Owen was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard a horse whinny in the distance. Sure enough, seconds later he could see a buggy come around the corner toward the house, and knew that it was Virgil coming to pick them up.
He headed to the house to alert Grace that Virgil was almost there, when suddenly she emerged with a small basket in hand.
“I was just on my way to tell you that Virgil is almost here.” Owen said.
“Yes, I was watching from the front window and saw that he was approaching, so I came outside.”
“If you’ve just been sitting there staring out the window, why didn’t you come out and join me. I thought you were asleep.”
“You looked like you were lost in thought, so I didn’t want to disturb you. But I wasn’t just staring out the window… I also packed some biscuits and jelly to take along with us. Figured you hadn’t eaten breakfast and you’d be starved.”
Always looking out for me. Owen thought to himself. He was in fact quite hungry, but hadn’t realized it until then. “Thanks, I am hungry. I guess I forgot to eat this morning.”
“I noticed.” Grace said with a sly smile.
“Miss Russell? Can I ask you something?” Owen asked, but then was grateful when Virgil had pulled up and hollered out his greetings, distracting them from their conversation.
“Hello Virgil! Let me grab my stuff.” Owen called back, and then hurried to retrieve his makeshift poles. There were two of them, homemade contraptions. They weren’t pretty to look at, basically made from long, thin tree branches that were strong enough, yet flexible enough to fight a decent fish into the shore. The end of each stick had a length of twine attached that Owen had made himself. The hooks were the only part that he had purchased.
After placing his items in the back of the buggy, Owen turned to help Grace onto the seat. The buckboard wagon was wide enough that three adults could sit together on the one seat that had been built onto the buggy, but it was tight.
Grace took her place in the middle of the seat, and then Owen hopped up beside her. He was close enough to her that he could detect the subtle hint of her perfume.
He quietly took in a couple of deep breaths, soaking in her aroma. He loved the way she smelled. She was not like most of the women from those parts, who if they wore any scent at all, seemed to bathe themselves in it. She knew to use just enough to capture a man’s attention to herself without overwhelming his senses.
Virgil had picked up on the scent also. “You smell quite lovely this morning, Miss Russell. I don’t recognize the scent though.”
“Thank you, Virgil. It is actually made with Rose oil. I brought it with me when I came out here.”
“Well, it is a very lovely scent, for a very lovely woman.” Virgil smiled and tipped his hat as he spoke.
Owen felt a bit of jealousy shoot through him, but reminded himself that Virgil was courting his sister and that he wasn’t flirting with Grace. He hadn’t ever seen Virgil around women other than his sister, but he could only imagine that Virgil must turn on the charm with ladies whenever he was around them.
“You are not going to drive away without saying hello to me are you?” Constance called out to Virgil from the porch. Virgil immediately hopped down and quickly crossed the distance to where she stood and embraced her.
“I am so happy to see you! I assumed at this early hour that you’d still be asleep.” He said as he hugged her close and softly kissed her on the forehead. “But now it is going to be so difficult to tear myself away from you.”
“Well you are going to have to,” Owen called out to him, “we are going to miss out on the best fishing if we don’t head out right away.”
After a few more moments, Virgil said his goodbyes to Constance and promised that he’d visit more after they returned later in the day. Then he hopped back into the buggy, and gave the horses a couple clucks, and they began to slowly pull the wagon away.
The ride to town was slow. Some storms had passed through the area in the weeks before, and the dirt road that they traveled had developed some ruts from the running water.
Owen was grateful for the extra time he had to spend with Grace, but he was a bit put off by how much of the trip was taken up by Virgil engaging her in conversation. The two did share a similar sense of humor, and it seemed that she enjoyed his company quite a bit.
Owen tried to interject himself in the conversation, and he normally would not be at a loss for words. However, this time the only thing he could think to talk about, was the one thing that he was avoiding bringing up. More than anything else he wanted to convince Grace not to take a job and move out, but he knew that he was being selfish. It was not fair to her, or to his girlfriend, for him to want to spend so much time with her.
At Owen’s request, Virgil pulled up in front of the small diner that one of Owen’s childhood friends had opened up.
“Now ask for Elias, and mention to him that I recommended that you see him. He and his wife are good friends of mine, and I happen to know that their cook quit not long ago after her baby was born. Tell him that I can vouch for your outstanding skills in the kitchen.”
Owen gave her a wink as he spoke the last words. He meant every word of it too. Not that his sister was a bad cook by any stretch of the imagination, but she didn’t hold a candle to Grace as far as he was concerned.
“Okay, I will. And thanks for the compliment, and the referral.”
“If he has already hired for the position, there is a seamstress shop and a small inn, both located down the street a ways,” Owen said while nodding his head in the direction of them, “I’m sure either of them could use your skills.”
“Thank you Mr. Miller.” Grace replied, and then turning to Virgil, “And thank you for the lift. I will wait outside the post office for you to pick me up after you finish fishing.”
“Absolutely, Miss Russell. And thank you for the wonderful conversation. I can’t remember the last time I’ve shared so many laughs with someone.” Virgil said with a tip of his hat.
