Marriage of Necessity

~12~ Turn The Other Cheek

I've been excited about today for weeks. The town is having an ice cream social, and I can't hardly contain myself.

We get our things together and in the wagon, and I'm all but bouncing in my seat. Matthew looks at me, and the corners of his mouth turn up. He has yet to smile, but he smirks from time to time.

"Excited?" He asks

"Yes!"

He nods as he looks behind him. "James, iffin I haf'ta tell ya to sit on yur bottom again, you'll be sittin' on a sore one. One of these days you'll fall and crack yur head open," he scolds.

"Sorry pa," Jamie says as he sits down in the wagon quickly.

Matthew looks back at me. "Do I need'ta give ya my 'Mrs. Salders' warnin'?"

I huff and ignore him; These warnings are grating on my very last nerve.

When we arrive at the social, Ruthie is already getting their blankets sprawled across the grass, finding a lovely spot underneath a shade tree. I take our things and sit next to her, spreading our blanket out too.

We're having as good of a time as I'd hoped. The laughter is as thick as the cream in the wooden buckets. I'm starting to get to know all of the women in these parts, and I adore them...All but Mrs. Salders and her daughters. Each one is meaner than the last.

The men and boys all take turns cranking the ice cream, while us woman set out the pies and cakes we brought. It's fun seeing the men goof around with one another too. I watch Matthew as Anthony says something to him, and then punch his shoulder lightly, laughing merrily. Matthew shakes his head with a somber face, but I see twinkling in his eyes. He's having as good of a time as I am.

"Anthony gave me a reminder this morning," Ruthie smirks at me.

"A what?"

"A reminder to behave"

"Yeah, Mr. Olton did too."

She raises her eyebrows. "What did he do?"

"Told me to behave"

She laughs loudly and shakes her head. "Mine was a little different than that."

"How so?"

"He reminded me as I was taken over his knee."

I put my hands on my hips and stare at her. "You mean to tell me that you haven't even done anything wrong yet and you still got one?"

She gives me a humorous grin as she cuts some pie. "Put your eyes back in your head, Sophie. They're
not as painful as punishment ones. He lectures as he does it."

"Was it enough to cry?"

"I teared up"

"Are you sore?"

She nods as she bites her lip. "I remember every time I move not to misbehave."

I shake my head in complete disgust. "We're not children, Ruthie."

The conversation ends once the men and children start forming a line to get their desserts. Mrs. Salders is on the ice cream line, so thankfully our paths don't cross at all.

What I didn't anticipate, however, was one of her daughters.

I'm helping serve the desserts with Ruthie, laughing at something she said quietly about Mrs. Salders, when Natasha comes up to me looking like a fox in a hen house.

"You know, Miz Brennan, I was a breath away from marryin' him. Mr. Olton was quite smitten with me. Once he got your response in the mail, though, he felt like he couldn't pursue me anymore."