Jared readied himself to go downstairs again. He could hear the sparrows calling outside his bedroom window and the wind rustling the trees surrounding the garden. It was a beautiful spring day and he wanted to get out in it.
Just one hurdle to get over. Eating another of those stomach-turning breakfasts. Or maybe he could skip it completely this time.
Jared hopped down the stairs three at a time, followed by his two dogs. He knew he should speak up and complain about the poor quality of the grub. Just tell Ellie straight. The problem was he couldn’t bring himself to do it. She looked delicate. A mite sickly. Earnest about wanting to please. He was afraid she might cry if he told her the food tasted like muck.
“Morning, Grams, morning, Ellie.”
It looked as if the two of them had been up for a while, even though it was only just dawn. Jared resolved to avoid breakfast altogether today.
“I’ll have one of your wonderful coffees, Ellie, then I’ll be off out. Got a lot to do today.”
Grammy looked as if she had been waiting for him to say that.
“Oh no, Jared, I’m not having that. You are to sit down and eat your breakfast properly. You’ll catch a sickness if you go out to work on an empty stomach.”
She looked fiercely at him.
He looked up to the heavens for help. “Grams, I really don’t -”
“No. I won’t hear another word. You are to eat your breakfast. Ellie, if you don’t mind, could you serve it now, please.”
Jared sat down with a sigh. There was no arguing with Grammy when she got like this. Had to have her way.
Grammy looked like she was suppressing a laugh. “So Jared, good breakfast yesterday? Our Ellie worked hard to cook that up for us.”
Jared looked at Ellie, busy at the stove dishing out his meal, then looked appealingly at Grammy.
“Well, I … yes, good, it was a very good breakfast.”
“Really?” Grammy raised her voice. “You hear that Ellie? He thought yesterday’s breakfast was a very good breakfast.”
“Thank you Jared, I am glad you were pleased by it.” Ellie flashed him a slightly mischievous smile.
Grammy had a sip from the large, sweet, milky coffee she had each morning. “So my dear, is that how you’d like your breakfast every day? About right for you was it?”
If Jared wasn’t imagining things, Grammy was smothering a snort of laughter behind her over-sized coffee mug.
“Hum, ah yes, I guess so.”
Jared did a double take as Ellie slid a breakfast fit for a king under his nose. Perfectly browned and crispy streaky bacon, fluffy hash browns steaming a tempting aroma, cornbread done to perfection, curly sausages fried up in the pan, and two immaculately done fried eggs with their yolks still runny. There was even a sauce of deep red tomato cooked with onion and parsley, served hot in a small jug.
Jared eyes grew as big as saucers. He looked at Grammy and Ellie, who were looking away from him now. He turned back to his food and lost no time in attacking that delectable plate. He couldn’t suppress his groans of delight through his mouthfuls.
“Dang! This is … mighty good! How did you do this, was this you Ellie?”
Ellie turned to look at him, pleasure all over her face. “Yes. I practiced a little yesterday. Is it better this time?”
“Yes! I mean … it’s mighty tasty Ellie. Do this every day from now on, will you?”
Grammy was giggling at him. “But I thought you said you liked yesterday’s breakfast best, Jared, didn’t you?”
Jared grinned at her briefly before stuffing his mouth again. “All right, Grams, I get it. I should have said the food was bad yesterday. Sorry Ellie, but it was kinda awful.” He smiled sheepishly at her. “But this makes up for it all right.”
Ellie started giggling in her happiness.
Grammy piped up. “You see Jared, you are too polite for your own good. If you don’t watch out, she’ll think you like rubber eggs and make ‘em every day for you. Lucky I stepped in and told her straight. Spent all day yesterday practicing, so she did.”
Jared looked at Ellie with appreciation. “Thank you, Ellie. What a woman. Appreciate it all the more when you start me off with a rotten breakfast.”
They all collapsed into laughter at that, peals ringing around the front room. Eric and Fairy happily wolfed down the remains of yesterday’s practice breakfasts. Everyone had done well out of Ellie’s first day disaster.