Again, Owen felt that same rise of jealousy in his chest, but swallowed it back down, convincing himself that even if he and Grace were a couple, he had nothing to worry about because Virgil was all but engaged to his sister.
The two men waved their good byes, and after Grace had stepped into the diner, Virgil gave the horses a few clucks and then headed out of town.
“I’m sorry to say it, Owen, but you are a fool if you don’t snatch that one up real quick.”
“You know that I have a girlfriend back east. Remember?”
“Well, you know what they say… a bird in the hand is better than –“
“Yes, I know what they say.” Owen interrupted, annoyed that Virgil was making it so much more difficult for him by pointing out the obvious.
“Are you sure that your girlfriend hasn’t moved on? And do you really know her anymore? It’s been over three years since you have seen her, and from what you say, it doesn’t seem that she is writing as often as before.”
Owen knew it was true, and he had begun to question more and more as time moved on exactly why he was so set on marrying her. It was just a youthful promise anyway, and it was a fact that he really didn’t know her like he used to.
“I don’t know. But I think it is only fair to her that I keep my word… in case, she is waiting for me.” Owen really wasn’t sure he even believed his own words, but said no more.
“Well, okay then. But don’t be upset if Miss Russell is no longer available when you snap out of your puppy love.”
The men rode in near silence the rest of the way to the lake, both lost in their own thoughts. Once they arrived, they set up on the shoreline, baited their hooks, and cast their lines.
Owen attached a bell to each of his lines, so that he could be alerted if a fish started to toy with his bait, and then leaned back and shut his eyes as if he were napping. He couldn’t nap though, as he thought about Virgil’s words. He knew Virgil was right, and it would not tak
e long for some smooth talker to sweep Grace off her feet. He also realized that he cared more about that happening than if he should find out that his girlfriend had moved on. What should I do? He questioned himself, the answer of which, he was still not sure of.
CHAPTER 9
Grace did not take long to get a job offer. Elias had been so happy to hear that his old friend had recommended that she stop in to see him, and after a short conversation about her experience, he had offered her the job on the spot.
She requested to be allowed a week to figure out the logistics of getting to work every day, and decided to approach the owner of the inn to see if she could work out something to be able to pay for a room in arrears. That had not worked out, and she was still deep in thought about what to do about her lodging when the men returned.
“Hello! Any luck with the job hunt?” Owen called out to her as they approached.
“Oh, you guys are back so soon?” Grace asked as the buggy pulled to a stop in front of her. “I thought you’d be fishing longer.”
“The fish were very active this morning, so we are bringing back a good catch to cook up this evening.” Virgil chimed in. “I thought I could cook them up over the fire, and treat Constance and you to a leisurely evening for a change.”
“That sounds wonderful, Mr. Thomas!” Grace said, her face just beaming, “I’m sure that Constance will enjoy taking an evening off as much as I will.”
Grace noticed Owen flash an annoyed glance in Virgil’s direction, but was unsure of why. The other man hadn’t apparently noticed, however, as he continued to look at her with a proud grin across his face.
“If you need more time, we’d be happy to wait here in town for you.” Owen interrupted. “I could introduce you to a few people in town that might have some suggestions for work, if you’d like. I’ve gotten to know some of the townsfolk since I’ve lived here.”
Realizing that she had never answered Owen’s earlier question, Grace replied, “Actually, Elias offered me the job shortly after hearing that you recommended me. Apparently he really values your opinions.”
“That’s great!” Owen said with a huge grin, though Grace noticed that he lacked his typical sparkle in his eyes that she had come to appreciate so much.
Owen hopped down from the buggy and approached Grace. “Well then I guess we’d better get back home. We have these fish to clean, and I’m sure you want to share the good news with my sister.”
Taking Owen’s outstretched hand, she allowed him to guide her to the buggy and help her into her place on the seat.
“Thank you, Mr. Miller. You are such the gentleman.” She said with a teasing smile.
“Well, I wasn’t exactly born in Montana.” Owen replied with a wink, and a nod in Virgil’s direction.
“Hey there… we native Montanans are not exactly uncouth, you know.” Virgil replied, laughing.
“I don’t think anyone could accuse you of being uncouth, Virgil.” Grace laughed.
“Well—besides me?” Owen asked as if teasing, but Grace thought she heard something behind his words and wondered if something had happened between the men. It was so uncharacteristic to hear Owen criticize or put down anybody. He generally seemed to like everyone.
“At least Mrs. Abel and Miss Russell support me.” Virgil said with a nod toward Grace. “I guess I’ll just have to try harder to win over Owen.”
“Oh, come on. I’m just teasing you.” Owen said in an exaggerated way to emphasize his innocence. “But what do you say that we get moving along so that we can take care of these fish before they spoil in the heat?”
The two men continued the back and forth between themselves on the way back home, at times causing Grace to almost come to tears from laughing so much. It seemed to Grace that she was mistaken earlier when she though she saw something behind Owen’s antics, because it was clearly just good-nature fun on the way home.
