Chapter 6
“Becky, come with me; I need your help for a second.” Kate glanced at the small clock that hung on the kitchen wall. It was only five-thirty, so she would have plenty of time to get ready. Becky followed her upstairs to her bedroom and Kate closed the door once they were inside. “I need you to help me get dressed and do my hair.”
Becky shot her an odd look. “Really? Tonight?”
“Really,” Kate said. “I’ll wear the brown dress; it’s already hanging right in front in the closet.”
“I don’t recall you ever getting all gussied up like this for dinner before,” Becky said as she helped Kate get dressed. “Unless we had company, of course. Is somebody coming over?”
Kate couldn’t contain her smile. “Oh, you never know,” she said, her eyes twinkling. The smile remained all the while Becky arranged her hair, until it was nearly six and time to get back downstairs. Becky returned to the kitchen to help Mary with dinner while Kate walked down the hall to the parlor and took a seat on the sofa.
She picked up a book from the end table, but couldn’t ignore her father’s raised eyebrows for long.
“What’s with the dress?” he asked.
“What do you mean?”
“You look so nice,” he said. He folded his newspaper and leaned back in his chair. “What’s going on?”
“Papa, you make it sound like I normally go around in rags,” she said. “Can’t a girl dress up now and again?”
“Well, of course, but—”
“Did I look so bad before?”
“No, but—”
“Don’t you think I’m pretty?”
“Of course I do, dear,” he said. “Forget I said anything.” He snapped his paper open again and took refuge behind it, though Kate could see from the corner of her eye that he still peered her way from time to time. She pretended to read her book while keeping an eye on the grandfather clock. The hour hand slowly crept forward until it marked six-thirty; the chime was still echoing in the room when she heard a whinny outside and the noise of carriage wheels rolling across gravel. Exactly on time, she thought.
Her father set his paper aside. “Now who could that be?” he said, almost to himself as he got out of his chair and turned to look out the window. “Why, it’s Ed Carter.” Thomas slowly turned his head and looked at Kate, his eyes narrowing as he stared at her dress. Before he could say anything, however, there was the sound of boots on the steps and a knock at the front door, drawing Thomas out into the foyer.
Kate could hear the men greeting each other in the foyer, and she went to the hall to find both of them headed for the parlor.
“Mr. Carter, this is a nice surprise,” she said, unable to contain her broad grin as she extended her hand. “What brings you out this way?”
He squeezed her hand briefly. “Oh, just some business I wanted to talk to your father about,” he said. “It’s wonderful to see you again, Miss Taylor.”
“Thank you. It’s good to see you as well. I’ll leave you two to talk,” she said, stepping out of the way for them and closing the parlor door.
“Would you like a drink?” Thomas went to a glass-door cabinet against the wall and took out a crystal brandy decanter and two snifters.
“I wouldn’t say no.” Carter watched as Thomas poured them each a generous splash and handed him the glass. He took a sip and went to the window, looking out onto the porch and down the gentle slope at the green cornfields below. “Your brother left you quite a nice piece of property,” he said, turning back to Kate’s father. “I’m sure you’ll be content here. Growing corn may not be the most exciting endeavor man has ever performed, but it can be rewarding, I suppose.”
Thomas joined Carter at the window. “Well, it’s more than a way to make a living for us,” he said. “I had a successful career in banking and I can always return to that if I have to. But for now, I wanted my family to have a simpler life than we had back in Boston. And yes, it can be rewarding, in many ways.”
“Of course,” Carter said. “I’m sure it is. And family has to come first. Speaking of that, Mr. Taylor—“
“Edward, please,” Kate’s father interrupted. “I’d like you to call me Tom. We’re not just two fellows who met on the street. I consider you a friend.”
Carter smiled broadly. “Well, Tom, I’m glad to hear that. I consider you a friend as well. So I hope you won’t mind if I give you some friendly advice.”
“Not at all,” he said. “If there’s one thing I never turn down, it’s advice.”
“That’s the mark of a wise man,” Carter said. He rose and retrieved the brandy from the table, pouring some more for Thomas and adding a splash to his own glass as well. “Actually it was just something I was thinking about as I was out for a ride this evening, and I thought I’d stop to talk to you about it,” he said. “It occurred to me that you might consider letting my men have a look at your property.”
“Really? What for?”
“Mining, of course,” Carter said. “You’ll take far more money out of the ground by mining, rather than farming. I could have one of my men come over and tour your farm, perhaps take a sample or two, and then we’d have an idea of whether the land is worth anything or not.”
Thomas took a long drink of brandy, savoring the flavor before letting it slip down his throat. “That’s a very kind offer. But for now I think we’ll just stick to farming.”
“You know, there are lots of farmers around here who dedicate themselves to the crops in the summer and mining in the winter. It may not be your first thought when you consider how to use your land, but it could be a profitable way to help provide for your family.”
“Thanks, Edward. I’ll think about it,” Thomas said. “But for now we’ll stick to the corn. At least that’s something I know how to do myself.”
“Of course,” Carter said. “But if you ever change your mind, just let me know. The offer stands.” He stared out at the field, the corn waving gently as the wind rolled across the hills. “Seems like it’s finally cooling down a bit. Perhaps we should step outside and enjoy the evening?”
The humidity of the day had begun to disappear, replaced by a breeze that refreshed them as it swept over the porch. Carter reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out two cigars, handing one to Kate’s father.
“I’ve found that the best way to keep away mosquitoes is with smoke,” he said, grinning. After lighting their cigars, Carter blew out the match and tossed it into the dirt. “Beautiful evening.”
“It really is,” Thomas said. “It’s nights like this when I realize that we made the right decision coming out here. Maybe it’s because I grew up on a farm, but I always felt that a city was no place to raise a family. There’s no connection to the earth—no connection to other people, even! You’re surrounded by people everywhere but at the same time you’re totally alone.”
“Very true,” Carter said. “I couldn’t agree more. There’s no life like the country life. City-dwellers really don’t know what they’re missing. Like you said, there’s no connection there. I, for one, am very happy that you’re here too. Wisconsin needs more people like you. Smart people. Good people.”
“That’s kind of you to say, Edward.”
“I meant to tell you, I really appreciated you having me over the other night. I have to say, I’ve become very fond of your family.”
Thomas smiled. “We’re all fond of you too.”
“Even Kate?”
Thomas turned to look at him, studying his face. He slowly blew a stream of cigar smoke toward the porch railing. “I’d say that she is, from what I’ve seen.”
“I feel the same way about her, Tom.”
They sat and smoked for a while in silence as the sky deepened its display of orange, pink, and purple, and fireflies began to dot the grass between the house and the fields.
“Well, I should be on my way,” Carter said. “I still have some things to attend to back at the office before it gets t
oo late. That’s the price of success, I suppose. Please pass on my regards.”
“I’ll do that,” Thomas said as they shook hands. “Oh, before you leave,” he called after Carter, who turned at the bottom of the steps.
“I expect that Kate would like to see you over for dinner again on Tuesday.”
Carter gave him an odd smile, one that began like a smirk before blossoming fully.
“Please inform her that I’ll be back on Tuesday, then,” he said. “Good evening.” Carter untied his horse, leaped easily up into the saddle, and set off for the road.