Chapter 18
Grammy finished up the last of her coffee.
“Today I have a task for you, Jared. I know you’re busy but I need this done.”
“What’s that Gram? Anything for the breakfast sheriff.”
“I need you to show Ellie how to drive a buggy. We’ve got two of them, and sometimes I might need Ellie to drive me to town when you are not around.”
Jared had not planned to spend much time with Ellie today, or at all. He had things to do on the ranch. He was warming up to her though. She was relaxed about her terrible cooking and had a fighting spirit to fix it. He had to admit he was starting to like her.
“All right Grams, no problem.” He finished up his breakfast, wiping the plate clean with cornbread. “You ready to go now, Ellie?”
Ellie put on her bonnet and Jared his hat, and they left the house together.
The prairie was ablaze with new wildflowers popping up against the grass in pink, yellow, purple, orange and cream. There was a smell of damp earth in the air and the wind gently caressed their cheeks.
“Here, let’s go to the horses first.” Jared showed Ellie to the stalls.
“This one here is Ginger, and the other’s called Treacleface.” He patted a whiskery white and orange horse and pointed to a fat sleek brown horse with a black face. “These crooners are so old they won’t give you an ounce of trouble. Docile as lambs they are.”
They took the horses out from their stalls and led them round to the buggy standing outside one of the barns. Eric and Fairy came along with them. The dogs danced around, competing for pats from Ellie. They had singled her out as the one they wanted attention from.
Jared snorted out a laugh. “They’re getting lovesick over you. Ignoring me now, aren’t you boys?” He grinned at Ellie. “Sure you didn’t have animals, back at your place in Boston?”
Ellie glowed, flattered by the attention from the dogs. “No, but I love animals.”
“They can tell it too. I know they look like they could swallow a bear whole. But they are the gentlest creatures around people they care for. You can give them a hug if you don’t mind, they love that.”
Ellie squatted down with the giant hairy dogs and put an arm around each. She giggled as Fairy licked her face.
“That tickles! Ooh, that tickles, doggie!”
Jared watched with the pride of a father. “See, they don’t step over the line, they know how to be civilized and not knock people over.”
He watched her, fascinated. She was unaffected and laughed so naturally. He had never met a girl quite like her.
He pulled himself together. “Watch how I harness up Ginger, then you can do the same for Treacleface.” He lifted the leather and metal contraption from a hook on the barn wall and showed her step by step what to do.
“Then you just lift that hoop up over the horse’s head, make sure the straps are tightened just right, and he’s hitched. See? Now you try.”
He watched Ellie do the same, as she followed his instructions as best she could. She had pluck that girl. Small though she was, she was managing it fine without his help. Jared wondered what kind of situation she came from, what kind of family she had. “So Ellie, what’s your family back in Boston?”
She replied without facing him, speaking clearly as she fastened the straps onto Treacleface. “I don’t have family. I lost my family to typhoid, so there is just me left.” She turned to face him, her face normal as if she had just told him the time. “How about you?”
Jared understood. It was not uncommon to
lose family, and it was not done to show the pain to strangers.
“I have two brothers and two sisters. All scattered out, making their own livelihoods. Lost both my parents in an accident. Grandpa died a few years ago.”
Ellie nodded, listening carefully to each word. There was a pause.
Though it had been a brief exchange, the swapping of histories had brought them a step closer together. Jared dared to ask a little more. “What are your plans for the future then, Ellie? You working from now on?”
“Yes, I am a worker. I want a chance to improve my abilities and do a good job. I am grateful to be here, Jared.”
Jared regarded her, feeling guilty for his intention to have her leave at the end of the month. Maybe she wasn’t so bad after all.
“Good. Come on then, let’s get this buggy going. Hop up!” As before, Jared let Ellie get herself up into the buggy. “We flick the reins like this, and we’re off. Come on, let’s ride a circle, see how fast we can go!”
Jared led the horses into a trot, completing a wide circle, whooping as they went. “Think you can do it, Ellie? Don’t fall off now, I’m not gonna catch you!”
