by Kit Morgan
Eldon laughed. “I’m glad to find you so happy, Lucius. Our folks would be proud.”
“Because I’m married and you’re rich?”
Eldon nodded. “I think they’d be more proud of you.”
“But I’m not the one who’s made something of myself. Look at you with your fancy clothes and a haircut. Tarnation, you even shaved!”
Eldon frowned. “Clothes and money don’t necessarily make the man, little brother. They’re nice to have, I’ll admit, but they’re not much company come nightfall.”
Lucius stared at him a moment. “You’re lonely.”
Eldon studied the small café, spied the waitress bringing their meals and sat back in his chair. He waited until after she’d served them and left before he spoke. “Let’s just say I envy you your new life. Can’t wait to try your wife’s cooking.”
“Come to the house tomorrow night for supper. Emma will be thrilled to meet you. In fact, why stay at the boarding house any longer? I know you can afford it without worry, but I want to be able to catch up. Stay with us.”
“You have the room?”
“We’ve got a little cabin just outside of town. It’s not much, but there’s a sofa in the parlor.”
“I’ve slept on much worse,” Eldon reminded him, thinking about the war. “It’s a deal.” He took a generous bite of the chicken on his plate and smiled as he chewed and swallowed. “This is good.”
“Wait until you taste Emma’s cooking. She makes the best cookies this side of Kentucky.”
Eldon laughed. “That why you married her?”
“That’s one reason. She’s not hard on the eyes either.” Lucius glanced around the café. “Maybe you’ll spy something pretty for yourself too. Cutter’s Creek has a few single ladies. Since your money makes such a poor bedfellow, you ought to think of marrying.”
Eldon set his fork down. “My plan was to stay on a while if I found you. Now that I have, I’ll see it through. As far as women … well, we’ll see. So how do you like being a deputy?” he asked, changing the subject.
“It’s not bounty hunting, but it suits me fine. Besides, I don’t need to hunt bounty anymore to feel excitement – I’ve got Emma keeping me on my toes.”
Eldon laughed. “Now I’m definitely staying with you and your bride. She got a sister?”
“No, but she’s got one heck of a brother.”
Eldon raised a curious eyebrow and smiled. “Sounds like I got some people to meet.”
“No doubt about it. Maybe if you’re lucky, you’ll meet some of the female variety. Come Sunday at church you’ll get a chance – I’ll have Emma introduce you –”
“Slow down – I don’t aim to marry tomorrow. Not that I mind seeing the prospects.”
Lucius took a bite and nodded. “Good. After I take Albert his supper, I’ll bring you home to meet Emma.”
“Ah yes, your prisoner. What’s he locked up for? He said disturbing the peace.”
“Pretty much. He showed up about a month ago and has been getting into minor bits of trouble ever since. This time, Mrs. Petroff said he was raising a ruckus in front of her house and picking weeds out of her garden.”
Eldon’s jaw dropped. “You locked a man up for gardening?!”
“It’s not just that – he’s been raiding people’s gardens and root cellars too. Pumpkins, mostly, and dried plums. It’s been going on for weeks, so I had to do something.”
“Pumpkins and plums. And you’re sure you’re not bored with this job?”
“Like I said, it’s not the job that makes my life exciting, it’s my wife. Now we best see about getting you one.”
Eldon sighed. “If one can be found.”
“When you’re done with the dishes, you can start on the laundry,” Mrs. Bridger told Aggie as she pushed her breakfast plate away.
Aggie was about to take a bite of her own breakfast when she stopped, fork halfway to her mouth. “I will.”
“You will what?” Mrs. Bridger growled.
Agee stiffened. “I will … ma’am.”
“That’s better,” Mrs. Bridger said softly and left the room.
Aggie pushed her frustration aside, finished her meal, did the dishes, then gathered what she needed for the laundry. The sooner she got done, the sooner she could go into town and inquire about a job – any job. Ever since Jonathan had brought it up the night before, she’d thought of nothing else. And she had to hurry before Olivia did something stupid that got the family into trouble and forced them to leave Cutter’s Creek.
