Chapter 3

3

G arrett watched Aundy's face turn white and her knees give way as she sank onto the chair behind her. Hearing her quick intake of breath, he saw her press her lips together, as if she could hold back her grief.

The pastor stepped beside her, awkwardly patting her shoulder while the doctor took the chair next to hers.

"I wish I had better news for you, Mrs. Erickson, but the accident crushed several vital organs and resulted in internal damage that is beyond healing. Erik's lungs are filling with liquid and soon he won't be able to breathe. In addition, his right leg is broken, but I'm not going to put him through the agony of resetting it," Doc said. He rubbed a weary hand over his tired eyes. "I don't know how long Erik will linger, but considering his injuries, I would think no more than a day or two. I've given him some medication to help with the pain, but that's about all anyone can do at this point."

"I see." Aundy looked at the doctor with unshed tears in her eyes and unasked questions she was afraid to voice.

"I don't have the supplies with me to put a cast on your arm tonight, but we can splint it until I get back out here in the morning. I'll bring more medicine for Erik." Doc reached over and carefully examined Aundy's broken arm. The doctor knew from experience the pastor was practically useless when it came to medical situations and looked to Garrett. "I'm going to need some help setting this. Shall we do it in the kitchen?"

"Certainly," Nora said, getting to her feet and leading the way to the kitchen where she still had water boiling on the stove.

Garrett retrieved the doctor's bag from Erik's bedroom and set it down on the floor by the kitchen table. The doctor washed his hands at the sink while Nora handed the pastor a cup of coffee. The pastor sat at the far end of the table while the doctor motioned Aundy to take a seat on the opposite end. After pushing her sleeve high above her elbow, the doctor thoroughly probed her skin.

Gently pushing on her arm, he glanced at her. "As broken bones go, you have a clean break that will heal nicely, Mrs. Erikson."

"Please, call me Aundy," she requested, glancing at the doctor with eyes that held determination and fortitude.

"Aundy." Doc smiled kindly as he placed her arm on a stack of towels Nora set on the table. "This is going to hurt and if you need to scream, just go right ahead."

"That won't be necessary." Aundy sincerely hoped she wouldn't embarrass herself.

Garrett watched Aundy grasp the edge of the table with her good hand and brace her leg against the table before scooting back in her chair. He would help hold her shoulder while Doc set her arm. Nora had the splints and bandages at hand, ready for Doc to wrap her arm. Pastor Whitting hastily excused himself to sit with Erik.

"Ready?" Doc asked, waiting for Aundy's nod. "Okay. On the count of three. One, two…"

The doctor pulled on two and Garrett felt Aundy tense at the painful tugging. To her credit, she didn't scream or even cry. Garrett wanted to yell for her as he helped the doctor pull the broken bone back into place. She clamped her lips tightly together and gripped her right hand against the edge of the kitchen table so tightly her fingers turned white.

"Good lands, honey, I'd have been bawling and screaming so loud, people in town would hear the racket," Nora said with a smile. While the doctor wrapped the broken arm with the splints, Nora placed another steaming cup of fragrant tea in front of Aundy.

Aundy wasn't sure the tea would stay down and instead took a deep breath, followed by another. She wanted to scream and shout, maybe even throw something at how bad her arm hurt, but she'd learned long ago to quietly accept what had to be done without complaint.

"Will it hurt her more to cast the arm tomorrow?" Garrett asked, feeling pity for Aundy. She took having her arm set better than most men he knew could have handled the pain. He'd broken his arm once when he was a kid and he yelled like Lucifer himself touched the break when the doctor set it.

"No. The worst of it is over. I'd leave it like this, but something tells me Aundy isn't one to sit idly by for the next six weeks or so while it heals. A cast will protect it and give her more mobility. I think the best thing you can do is eat a little dinner and get some rest. I'll be back early in the morning." The doctor gathered his supplies and gulped down the cup of coffee Nora handed him. He walked to the front of the house, checked on Erik, then put on his hat and coat.

Garrett ran out to the barn to get the doctor's horse and buggy.

"Thank you for coming." Aundy stood at the door with Nora's arm around her waist. Although she'd only just met the woman, she appreciated the familiar and comforting gesture. "And for splinting my arm."

"You're welcome," Doc said. He looked compassionately at Erik's wife. Pastor Whitting told him she was fresh off the train when Erik brought her in so they could wed. The farmer had talked of little else for weeks, since Aundy agreed to be his bride and travel to Pendleton. It was such a tragedy for their newly married life to end so harshly before it ever started. "Try and rest. There isn't a thing you can do to help Erik, so get some sleep."

