A Bride for Tom (2 page)

Chapter Two

The next day, Jessica sat in front of her
bedroom mirror and brushed her blonde hair which fell slightly past
her shoulders. There was no hiding it. She had lost a good four
inches last night. Well, that’s what she got for not wearing her
hair up...and deciding to dance with someone known for bumping into
things. Still, it was an accident, and looking back on it, she felt
bad for Tom. He had the look of a wounded puppy. She also felt
sorry for whoever did end up marrying him. His wife would have to
keep a safe distance from him in order to avoid getting hurt.

The knocking on her door interrupted her
thoughts. “Yes?”

Her mother peered around the door, a kind
smile on her face. “Peter’s here.”

Yes, he would be. He had mentioned taking her
on a picnic. Whatever would he think of her hair? Though she
realized her hair was safe with him, she pulled it back into a
braid. It was a scary thing to lose so much of it in one instance,
and she didn’t want to tempt fate.

She sighed and left her room. As she got
closer to the parlor, she slowed her steps to take a good look at
Peter. He was refined. Much more so than Tom. He wore a suit, and
his light brown hair was neatly combed. He stood in front of the
window with a slight smile on his face. He also seemed confident.
She hadn’t noticed that about him before. Tom, with his worn shirt
and denim pants and blond hair that looked as if he constantly ran
his hand through it, wasn’t refined at all. As far as being
confident... Well, it was obvious he wasn’t sure of himself. Maybe
that was part of his problem. If he had the same confidence that
Peter did, maybe he’d handle himself better.

Peter turned and saw her. A wide smile lit up
his face. “Jessie, you’re certainly beautiful this morning.”

“You mean there are mornings when I’m not
beautiful?” she joked.

“You know what I mean.”

Her mother came into the room, holding a
basket and blanket. “You’ll need this for the picnic.”

“Oh. Yes. I forgot.” Jessica had prepared the
meal before she went to get dressed for the outing.

Peter took the basket and blanket. “I
reserved the horse and carriage, so we can take a ride around the
lake.”

“That sounds like fun,” her mother said,
clasping her hands together. “That’s just the thing you need after
having to cut your hair,” she told Jessica.

“I heard about that,” Peter replied. “I hope
it doesn’t take too long to grow back. Your hair is one of your
loveliest features.”

Her mother shook her head. “A shame,
too.”

“It was an accident, and there’s nothing I
can do about it,” Jessica said. Lord knew that crying hadn’t done
her any good.

“Whatever convinced you to dance with Tom
Larson anyway?” Peter asked.

“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “It seemed like
a good idea at the time. I guess I thought I could teach him how to
be less clumsy with women.” Then she gave him a wary glance. “Are
you mad at me for dancing with him?”

Peter laughed. “Mad? Why would I be mad? The
man’s a bumbling idiot.”

She frowned.

“Let’s not get into all that,” her mother
said. “You two should concentrate on having a good time today.”

“Are you ready?” Peter asked as he opened the
front door.

“Yes.”

As she joined him, she wondered whether or
not she should stay home. She didn’t think Peter’s statement
regarding Tom was a nice one but needed time to think through what
she should do about it, if anything.

***

“Here comes Tom. Watch out or you might lose
your hair, Ma!”

Tom glared at his twelve-year-old brother who
was sitting at the kitchen table with a fork in one hand and a
knife in the other.

“Joel.” Their mother shot him a warning look
as she turned from the cookstove with a spatula in hand. “That’s
enough of your teasing.”

Tom sat across from his pesky brother who
snickered at him. He couldn’t wait to get his own place. Then he
wouldn’t have to put up with his annoying brother anymore. The dog
hastened by Tom’s side and panted in anticipation for the meal to
come. Tom usually snuck in food to the animal during meals because
he couldn’t stand having the poor dog peer up at him with those sad
eyes.

Joel glanced over his shoulder, and when he
saw that their mother had her back turned to them, he set his fork
and knife down. He grabbed his hair and pretended to scream.

