Читать книгу Eden - Carolyn Davidson - Страница 11

THE SALOON WAS QUIET when he approached the front door and he heard only the tinny sound of the piano as the man who tickled the ivories, as he called it, practiced for the night to come. John pushed his way into the barroom and nodded at the man behind the long bar.

“Tom.” It was a single word of greeting, and Tom’s brief nod was all the reply he had expected. His long strides brought him to the kitchen door and he pushed his way within the room, his nose pleased at the fresh aroma of coffee and of bacon frying on the stove.

“Morning, Molly,” he said by way of greeting, and was not surprised at the smile he was offered by the cook. “Is my new housekeeper up and ready to travel?”

“She’s washing up now. I gave her something else to wear. That dress she had on wasn’t fit for wearin’. It was clean, but that was about all you could say for it. And what she had on underneath it was pretty pathetic. Especially the bruises that had her all colors.” Her gaze was sad as she faced John. “She’s just a girl, John. She’s been abused and misused, and it hurts me to see such a thing. I’m hoping your good sense will recognize that she needs help, not the attentions of a man.”

His lips thinned and he clenched his hands as she spoke. Knowing that he had been right in his estimation of facts didn’t do much to improve his mood. He’d like to take Schrader out behind a barn and show him how it felt to wear bruises. There was nothing meaner than a man who’d hit a woman, and if he ever got the chance, he’d show the man how it felt to get back a little of his own.

“I’m not looking for a woman thataway, Molly. She’ll be safe with me.”

A look that might have been relief touched Molly’s countenance. “Sit yourself down and have some coffee while you wait, John,” she said, pouring him a cup from the big pot on the stove. “You have breakfast already? Or did you skedaddle out of there before the cook fed you?”

“I was in a hurry, Molly. I haven’t eaten.”

“Well, neither has Katie, so you can take a few minutes and eat with her. The ladies have all finished their breakfast, but I’d thought to share mine with the girl. I don’t mind including you.”

“Thanks.” He sat and picked up the cup she’d placed before him. It steamed and the scent was pure ambrosia to his senses. Nothing like a cup of coffee in the morning to get a man ready for the day. And then he heard footsteps on the back stairway and his gaze shot to where Katie’s slender form descended the steps, heading in his direction, her steps hesitant, her limp not pronounced, but apparent.

She looked at him, a flush touching her cheeks, as if she had been thinking of him, and now the reality of his presence had startled her. “Good morning,” she said, crossing to the table where he waited. The dress she wore was clean, but ill-fitting, and he hid a grin at the sight of her slim form wrapped in an old dress from Molly’s closet.

“Sit yourself down,” Molly said, and Katie did as she was told. Probably used to being given orders, John thought.

“Haven’t changed your mind, have you?” he asked her quietly, and was almost relieved when her head shook once, back and forth, letting him know that she was still of a mind to go home with him. “I’ll take you to the general store and find you some clothes before we go out to the ranch,” he said and was stunned at the tears that appeared in her eyes.

“What did I say? I didn’t mean to make you upset,” he said quickly.

“No. It’s not that,” she said, wiping at her cheeks with a bit of white fabric she had apparently been given to use as a kerchief. “I just didn’t expect to have anything new to wear. Molly gave me this dress and I’d thought it would be fine, long as I can find a needle and thread to take it up so’s it’ll fit me better.”

Molly snorted. “That dress is about ready to use for dust cloths and scrubbing rags,” she said firmly. “Once you take it off, you’d as well rip it up and make better use of it, child.”

John nodded his agreement, for surely he could buy her something that would fit her. “You’re gonna be working in my house, Katie. You’ll wear decent clothing and shoes, not heavy boots. You can pick out what you need at the store and I’ll buy it for you.”

“I knew you had a good heart, John.” Molly turned from the stove and nodded at him approvingly, carrying a plate to place it before him as she spoke. “This little gal hasn’t got much of anything to her name it seems. A new coat will be little enough to pay for somebody keeping your place up, and fixing meals for you. I’m gonna let her use mine this morning, but she’ll need one of her own.”

