A Mrs. Miracle Christmas(55)

“Well, yes,” Jack countered. “Seems right you’d want to invite me over.”

I snorted out loud. “Not happening.”

Jack appeared offended by my rejection. “Did I or did I not share that elk meat with you?”

“One roast does not equate to a lifetime of free meals.”

“And my sourdough starter, which I’d like to remind you is over a hundred and fifty years old,” Jack added.

“Right.” I was willing to admit that I appreciated the starter and routinely made good use of it. I ate sourdough pancakes almost every morning, thanks to Jack’s starter.

“Then show a little appreciation, son.”

It probably wasn’t right to roll my eyes, but I couldn’t help it. “No use arguing, Jack. It’s highly likely that Josie will leave in the morning, along with the rest of the lodge staff.” I hated being a pessimist, but at the rate this list was going, I was slowly coming to the realization that I didn’t have a lot to offer to convince her to stay, compared to what she had in the big city.

    Jack’s eyes brightened and he sat up straight, ready to solve the world’s problems. “Palmer, I wasn’t joking. You should marry her.”

I didn’t argue with him, but I certainly wasn’t telling Jack that I intended to propose that very evening.

“You want me to ask her for you?” Jack eagerly offered, his face glowing with the idea. “I’d propose to her myself, but you’re the one she’s been spending her time with most evenings. Don’t get me wrong. If I were you, I’d marry her right quick.”

“Ah…”

“Don’t worry, I’ll ask her for you.”

“What?” I demanded. “Listen here, old man, if anyone does the asking, it’ll be me. I don’t need you or anyone else speaking on my behalf.”

Looking lost and dejected, Jack’s shoulders drooped, and he leaned back against the chair.

“Likely I’d mess it up anyway. Asked a woman to marry me once before, and it didn’t turn out like I’d hoped.”

This caught my attention. “Oh?” Maybe I could get some hints on what not to do from Jack’s failed proposal.

    “Yup, I was as nervous as a beaver on the tundra. She didn’t seem all that interested in my offer…think I must have said something to offend her.”

“What happened?”

Jack shook his head, attempting to rid himself of the memory. He raised his hand to his face, rubbing his beard. “You might have trouble believing it, but I used to be a good-looking fella. I was in my thirties at the time and was thinking if I was going to start a family, I had better find myself a woman and get to work.”

I’d been having the same thoughts myself, although I wasn’t going to mention them to Jack, because then the whole town would know.

“Did she give you a reason for turning you down?”

“Actually, she didn’t do a lot of talking after I proposed.” A thoughtful, sad look came over him.

“Oh.”

“I didn’t even mind that she had no experience cooking wild game. Fact is, I was willing to overlook a lot of her faults, and told her so, thinking she’d appreciate my generosity.”

“And how did that go over?”

He stroked his beard once again. “She took offense. Never quite understood why. It wasn’t like she had men pounding down her door. I thought she’d be happy that I was willing to marry her.”

    “Was she a good cook?”

“Fair. She didn’t seem to receive that observation of mine very well, either. Women are funny that way. I probably should have exaggerated my appreciation of her skills in the kitchen.”

“Did you tell her you thought she was pretty?”

“Nope. Truth was she wasn’t much to look at. I didn’t mind, though.”

I swallowed a smile. “You didn’t mention that to her, did you?”

“Oh no. Knew better than that. Women need to think they’re the light of a man’s life.”

“What else did you say?” Little did Jack know, I was taking mental notes.

Jack tapped his finger against his lips. “Been twenty years ago now, so I don’t recall the exact words. Never had high expectations, seeing that the ratio of men to women wasn’t in my favor living here in the Alaskan wilderness. I do remember that I told her that she was the best I could do.”

I could only imagine how well that comment had gone over with the poor woman.

Jack shook his head. “Still don’t know why she didn’t accept my proposal.”

“She say anything else?”

Jack snorted. “A big fat NO was all I got. Apparently, I’d read her wrong. I could have sworn she was sweet on me.”

    “You propose to anyone else?”

“Nope. Once was enough. A man can only take so much rejection, and I’d had my fill.”

This I could understand. Jack had given up after that single rejection. Frankly, I couldn’t see myself wanting to marry anyone other than Josie. And if Josie ended up turning me down, then I feared I’d be just like Jack years down the road, looking back and wondering where I’d gone wrong.