

“It was at the barn raising the town had for the Powell’s when their barn burned down.  Remember that?”

Amanda did remember it.  The event was almost a year ago.  She hadn’t wanted to go and had only gone because Lydia had made her promise to come.  She spent most of her time helping prepare food for the men who were building the barn.  There was a dance that evening in the new barn, but Amanda remembered refusing to dance, even though Lydia had encouraged her.  She did not remember Craig being there.  Her first memory of him was running into him just outside the bakery next door as she was heading out to run an errand about a month after the barn raising. 

She remembered that day well.  She had been in a hurry to go to the General store because she had run out of a specific color of thread and needed to get more to finish a dress that was supposed to be completed the next day.  She was walking quickly and was not watching where she was going.  She ran smack right into Craig’s chest.

He had caught her as she stumbled and grinned at her as if he was delighted she had run into him.  After a brief introduction, he immediately had proposed marriage. 

“I’ve had my eye on you, ma’am,” Craig had declared, and “I’ve decided you will make a fine wife.”

Amanda had been appalled at his audacity in asking her to marry him so quickly after meeting and had practically ran to the General store to get away from him. 

“I thought you were so beautiful in that light blue dress you were wearing.  Even though I worked hard on putting up that barn, I was also watching you.  I got a black thumb from it, too.” Craig chuckled.  “You had come to offer water to us men and I couldn’t keep my eyes off you.  I swung my hammer to hit a nail and hit my thumb instead.”

“So you wanted to marry me because you think I am pretty.”

“I wanted to marry you because you are beautiful.  But I also saw how you worked so hard on helping with the meal, cooking over that fire even when it was so hot that day.  I saw you comfort a crying child, holding that child as he fell asleep in your lap.  I saw you made an effort to talk to each woman there.  You seemed to know just what to say to make people feel comfortable and welcome, especially the new family that had just moved into the area, the blacksmith family.  I decided that day that you were the one I was going to marry.”

Amanda was silent for a while and then reached out and found Craig’s hand.  She whispered to her new husband, “I think I have changed my mind.”

“About what?”

“I’ve decided I don’t need some time.”

Craig slowly turned to her and pulled her close to him.  Amanda started to say something else, but stopped as he kissed her, letting her know through his kiss how much he cared for her.  As he kissed her, she felt as if the ice around her heart cracked apart, leaving behind a new heart that was starting to heal.

The next morning, Amanda woke up and saw that Craig was not in bed with her.  He must have already started the day.  She got up and quickly dressed.  She decided to make her new family breakfast, but when she entered the kitchen, she saw a strange woman standing over the stove frying bacon.  She obviously had Native American heritage.  She had jet-black hair that was brushed smooth and braided down her back.  She had on a colorful dress with bright blues, reds, and yellows in a fun design. 

“You must be Lily,” Amanda greeted the woman. 

“Yes, I Lily,” the woman spoke in broken English.  “Welcome to Craig’s house, Craig’s new wife, Mrs. Parker.  I cook breakfast for you.”

Amanda started to tell her she could do it, but then stopped herself.  She didn’t want to take a job away from someone.  “Can I help?” she asked instead.

“No help.  I do.”  Lily continued with her work.  Amanda saw that a pot of coffee had been started and she helped herself to a cup. 

“How long have you been working for Craig?” Amanda asked after the silence became too long.

“Not long, two year.”  Lily held up two fingers.  She looked over Amanda’s shoulder, so Amanda turned and saw Jeremy standing in the doorway. 

“Come sit down, Jeremy.”  Amanda invited her new son.  “This is ….  What is your last name?” she questioned Lily.

“Husband’s name is John Sitting Horse.”

“This is Mrs. Sitting Horse,” Amanda introduced her to Jeremy. 

The young Indian woman shook her head.  “Children call me Lily.”   She smiled at the boy.  “Welcome.  Breakfast done soon.”

Jeremy sat down at the kitchen table.  “Is Grace still asleep?”  Amanda asked.  Jeremy nodded sleepily, staring at Lily as she started making some pancakes.  Amanda figured he probably had never seen an Indian woman before.  There probably weren’t too many living in New York. 

“You didn’t need to get up so early,” she told him, touching his arm with a pat. 

They both heard footprints walking behind them and Craig entered the kitchen through a door that lead to the outside. 

“You are both up early,” Craig said when he saw them as he hung his black cowboy hat on a peg obviously meant for that purpose. 

“I got up to make breakfast, but Lily beat me to it,” Amanda explained.  She smiled at Craig and blushed as she remembered the night before, realizing that her heart had chosen her new husband. 

Craig smiled back, letting her know he knew where her thoughts were.  He leaned over to give Amanda a soft kiss good morning. 

“I got up so I can do my chores.  I figured I had better get up early so I can get them all done.  I need you to tell me what you want done,” Jeremy said.

Craig and Amanda looked at each other and Craig sat down at the table. 

“Jeremy, it’s true you will have some chores around here.  It is good to learn how to work.  In fact, I plan to pay you for some of the work you do, but you will be doing other things too.  School is almost out for the summer, but you will be going to school in the fall when it starts up again.”

“I get to go to school?”  Jeremy asked as if he didn’t quite believe his good fortune.

