Bertie had no interest in getting involved with a man — any man. Not when she couldn’t trust any of them beyond her brother. Regardless of her head telling her to stay away from Riley Walsh, her heart whispered for her to become better acquainted with the newcomer.
Determined to get away from Riley and her confusing longings, Bertie stuck out her hand to him, in a gesture few women executed. “Thank you for your thoughtfulness and the flowers. They truly are lovely.”
He glanced down at her slim fingers, reddened from work on the ranch. Slowly, he engulfed them with his callused hand. “You’re welcome. Anytime you need rescuing, just let me know.”
Riley took a deep breath and inhaled Bertie’s feminine scent. As it ensnared his senses, he fought the urge to pull her close and wrap her in his arms, to seek comfort in her delectable softness.
Life for Riley had been challenging and difficult for years. His experiences left him hard, bitter, and brittle.
In the week he’d been in Pendleton, he felt some of the bitterness flowing away, some of the brittleness turning pliable, some of the hardness softening around the edges.
As the innocent girl with the alluring mouth gazed up at him, he suddenly wished he could erase his past and all the harshness that made him release her hand and take a step back. “Have a good day, Miss Hawkins.”
Bertie nodded her head and backed up a step, staring at him. She cocked her head to one side and offered him a playful smile. “Do you suppose, since we’re both working at Nash’s Folly this summer, we might drop the formalities and call each other by our given names? Every time I call you Mr. Walsh, I picture some dignified old professor with a bushy mustache and white hair.”
Riley grinned. “Since I’m not quite that old or distinguished, call me Riley.”
“I will… Riley.” Bertie turned and took a few steps toward the house, but stopped when she felt a hand on her arm. She glanced down at Riley’s hand gently grasping her elbow. Her gaze traced from his work-roughened fingers up his arm to his face before giving him a questioning glance.
“What’s your real name, Bertie?”
The husky tone in his voice as he said her name caused goose bumps to break out on her skin despite the summer heat. “Roberta Elizabeth, but everyone has always called me Bertie.”
“I’m not everyone, Roberta Elizabeth Hawkins.” Riley turned and led Mud into the barn.
“No, you certainly aren’t,” Bertie whispered before returning to the house and her morning chores.
From the shadows of the barn, Riley watched her walk away, admiring the sway of her skirts and the bounce in her step.
It was foolhardy at best to let any feelings develop for the sweet girl. Stupid was a more apt description. No matter how much he might wish otherwise, he had to put a stop to whatever was happening between the two of them.
Before he resigned himself to erecting a barrier Miss Roberta Elizabeth Hawkins couldn’t breach, he took out his freshly washed and pressed neckerchief and held it to his nose, inhaling her enticing fragrance.
After one last long whiff, he shoved the neatly folded square back inside his pocket and focused on the day ahead.
Chapter Seven
“Honey?” Garrett’s voice carried out to the garden where Bertie dug potatoes while Aundy picked peas. “Honey? Where are you?”
The screen door slapped shut with a creak that made Bertie smile. She didn’t know why, but she loved the sound of a screen door closing. Maybe because it confirmed the weather was warm and the breezes were soft. Bertie never enjoyed the winter months, much preferring the days of spring and summer when the world was full of sunshine and pretty flowers, green grass and blue sky.
“In the garden, Garrett.” Aundy sat up and stretched her back as she watched her husband take the back steps in one long stride. He hurried across the yard, out the side gate, and over to where they worked.
Bertie rocked back on her heels and brushed her arm across her forehead, wiping away perspiration and leaving behind a streak of dirt.
“Don’t you two look…” Garrett stopped himself from saying something that might get him in trouble as he took in the women’s flushed faces, bedraggled hair, and dirt-streaked aprons. “Industrious. You look very industrious.”
The scowl Aundy shot Garrett let him know she was well aware of his thoughts. She took the hand he held out and rose to her feet, kissing his cheek as he wrapped an arm around her waist.
“I have a favor to ask of you girls.” Garrett glanced down at Bertie then turned back to his wife.
