Aundy (Pendleton Petticoats #1)(2)
Author: Shanna Hatfield

“Oh,” Aundy said, absorbing the information. It looked like her mother’s wedding dress would stay firmly packed in the trunk and a bath would have to wait. Resigning herself to exchanging vows with Erik in her current state of disrepair, she smiled at him and put a hand on his arm. “That sounds fine.”

“Good,” Erik said, grinning at her in such a way he took on a boyish look as he turned the horses down a side street. Aundy could see the church ahead and tried to calm her nerves. The warmth of the sun beating down, despite it being February, forced her to remove her coat. Erik tucked it behind the seat, placing it on top of one of her trunks.

Stopping the horses close to the church steps, Erik walked around the wagon and reached up to Aundy. When she started to put her hand in his, he gently placed his hands to her waist and swung her around, setting her down on the bottom step.

The breath she was holding whooshed out of her and she looked at Erik with wide eyes. She’d never been handled so by a man and wasn’t sure if she liked it or not. Part of her thought a repeat of the experience might be in order for her to make up her mind.

“Shall we?” Erik asked, offering her his arm as they went up the church steps.

Before she could fully grasp what was happening, she and Erik exchanged vows, he slid a plain gold band on her finger, and the pastor and his wife offered congratulations on their marriage. Walking back out into the bright afternoon sunshine, Aundy had to blink back her disbelief that she was finally a married woman.

“We can eat just around the corner, if you don’t mind the walk,” Erik said, gesturing toward the boardwalk that would take them back toward the heart of town.

Aundy nodded her head and felt Erik place a hand to the small of her back, urging her forward.

Taking a seat in a well-lit restaurant, they were soon enjoying a filling, savory meal. Several people approached their table, offering words of congratulations. Aundy smiled when a few of the women invited her to stop by for a visit sometime soon. It appeared that Erik was a well-liked member of the community and for that, Aundy was grateful. She’d never lived in a rural town before, but assumed getting along with your neighbors spoke well of a man’s character.

Watching Erik finish his piece of pie, Aundy hoped this marriage would be a blessing to them both. She didn’t know what had prompted her to act so boldly, writing to a stranger, but right at this moment she was glad she sent Erik that first letter.

“Well, Mrs. Erickson, are you ready to go home?” Erik asked as she took a last bite of cherry pie and wiped her lips on a linen napkin.

“I suppose so,” Aundy said, realizing she was no longer Aundy Thorsen, but Erik’s wife.

Leaving money for their lunch along with a tip on the table, Erik stood and put on his hat, offered Aundy his arm, and escorted her back to the wagon.

Expecting him to help her into the wagon, Aundy was surprised when Erik pulled her into his arms, right there in front of the church for any and all to see as they passed by.

“Thank you for coming, Aundy. For marrying me,” Erik said, kissing her quickly on the lips. He seemed unable to stop himself from giving her a warm hug. “I promise to be a good husband to you.”

Looking into his eyes and seeing the questions there, Aundy tamped down her unease at having a man who was still a stranger kiss her. She placed a hand to his cheek and patted it with a growing fondness. “I know you will be. And I’ll do my very best to be a good wife to you.”

“You could start by giving me a kiss,” Erik teased, waggling a blond eyebrow at her.

Aundy smiled and kissed his cheek, grateful that Erik seemed to have a fun, playful side. “You’ll have the town gossiping about me and I haven’t even been here two hours.”

“Everyone knows I came into Pendleton to marry you today and I can’t see a thing wrong with a husband kissing his lovely new bride.”

Blushing, Aundy accepted Erik’s help into the wagon and sat down, pleased at his words.

Heading out of town, Aundy relaxed as the noise and activity of Pendleton fell behind them, and the rolling fields opened before them. Releasing a sigh, she gazed up at the sky and breathed in the fresh air.

“Anything you want to know? Any questions?” Erik asked, watching Aundy as she settled against the wagon seat.

“I don’t think you ever told me how old you are,” Aundy said, studying Erik’s profile.

“I’ll be thirty-nine next month,” he said, turning to look at Aundy.

“And you’ve never been married?”

