by Lori Wick
And as always, when Jake visited Stuart and Alice, their beliefs and the church they attended weighed on his heart. But he knew he did a good job of hiding this fact, since she and her husband always welcomed him with open arms.
“What brings you out on this cold January night?” Alice asked her father when he had settled himself on the sofa.
“Your sister. We’re going camping this weekend, and Bobbie wants Paige and Wes to go with us.” Jake would never have spoken so plainly if the children had been present, but he knew it was at least an hour past their bedtime.
Stuart and Alice looked at each other for a long time. They, like Jake and Troy, had never considered the idea. Suddenly Alice chuckled.
“Leave it to Bobbie to come up with something like that.”
“She’s pretty pleased with herself. She sent me because she was sure I could convince you.”
Alice chuckled again. “Well, this time she’s going to be disappointed. Paige has a drippy nose and I think it’s too cold for them to go camping.”
“Bobbie planned on them sleeping with her.”
“We could plan on the next time you go,” Stuart interjected. “Maybe it will be warmer.”
Stuart Townsend was every inch the bank employee with his dapper suits and neatly trimmed beard and mustache. He never interfered with his wife’s raising of the children, so Jake was aware that Stuart’s comment about the cold was a very real worry.
“That’s probably a good idea. I’m sure Bobbie will feel let down, but like you said, there’s always next time.” Jake didn’t stay much longer, but before leaving, Alice led him into the twins’ rooms so he could see them. The light from the lantern didn’t disturb them in the least, and as always, Jake’s heart swelled with love at the sight of his grandchildren.
Just as Jake expected, his younger daughter and son were disappointed about the twins not going with them. Jake pointed out that it was cold and maybe it would work out for the next time.
As it was, it rained very hard at the time Jake, Troy, and Bobbie were going to leave for their trip, and it continued to rain all weekend. Maryanne, who had planned to sew all weekend, laid aside her plans and the four of them played games and talked for hours. It was a wonderful homecoming for Bobbie. The only dark spot on the weekend was how late they all stayed up on Saturday night, causing them to oversleep Sunday morning and miss church. Bobbie had been looking forward to seeing everyone, but consoled herself with the fact that she started her new job the next day.
She took herself to bed when it was still early on Sunday, and with the lantern turned high she lay in bed and wrote in her journal.
January Seven, 1872
It’s lovely to be home. The clock did not stand still as I hoped it would, and nearly everything and everyone changed. My parents look older, but they are in some ways ageless. I’m going to contribute to the household whether my parents like it or not. Oh Troy, you’re so much fun. And Paige and Wes—thank You, Lord!
Tomorrow is the big day. I’ll see Jeff. I hope he likes me. Mr. Taylor too. I’ve got to get to sleep. Good night, journal, I’ll write again in a few days.
Bobbie turned the lantern down then and fell asleep while praying for a calm heart to face her new job in the morning.
nine
Bobbie wore a green dress for her first day of work. She spent a little extra time on her hair and was pleased with the way it curled softly around her face. Her fingernails, always long, were clean and well-shaped.
Maryanne had the day off, so Bobbie’s send-off breakfast was a morning feast of omelettes stuffed with bacon and cheese, plus fresh muffins with jam, cider, and hot, strong coffee.
Bobbie left the house right after breakfast. Her coat kept her warm as she walked briskly away from home. She felt a little like a child on the first day of school as her lunch tin swung in her hand with every step. The shipping office was a welcome sight and Bobbie walked in the front door with a smile on her face.
May Taylor immediately rose from the desk in the corner and came toward her.
“Hello, Bobbie. It’s good to see you.” The two women embraced, and when May stepped away, Bobbie saw that there were tears in her eyes. “Don’t mind me, honey. It’s just that you’re an answer to prayer and it’s so wonderful to have you here.”
“It’s good to be here, Mrs. Taylor.” Bobbie didn’t say more and May could see she was close to tears herself. The two women had begun to talk about the workings of the office when Bill Taylor came in holding the hand of a young girl.
