Interview for a Wife by Ruth Ann Nordin

Chapter Six

“Do I have to eat this?” Amber asked that evening as she stared at the beans on her plate. “I hate beans. They’re smushy.”

“I think you mean ‘mushy’,” Marsha said.

Amber looked at her and crossed her arms. “They’re gross. I hate them.”

“They’re good for you,” Bill spoke up. “Besides, you like the taste.”

“But they feel wrong when I eat them,” Amber said.

“There aren’t a lot of beans on your plate,” Bill replied. “Eat them, and you can have dessert.”

Amber looked over at the plate of cookies as if trying to decide whether or not eating the beans was worth it.

Deanne couldn’t blame her. While she understood that Bill wanted his daughter to eat what was on her plate, she also sympathized with a girl who didn’t like the texture of beans. She had no idea what to do in a situation like this. She glanced at Henry who didn’t even look up from his plate. He just continued eating as if this happened all the time. For all she knew, it did. But this was the first time she’d seen this.

“It’s up to you,” Bill continued. “You can choose not to eat them. No one will make you. But you also have to understand that if you choose not to eat them, you won’t get any cookies tonight.”

Amber glanced at the cookies again, and after a moment, she picked up her fork and ate the beans.

Deanne’s gaze went to Bill. He’d handled that very well. She liked that he gave the girl a choice. He hadn’t banged the table and demanded she eat the beans like her father would have done.

After supper, Deanne helped Marsha wash the dishes while Henry got the wagon ready and Bill watched the children.

Marsha chuckled as she washed one of the cups. “Amber always says she hates beans, but every time, she’ll eat them.”

“She does?” Deanne asked in surprise. If this was the case, then why did she make it a habit of complaining about them?

“I don’t make them a lot. I try not to make things the children don’t like. It’s just that I had so much to do today that it was easier to let the beans sit in the pot while I did other things.”

“You can get things done while watching children?”

“Once you get used to them, you figure out a routine that allows you time to do other things. Little Roy Hanson ripped his pants, so I wanted to mend them. He lives with his grandparents, and his grandma’s hands hurt too much to hold a needle anymore.”

Deanne was curious about what happened to Roy’s parents, but she opted not to pry. If she didn’t want people snooping into her business, she wasn’t about to do it to others. She turned her attention back to the pot she was washing and scrubbed the bottom clean.

“Life must seem pretty quiet out here compared to Omaha,” Marsha said.

Deanne shrugged. “I don’t know. I stayed busy at the store today. It seems like plenty of people go out and do things.”

“Yes, but I wager it’s not as much as what people do in Omaha. Isn’t Omaha bigger than this town?”

“It is.” The difference in the train station sizes had startled her at first when she arrived in Lincoln, but then she recalled that her hometown in Kentucky was even smaller. “I keep busier here. I never worked when I lived in Omaha.”

“Most women don’t work. They stay home and take care of their husbands and the little ones. You’d be doing that, too, if Bill was able to run the store by himself.”

Deanne suspected if he could run the store by himself, he wouldn’t have remarried. He already had children, and his aunt watched them while he was at work. There wouldn’t be a reason to take a wife.

“I like you,” Marsha said.

Surprised that the woman should come out and say that, Deanne glanced at her. “You do?”

“You’ve got a quiet gentleness about you. I can see why Bill picked you. He had quite a few offers.”

“I bet he did.” Even with a wheelchair, he was a handsome and sweet man. What woman wouldn’t be drawn to that?

“I think you’ll be good for him. He doesn’t complain. It’s not in his nature. Even when Jennifer died, he didn’t question why. He just said that there’s a purpose for everything and that it’s not up to us to question why God allows bad things to happen. We just have to trust that He knows what’s best.”

Well, that was a big difference between her and Bill. Deanne often questioned why God allowed bad things to happen. Though, to be fair, she was the one who’d made the decision to answer a mail-order bride ad from a stranger in Omaha. God hadn’t been responsible for that mistake or the problems that had come with it. She could only hope this was one decision she’d managed to get right. She finished scrubbing the pot then rinsed it out.