“Never. I got so busy building the farm after my parents died, I kept putting off finding someone to court. I woke up one day and realized if I wanted to have a wife and a family, I had better do something about it. So I placed the ad and you know the rest of the story.”

“I guess I do,” Aundy said, looking with interest at the fluffy clouds drifting across the azure sky overhead and the fields that surrounded both sides of the road. If the land had been flat, she was sure she could have seen for miles. Instead, the gently rolling hills provided their own unique perspective to the landscape. Unfamiliar with wide-open spaces and such clean air, Aundy breathed as deeply as she dared and soaked up the sunshine.

“How old are you?” Erik asked, breaking into her thoughts.

“Twenty-one, although people often mistake me for someone older,” Aundy said, then let out a soft laugh at a memory. “Someone once asked if Ilsa, my sister, was my daughter. I didn’t know whether to be insulted or pleased.”

Erik chuckled. “Pleased, I would think. People can’t help but see the way you carry yourself with confidence and strength. That’s a good thing.”

“It is?” Aundy asked, thinking she liked the sound of Erik’s laugh. Although she’d only just met the man, it wasn’t hard for her to imagine spending her future with him. Since stepping off the train, what she’d seen and experienced led her to believe Erik was gentle and mannerly. He might not be handsome or young, he might not make her heart pound or butterflies take flight in her stomach, but she thought he would treat her with respect and care. If they were fortunate, they might even come to love one another someday.

“Certainly, it is. I wouldn’t want some flighty young thing, so wrapped up in herself that she wouldn’t take proper care of a home or her husband. It’s easy to see that you’ll be a good wife, Aundy. You’re a sensible girl and I appreciate that,” Erik said, turning to look at his new bride with a teasing smile. “I also appreciate your fine figure, beautiful eyes, and that sweet smile.”

Feeling her cheeks turn pink and grow hot at Erik’s words, Aundy lifted her gaze across the fields, dotted with a few skiffs of melting snow.

She heard Erik chuckle again before she felt his fingers on her chin. He gently, but firmly, turned her to face him.

“I didn’t mean to embarrass you, but I want you to know I think this marriage is going to work out just fine,” Erik said, leaning over and pressing another quick kiss to her lips.

Aundy closed her eyes and waited to feel something, anything. Instead, Erik pulled back and she opened her eyes to see him studying the road ahead.

“Do you think… if it isn’t… what I…” Aundy stammered, trying to figure out a way to ask if she could take a bath when they reached his farm.

“What is it? Go ahead, Aundy. Don’t be afraid to ask me anything.”

“May I please have a bath? I feel like I’m wearing dust from way back in Wyoming and half a train car of soot.”

“Yes, you may,” Erik said, bringing his gaze back to Aundy with an indulgent smile. “You can do that while I take care of the evening chores after I show you around the farm. How does that sound?”

“Wonderful,” Aundy said, excited at the prospect of being clean. “As soon as I’m finished, I can fix the evening meal.”

“No need. One of the neighbors said she’d have a basket waiting on the table for a cold supper so you wouldn’t have to cook on your wedding day.”

“How thoughtful,” Aundy said, thinking Erik must have some good neighbors. “I’ll have to thank her later for her kindness.”

“It’s Mrs. Nash. She and her husband and son live on the farm to the south of us. They’re good folks. Ol’ Marvin Tooley lives on the farm to the west but he’s cantankerous on a good day, so stay away from him if you can.”

Aundy nodded her head, wondering what made Mr. Tooley crotchety.

Passing a lane that turned off the road, Erik inclined his head that direction as the horses continued onward. “That’s the Nash place. Been here for many years. Raise mostly cattle and wheat. Good folks and good friends as well as our closest neighbors.”

Aundy again nodded her head and gazed up the lane, catching a view of the top of the barn over a rise in the road. Pole fences ran along a pasture down to the road and she could see dozens of cattle grazing lazily in the sun.

“Are those…” Aundy’s question was cut off when a sharp crack resonated around them and the horses spooked, lunging forward as they began flying down the muddy road.

“Whoa, boys! Whoa!” Erik called, pulling back on the reins, frantic to get the team under control.

Aundy clung to the side and back of the seat, praying for the runaway horses to stop.