“Honestly, Garrett, I’m not asking Bertie to make cinnamon cookies again. You just had them a few days ago.” Aundy fisted her good hand on her hip and shook her head. “You’re worse than every one of Marnie’s youngsters, always begging for a sweet.”
Garrett feigned indignation and slapped his hat against his chest, sending up a cloud of dust. “You wound me, wife, deeply and profoundly, even if it is true.”
Bertie giggled and rose to her feet, brushing her hands across the dirt-covered back of her skirt, dislodging clumps of earth.
Mischievously, Garrett winked at Bertie before continuing. “Although I wasn’t coming to beg for cinnamon cookies, that isn’t a half-bad idea. The favor I need involves you running into town to pick up a part for the tractor. I ordered it a few weeks ago and it completely slipped my mind. It’s supposed to arrive on the early train. Can you please pick it up for me?”
“Sure, Garrett. We can do that,” Aundy said, squeezing his arm with her good hand. “We’ll need to get cleaned up first.”
Garrett settled his arm around Aundy’s waist then leaned down to pick up the bucket Bertie started to lift full of potatoes. She gladly handed it to him and lifted the bowl full of peas. Together, the three of them walked to the house.
“Why don’t the two of you have lunch at the tea house? Take a little time to enjoy this beautiful day since you’ll be all dressed up and in town around noon.” Garrett held open the kitchen’s screen door then followed them inside.
“That’s a wonderful idea,” Aundy said, gazing fondly at her husband. “I haven’t had time to stop by Ilsa’s shop for a while, or say hello to Caterina. Maybe the two of them would join us for lunch, and Marnie, too, if she’s working at Ilsa’s today.”
“It sounds like a regular party.” Garrett set the bucket of potatoes on the floor near the sink then kissed Aundy’s cheek. “Take your time and enjoy yourselves, just don’t forget to pick up that part. I’ll need it tomorrow.”
“Yes, dear,” Aundy said, swatting Garrett on his backside as he turned to leave. He glanced over his shoulder and gave his wife a smoldering look before strolling out the door, whistling a lively tune.
Aundy smiled at Bertie. “I don’t know about you, but I’m not going anywhere until I have a bath and put on a clean dress. Since it takes me twice as long to do everything with this wounded arm of mine, go ahead and take a bath while I rinse the dirt off the potatoes. I can at least do that much.”
Bertie nodded in agreement. “I’ll hurry.” She rushed off toward her room at the front of the house and gathered her robe and toiletries before locking herself in Aundy’s bathroom.
As the tub filled with water, she took the pins out of her hair and frowned as she plucked a leaf from the beans from her curls. She’d never, in her entire life, spent as much time covered in dirt and sweat as she had since arriving at Nash’s Folly, but she couldn’t say it bothered her as much as it should.
While she preferred to be clean, she did like being out in the sunshine. Aundy was fun to work with side by side each day. The woman was full of wisdom and knowledge and shared it in such a way, Bertie found it fascinating. Even in the few days she’d been at Nash’s Folly, she’d learned about gardening, Aundy’s tips for cleaning, and some shortcuts in the kitchen.
With her mother dying when she was only fourteen, Bertie had learned the basics of cooking and cleaning, but none of the finer aspects of either. She was
a good cook and kept a tidy house, but Aundy had showed her easier ways of doing so many things. The realization of how much she’d missed by losing her mother when she needed her most pinched her heart.
Quickly washing her hair and using her favorite scented soap to scrub away the dirt, Bertie was soon out of the tub and in her robe with a towel wrapped around her head. She helped Aundy remove her sling and unfastened the buttons on the back of her dress then left her to take a bath.
In her bedroom, Bertie squeezed all the excess water from her hair and fluffed her curls with her fingers. The warm summer day would soon dry her long tresses. She perused her clothing selections and finally chose one of her favorite dresses, a pink confection with white lace and embroidery. After laboring out in the heat and dirt, she relished the way the gown made her feel feminine and pretty.
Once she heard the bathroom door open, Bertie left her room and went to help Aundy dress in a soft yellow gown that perfectly matched her hair and complemented her complexion.