“Hello, Bobbie.” Bill greeted his new employee warmly and shook her hand. They talked about her trip and whether or not she was settled in, and then May pulled the youngster closer to their circle of conversation.
“Bobbie, I’d like you to meet Marcail Donovan. Marcail, this is Bobbie Bradford. She’s going to be working here at the office for awhile. Marcail’s sister Kaitlin is married to our Rigg.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Marcail.” Bobbie smiled kindly and held out her hand. Marcail must have instantly liked what she saw because she shook Bobbie’s hand with enthusiasm.
“My sister’s going to have a baby,” Marcail informed Bobbie seriously.
“And you’ll be Aunt Marcail,” Bobbie replied with a smile. “I think that’s wonderful. I have a niece and a nephew and they’re so much fun. I know you’ll love being an aunt.” The little girl beamed at her newfound friend before May claimed Bobbie once again and began showing her the desk where she would do the majority of her work.
The shipping company was located in a spacious building on a corner lot. The office had a sectioned-off corner for a private office for Bill, whose window overlooked the side street. Bobbie’s desk, formerly May’s, sat in the opposite corner with a complete view of the entire room as well as the large windows that looked out over the loading area and the street.
May sensed immediately that Bobbie had a complete knowledge of the job. She knew everyone had his own way of doing things and wanted to leave Bobbie to her task as soon as possible. Ten minutes later May left so Marcail would not be late for school, telling Bobbie if she needed anything to knock on Bill’s door.
May was not gone ten seconds when a woman came in wanting to send a package to San Francisco. Upon meeting Bobbie, the woman wanted complete details as to the whereabouts of May. Bobbie, with her kind attitude and ready smile, explained to her who she was and why May was not there. At the desk Bobbie recorded all the information for the package before accompanying the woman out to her buggy, where she gave Bobbie the large parcel she wanted sent.
The package wasn’t so much heavy as it was awkward, and Bobbie walked back inside, peeking over the top of it as she moved. After closing the door she turned without looking and ran into someone whose arms came out and lifted the burden from her. Bobbie’s head tipped back to see who was before her. Jeff Taylor stood regarding her with serious, almost hesitant eyes.
Bobbie grinned into those eyes, her own filled with friendship and something that might have been defined as tenderness. She had already given much thought as to how hard this might be for him.
“Hello, Jeff,” she said softly. Jeff’s relief was so great he sighed audibly.
“Hello, Bobbie.” He smiled, his whole body losing its former tenseness. “I see Mom didn’t waste any time in putting you to work.”
Bobbie, trying not to laugh at the sigh and look of relief that had come over her co-worker’s face, continued to grin at him.
“I don’t mind. It’s pretty routine and I have a tendency to get antsy if I don’t have something to do.”
They smiled at each other again, and Jeff mentally shook his head over the way he had tortured himself all through the night and that morning over how uncomfortable it was going to be working with Bobbie.
He had deliberately come into the office late, putting off what he was sure would be awkward: to find Bobbie handling a customer like a pro. He had watched her, unnoticed, from the doorway of th
e storeroom. Jeff was fascinated. Cheerful and efficient, she was not at all as he expected.
The only problem he could see was her obvious tendency to overdo. His mother would never have lifted a package as heavy as the one Bobbie had. May would have called to one of the men in the family for assistance. Jeff placed the package against the wall, taking note as he did that it was already wrapped for travel, and turned back to Santa Rosa’s newest shipping clerk.
“Bobbie, in the future be sure to call one of us to help you with packages that heavy.”
Bobbie was surprised. What was she there for if not to work? There was absolutely no way she was going to go running for help every time a large package came in. Why, the very thought of it!
Jeff was still staring at her, so Bobbie decided to reassure him. “I wouldn’t lift something that I couldn’t handle, Jeff.”