“Get down, Aundy,” Erik yelled, motioning for her to climb beneath the wagon’s seat. She followed his orders, wedging herself into the space, as she listened to the thundering of the horse’s hooves and Erik’s shouts for them to stop.

The wagon veered sideways then slid back before hitting the side of the ditch bank and flipping over, sliding in the mud.

Aundy’s screams mingled with Erik’s shouts before everything went black.

Chapter Two

Cautiously opening her eyes, Aundy tried to recall where she was, what was happening.

Remembering the runaway wagon, Aundy shifted her gaze upward to see the floor of the wagon above her head while her back rested on the base of the broken wagon seat. Realizing the wagon was upside down, Aundy was grateful the seat had kept her relatively safe.

Taking a quick inventory to make sure she could feel her toes and fingers, she realized her left arm was throbbing painfully, but everything else seemed to be in working order.

Carefully turning over, she hoped her sister would forgive her for completely ruining the travel suit she had so painstakingly remade for her from some of their mother’s clothes.

Scooting forward over the front end of the wagon, she felt mud oozing through the fabric of her skirt and into her petticoat. Cold and slimy, it made her shiver as she climbed from beneath the wagon and pulled herself upright.

The horses were both still on their feet, hooked to the wagon, although Aundy could see blood trickling down the hindquarters of the one nearest her. Nervous and antsy, each time they moved, the wagon creaked and shifted. Afraid of them spooking again, Aundy looked around, wondering where Erik had gone.

Two of her trunks sat upended in the road, a little muddy but none the worse for wear, while the third rested at an odd angle, with the lid hinges broken. A pile of frothy white unmentionables floated in the mud near her bedraggled coat. Gathering her clothes, she rolled them in her coat and set the bundle on top of one of the unbroken trunks.

Craning her neck, hoping to see Erik, she heard a deep moan. Walking around the end of the wagon, she drew in a sharp gasp to see her husband pinned beneath the back corner where it rested on his chest, his head twisted to one side.

“Erik,” she whispered, hurrying to him. Dropping to her knees in the mud, she lifted his head to her lap. “Erik, can you hear me? Please, Erik. Please wake up.”

Another deep moan answered her pleading. Pulling a handkerchief from her pocket, she wiped at the mud on his face and begged him to wake up. His eyelashes fluttered and he finally opened his eyes.

“Aundy?” Erik asked, raising his eyes to hers. Pain filled their blue depths and Aundy felt tears roll down her cheeks.

“Erik, what can I do? How can I help you?” Aundy had no idea what to do. She certainly couldn’t move the wagon herself. She was afraid to get near the horses and nothing else was coming to mind.

“Unhook the horses,” Erik said, clenching his teeth as the animals moved nervously and the wagon shifted on top of his chest.

Aundy looked at him fearfully, but gently lifted his head from her lap. She spied Erik’s hat lying a few feet away and carefully put it beneath his head to keep him out of the mud.

“I don’t know how. What do I do?” Aundy said, straightening her spine and turning to look at the horses as they took another nervous step, dragging the upended wagon across Erik, causing him to gasp for air.

Finally regaining the ability to speak, Erik gave her instructions using as few words as possible and Aundy swallowed down her fear. She unhooked the horses, just as Erik told her, and hurried back to him. The horses took a few forward steps then dropped their heads to graze on the side of the road, seemingly unaware of the havoc they created with their wild run.

“Get Garrett,” Erik said as Aundy bent down beside him. His voice was growing weaker and his eyes were squeezed shut.

“Who’s Garrett? Does he work on your farm?” Aundy asked, wracking her brain for the name Garrett. Had Erik mentioned anyone named Garrett in his letters? Not that she could recall.

“Neighbor. Garrett Nash,” Erik said and slowly turned his head in the direction of town.

“Garrett Nash,” Aundy repeated, remembering Erik pointing out the Nash farm about a half-mile down the road. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

Erik didn’t answer, but he opened his eyes and blinked.

Aundy grabbed her mud-soaked skirts in one hand while she held her injured arm close to her side and started running down the road, sending a steady stream of prayers heavenward for Erik to be fine. By the time she reached the turnoff to the Nash farm, her lungs burned and she was convinced she’d accumulated so much mud on her shoes and clothes, it added an extra twenty pounds of weight.