Cooking Up Christmas (Christmas Mail-Order Angels)

by Teresa Ives Lilly

  Henrietta flung the eatery door open, stepped out onto the boardwalk and hurried toward the mill. She had faced two frightful men today. She just wanted to lock herself in her assigned room and cry.

  I’m so glad I didn’t agree to marry Benjamin when I first arrived. I haven’t even known him for a full twenty-four hours and I’ve already discovered he isn’t the man for me.

  Her shoulders slumped. Her dreams of marriage and children were crushed, but at least she still had the job at the eatery.

  It may not be my own restaurant, but it’s a job. Now that I’m not going to marry, I will have to find my own home.

  *****

  Benjamin ran his fingers through his hair and watched as Henrietta stormed out of the eatery. Her reaction cooled his own anger.

  Lord, what have I done? He replayed the last few minutes over in his mind and realized what a fool he had been. Yes, it bothered him that Henrietta asked about his money, but he could also see the sense in her question. She shouldn’t be expected to live in the dark about her future husband’s financial situation. Still, he wasn’t ready to reveal just how much money he had.

  Is it too much to ask that she learn to love me first, before she finds out about my wealth?

  His shoulders dropped.

  “Umm, can I get you anything?”

  Benjamin looked up. Brenda stood next to the table.

  He shook his head. “No.”

  “Are you okay? Where is your mail order angel?”

  “Things aren’t off to a good start. I just accused her of being a money-hungry woman.”

  Brenda’s eyes grew round.

  “She isn’t really. It’s just that she wanted to know how much money I have and I took offense at her asking.”

  Brenda placed a hand on her hip. “Seems to me, if she’s gonna be your wife, she has the right to ask, don’t you think? I sure wouldn’t marry anyone if I didn’t know how much money he had.”

  He nodded. “She had the right to ask. I’ll have to make it up to her.” He stood, tossed some money on the table and left the eatery. Once on the street, Benjamin wondered if he should go to the mill and try talking to her.

  Better let it rest for now. It’s getting late. I’ll see her tomorrow. He turned back toward the eatery. He had a snug home above the restaurant, a place he hoped to bring Henrietta to live someday. But, until they were married, he didn’t want anyone to know he lived there and was the owner of the eatery and the rooms above, so he would have to wait ’til it was dark to slip up the back stairwell.

  She wants to know where I live, where we will live. I guess I’ll have to take her out to the mine and show her around. His soul dreaded returning to the claim and to his father. If Henrietta wanted to know what kind of life she would have with him, he would take her to the claim, show her around and promise he had something much better in mind.

  She may say she can live with a poor man, but once she sees the shanty and meets Pa, that will change. He laughed bitterly and remembered his own mother’s face as she lay on the floor of the shanty, gasping her last words with her last breath.

  “Don’t ever bring a wife here, son. This kind of life will kill any love she has for you. Don’t let the love of money replace true love. Remember what the Bible says. The love of money is the root of all evil.”

  He stopped in the middle of the road and gazed up at the sky.

  I haven’t allowed gold to become my love. Not like Pa has. But will Henrietta be able to love me once she finds out about the gold I already own, or will she too, succumb to its lure?

  He walked to the livery, got his horse and trotted out of town. He would take a ride until it grew dark. His shoulders slumped as he rode by the mercantile. Several of the other brides and grooms were preparing to get married today. He wasn’t sure if he was glad he wasn’t. So far, signing up for a mail order angel was not turning out to be one of his better ideas. An Angel Bride by Christmas was only a fairytale and Benjamin had given up on fairy tales a long time ago.

  Chapter 6

  Henrietta’s teeth chattered as she tried to snuggle further down on the cot, but the thin quilt thrown over her was not warm enough to keep out the chill. The old mill had been turned into rooms for the brides-to-be, but cold air seeped in through the windows and cracks in the walls.

  This was already her second morning in the mill and both had proven to be cold.

  I will have to purchase some men’s thermal undergarments, or I might actually freeze to death once winter really sets in.

