Posted August 9, 2020
"Is it that obvious?" Emeline laughed and shook her head. Some ladies were made for finery, but then, you had to have all the trappings to go with them, pretty house, fancy furniture...Emeline was more than happy as she was, simple, level-headed, and she knew that that was what Barnabas knew of her, so he wasn't expecting frills and frippery...not that that excluded a future trip to St. Louis, or even San Francisco one day, but then, the setting would match the clothes...and besides, anything like that was a long way off.
"I'm fine for breakfast, may as well keep this on for a while, considering the trouble it was to get it all hooked up just right." She laughed. "Such finery is for ladies who have nothing else to do than spend half the day dressing, and then don't have anything to do that will make a mess! Heavens, I can't imagine having to change from this into something similar." Of course, he may well not know all the layers and pinnings that went into ladies' things!
"Sit and have breakfast." She waved to the table, "When we're done we can move to the parlor." Grinning, she gestured to the padded chairs set before the fireplace. Save for the bedroom, her apartment was just one big room separated by furniture!
Posted August 10, 2020
"Is it that obvious?" Emeline laughed and shook her head. Some ladies were made for finery, but then, you had to have all the trappings to go with them, pretty house, fancy furniture...Emeline was more than happy as she was, simple, level-headed, and she knew that that was what Barnabas knew of her, so he wasn't expecting frills and frippery...not that that excluded a future trip to St. Louis, or even San Francisco one day, but then, the setting would match the clothes...and besides, anything like that was a long way off.
“Figger I know ya, and whot you’d preefer ta be wearin’s all. That is a mighty purdy dress fer the purdiest gal in Kalispell. Take my oath on thet, I would. You do as ya like, I’m jest blessed ta be here with ya.” He said as well as he could. He was taken aback by the change in her appearance the moment he stepped through the door.
"I'm fine for breakfast, may as well keep this on for a while, considering the trouble it was to get it all hooked up just right." She laughed. "Such finery is for ladies who have nothing else to do than spend half the day dressing, and then don't have anything to do that will make a mess! Heavens, I can't imagine having to change from this into something similar." Of course, he may well not know all the layers and pinnings that went into ladies' things!
“Well now, I dunno about thet Em. I been in some real highfalutin joints up on the Comstock, purdy as you are, why you’d fit right in Emeline Blakesley, sure as snow on Christmas!” He grinned, and had been grinning like a boy with a new pup. She was all he could see.
"Sit and have breakfast." She waved to the table, "When we're done we can move to the parlor." Grinning, she gestured to the padded chairs set before the fireplace. Save for the bedroom, her apartment was just one big room separated by furniture!
He paused as looked over the single room, large, but still one room, then went to the table and waited on her to take a seat, which he had pulled out for her. “This here’s gonna be grand, us hitched. Danged if I ain’t the happiest man here in Kalispell. We’re gonna have us a time, you’n me. I garentee it!”
Posted August 11, 2020
"I've no doubt on that!" Emeline laughed as she sat, a laugh of pure joy. "I can just imagine the mischief we'll get into wedded! We've caused enough trouble as it is."
Although they had met just a few months ago, they had actually spent a good deal of time together, not just leisure time chatting, but actually working together, planning together, and just recently dealing with the carnage in Whitefish. She had no doubt they would do well in marriage, and she had none of the girlish illusions she'd had the first time.
"Of course," she quipped as she moved the cheese blintzes from their serving platter to smaller plates, "I saved the dishes for you!"
Laughing, she set a plate in front of Barnabas. "This is blackberry preserves, and strawberry jam," she indicated the small jars. "More dishes to wash...Oh, and I should teach you how to make preserves!"
Posted August 11, 2020
"I've no doubt on that!" Emeline laughed as she sat, a laugh of pure joy. "I can just imagine the mischief we'll get into wedded! We've caused enough trouble as it is."
“Mischief? The two of us? How kin thet be, Em? Why we’re , we’re...caused enough trouble you say? Was I not with you when this happened an’ you think I wuz?” He chimed in.
Although they had met just a few months ago, they had actually spent a good deal of time together, not just leisure time chatting, but actually working together, planning together, and just recently dealing with the carnage in Whitefish. She had no doubt they would do well in marriage, and she had none of the girlish illusions she'd had the first time.
"Of course," she quipped as she moved the cheese blintzes from their serving platter to smaller plates, "I saved the dishes for you!"
“I’ll have you know, ma’am I am a profess’nl pearl diver, if I do say so ma’ sef!” He stated proudly.
Laughing, she set a plate in front of Barnabas. "This is blackberry preserves, and strawberry jam," she indicated the small jars. "More dishes to wash...Oh, and I should teach you how to make preserves!"
“Ma al’ays made up the best perserves, cain’t hardly wait’ll I try yers. Cuz up ta now, you make the best ever’thin’ I ever et!” Which was true, well since he was grown. “Ya know I don’t mind doin’ tem dishes. Keeps me close to ya.”
Posted August 12, 2020
"You'll have plenty of chances to be close," Emeline declared, her cheeks going red, but she was smiling...she was looking forward to being a couple, a team, and knowing he would be there. Not only that, but she actually had a future that was the one she had dreamed of...a ranch, a home, hopefully a family.
