Western Challenge Part 2

“Och ya der ya are, Jack!  Where are our supplies?  Ach my gals couldn’t get their naps in today and have been fussing all day.  I was wondering when you’d get back from town, you took a long enough time with it…And who do we have here another mouth to feed?” the woman went on.

“Sorry Audrey, here are the supplies you wanted...and this is my foster daughter, Megan.  We  just picked her up today from the depot.  She's  going to be a big help to Alena.  Megan, this is our neighbor, Audrey Nilsson. ”  Josh commented.

“How’d ya do Missus Neelson…” Meg said almost in audibly.

         “Well that’s a fine howdy do!  My you’re just a slip of a thing aren’t ja?  Daughter?  My, and I  thought that this baby was your first 'un, but now I see!  I didn't know you and Alena had another 'un and more'n half grown she is too...  Well you’ll have your time raising that ‘un, though I s’ppose yer just a youn’in yerself. Vell gest take yer baby and be on yer vay den.”  Audrey went on, then grabbed her supplies.

“Oh Mrs. Nilsson, she's our daughter which we chose from the Orphan Train.” Alena attempted to explain.

“Ah so that's how it is?  An Orphan Train child?  We'll better keep and eye on that 'un, is all I have to say...”  Audrey went on to say, then turned and went inside.

The little family didn't say anything, although Jack mumbled under his breath as he helped Meg back into the wagon and they went on their way.

“Well I guess people are entitled to their opinions of others.” Josh said as he drove on.

“Ya, even it’s definitely not what you want to hear…” Alena said as she felt her baby move.

“Well Audrey certainly has hers…” Jack sighed.

         “Ya what was up with Audrey?  She seemed so…so…” Meg stammered for the right word.

“Overwhelmed?  Snippy?  Well as you could probably see, she obviously in the family way again, and is gonna have it real soon.  She'd been helping me with some of my housework and that was part of the reason why I needed your help, because Audrey gave me a deadline to find someone else to help me before too long.”  Alena attempted to explain to Meg.

“Aye, eye see now how it is.  So you did need me to help you and you had a deadline. Well I’m happy to help, but ya coulda warn’d me about your last helper.” Meg went on, slipping again into her home accent a bit.

“Ah you really are…Irish then.  Well that’s okay because I think one of my ancestor’s might’ve been, but I sorta forget.” Jack went on.

“What were ya gonna call me?  I ‘ope it twasn’t what I thought!  T’well ya are stuck wit me no matta wha’…And we’ll have to look up yer kin then jest ta see…” she went on on, laying her accent especially thick.

“It doesn’t matter anyway…aw we’ll discuss our ancestor’s soon enough.” He said.

         They rode on in near silence as Meg looked at the landscape and Jack decided to relax himself a bit.

         They soon arrived at the farm, and Meg took a look around the place from what she could see from the back of the wagon.  Jack came around to help her down, but instead, she jumped over the wheel and jumped down again.

         “You didn’t have to do that Meg, I could’ve helped you down.”

         “Aw that’s okay.  I’m strong and I’m no damsel in distress all the time either.  Here gimme the baby.”  She said as she reached for her small traveling case of possessions.

         “Alright then…well make yourself at home in the cabin, while I need to see to the horses.”  He said while he opened the door for her.

         Meg looked around the cabin, which was in quite the shambles.  It looked like he hadn’t  cleaned up in there in some time. Food dishes were crusted on the sideboard and piled on the table.  The bed was still rumpled and his clothes were still collecting on the floor.  She thought to herself, ‘Aye he said he wanted to be like my brother, and boy is he!  Making a mess just like Aiden!  Ach men! Haha!  Aw I guess I better get to work!’  as she began picking her way through the mess on the floor.

         Alena nervously said “I'm sorry for the mess.  I hadn't feeling well as of late, and I hadn't been expecting company for a while either.” as she picked her way across the mess as well.

         “Oh that's fine, I've seen bigger messes in my young life believe me...so don't feel bad about this Mrs. Ericsson...though I can see now why you need help.”  Meg replied.
 
         “Oh you're a blessing Megan Mellody!  And you can call me Alena if you wish.”  Alena answered.

         Megan and Alena continued to chat for awhile, giving each other encouraging words, until Alena fell back to sleep.  Then Meg went on to continue with the housework where she'd left off.

         After a while, Josh and Jack finally came in and looked around.  Meg looked up from her basin of dishes and said, “Ach the masters has come back to the manor house again!” her tone a bit sarcastic.

         “Hey you cleaned up in here! You didn’t have to do that!” Jack exclaimed although a bit excited.

         “Well what else did you expect me to do, leave this place a mess?  As soon as I saw it, I thought to meself, ‘Aye Meg, that’s what they got ya fer!  Clean the house, don’ ya know?”  she said exasperatedly.