"Yes, sir." Aundy couldn't sleep with Erik lying so injured, broken and alone, in another room. The least she could do was sit with him. No one else needed to know if she did that instead of slept.

"Aundy, I'm so sorry at the way things have gone this afternoon, but remember God has plans for our good, even when it might not seem like it at the time," Pastor Whitting said. He gave Aundy's back a gentle pat as he said his goodbyes. "Erik's a good man, a good Christian, so don't you worry about him."

"Thank you," Aundy whispered. Fear that the tears burning the backs of her eyes would escape and roll down her cheeks prevented her looking at the pastor. When she bit her tongue to keep a sob from escaping, Nora gently squeezed her waist, making it even harder to hold back her tears.

"I'll return tomorrow with the doctor," Pastor Whitting said, tipping his hat. "Rest well."

Aundy lifted her gaze long enough to watch him walk out the door then Nora led her to a chair by the fire.

"Why don't you sit and rest. I'll bring you a plate of food." Nora added another log to the fire. The warmth the sun added to the day dissipated when the evening settled in, leaving behind a cold, black night.

"I don't think I could eat." Aundy stared into the flames, trying to understand why a good man like Erik was lying in the other room near death. Beyond that, Aundy wondered what she would do. She absolutely wouldn't allow herself to think about returning to Chicago. There was no future there for her. None whatsoever.

"Yes, you can and you will. Anyone who's been through what you've been through today without breaking down into hysterics can manage a little supper." Nora placed her hands on her hips for emphasis before she bustled out of the room.

The front door opened. Aundy glanced at Garrett as he walked in, rubbing his hands to ward off the evening chill. "You might as well do as she says because she always gets her way." Garrett offered her a conspiratorial wink.

"I heard that," Nora called from the kitchen.

Garrett grinned, stepping closer to the fire and holding out his hands to the warmth. "I can stay and sit with Erik if you like or Ma will. You don't need to be here alone."

"I'll be fine." Aundy accepted the plate Nora held out to her. The woman set another cup of tea on the small table near her chair. At this rate, she might float away before Garrett and Nora went home for the evening. "I don't know how to thank either of you for all you've done today. You've both been so kind and..."

When Aundy's voice broke, Garrett felt an unfamiliar tug in the region of his heart. The girl had been so strong and stoic throughout the entire day's ordeal. He knew she had to be exhausted, frightened, and beleaguered by all that had happened on a day that should have been filled with love, happiness, and celebration.

"Don't give it another thought. That's what neighbors are for," he said, stepping away from the fire and Aundy as he picked up his mother's coat and held it for her.

"Pops will think we've abandoned him since we've been gone so long. We best get home. I sent Jim and Tom home earlier to oversee the chores, but it's getting late." Garrett picked up his mother's basket of medical supplies as well as the gloves he thought were in his coat pocket when he went outside earlier.

"I didn't even think to call your father and let him know what was happening." Nora glanced at her son then turned toward the kitchen. "If you need anything, Aundy, anything at all, you pick up the telephone and ask to be connected to the Nash family, our number is seventeen. The telephone is on the wall by the kitchen table. We'll be back to check on you in the morning."

"Thank you." Aundy started to get up from her chair, but Nora waved her back down. "Try to sleep, honey, and don't worry. We'll be praying for both you and Erik." Nora went out the door in a swish of her lavender skirts.

Aundy took a bite of the food Nora prepared and discovered that she was hungry, after all. She cleaned her plate and slowly drank her tea, lost in her sadness.

Her tired mind refused to register the thought that Erik might die after she traveled all the way across the country to marry him. The doctor had to be wrong. Maybe Erik just needed a good night's sleep. Maybe he'd wake up tomorrow and be fine. Maybe she'd wake up tomorrow and everything would just be a dream, and she'd find herself to be nineteen again, engaged to Gunther, and looking forward to a life with her beloved.

With a heavy sigh, Aundy placed her empty cup on her plate and carried both to the kitchen. It was awkward to wash the dishes one-handed, but she managed. She didn't take time to examine her new home. Instead, she walked back to Erik's room and nudged the chair she'd sat in earlier close to the side of the bed.

Gingerly taking Erik's hand in her own, she held it on her lap, rubbing the back of it with her right hand.

Her left arm ached and throbbed with a painful force and she was sure a multitude of bruises would show up tomorrow. She ignored the pain and her discomfort, swimming in sorrow for the man who had offered her a new home, a new life.

His breathing sounded shallow and raspy in his chest, but at least he continued taking one breath after another. His arm felt cool, so Aundy carefully slid it under the covers and reached up to smooth the hair back from his forehead.

