American Frontier - Chapter 10

Parker spent Saturday morning at the shop, as usual. It was one of his busiest days since many people who worked during the week came in then.

When he finished, he ate a quick lunch, then considered the empty afternoon before him. He needed to do something to pass the time before his dinner with Missy. If he didn't keep himself occupied, he knew the afternoon would drag by.

After some thought, he decided to go for a walk. He had had the thought the previous day as he walked home from the bakery that if he was indeed serious about Missy, he should probably start looking for some land and get a house built for them. Or perhaps he would find a house for sale in town, somewhere closer to where they worked.

He walked through Landerville, taking note of the houses for sale. There were only three. One was a large, beautiful, fairly new home that was probably rather out of his price range. One was a smaller new home with a very small yard. The last, his favorite, was an older home that needed some work, but it was lovely and big enough for a family, set on a good-sized piece of land near the edge of town.

Parker made a mental note to seek out the person selling the property and inquire after the price. Hopefully it wouldn't be more than what he could afford. He felt that Missy would love the stately home as much as he did.

When the sun finally got the best of him, he returned to the boarding house. He spent another hour reading half-heartedly. He usually loved reading and could easily lose himself in a book for hours, but knowing that the time to see Missy again was quickly approaching made it far more difficult to focus on anything but the slow ticking of the clock.

Finally, the time arrived. Missy had asked that he meet her in the woods in a clearing near her home just in case her father was home. He was leaving a bit early, but he didn't want to waste a moment with her.

It was a good thing he left early. He had only been walking for a few minutes when a somber, masculine voice stopped him.

"Hey, Eddington!"

He turned to find Thomas McFarland walking quickly in his direction wearing a heavy frown.

"McFarland," Parker said with a friendly nod.

"Have you seen Missy today?"

"Not yet. We have plans to meet for an evening picnic."

McFarland's expression lifted a bit, then returned to a deep frown. "Is she making the food?"

"Yes. It was her idea."

McFarland shook his head. "Don't let her do that again. She's on a tight budget as it is. Her money from the bakery has to feed her and her father as well as taking care of all her other needs."

"Her father contributes nothing?"

"He manages to keep the roof over their heads, though that is more likely because the house was paid for before Missy's mother passed away."

Parker frowned. "I had no idea. Thank you for letting me know. I will make sure not to allow her to add to her burden on my account."

McFarland broke out into a relieved smile. "I cannot tell you how happy I am to know that you are still on good terms with her."

"How could anyone get to know Missy better and not be on good terms with her?"

McFarland laughed. "You're a good man Eddington- Parker, if I may."

"Certainly, Thomas."

Thomas gave him a firm handshake. "I know it's early days yet, but I want you to know that you have my blessing. I am not a blood relative, but her father isn't the best at looking out for her and her brother is long gone."

"I know she values your friendship highly, so I appreciate your blessing. And I'm thankful that you have been looking out for her."

"I'm glad I'm not alone anymore. Truth is, I'll likely be moving soon. I don't think I could rest easy if you weren't here to take over. She's strong, but she's had to stand alone against a lot in her life. I hope you'll be able to remove some of the burdens that I could only try and help her with."

"I hope so as well."

With another friendly handshake, the men parted ways. Thomas turned and went back the way he was going while Parker walked briskly to the clearing. Because he left early, the interruption meant that he arrived right on time.

Missy wasn't there yet, so he took a seat on a large rock and waited. At first, he occupied himself looking around the clearing.

It was a lovely spot, surrounded and shaded by tall oak and pine trees. The floor was a mat of leaves and pine needles giving off the earthy scent all forests seemed to carry. There were small patches of blue flowers around some of the trees and near the center of the clearing, where the most light filtered through, there was a small bush with small bunches of yellow flowers.

He considered gathering a small bouquet for Missy, but decided against it. The flowers were all too delicate to hold up well to being plucked.

When he looked at his pocket watch and found that it was only ten minutes after the hour, he sighed and leaned back against a tree trunk. He thought about what Thomas had said. Knowing that Missy was supporting herself and her father surprised him, though he wasn't sure why. Certainly he knew she was capable and kind enough to do so.

He was more surprised that her father was so neglectful. He hoped neglect was all she suffered. The idea of the large, burly blacksmith laying his hands on his petite, defenseless daughter made Parker clench his fists in anger.

Before he could relax them and turn his thoughts in a more pleasant direction, he heard the crunch of footsteps approaching. He stood and turned as Missy stumbled into the clearing.

He didn't have a chance to greet her before she looked at him, relief shining in her wide eyes, and collapsed. Noting her pale face, he hurried to her side and managed to pull her into him so he could lower her limp form gently to the ground.

He took her pulse, relieved to find it slow but steady, then did a quick examination. He could see a red spot on her cheek and the beginnings of bruises around her collar bones.

Someone was going to pay dearly for this.