         “Oh Meg we want you around for more than just to clean the cabin. Good job on what you have done far.” Jack admitted.

         “Well okay, but I know how you can help so that we don’t wanna have to come into a mess like that again! Just place your things away and the dishes in a basin, no more just lyin’ them about as you like.”  She explained.

         “Fine, I can do that.  Uh what about dinner?...” he began.

         “Well dinner’s on the stove.  It’s a stew that should be done soon enough…”  she sighed.

         “Thank you Meg.  You don’t realize how much of a help this is.”  He said.

         “Well you’re welcome, Jack.  It isn’t enough that I’ve been thanked and I appreciate it.”  She said.

         “Well Meg you’ll be getting a lot more thanks from now on believe me…” Jack said as he winked at her a bit.
         
         Josh and Alena chuckled to themselves that they thought Jack and Meg were already arguing with each other like either siblings...or an old married couple.  Meanwhile, Meg followed as he walked outside of the cabin to brush off his boots.

         “Oh Jack, I was able to talk with Alena for awhile.  She seems sweet but I agree so tired.” Meg admitted.

         Jack pulled her outside to continue the conversation.  “Yes, she's lived a difficult life even before she married my brother Josh.  She's survived this long, but I don't know how she'll be once she has the baby.  We will deal with what comes next...but I'm just glad you're here now...” he admitted.

         “Oh okay...though I hope Alena can hang on a bit longer.  For her husband's sake as well as all of ours'...” Meg admitted.

         A look she hadn't seen before  suddenly came over Jack's face as he stared down at Meg and said “Thanks for your concern Meg.  I hope too Alena can survive another winter, for all of our sake...but you needn't worry about your future.”  He then gave her his arm and gently led her into the house. 

         The pair went back inside the cabin to eat dinner with Josh and Alena, conversing off and on throughout the meal.  Then afterward, Jack even helped Meg with the dishes which was a big help.  Then for the rest of the evening they conversed a while longer.
         
         When he announced that he was going out to chore, Meg took that as a cue, and decided to quickly wash up and get ready for bed.  After her day of travel, then helping Alena with the meal, she wanted to be clean, so she did the best she could behind a quilt in the corner. 

         She was already in her nightgown and robe when she decided to ask them where she was supposed to sleep.
         
         “Well, I was just wondering about our sleeping arrangements and all.  I can only see one bed in here…and you two sleep in it.”  she asked.

         “Oh that’s no big problem, Jack sleeps in the loft up top, and you can pull out the trundle bed down here…unless you want to sleep in the loft…”  Josh jokingly reassured her.

         “Well I think the trundle bed will be fine, so that I can be here to help Alena with breakfast if she needs my help.”  She breathed a sigh of relief.

         Jack came back into the cabin right then, hearing part of  Meg's comment, then added “Well I guess it’s settled then.  Goodnight Meg, pleasant dreams.”  he chuckled, as he climbed up the ladder into the loft. 

         “Goodnight to you too, Jack…”  Meg said as she climbed into her bed, and quickly fell asleep, despite everything that was on her mind. 


         “Good, good...we're glad for you too, Megan.” they said.
         


Chapter 7

         The next morning when Meg awoke, she was a bit disoriented at first and had to remember where she was at.  When she smelled eggs and bacon frying on the stove, she suddenly remembered.  She then got up and went over to the table, still a bit sleepy.

         “Good morning sleepyhead, it's good to see you awake at last.”  Jack said with a bit of humor in his voice.

         “Thanks for the breakfast, but you didn't have to do that.  You should have woke me up and I would've made you breakfast. I'm here to help Alena with that.” she said through a yawn.

         “Aw it's fine.  My brother and I usually get up soon after dawn to start some of our chores, but you looked so peaceful there that I thought you needed your rest.  Plus I figured that you'd probably had a long day yesterday and all...” he said as he set the food on the table.

         “Oh thank you Jack, that was really nice of you.  Very thoughtful..” she said as she spooned some oatmeal on her plate. 

         They exchanged pleasant conversation, while Josh came in from outdoors and Alena awoke from her bed.  They all joined into the conversation, until the men said that they had to check on some of the livestock, while the women announced that they had to get busy finishing a few of  the  other chores around there, so they went their separate ways to get to work.
         
         Meg started with the breakfast dishes, which didn't take too long.  Then she helped Alena take care of her needs while they chatted for  awhile.  Alena gave her a few tips about the household chores when Meg asked, then Alena worked on some mending while Meg dealt with the larger tasks.

         It was then Meg decided that the clothes needed washed, so she took the washtub from beside the outside of the house and fill it with water from the well.  The tub was a bit cumbersome to fill straight from the well pump, so Meg decided to bring it by the bucketful to the place around the back of the house closest to the clothesline, and build the fire up for the load of laundry there. 