Ellie’s giggles bubbled up as they swung around together under the bright spring sun, and the dogs chased the buggy, barking excitedly. Jared watched Ellie as she drove, admiration in his eyes. Not only had she picked that up quicker than a boy would, she was a whole lot of fun into the bargain. Now here was a woman he could tease and make fun of, and she gave as good as she got.
Chapter 19
With her new life in the country, Ellie started to heal. The last vestiges of her illness were blown away.
She soaked up the sunshine for hours each day, absorbing it deep into her bones and letting it heat up her face and hair. The air here was the freshest she had ever known, and every breath she took was fragrant with the scent of the prairie.
She slept the sleep of the angels each night on her feathery regal bed. At mealtimes, she packed away incredible amounts of nourishing food, egged on by Grammy and Jared.
Her new found health showed through. She had the energy to work a full day without tiring. Muscles grew where there had been none visible. Her skin radiated a peachy tan. Even her hair looked thicker and shinier, blown about by the prairie winds.
The days and weeks passed quickly in a flurry of activity. Ellie survived on very little sleep. She was making good on her resolution to make her employers glad they had taken a chance on her.
Looking through the rooms in the house, Ellie could see she had a mountain of work to do. While she couldn’t finish it all in four weeks, she decided to make the best start she could. So Ellie swept and tidied every corner, she dusted, she mopped the floors, and she polished and cleaned the windows until they were as clear as spring water.
There were pigs and chickens to muck out and feed. Hoeing, weeding and gardening to be done. Butter to be churned. The tasks were hard and never-ending, but Ellie was glad to have something worthwhile to throw herself into.
She made a start on clearing each room of old unwanted things. She began to sort through the clothes, curtains and bed linen, checking them for holes and mending them. She laundered each item in turn and once they were dry, she pressed them to starchy perfection.
Then, under the direction of Grammy, she started to work through each of the outbuildings in sequence, clearing years of dust and sorting through broken tools. She aimed to scrub each of those outbuildings until it was clean enough to live and sleep in.
Grammy hauled out four large trunks packed with every kind of item a woman could want to wear: dresses, petticoats, corsets, coats, shoes, bonnets, and jackets. Grammy explained that this was her collection she had saved over the years from her interest in sewing and clothes.
Many of the items were not suitable for an old lady, so Grammy pushed Ellie to choose from them and wear what she liked. Together they laundered, mended and adjusted the garments. By the time they had finished, Ellie had all kinds of new and colorful additions to her wardrobe.
Ellie loved every moment of her new life and learned quickly from Grammy. Ellie was often clumsy and dropped things, so there were more incidents of breakages for Grammy to laugh at. Ellie’s dizzy spells were a chance for her to be made fun of and teased, but it was all from the kindest humor. And when she fell over, one or other of the puppies would be sure to gambol over and lick her face.
Ellie was working for good honest people and she was earning board and a little money. She had chosen to be here of her own free will and she was free to choose whether she would stay or go. She was not being used as an unpaid servant any more. At last Ellie could hold her head up high and feel proud.
Ellie felt as if she was waking up to real life. Never before had hard work felt so good. She had almost forgotten what it felt like to be accepted for who she was. Being around decent people nourished her soul.
One morning Ellie was scattering feed for the chickens, humming to herself as the red and orange light of dawn burst forth over the distant hills. She threw handfuls of feed and watched the chickens run to it. She was starting to recognize the different birds by the patterns of their feathers.
She made little clucking sounds and spoke gently to the birds. “What shall I call you then? You can be Josie … You Daisy … Now let me see -” She heard the sound of the front door of the house opening and she stopped speaking.
Jared strode out into the yard, swinging a metal pail and looking purposeful. He caught sight of Ellie and grinned at her.
“How’s it going, Ellie? Those chickens behaving themselves?”
“Yes, pretty well, thanks.” Ellie smiled a shy smile. Her mind seemed to go blank sometimes when he spoke to her.
