Chapter 6
Ivy and Cora emerged from the bedroom just as the two men came down the hallway.
Her employer passed by first, lugging a large, rectangular basket.
Brian, still in his coat, hefted a trunk. “The other one’s by the door. I’ll get it in a minute.”
Cora made a sound of delight and followed Mr. Rees into the kitchen.
After a glance in her room to watch Brian place the trunk on the floor against the wall, Ivy trailed her friend into the kitchen, which was a generous space, rougher than she was used to, with the log walls and wooden countertops, instead of marble, countertops over a bottom row of cupboards on each side of a dry sink.
Shelves held dishes, spices, and other sundries for cooking.
A window without curtains in the back wall let in light.
Warmth exuded from four-burner, cast iron stove on one side of the room and a fireplace on the other.
A square table with three chairs was pushed against one wall. And a narrow door, which she presumed led to a pantry or root cellar, was opposite. She wondered if an icebox was inside.
With a grunt of exertion, Mr. Rees set down the basket on the table. “Were you afraid my cupboards were bare, Cora?” he said in a light tone. “Remember how full you stocked them the last time you were here?”
Cora sent him a saucy smile and reached into the basket.
“I only brought two loaves of sourdough bread and one of rye. I thought you could freeze two.” She unpacked each item and set them on the table.
“A slab of bacon. Two dozen eggs. Cheese. A crock of butter. A dozen apples. And….” She made a dramatic pause.
“I didn’t think you’d want to be tied to the kitchen when Ivy just got here.
So I spent yesterday cooking in Constance and Elsie’s apartment kitchen. ”
Brian walked in. “Smelled mighty good, and she wouldn’t let me have as much as a taste.”
“Don’t listen to him.” Smiling, Cora wagged a playful finger in Brian’s direction. “He had plenty.”
Ivy laughed, never having experienced Cora acting flirtatious, and leaned to peer into the basket at various pans covered with dishtowels. “Hmmm, don’t tell me. Let me guess. Cold fried chicken.” She ticked off the items on her fingers. “German potato salad. Honey-glazed carrots. Stewed apples.”
Brian cocked an eyebrow, staring from Ivy to his beloved and back. “Good guess.”
“Cora has a limited number of recipes she knows how to cook.” Ivy waved toward the basket. “That’s about her whole repertoire.” She sent her friend a teasing glance before looking back at Brian. “I hope you like those meals, because you’ll be eating it a lot.”
“Ivy!” Cora pretended to wail. “You’re giving away my secrets!”
“Well, darn.” Brian smacked the side of his leg. “That makes sense, because you feed me those a lot.”
Cora shot him a glare without any real heat.
Chuckling, he held up his hands in surrender. “You make great scrambled eggs. Bacon. Pancakes. Sandwiches….”
Cora stuck her nose in the air. “I can cook more kinds of food. These are just the ones I do the best. And, I’ll have you know, I’ve learned a bit more from helping out when I’ve gone to various women’s homes for my nursing cases.
They appreciate my help in the kitchen. And unless you all stop being so mean, I’m going to withhold the very best.”
“But how can we resist?” Ivy asked in a playful whine, enjoying their byplay. “Teasing you is such fun.”
Mr. Rees crossed his arms. “Miss Jackson has the right of it.”
Not sure if her employer was serious, Ivy glanced at him, in time to see a gleam in his eyes before he looked away.
Cora nudged Mr. Rees’s side. “Don’t be so formal,” she said gaily. “Call her Ivy.” She poked his chest. “And you’re Torin to her.”
Relaxing his arms, he slid a quick sideways glance at Ivy. “With your permission?”
Using his first name might be too intimate.
But what’s best for Jewel? “The difference between Miss Jackson and Ivy might be confusing for Jewel.” With a tilt of her head, she looked at Cora for confirmation.
“Have you noticed Jewel struggling with you or the other women having both formal and informal address?”
Torin answered for her. “Constance slid in day one with Connie.” He made quote marks with his fingers. “Same for Elsie.” He raised a chin toward Cora. “We’ve used Miss Cora, but also just Cora.”
“I refuse to be known as Just Ivy.” She tried not to meet Torin’s eyes, not wanting to see if they shared a sense of humor. Bad enough that I’m attracted to his handsome appearance.
He avoided looking at her.
Is he shy, or is there something more?
Cora reached into the basket and brought out a cloth-covered, rectangular pan.
“Surprise!” She beamed at the group. “Mrs. Pendell’s famous peach cobbler!”
Everyone looked blankly at her.