         It took her quite a while to get the laundry set, with the kettle boiling over the open fire and the laundry loaded in with the soap, so she went to check on Alena.  Finding Alena resting again, Meg decided to go back outdoors to the laundry.  She had just sat down on a stump, when Jack came around to see what she was up to.

         “Hello kiddo, and what do we have brewing here?  Looks like quite the stew!”

         “It's not a stew, it's our laundry!  Check it out for yourself!”

         “So you decided to boil the clothes over an open fire?” he inquired.

         “Ya so?  How else would you do it?”  she asked.

         “Well I guess maybe just heat up a bit of water on the stove or something.  Or maybe wash them in the creek...” he volunteered.

         “Oh yeah I guess I didn't think of that...” she responded.

         “Well, I guess you can do things your own way now.  Just so's the fire's not too close to the cabin and all...” he said.

         “Aw the clothes are coming out fine and are almost done.  Although I'd get finished much faster if you helped me with the ringer part...”  she tauntingly pleaded.

         Suddenly Jack got a bemused look on his face and said, “Aw Meg you don't have to beg, I'll help you...Uh I then, I have something to show you in the barn.”  as he proceeded to help her run a few more items of clothes through the ringer, until they were satisfactorily finished.  Then the walked toward the barn. 

         Meg had no idea what he was talking about, but she decided to follow him anyway.  He led them into the barn and past the first couple horse stalls and into the last one, where a chocolate brown mare stood.  When they approached, she turned her head and wanted a treat.  Jack scratched her forelock and mane, then motioned for Meg to do the same.

         “Meg, say hello to Dolly.  I've had this mare for a little more than a year now.  She is Alena's mare, but since her pregnancy these past few months, Alena's been unable to ride her...So then I asked Alena and she agreed to let you ride Dolly, since you're smaller than me...just be careful.”

         Meg was astonished and didn't know what to say.  She petted the horse a bit, then said “Thank you Jack,  don't know what to say.  I've never been given a horse before...and Alena doesn't mind?”

         “No, she said she didn't mind, as long as you take care of her and share the horse once Alena feels up to riding again.  You do ride, don't you?”  he asked.

         “Yes, a little. Though it only been bareback on a pony a few times.”  she said shyly.

         “Oh well Dolly's gentle enough, but we'll have to go riding sometime soon.  Would you like that?” he asked.

         “Yeah that would really be fun.  Sometime we should do that.”  she stated.  She also looked at Jack and thought that he was quite kind sometimes.

         He then showed her around the rest of the farmyard, told her that apart from her household chores, he also wanted her to help with feeding the chickens, slopping the hogs, and milking the cow at least once a day.  Meg saw that he had her time on the farm already planned out for her and she sighed.  She knew that most of the chores went along with living on a typical farm, but she didn't know if he knew that she knew that or not, so she just kept quiet for a moment.

         Jack and Josh had to go to another neighbor's to borrow an implement they were going to need for harvest soon.  During their time away, Meg and Alena had more time getting to know each other as well, although Meg could tell even Alena sensed she wasn't long for this world.  When Meg asked her what kept her so calm, Alena replied had Meg help her find her Bible and then she proceeded to show her the passages the spoke of Jesus' promises in Heaven.  Alena attempted to show Meg the way to the Lord, but she knew Meg would have to make the choice in her own time.

         Chapter 8

         Time passed quickly and soon a fall nip could be felt in the air.  One day, after having been there only two weeks, Meg went to check on Alena who was resting, when she heard a faint moan.  When she rushed over to her,  Alena told Meg that she thought that her baby was coming now.  Slightly panicked,  Meg told Alena to rest, then ran outdoors to find Jack and Josh.  Then men came in and looked a bit worried, until Josh said that he would ride for the doctor and Jack said he'd ride to the next farm and get Mrs. Nilsson.
       
         Meg sat with Alena awhile trying to keep her calm as she waited for the men.  After what seemed like forever, Jack brought back Audrey Nilsson who tried to help Alena as well as she could while her labor progressed. After a few hours and the fact that
Josh still hadn't come, Jack became worried, and saddled his own horse to get the doc.  He was able to get to town, found the doc, and headed back.  By the time they got back, Alena was in a bad state because her delivery had developed complications, but the doc was able to save the baby.  Alena, however, was left so weakened that she only lived another hour in which she told the doctor that she wanted to name the baby “Henry Lee...”

         Jack and Meg had stepped out of the cabin for a few moments while the baby was being born, and when Mrs. Nilsson stepped out to give them the heartbreaking news, Meg started to cry.

         “Ach I'm sorry but she didn't...” Audrey started.

         “Oh no, it's all my fault!  I should've been more attentive, should've taken better care...” Meg cried.