  Finally, the need for some private relief outweighed the desire to stay warm. She sat up on the cot, reached for her robe and slipped her shoes on. Traipsing to the outhouse behind the mill was not something she looked forward to, but necessity demanded it.

  Ten minutes later, she stepped back into her room, rushed to the bedside, grabbed the thin quilt and wrapped it around herself. For several minutes she stood waiting for the shivering to stop.

  Standing here shivering won’t make me warm. I’ve got to move. It’s time to begin working. I assume since Benjamin didn’t come talk to me all day Sunday, he must consider our engagement over, but, Lord, I still want to marry him.

  Henrietta made up the cot with the quilt and then slipped on her warmest skirt and white button shirt. When she was ready, she sat and read her Bible. It was a habit she had formed living with her grandmother. They always had a morning devotional time together. Her heart ached to have her grandmother here now. She needed someone to talk to about Benjamin. Her grandmother’s words of advise filled her memory.

  “Henny…if you have no one else to talk to, you can always talk to God. He’s a fine listener.“

  Henrietta bowed and lifted her worries to God.. She prayed until she felt a sense of peace flowing through her. Then she tucked the Bible under her pillow and made her way down the stairs. She didn’t stop long enough to speak to any of the other brides who were staying at the mill. She knew several of the other girls had already gotten married, but there were a few waiting until Christmas. She would have plenty of time to talk with them in the evenings.

  Thank you, God, for keeping me from making that decision too quickly. I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do about Benjamin. He paid for me to come to Angel Vale. I believe I am still obligated to marry him, but I‘m not sure he wants to marry me now.

  Benjamin’s image flitted through her mind and her head drooped. He was so handsome. She did want to pursue their relationship and try to work things out. Could she trust him though? His anger frightened her and he refused to tell her how much money he had. His refusal niggled at her good sense.

  Lord, something is wrong. Benjamin seems like a fine man. I’m not sure why he got so upset when I asked him about money, but perhaps he has a good reason. Should I marry him without some indication as to what kind of life he can provide for me? Or should I put my trust in You, Lord, to be the provider for both of us?

  A calmness passed over her and her soul was filled with peace.

  Yes, that must be it. This is a test to see if I will trust God to provide for me.

  As she stepped outside, she was determined to find Benjamin and make things right. Perhaps they could start all over again. This time, she would not question him about…Umph!

  *****

  “Good morning, Henrietta.” Benjamin tried not to bust out laughing, but seeing Henrietta, once again sitting on the ground, seemed just too funny.

  “Good morning, Benjamin. Can you please give me your hand? The ground is rather cold.”

  Benjamin took her gloved hand in his weather-beaten leathery hand and gently pulled her to her feet. He enjoyed watching a pink hue rosy her cheeks. The cold air was already nipping at her nose and causing the tip to turn red.

  “I want you to know, I am not usually so clumsy. In fact, I don’t think I have fallen down this many times in my whole life. I would love to blame the snow, or the slick ground, but since there are neither of those here, I can’t put the blame
on them.”

  Benjamin stepped closer. “What would you say the cause is then?”

  Henrietta’s blue eyes gazed at him. He felt as if he were being pulled into a beautiful summer lake.

  “You.”

  “Me? I am the cause? I haven’t touched you.”

  “I know. For some reason, whenever I am near you, I get so flustered and turned around. I can’t seem to keep from stumbling over my own two feet.”

  He smiled at her. “Henrietta, I came to walk you to the eatery. Even if you do not wish to marry me, I promised to protect you. You promised not to walk out alone.”

  “Yes, but I didn’t expect you to keep your promise after the way I behaved. It was wrong of me to question you, Benjamin. I know God brought me here to marry you. I trust Him, therefore, I trust you. If you can forgive me, I would still like to consider us still engaged.”

  Benjamin could barely contain his joy. No matter how many times he called himself a fool for bringing Henrietta to Angel Vale, he couldn’t quite accept the idea of not marrying her. She was a beautiful woman and he wanted her as his wife.

