Chapter 1: Mornings

Disclaimer: Story starts where the movie version of Love's Enduring Promise begins. This is my own version of the books, movies, and my own making.

With her eyes closed, seventeen-year-old Nancy Davis slowly stretched her arms and legs from beneath her quilt. Slowly, her hand reached out for the other side of the bed. It was cold. Her twin sister, Missie was already awake and had started her day, probably some time ago. Nancy groaned. She didn't want to leave the comfort of her bed, but she knew she must. She had chores to tend to, other responsibilities around the farm to take care of, and siblings to look after. There was always something that needed to be done.

A gentle knock came at the door. Nancy glanced at the door to see her mother poke her head through the door. Well, the woman wasn't actually her mother. Marty Davis came into their lives when Nancy and Missie were young. Their mother had died about a year before Marty's arrival and Marty's first husband had died in a freak horse accident mere days before becoming their mother. Nancy's father, Clark Davis, had offered to marry Marty in order to give her a home for the winter with the promise of sending her back east. So they married the day of Marty's first husband's funeral because the preacher would be moving on. It had been a marriage of convenience. But they eventually fell in love and Marty had been her mother since that day since. Nancy had no memories of her mother, so Marty was the only mother she knew and she loved her as such.

Marty crossed the room and sat on the edge of her daughter's bed. "Rise and shine, sleepyhead," the older blonde woman greeted with a smile on her face and a smudge of flour on her cheek.

That made Nancy smile. She remembered meals her ma had made when she was younger, many of them not turning out quite right. Pa said she was much worse when they first got married, but Nancy didn't remember that. Although, Pa did like to tease. Nancy loved the gentle teasing nature of their family. There was certainly love there.

"Nan," Marty said gently. "I need your help getting the boys ready for school."

"Isn't Missie up?" Nancy asked sitting up, twirling her hair through her fingers.

"She is, but I'm sure she's off preparing for the school day."

Nancy sighed. Her sister Missie was the local school teacher, which kept her busy and away from most of the farmwork. There were times Nancy wished she had taken up teaching like Missie, but she knew that Ma needed someone to help her around the house. Besides, there was only one local school and she and Missie couldn't both have it. It would likely break her Ma's heart if one of them moved far away. So, Nancy gave up her dream of teaching for her family.

"Five minutes, Nancy Jean," Marty said before she kissed the top of her daughter's head and then walked out of the room.

When she heard her mother's footsteps start down the stairs, Nancy fell back against her pillow once more and stared up at the ceiling for a moment. She then forced herself out of bed and set to the task of getting ready for the day. After walking to the wash basin, she dipped a finger in to test the temperature. The water was cool. She then dipped the washcloth in the basin before she freshened up.

Looking over her shoulder at the trundle bed in the corner, Nancy saw her younger sister Ellie still fast asleep. Ellie was four and looked just like her mother, Marty. Nancy figured she would let her little sister sleep until she was done dealing with the boys.

Nancy then plucked the blue calico dress from her peg on the wall and slipped it on. She quickly braided her long brown hair. She softly patted her braid, glancing at herself in the hand mirror, seeing her dark blue eyes staring back at her. Nancy sighed. For years she had been envious of her twin sister's looks. Missie had blonde hair and bright blue eyes that drove the boys crazy. Nancy always found herself rather plain compared to her sister, but Pa was always quick to tell her she was the way she was supposed to be because that was how God wanted her to look and He didn't make any mistakes. Still, now that she was of courting age, it seemed like she would never marry. She hadn't even had one caller, while Missie had already seen several callers.

She quickly closed her eyes and said a prayer, asking for contentment. She wanted to be happy for Missie, but it always seemed to come at her expense. She asked God to not feel that way. She asked God to give her trust in His timing. She wanted to say more, but when she heard a scream coming from the boys' room, Nancy's eyes flung open and she set herself to her task of managing her brothers. She quickly wheeled into their room, placing her hands on her hips and looking at them sternly.

"What's going on here?" Nancy asked, raising her voice slightly to be heard.

Eleven-year-old Clare and seven-year-old Arnie immediately stopped what they were doing and looked up at Nancy with slight fear in their eyes. Clare held onto a gold pocket watch in his hand. Arnie immediately backed away, as to not raise suspicion. Nancy shook her head and walked over before she took the watch from Clare. As Nancy examined the pocket watch, both boys looked at her sheepishly.

"What're you doin' with Pa's old pocket watch?" Nancy asked looking between both boys.

"Pa said I could have it," Clare argued.

Nancy arched an eyebrow at him.

"Someday," Clare muttered. "He didn't say that couldn't be today."

Nancy then turned to Arnie.

"I need it, Nan, " Arnie tried to explain. "Missie said I need to work on tellin' time. I just wanted to practice."

She nodded her head before she pointed to their bed, motioning both of them to sit. Clare and Arnie did as they were told. Nancy then stood in front of them, still holding onto the pocket watch. "First, you better not've wakened Luke with your ruckus. Ma won't be happy if you did. Clare, did you ask Pa before taking the watch?"

