Love, Surprising

Chapter 4: Timothy

May 1786

Mock's Mill, Virginia

Even before the sun was up, I was awake in my kitchen, preparing last minute things to take to my stand. The bread was packed into baskets, and then loaded into crates that I stacked in the back of my small cart. I gathered a few wheels of hard cheese from the cellar, and added those to the cart beside the crates of bread. The sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon. Fiery orange and golden rays cut across the cool purples and deep blues of the dawn sky, giving the sky a rosy glow.

Finished with packing my cart, I latched the front door of my house. Then I picked up the handles of my wagon and pushed toward town square. Mock's Mill was a quaint, but busy town. Travelers were always passing through, headed to Kentucky and the wilderness beyond out thirteen colonies. Henry A. Mock was the first man to settle here, along with his family. That's why our town is known as Mock's Mill. We're surrounded by mountainous terrain, covered in dense forests, often making travel difficult. This town is my home.

I made it to the town square by seven. Other merchants and business owners like myself were setting up their produce and articles for customers as well. I parked my cart next to my closed up stand, and unlocked the padlock with a key that hung around my neck. The latch clicked, and the lock fell into my hand. I opened the shutters and got to work unloading the cart and setting up the shelves with fresh loaves of bread and cheese. "Ok. Rye on the top two shelves, barley in the middle, wheat on the bottom, rolls in baskets up front, and cheese off to the side." I mentally repeated. Everything in my stand had a place. Being organized is helpful. I finished arranging the bread just as a middle aged woman and her young daughter approached my stand.

"Good morning ma'am. How can I help you today?" I asked politely with a friendly smile. The little girl blushed and hid her face in her mother's skirts.

The woman smiled and replied back, "I'd like half a dozen of your rolls and a loaf of rye bread please." I reached back for the rye loaf and placed it on the counter next to the rolls.

"That will be five pence, ma'am." I told the woman. She dug into her handbag, removed the required amount, and handed it to me. I wrapped the bread in a soft cloth and passed it to the woman. Her daughter peeked up at me and smiled before following her mother back into the increased hubbub of the town square.

I can't wait to have children, I thought with a smile, then it fell. What am I thinking? I'd have to find a wife first, and that doesn't appear to be happening anytime soon. Shaking my head, I got back to work. The rest of the morning passed swiftly, and soon it was the middle of the afternoon. Sun beat down, heating up my already warm stand. "Phew. It's getting hot." I fanned myself with a cloth, letting the cool breeze caress my face.

"Ahem." I heard the clearing of a throat. I was so busy fanning myself that I didn't notice the young woman approach my stand. "Hello, I was wondering if..."her voice trailed off.

The cloth dropped out of my hand and hit the ground. I turned and my eyes met with the eyes of a young woman across the counter. Her eyes were beautiful, a swirling mix of gray and blue, accented by the dove gray dress she wore. Her eyes were framed by long, dark lashes. Tendrils of cinnamon brown hair crept out of her cap and teased her face. She had full, rosy pink lips and a smattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose.

This woman is stunning, I breathed in awe. The woman fidgeted with the satchel in her hands. I shook myself out of my reverie. " How may I help you miss?" I asked the girl.

The young woman cleared her throat. " Uh, I'd like a loaf of barley bread and a hunk of cheese." I nodded and hurriedly reached to grab the cheese and bread for her. I wrapped them up in a cloth before turning back to the girl.

" Where are you from? I haven't seen you around here before." I questioned, truly wanting to know if I had been so blind to have missed this beauty. Her eyes widened in shock.

"How did you know that I'm not from around here?" She asked me, mouth agape.

I grinned. " I've lived here since I was twelve. I know everyone who lives here." At least I hope I do. Looks like I was right about her anyway, I thought. "So are you here to stay, or are you just passing through?"

" Just passing through." The young woman fidgeted with her hands.

" Who are you traveling with?" I asked her, glancing around to see if I could spot another new face in the crowd.

She licked her lips nervously. "I'm by myself."

I stared at her quizzically. "Why are you, a young lady, wandering about by herself without an escort?" Leaning against the stand, I gave her what I hoped was a stern look. "Are you running away?"

"No!" She shouted forcefully, maybe too forcefully, then lowered her voice. " Well, maybe." I looked at her disapprovingly, though secretly, I wanted to know what she was up to.

She sighed, then glanced around before blurting, " Okay, yes I am running away, but I have a valid reason!"

" Then let's hear this valid reason of yours." I said with a grin. The young woman glared at me. Oops. Maybe I shouldn't have grinned?

" My parents ruined my life!" She spat out.

Whoa. A little vexed are we? I chuckled to myself." That doesn't sound like a valid reason to me."

" Oh but it is!" I could see she was becoming irate, and then she was ranting. " My parents are forcing me to marry this man, Edward Clark, and..." My face hardened and my posture stiffened. I was no longer grinning. The woman stopped when she saw my face. I'm sure my eyes were hard as flint, raging with a deep, burning anger. 

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A/N: I came up with the idea for this story back in 6th grade. I'm currently revising it and making it better, but the original story line is from the brain of a sixth grader. Thanks for reading this far.