“I’m going to milk the cows, Ellie. It might be a task you could take on if you are willing. Want me to show you how?”
His eyes showed up the color of fresh green leaves in the bright morning light. Ellie could see the ring around his irises was a dark forest green.
“Sure, I’d be happy to.”
They walked along to the cowshed in easy silence.
“This one’s Mabel.” A mild-looking cow was in front of them. She was patched in russet and white, her long eyelashes drooping over mild brown eyes. “She’s pretty easy and gentle so let’s practice with her.”
Jared sat on the low three-legged milking stool and leaned his cheek against the cow’s flank. He showed Ellie how to wrap her thumb and forefinger to capture the milk, loosen it slightly and gently squeeze. The milk shot out and zinged into the pail.
“See? Now you try.”
Ellie politely stepped forward to sit on the stool, neat in her red and blue checked poplin dress with petticoats underneath and her spotless brown work boots. Her hair was braided and coiled into a shiny braid behind each ear. She mimicked Jared’s position and hands, and she pulled on the udders as he had done. The milk was not flowing out.
“Did I not squeeze right?” Ellie wondered aloud.
Before Ellie had time to think another thought, Jared had crouched down behind her and put his hands over hers. He wrapped his fingers over her fingers, showing her where to loosen and where to squeeze.
Ellie’s heart beat quickly as she felt his warmth envelope her. She wondered if he could feel her heart fluttering through his chest. A warm smell of leather and salty water came from his skin as he leaned over her.
Ellie’s head began to swim. With an effort she concentrated on what he was showing her and she got the knack of milking. She turned around on her stool to look at him.
Ellie saw him pull back as she turned toward him. There was no expression on his face.
“You got it. Good. Continue on like that, I’ll get the other pails.”
As Jared strode off Ellie turned back to the cow and carried on milking.
Well, I guess I might admire him. Not that it would do me any good.
Ellie dropped the thought from her mind as she milked. She knew he had no interest in her in any ca
se. She wouldn’t insult him by harboring an affection. That would be unwelcome and not correct toward an employer.
Even her position as a housekeeper was far from sure. After all, she was here because of a mistake. Grammy had ordered a mail order bride for Jared as a surprise, and he had made it clear he didn’t want her as a bride.
They had not planned to get a housekeeper in the first place. So why were they even keeping her on now? Ellie hoped it was not from a sense of duty after having dragged her out here from Boston. Or even worse, charity toward a poor sickly girl.
She sighed to herself. It was not productive to think that way. No good would come of it. Better that she kept her head down and kept on working. Better to prove to them she was a good housekeeper and not to be pitied.
Chapter 20
Of all the tasks she had, Ellie’s favorite was to hunt in the vast vegetable garden. She would rummage through the leaves, delicately folding them back as she searched for the choicest items.
Once Ellie found a good looking vegetable, herb, fruit, squash or root, she would add it to her collection. Then she would bring her haul back to the front room and pore over the recipe book. She combined inspiration from years gone by with her own creativity to come up with new recipes.
The extensive garden plot had already been sown some years back, and it was perfectly situated on the sunny side of the house. The soil was richly dark and moist, bursting with nutrition and ready to nurture anything grown in it.
There were special beds for herbs such as rosemary, lavender, sheep sorrel, thyme, chives, and mint. Row upon row of root vegetables grew, with parsnips, turnips, potatoes and beetroot. There were racks for rows of runner beans, peas and tomatoes to run up. Sprouting from the ground were squashes such as pumpkin and other plants Ellie had never seen before such as okra.
Much of the garden had been allowed to run wild. It had been too much for Grammy to take care of in recent years.
Ellie took delight in plunging her fingers deep into the fertile dark soil. She pulled out weeds and debris, lovingly molding the garden back to its former glory. Every day she would return to the garden at sunset when the sun was no longer hot on the leaves and she would water every inch.
Mail Order Love (Sweet Mail Order Bride Historical Romance Novel) (Oregon Mail Order Brides) Page 7