A Bible on his nightstand caught her eye. Aundy turned up the wick in the lamp and pulled the leather-bound book to her lap. She opened it to one of her favorite Psalms and read aloud.

An hour later, she realized she should either go to bed or find a more comfortable chair. She turned down the lamp and she set the Bible where she found it.

Lest he should awaken and need her, she refused to leave Erik alone. Since they were technically married, she decided it would be acceptable for her to sleep on the other side of his bed. It had more than enough room for two people to rest comfortably and she was so tired.

After finding a quilt in a trunk in the corner of the room, she slowly stretched out on the bed, mindful of not disturbing Erik, and spread the quilt over the top of her. She rolled onto her right side, closed her eyes, and surrendered to her need for sleep.

The sound of footsteps on the porch awakened Aundy. Slowly opening her eyes, she looked around an unfamiliar room, taking in a chest of drawers, a nightstand, and a small closet.

She rolled onto her back. Her arm felt heavy and she lifted it, surprised to see it bandaged with splints.

The nightmare that tormented her dreams failed to disappear with the morning light.

She sat up and studied Erik. He looked just as pale and still as he had when she'd fallen asleep.

Determined to face the day, she swung her legs over the edge of the bed, tossed the quilt onto the trunk where she'd found it, and walked into the front room. Noises from the kitchen drew her that direction and she wasn't surprised to find Nora taking food out of a basket and setting it on the table.

"Mornin', honey. You were sleeping so soundly when we came in, I told Garrett to keep the hands from banging on the door and waking you." Nora greeted Aundy with a motherly hug.

"Thank you." If possible, Aundy felt worse than she did the night before.

"Do you think you could eat a little something?" Nora took cups from the cupboard and began making tea.

Food was Nora's way of reaching out and helping, so Aundy nodded her head. If eating a bite or two would make the woman happy, Aundy wouldn't deny her that.

She sat at the table while Nora slid a plate with two muffins in front of her. A jar of jam and a bowl of butter appeared from the basket on the table and Nora cut open the muffins, slathering them with both.

After placing a cup of hot tea beside Aundy's plate, Nora waited while the girl bowed her head over her meal and gave thanks then quietly sipped a cup of tea.

Aundy ate both muffins, appreciative of the good food as it filled the empty hollows in her stomach.

"You'll no doubt have a lot of people trooping through here today. How about I iron a dress for you and we see about pinning your hair up?" Nora asked, rinsing the few dishes and putting them away.

"People?" Aundy rose to her feet. Her head felt fuzzy and she had trouble paying attention to what Nora said. Blinking her eyes, she regained control of her focus and looked at the older woman. "What people?"

"Doc and Pastor Whitting for starters," Nora said, setting an iron on the stove to heat. "The hands will all want to come meet you and see Erik. Pay their respects."

Aundy didn't feel up to dealing with anyone, but she would put on a fresh dress, ask for Nora's help with her hair, and accept whatever the day would bring.

She walked into the bedroom where Garrett and Jim left her things, chose a dress and left it on the bed, then gathered a few necessities and went to the bathroom. When she returned to the bedroom, the dress was gone, so she hurried to the kitchen. Nora pressed the last wrinkles from the gown.

"Your sister does such beautiful work," Nora said as she ironed the hem then held it out to admire.

"She is good at what she does." Aundy missed her sister and wished she could talk to her about what happened since she got off the train yesterday afternoon.

"Let's get this lovely thing on you and see what I can do with your hair." Nora walked toward the room Aundy thought of as hers. With her dress on and hair combed, she felt more like herself.

Critically studying her reflection in a big cheval mirror, Aundy decided she looked presentable and respectable. Her pale blue and cream gown was one of her best dresses. Nora managed to roll her hair on top of her head in the popular poufy style, leaving some soft tendrils to fall around her face and neck. Although they had to leave her sleeve unbuttoned to fit over her broken arm, Aundy hoped it wouldn't draw too much attention.

She truly didn't care about her appearance, but for Erik's sake, she would stand straight and tall, speak softly and pleasantly, and honor him in every way she could.

"Goodness, honey, you certainly look lovely. Blue is most definitely your color." Nora smiled at the vision Aundy made, even with her broken arm. The girl was modest when it came to her appearance. Whether she liked it or not, her height combined with her figure and the confident way she carried herself would turn a few heads. The crown of golden hair, sky-blue eyes, and creamy skin would definitely cause people to take notice of her.

Aundy turned a tear-filled gaze to Nora and offered her a small smile. If the woman kept being so nice, she knew she'd soon be in tears.

