Lyla looked outside and realized he was right. Friday nights were always the worst.
She sat down and dug into the food, savoring every flavor-filled bite. There was a reason that the hotel restaurant always had someone eating there.
Their food was unique and second to none. Every human being could appreciate a meal out once in a while, and Cook made it so that no one could afford not to come to his restaurant.
That wasn’t his real name, of course, but Lyla didn’t know if anyone knew his real name. Ever since she had started working there, everyone had called him Cook.
He turned the simplest dishes into delicacies and he always seemed to be cooking. She wondered if he ever did anything else, even when he was off work.
Lyla thought she couldn’t possibly hold another bite, but she still ran her finger over her plate to gather any last morsel. She could imagine her mother scolding her for that behavior. It wasn’t an especially lady-like thing to do.
The thought made her smile as she wiped her finger across the plate once more and then popped it into her mouth.
She had lived under her parent’s disappointment for far too long. Sadness washed over her for a moment. In reality, she missed them. She was pretty sure that any child missed their parents when they died, no matter how much they had fought while they were alive.
“Come on, Lyla, our first customers are here,” Anne said with a grin as she bustled through the kitchen with a tray laden with filled water glasses.
“I’m coming, I’m coming.” Lyla had no idea how Anne mustered so much enthusiasm for their job when she disliked it just as much as Lyla. Or maybe even more.
She plastered a smile on her face and tied an apron over her dress. There were no two ways about it—she had tables to tend to and she was going to do a good job, no matter how she felt about it.
---*---
Lyla laid her head onto the counter and turned her head to face Anne. “I don’t think it’s possible to get any more exhausted than this.”
Anne groaned. “Let’s see how possible it is after finishing all those dishes in the back.”
Lyla followed Anne’s gaze. There were stacks upon stacks of dirty plates, pans, bowls, and every other type of dish that was used in a restaurant just waiting on the back counter next to the sink.
It was impossible for them to keep up with the dishes as they were dirtied and wait all the tables, so at the end of the night there was always a mountain-load for them to take care of before they could go home.
“Hey, at least you won’t have to do this for the rest of your life. A rich banker will probably give you a ton of servants to do everything for you, maybe even brush your hair,” Anne pointed out with a smirk.
“I’m sure one day you will find some handsome man to sweep you off your feet and rescue you from your dish-washing nightmare. Who knows? Maybe marrying Keith will be the worst decision of my life.”
Anne shook her head. “Quiet down before someone hears you. You can’t possibly mean that. Keith is clearly in love with you, and besides, he’s so rich you won’t have to work a day in your life.” Anne turned her head a little more to the side. “In fact, why are you still working? Hasn’t Keith offered to pay your way until the wedding?”
Lyla clamped her jaw. “Yes, he did. But I don’t need him to. Let’s just say I’m taking advantage of my freedom while I still have some.”
Anne raised her eyebrows. “You’re using your freedom to wash stacks upon stacks of dirty dishes from strangers when you’re so exhausted that you could drop? I will never understand you.”
Lyla giggled. “When I am married and have lots of time on my hands, maybe I’ll stop in and help you with the dishes every once and a while.”
“That’s not likely. I doubt Keith is going to let his pretty wife volunteer dishwashing services at a hotel for free when she has her very own servants.”
“Come on. Let’s get to work on those or we’re going to be up all night.”
Anne nodded and the two girls pulled themselves up from their chairs and hurried over to the dishes, to begin the process of preparing them for the next day.
While they worked, Lyla thought about Anne’s words. Of course she knew that being married to Keith wouldn’t be the same as her last eleven months on her own. But would he control how she spent her free time or who she was friends with?
The thought made her shiver. She would become one of those wives that was just a pretty face to look at during a business dinner, with no life of her own.
She fought back tears as she scrubbed away a bit of stubborn bacon grease.
Somehow, the task of washing dishes while Anne told jokes Lyla had already heard during the day suddenly seemed like the absolute best thing that she could possibly be doing.
She didn’t long for her bed so badly, and she didn’t think about how much she ached. Instead, she tried to appreciate every plate she washed and laughed extra hard whenever Anne got to the funny parts.
