A Heart for Home (36 page)

“I can tell.”

Astrid checked, and since there were no more patients, she went upstairs to see Elizabeth. Mother and daughter were sitting on the settee by the window, with Elizabeth reading and Inga leaning against her. “Now, this is a lovely picture.”

“You going to Grandma’s?” Inga asked.

“That I am.” Hearing a steam whistle, Astrid went to the window. “The threshing crew is home.”

“Grandpa?”

“Maybe we can ride out on one of the wagons. Come on.”

“Have fun. I’ll take care of the office this afternoon,” Elizabeth assured her.

“All right.” Astrid and Inga hustled down the stairs, grabbed their straw hats, and headed out the door. “We’ll catch them at the corner.”

Half of the town lined Main Street, waving and laughing, welcoming the entourage home. The steam engine snorted and hissed in the front of the parade, pulling the threshing machine. The cook shack followed, and the wagons and teams came behind.

Astrid waved to Gilbert. “Can we ride?”

He stopped and they hopped onto the back of the wagon, their feet over the tailgate.

As they passed the school, all the students came out to wave and shout too.

“The party will be Saturday night,” Pastor Solberg called. “We’ll celebrate!”

Haakan and Lars waved that they understood.

“I like parties,” Inga shouted.

“Me too.”
And this time I might have even more fun. I wonder if
Daniel is a good dancer.

31

“How does one get clues as to which girl made which box?” Daniel asked Thorliff late in the afternoon on Saturday. Daniel hoped that if he looked pathetic enough, his partner would give him some bit
of information.

“Those are closely guarded secrets. I remember when I was young and single, the girl I loved would not give me even a hint.”

“Not Dr. Bjorklund, I take it?”

“No, this was before I went to St. Olaf for college. I thought I had all the answers back then, and now I wonder sometimes if I even know the questions.”

“So did you bid on the right box?”

“No. I thought hers was a different one. Everyone laughed at the joke, but I had supper with a little girl who still wore her hair in braids.” He paused and a twinkle lit his eyes. “She grew up into a mighty pretty young lady.”

Daniel heaved a sigh. “Hopefully the one I want will be one of the last to be bid upon, and that way I might get lucky.”

“I take it you want my sister’s box?”

“I do.”

“If I get a hint, I’ll pass it on. But I know she is out at the farm, and Mor will not be any help.”

“What about Inga?”

“You might be able to bribe her. She loves peppermint sticks.”

Daniel shook his head. “I can’t remember when I last took part in something like this. My mother tried to tell me that since she is still in mourning she will stay home, but Mrs. Wiste came and asked her to help with something. I think that young woman knows more of what is going on around here than do all the others put together.”

“Sophie has always loved to boss people around. Talk about headstrong. It would take hours to tell you all the escapades she’s led, and she’d tar and feather me if I did. Life in Blessing has never been boring. That’s for sure.”

“We moved two times when I was in school, so I didn’t have that close kind of relationship with anyone. I seldom saw my cousins, and distance makes friendships fade.” Daniel studied the plans taped to his desk, then shook his head. “We have three applications now for machinists. Mr. Holt, the man I enticed away from John Deere, will be here in two to three weeks. And Mother says she knows of someone to work in the office. She is getting me an address to write to him. So the machine shop is pretty close to staffed.”

“When are the drill presses due to arrive?”

“About the same time as Holt. He has a family of five children, only one too young for school. I told him we’d get him housing as soon as possible. I figured that the largest of the single houses could be his.”

“Dr. Deming, the dentist, plans on being here before Christmas or as soon as we have his office finished, whichever comes first. He and his wife will live at the boardinghouse until their house is ready.”

“We better put in another order.”

“I know. And get the cellars dug now.” Thorliff scratched his chin. “How do we manage to keep ahead of all this?”

“Not only with the business side but think about the party tonight. With all our single men in town, the women here better plan on dancing till their feet give out.”

