Chapter 13
13
A undy gave Dent a look that let him know she wanted to talk as the hands made their way out the door after breakfast the next morning. He poured himself another cup of coffee, sat back down at the table, and waited.
When they were the only two left in the kitchen, Aundy sank onto a chair with a cup of tea. “I have a favor to ask.”
“I’m in trouble now,” Dent teased, smiling at her as he sipped the hot liquid in his cup. “What do you need, Missy?”
“Can you spare someone to watch the sheep for a few hours today or at least check on them? I want to take Nik into town with me. He absolutely needs some new clothes and I honestly wouldn’t mind the company.” Aundy knew her request would leave Dent shorthanded while she and Nik were gone. Lem and Hank fit right in with the other hands and they all worked well together, but none of them particularly liked working with the sheep.
“I’ll have Lem keep an eye on the sheep, but are you sure it’s a good idea to go to town. What if…”
“Don’t start that.” Aundy silenced him when she held up her hand. “I won’t allow anyone to scare me into getting rid of the sheep. The men around here need to realize a little burning wool isn’t going to change my mind on the matter.”
Dent hid his grin behind his coffee cup. He had an idea if someone backed Aundy into a corner, she’d come out swinging and probably win.
“Okay, then. Want me to tell Nik he’s about to go on an adventure?” Dent got to his feet and placed his cup in the sink.
“Yes, please, and have him take a bath, too. I don’t want people wrinkling their noses at him when we go shopping today.” Aundy grinned, thinking of the protests Nik would no doubt utter at taking a bath in the middle of the week. “I’ll be ready to go at nine. Tell Nik to meet me at the barn then.”
“If you say so.” Dent snitched a cookie on his way out the door.
After finishing the dishes and writing out a shopping list, Aundy donned her yellow and cream walking suit Garrett had admired. She styled her hair on top of her head with a few loose tendrils trailing down her neck and pinned her hat in place. She picked up a pair of gloves and her reticule, stuffed the grocery list inside, checked to make sure the house was set to rights then hurried down the kitchen steps toward the barn.
Nik sat on the buggy seat, freshly scrubbed and ready for an adventure.
“Ready?” Aundy asked, climbing in beside him and giving him a thorough observation. He’d carefully combed his shiny brown hair and left off his tattered old cap. Although his attire wasn’t new by any means, the outfit he had on fit a little better than the clothes he normally wore. He’d attempted to polish his shoes, but they were so far gone it only served to highlight their sorry state.
“Dent said I’m to accompany you to town today,” Nik said, doing his best to sound formal and educated.
“That is correct, kind sir.” Aundy offered him a playful wink. “I think I’ll sit back and enjoy this beautiful day while you drive the buggy.”
“Really?” With an animated grin, Nik picked up the reins.
“Really. Just be careful, though. No wild racing or terrifying tomfoolery,” Aundy cautioned, trying to look and sound serious.
“No, ma’am.” Nik gave the reins a gentle flick that started the horse moving forward.
On the way to town, Aundy listened to Nik talk about his family, his heritage, and things he enjoyed doing when he was a small boy.
As they drove down a busy street in Pendleton, Nik turned his attention to handling the horse in the traffic.
He stopped near Aundy’s favorite store and they went inside. She gave her shopping list to the clerk to fill while she took Nik over to the ready-made clothing section. Aundy helped him pick out two pairs of denim overalls, a pair of pants and a vest to wear to church, and four shirts, along with a sturdy pair of boots and a new hat.
“Aundy, this is too much.” Nik’s eyes shined with gratitude and awe. “I haven’t earned this much pay. I can’t take this.”
“You can and you will.” She patted Nik on the back with motherly affection. “Anyone in my employ will be properly fed and clothed, and that’s all there is to it.”
Nik looked at her and saw her grin, smiling in return. “Yes, ma’am.” He brushed his hands over his new shirts. Aundy quietly asked the clerk to add socks and underclothes for the boy to her growing pile.
As the clerk boxed up her purchases, he snapped his fingers suddenly. “Those seeds you ordered just arrived, Mrs. Erickson. Let me get them for you.”
