A Bride for Tom by Ruth Ann Nordin

again, he might. He
told her he’d be busy working on their home. Their home. She loved
the sound of that. Alright. So in fairness, he hadn’t used the word
“their”, but it was implied. After all, he had planted apple trees
for her. It was just a matter of time before she used those apples
for baking.
    Her mother happened to pass by her bedroom as
Jessica checked the butterfly cameo Jenny had made for her. She
glanced up at her mother and smiled. “Isn’t this a pretty cameo?
Jenny does have a talent for this kind of thing.”
    “I’m surprised you didn’t mention Tom.”
    “Why would I? He didn’t make it.”
    “Maybe not, but ever since he started
courting you, you’ve been talking nonstop about him,” she said with
a trace of humor in her voice.
    “I’m not that bad.”
    Her mother raised an eyebrow. “Oh no?”
    She grinned. “No. I talk about Margaret. She
and I worked on that ad. She’s posting for a husband, you
know.”
    “So I’ve been told.”
    “Well, that proves it. I can talk about
things other than Tom.”
    “Except when you discuss Margaret looking for
a husband, you usually finish the conversation by asking if there
might be a double wedding. You seem to think you can get married
before planting season begins since your plan is for Margaret’s man
to arrive around that time.”
    She sighed. “What is wrong with marrying
before Tom plants?”
    “It seems to me that last time we had this
conversation you mentioned marrying in June.”
    “If I do that, I can’t wear the dress I
already made. It has long and thick sleeves.”
    “Roll them up.”
    “So you’re saying I no longer have to wait
until September?” she asked, excited.
    Her mother’s eyes grew wide as she gave a
sharp intake of breath. “You’ll be the death of me yet,” she
muttered as she hurried off down the hallway.
    “I’ll take that as a yes!” Jessica called
out.
    The woman grumbled but didn’t stop.
    Smiling, Jessica picked up her brush. She
hoped Tom would show up tonight. It was hard to be away from him.
This feeling of missing a man as much as she missed Tom was new to
her. Not once did she ever have the intense longing for Peter that
she had for Tom. Honestly, it was the most wonderful feeling in the
whole world.
    A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts
of a lovely spring wedding. Oh good! Tom did make it after all! She
quickly placed her brush down and pinched her cheeks. She inspected
her reflection and grinned. Perfect.
    She rushed out of her room, nearly knocking
her mother over as the older woman left the parlor. “Sorry, Ma,”
she quickly called out then opened the door. To her surprise, Tom
wasn’t on the porch. It was Peter. She blinked several times before
she finally asked, “Peter, what are you doing here?” Of all the
people who could be knocking on her front door, he was the last one
she expected.
    He took off his hat. “May I come in?”
    She wanted to say no and shut the door, but
that would be terribly rude. Reluctant, she nodded and moved aside
so he could come into the entryway.
    Her mother walked toward them, looking as
uncertain as Jessica felt. “Good evening, Peter,” she greeted,
offering a polite smile. “Would you like something to eat or
drink?”
    “No thank you, ma’am.” He turned to Jessica.
“Can I talk to you in the parlor?”
    Jessica glanced at her mother who gave a
slight shrug. Though her pulse picked up with nervous dread,
Jessica said, “Of course.”
    As he stepped into the parlor, her mother
told her, “I’ll leave you two alone. If you need me, just
holler.”
    Jessica wanted to protest and insist she stay
with her, but this was for her to deal with. Taking a deep breath,
Jessica gathered her courage and followed him into the room. She
sat in a chair and folded her hands in her lap. “What do you wish
to discuss?”
    He sat in the other chair and fiddled with
the hat in his hands. “My mother is distraught.”
    After a few seconds, his