Jeff smiled and kept still, having accurately read what was going on in her mind. He would let his father handle this one. They were discussing more aspects of the job, such as the storage room at the back of the building, the stage depot next door, and the hours both offices were open, when Gilbert came in.
“Hello, Bobbie.” Bobbie could only stare at him.
“Gilbert?” She finally managed to say.
“It’s me.” Gilbert stated the obvious and waited for Bobbie to look her fill. He had been a boy when she left, only 13. Five years later he towered over her and was almost as filled-out as Jeff. Both men sported lean frames and broad shoulders. Their arms were corded with muscles, brought on by the daily tasks of lifting, loading, and packing every conceivable size of crate and package.
“Well, I see you’re following in the same homely footsteps as your brother,” Bobbie said, her voice becoming dry and giving the men a first glimpse of what working with Roberta Bradford would be like. “I suppose girls go out with you because they feel sorry for such an ugly little pup. Well, look at that smile I’m getting! And after all those insults! You’re obviously very disagreeable too.”
It was too much for the Taylor men; they couldn’t hold their laughter. Bobbie joined them, and then a man came in with an armload of small boxes. Bobbie turned serious in the blink of an eye and the customer was explaining his need and paying his money in record time.
Gilbert was impressed with his first look at Bobbie in action. Gil wondered if his parents knew what a treasure they had found.
“Where’s May?” Bill asked as he came out of his office and approached the desk where Bobbie was seated.
“She and Marcail left a little while ago.”
“I’m sorry, Bobbie,” Bill stated sincerely. “I had no idea you were out here trying to deal with the customers on your own.” Bill stopped when his sons began to laugh. Bobbie didn’t hear the explanation they gave their father because someone else had come in off the street and Bobbie moved to help them.
It was Bill’s turn to watch his new employee in action, and he felt like May did—that he could cry over how good it was to have her with them.
The next hour flew by in a frenzy of activity, and no one was given any more time for socializing. At one point Jeff and Gilbert watched their father take a large box from Bobbie and tell her she was not to be lifting anything that heavy. Bill turned away as though the matter was settled, but both of the younger men could see that Bobbie had a mind of her own on this subject. It wasn’t until after lunch that the situation came to a head.
“Bobbie,” Bill said as he plucked, yet again, another heavy package from his newest employee’s arms. “Am I or am I not your boss?”
“You’re my boss,” Bobbie admitted quietly.
“And as your boss, I’ve told you that you’re not to be lifting articles that are too heavy.”
“I’m not lifting too much,” Bobbie stated in respectful logic.
“I think you are.”
“Mr. Taylor, did you write and tell me you needed a shipping clerk, or did I misunderstand your letter?”
“Yes, I need a shipping clerk, but—”
“Then I’m only trying to do my job,” the small blonde cut him off, her voice and posture a picture of respect. “I’m young, strong, and healthy, and I haven’t lifted a thing today that was too much for me.”
Bill could only stare at her. He had never had an employee stand up to him before. He was a reasonable man but his word was law. He only had to say something once to have it obeyed. And now this young woman with the beautiful green eyes and the adorable glasses perched on her nose, a woman who had to tip her head back to look up at him, was telling him she could lift and tote like his sons.
Bobbie waited a moment for her employer to say something, but when he remained silent and when someone else needed her, she went off without a word, thinking as she did that he had seen her point and the matter was settled.
Bill stood still and watched Bobbie handle one of his toughest customers. He stared in amazement when she actually wrung a smile from the old coot. A moment later he motioned Gil and Jeff, both of whom had again witnessed the entire conversation, into his office.
“Does she ever stop moving?” Bill came right to the point and his sons smiled.
“I think she took about five minutes to eat her lunch,” Gil told his dad.
Bill nodded and was silent a moment. “I want you to keep an eye on her. Now, I don’t mean for you to babysit her and ignore your own work, but if you see her lifting something she shouldn’t, take it from her. If that’s too distracting for you, then I’ll talk with her again.”