"You do want children?" she blurted out before thinking that there was a better way to approach the subject, in case he wasn't thrilled about kids. But as much as she wanted at least a couple, she wouldn't change her mind about Barnabas if he didn't.
Posted August 13, 2020
"You'll have plenty of chances to be close," Emeline declared, her cheeks going red, but she was smiling...she was looking forward to being a couple, a team, and knowing he would be there. Not only that, but she actually had a future that was the one she had dreamed of...a ranch, a home, hopefully a family.
“Ah, an lot’s a dishes ta do in the bargain I ‘spose. ‘course ya know we’ll be fer hirin’ a dish washer while I work on the house.” He purposely did not call the project a cabin, mainly because he planned to build a house. “We got plenty ‘a time fer thet though.”
"You do want children?" she blurted out before thinking that there was a better way to approach the subject, in case he wasn't thrilled about kids. But as much as she wanted at least a couple, she wouldn't change her mind about Barnabas if he didn't.
He simply looked at her, somewhat stunned by the question. He cleared his throat then smiled. “Shore. Gonna need help with the place. A family, ain’t thet what we marry to do? Build us a family?”
He had not thought of family since Julia, but his mind had not changed. Sons, every man wanted a son, or sons to help on the ranch as he had done. Daughters, young women to continue the lineage along with the sons that also carried on the name. “Might need us a big house.” He wondered if he should tell her about Julia Dey, or if it was even important to what they were about to build together.
Posted August 13, 2020
She smiled shyly at his comment about a big house, but she really did like the reason they would need one. "I just wanted to be sure," she answered, "I know there are men, and even women, who don't care for children..." While she would have been disappointed, she would have accepted if he didn't want them.
"It'll be happy, won't it? Boys and girls running all over, laughter...happiness..." There was a tone of melancholy, but also hope. She knew full-well how tenuous life was for children, and that she should have two little ones running and laughing here now, eager to open gifts and sing carols...
"It's something we can take into account, though, when we design the house...that we might need to expand it one day." That thought made her smile.
Posted August 14, 2020
"I just wanted to be sure," she answered, "I know there are men, and even women, who don't care for children..." While she would have been disappointed, she would have accepted if he didn't want them.
“Reckon thet’s true enough. Ain’t sure why anyone’d be aginist childern. Jest don’t make no sense.” Pike replied. He knew there were those that wanted no part of children, and there were those that want no part of family or spouse, something he didn’t understand.
"It'll be happy, won't it? Boys and girls running all over, laughter...happiness..." There was a tone of melancholy, but also hope. She knew full-well how tenuous life was for children, and that she should have two little ones running and laughing here now, eager to open gifts and sing carols...
“ Shore will, you kin count on it, Em. Many as you want.” He assured her, as he had no opposition too a house full.
"It's something we can take into account, though, when we design the house...that we might need to expand it one day." That thought made her smile.
“Yep, my thoughts exactly. No sense not havin’ room ta expand when the time comes. It’ll be grand, you, me, an’ them kids of ours. Yep, I kin see it now.” Was his response to the idea. Then he laughed. "Likely won't be another Christmas quite like this'un, Em. Be jest as happy, but not like this'un."
Posted August 15, 2020
Emeline just looked at him for a long moment, a slow smile spreading across her lips as she imagined what they would be in a year, and even without a child it was a wonderful thing, a happiness that she had been missing for some time.
"It's going to be wonderful, Barnabas, I think everything is." Even though she knew how tragic life could be, she believed that there was nothing to be gained by clinging to what was...that only kept you from experiencing what could be.
"We'll be in our own house, won't we!" Good thing, since this place really wouldn't accommodate children, if that was in their future. Her smile brightened as she picked at her breakfast, distracted by her thoughts that were going in a million different directions.
She laughed then, her cheeks going red. "Honestly, if it wasn't Christmas, I'd suggest we hunt down the judge and just do it today, clean and simple!" That would silence at least half of those tumbling thoughts!
Posted August 24, 2020
"It's going to be wonderful, Barnabas, I think everything is." Even though she knew how tragic life could be, she believed that there was nothing to be gained by clinging to what was...that only kept you from experiencing what could be.
“Wonderful as it kin be, Em. Why the two of us, likely there’ not much we couldn’t do together.” He said, knowing that it was most certainly a fact.
"We'll be in our own house, won't we!" Good thing, since this place really wouldn't accommodate children, if that was in their future. Her smile brightened as she picked at her breakfast, distracted by her thoughts that were going in a million different directions.
“Jest the way we lay it out.” He promised. “There won’t be a thing missin’ in our house, ‘less we didn’t think of it in the first place."
She laughed then, her cheeks going red. "Honestly, if it wasn't Christmas, I'd suggest we hunt down the judge and just do it today, clean and simple!" That would silence at least half of those tumbling thoughts!
“Yep, I kin see where you’d feel like that, since I do too, but we’ve friends, maybe not so many as some, but good ones thet I’d like to see there when the knot tiein's hap'enin’. When the flowers’er bloomin’,so there’s some fer yer hair, an the sky’s blue an’ the streets ‘er dry.” He paused , a gleam in his eyes and a smile on his lips. "Me all gussied up, an you in yer weddin’ dress. Now we’ll need ta travel a bit to get that for ya, maybe San Francisco, yeah, have a look at the ocean an’ all. How’s thet sound to ya, Em?”