Timidly reaching out, she squeezed Nora's hand. "I don't know what to do or where to start today," she admitted as they returned to the kitchen.

Nora set a big pot of water on to boil and made more coffee. "Why don't you…" A sharp knock at the kitchen door interrupted their conversation. Nora opened it and welcomed Erik's foreman. "Dent, this is Erik's bride, Aundy." Nora motioned toward the tall girl standing by the table. "Aundy, this is Dent. He's worked here for years and years, back when Erik's folks were still with us."

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Dent," Aundy said, mustering a smile for the foreman. The man was shorter than she was, but had kind brown eyes. Whiskers covered his weathered face, but he approached her respectfully. Aundy appreciated the way he took off his hat and tipped his head her direction.

"It's just Dent, ma'am. No mister is necessary. I'm right pleased to meet you. Erik has been so excited about you coming, he could hardly stand the wait until you got here." Dent ran a work-roughened hand through thick brown hair, sprinkled with liberal doses of gray. "We're all happy to have you here."

"Thank you." Aundy felt tears burn the backs of her eyes again.

"Garrett told us about the accident yesterday and what the doc said. I'm mighty sorry to hear about it. Mighty sorry." Dent nervously twirled his hat around in his hands. "If there's anything we can do to help you settle in, you let me know."

"I will." Aundy swallowed down the lump in her throat. She was not someone given to emotional displays and usually managed to keep her feelings on a tight rein, but today was going to be a challenge.

"May I see him?" Dent asked, looking from the kitchen in the direction of the front room.

"Certainly," Aundy said, smiling at Dent before he walked out of the room.

"He's a good man, honey. If you need anything, you just let Dent know. He'll take care of you," Nora said, adding pieces of stew meat and vegetables to the pot of boiling water. "I thought I'd make up a big batch of stew. No telling how many might be here to eat today and this will feed a good crowd."

The arrival of Doc and Pastor Whitting prevented Aundy from dwelling on the thought of the house filling with company.

After checking on Erik, the doctor brought his bag to the kitchen and set out the supplies for casting Aundy's arm. Nora volunteered to help while the pastor returned to sit with Dent in Erik's room, taking along a tray Nora prepared with coffee and muffins.

Once the cast was in place, Aundy sat with it resting on the table, waiting for the plaster to harden. She asked the doctor what she could and couldn't do with her arm. He was providing detailed instructions when Garrett walked inside the kitchen followed by a man he introduced as Erik's attorney, Mitchell Lawry.

"I asked Mitch to stop by and give you some papers," Doc said, leaning back in his chair and eating his second muffin.

The papers he referred to turned out to be Erik's will, leaving everything he owned to Aundy.

"He came in last week and had these drawn up. They're legal and binding, in the event of his death. Doc and Pastor Whitting thought you'd want to know sooner rather than later that Erik provided for you," Mitch said, taking a drink of the coffee Nora handed him. "You'll see copies of his investments, holdings, bank statement. It's all there."

"Thank you for bringing this out." Aundy tapped the stack of papers with her fingers. "I appreciate it so much."

"My pleasure, Mrs. Erickson. Your husband is a smart businessman and a good friend," Mitch said. He finished his coffee and stood to his feet. "If there is anything I can do to help you, just let me know."

Grateful for the presence of Nora on one side of her and Garrett on the other, Aundy stared at the rain-soaked grave swallowing Erik's coffin as two men slowly lowered it into the hole.

Unable to concentrate on the words Pastor Whitting said, Aundy fought back her tears as she stood ramrod straight, heedless to the achingly cold wind and frigid rain falling on the large gathering at the cemetery.

Although Erik had no family, the number of people attending his service indicated he was rich in friends.

If his kindness to her through his letters and the things he had done in preparation for her arrival attested to his character, Erik would leave behind a legacy of a good, thoughtful man who put others ahead of himself.

Erik lingered for three long days. The doctor kept him medicated so he didn't feel pain, but it also prevented him from being lucid.

Aundy sat next to his bed, holding his hand in hers. As she read aloud passages he'd underlined in his Bible, she felt pressure on her fingers. She was surprised to see Erik's pain-glazed eyes staring at her when she looked at his face.

"Aundy," he whispered in a raspy breath. "I'm sorry."

"Erik, don't be sorry. Don't worry. Everything will be fine." She smiled reassuringly although she couldn't stop the tears rolling down her cheeks.

"You're a good wife." Erik's voice was weak as he squeezed her hand. "Thank you for coming."

"You're a wonderful husband, Erik. Thank you for marrying me, for providing for me. I can't thank you enough for all you've done."