“You have the most beautiful gowns,” Bertie said, fastening the row of buttons up the back of Aundy’s dress.
“It helps to have a sister who’s a talented dressmaker.” Aundy smiled at Bertie in the mirror above her dresser.
Bertie grinned at her reflection. “I could see where that would come in handy. Much more so than having a brother who’s a plumber.”
“Perhaps, but I’d much rather have running water and indoor plumbing than a closet full of pretty dresses.” Aundy’s eyes danced with humor. “Don’t tell Ilsa I said that.”
“I won’t.” Bertie giggled as she knelt and helped Aundy with her shoes. When she finished, she stood and looked at Aundy’s damp hair. “While your hair dries, I’ll go put mine up. It won’t take me too long to contain this mess.” Bertie gave her head a playful tousle.
“You have beautiful hair, Bertie. Absolutely beautiful. In fact, Riley commented the other day about it being pretty.” Aundy hid a smile as she retrieved a pressed handkerchief from a drawer.
Speculatively, Bertie narrowed her eyes and stared at Aundy. “Why was Riley discussing my hair?”
“Oh, it came up in the conversation and he said you had pretty hair.” Aundy stuffed the handkerchief in a reticule that matched her gown then glanced at Bertie. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say he was quite taken with you.”
“I’m sure that isn’t the case,” Bertie said, hoping Aundy’s teasing words held a bit of truth.
Before Aundy could say anything further, Bertie bustled down the hall to her room to style her hair. When she had the curls pinned on top of her head, she settled a white straw hat with pink silk roses and ribbons at a sassy angle, gathered her reticule and gloves then returned to Aundy’s room. After she styled Aundy’s hair and pinned her hat in place, they walked down the hall to the front door.
“I should have asked Garrett to have one of the boys hitch the horse to the buggy for us. We’ll have to track one of them down or get all dirty doing it ourselves.” Aundy nodded to Bertie as she pushed open the screen door and held it while she stepped outside.
The jingle of a harness drew their attention to the barn where one of the men hitched the horse to the buggy.
“It looks like Garrett thought of everything,” Bertie said, following Aundy down the walk. She opened the gate and waited with Aundy as a cowboy drove the buggy to them.
Riley stepped down from the buggy and swept his hat off his head, nodding to both women.
“Garrett said you ladies needed to make a trip into town and asked me to bring the buggy over for you.” Riley assisted Aundy then turned and offered his hand to Bertie.
The second her gloved hand touched his warm palm, tingles raced up her arm and spiraled down to her toes, leaving her weak-kneed and light-headed. She plopped down on the seat next to Aundy and accepted the reins Riley handed to her.
Nervous, she adjusted her hold on them. She’d only driven Bobby’s wagon on rare occasions, although he’d tried to teach her plenty of times.
It seemed there was no time like the present to learn.
Mindful of her hesitation, Riley leaned forward and settled his hand over both of hers as she clutched the reins in her fists. “You’ll do fine. The horse is gentle and eager to please.”
Bertie bit her lip but loosened her tight grip on the reins.
Riley stepped back then gave the horse a light pop on the rump with the flat of his hand. The animal started forward and Bertie glanced at Riley with a mixture of trepidation and excitement in her eyes.
“Have fun.” He waved a hand at them. “And Garrett said to remind you to remember his part.”
Aundy laughed. “Tell my husband he’s turning into an ol’ nag. We won’t forget. See you boys this afternoon.” She turned to Bertie and offered a nod of encouragement. “I never even thought to ask if you knew how to drive the buggy. I could probably do it with one hand, but Garrett would have a fit if he knew I considered it, let alone tried.”
The tension in Bertie’s shoulders released a little as the horse plodded down the lane, seemingly with no direction from her.
Aundy pointed to the horse with her good hand. “This boy is a love and he’ll get us to town and home again with no trouble, but he’ll also be a good horse to help you learn to drive the buggy. Now here’s what you need to know…”
By the time they reached Pendleton, Bertie had relaxed and enjoyed the experience of driving the buggy. Her lessons with Bobby came back to her and, combined with Aundy’s simple instruction, she felt more confident with every rotation of the buggy wheels.