She laughed. “So much for my fanfare! Of course, none of you have heard of her. The housekeeper at Green Valley Ranch, owned by Tyler and Lily Dunn, is famous for her peach cobbler. Every time Mrs. Pendell brings this cobbler to a social event, the dessert is gobbled up in no time.” She bustled over to set the pan onto the counter.
“At this time of year, she must use canned peaches,” Ivy stated. “Do peach trees even grow in Montana?”
Brian and Torin looked at each other, and then both shrugged.
Cora rolled her eyes. “You’re asking the wrong men, Ivy. These are the ones who avoided society, remember? How would they know what’s grown in this town? We’d get a better response writing to the Sweetwater Springs Herald and asking if anyone around here grows peaches.”
“I doubt it. Too cold.” Brian frowned. “In Georgia, where I come from, you can find the trees all over. That luscious fruit is one of the few things I miss about home.” He shrugged out of his coat and laid it over the back of a chair.
“Anyway, back to my story…” Cora redirected their attention.
“No one except for Lily has pried the recipe from Mrs. Pendell’s tightly closed fists.
Last year, she was persuaded to start taking orders to sell them.
And she and Mr. Bellaire’s cook, Enid, have become fast friends and have been exchanging Southern recipes.
Enid went for a visit to the ranch, and I commissioned one to bring home for us.
Since Brian and Hank have become favorites in the Norton-Bellaire household,” Cora exchanged a loving look with her fiancé, “Enid was quite happy to do so.”
Watching the besotted couple fascinated her, and Ivy wished she’d been present to observe their falling in love. I missed out on so much.
Cora touched the cobbler pan. “And I wanted a dessert that would travel well. I thought about a cake, but even with a glass topper, I couldn’t guarantee it wouldn’t arrive smushed.”
Jewel wandered in, carrying Brave.
Brian chuckled and shot a grin at Torin.
“Look at that cat. You’d think it had known Jewel its whole life.
Were you surprised by Ivy appearing with a cat?
Just as well it’s here. I received a note from Helmut Junger that the p-u-p-p-y you wanted for J-e-w-e-l had d-i-e-d.
But he promised one from the next litter. ”
“Thank goodness we didn’t get that p-u-p-p-y,” Torin said, with a noise of relief. “Would have broken someone’s heart and dented mine. Plus, enough chaos has already descended on my house.”
Torin touched Jewel’s shoulder. “Let’s go show Brave her potty box by the back door. Then we’ll give her some privacy while we wash our hands and get ready to eat.” He led his daughter out.
Cora went to pour some water from a kettle on the back of the stove into a basin set in the dry sink. They all lined up to wash up and helped her set the dining table and distribute the food.
Dinner sped by all too fast, with Brian describing the edits to his book and Cora chattering about her cases and the latest news from the Norton-Bellaire household. Jewel ate with a good appetite. Except for a question or two, Ivy mostly listened.
Torin never said a word, except for a few quiet comments to his daughter. He once took his napkin to wipe her food from her face.
Even though he stayed quiet and never made eye contact with Ivy, through her surreptitious glances, she could tell he remained fully engaged in the conversation. As unlike my father as could be.
When they’d finished as much of Mrs. Pendell’s excellent cobbler as they could stuff down, they all worked to clean up, for Brian and Cora needed to drive down the mountain before the light failed.
In the entryway after Cora donned her outerwear, Ivy had to hold back tears, not wanting the others to see her emotions. We had so little time together.
Cora hugged her. “I hadn’t realized how hard it would be to leave you.”
Ivy bent to touch her forehead to Cora’s, inhaling her rose fragrance. “This is nothing like when you left me in New York, when we didn’t know if we’d ever see each other again.” She kissed her friend’s cheek. “The time will fly by, and we’ll have so much to share.”
Cora took a deep breath. “We must focus on gratitude that this is only for a short while. After the Norton baby is born, God willing, there’ll be no emergencies, and we can spend a lot more time together.”
“Go on with you now.” Ivy made a shooing motion toward the door. With a hollow feeling, she watched her best friend walk out of the house. She moved to the window and saw Cora reach for Brian’s extended hand.
He gave her a look of concern and pulled her closer, obviously checking to see if she was all right.
Ivy let out a sigh. They look like they belong together.
And I will stay behind…with two strangers.
But then Jewel sidled next to her and slipped her hand into Ivy’s. The unexpected sweetness of the gesture made a surge of love go through her, mitigating some of her sadness.
#
Unexpectedly touched by the sight, Torin stood to left of the governess and his daughter, carefully observing them.