“Seeds?” Nik asked as he stood next to Aundy. It took a great effort on his part not to jump off one foot to the other in his excitement at having brand new clothes. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d owned something new that wasn’t someone else’s used castoff.
“For the garden. We need to get it planted soon.” She lifted the lid on a jar of lemon drops and motioned for Nik to take one. His eyes twinkled as he fished out two pieces, and held one out to her. She was going to refuse then decided she wasn’t quite grown up enough that she’d turn down candy. The two of them popped the lemon drops in their mouths, enjoying the sweet treat.
“Please add two lemon drops to the bill, Mr. Johnson.”
“No need, Mrs. Erickson. You’ve purchased more than enough to earn a few pieces of candy.” The man tucked Aundy’s seeds into one of the boxes while she handed Nik his new cap. He settled it on his head with a wide smile.
Aundy paid her bill while Nik carried their purchases out to the buggy. She asked Mr. Johnson to have someone call when her order for Nik’s school supplies arrived.
“Have a wonderful day, Mrs. Erickson.” Mr. Johnson waved as she followed Nik out the door. Aundy stared at a plow on display outside the store when a bump to her side nearly knocked her into the street. She would have fallen, had she not caught herself on a post.
“Might want to watch yourself, Miz Erickson.” Marvin Tooley sneered at her. His hand flexed into a fist. He took a menacing step toward her, reaching out and grabbing her upper arm in a vise-like grip. “No telling what might happen if you let your guard down.”
She yanked her arm out of his grasp and narrowed her gaze. Nik hurried to her side with a frightened look on his face, trying to figure out what happened. He watched as Marvin growled and stalked into the store.
“Who is that man?”
“No one to worry about.” Aundy took Nik’s arm and directed him down the boardwalk. Although she’d been considering the purchase of a small gun, Marvin had just helped make up her mind.
After entering a store that sold both new and used merchandise, Aundy left Nik browsing through a section of musical instruments while she went straight to the proprietor behind the counter.
“I’d like to purchase the gun in the window,” she said, pointing to a display in a glass case by the front door.
“A gun?” the man asked, shocked that a woman marched into his store and wanted to buy a weapon.
“Yes, that small one in the case by the door,” Aundy said, walking to the case and pointing to the one she wanted.
Reluctantly the man took out the one she indicated and handed it to her.
“That’s a Baby Hammerless pocket revolver,” the proprietor explained, pointing out the gun’s lack of a visible hammer.
Aundy liked the light feel of it in her hand as well as the lovely pearl grips. It would fit perfectly in her reticule or a pocket. She warmed to the idea of having a gun on hand if she needed some protection without having to carry a bigger weapon.
From her lessons with Garrett, she knew to open the chamber and check to make sure there weren’t any bullets inside. She pointed the gun at a display of traps across the store and asked the storeowner to give her details about how it worked. He answered her questions and told her the gun was only a few years old, having had one previous owner.
“What happened to the owner?” She balanced the gun on her palm.
“Got shot.”
That bit of information, unsettling as it was, didn’t deter Aundy’s determination to purchase the weapon. The proprietor started to ring up the sale, but Aundy asked him for several boxes of cartridges. While he retrieved them from the back room, she walked over to where Nik gazed fondly at a display of harmonicas.
“Do you play?”
“No,” Nik said quietly.
Aundy wondered who in his past had played. From the wistful expression on his face, it must have been someone he cared about deeply. The boy seemed to whistle and hum all the time, so she wondered if he’d appreciate his own instrument.
“What harmonica would you recommend to a new student?” Aundy asked the storeowner when he returned with her cartridges. He pointed out what he thought was the best model and Aundy added it to her purchases.
“You can’t buy me the harmonica, too,” Nik whispered as they walked toward the counter.
“Yes, I can.” Aundy patted Nik on the back, much like she would a small child. “Just promise you’ll play it for me some winter evening when I’m bored out of my mind and tired of the snow. I’ve heard the winters out here are dreadful.”
“They can be bad.” Nik’s eyes fastened on the shiny new harmonica in his hands. “I promise to play for you any time you want.”
“Very well, then,” Aundy said, putting the gun in her reticule and picking up the boxes of cartridges. She turned to the proprietor, gave him a polite smile, and tipped her head. “Thank you, sir. Have a lovely day.”