         “Ach girl it's not your fault..you did what you could, we all did... in the end, Alena knew she was...”

         Jack suddenly drew her in his arms in a comforting hug and went on to say, “Better care Alena couldn't have gotten but from you.  In the short time she knew you, you were loved, like the daughter she never had.”

         “Yes, I guess so...but I'm surely gonna miss her because she was a lovely soul in and out.” Meg cried.

         Mrs. Nilsson felt compassion toward the scene, but then interrupted them with the solemn reminder,  “I hate to interrupt your family grief, but come along girl we need to take care of Alena before too long.”

         “Okay I'll be along, although this is a grim task indeed.” Meg said as she sorrowfully followed Audrey Nilsson into the cabin.

         Jack followed Meg and Mrs. Nilsson into the cabin where
the doctor handed baby Henry to him to hold.  Jack held his tiny nephew as long as he could, with the pride of being an uncle and the concern over the health of his sister-in-law Alena welling up inside.  He was also becoming worried and angry about what had become of his brother, Josh, who Jack was certain wouldn't have wanted to miss the birth of his son, or not be there to help his wife.



         The next day, the sheriff knocked on Jack's door to bring him the awful news that his brother Josh's body had been found at the side of the road.  Apparently his horse had stumbled, throwing Josh to the ground, where he'd hit his head on a rock and had died.  Jack was overcome with grief, but tried to hide it like a man. 


         It was then that Meg and Audrey realized that they would have to now prepare both Alena and Josh for their final resting place, while Jack and Mr. Nilsson and another neighbor found the right spot under the horse chestnut tree for Josh and Alena's graves.  While he and Mr. Nilsson were digging Josh and Alena's graves, Jack then realized that with Josh gone as well as Alena, he was now the sole provider for both his nephew Henry, and even Meg.  Even though he could adopt Henry, given he was a blood relative, he couldn't adopt Meg since they were only five years apart.  He was contemplating what to do next, when suddenly a man in buckskins and broadcloth rode up, introducing himself as Pastor Richard Kildare.

         Pastor Kildare said that he was a circuit rider who's mission was to spread the message of the Lord Jesus Christ to everyone he met.  The men greeted him warmly and told them that they were in need of a preacher right then, to give Josh and Alena a proper burial service and so forth.

         The pastor agreed to do the service and was going to say more, when a thought suddenly occurred to Jack, so he drew the pastor aside and spoke to him about a personal matter relating to Meg.  Although a bit reluctant, the pastor agreed to help Jack if the other party agreed.

         The women had just finished doing what they could for Josh and Alena, to prepare them for their final resting place.  The sheriff had sent two simple pine boxes from the undertaker to help in whatever way he could. 

         Meg and Audrey were surprised at the fact that the circuit riding preacher had even shown up to give a ceremony for Alena, although Meg could see the hand of God in it somewhere, like Alena would have said.

         After the brief ceremony around the yawning graves, Jack drew Meg aside, putting his arm around her, and comforting her.

         “Oh Jack, Josh and Alena are both gone now...just like my aunt and my ma & da...What am I going to have to do now? I don't know how you can adopt me? Am I bound for another orphan train?” Meg wept.

         “Oh Meggie,  as I said before, you don't have to worry.  I agree, I don't know how I could really adopt you either...but I do have another idea.  Instead of I adopting you, since we're pretty close in age, I thought maybe I could take care of you another way...through marriage...” Jack said, while holding her hand.

         “Marriage? ...You want to marry me?  Are you sure I'm good enough?” Meg asked a bit nervous.
         
         “Yeah sure I think you're good enough...and we can take our time as far as any other relationship might go.  We can have it be that way if you want it.” he said reassuringly.

         “Oh okay, I think that'd be okay at least for awhile...When do you want to get married?”  Meg asked shyly.

         “Well how about the sooner the better...The pastor's here you know, so we could make it legal right now.” he said.

         “Oh right now...uh...yeah okay, I guess we can get married right now. Though I don't have a fancy dress or anything.” Meg mentioned.

         “Well I think you look fine...and I'll buy you a fancy dress sometime when the time is right...” he reassured.

         And so that evening, right after Alena's ceremony,  Jack Ericsson and Megan Mellody was united in marriage under a horse chestnut tree in the backyard, not far from the graves of Josh and Alena.

         It had been quite the past few days, and so that evening, Meg washed up quickly, took care of baby Henry as well as she could given the circumstances, and sat waiting for Jack, a bit nervously.

         When Jack came in, he glanced at her and asked her what was up.

         “Well Jack, I know we're supposed to be married now...but I don't know if I can...”  she said nervously.

         “Ah it's okay Meg...I know it's been quite the few days for us.  The marriage can be just a legality for now if you want it to be, I'll understand.  Oh it's been quite the time for me too.” he admitted.