“Lay down the law, Dad, like you did today.” There was a teasing glint in Jeff’s eyes and Bill smiled.
‘She’s certainly a surprise,’ Bill thought to himself, staying at his desk long after his sons exited. Bobbie wasn’t a person that drew any attention to herself. If something needed doing, she did it in silent efficiency. Bill thought that might take a little getting used to.
He knew he had babied May over the years. When it came to some of the tougher jobs or customers, he had always dealt with them. When it came right down to it, May could have handled everything as easily as he did.
What he was feeling today might have stemmed from the fact that he kept forgetting Bobbie was there. She was so quiet and efficient that he was already taking her for granted. By enlisting the help of his sons, he hoped they would all be more aware of her.
The sight of Bobbie, looking at him through those glasses, confident and unwavering, came to mind. It would do them all a little good to have someone like her working around the office, and he would do whatever he had to do to keep her working there—that is, until she completed her plans for marriage. Bill found himself thinking that the guy who snagged Bobbie Bradford was one lucky fellow.
ten
“Are you going to work here all the time?” The question came from Marcail who was standing beside Bobbie’s desk in the shipping office. It was near closing time and Bobbie was filling out some papers and preparing to leave for the evening.
“Well,” Bobbie said slowly, “for awhile.”
“I’m not going to work here when I grow up. I’m going to teach school like Katie.”
“Katie is your sister?”
The little girl nodded. “Her real name is Kaitlin. She used to be Kaitlin Donovan but now she’s Kaitlin Riggs because she married Rigg.”
“And she’s a schoolteacher?”
“Right. She’s my teacher and Sean’s too. He’s my brother. He’s 14.”
Listening to all of this in thoughtful silence, Bobbie did not want Marcail to know that none of this was news to her. She had of course known Marshall Riggs, or at least of him, for years. And when he had married the schoolteacher, her mother had written and told her all about it.
Marcail was at Bobbie’s desk because Rigg was in the office with his father. They had come in a few minutes ago, and Marcail, who had already decided that Bobbie was very nice, had come straight to her desk to talk.
“How was school today?” Bobbie asked her
young companion, who was regarding Bobbie’s long fingernails with dark, serious eyes.
“It was fine. Katie’s pretty tired. She says it’s because of the baby. Have you ever had a baby?”
“No,” Bobbie answered softly.
“But you’re an aunt?”
“Yes. My sister has five-year-old twins named Paige and Wesley.”
“Twins!” Marcail’s eyes grew very round. “Do you think Katie will have twins?”
A deep chuckle sounded behind them and both ladies turned to see Rigg listening.
“I’m not sure you should say that to your sister, Marc. She’s so tired right now she can’t think straight. Hello, Bobbie,” Rigg continued. “You’ve grown up a little bit since I last saw you.”
Bobbie smiled, almost mischievously. “You look the same, Rigg. A bit happier, perhaps, which I suspect has something to do with your recent marriage. Allow me to offer my congratulations on your having acquired a wonderful sister-in-law.” Bobbie winked at Marcail on these words.
“Thank you,” Rigg said as his own eyes began to sparkle. His father had said it was going to be fun having Bobbie around and he could already see why.
“Oh, I guess I should also offer my best wishes, since you now have a wife, and a baby on the way.” Bobbie said this as though it had just come to mind.
Rigg, caught up in the spirit of Bobbie’s teasing, bowed to her most formally and asked how the job was going.
“Very well, thank you. Most of it is routine, but the code system your father uses, along with all the different faces and names of the customers, is going to take awhile for me to learn.”
“Something tells me you’ll catch on with no trouble at all. We better go, Marc, so we can help with supper.”
“’Bye, Bobbie. Maybe I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“I’ll look forward to it,” Bobbie told Marcail as she walked them to the door.
The clock on the wall told her it was past closing time, so Bobbie put the sign out and shut the front door. With the sun sinking rapidly it was growing chilly outside. Bobbie thought she best get home before it grew much darker.