John sent Molly a grateful look, and added another black mark to the Schrader family name as he looked back at the girl he’d decided to take home with him. “Just be thinking of what you need, Katie, and we’ll take care of it right after breakfast,” he told her and she only nodded, as if she could not find words to speak.

Another plate of food was settled in front of her and with an admonition from Molly to get busy and eat, Katie picked up a fork and dug into the steaming food. From the corner of his eye John watched her, watched the furtive looks she cast toward the door as if she feared someone would enter the room and take her plate from her.

“It’s all yours, Katie girl,” he said quietly. “No one’s gonna take your food away from you. Just take your time and finish your breakfast. It’s gonna be a long time till dinner, and we’ve got a lot to accomplish this morning.”

With a grateful look in his direction, she did as he said and tackled the eggs and bacon Molly had prepared. A thick slice of bread, buttered and spread with jam was placed on another plate and pushed in her direction as Molly sat down across the table.

“You need some weight on those bones, Katie. I’ll warrant that John here will make sure you have enough to eat from now on.”

“You’re right, Molly.” He agreed with her, his nod determined, thinking that the child looked as though she hadn’t had a decent meal in months. Her arms were thin, her cheeks hollow and she wore the frightened look of a baby bird, just being shoved out of the nest for the first time.

“You won’t be overworked, Katie. There’s just me to look after, and Berta, the cook at the big house, will lend a hand if you need anything.”

“Thank you, John. I could hardly sleep last night, thinking about what will happen today, what with you taking me home with you. I’m not sure just what you expect of me, but whatever it is and wherever you take me, I want you to know that I’ll do the best I can.”

“That’s easy enough, Katie. Like I told you last night, I’ll give you a place to stay and something decent to wear and you’ll keep up my place and tend to my clothes and keeping me fed.” He frowned then and his thoughts became words. “You said you know how to cook, didn’t you?”

She nodded quickly. “I did most of the cooking at the Schrader house. I learned a long time ago how to bake and churn butter and make biscuits. I can tend a garden and can the vegetables and cut up the meat when it’s been butchered.”

She was not yet eighteen years old and already had done the work of a woman full grown. John shook his head, unable to believe that she had been so used, that the family who should have cared for her as a child had instead made a servant of her.

“Well, just cooking for me won’t be too big a load for you then,” he said cheerfully, not willing to let her see his shock at her former circumstances. “Can you keep my clothes clean for me? Do you know how to wash and iron?”

She laughed. Joyously and without restraint, as if she had been given permission to express her happiness. “If you have sad irons, I can use them. If you don’t, you’ll have to buy a pair of them and a handle. I can iron on a kitchen table if need be. I’ll keep your house clean and when spring comes I’ll plant a garden.”

“Looks like you’ve got things all lined up, John,” Molly said with a laugh. “This little gal will make your life a whole lot easier, I’d say. You mind my words.”

“I have to agree with you, Molly.” He met the woman’s look with a nod of approval. “I’m happy with my decision. Katie will be safe at Bill Stanley’s place.”

“I never thought such a thing would happen to me,” Katie said softly, her hands in her lap, her eyes wide as she considered the future ahead. “I’d thought to spend my whole life out there on that farm, just working and trying to please the Schraders. And there wasn’t any pleasing them, let me tell you. They’re a pair of nasty folk, they are.”

“You won’t have to worry about them anymore,” John said forcefully. “I’ll be sure you’re taken care of from now on.” Molly’s coat hung on a hook by the back door of the saloon’s kitchen and in moments it was wrapped around Katie’s slender form, covering her from neck to toe in warmth.

THE GENERAL STORE WAS LIKE a wonderland to the girl who walked in the door beside John Roper fifteen minutes later. She stood behind him as he approached the long counter and only his long arm reaching for her brought her in sight of the proprietor, Shandy Peterson. That gentleman cast her a long glance, then looked back at John.

“You got yourself a girl, John?” he asked quietly.

“I’ve got myself a housekeeper and cook here, Shandy. Katie’s gonna keep house for me. Just as soon as she picks out some things to wear. She needs a new dress or two and whatever else you think is appropriate. Molly said she needs a warm coat, too.”

