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“I’d like that,” she said. “Could I also get a bit of fabric while we’re out?”
“Do you need a new dress?” he asked.
She shook her head. “No, but I would like curtains for the kitchen and parlor, and a tablecloth and some pillows. Just things to make the house my own.”
He grinned. “I had a feeling you’d enjoy changing things.”
Constance shrugged. “Everything is beautiful the way it is, but it just doesn’t feel homey.”
“Oh, I agree. My mother offered to sew for me, but I wanted that to be left up to my wife whenever I married.”
“You asked why I agreed to be a mail-order bride. Why did you send for one?” she asked.
“Because I have a hard time meeting women with the strange hours I keep. The only women in church are already married, and it just felt like the smart way to go about things.”
“I see. Well, whatever reason, I’m glad I was the one who ended up with your letter. I think we’re going to be very happy together.”
“I sure hope so.” He pushed away from the table. “I’ll be in the parlor when you’re finished with the dishes.”
Constance watched him go with a smile. She was glad he wasn’t meddling with her work.
Chapter Three
As Constance finished the dishes, she couldn’t help but wonder if Leonard was going to expect her to consummate the marriage that night. She wasn’t certain she was ready, and hopefully he wasn’t ready either. Wouldn’t it be better if they got to know one another and learned all they could before they married?
When she joined him in the parlor, she planned to bring up the idea of waiting with him, but she found him all sprawled out, reading from the Bible, and he looked very sweet that way. She was pleased to find herself married to a Christian man.
“Dishes are finished,” she said, taking the seat beside him on the sofa. “Do you usually stay up for a while, or do you go to bed after you’ve eaten?”
“I’m usually up for another hour or two. Does that bother you?”
She laughed softly. “I was hoping you’d say that. I do enjoy being up at night. I love to walk and look at the stars.”
He smiled. “Let’s go.”
“Really? You wouldn’t mind?”
“Not at all. Did you live in the city back east or in the country?” he asked.
“Country. My father was a farmer just outside of Beckham, Massachusetts, which is where the matchmaker you wrote your letter to lives.”
“I see. And did you enjoy being a farmer’s daughter?” he asked.
“All except for the early mornings,” she said with a grin.
“The earliest morning we’ll have is for church on Sundays, and the service is at eleven, so we won’t really have to be up before ten.”
“That sounds like it won’t be a problem,” she said, pulling on her coat and hat. It was spring, but it was still cold in the middle of the night.
Leonard pulled on a coat as well, and they left the house, walking down a quiet street, hand-in-hand. “I really love Sioux Falls,” he said. “It’s a bustling town since the railroad came, but it’s still small enough to feel like home.”
“That’s really nice. Beckham was the same. Big enough to have what we needed, but small enough that we could be happy there. I didn’t know everyone, but I didn’t have to. I knew the people who mattered to me.”
He nodded emphatically. “That’s how it is for me here. I do hope you’re going to love Sioux Falls as much as I do.”
“I’m sure I will. It’s nice to know my mother isn’t going to tell me what to do and when to wake up. She’d be angry every time I slept through the rooster’s crowing…so most days.” She grinned at him. “I really feel like I thrive at night.”
“I always have as well. My pa thought I was the laziest human alive because I slept until it was time for breakfast. He thought I should be up seeing to the livestock before the sun was up.”
