Chapter Three #2
She grinned. “You really do want to cook supper, don’t you?”
“I do. I know it’s silly. How about cinnamon and brown sugar?” he asked.
“That sounds delicious,” she said. “You’re not tired of oatmeal?”
He shook his head. “That’s why my ma taught me to cook oatmeal and beans. I never get tired of either one.”
“All right. I’ll let you cook supper then. I’m going to take the venison down to the cellar, where it will keep colder.”
“I’ll start the oatmeal.” Sebastian was amazed at the woman he’d married.
She seemed to really love hunting, and she hadn’t complained when he wanted to cook.
His mother never would have allowed his father into her kitchen.
Perhaps they would do well together. He just worried she was hiding something.
He didn’t know why. It was just a feeling.
While he cooked, Lula sat at the table darning stockings. He had holes in every pair he owned, so it would be nice to have them whole again.
While they both worked, she chattered on about how exciting the bear hunt had been.
“I took my own rifle because it’s a boy’s rifle.
Bill bought it for me when we married, as we knew I’d be doing a lot of hunting.
It’s so much easier to use because it’s shorter.
I think Belle would do well to use a shorter rifle, but she’s an excellent shot. ”
“It seems odd to me how you both love to hunt.”
“I’m not sure if Belle loves it or not. She’s skilled at it, but for her, it’s not about the hunt. It’s about surviving the winter. For me, it’s all about the hunt. Sure, I’m happy we’ll be able to have meat all winter, but it’s not as important.”
“I’ve had meat very rarely. I pick it up when I can find it at the store, but I don’t go looking for it. I’ve had it more since Mrs. Thompson moved here.” He smiled. “I can see how excited you still are by the hunt today.”
She grinned. “I guess I’m not as good at hiding my feelings as I thought I was.”
“There’s never a need to hide things from me,” he said. “As far as I’m concerned, anything that happened before our marriage is your business.”
She frowned down at her hands, turning away from him. Had he somehow found out about her first marriage? “That’s good to know,” she said softly, not volunteering any information about Bill. He said he wouldn’t mind, but she knew better. Everyone minded.
Lula set the table while Sebastian worked on the oatmeal. “It’s almost done,” he said a few minutes later to break the silence that had settled over the room.
“Good. I worked up an appetite shooting that bear today.” She needed to focus on the positives of the day, rather than the realities of her past. Marrying Bill had been wonderful for her, but it had made people see her differently.
He chuckled. “How often do you plan to shoot bears?”
Lula smiled. “Belle made it sound like we’d only need one or two per year. I guess all the other game we hunt fills in the rest. Though all I can think of is hunting another. I wonder if Belle and I could shoot another and sell it to the store. It could bring good money.”
“It certainly could! Do you want to make money from your hunts? Or are they pure survival?”
“I don’t know. I like the idea of making money. I know I’ll get some from the others’ endeavors because we share equally, and they get to eat what I kill, but I don’t feel like I’m truly contributing financially. I’ll talk to Belle about that tomorrow.”
He served them each a bowl of the oatmeal, putting the brown sugar and cinnamon on the table. “In case you want more.”
“I may,” Lula said. “I have a sweet tooth.” She sat down. “Oh, that reminds me. We’ll be getting dessert every other day, and I won’t have to make it.”
“You provide meat. Someone else can provide dessert. That makes sense to me.”
He said a quick prayer over their meal, and they both began to eat. It only took one bite for Lula to know she needed more brown sugar, and she added a heaping spoonful. After mixing it in, she took another bite and added a little more cinnamon. “Perfect!”
He grinned. “I always feel like I’m too heavy-handed with the sugar. I suppose not.”
“Not for me! Thanks for putting the cinnamon and sugar on the table. I’d have felt like I needed to eat it exactly as it was served if you hadn’t.”
He chuckled. “Never feel that way. If you want more sugar, it will never bother me.”
“Thank you! And if you ever need more seasoning on something I cook, feel free to get it.”
“I will. Do you enjoy cooking?” he asked.
“Truthfully?”
“Of course.”
“I hate it. I hate most womanly pursuits. I’m good at them, because I’ve been forced to be by my job at the hotel, but I’d rather carry a rifle and stomp around in the mud.”
He laughed heartily at that. “At least you’re honest.”
“What is your favorite food?” she asked.
He frowned, thinking about it. “Growing up my favorite foods were beans and oatmeal. Now that I’ve eaten one of them for almost every meal for the past five years, they’re not quite as appealing. I think I’d say roast. And I loved the rabbit stew last night. I do like meat.”
“Good,” she said. “Because I like bringing it home, even if I don’t enjoy cooking it.” She paused for a moment. “How would you feel about a cold house like Belle has for storing meat? Would you mind building one on your property?”
“It’s our property,” he said. “But I think that would be a good idea. You wouldn’t have to go as far for your meat.”
“It’s not just that...if we have our own, then it wouldn’t be a problem for me to hunt and sell the meat. I’d need a place to keep it before taking it to Katie. I don’t want to have to go into town right after a hunt.”
He nodded slowly. “Talk to Belle about it tomorrow, but I’m all for the idea.”
“Thank you,” she said softly.
“For what?”
“For letting me be me.”