It had happened before – Jonathan had let slip some tales the first year she lived with the Bridgers. At first she didn’t believe him, but after experiencing the full brunt of Olivia and her mother’s sense of superiority, she knew how their arrogance and pride could get them in hot water … and make her life miserable.
At first she hadn’t minded helping out – she wanted to earn her keep. But soon they began treating her like a slave, and several times overheard Olivia telling some poor sap that Aggie was her personal servant. If Olivia was going to talk such nonsense, the least she could do was call her a “ladies’ maid”, but she didn’t even do that.
Aggie wondered if Olivia knew what a fool she made of herself every time she opened her mouth. She pitied her and her mother, and felt sorry for Mr. Bridger, who did nothing to stop it. He was more concerned with finding a husband for Olivia – probably just wanting to be rid of her!
Aggie pushed the thoughts aside and started filling and heating the kettle to fill the washtub. On her fourth return trip from the pump out back, she found Olivia standing next to the tub, a glass full of dirt in her hand. “What’s that for?”
Olivia grinned at Aggie, then made a show of emptying the glass into the washtub. “Oops.” She smirked. “Looks like you’ll have to refill the tub again. You certainly can’t do laundry in dirty water, now can you?”
Aggie seethed. “What do you think you’re doing?!”
Olivia shrugged, pirouetted in triumph and left the kitchen.
Aggie groaned and set the kettle on the stove with a clank. Sometimes she wondered if Olivia was a misbehaving little boy in a woman’s body.
Mrs. Bridger came into the room not a second later. “What’s going on in here? Olivia says you haven’t started the laundry yet. What’s the matter with you?”
Aggie stiffened. “What’s the matter is that Olivia dumped a glassful of dirt into the wash water!”
“She did no such thing, you liar,” Mrs. Bridger hissed.
Aggie’s jaw trembled. “I saw her do it.”
Mrs. Bridger was in her face so fast Aggie didn’t have time to blink. “No one calls me a liar or says such things about Olivia.” She pressed her mouth into a firm line and glared. “No food for you for the rest of the day, do you understand?”
Aggie was about to bite back a retort, but then Mrs. Bridger crossed a line. She slapped Aggie, hard, across the face!
She stepped back in shock, holding a hand to her cheek.
“Dump that dirty water, refill the tub and get to work!” Mrs. Bridger snarled.
Aggie stared at her, unmoving, but her anger was rising.
“Well?” Mrs. Bridger hissed impatiently. “Don’t just stand there, do what you’re told!”
Inside Aggie, something snapped. “Dump the dirty water, you said?” she asked quietly.
“That’s what I said! Are you stupid?”
“No. No, I’m not stupid. Not anymore.” Without hesitation Aggie picked up the washtub and dumped the water – all over Amara Bridger! Then to the sound of the woman’s outraged screams, she left the Bridgers’ house the same way she’d entered it years before, with nothing but the clothes on her back.
In the back of Aggie’s mind, she worried that she’d been foolhardy, abandoning the only home she had. But wherever she ended up, she was sure it had to be better than living under the Bridgers’ thumbs. She would not have her soul be beaten down by those horrible people anymore. She w
as going to find work in Cutter’s Creek, or die trying. But she would never, ever go back.
Chapter 3
The wind bit through Aggie’s clothes, causing her to shiver as she hurried down the road to town a quarter-mile away. If she hurried, hopefully they wouldn’t catch up to her before she found a job and a place to stay. But even if they did, she would not go back. Enough was enough. She would not be their slave, their victim, ever again.
If only it wasn’t December – she wasn’t used to the northern cold. She and her family had lived in Texas before moving further west. She wondered if she’d ever adjust to such freezing winters – or be able to afford the proper clothing to endure them.
She hurried on.
When she reached the edge of Cutter’s Creek she quickly studied the nearest buildings. She’d rarely been allowed to go with the family for supplies or food – Mrs. Bridger and Olivia did the shopping. Perhaps they feared she’d slip away from them. Well, then their fear had been realized – she wouldn’t go back if they forced her at gunpoint. Now that she had the freedom to live her own life, she was going to. Somehow.
