He steadied the hat rack and set his hat on it.
“Jessica? Is that you?” her mother called from the kitchen.
“Yes,” she replied. “We have company.”
“Really? Who?”
“Tom Larson,” she quickly answered before she hurried to her room.
She knew what was coming even before she heard the footsteps coming her way. She set the box on her dresser and took out the note. It was from Jenny, just as she suspected.
Tom would kill me if he knew I wrote this, but he’s sweet on you. Won’t you consider him instead of Peter? It’d be nice to have you for a sister-in-law.
Jenny
She hid the note before her mother appeared in her doorway.
“Jessica, what is that boy doing back here?”
“I invited him for dinner.” Jessica took off her bonnet and brushed her hair. She couldn’t believe she was actually trembling with excitement. She’d never felt this flustered over being around Peter.
Her mother shook her head. “With things all up in the air about Peter, do you think this is wise?”
“Oh, I spoke with Margaret today and we agreed that Peter would be much better off if he married his mother.”
“You didn’t say those words!” she hissed and glanced over her shoulder as if afraid Tom could hear them. She quickly entered the room and shut the door.
“No, we didn’t use those exact words, but you have to admit that he doesn’t love me, not the way he should.”
Her mother sighed. “I admit that he seems a little too devoted to his mother.”
“A little? He won’t sneeze without her permission.” Jessica examined the ribbons Tom had given her. She finally picked one and put it into her hair.
“Marriage can seem long with a man attached to his mother’s apron strings. Perhaps Peter isn’t ready to get married yet.”
“I think his mother is, but I agree he isn’t.”
“And are you sure that Tom is ready?”
“Well, he is itching to get his own place, and that place happens to be a good distance from his parents. Jenny told me all about it. She said that he’s even started plans on making a house out there.”
“You’re not marrying anyone right away. I have to get to know this boy. You can’t be rushing for the altar yet, young lady.”
Jessica pinched her cheeks to make them a rosy color.
“I insist that you court for a year.”
She stopped and looked at her mother. “A year? But he’ll be doing next year’s harvest by then.”
“Well, you’re not marrying him this winter. You have to get to know him first. You have to make sure he’s the right one.”
That was true. “Let’s see. What about June? The planting will be done by then.”
“What about next winter?”
She groaned. “That’s a long time.”
“Only to a young woman. Time goes faster as you get older. The year will pass before I have time to blink.”
“What about early September? Right before the harvest?”
The woman crossed her arms. “I suppose that’s close enough to a full year. Alright.”
She smiled and got ready to leave the bedroom.
Her mother stepped in front of the door. “This conversation is hypothetical. You haven’t even called off your engagement to Peter.”
“I’ll do that after dinner.”
“And you don’t know that things will work out with Tom. Sure, he’s a good boy, but you have to get to know him.”
“That’s what this next year is for.”
“And,” she continued as Jessica reached for the doorknob, “you have to wait and see if he wants to marry you. Don’t go putting the cart before the horse.”
Jessica paused. Her mother was right. She couldn’t be sure what he wanted until he told her. “Then I’ll have to find out.”
“Make sure you do.” She stepped aside. “Now, you go pay attention to him while I finish up with dinner. But in the future if he comes over, you will have to be sure that he arrives when you’re done helping me in the kitchen.”
“I didn’t ask him to come by. He just showed up.”
“I know, but you need to do some cooking to show him that you’ll be a good wife. The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. That’s how I got your father to marry me.”
“Your point is noted.”
“Good. There will be plenty of time to visit with him after the meal.”
“Is that all?”
Her mother seemed to think it over before she nodded. “Yes.”
Jessica opened the door and left the room, only having a vague notion of how to proceed. She found Tom looking out the window. She stepped forward and cleared her throat.