         “Well what about sleeping arrangements?  Are you going to be wanting the bed now?” she asked.

         “Oh Meg, you can have the bed, while I'll still sleep in my loft.” he said as he climbed toward the loft.

         “All right then...oh goodnight Jack.” Meg said.

         “Goodnight Meg, pleasant dreams...” Jack said from the loft.

         Despite the recent deaths of Josh and Alena, life had to go on, especially life on a farm since farm work was never done.  Chores had to be accomplished and thus the next several weeks passed quickly for Jack and Meg as they adjusted to life on the farm without Josh and Alena now too.  Their times working together to accomplish the daily tasks as well as other chores like harvesting the vegetable garden, lent to fun times getting to know each other as well. 
         
         One day, the day had progressed quickly and soon it was time for dinner, then to bathe baby Henry and put him to bed.  After Meg had done that, she decided to sit for a spell with some of her crocheting, while Jack sat and read part of the newspaper.

         Suddenly, Meg decided to strike up a bit of a conversation.  “So Jack Ericsson, I was wondering where you're from?”

         “Oh Ohio I guess...”  he said a bit distractedly.

         “No not what state!  No, um...where ancestor’s from?  I know mine are from Ireland...so I was wondering about you.”  she pressed.

         “Well I guess from all over...but if I remember correctly...I think my great grandparents came from Denmark...or at least I know my grandfather did.” he answered.

         “Denmark ya say?  Oh I wondered if you were Scandinavian, being tall and all.”  she said.

         “You think I'm tall?”  he asked.

         “Sure'n you're taller'n most Irishmen...or namely my late Da and my brother Aiden.” she said.

         “That's nice.” he said slightly distractedly.

         “Um, lemme think...Denmark...Isn't that where Hamlet came from, and they have that statue of the silkie?”  she asked.

         “Yeah I guess so...Wait a minute what's a 'silkie'?”  Jack asked looking up from his paper momentarily.

         “Ya know, a silkie...a lass that's half woman and half fish!” she said rolling her eyes.

         Jack catches her meaning, then says “Silkie? Oh yeah you meant the mermaid statue? Ja I guess Denmark has that...Actually speaking of that, my grandfather used to tell this story about his father telling people the statue looked like his wife...some jokester!  I think he was probably getting a bit tetched in the head by then...” he chuckled.

         Meg just chuckled and added “Haha you related to a silkie, ya thats like me grandfather saying he danced with the leprechauns in the pale moonlight lookin'  fer der 'pot o' gold'!” 

         They continued on with just spending time together, then Jack said it was time for him to turn in, so he collected his item and climbed up into his loft, while she slipped into her nightgown an went to sleep in her bed, thinking about their funny conversations.
               
         The next day, Meg awoke early to make breakfast and had just got the coffee brewing, the oatmeal cooking, and the eggs frying, when Jack walked in.  He pulled off a knit cap he'd had on his head, and removed his coat.

         Meg glanced over to him and commented to him, “Oh I thought that I'd get up early to get breakfast on, but I see you're already up.”

         Jack just grabbed his plate and fork, then began to shovel the food onto his plate as he said, “Ja I had to chore a bit, so I got up early as always.  Uh Meg how do you feel about doing farm work because I need you to help me a bit if you can?”

         “Oh I'm fine with it.  What do we have to do?”  she asked a bit curiously.

         “Well the crops I have out there, the grain, it needs to be harvested before the first frost comes around.  Some of our neighbors were supposed to be coming with the thresher, but the last I head, it had broken down at the Nilsson's and they're a day behind...so I thought you could help me bring in as much as we can before the machine comes.” he said between forkfuls of food.

         “Oh we're doing it by hand?  Well I think I can help you there, but what about Henry?”  Meg inquired inquisitively.

         “Well you can take him along.  We'll just have to keep an eye on him as we work.  You can do that can't you?”  he asked, slightly teasingly.

         “Yes I believe I can.” she smirked.

         And Meg packed up the supplies she thought they'd need, which included food and some sweet cider she'd found in the root cellar, bundled little Henry up, and met Jack out by the wagon.  He helped lift the supplies up into the wagon, then Meg and Henry, and then jumped up into the wagon himself, and they were on their way.

         They only traveled a short distance until they got to the part of the field where he'd wanted them to begin.  When he hand Meg the sythe he'd wanted her to use, he tried to explain what it was used for, but then ended up just demonstrated it to her, then handed her the tool to begin.

         Jack and Meg got to work and ended up working a while in near silence.  Meg would follow along behind him as he cut off the stalks, so that she could bind them off into sheaves.  After a while Meg started to hum a tune while she worked.  Jack soon took notice and asked her about it.

         “Hey that's a good tune to sing out here.” he commented.

         “Really why do you say that?”  she asked naively.