Aggie shivered as she stepped onto the boardwalk. What work could she find? Where should she look? She spied a café down the street, and decided it was as good a place to start as any. She made her way to the building’s entrance, grabbed the door handle, opened it – and ran right into somebody. “Oof!”
“I beg your pardon,” the man said. “I didn’t see you there.”
“How could you when the door was closed?” a man behind him asked.
Aggie looked up into two pairs of dark, inquisitive eyes. The man in front was a well-dressed gentleman, a rare sight in these parts. “I’m terribly sorry. You’ll excuse me?”
“Of course.”
The first man moved to one side to let her pass, then looked her over. “You’re freezing!”
She stopped and looked up at him. “Um, well, it’s c-cold …”
He glanced at the other man, who dressed more simply but wore a deputy’s star on his coat. Uh-oh. What if Olivia accused her of stealing and insisted the law lock her up? She’d threatened her with it before. Maybe the nasty woman would go through with it this time …
“You all right?” the gentleman asked her.
She looked into his eyes, saw his concern and was warmed by it. She wasn’t used to people being concerned with her. “Well, I, uh …”
He smiled warmly and swept his hand toward the nearby tables. “Don’t let me keep you.”
She smiled, nodded and headed for the counter. She’d have to speak to the owner and see if he or she needed someone.
“Eldon,” she heard the deputy say in a deep, gravelly voice. She glanced over her shoulder at them. The well-dressed one was staring at her, and the deputy was staring at him in amusement. “We need to take Albert his lunch?”
The other man seemed to snap awake and turned to his companion. “Yes, of course.” Then, he looked at her again, smiled and left.
Aggie shook, but not with cold. No, this was different, unfamiliar, and she was surprised at the odd pleasure she felt in her chest. She smiled in wonder, then turned to the counter.
Eldon stared at the café door as Lucius headed down the boardwalk. “Are you coming?” Lucius asked over his shoulder.
Eldon couldn’t bring himself to move. “Who was that?”
Lucius walked back to him. “I have no idea – I’ve never seen her before. Emma might know. What’s the matter?” He glanced between the door and his brother. “Oh.”
Eldon glared at him. “Don’t even think it. She just … caught my eye.”
“Then why are we still standing here?”
Eldon shook off the lingering effects of … what, he had no idea. He’d lost himself in those big, dark doe eyes of hers. She clearly wasn’t some highborn lady – the poor thing was wearing a sorry excuse for a dress, and no coat or shawl. No wonder she was cold. “You sure Emma’ll know?”
Lucius started down the boardwalk again, turned to face Eldon and continued walking, backwards. “If she doesn’t, then we’ll ask around until we find out.” He stopped with a laugh. “You look positively smitten. Why don’t you just go back and find out who she is?”
“No, no – I’m sure I’ll see her again someplace. For all I know, she’s married.”
“Was she wearing a ring?”
Eldon finally caught up. “I didn’t look at her hands. Those eyes …”
Lucius chuckled again.
Eldon frowned. “If she’d been a plate of cookies, you’d have noticed.”
Lucius laughed harder, doubling over. Finally he straightened and calmed enough to talk. “I’ll ask Emma as soon as we get home, but I still say you should go back and talk to her.”
“Wouldn’t be proper, especially if she’s already betrothed.”
“I don’t see why not. Besides, I’ve never seen her before – maybe she’s just passing through.”
“Well … let’s just see what your wife says. There are other women in this town.”
“True, but I’m not sure any of them will make you stop breathing like she just did,” Lucius said with another laugh.
Eldon stopped short. “You’re enjoying this way too much.”
“Of course I am! Especially if it makes you happy.” Lucius put a hand on Eldon’s shoulder. “It’s a terrible thing to be lonely.”
Eldon studied him. “You ain’t gonna lose me again, brother. But getting married won’t tie me here. I ain’t even sure I’ll stay.”