While Nancy knew he hadn't, she wanted to see if he would be honest with her. Clare hung his head in shame and gave a couple shakes. "No," he mumbled.

'That's what I thought. You're gonna go return the watch and confess your wrongdoing to Pa. If you don't do it by breakfast, I will." Clare muttered something under his breath, but Nancy had a feeling that he would do ask she asked. He knew that she followed through with her threats. She then turned to Arnie. "Arnie, Missie should have a pocket watch at school you can borrow to practice. If you just tell her what you're doing with it, she should give it to you and will probably even help you. I can help you after school if you'd like."

Arnie smiled a toothy grin and nodded his head at his sister. Nancy knew he liked working with her. She couldn't even count the number of times she had already practiced his sums with him. "Now, you two need to apologize to each other before we can go down for breakfast."

The boys reluctantly apologized to each other before quickly running past Nancy to get downstairs. They nearly knocked her off her feet. She was thankful for the chair behind her that she landed on. It was then back to her room to check on Ellie.

Nancy thought of her brothers as she walked back down the hallway to her room. Clare was Marty's son from her first marriage, but he was born when Ma was married to her Pa. Never was there a day where her pa didn't treat Clare as if he was his own, just as Marty did with Missie and Nancy. They had become quite the family. While there was certainly their share of trials, Nancy felt blessed to have grown-up in the family she had.

After waking and dressing Ellie for the day, Nancy held her hand and walked downstairs to meet the others. Ma bounced baby Luke, who was a year old, on her hip while Pa, Clare, and Arnie were seated at the table. Missie was noticeably absent. Then again, most mornings she wasn't there. While Ma thought her sister to be preparing for the school day, Nancy had a feeling Missie was the hayloft reading. Not that she said anything. Although, she would like to be able to do the same every once in a while, but she was needed.

Nancy and Ellie took their seats as Ma set Luke in his cradle before she joined them. The family joined hands as Pa said a prayer of thanks before they all finished with an amen. The boys and Pa immediately tore into the flapjacks. Nancy didn't miss the smile Pa shot Ma. They ate a lot of flapjacks during Ma's first year living with them and while Pa never complained, he never let Ma forget it.

After helping get some flapjacks and bacon on Ellie's plate, Nancy then started on her own plate. After a few bites, Nancy noticed Pa fiddling with the old pocket watch the boys were arguing over. She made eye contact with her brother from across the table with a questioning look in her eyes. He nodded his head before he stabbed a bite of flapjacks. Nancy nodded her head back before she took a bite of bacon.

When they finished eating, Pa read from the Good Book, the letter to the Ephesians. Nancy could tell he picked that book on purpose for the passage: Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.

From across the table, Clare's eyes seemed misty. The words were clearly hitting him hard. Even Arnie looked remorseful. But Pa was quick to bring Jesus into things and how he had died for all sins. After another prayer, breakfast was over and Ma set to clearing the table while Clare and Arnie headed with Pa to hitch the team so they could get to school.

Luke started to cry and Ma picked him up. It was his breakfast time. So, Nancy convinced Ellie to help her clear the table and wash the dishes. Thankfully, the dishes were tin so a four-year-old couldn't do much to them while they were being washed. Ellie seemed to enjoy scrubbing the plates. Nancy reached for a tin near the stove when she noticed that it had a freshly packed lunch in it. It was Missie's.

Nancy quickly ran from the house, hoping to catch her twin sister before she left for school. As she ran toward the barn, in the distance she could see Pa's wagon headed toward the horizon. Nancy was almost to the barn when Missie took off like a bat out of hell on her horse. It took Nancy a second to gather her wits about her before she held her skirts and started running after Missie.

"Missie, you forgot your lunch!" Nancy called after her. But Missie didn't turn around and come back She kept riding toward the schoolhouse, intent on beating Pa and the boys there.

Nancy sighed and slowly walked back to the house holding the tin. Maybe she and Ellie could have a picnic lunch later if it was okay with Ma. Nancy was certain Ellie would like that. On the porch, she found Ma waiting for her with a gentle smile on her face. Nancy gave her a half-hearted smile as she stood beside her looking out at the wagon and Missie about ready to overtake them. She sighed.

Ma must have read her thoughts. "You're a blessing to me. Never forget that," Ma told her, as she wrapped an arm around her daughter and pulled her close. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

Nancy sighed and rested her head against her mother's shoulder for a moment, taking in the scenery around her. It was beautiful outside and Nancy was thankful to have her mother to share the moment with. But the moment was spoiled when Luke began to cry again. Ma kissed Nancy's temple and then headed inside to tend to Luke.

Just a typical morning at the Davis farm.

Author's Note: I couldn't get this out of my head. So here it is. Hope you enjoyed what there is so far! Thanks for reading! :)