         “Oh because it's 'Bringing In The Sheaves' haha quite fittin' I'd say.” he chuckled.

         “Really?  How does it go?  My Ma used to hum it when she was working her garden plot back at home, but she never sang the words rightly though.” Meg said.

         “Well the song as well as I know it goes “Bringing In The Sheaves...We will coming rejoicing, Bringing in the Sheaves...” he went on to sing.

         Tentatively Meg sang along with him as they worked the field.  After their song, they just kept working in silence until they took a break.  Even though they worked like that, they'd still sneak peaks at each other while working.  Both appreciated what they saw in each other, even if they were still a bit shy and reluctant to admit the fondness even to themselves.

         During their break, both flopped down in a bare patch of the field they'd cleared, and rested.  Meg also took the baby in her lap and fed him from a glass bottle she'd filled with milk, while Jack rested and drank some of the cider Meg and brought along.

         “Thanks for the food and cider Meg, it really it the spot.  Did you get enough?”  Jack said as he relaxed.

         “I'm fine Jack.  And I think this little guy's almost asleep.” she whispered as the baby fell asleep on her lap.

         “You sure are good with that baby.”  he said as he stared at her.  Then he looked away for a moment and said “The work out here isn't too tough for ya is it?  Cos we could go back now, if you're tired.”

         “Thank you for your thoughtfulness Jack, but I think I'll be fine.  I want to help you get done, it's the least I can do.” Meg said, the last part in a near whisper.

         “Oh...well thanks Meg, although you're more than just a help for me.” he said, his voice trailing off.

         The pair worked for several more hours until they'd gotten a decent amount of the field cleared.  Then they loaded up their supplies on the wagon and got back to the farm.  Even there they still worked until nearly dark, working on separating out the chaff from the grain while in the barn, then pouring the grain kernels into bags. 

         When they got back to the cabin,  Meg threw together a quick supper, while Jack washed up at the pump outside.  Meg happened to glance outside to call him into dinner, and liked what she saw of him in the waning light of day, as far as his back and what she could see of his backside.  A bit embarrassed, she  called him into dinner, and he quickly threw his shirt back on. 

         They ate supper in silence, with very few comments and because they were both so physically tired.  They then each went to their beds, both tired, but with things on their minds.

         Early the next morning, Meg got up and thought she'd get a quick wash, so she filled the tub and got in to relax.  She ended up being so tired, that she fell asleep in the tub and didn't wake up until she heard Jack clear his throat.

         “Oh hmmp, what do we have here?” he chuckled.

         Meg sat up and brushed her wet hair out of her face and gasped she went to say something but realized that somehow in the night she'd lost her voice to laryngitis!  Panicked, she curled her knees to her chest and started to shiver.

         “Haha I'm sorry Meg but with your long red hair you look quite the sight!  Like something washed up with the tide.”  Jack laughed.

         Meg became more than a little indignant and took her washcloth, twisted it up, and whipped it at him, hitting him squarely on the face!  Then she pointed at the door, motioning him to leave.

         “Whoa you're a feisty one!  Haha okay I'll leave.”  Jack laughed as he walked toward the door.

         He was just about out the door, when he glanced back and saw Meg had slunk out of the tub and  had grabbed one of his shirts and pants, sliding them on to cover herself, trying to hide behind the table the whole time.  Jack didn't know what to think of her then.  He'd liked what he'd seen, although he did feel bad that she felt so embarrassed.  He walked out to the barn to get ready for the thrashers who were coming through.

         Meg did feel embarrassed by her situation because she was still a bit shy about her body.  Still though she wanted to see what Jack was up to, so after seeing to Henry's needs, she went outside to see Jack and “talk” to him even if she was momentarily mute.

         Jack was working with one of the draft horses, when he felt a tap on his shoulder.  He spun around and saw Meg standing there, still dressed in his shirt and pants.

         “Oh  hi Meg...Uh I'm sorry I surprised you like that...although you did still look funny with your hair in your face...and the way you threw that rag was great...haha...” he laughed.

         She just glared up at him and wanted to yell at him but couldn't, so she resorted to the hand signs she'd used with her little sister.  He grabbed her arms and looked down at her.  “Oh Meg you lost your voice?  I'm sorry I teased ya...Hey what were you doing with your hands, trying to hit me?” 

         Meg just shook her head, so with compassion, Jack just drew her close and held her.  After a few moments she pulled away, and he said “I'm sorry if you were uncomfortable with that.  Uh how would you like to go for a riding lesson with Dolly?  We have some time before the threshers show up.”

         Meg nodded her head in affirmation, then let Jack lead her to the mare, which he saddled for her.  He then led had her lead the mare over to the mounting block and had her climb onto the saddle herself.  He then showed her how to hold the reins between what was left of her fingers, and then had her sit their  until he got his horse, which he had saddled earlier. 