Lucius’ face fell. “You just got here …”
“Don’t fret – I ain’t leaving tomorrow.”
Lucius let his hand drop. “Look at us. Two of the most fearsome bounty hunters in the country and we’re worried about …” He waved a hand at the town. “… setting down roots and being respectable.”
“I’m already respectable.” Eldon said with a smirk.
“You know what I mean. Our lives are changing. Those days are over for us.”
“You make us sound like old men.”
“No. Wiser men, maybe.”
Eldon had to smile. “That sounds all right. Now, we’d best go feed poor Albert before he starts to chew on his boots. You sure do spoil your prisoners.”
Lucius laughed, slapped him on the back, and together they headed for the sheriff’s office.
“I’m sorry, missy, but we ain’t hirin’,” the café owner told Aggie with a sigh. “Maybe ya should check down at the dressmaker’s. Can ya sew?”
Aggie nodded, her eyes on the floor. “Thank you for speaking with me.”
“Aw, don’t look so sad,” he said. “Try the dressmaker’s next, see if she has anythin’.”
She raised her face and tentatively smiled. “Thank you, sir, I will.” She left the café feeling discouraged.
As she rushed down the road to the dressmaker’s shop, the wind biting her cheeks, the man she’d bumped into flashed before her. He was tall, handsome … and those eyes, so dark, warm and full of concern. Never had a man looked at her like that.
She smiled at the thought and continued on. Handsome man or no, she still had to find a job and fast – not to mention a place to live. Her stomach growled at the thought and a hand flew to her belly, as if to quiet it. One thing at a time, she told it.
She was so busy hurrying and talking to herself that she walked right into someone else. “Oh! Oh, I’m terribly sorry!”
The gray-haired old woman she’d run into just smiled at her. “Hello, young lady,” she said brightly. “I’m Mrs. Todd.”
Aggie nodded and shivered. “How do you do?”
“Very well, thank you,” she said. “I want to give you this.” She handed Aggie a sheet of paper. “It’s information on the town’s first Christmas festival. We hope you’ll participate.”
Aggie stared at the paper in her hands. “Christmas festival?”
“Yes indeed. I don’t recognize you from Sunday service, so when I saw you I th
ought I’d give you the information and tell you all about it. It’s a great way to get to know people in town.”
Aggie smiled. “Oh, I see. Well, I’ll have to look into it.”
“I hope you do! We’re going to have all sorts of contests and prizes.”
“Prizes? What sort of prizes?” she asked, perhaps a little too excitedly. She didn’t have a penny to her name – anything would help.
Mrs. Todd’s expression changed to shock. “Well … we’ll have a pie-eating contest, a prize for the best quilt and a grand prize for the best Christmas dessert. We haven’t decided on what some of the other contests might be, or what the grand prize will be yet – this is the first year, after all. Would you be interested in helping out?”
“Me?” Aggie asked in shock.
“Certainly. Why not?”
“Well … yes, I’d like to. But … well, you might say I’m new in town. And I have no place to stay …”
“Oh, why didn’t you say so?” Mrs. Todd stepped forward and patted Aggie on the shoulder. “Come with me – let’s see what we can find for you!”
“But … but I don’t have any money either, I’m afr–”
“Don’t you even worry about that. Why, what would God say to me on the Day of Judgment if I left a poor girl out in the cold? Come, come – let’s see about getting a roof over your head. The festival can wait!” Mrs. Todd took her by the sleeve and started tugging her down the boardwalk.
Well, things were looking up, Aggie thought. Hopefully by day’s end she’d have a new home, at least temporarily, and some work to do on this festival business. Maybe they’d even pay her. And to think she’d been worried about getting away from the Bridgers!
Chapter 4
The Bridgers gathered in the parlor and peered at the paper that had been left on their doorstep. “A Christmas festival!” Jonathan said with a smile. “That sounds like fun.”
“Money as prizes sound good to me,” Mr. Bridger said. He looked at his wife. “Find out if there is any.”