A Home For Emily

Chapter Six

September

The corn is ripe and ready for harvesting, but it rains for three days straight. Austin roams the house like a caged animal, occasionally standing at the doorway to grumble at the skies.

"I'm going to pick the corn tomorrow," Austin says. "Rain or no rain. The pigs are running out of feed and I told the Smiths I'd sell them a few bushels."

Emily's seated at the kitchen table with Eliza sitting beside her. They have the Grimm's fairy tale book between them. Emily is having Eliza try to sound out some of the easier words. She's a quick learner, she knows all the alphabet now. Austin teases that if she keeps this up, she'll be teaching her teacher next year instead of the other way around.

"I could help," Emily offers. "I don't care about a bit of rain."

"You're needed in here. I can take care of the corn."

In the two months they have been married, things haven't gotten easier between them. Not that things are bad between them, but Emily had hoped by this time they could at least be friends. It's as if Austin is deliberately keeping Emily at arm's length like he's scared to let Emily get too close.

Emily knows grief does things to people. She can remember Old Farmer Branson's widow throwing a frying pan at the head of any man who came to court her. She told Emily that her heart was too broken to even think of marrying again. She never did, she died a year ago, all alone in that big farmhouse that she used to share with her husband.

But Emily doesn't see why grief is keeping Austin from being friends with her. Or why it's keeping Austin from allowing Emily to help more. There are things he allows Emily to help with—the kids, the house, cooking, the vegetable garden, the chickens, and milking the cows. But other things he flat out refuses—he won't accept Emily's help with the corn, he won't let Emily near the pigs, he insists on cleaning up the barn by himself. There are things Emily can't do, it would be almost impossible for her to chop enough wood for the winter for instance, but she wants to help where she can. Austin shoulders too much of the work.

Emily loves taking care of the children. She doesn't mind cooking. And she doesn't mind doing her share of the housework, after all, it's now her house too, or at least that's what Austin told her. But she longs to do more and to learn more about the farm. She doesn't even know how much money they have. Austin had gone to the town once since she's lived here to buy supplies and he went without Emily. He asked Emily to make a list of everything she needed. Emily didn't know what to ask for, since she didn't know how much money Austin had to spend, so in the end, she just asked for flour, sugar, and more coffee beans because she's developed a taste for coffee, just like Austin thought she would.

Emily had always felt like a servant when she lived with the Johnsons. She knows she's more than that now. But it still feels like Austin's house, Austin's farm, Austin's children, Austin's bed—all of which he shares more or less cordially with Emily.

Emily's thinking of talking to Austin about how much quicker the harvesting will be if they work together, but she doesn't think that will matter to Austin. Emily's heard tell of a mechanical corn harvester that is pulled by horses that would make harvesting much quicker, but they don't have one nor horses either. Maybe someday they can save enough money to buy the mechanical harvester and a few horses. Austin works too hard.

Emily's about to ask Austin if he's heard about the harvester when someone knocks on the door. Emily looks out the window in the kitchen, it's still pouring down rain. Austin goes to answer the door with Mary's help. Mary laughs happily when she sees Kathryn standing there.

"What on earth are you doing outside on a day like this?" Austin asks her. "Come inside, I'll find something for you to dry off with."

"Is everything all right at home?" Emily asks, concerned.