“Molly? The woman over at the saloon? What’s she got to do with this?” He looked over his glasses at Katie and his brow furrowed. “I don’t believe I know the young lady. You from around these parts, honey?”

“Yes sir,” she said politely.

Apparently she had decided not to elaborate on her background, and John spoke for her. “Katie needs a place to live and Bill Stanley gave me a good-sized cabin to live in when he made me his new foreman. I figured there was room for her in it with me. I’m needing a housekeeper and she looks to be qualified for the job. We’ll head out there as soon as we find some things for Katie to wear.”

“Well, John, looks to me like you’ve made up your mind. Hope it all goes well for you.” And if Shandy Peterson wondered at the woman John had chosen to move into his home, and had any questions as to her background, he kept them to himself. It didn’t pay to be too inquisitive, was the general consensus in this part of the country.

Katie looked over the counter at the glass bins of clothing that lined the wall, her eyes widening as she considered the varicolored bits and pieces therein. Her eyes opened even wider as Shandy brought two bins to rest in front of her.

“These are dresses, miss. Let’s see what we have in your size.”

John lifted Molly’s coat from Katie’s shoulders, readying her for the shopping ahead, then waited for Shandy to show them his wares. With a long look at the girl before him, Shandy picked up several of the dresses from the glass bin, held them up and then refolded them and placed them aside as being the wrong choices, whether by size or by John’s discerning eye, Katie couldn’t tell.

And then, with a flourish, the shopkeeper lifted a blue flowered dress from the bin before him and shook it out, holding it up for her approval.

“That’s a pretty one, Katie,” John said softly. “Do you like it? It looks like it would about fit you, doesn’t it?”

She nodded, reaching to touch the fine percale fabric. “It’s lovely, John. Prettier than anything I’ve ever had. And with the sash to tie in back, it ought to fit me.”

“If it does we’ll take that one, Shandy, and Katie can go into your stockroom if she needs to, to make sure it fits,” John decided. “Now find something else for her. She’ll need another dress and she can choose what she needs to wear under them.”

“I don’t know…” Katie looked up at the man beside her, confusion at the thought of decision making causing her stomach to churn. “I’ve never picked out anything for myself before, just wore whatever they gave me. I won’t know what to get.”

Shandy Peterson looked stunned by her words, but recovered quickly. “My girl, Jessica, is right here in the back room. Let’s have her come out and help this little gal choose what she needs. All right, miss?”

“Yes, of course.” Katie was willing to do whatever she was bid, and waited as the storekeeper called his daughter to come and lend a hand. The girl was pretty, slim and dark-haired, and had definite ideas about what Katie needed for undergarments. Quickly, she pulled bins down and sorted through the contents, piling an assortment of petticoats and drawers, along with two filmy chemises on the counter. Then several pairs of stockings were added to the chosen items, and Jessica Peterson nodded in approval of her choices.

“That ought to do it, Papa. Except for a coat that fits, and maybe she’ll need new shoes, but I don’t know. I can’t see them from here.”

“She needs shoes,” John said firmly. “Pick out something for her, Jessica.”

With a quick grin, the girl walked across the store to where boxes of shoes were on display, choosing several pairs and bringing them back. “Come sit down and try these on. One of them should fit you,” she said coaxingly. “If not, I’ll pick out some more.”

Katie was overwhelmed. Never had she been offered such choices, and the shoes that Jessica held ready for her approval were light and made of soft leather. Unlike the heavy boots she was used to wearing, they felt like feathers on her feet. Between them, the two girls decided on the pair she held now, her fingers touching the black leather as if she could not imagine owning such footwear.

While Katie was still swimming in a sea of uncertainty at the clothing that was to be hers, John approached her, holding a black cloak in his hands.

“Let’s see how this looks, Katie,” he said and draped it over her shoulders, then lifted the attached hood and settled it on her hair. He took out his leather wallet and led her back to the counter.

Katie was sent to the storeroom in the back of the store, Jessica carrying the clothing she would try on, and the rest of their choices were bundled up, a nightgown being added to the pile at the last minute.