“I complained about Jennifer’s death,” Marsha softly said. “I’m not strong in the faith like Bill is. I questioned it every day for the longest time. I even got angry. It’s not fair when people go before their time, and it’s even more upsetting when they leave people behind who need them.” Her gaze went to Deanne. “I wish I could say I’m strong, but I’m not.”

“You shouldn’t feel bad,” Deanne said when she noted how disappointed Marsha was with herself. “I question things, too. I think it’s normal for some of us to be weaker than others.”

Marsha gave her a grateful smile and wiped her eyes with the edge of her apron. “Look at me. An old woman who is getting all worked up when there’s nothing to get worked up over. Things turned out just fine. You’re here now. Bill will have a companion to share the rest of his life with, and the children will have a mother. God did have a plan.”

Deanne wasn’t sure what that plan was but nodded for Marsha’s sake. Afterwards, she set the clean pot aside and grabbed another dish to clean.

***

A week later, Bill was finishing up balancing the ledger when Deanne stepped into the back room of the store. He glanced up from the desk. “What is it?”

“Mr. Brown would like to see you,” she said.

“Send him in.” Bill marked his place as she left the back room. He closed the ledger and set it aside. He grabbed the leather pouch with the money in it just as the middle-aged man came into the room. “Hi, Morgan. I’m glad you came by. This was starting to get too full to close.”

Morgan smiled and took it before he sat across from him. “I heard you married again, but I didn’t realize your new wife was so pretty.”

“You can’t have her. I married her first.”

Morgan chuckled and settled back into the chair. “I’m glad you finally got someone who can help you all the time. I know this job took a toll on you when Archie was here.”

“Archie did a good job.”

“Yes, but he had trouble keeping up with the pace that’s needed to manage a store. There are three customers out there right now, and your wife didn’t even flinch when I came in. She handles herself very well.”

Bill’s left eyebrow arched. “Since you’re so interested in her, I’m surprised you didn’t stop by sooner like the others did.”

“I was on a business trip.”

“That explains it. How did it go?”

“Boring, but most bankers are boring to talk to. I’m glad to be back.”

“What about Kansas City? That wasn’t exciting?” Bill asked.

“It’s no fun going around a city when you’re all by yourself. I stayed in the hotel room when I wasn’t at the meetings. It might have been better if any of the books I’d brought with me were interesting.”

Bill shook his head. “I told you to take some of the dime novels. They’re actually pretty interesting.”

“I don’t know. It’s hard to think of them as real books. The binding is different, and they’re cheap.”

“You can’t let factors like that dissuade you from trying at least one. They sell very well in this store. As soon as a new shipment comes in, they’re almost all gone within a week.”

“I don’t believe it.”

Bill nodded toward the leather pouch. “Fifteen percent of the money I made was from dime novels.”

The man opened the pouch, and his eyes grew wide. “You’re putting me on.”

“Nope. It’s true. People can’t get enough of them. Even the stories for children sell well, and you’d be surprised to know that it’s not only children who read them.”

“I believe you. The money in this pouch doesn’t lie. But I have something more interesting to talk about than dime novels. I found someone who is looking for a farm to buy. He’s a young man with a wife and child. They recently came out West for land to farm on, and I told them they might as well buy a farm that is ready to go than start with just a piece of dirt. Do you mind if I take them out to your place?”

“No, please do.” This was good news. “When you come back, will you let me know if they’re interested?”

Morgan rose from his chair. “I’ll let you know. They’re still waiting at the bank.”

“Are there any houses available in town?”

“There are a couple. If that man wants the farm, do you want to take a look at the houses today?”

Bill nodded. “The sooner I can move into town, the better.”

“I don’t blame you for being anxious. It can’t be easy going back and forth almost every day, especially when you’re in a wheelchair.”