“Did you have Joshua and Toby tell them that there will be no liquor at the party?”

“Ja, after all, where would they get it?”

“Good question.” Thorliff pushed back his chair. “We’re done for the day. The bidding starts at the schoolhouse at six thirty, and knowing Pastor Solberg, it will start on time.”

When Daniel and his mother arrived at the schoolhouse, boxes of all colors and shapes covered a table. The benches had been pushed back to line the walls, and people were milling around visiting and laughing. The construction crews waited around outside, as if unsure of their welcome. Ingeborg and Haakan together personally invited them in to join the festivities.

At six thirty Pastor Solberg held up the first box, one decorated with red-and-white-polka-dotted cloth. “How much am I bid for this sumptuous supper?”

One by one the boxes were bid on, and males and females met and found a place to sit. Four boxes remained. Joshua bid the highest on one, and with a grin as big as his face escorted Miss Christopherson to a bench. Three boxes left.

“Jonathan, aren’t you going to bid?” Thorliff called.

“I have, but I get outbid every time.”

Grace, Astrid, and Deborah still had no partners, and three boxes remained.

“Folks, I know you’ve been real generous tonight, but we have three boxes left and three lovely ladies to share the meal. What’ll you give for this one?” Solberg held up a white box with a plaid bow.

Daniel bid a dollar. Jonathan bid a dollar and a quarter. Toby upped it another quarter. One of the immigrants yelled, “Two dollar.”

The bid quickly went up to six dollars, and Jonathan managed to get it by bidding ten. It turned out to be Grace’s box.

Toby grinned at Daniel and whispered, “If we don’t get the one we want, we could switch after the bidding.”

Daniel nodded. “But what about those other men?”

“Outbid them, like Jonathan did.”

The bidding grew wild on the next box, one wrapped in green plaid fabric. Deborah and Astrid flinched at each of the increases in bidding. Past six, on to eight. Toby yelled “Twelve dollars,” and the box and Deborah were his. He poked Daniel in the ribs. “You better make it good.”

Daniel and four men were bidding on the final box. The bids came in quarters and fifty cents, but after eight dollars, Astrid leaned over to her mother. “They all know it is me. I feel like I’m on the auction block.”

“It’s all for the good of the school,” Haakan said, joining their conversation.

“I know, but my word.” The bidding reached thirteen dollars.

“Those men can’t afford this. Far, put a stop to it.”

“Not me.” He backed away.

“Fifteen dollars,” Daniel Jeffers called.

“Going, going, gone!” Solberg slammed the gavel down. “Dr. Bjorklund, Mr. Jeffers, enjoy your supper, and thank you all for helping to provide new textbooks for this year. With so many new students, we will need them all.”

Daniel picked up the box and came over to Astrid. “I was afraid I was going to go hungry tonight.”

“There’s plenty of food for those who didn’t bid on boxes.”

“But, you see, I wanted your box.”

Astrid could feel the heat rising, and she knew it wasn’t the schoolroom warmth that was causing it. The way he’d said
your box
made her swallow. “Thank you. Where would you like to eat?”

“How about outside, where it is cooler?”

“All right.”

They found a bench and sat to eat the fried chicken, pickled green tomatoes, fresh rolls, and potato salad. Astrid poured glasses of rhubarb and strawberry shrub, and they finished off the chocolate cake last. Before they were done, the musicians had started tuning up by the piano that sat outside on a low deck to keep it out of the dirt. Besides Joshua and Johnny Solberg on the guitars, Joshua’s brother on a banjo, and Lars with his fiddle, one of the construction workers brought out a mouth organ and another a banjo. Daniel knew Jonathan and Elizabeth would be trading off on the piano.

“We really have a big group tonight,” Astrid said, wiping her fingers with a napkin.

“This will be fun.”

As predicted, there were more men than women, and everyone wanted to dance. Mrs. Jeffers tried to demur, but her son waltzed her off, and from then on others cut in. Astrid was dancing with Thorliff when Daniel cut in.