Craig nodded.  “You will also have time to do fun things,” Craig explained.

“Fun things, like what?” Jeremy asked this time with interest.

“Have you ever gone fishing?”  Jeremy shook his head.  “There is a pond and river close by that is full of fish.  I can teach you how to fish.  You can also swim in the pond and I can teach you how to swim if you don’t know how.  After school starts, you’ll make friends and you will have time to do things with them.”

“Wow, I am going to like it here better than I thought,” Jeremy shouted with glee.

“I have a question for you, Jeremy.” Amanda looked over her shoulder to see if they had time before breakfast was ready to have this conversation and saw that they did.  The bacon was done, but Lily was still working on the stack of pancakes.

“How did your sister hurt her leg?”

Jeremy slumped in his chair and was quiet for a few moments.  “We were going to town, ma, pa, Grace and me.  Something spooked the horses and it had started to rain hard.  They started running and pa couldn’t control them.  The wagon flipped over into a gully that had water in it.  Pa and ma were pinned under the wagon in the water.  I guess they drowned.  I was thrown clear so I wasn’t hurt too bad.  Grace was pinned under the wagon too since ma had been holding her, but she lived because her head wasn’t under the water.”

“I’m so sorry you had to go through all that, son,” Craig told him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Jeremy wiped some tears away and looked up.  “I don’t remember much.  I got hit on the head and it knocked me out.  It was a while before someone came to help us.  Ma and pa were dead by then.  Grace was crying.  We never saw ma and pa again.  I don’t know where the people buried them.  They took Grace and me to a doctor.  He put a bandage on my head because it was bleeding.” Jeremy stopped talking long enough to lift his brown hair up off his forehead and showed them an angry looking jagged scar at the top on the right. 

“The doctor said Grace broke her leg but he couldn’t do anything about it.  He just wrapped it up.  We were both taken to the orphanage.  We were together for a while at that orphanage, but then we were moved to another one.  They wouldn’t let us be together.

“Grace couldn’t walk on her leg for a long time and then she started to try, but I think it hurts her some, because she doesn’t try a lot.”

“Thanks for telling us, Jeremy,” Amanda told him.  “I am sure that was hard to think about and remember.”

“Breakfast ready,” Lily said as she placed plates of bacon, eggs and pancakes on the table.  Soon they were all eating and enjoying the good food.  Amanda made sure to set some food aside for Grace when she woke up. 

After breakfast, Craig asked Jeremy to get dressed so he could take him to the barn and show him some chores that he could do. 

“What an awful experience those two have had, losing their parents like that in an accident,” Amanda said to Craig after Jeremy had left.

Craig looked at her.  “I bet Grace’s leg just wasn’t set right.  I bet the doctor that treated them just didn’t want to do anything about it because they were orphans and there would have been no money to pay him.”  He slammed his fist on the table. 

“Why would someone not treat a child?”  Amanda wondered with anger and frustration in her voice. 

“That scar Jeremy showed us on his forehead?  It looks like it should have been stitched but wasn’t.  Those kids didn’t get the care they should have gotten.”

“Do you think we can do anything about it now?”  Amanda wondered.

“I think we should take Grace to Dr. Collins in town and get his opinion.  Maybe there is something he could do, or he would know a doctor that could.”

“That’s a great idea,” Amanda said enthusiastically.   She watched as Craig finished the last of his pancakes.  “What should we do today?  Is there anything I need to do?”

Today is Saturday,” Craig answered.  “Let’s use this day to let the children rest and let them get used to us.  We can spend time together as a new family.  Tomorrow we can all go to church and Monday morning we will take both kids to Dr. Collins for checkups and for his opinion about Grace’s leg.”

And that is what they did.  It was a great day for each of them.  Craig took Jeremy to the barn to show him how to do some simple chores and Shep followed them around.  Jeremy showed a lot of interest learning how to care for the horses.  Amanda spent time with Grace, reading to her out of the new book she had picked out and playing simple games with her.

After lunch and after Grace had rested, Craig took all three of them to the pond he had told them about.  They were able to walk as it wasn’t too far away from the barn.  Craig and Amanda sat by the pond and talked and enjoyed getting to know each other while Jeremy and Grace played nearby. 

Craig told Amanda about his childhood.  He told her how he never knew his mother.  His father was a drunk, and although he never beat Craig, he didn’t take care of him very well.  There were days when his father was sober and he would work at a nearby farm or ranch for some money, but those dry spells didn’t last very long.  When Craig was 15, he was tired of living that kind of life and ran away, joining a cattle drive.  He told Amanda how he spent the next 15 years working at various ranches all over Texas and the surrounding states.  He talked about how he saved up his money.  A few years ago he was finally able to purchase this farm, as the previous owners had sold it for lower that it was really worth because they were so anxious to go to Oregon. 

Craig then asked Amanda about her childhood and her marriage to David.  She briefly told him about her stepfather, how hard he worked her and her mother and that she believed her mother finally died of exhaustion when Amanda was 16.  She then told him the story of how she met David and her eventual marriage to him.

When the children were tired of playing by the pond, they went back to the house.  After dinner, Amanda read to her new family out of a book she had brought, and then she put the children to bed.  Later, Craig and Amanda enjoyed more time together.