"Glad to do it." Erik closed his eyes and drifted off. He drew his last breath a few hours later.

Mourning a life cut short and the loss of her dreams, Aundy grieved for the life she and Erik would have built together as she stood at her husband's graveside.

Thoughts of other funerals, other lives that ended too soon, caused a sob to wrack across her shoulders. She compressed her lips to keep it from escaping.

Nora, who stood to her right, found her hand and squeezed her fingers, trying to infuse a touch of comfort.

However, Aundy was beyond comforting. She was tired of death, tired of mourning, tired of life taking such unexpected and unpleasant turns.

Two years earlier, her father and fiancé, her beloved Gunther, died when the trench they were digging for a new water line collapsed and buried them, along with three other men. By the time the company they worked for dug them out, only one of the men survived. After their funerals, Aundy's mother took to her bed and died a month later.

Financially struggling to keep their family together, Aundy's younger siblings looked to her for strength and guidance. Ilsa was only fifteen at the time and Lars was eighteen. He ran away a few weeks later, leaving a note saying he was off to make his way in the world and not to worry about him.

To deal with so much loss in such a short time, Aundy threw herself into looking for a job, applying for secretarial and teaching positions, but found it impossible to secure anything due to her lack of experience. Desperate for work, she took the job as a seamstress at the factory. She managed to keep their apartment for a while before she had to let it go.

Ilsa agreed to work for their aunt in her dress shop. Aunt Louisa would provide room and board, promising to pay Ilsa a dollar a week for her work and allow her access to all her scrap fabrics to use as she wished. Although both girls thought Louisa was harsh and mean-spirited, it was a better alternative for Ilsa than factory work.

The girls packed up the belongings they absolutely couldn't bear to lose. Ilsa took most of them with her to Aunt Louisa's home. Aundy kept a few heirlooms and moved into a boarding house near the factory. She helped cook and clean in the mornings and evenings in trade for her room and board, saving every penny she could, hoping someday life would improve.

Bone-tired and dispirited after a miserable day at work, the discovery of Erik's ad had been like a ray of light illuminating a pitch-black night.

Convinced she had found a way to not only better her future but also Ilsa's, Aundy's hopes and dreams were once again in tatters, along with her heart.

She swiped at the tears she could no longer hold back as they mingled with raindrops on her cheeks. Aundy nodded at Pastor Whitting as he finished the service and looked her direction.

"Come on, honey, let's get you out of this rain," Nora said, steering Aundy in the direction of their canopy-topped surrey. Numbly, she followed Nora and accepted Garrett's help into the back seat.

His father, J.B., sat on the front seat, unable to walk in the mud to the graveside service, but wanting to pay his respects to his neighbor and friend.

Thrown by his horse the previous year, the injuries to J.B.'s back and leg had been so severe, he'd spent months in bed, unable to move. Recently, he'd shown improvement, getting up and walking short distances with the help of a cane.

Garrett, who moved to Portland after graduating from college, wanted to experience life in a bigger city while working for an agriculture export company. When he learned of his father's accident, he hurried home to take over management of the ranch and decided to stay.

After helping Nora into the surrey next to Aundy, Garrett sat beside his father and picked up the reins to the team. He read worry and sorrow on the young widow's face.

She'd proven repeatedly in the last few days that she was tough and resilient. Aundy barely left Erik's side as he hung between life and death after the accident, holding his hand and reading aloud to him for hours until her voice grew hoarse.

Garrett and Nora, along with Dent, took turns staying in the house, wanting to be available if Aundy should need them. There seemed to be a steady stream of visitors, coming to pay their respects as news of the accident traveled throughout the community.

Although he admired his newly widowed neighbor for her inner fortitude and bravery, Garrett wished he could do or say something to make her feel better. It would take time for her to get used to living in a new place, for her heart and arm to heal, and for life to move forward.

His heart ached as he watched her brush at her cheeks with a handkerchief already soggy from both the rain and her tears. He removed a snowy-white square from his pocket, reached behind him, and handed it to her.

"Thank you," Aundy said between sniffles.

Nora patted her shoulder and wiped at her own tears. "The ladies from church fixed a nice lunch," Nora said, as Garrett stopped the horses in front of the church. "We'll eat and let everyone express their condolences then take you home."

Aundy nodded her head, knowing whether she wanted to or not, she needed to draw on every reserve of strength she possessed to get through the next few hours.

Losing Gunther had shattered her heart, watching Erik die had pierced her spirit. As she followed Nora into the church, she knew love or marriage would never be a part of her future.

She couldn't bear the thought of going through this sort of pain and anguish again.