Upon arriving home, Owen suggested that he would clean the fish himself, and that Virgil could heat up the wood-stove inside so that it would be ready when the fish were. It also would give Virgil an opportunity to spend some time with Constance while Owen wasn’t underfoot.’
Taking Owen’s lead, Grace suggested that she could help Owen with the fish. “Besides, I’ve never had the opportunity to clean fish myself before, having usually only prepared fish that were purchased at the local store. It’s a skill that I’m sure will come in handy out here.”
“That’s actually a good suggestion,” Owen began, “but though I’d welcome your company, but why don’t I teach you how to clean fish another time? Virgil and I are supposed to allow you two gals the evening to yourselves. We’ll take care of everything.”
“Alright then. I’ll just observe today. But only on the promise that the next time you go fishing, you’ll take me with you and teach me how to fish too. Afterward, I can learn to clean them.”
“You have yourself a deal.” Owen extended his hand and the two of them shook as if having completed a complicated negotiation.
“Okay, while you two do that, I’ll fire up the woodstove then, and I’ll get some corn and green beans ready to cook up. If I’m not mistaken, there were a few bread rolls left from dinner last night that we can eat too, provided that you all didn’t feast on them this morning.” Virgil interjected.
“I can’t speak for Constance,” replied Grace, “but we didn’t have any of them this morning, so there should be plenty. Sounds like you really know your way around the kitchen, by the way.”
“Well, when you’ve lived on your own as long as Virgil has, you’re bound to have picked up a few tricks along the way.” Offered Owen. “I’ve had his cooking once when he wanted to impress my sister, and I have to admit that it was pretty good.”
Owen led Grace around to the back of the house to where a couple of chairs were placed near the back door, separated by a small table large enough for two people to use to place their meal upon. She imagined that Owen and his sister had probably enjoyed some quiet evenings watching the sun set in the west while finishing up their supper, though she had not seen them do that since she had arrived.
She took one of the seats. Owen handed her the stringer of fish, and then walked into the house while she waited outside. A short time later he emerged with a knife with a long, thin blade, a cutting board, a bucket, and a large plate.
Having placed the items that he had brought with him around the chair that he then sat in, he reached for the stinger of fish. “I’ll take those now.”
He took the fish off the stringer and placed them on top of each other on one of the plates, then selected one and began to clean and filet it.
“It sure was fun watching Mr. Thomas and you teasing each other on the way back here.” Grace said. “He seems like he will make a good husband for your sister.”
“He’s a good man from what I can gather. My sister certainly has a thing for him.” Owen paused and looked like he was contemplating what to say next. “I have to admit though that I wonder if she knows him well enough. He is not able to come by very often, and I’m not sure if there has been enough time for her to really get to know him. I want her to be happy though, and it seems that she wants to marry him something awful. I just hope that she isn’t just so desperate to marry that she isn’t seeing the full picture. A wrong decision could ruin her life.”
“I know what you mean. I think that it is even more important for the woman to be sure about the man that she is marrying, because she is the one taking the biggest risk.” Grace replied. “But Mr. Thomas does seem to be a good man on the surface, though admittedly I haven’t had enough time that I’d be able to speak with any real confidence about his character.”
“Enough about Virgil though. Let’s talk about something else.” Owen said. “Are you excited about getting started at the diner?”
“I am, yes. I think it will be good for me.” Grace said, taken a bit off guard by the sudden change in topic.
“Elias and his wife a
re good people, and I’m sure they’ll treat you fairly.” Owen said, then paused and swallowed heavily. “But I want to make sure that nothing has happened to make you unhappy here and cause you to want to leave.”
“No. Absolutely not. I have really enjoyed my time with your sister and you. You two have basically saved my life, when I had no other options. I’ll be grateful forever.”
“But I sometimes feel like maybe you are leaving because I’ve offended you somehow.” Owen said, shuffling slightly in his seat and without looking into Grace’s eyes.
“Uh—no. No, I—um.” Grace struggled with her words. “It’s not you. I just think it would be for the best.”
“That’s not very convincing.” Owen said somberly. “If I offended you somehow, I assure you it was unintentional… and I apologize.”
“No, really Owen. I just feel like I shouldn’t overstay my welcome. I should have looked for work long before now before everything became so confusing.”
“What are you so confused about? My sister and I are happy to have you staying with us. In fact, having you here has been—um—a breath of fresh air.”
“It’s just,.. It’s just. I don’t know. I talked to your sister about it the other day, and she agreed that I should leave.”
“So my sister put you up to this?” Owen said through tight lips, an angry scow across his face. “Why? Why would she want you to leave? She never said anything to me about it.”
“Noooo. That’s not what I meant. She didn’t ask me to leave, she just feels that my reasons to get out on my own make sense.” Grace said, feeling more and more uncomfortable as the conversation went on. She wanted it to end, but a part of her, —a part deep inside, hoped that he would tell her that he loved her, and beg her to stay. Beg her to marry him.
Montana Bound: A Sweet Mail Order Bride Historical (Mail Order Bride Journeys Book 2) Page 7