After talking Nik into eating lunch with her at a restaurant, they headed out of town toward home. Aundy drove while Nik played the harmonica. With a natural musical talent, he was already starting to play a tune instead of just making random noise.
“You’ll be an expert at playing in no time.” Aundy parked the buggy by the side gate of the yard so it would be easier to carry her purchases to the kitchen door.
Nik shoved the harmonica into his pocket and began lugging in the loaded boxes. Aundy held the door for Nik to carry in the last box when she heard the distinctive jingle of a harness. She walked around the side of the house as Nora stopped her buggy at the end of the front walk with Li Hong beside her.
“Nora! What a surprise!” Aundy hurried over to give the woman a hug as she got out of the buggy. Li Hong stepped down and bowed to her then watched Nik approach.
“Nora, Li Hong, this is my shepherd, Nikola Zorian Gandiaga. We call him Nik.” Aundy placed a hand on Nik’s shoulder, drawing him forward as she made introductions.
“Hello,” Nik said, doffing his hat to Nora and reaching out to shake Li Hong’s hand. When the man bowed at him, Nik grinned and mimicked his motions. “I better get back to the sheep. Lem will be tired of watching them.” Nik climbed into Aundy’s buggy and drove it to the barn.
“What brings you two out today?” Aundy asked, looping her arm around Nora’s and motioning Li to follow them up the porch steps.
“I wanted to see your sheep and Li thinks he is ready to begin his duties as cook. I brought him over to see your place and make sure that’s what he really wants to do.” Nora looked over her shoulder at Li with a smile.
“I ready to cook. Make good food.” Li grinned at both women while nodding his head enthusiastically.
“Why don’t we plan on you starting in the morning, then?” Aundy led the way into her house. “Please, have a seat and I’ll be back with some tea.”
Nora and Aundy visited with Li making occasional comments to their chatter while they drank tea and ate cookies.
Dent marched to the house, set to ask Aundy what she thought she was doing buying a gun after Nik told him what she’d purchased, when he noticed the Nash’s buggy parked out front. He entered through the back door and held his hat in his hand as he walked into the front room.
Not surprised to see a Chinese man drinking tea with Aundy and Mrs. Nash, he smiled in greeting.
“Afternoon,” Dent said, tipping his head toward Nora.
“Hello, Dent,” Nora said, giving him a friendly smile. “How does this day find you?”
“Well enough. I can’t complain about a thing.” Dent grinned at Nora. “How’s J.B.?”
“He improves every day. By the end of summer, Doc thinks he’ll be back in the saddle and up to his old tricks.” Nora’s face gave away her relief that her husband was finally getting better.
“That’s wonderful news.” Dent was happy to hear his friend would make a full recovery. For a while, no one knew if J.B. would ever walk again. “Tell him I said hello.”
“I’ll do that, but you should come visit him one of these days. He’d love to play a game of checkers with you.” Nora knew how much J.B. and Dent enjoyed their checker rivalry.
“If my slave-driving employer ever gives me a day off, I might just do that.” Dent winked at Aundy.
Not bothered in the least by his teasing, Aundy turned to Li. “Dent, this is Li Hong. He’s been staying with the Nash’s while he recuperated from an unfortunate accident. Since we are in need of a cook, he volunteered for the job, on a trial basis. He says he feels well enough to get started. I thought he could begin by making breakfast tomorrow.”
After the sheep incident, Aundy made sure she discussed hiring Li as a cook with Dent. He agreed to have the man fill the position temporarily, until the hands were assured Li could cook food they would all eat.
“Works for me.” Dent nodded his head in approval. After studying the Chinese man, with his long braid and odd manner of dress, Dent decided the man didn’t look dangerous, just wary. “I can take you out and show you the bunkhouse and where you’ll be doing the cooking.”
“Okay, Mr. Dent,” Li said, getting to his feet. He turned to Aundy, bowed and thanked her for the tea. He thanked Nora for her care while he was injured then followed Dent to the door.
“Just call me Dent, no mister,” the foreman said as he opened the front door and walked out with Li.
Aundy heard Li tell Dent to call him Li or Hong, no mister.