         Meg sat there on what she thought was a large horse and hope that the beast wouldn't run off with her hanging on for dear life.  Jack soon came around with his horse, and he told her they'd only go for a short ride. 

         He led the horses out the gate of the paddock, and they both were on a walk, then a gentle canter with the horses.  Meg soon realized that she was having fun riding and loved to feel the wind in her hair.    Soon they were riding along easily and Meg started to feel like laughing, but it only came out as a cough because of her voice.

         “Oh Meg I hope you're not getting cold out here.  And watch out...” Jack said, when suddenly Meg's horse stopped and she slid off to the side of Dolly.  Dolly suddenly reared back and began pawing the ground at something.  At that moment, Meg heard a rattling sound, and right next to her was a large,  long rattle snake.

         “Oh Meg don't move, that's a rattlesnake...a diamondback I think.  Just sit still and I'll take care of it.”  Jack said as he whipped out his shotgun and shot at the snake.

         Suddenly his horse shied, and he missed, scaring Dolly away and only wounding the snake.  Still that gave Meg just enough time to jump away from the snake, and Jack was able to come by on his horse in the nick of time to pull her up onto his horse and gallop off for home. 

         They rode along in silence, although Meg was all to aware of how closely she was sitting to Jack on the horse.  She pressed her cheek against his chest, could smell his scent and could swear she could nearly hear his beating heart as they rushed by.

         When they got back to the house, he suddenly stopped, but before they got dismounted from the horse Jack looked down at her with his blue and Meg thought that perhaps he was going to kiss her,  and as she shut her eyes for just that, they suddenly heard other people around them and realized that their neighbors had come around with the community threshing machine. 

         That broke whatever romantic mood that had stirred between them, and Jack helped her down and went on explain how Meg had almost gotten bitten by a rattlesnake and so forth.  Then he went on to help with the threshing while Mrs. Nilsson chided Meg about leaving baby Henry alone while they'd gone out gallivanting on horseback.

         The rest of the day was spent working on the threshing and so forth.  By the end of the day both Jack and Meg were too tired for much more than staring at each other across the table over supper, and then each going on to their separate beds.

Chapter 9
         As the weeks passed and the weather got colder, Meg spent more time cleaning around the house, and even did a little investigating where she found a trunk that she could only assume had belonged to Jack's brother and sister-in-law. 
         The trunk contained a number of personal items, photos, baby items which she wasn't sure Henry had ever worn, a few dresses, and a family Bible.  Meg thought that she could alter the dresses to fit herself, and so that soon became her project that she worked on while Jack was busy elsewhere.  The family Bible, Meg noticed, had dates where people from Jack's family had marked important events.  The last event, much to her surprise, had been the date she and Jack had married.  Meg just stared and couldn't believe how thoughtful it was of Jack to even do that.  Maybe he did think of her as more than just a little sister, but she wasn't sure.

         One evening she was rocking Henry to sleep just after dinner and absentmindedly began to sing.

         Jack looked up from his newspaper and commented, “Wow Meg, I didn't know you had such a voice!  I guess I didn't realize that about you.”

         “Well Jack there's a lot about me you don't know.” Meg said a bit coyly.

         “Well tell me about it then, I'm willing to listen.”  Jack said, staring at here.

         “Okay then...” Meg began as she went on to tell more about her life from when she'd been living in Ireland, her time of homelessness, and her continual concerns for her sister.

         Jack expressed his sympathies to her issues and mentioned how the Lord was always there to turn to whenever anything troubled her.  Meg was a bit surprised since although she'd gone to a church as a young child, her relationship with God had fallen aside as of late.  Jack suggested a verse in the Bible, which she attempted to look up, but since her ability to understand all English in print was limited, she knew she'd have to ask Jack or someone for help sometime.

         When Sunday rolled around, Jack decided to have them attend church together.  Meg decided to wear one of the dresses she'd found and altered for herself.  When Jack saw her, he told her she looked quite pretty, which made Meg feel good about herself.

         The church service was fine, although it left more questions in Meg's mind than even Jack could answer.  Still though when they spoke to the Pastor and his wife, they said they'd help the Ericssons' with any questions they might have.  Meg thought that was kind and was especially appreciative of the meal the Pastor's family had invited them to.

         When the young couple got back to their home,  Jack played with Henry for a while on the floor, while Meg worked on her mending.  All the while she contemplated what Pastor Waters and his wife had said about John 3:16-17, and the part in Corinthians which said about being equally yoked.  Something just stirred within her heart and so she asked Jack about his relationship with the Lord and what he'd thought about the verse in Corinthians.   
         “Well Meg, I consider my relationship with the Lord to be strong...but I guess I'd sort of forgot about that verse in Corinthians about being equally yoked...”  he said a bit dejectedly.

