AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The two oil lamps on the mantle were the first things he took. He wrapped them in a shawl draped over the back of one of the scroll backed sofas, as though its wearer had just left the room, and carried them out to the wagon. Shadowfax stomped her hoof when she saw him, as though to express her impatience to be leaving. “Just a few more minutes, I promise,” he said.
It took him a while to carry everything out to the wagon. From the kitchen, he selected a set of cast-iron cookware, suited for use on the stove they had at home. He hadn’t paid much attention to what they had in the house already but was operating on the principle of “better safe than sorry.” He found an old-fashioned peeler mounted on the edge of the table. A crank turned the food in a spiral beneath the blade. It wasn’t something they needed, but it seemed the kind of item that would amuse Carly. Likely, she’d insist they have potatoes for supper just so she could try it out.
In the open pantry, there was a tin tub with a washboard. Carly had been washing their clothes in sinks and creeks when she could, and Justin realized with a bit of surprise how their tasks had fallen into traditional gender roles. With a grimace of guilt, he vowed to take on more of the household chores, but his grimace turned into a grin when he pictured himself offering to “share” the duty of mucking Shadowfax’s stall. He was pretty sure that was one job she’d be glad to leave categorized as “men’s work.”
He gathered up the tub and washboard and piled in other household items he thought Carly would find useful. On his way out, he grabbed the small pendulum clock from the mantle. He could set it tomorrow at noon by watching when the fence posts cast no shadows. Carly would be glad to have a clock again, even if it wasn’t completely precise.
He found a selection of woodworking tools in the basement; it was the reason he had gone there in the first place. It took him a while to collect all he needed. He wouldn’t have to find a lumber store, thankfully. He had noticed some wood stored in the barn that would work perfectly for his project. The more he thought about it, the more excited he became about his plan. He’d never built anything, but the book made it seem like something he’d be able to handle.
He lugged the last box of tools out to the wagon and relocked the museum door behind him. “One more stop,” he told Shadowfax, who seemed a little huffy at being drawn away from yet another flower bed. “Then we can go home, and you can get some dinner. I only pray you don’t faint from hunger along the way.”
The maternity store was untouched as well, though the door was unlocked. Justin stepped inside, and his gaze landed on an outfit on the clearance rack. He grinned. This was going to be fun...
Carly flew to the front door when she heard the jingling of Shadowfax’s harness and the crunch of the wagon wheels on the gravel. Justin was home, and all was right with her world again. She ran out to greet him, jumping up into his arms and wrapping her legs around his waist as Sam bounced around his feet.
“Whoa, I guess you’re happy to see me,” Justin chuckled. He gave Carly a kiss, set her back down on her feet, and patted Sam’s head. Tigger gave an imperious yowl so he bent and petted her, too. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m mad at you,” Carly said, pressing kisses all over his face. “Furious, actually.”
“I can see that.”
“Shut up. Let me finish yelling at you.” Carly tilted her head and kissed him, long and slow and deep. She drew away and brushed his lips with her own as though she couldn’t help giving him one last kiss before she continued. “You scared me to death. You’ve been gone all day.”
“I went shopping,” Justin said. She gave him a reproving glance and peeked into the wagon, but the contents were concealed under a tarp.
“What did you get?”
“You’ll see. Let me unharness Shadowfax, and then we’ll go through it all.”
Carly watched him through the window. He patted the horse on her shoulder, and she bumped him with her nose. She saw Justin laugh and give Shadowfax the petting she wanted while they walked to the barn. A few minutes later, Justin emerged with bits of hay on his clothes, which must have come from giving Shadowfax her dinner. He stopped at the wagon, grabbed two large bags, and carried them into the house. He brought them into the living room, and Carly sat down on one of the armchairs, nearly bouncing with eagerness to see what they contained.
Justin sat down in the chair opposite of hers and opened the bag. “I found some maternity clothes at a shop in town. I hope you like them.”
“Lemme see! Lemme see!”
He pulled out a dress that looked like a muumuu in bright orange, hideously bedecked with giant blue flowers, and handed it to her, with an expectant expression. However, Carly struggled to keep the horror from her face. It was, quite possibly, the ugliest thing she had ever seen—almost impressively ugly. She didn’t even know what to say. Justin smiled coaxingly, and Carly had to drop her gaze.
“Oh, and I found you these.” He pulled another outfit from the bag. It was lavender, printed with white flowers, and had a pair of matching pants that looked like they’d fit a bull elephant. Carly bit the inside of her lip. Hard.
“And this one, for when the weather gets a little warmer.”
It was a shapeless dress in the most hideous shade of brown Carly had ever seen, and it was decorated with lime green circles. It looked like it had been made from a hippie’s discarded curtains.
“Well, what do you think?”
Carly looked up at Justin and saw his eyes were twinkling with mischief. He burst into laughter. “You should have seen your face!”
She swatted his shoulder. “That’s not funny!” But she laughed even as she scolded him.
“I couldn’t help it. I’m sorry, but I had to.” He handed the second bag to her.
Carly took a peek inside and was relieved to find comfortable clothes in a variety of earth tones. Not the bright, vibrant colors she usually preferred, but nothing tacky. She smiled. “Thank you.”
“I think you’ll like the coat.” He pulled it out, and Carly gave a little squeal. It was heavy, down filled, and bright pink with wide bands of faux fur around the cuffs and hood. “It’s so cute! Thank you!” Carly kissed him, and Justin beamed. He’d gotten her white snow boots, lined with fur. They didn’t match the coat perfectly, but she could tell he’d tried. The scarf and mittens, however, were blue. “They didn’t have anything that would match,” he said apologetically.
Carly didn’t care. The amount of effort he’d put behind it was touching. She was a lucky woman, she reflected, as she drew him down for a long, sweet kiss.
Carly went to try on one of her maternity outfits while Justin unloaded more items from the wagon. She pulled out the tummy of the jogging suit and tried to picture how she’d look when she was further along. Short and fat, apparently. She laughed at herself a little. She’d never been vain, but she was a little worried Justin wouldn’t find her attractive once she got bigger.