“I think they’ll get along fine,” Nora whispered as they watched the older cowboy and the younger Chinese man walk across the front yard and toward the bunkhouse.
“I hope Li works out.” Aundy sat back in her chair and sipped her tea. Cooking for the men while trying to keep up with everything else reminded her of the frantic days she put in before moving to Pendleton. They left her weary and exhausted, which wasn’t all bad. That way she didn’t stay awake at night worrying about who wanted to harm her sheep or dreaming about Garrett.
With his mother sitting across from her chatting about a new quilt pattern she saw in a magazine, Aundy’s cheeks blushed as she thought about Garrett and his kisses.
“Are you feeling well, honey? You look a little flushed.” Nora leaned over and put a hand on Aundy’s forehead.
“I’m fine, just a little warm.” Aundy sipped her tea, attempting to hide her embarrassment. A knock on the door saved her from having to explain her flushed cheeks.
She opened the door to Ashton Monroe. He stood on her front step smiling broadly and dressed impeccably.
“Ashton,” Aundy said, opening the door wider to allow him entry. “I didn’t expect a visit from you today. I thought you were out of town.”
“I just returned and thought I’d stop to say hello on my way home.” Ashton didn’t smile quite as broadly when he saw Nora in the room. “Mrs. Nash, you’re looking lovely as always.” Ashton took her hand in his, exhibiting manners befitting a fine gentleman.
“Thank you, Ashton. Been out of town again?” Nora kept her voice even although her eyes had lost the warmth they held earlier when she and Aundy chatted.
“Yes, ma’am. Business, you know.” Ashton sat down and accepted the cup of tea Aundy poured for him along with a cookie. Aundy’s stylish outfit caught his attention and he watched her for a moment before he felt Nora’s glare.
“My, but you are a busy man,” Nora said dryly although Ashton didn’t notice.
He soaked up the comment like praise and puffed out his chest. Aundy thought he looked a little like the peacocks she’d seen in Chicago.
“A busy man is a successful man.” Ashton set down his cup of tea and cleared his throat. “It is serendipitous to find you here, Mrs. Nash.” Ashton spoke to Nora while his gaze lingered on Aundy.
Although he would never consider her beautiful, she was attractive. He hated seeing the plain dresses she tended to wear around the farm. The smart ensemble she currently wore meant she’d either been calling or to town. “I would like to invite all of you, along with Mrs. Erickson, to be my dinner guests Friday evening. I haven’t entertained company at Dogwood Corners for far too long. Won’t you please join me?”
The last thing Nora wanted to do was force J.B. and Garrett to eat dinner with the pompous Ashton Monroe, but if he was trying to be neighborly, she didn’t feel she could refuse. “That’s a lovely invitation, Ashton. We’d be happy to join you, if Mrs. Erickson is of a mind to go, of course.”
“Of course,” Aundy echoed, wondering what thoughts tumbled through Nora’s head. Busy with an abundance of work on the farm, Aundy didn’t really want to make time to go to Ashton’s, especially when he did behave somewhat arrogantly if he had an audience. However, she did like the thought of finally seeing his home. “May we bring something?”
“No. Just your lovely faces.” Ashton stood and picked up his hat. “I might turn it into a regular dinner party. Let’s plan on six that evening to dine.”
“We’ll be there.” Nora frowned as she watched him kiss Aundy’s hand on his way out the door.
Unless she was completely mistaken, Garrett was in love with Aundy. It might prove interesting for him to watch Ashton slobber all over her hand a few times Friday evening. Interesting, indeed.
“I better get back to J.B. and think about putting supper on the table.” Nora rose from her chair and walked toward the door. “Let me know how things go with Li Hong. Garrett has tried to get him to talk about who beat him, but he won’t say a thing. I don’t know whom he’s protecting, but I certainly wish he’d tell us. No one should be allowed to treat another human that way and get away with it.”
“I agree,” Aundy said, walking Nora out to her buggy. “Maybe he’ll talk to someone here once he settles in. I just hope he’s as good a cook as he claims. I’m more than ready to let him take over.”
Laughing, Nora flicked the reins and turned her buggy around in the barnyard. As she was leaving, she called over her shoulder. “We’ll pick you up Friday to go to Ashton’s.”