         “So does that make our marriage a sin then?” she gasped.

         “Well I don't know...”

         “Oh Jack I'm so sorry...” she wept slightly.

         Jack suddenly stood up and went over to her to comfort her, but although she accepted his hug, she told him “Jack thank you...but before we can go anywhere else in our relationship, I need to work things out with God...Okay?”

         “Okay Meg, I understand.  I'll sleep in the barn then, but if you want anything more, I want you to make your choice out of your own desire for a relationship with the Lord Jesus, not just me.”  Jack said,  as he knelt by her and they prayed.

         Jack then left for the barn, while Meg contemplated her soul.  She went to bed, thinking over what had befell her parents and her aunt, and began thinking about her eternal soul.  She prayed to the Lord in her mind but wondered if it was enough.

         Meg mulled over these decisions in her mind and heart, for almost a week then finally after much reading of the Bible and pondering on the matter, decided to ask Lord Jesus to be her Savior. 

Chapter 10

         While Meg was contemplating her eternal soul, Jack was mulling the situation in his mind.  He felt sympathy toward Meg,  but realistically the weather was beginning to get too cold to continue to sleep in the barn.  He would have to soon talk Meg into at least allow him to sleep in his loft in the upper part of the cabin, if nothing else.

         Suddenly, a few days after Meg had accepted the Lord, there was a large and sudden snowstorm,  which happened to trap Jack in the cabin that evening.

         “Oh Meg it looks like it snowing pretty badly, if I'm to make it back to the barn I'll have to do it pretty soon...”  he said.

         “Oh you don't have to go out in that, Jack!  That's too much of a mess.” she said.

         “Are you okay with me staying in the cabin?  I'll stay in the loft.” he inquired.

         “Yes...you stay in the loft.” she said as she finished putting Henry to bed, then went on to her mending.

         She sat there mending for a while, while he read his newspaper.  He began to get a bit lost in the events of the world, when suddenly Meg asked him a question.

         “Jack I know you're a man of the world and have had more experience in such things, can I ask you a question?” 

         “Okay Meg what do you want to know?” he asked a bit curious.

         “Um what's it like to kiss someone?” she asked shyly.

         “Oh...well, it's nice I guess...though I haven't kissed too many girls, to be honest.” he said, slightly embarrassed.

         “Well do you want to find out?” she she said shyly.

         “Mmm, maybe?  Why do you want me to teach you how to kiss?” he chuckled.

         She walked over to him and said, “Yeah something like that.  Can I kiss you?”

         “Well if you want to, if that's what you want.” he said slightly nervous.

         He began to get up, but she jumped on his lap first, looked into his eyes, and stroked his cheek.

         “Did you know Jack that you have the bluest eyes?”

         “Oh do I now?”  he asked.

         Suddenly she leaned in and initiated their kiss.  It was a touching of lips that soon led to them pressing against each other, and him eventually pulling her to the floor  where they made out in front of the fire.  When his hand began to travel up her skirt, she gasped, and that startled him enough that he remembered her previous religious convictions and backed away from her, running up to his loft.

         She didn't know what to think, so she changed into her nightgown and went to bed, pondering what had just happened.  It was all curious, though she wondered if where there kiss had been leading to what she thought it was, why had Jack run off so?
         About two hours later, Meg was curled up in her bed shivering and trying to sleep.  Suddenly she realized faintly that someone was climbing into bed with her she rolled over and gasped, when she suddenly felt Jack's arms around her drawing her close. 

         “Shh Meg it's just me, just Jack.  It was freezing up in the loft, and the thermometer said that it's almost -15F out,  and I knew we couldn't let each other freeze.  I know about how you were still trying to decide about Jesus...and about what we almost did earlier...but even if you haven't made up your mind yet, it would be even worse to freeze first.  It's no sin to sleep beside each other because we are married...”  he said as he held her close.

         “Oh Jack it's fine.  I actually accepted the Lord Jesus as my savior a few days ago, but I didn't get a chance to tell you yet.  I know what we almost did earlier...and that's okay too.” she whispered in his ear.

         “Oh Meg that's great to hear, on both accounts...Okay if you want to, then I'll do my best to keep you warm...hmmm” he said as he began to kiss and caress her.

         “Oh I see you will, hehe hmmm...” she chuckled as he kissed her neck and she caressed him back.

         They spent the rest of that night keeping each other warm and then some.  Learning the intimate side of marriage in their own way and time.

The next morning they woke up in each other's arms languishing in the joy of a real marriage in all it's aspects, finding where they liked to be touched or cuddled.  Where she had an itch on her back that she made him scratch until his arm grew tired  Lazing together late into the morning, until it came time to chore or take care of baby Henry.  It was a good time for them indeed.