“It will be nice to wheel myself out of the house and down here.” Bill hadn’t realized how much he’d taken the ability to jump up and down on a horse any time he wanted for granted. “It’ll be nice for my aunt and uncle, too. They still have to watch my children while Deanne and I are here in the store. At least this way, she and I can pick them up and go home.”

He was sure they’d still have dinner with his relatives. He couldn’t see putting Deanne through the hassle of making dinner after she spent all day working here. Her role was different from what Jennifer’s had been. While she was alive, he’d been able to hold down this place all by himself.

“I’ll come back later today and let you know what happens.” Morgan lifted the pouch. “I’ll also return this so you can fill it up again.”

“Thanks, Morgan.”

Morgan offered a nod and left the room.

Bill heard Morgan tell Deanne goodbye on his way out. He hoped the couple wanted the farm. It’d been so long since anyone expressed an interest in it that he’d almost given up hope. He was beginning to worry he’d end up having to desert the place. He couldn’t give up the store. It was the only way he made money. Sure, people on farms were able to grow food, collect eggs and milk, or sell animals to make ends meet. Jennifer had been good at making a little extra to add to their finances by tending to most of the farm work. He, however, had grown up in town. He never did manage things on the farm as efficiently as she had. But he could operate a store. This was something he knew like the back of his hand, and it was something that made him comfortable.

He took his ledger back out and finished working through the receipts. Then he organized the receipts into their respective folders and filed them away.

By the time he was done cleaning his desk, Morgan returned with a wide grin on his face. Bill blinked in surprise and glanced at the pocket watch resting on his desk. He hadn’t been aware so much time had passed. And Deanne hadn’t come back once to ask him for help. She had required his assistance a few times over the past week, but it seemed like she had everything under control now.

“I have good news,” Morgan said. “They want the farm.”

Bill’s ears perked up. “They do?”

“Yep. Conner is working with them on the loan as we speak.” He gave Bill the pouch. “Is it too late to look at houses? We can always do it tomorrow if now is a bad time.”

“Let me check with Deanne.” Bill backed the wheelchair up and then wheeled along the ramp that went to the front part of the store.

Deanne was in the middle of collecting money from Archie’s daughter, Maybell, who had five-month-old Calvin strapped to her chest with a cloth-made sling.

Bill’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “Where’s your husband and pa?”

Maybell glanced over at him and grinned. “Hi, Bill. Jack just acquired a couple of cattle, so he and Pa are branding them. It’s just me and Calvin today.”

Calvin was blabbing and looking all over the store in interest.

Bill smiled. “Well, the boy doesn’t seem to mind being dragged all the way into town.”

“He loves being in the buggy,” Maybell replied.

“My son and his wife had a little one last year,” Morgan said. “Enjoy the time when they’re like this. They grow up so fast. Before you know it, he’ll be running all over the place.”

“I’m enjoying this time very much,” Maybell assured him.

“It’s not so bad when they get older,” Bill said. “I like it when they can tell me what they want. It’s better than guessing.”

“You always were a practical one, Bill,” Morgan replied with a chuckle.

Bill smiled in amusement then turned his attention to Deanne as she finished giving Maybell the change. “Morgan says someone is interested in the farm. I was thinking of looking at some houses in town. What do you think of closing the store early and joining me?”

“You want my opinion?” Deanne asked in surprise.

“You’re going to live there, too,” he replied.

“You should go,” Maybell told her. “It’s fun to go into people’s houses and see where all the rooms are.”

As if he wished to offer his agreement, Calvin squealed.

“I’ll take the box to your buggy, Maybell,” Morgan offered with a chuckle.

Maybell thanked him as he picked it up.

Bill glanced at Deanne and saw that she was putting the money into the pouch. “Will you put that in the back?” Bill asked her. “I’ll turn the sign to let people know we’re closed and head on out.”

Deanne offered a nod, and soon they were on their way to look for their new home.