“If it came on the train this morning, the part’s already at the depot. If it’s on the noon train, we have an hour to kill,” Aundy said as they turned down a side street. “Why don’t you park the buggy by Ilsa’s shop? I’ll visit with her a while. If you like, you could stop by the telephone office. Lacy’s back from her honeymoon, isn’t she?”
“Yes,” Bertie grinned at Aundy. “She’s so loopy in love with Grant, I’m surprised she agreed to go back to work. She said she wasn’t ready to sit around the house and be a lady of leisure.”
Aundy laughed. “No, I don’t expect Lacy would ever be comfortable doing nothing all day. Did Grant’s mother leave or is she still in town?”
“She went back to Philadelphia with Grant’s sister. Lacy said Mrs. Hill is planning to make it her permanent home and wanted to look at some houses available for purchase.” Bertie tugged on the reins and drew the horse to a stop in front of Ilsa’s dress shop. Once Aundy told her how to set the brake and wrap the reins around the handle, the two of them got down and stepped onto the sidewalk. Bertie waved to Ilsa as she adjusted a display in her big front window then started down the street. “I won’t be gone long.”
“Take all the time you need. There’s no rush,” Aundy said as she opened Ilsa’s shop door then stepped inside the dress boutique.
Bertie kept a lively pace as she walked down the street then turned the corner and made her way to the telephone office. She quietly opened the door and watched as Millie, Lacy, and a girl she didn’t recognize answered incoming calls.
Millie turned around and smiled at her, motioning for her to come around the counter while she connected a few more calls. As soon as there was a lull, Millie yanked off her headset and jumped to her feet, pulling Bertie into a warm hug.
“Bertie, it’s grand to see you. You look wonderful!” Millie pushed her back and studied her. “Life at Nash’s Folly definitely agrees with you.”
“It seems to,” Bertie said, smiling at Millie, then at Lacy as she rose to her feet and hurried to give her a hug.
“Oh, Bertie, you truly look lovely.” Lacy squeezed her hand. “Is it life out in the country air that has you so rosy-cheeked and bright-eyed, or have you met someone special?”
Bertie rolled her eyes at her friend. “Just because love and romance oozes out of you, Mrs. Hill, doesn’t mean everyone feels the same.”
Lacy gave Bertie
a knowing look. “Be that as it may, there’s something different about you. Are you feeling better?”
“Much better.” In the short time she’d been at Nash’s Folly, she hadn’t once dreamed about Richard Kent. She’d slept peacefully through each night. Well rested and no longer plagued with fears, she thought that was probably the reason she looked different. Even though she’d been working hard physically, she felt more like herself than she had for weeks.
Lacy hugged her again. “I’m ever so glad, Bertie. Perhaps one day, when you have some time off, you’ll join us for supper.”
“As much as I’d love to, right now Sundays are my only day off and I’ve promised to spend them with Bobby.”
“Why don’t you and Bobby join us some Sunday after church?” Lacy suggested. A frustrated sigh rolled out of her as the phone lines lit up all at once. “Think about it and let me know. You’re welcome anytime.”
“Thanks, Lacy. I’ll talk to Bobby about it.” Bertie gave Millie another hug then left her busy friends to their work.
Confident that she could walk through town without looking over her shoulder every other step, she left the telephone office. She waved at Grant as he exited the bank across the street. She walked down a few blocks and over two more streets to reach Bobby’s plumbing business.
A bell jangled when she opened the door. She stepped up to the counter, waiting for her brother to appear from the workroom in the back. Most of his work was done at homes and businesses around town, but if he wasn’t out on a job, he worked in his shop. The unlocked door assured her he was there.
“I’ll be right out,” Bobby called then walked through the doorway, wiping his hands on a rag. At the sight of his sister, he started to give her a hug. Before he settled his filthy hands on her spotless gown, she jumped back. He grinned and lifted his hands in the air, indicating he wouldn’t get her dirty. “Bert! It’s so good to see you.”
Bertie (Pendleton Petticoats Book 6) Page 8