Tom grabbed Joel’s fork and knife and let the
dog lick the utensils. Just as Joel voiced his protest, he swiftly
returned them to Joel and smiled.

Their father and Dave came into the kitchen
and sat at their usual places.

“Ma!” Joel screeched. “Tom let the dog lick
my fork and knife. I need new utensils.”

“I did not,” Tom lied.

Their mother looked over at their father.
“Did you see anything?”

Their father shook his head. “When I got
here, the utensils were where they belonged.”

“Well, I am not eating with these.” Joel
picked them up as if he were handling a dead rodent and pitched
them into the sink.

“That’s it, Joel. You’re helping me with
dishes,” their mother said.

“What? Why?”

“Because you just made more work for me,
young man.”

“But they had dog spit all over them.”

“Are you arguing with me?” She placed a hand
on her hip and stared at him.

Joel sunk into the chair. “No, Ma.”

When Joel turned his attention to Tom, Tom
raised his eyebrows and gave a slight smile. There. That should
teach the little weasel to harass him. Tom hadn’t had a moment’s
peace ever since Dave told everyone what happened. Too bad Dave
witnessed the whole thing. He sighed. He really needed his own
place. His two younger brothers were such a nuisance.

“So Tom,” their father began, “when are you
going to get your own place?”

Tom inwardly groaned. Not this question
again! “I’m waiting until I get engaged.”

“Oh great,” Joel muttered to Dave. “We’ll
never get rid of him.”

“Joel,” his father warned.

Fifteen-year-old Jenny entered the house.
“I’m done hanging the laundry. Tom, I’m sorry, but I couldn’t get
rid of Jessica’s hair without cutting your shirt. I’ll sew it back
up after supper.”

Tom decided to ignore his brothers’ quiet
chuckles.

While their mother and Jenny set the food on
the table, their father cleared his throat and looked in Tom’s
direction. “You’re already twenty. It’s about time you thought
about owning your own land. Not everyone waits until they’re ready
to get married to get established. Your brother Richard lived by
himself before he married Amanda.”

“I know,” Tom grudgingly admitted.

The men waited until the women were seated
before they said grace and started to eat.

Their mother shook her head at her husband.
“There’s no hurry in any of this.” She patted Tom on the arm, which
only succeeded in making him feel like a child. “Don’t rush into
anything.”

Across the table, Joel pressed his hand to
his heart and pretended to cry.

Tom straightened in his chair and grabbed a
roll before the other hounds ate them all. “Look, it’s not that I
don’t want to get out of here. I just don’t have enough money
yet.”

“What do you mean, you don’t have enough
money?” Dave asked after he took a drink of water. “You’ve been
saving up for two years.”

He sighed. He had to use a good chunk of that
money to buy a present for Jessica so he could make up for his
blunder at the dance. Otherwise, he’d never be able to look at
himself in the mirror again. But he didn’t care to explain that to
his little brother!

“Never mind, Dave,” their father said.

Dave shrugged and returned to buttering his
roll.

“I’ll tell you what,” their father continued.
“I’ll let you start building on that space of land east of here
that you said you like. We can even help. A sod house is all you
need to get started, and it’s relatively inexpensive. In the
meantime, I’ll find some work for you to do to pay me back.”

Tom thought over the plan as he tore the roll
apart. The dog nudged his leg, so he quickly slipped a piece of it
to him when no one was looking. He quickly patted the dog’s head
and chewed the other half of the roll.

He really had hoped to find a bride before he
made arrangements for his own land and house, but what if his
family’s fears were going to come true? What if he never found a
wife? Did he really want to grow old and die here...in his parents’
home?

“Alright,” he finally agreed.

“Yay!” Joel cheered.

Their mother shot him a ‘be quiet’ look.

“We’ll get started in November,” their father
stated.

That soon? Tom thought they were talking
about next year.

Their father picked up his cup of coffee and
said, “That way we don’t have to rush the rest of the harvest or
the planting season next year.”

It made sense. But still, Tom didn’t relish
the thought of living alone...even if his brothers were a big
nuisance. Pushing aside his uncertainty, he finished his meal.

