RNWMP: Bride for Theodore (Mail Order Mounties)(19)

“You don’t have to feed us every night you’re here.” He didn’t want her to think that he was taking advantage of the way she felt about him to get meals for him and his friends.

“I know I don’t. I enjoy cooking.”

He stepped toward her, gripping her shoulders. Just as he started to lower his head to kiss her, the door slammed open. “How was lunch?” Miss Hazel asked.

He squeezed her shoulders in farewell and turned to his mom. “It was delicious. Jess could give you cooking lessons, Mom.”

“I know. She’s always been better than me. I pretended to teach her to cook though.” She put the basket of berries onto the table and linked her arm with his. “I’ll walk you back to the station. I haven’t had any time alone with you since I got here.”

Jess watched them go with a look of longing on her face. She so badly wanted to be part of their family, but would he ever be able to trust her again after she’d told him she’d had a secret crush on him for years and years?

She looked down into the berry basket. She could make muffins a couple of more times with that amount of berries, but she wouldn’t be able to make jam. She’d go out herself on Monday and see what she could find.

Once the dishes were done she brought the clothes in from the line and started the long process of mending. Jess was good at most domestic tasks, but she hated sewing. She could do it with the best of them, but she’d rather poke the needle into her eye than spend hours and hours sewing garments. Better to get it over with.

When Miss Hazel returned thirty minutes later, she sat down across from Jess and picked up the next garment that needed mending. “I love sewing, don’t you?”

Jess didn’t answer. She just kept sewing on buttons.



It wasn’t until church on Sunday that Jess realized just how isolated she would be if she stayed in Squirrel Ridge Station. There was one older woman in the congregation, and everyone else was male besides her and Miss Hazel. She’d really thought that Theodore must have been exaggerating about the lack of women in the area, but he wasn’t.



After the service, there was an entire line of men waiting to meet her, and Jess wanted to disappear into the floor. It wasn’t that she was shy, she just wasn’t interested in meeting a new man. Theodore was the only man she’d ever want.

Finally, he had introduced her to the last man. “There really are no women here,” she said to him.

He nodded. “Could you handle it?”

She shrugged. “I’m not sure. I think I could, but I’ve never been in that situation, so I can make no promises.” She knew if she had just one female friend to be close to it would be easier for her, but she would just pray for the other Mounties to find wives.

“You’re wise to hesitate. It’s hard for us, and we have each other.” He offered her his arm, and they walked together out of the church. “Everyone is planning to get their own lunch, so you’re off the hook for that, but we’d all appreciate it if you’d make supper again tonight.”

“I was planning to do that. Any idea what you want?”

“How about a thick, hearty beef stew? With big chunks of potatoes and carrots. And fresh bread.” Theodore broke off. “I’m practically drooling thinking about it. If I don’t stop, you’ll think I’m Nolan.”

Jess laughed. “I think I know the difference between you and Nolan now.”

“I hope so!” He smiled at her, wondering how it was going to feel to be alone again. When she got back on that train for Ottawa, she’d be taking his heart with her, but he didn’t know how she’d do in their little hamlet with no other women. It wouldn’t be right for him to ask her to stay.

“Am I fixing you lunch today?” she asked.

“Would you mind? I’d really rather not have to eat my own cooking any more than absolutely necessary.”

She shook her head. “I’d be happy to. How would you feel about breakfast foods? They’re quick and I can have something on the table in a few minutes.”

He shrugged. “I’m sure if you make it, then it will be absolutely delicious.”

“You have more confidence in me than I do.” She led the way into the house, immediately stoking the fire so she could cook. “You know, it’s easier to cook over coal.”

He laughed. “I’m afraid a coal stove is a bit too pricy for a Mountie’s budget. I make do with what I have.”

Jess was surprised by his words, because she knew his family had money. Surely he could just ask for what he needed, but he was a man. She knew there was probably pride involved. “I understand. I learned to cook over a wood stove, but my mother upgraded when I started working at the bank, and there was more money in our household.”

He sat at the table watching as she pulled on an apron over her Sunday dress and got to work. He could watch her cook all day.





7





Jess spent all day Sunday with Theodore. They went on a long walk, he watched her cook, and they just talked and got to know one another better. It was a day that was filled with joy for her, because she was spending time with the man she loved.

Monday morning dawned, and Jess couldn’t believe how sad she was. She knew her only chance to spend a full day with Theodore was over. He had said nothing else about her staying, so she had a feeling he was going to put her on the train on Thursday—a feeling that made her heart hurt.