  “You did nothing that needs forgiving, while I, on the other hand, must ask you to forgive me. My behavior was boorish and my anger uncalled for. I assure you, I am not usually prone to anger. I have never, and will never, raise a hand to a woman; especially my wife.”

  “Let us say we both forgive each other.” Henrietta smiled at him.

  “Agreed!”

  “So, we are still engaged?” Her voice was barely audible.

  Benjamin pulled her into a gentle hug and placed a kiss on her forehead. “I will be the luckiest man in Angel Vale once we are married.”

  Chapter 7

  Benjamin escorted her to the eatery and offered to buy breakfast, but Henrietta was anxious to start her new job and declined. Benjamin left her at the front of the building, promising to return later in the day to walk her home.

  Henrietta slipped in the front door and made her way to the kitchen. From the doorway she could see nothing but chaos. The counters and oven were splattered with bacon grease and broken egg shells along with a variety of other trash laying on the floor. The grumpy cook was throwing a fit, yelling at Brenda in a foreign tongue. Brenda stood with clenched fists and Henrietta was afraid the young woman would strike the older Chinese man.

  Henrietta stepped into the kitchen and cleared her throat. “Excuse me.”

  The cook and Brenda turned at the sound of her voice.

  “I’ve come to begin my job.”

  The Chinese man grinned, ripped off the small grease-stained apron he had tied around his waist and abruptly walked out the back door.

  Brenda turned with a huge smile. “Thank the Lord, you’re here. That man doesn’t know a thing about cooking bacon and eggs.”

  Henrietta’s teeth nibbled at her bottom lip. “I didn’t mean to chase him out of the kitchen.”

  “Don’t worry about that. He has been waiting for you to come and take over. He actually does the laundry for the miners, but somehow he was talked into cooking until you got here. The job’s all yours.”

  Henrietta’s eyes scanned the room. She noted a clean apron hanging on a hook by the door. She moved across the room, took it down and tied it around her waist. Meandering around the kitchen, she took stock of the supplies on the counter, turned the heat down under the pan of bacon and began cooking a second pan of scrambled eggs.

  “I’d like to make biscuits, but those can wait until tomorrow. For now, let’s just see how many people I can serve with what we have here.”

  Brenda nodded. Henrietta could see the relief pass over the younger woman’s face.

  “I’m so glad you are here. I’ll go hang out the open sign and start taking orders.”

  *****

  Several hours passed. Henrietta kept busy cooking, putting food on plates, and calling out to Brenda to pick them up.

  Hmm, we obviously need more help here.

  During a lull, Henrietta sat down on a small stool and took a deep breath. Her feet hurt from standing so long, but she was happy with the progress she had made. Not only had she cooked for so many, she had taken time to wipe all the counters and stove. The floor would need someone with more strength than she had.

  “Brenda, when will Mr. Peterson be in? I’d like to discuss hiring some more help.”

  Brenda wiped her greasy hands on her apron. “Rorey only buys the supplies. He’s not in charge. We were told you would be in charge.”

  Henrietta’s lips formed an O. She pointed at her chest. “Me?”

  “Yep. No one knows who the owner is, and Rorey doesn’t want to be in charge. He has his own business. He only agreed to buy the supplies we need here because the owner made him a very nice offer. That leaves you.”

  “Who pays our wages?”

  “Rorey gets an envelope of money every week with the exact amount to pay us.”

  Henrietta wasn’t sure what to think. Why would the owner want to remain a mystery?

  “I don’t see how I can hire someone without getting permission from the owner.”

  “Rorey was told that anything you wanted or needed was to be provided. So, I think that means you can hire whoever you want.”

  Henrietta glanced around the kitchen. Cooking was a big job. She needed help with the cleaning and serving. One waitress would not be enough.

  She was so tired, she couldn’t think straight. “Do you have any suggestions? We need someone to wash pots, pans and dishes. We need someone to help serve the food and we need at least one more waitress.”