Chapter Three

Jessica sat on the swing on her front porch,
trying to read the book in her hands, but she couldn’t concentrate
on it. Though three days had passed, she still couldn’t get Tom
Larson out of her mind. Maybe that was because every time she
touched or looked at her hair, she remembered why she had to cut
it.

When she saw a young man walking down the
road toward her house, she assumed she’d imagined he was Tom simply
because he’d been on her mind a lot. Then, as he got closer, she
realized that it was Tom, and he was holding a package in his
hands. Was he coming to see her? She quickly adjusted her shirt and
skirt and straightened up. Why did she even care if she looked
presentable? He may not be coming by to see her. And even if he
was... Well, why should that excite her?

She picked up the book and turned her
attention to the words on the page in front of her. She read the
first sentence three times before she realized that, though she was
reading it, she really didn’t know what it said. This was
ridiculous. It was just Tom Larson. And she was engaged to Peter.
Oh good grief. What was wrong with her?

Tom halted in front of the porch and cleared
his throat.

She pretended to be startled and glanced
up.

He shifted from one foot to the other. “I
hope...I mean, can I...?” He motioned to the top of the porch.

Realizing what he was trying to say, she
nodded. “Come on up.”

He lumbered up the steps and stood in front
of her. “I wanted to apologize for the other night. You know. Your
hair. I can see that you had to cut it.”

His contrite expression made her smile. “It
was due for a trim.” Suddenly, it didn’t seem like a big deal. It
was just hair after all. It would grow back. She scooted over.
“Would you like a seat?”

“Thank you.” He sat next to her, keeping a
safe distance between them and held the box to her. “I thought that
this…gift...might help...you know, with your hair and all.”

She had to admit that she was flattered he
seemed to be shy around her. Not that it meant much. He was shy
around every lady he came across, from what she’d seen. Still, it
was nice that he cared so much about what she thought. She took the
box and thanked him. She lifted the lid, surprised by the number of
items in it. There were several ribbons, three bonnets, a brush, a
comb, four barrettes, and a hat.

“I wasn’t sure what you like to wear, so I
picked up everything I found at the mercantile. I hope something in
there is to your liking.”

She laughed. It was a sweet gesture. “A
simple apology is enough, but I do like all of these.”

He looked relieved.

“Try not to feel bad about what happened. I
know you didn’t mean to do it.”

He smiled. “I appreciate that. I see that
you’re reading. I won’t take up any more of your time.”

“Wait,” she said as he began to stand up. She
placed the lid back on the box. “Do you have to go somewhere?”

“No. I mean, I do have to get back to my pa’s
farm, but that can wait.”

“Would you like to have something to eat and
drink? It is around noon.”

He seemed surprised by her invitation. “Are
you sure?”

She stood up. “I wouldn’t have asked if I
didn’t mean it. I can make you a quick bite to eat and pour you a
cup of coffee to drink before you head back home.”

“That’s really nice of you.”

“It’s the least I can do for a man who bought
me all these gifts.” She opened the screen door and motioned for
him to follow her. “I can’t get you anything out here.”

He immediately jumped up and joined her as
she went into the house.

“Ma?” she called out. “We have a guest.” She
turned to him and smiled. “Go ahead and make yourself comfortable
in the parlor. I’m going to put this in my bedroom.”

He nodded and stepped into the other room, so
she headed down the hallway. As soon as she placed the box on her
dresser, her mother entered her room.

“That’s not Peter,” her mother whispered
before she shut the door so they could speak in private.

Jessica rolled her eyes good-naturedly. “I
know that, Ma.”

“Who is he?”

“Tom Larson.”

“Tom La-” She shook her head, looking
bewildered. “What is he doing here?”

“He came to apologize about my hair. Look. He
even bought me a present. Wasn’t that nice of him? No man has ever
been that considerate before.” She took out the hat and put it on
her head. “It really is a lovely shade of blue, don’t you
think?”

Her mother frowned. “I don’t know if it’s
wise to accept that gift, honey. I mean, what if he gets the wrong
idea?”