A Bride for Deke

shook her head. “I had uniforms for working and two dresses, one for every day if I left the hotel, and one for Sunday.”
Deke grunted. “That’s not acceptable. Next week, we’ll go to town to buy you some clothes. You’ll also need boots and a warmer coat.”
Amalie began to argue, but Deke insisted. “You’re my wife, and I’ll not have people think I’m not treating you well.”
Amalie nodded.
Nate smiled at his brother and Amalie as if to say that he’d made the right decision to protect Amalie and bring her home. While Deke walked the horses to the barn, Nate whispered to her, “My brother is very protective. You’re safe here.”

Chapter Five
Nate escorted Amalie into the house and invited her to sit in the parlor while they waited for Deke. Amalie noticed the house was well-furnished and had a woman’s touch, presumably from their mother or Deke’s wife. Amalie made a mental note not to move anything out of place. She had no idea what memories might be connected to the objects.
She noticed a framed sketch of a young married couple in wedding attire, sitting on the fireplace mantle.
Nate commented, “That’s Deke and Sarah on their wedding day. Her sister, Laura, loves to draw and is quite good. She drew that, and Sarah framed it. It appears Deke hasn’t moved it since the day Sarah placed it there.”
“Thank you for telling me,” Amalie said, “I will be sure not to move it.”
Amalie turned from the mantle and walked a few steps to peer into the next room. It was a small dining room with a hutch filled with beautiful white dishes. She thought the door beyond the dining room might lead to the kitchen, but she didn’t want to appear as if she were snooping, and she just stood there, gazing through the large dining room window.
Nate interrupted her musings. “I’m not sure what arrangements Deke has made for you. When I left home, we used only two of the bedrooms on the second floor. They were the rooms we’ve used since we were boys. Ma and Pa had the big room on this floor, and there’s also a guest room. Upstairs are three more rooms. Ma used one of them for sewing.”
“Any room would be an improvement over the small rooms we had at the hotel. They were comfortable when the elder Mister Caldwell ran the hotel, but his nephew built a wall down the center of mine to make a second room for another maid. The only window in the room was shared by the two of us, and Faith never liked to have it open,” Amalie shared.
“You won’t have to worry about that here. Each room is ample-sized, and the master bedroom has two windows,” Nate told her.
Amalie’s face turned a bright shade of red. “Oh, goodness! Do you mean I have to share a room with Deke? Surely, he used that room after he married. I’m not sure about this. I never considered what being married meant as far as…umm…sleeping arrangements.”
Nate shook his hands and head at the same time, “No, no, of course not. Deke would never. I mean, he’s a gentleman, and this marriage is in name only to protect you—unless the two of you agree to change that. Just…don’t worry. I’m sure this will all work out.”
Amalie couldn’t think of a response, and her heart began to beat rapidly when Deke entered the house. “You didn’t need to sit here and wait for me. Nate can show you to the guest room, Amalie. Your room is still the same, Nate—I never changed it. I had someone in last week to clean the entire house. You should both be quite comfortable.”
“Thanks,” Nate replied, and he picked up both of their carpet bags. “I’ll show you the guest room, Amalie.”
“Oh, wait a minute,” Deke called after them. “I did make some changes to the house after all. There’s a bathing room next to the kitchen pantry. Please feel free to use it anytime.”
“Thank you,” Amalie answered before following Nate to find her room.
~  *  ~
The scent of bacon wafted through the house as Nate hurried down the stairs. He met his brother as he was coming out of his room and commented, “I smell bacon.”
Deke nodded vigorously and added, “And biscuits.”
When they got to the kitchen, they found Amalie humming and mixing batter in a bowl. “Good morning,” she greeted them. “I hope you like hotcakes because that’s what I’m making. There’s also bacon, and in a few minutes, the biscuits should be ready. Are you hungry?”
Nate and Deke both assured her they were famished, and they sat down at the table. Amalie poured them each a cup of coffee and then set the pot in the middle of the table. A small vase with a few wildflowers that grew along the side of the house adorned the center of the table.
Amalie set a plate of bacon next to the coffee pot, followed by a plate of fresh biscuits and a platter of hotcakes. “I couldn’t find any cream for the coffee,” she said.
“Joey, our youngest hand, normally milks the cow, but he takes the milk to the cookshack. I’ll have him bring some here in the mornings, too,” Deke said as he drizzled honey onto his hotcakes.
Nate spread blackberry jam liberally on his hotcakes and asked, “Is this from the blackberry patch out back?”
Deke merely nodded as he continued to eat.
“You put up blackberry preserves?” Amalie asked with a questioning look.
“Not me. I take the berries into town, and Joey’s mother makes jam for us in return for half of the berries,” Deke said, taking just long enough to speak before filling his mouth with more hotcakes.
Nate took a sip of coffee and then asked Amalie, “Can you