  Brenda scrunched her forehead in thought. “Do you think any of the other brides want a job?”

  Henrietta shook her head. “They all came here to get married. I hate to hire any one of them, because once they are married, they would probably have to quit.”

  “What about you? Will you quit once you and Benjamin tie the knot?”

  Henrietta was silent. That was something she had tried not to give much thought to. Would Benjamin want her to stop working at the eatery? She loved the idea of working as a cook. She could only hope he would allow her to continue, at least until they had a child.

  “I hope not, but that is something I will discuss with him soon. For now, we need to prepare for the next meal. I’m glad the eatery only offers two meals a day. Three would be too much work.”

  Brenda’s shoulders slumped. “If I could find an easier job, I’d take it. But this town doesn’t offer many jobs for women. I was lucky to be hired.”

  Henrietta patted Brenda on the back. “I’m lucky you are here. Now, let’s put our heads together and figure out who we can hire and what we need to serve for the early evening meal.”

  *****

  Brenda knew everyone in town and was able to suggest possible employees. Women whose husbands wouldn’t mind their wife earning a living to help make up for the lack of profit coming from their mines. Within the hour, Brenda had brought in three strong, eager women. They looked older than their ages and weather beaten, but Henrietta could tell they were eager to earn some money. She was introduced to Ruby Jones, Janet Riley and Esther Tarpley. All three were willing to clean, serve and wait tables. Henrietta sketched out a temporary schedule so they could take turns at the different jobs.

  “Now, Brenda. Do we have clean aprons for these ladies?”

  Brenda nodded and slipped into the large pantry. She carried out a box full of aprons.

  Henrietta eyed them. “My, there are at least two dozen aprons.”

  “Well, we will only have to wash them once a week. We can each own four and still keep a few here.”

  Henrietta agreed and divided them out, giving four to each lady. She would take the one she was wearing and the others that were dirty. “I’ll wash these tonight.”

  Brenda showed the other women how to serve and how to wait tables. Henrietta explained how she liked the pots, pans and dishes washed. Within an hour, all five of them were busy.

 
; For the meal, Henrietta prepared baked potatoes and once Brenda showed her the stocked smoke house, behind the eatery, she decided to serve ham.

  Chapter 8

  Benjamin stepped into the eatery. He nodded at Brenda and noticed Ruby Jones was also acting as a waitress. He slid into a chair at an empty table. Brenda came over with a small notepad.

  “Are you eating or just waiting for Henrietta?”

  “I’d love to try her cooking. What is being served?”

  “Baked potatoes and ham.”

  His eyes lit up. “Really? I would love that. It looks like you have some new help.”

  “Yes. Henrietta hired three women to help clean, serve and wait.”

  Benjamin sat back, pleased.

  “She wasn’t sure what to do since Rorey never showed up today. I told her she was in charge. No one knows who owns the place and Rorey says he is only in charge of buying supplies, I figured she should go ahead and take charge.”

  “That makes sense.”

  Brenda wrote his order and headed into the kitchen. In a few minutes, Esther Tarply carried his food to the table.

  Benjamin thanked Esther then bowed his head and said a quiet prayer, thankful for the decent food. However, when he took his first bite, he lifted his eyes and thanked God for excellent food.

  Henrietta is a real fine cook. This food’s wonderful, Lord.

  Benjamin ate slowly, savoring each bite. He noted men at other tables doing the same. It was a good thing Henrietta had hired help. When word got out about how good her food was, the customers would triple in number.

  Perhaps it will be too much work for her. I didn’t bring her to Angel Vale to slave away for the men in town.

  As the others finished their meal and reluctantly trickled out of the eatery, Benjamin waited.

  *****

  “That was quite a job.” Henrietta took off her apron and put it in a pile with several others that were stained and in need of a good washing. She had considered taking them to wash at the mill, but Brenda assured her they could all be taken to the Chinese laundry along with a dozen tablecloths. She was glad no food or grease had splattered her dress. She owned so few things.