“I can’t seem to get a full dance with you.”

“I know. This is the wildest dance we’ve ever had.” She smiled up at him and caught her breath. The moonlight gilded his hair, and his smile melted right into her bones. She stumbled, but his firm hand at her waist steadied her. The smile he gave her made her heart flutter.

At the end of the dance she headed for the punch bowl. What had happened out there? She joined her mother and Mrs. Jeffers, who were dispensing the cold liquid.

“You look to be having a good time,” Mrs. Jeffers said.

“I am.” Astrid reached for the cup, but a male hand took it from his mother and handed it to her. Then waited for his own.

Daniel and Astrid stood watching the Texas Star square dance, with Mr. Valders calling.

The moon was so bright that the lanterns weren’t even needed, and the fire was allowed to sink into coals.

When the musicians took a break, she watched Joshua as he took some punch over to Miss Christopherson. Astrid looked to see if her mother was noticing and received a nod in return. And there were Deborah and Toby, and if she wasn’t mistaken, they were sharing a cup.

After the break she danced the polka with the man whose hand she had stitched, and he thanked her again.

When they called for the last dance of the evening, she found herself in Daniel’s arms again, a slow waltz that made it easy for him to draw her closer. Romance under a harvest moon was the way she described it to Grace later.

Grace agreed. “Jonathan leaves tomorrow.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Me too, but this is our last year to wait. And I am home to stay.”

Jonathan and Daniel came up at the same time.

“May I walk you home?” Daniel asked.

“If you’d like.” Astrid turned to smile at him. There it was again. Surely it was the moonlight. “What about your mother?”

“Mrs. Wiste had a buggy brought out for those who wanted a ride back. I don’t think my mother has ever had an evening like this.”

“I hope she isn’t too tired.” As they walked along, his hand brushed hers, sending tingles clear up to her shoulder. What would it be like to hold hands with this man? Thorliff and Elizabeth had left a bit earlier to take Inga home, but they were sitting on the porch swing when Astrid and Daniel arrived.

“I’m too keyed up to go to bed yet,” Elizabeth said with a chuckle.

“I had no idea you could play the piano like that.” Daniel took his place on the railing and was joined by Thorliff.

“Elizabeth played for all our dances before Jonathan arrived. For dances and church and sing-a-longs. We’ve been so fortunate to have musicians. And after tonight we have even more.” Astrid leaned against the swing back. “What fun that was.”

“Did you see Mr. Landsverk and Maisie Christopherson? That just tickles me. She is such a lady.”

“I know.” Astrid nodded. “And if I’m not mistaken, Deborah might be getting her wish.”

“What’s that?” Thorliff asked.

“At the girl party, she finally admitted she’s been wishing Toby would notice her, you know, as more than just a longtime friend.”

“I think he got the idea.” Thorliff shook his head. “The girl party?”

“Well, we all grew up together and – ”

“I know, but you aren’t exactly girls any longer.”

“Ah, so you’ve noticed.” His wife gave him a teasing look.

“You know what I mean.”

“Come on, Thorliff, before you put your foot in your mouth and can’t walk. Good night, you two.” Elizabeth took her husband’s hand and pulled him to his feet.

“’Night.”

“May I walk you to church in the morning?”

“I . . . I guess.”

“Good. Then I’ll say good-night too.” He touched her hand and bowed slightly before heading up the street, whistling as usual. This was getting to be a habit – a rather nice habit, she thought as she closed the door behind her.

Church in the morning was bittersweet when Pastor Solberg thanked Jonathan for his musical contributions and asked that everyone would pray along with him for this young man to finish his schooling and return to become a permanent part of Blessing. There was more than one handkerchief touching eyes as the prayer time ended.

Astrid stood between Daniel Jeffers and her mother, with Daniel’s mother on his other side and her father on her mother’s other side with his hand on Emmy’s shoulder. How could this feel like a family so easily?