Free Cora's Deception (9781476398280) by Mildred Colvin

sweep it out every
day.”
    “Hey, what’re you doin’ layin’ off work,
talkin’ to a pretty girl while the rest of us break our backs?”
Ralph walked toward them.
    Aaron jerked away. Cora’s insides jumped as
he strode toward his brother and grabbed one of the heavy boards
lying nearby. “Take hold of that end and let’s get this up.”
    Ralph grinned at Cora and shrugged. “Boss
man don’t put up with no lolly-gaggin’ unless he’s the one doin’
it.”
    He picked up his end, and the two young men
carried the board to the building. Cora sighed. Ralph was friendly
and had been from the first time they met, but Aaron seemed to be
warming up to her. At least he made fun of her in a nice way. She
started counting men as she walked around the new building. She
crossed the trampled grass to meet Esther.
    “There’s a man here alone. I mean he didn’t
bring his family. Anyway, I counted nine men.”
    “We had sixteen before plus nine is
twenty-five.” Esther glanced toward the men. “That single man is
probably Bill Reid. He lives across the creek, and he’s not
married. I imagine he brought his fiddle. When the work is done,
there’ll probably be a dance.”
    “Really?” Cora couldn’t help but glance
toward the men. Ralph and Aaron carried another board to add to the
wall. A dance? Would either of them ask her to be their partner?
What would George say if he knew? She shook off the image of George
that persisted. He wasn’t here, so he’d never know.
    “Twenty-five?” Mother frowned when the girls
gave her their count. “I think we can seat that many around a
couple of tables. Agnes came up with a great idea for the tables.
She suggested we use some of the boards cut for the house. We can
put them on the stumps Father hasn’t split into firewood yet. We
can do the same for benches, using shorter stumps.”
    “I’ll tell Father what we need.” Cora
started for the door when Ivy stopped her.
    “Wait, I’ll go with you.”
    Esther, Eliza, and Rebekah followed her.
Esther caught up with Cora. “Maybe we can set up the tables if we
all help. Then the men won’t have to leave their work.”
    “I don’t know. Those boards look heavy.”
Even Aaron asked Ralph to help him lift a board. “Let’s see what
Father says.”
    Cora told her father their plans, and he
nodded. “That’s a good idea. You can use the boards that will be
last going up. Think you girls can handle it?”
    Ben stood to one side. “I’ll help them,
Father.”
    Aaron turned from setting a board in place.
“I can help too.”
    “Yeah.” Ralph followed his brother. “You
can’t expect pindlin’ girls to do a man’s job.”
    Father’s eyebrows lifted before he smiled.
“All right, but don’t waste time getting back to the real job of
the day. You boys are too valuable to stop now.”
    The three young men headed toward a pile of
boards stacked to the side. Esther hurried toward them. “We could
do this without any help. There are five of us. Surely we could
lift one log at a time. It seems a shame to take you from your
work.
    Ben grinned. “It’s not a problem. Really,
it’s our pleasure.”
    Ivy stepped between Ben and Esther. “But
Ben, we came to help too. Why don’t we do it together? I can help
you.” She tossed a smile at Esther. “Why don’t you help Aaron or
Ralph?”
    Esther looked down, but Ben frowned. “I
don’t think that’ll be necessary. Two men on a board and the other
can get a stump. You girls show us where you want them.”
    “All right, if that’s what you want.” Ivy
moved several feet in the other direction. She turned and smiled at
Ben. “Why don’t we set up here?”
    Cora felt rooted where she stood. Esther
seemed to have the same problem. She stood quietly, her eyes turned
toward the ground. Had she been hurt by Ivy’s rudeness? How could
anyone be so rude to someone as sweet and kind as Esther?
    The three men set up one long two-foot-wide
table with two twelve-inch boards