His purchases were wrapped in brown paper tied firmly with a length of cord. John reeled off a list of foodstuffs that he wanted and Shandy Peterson sought and found all he’d listed in a matter of minutes. Jessica appeared then, leading Katie back to the man who watched her closely.

Shandy’s daughter spoke softly to John, then added a few things he hadn’t thought of to the pile on the counter; tins of peaches and pears from the shelf, a round of yellow cheese from the big wheel on the counter and several other items that Katie peered at with wide eyes.

Overwhelmed by the bounty before her, Katie was silent, almost aghast at the amount of money John was spending, most of it on her behalf. Surely she was not worth so much to him, that he should lay out the contents of his wallet on the counter without hesitation, only smiling at her when she tugged at his sleeve and whispered her words of doubt.

“It’s too much, John. I don’t need all of that. I won’t know how to act with all these things to wear. And that cloak must cost a fortune.”

He grinned widely and his hand touched her shoulder lightly. “You’ll get used to it, Katie girl. I want you to have enough clothing to wear.”

His method of thinking was beyond her, but she only smiled and stood beside him, relishing the warmth of his hands as he spread her new cloak across her shoulders, feeling as though Heaven had opened, showering her with more blessings than she could contain.

In but a few minutes, John had arranged with Shandy for a wagon to be used to transport his purchases back to the ranch.

“I’ll get all this stuff loaded up for you, John,” Shandy said easily, obviously pleased at the size of the order John had paid for. “You can tie your gelding on the rear of the wagon. Bring it back when you come into town next. I don’t use it much anyway, and I don’t mind lending it to you for a few days.”

With his assurances ringing in their ears, John and Katie left the store and walked to where Shandy’s wagon stood in the open area behind the store.

Jessica came out the back door and watched as John lifted Katie to the wagon seat. “Come back to see me again,” she said brightly. “Maybe I can drive out to the Stanley ranch and visit some day.”

“I’d like that,” Katie told her, hoping she might have made a friend today.

With a hasty farewell, they left, John’s hand firm on the reins. After a quick stop to return Molly’s coat to her, he guided the team of horses to the main road leading out of town. Beside him, Katie wrapped her new cloak about herself, her hand brushing the fabric carefully.

“Are you ready to go home?” he asked with a grin. He thought she looked frightened and he would not have it. His hand touched hers briefly, and then he took up the reins and snapped them briskly over the team’s backs, and the wagon rolled down the road. They went past the bank and post office, the wheels turning more rapidly as they neared the hotel and the barbershop. Then finally the team broke into a trot as they traveled past the boardinghouses that edged the town on the west.

“We’re on our way home, Katie,” he said, looking down at the girl who was rigid on the seat beside him. “Are you all right? You look kinda peaked, like you’re not feeling up to snuff.” And little wonder, he thought, what with the enormous changes in her life over the past hours.

“I’m just feeling like I’m in the midst of a dream,” she told him, and he thought her words were almost like poetry, so softly did they fall on his ear. “The air is so clear, the sun is so bright and the birds are singing. It’s a beautiful day, and I’m beginning a new life, John. I don’t know what to say to you. You’ve changed everything for me, and I haven’t been able to figure out why you should care what happens to me. I don’t even know you, and you’ve made my best dreams come true.”

“If this is all it takes to make you happy, I’m a lucky man, Katie girl. I’m getting a cook and a washer lady and a housekeeper all in one, and all it cost me was a couple of dollars for your clothes. What more could I ask?” His laughter rang out and Katie responded with a soft giggle that pleased him.

He’d not heard her laugh, and this bit of girlish glee touched him as nothing else could have. For the first time, she had responded as a young girl might and he was pleased. At eighteen, she was far too young for him to consider in any other way than as a younger sister, perhaps. For at thirty, a man who had known love and found it to be wanting, he was not in the market for anything other than exactly what he had promised Katie.

If there were looks of doubt from the men on the ranch, if they cast aspersions on her virtue, he would defend the girl. Somehow, some way, he would make up for the cruel life she had fled. He would provide her with a home, and perhaps offer to her the opportunity for a new beginning.