But despite how much Lyla wanted to hang onto the moment, it slipped away, and soon she was trudging up the stairs in a dark hotel, toward her little room with the creaky bed and the cracked wash basin.
Nobody could stop the days from rushing by, no matter how much they wanted to.
She could wish that she had a different life. She could dream of princes and Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice, but she knew that those were just fantasies.
She was stuck in the real world, where men left you alone and crying not two days after they had asked you to marry them. She lived in a world where women married because if they didn’t, they would be considered the lowest of the low. And she lived in a world of noisy city life and the drudgery of work day after day.
Lyla flopped down onto her bed and let herself relax slowly, giving her muscles time to adjust to her new position. She stared up at the simple wooden roof above her.
Where would she be sleeping four months from now? Would she remember this place when she was there? Would she like it better? Or would she wish she could come back to her days of poverty and pain?
Lyla rubbed her hands over her arms and shivered from the cold. She jumped up, dressed for bed, and slipped between the covers, snuggling down under the blankets.
She was alone in this world. She didn’t expect that to ever change. She was going to marry Keith, but she was going to stick to herself. She wasn’t going to let him control every tiny detail of her life and she was going to find a way to enjoy herself, sometimes.
With her determinations at the front of her mind, Lyla slowly let herself relax enough to sleep.
She tossed and turned in her creaky bed while disturbing dreams haunted her sleep. They reminded her of the miserable future she was about to trap herself into and the terrible past that had pushed her to that decision.
Finally, Lyla couldn’t take it any longer. Before dawn showed its face, she slipped out of bed, dressed for the day, and prepared herself for the workday ahead.
Chapter 4
“Mr.? Hey, Mr.?”
It took James a moment to react to the urgent little voice in the jail cell. He didn’t realize the boy was addressing him.
“Oh, Joey, you’re awake.” James left his chair behind the desk and hurried over to the cell.
“Why am I in jail?” the little boy asked. “Did I do something wrong?”
“Um, no, you didn’t do anything. I just put you in there so you could rest on the bed, but you can come out now.” James swung the cell door wide open so Joey could come out.
Joey took a few steps out of the cell and then stood still at James’s feet. “Where are my mama and papa?” he asked quietly.
James looked around the office. He was alone. Where were Merrick and Daniel when he needed them?
Kneeling down, James looked the little boy in his eyes. “Joey, can you listen very carefully to something I have to say?”
Joey nodded his head up and down, his eyes wide and his soft blonde curls bouncing about his ear
s.
“Okay, it’s something very important and very hard to hear, so I need you to be like a big man for me, okay?”
James tried not to think about what he sounded like. He was doing his best to mimic every instance he had ever heard someone talk to a small child before, which wasn’t many.
“Okay.” Joey’s voice came out with a worried tone.
“Your mama and papa were hurt really badly in the accident that you had earlier, and they had to go away.”
“Where did they go?” Joey asked.
“They went to a very special place up in the sky… to the garden where God lives.”
“Can I go with them?” Joey looked around the office as if he expected one of his parents to come out at any moment and apologize for leaving him with this strange sheriff.
“No, you can’t go with them. Actually, you’ll be staying with me until a very nice person from your family comes to take you home.” James stood up and looked down at Joey. He seemed to be taking it quite well.
“I don’t have any family besides mama and papa.”
“What do you mean? What about your aunt?”
“My mama always says my aunt is a very special woman who lives very far away, who I can never see ever.” Joey nodded his head as if he knew exactly what he was talking about, and there was no way that James could know better than him.
“I see. Well, let’s just wait a few weeks and see what happens, okay? Maybe she will come here and then you will get to see her.”
“Okay.” Joey nodded, sticking a thumb in his mouth.
James walked back across the room and resumed his place in his chair.
“Can I go home now?” Joey asked finally. “Mama usually puts me to bed. She’s probably wondering why I’m gone.”
James groaned inwardly. Had the boy not heard anything he’d just said?
“What’s wrong with being here?” James was trying to be patient, but he had some papers to fill out and the distraction wasn’t helping him get the job done.
“I’m hungry.” Joey rocked back and forth between his feet.
“Okay, just give me a second and we’ll get you something to eat.” James hoped that either Daniel or Merrick would be back in time to help him.
James puffed out a breath as silence enveloped him. It didn’t last long.
“Mr.?”
James looked up to find Joey exactly where he had left him.
“James is fine.” James could hear an edge to his voice.
“Okay. James?”
“What now?” James put his pen down in frustration.
“I have to pee.”
Groaning, James dropped his head in his hands for a moment. It appeared he wouldn’t be getting anything else done today.
He stood up and reached his hand out to Joey. “Come on, then. I suppose we’d better find you somewhere to pee before you go on the floor.”
---*---
James felt as if he would fall asleep on the way back to his house. The little farm wasn’t too far away, but this evening, it felt as if it couldn’t be further.
At last, the familiar little cabin and white fence came into view. There was a light burning in the windows.
James smiled. He should have brought Joey to the ranch earlier. His mother would know exactly what to do with the little boy. Maybe this wouldn’t be as hard as he thought it would be; she was a pro with kids.
They rode the horse all the way up to the barn, where James jumped down and then reached up to help Joey down to the ground.
“Stand right there until I put the horse away, and then we’ll go inside.”
Joey nodded and stuffed his little hands into his pockets, looking all around him with big round eyes.
James walked his horse into its stall and took the time to brush it down and give it food and water for the night. He was more than a little eager to get inside, but he knew the importance of taking care of his animals.
“Okay, let’s go,” James said once he had finished caring for the horse.
“I can’t see anything,” Joey replied with a wavering voice.
James sighed. “What do you mean, you can’t see?” He looked toward the cabin. He could see it just fine, and there was plenty of light from the moon for him to see the path to get there. It wasn’t even completely dark yet.
“It’s dark.” Joey looked up at him, and even in the dim light, James could see that the boy was frightened. His lower lip trembled.
James wasn’t exactly excited about the prospect of carrying the child, kicking and screaming, in to his mother. He would have to figure out a way to get Joey to come peaceably.
“Do you want to hold my hand?” James held his hand out invitingly.
Joey looked at him uncertainly for a moment before he finally gave in, placing his tiny hand into James’ larger one.
“Okay, let’s go,” James said in a certain voice. This time, Joey didn’t protest, and they made quick time across the yard and to the cabin.
They were welcomed by a blast of warm air and something sweet-smelling as they stepped into the cabin.
“Ma? Can you come in here a moment?” James called. He wanted to get the introductions out of the way.
“Coming, dear! I thought you would be home earlier, so I—” James’ mother stopped abruptly as she spotted Joey.
“Well, who is this little man?” She smiled kindly, wiping her hands on her checkered apron.
“This is Joey. He’s going to be staying with us for a while.” James placed his hand on Joey’s shoulder and gave him a gentle push forward. “And Joey, this is my mama,” he added, taking his hat off and hanging it on the hook by the door. “Her name is Bonnie.”
With an uncertain look back at James, Joey walked over and extended his hand to Bonnie.
She shook it and then bent down and pulled him into a hug. James smiled. It was just like his mother to make a kid feel welcome.
“Why don’t you run along and wait for us in the kitchen?” she suggested, patting the boy on the back. “I’m sure you’re starving!”
Bonnie watched him go and then turned to James. “Do you want to explain why we have a little boy staying with us?”
“Yes, it’s actually an interesting story,” James said nervously.
Of course, he knew his mother would support his decision to keep Joey here until the child’s relatives could be found, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t be surprised.
James wasn’t exactly known to be a kid-friendly kind of person. He told his mother about the events of the day in a low voice, with as little detail as possible.
“The poor dear.” His mother glanced toward the kitchen, where Joey was doing his best to climb up on a chair by the table. “You did the right thing, though I suspect it will be a challenge for you to care for him.”
“What do you mean?” James asked, tilting his head.
“Well, you haven’t exactly ever cared for children before. I’m just saying it might be difficult at first.”
“I figured you would maybe take care of him for me. I mean, you know a lot more about it than I do.”
A Treasure Brought by Fate: A Historical Western Romance Book Page 3