Books and Beaus

by Marianne Spitzer

  “Of course, she did, that’s my Delia. Let me show you the room at the back of the barn. I had a new stove installed so you can stay warm and make coffee in the mornings.”

  Leer nodded and followed Wes to a small but comfortable room attached to the rear of the barn.

  “This’ll work out just fine,” Leer said appreciating the quiet and privacy the room would offer. He might miss the warmth of San Francisco, but he didn’t miss the noise and crowds of people.

  Chapter 2

  At precisely six o’clock, Leer knocked on the front door of the Satterfield home. Wes pulled open the door and invited his newest employee inside out of the weather.

  “Here, let me take your coat, and you can warm up a bit in front of the fire. Delia said supper will be ready soon.”

  “Thank you. The wind is picking up, and the chill blew right through my coat. I need to buy a warmer one tomorrow,” Leer said as he walked to the fireplace with his hands held out in front of him.

  Delia popped out of the kitchen and said, “We’re happy you made it to supper, Leer. If it’s cold, I can give you a blanket to wear over your coat on the way home tonight.”

  Leer shook his head and waved his hands in front of him, “No, no, Missus Satterfield. I don’t need a blanket. My coat will see me home just fine.”

  “All right,” Delia called as she returned to the kitchen. “Don’t forget you can call me Delia.”

  Wes laughed. “That’s my wife. She tends to worry about everyone. If you’re not careful, she’ll not only wrap you in a blanket before you leave but fill your pockets with heated stones.”

  Leer lifted his eyebrows, “It’s nice to have a caring woman in your life, but it’s only a half mile walk back to the barn. I won’t need any heated stones or blankets.”

  “Then don’t mention the cold in front of Delia again,” Wes advised.

  Before Leer could answer, Delia called the men into the dining room for supper, but Leer made it a point not to mention the weather during their meal.

  Leer picked up his napkin and wiped his mouth before setting it back on the table and looked at Delia “That was a delicious dinner, Missus Satterfield. Thank you very much. I don’t think I’ve had apple pie that good since I tasted my own mother’s.”

  “Thank you, Leer, and please call me Delia. I’m never sure how my pies are going to turn out but after watching you and Wes enjoying this one, I think I may have finally figured out the secret, but I’m not sharing it,” she said, and she smiled at her husband and their guest.

  “Well dear, if everything you make is as good as today’s meal you won’t hear me complain again.”

  “Do you mean to tell me, Wes, that you complained about your wife’s cooking and you can still walk?” Leer said with a smile on his face.

  Wes nodded his head up-and-down and answered, “Yes, actually Delia is quite understanding, and I did my best to eat everything she cooked when we were first married. She has improved greatly.”

  Delia tossed her napkin at Wes. “Don’t be so sure about my understanding, Husband. I was being kind, but I do have my limits, and you were fortunate to begin enjoying my cooking before my annoyance got the better of me. Now Leer, tell me some news about New York and my father. My father writes, but he doesn’t always give me all the details.”

  “I doubt I can offer you much more than your father has shared. When I left Creede with your stepmother, she spent a night at a hospital in Denver before we headed back to New York. Your father met us at a small town outside the city, and we took a train north to the sanitarium. It’s a nice place not like the asylums I’ve read about. I left before your father since I promised I’d meet with Wes’ father when I arrived in New York,” Leer explained.

  “Was my father well? Did he look ill or overly frustrated by my step-mother’s actions? I know he won’t share that with me,” Delia asked.

  “I believe your father is well. He was naturally upset that Addie tried to harm you, but he told me he had confidence in the doctors and the sanitarium. I left him there and returned to New York where I met with Wes’ father. Mister Satterfield hired my brother and me immediately to help start his new shipping business in San Francisco. We left the next day before your father returned to the city,” Leer said before he took another sip of his coffee.

  “How’s the new company doing?” Wes asked. “I know my father would like me to go to San Francisco and work there, but I prefer to stay here in Creede. I like the people, and I’m looking forward to building the new library and possibly other improvements the city needs. Delia and I love it here.”

  “Your father’s new company is succeeding. I had no doubt it would do well. He’s an honest employer who pays well. My brother is quite happy with his job and met a special lady. I agree Creede is a nice town although the winters are a bit difficult. San Francisco is warmer.”

  “Do you want me to heat those stones?” Delia asked immediately.

  Leer laughed, “No, I will be all right. It’s not a long walk, and the moon is full so I can walk quickly.”

  “All right, but you arrived a day early before I was able to add a few more items to your living quarters. I do have a basket you can take home with you tonight,” Delia offered.

  “That’s not necessary,” Leer countered.

  “Nonsense,” Delia insisted. “You will need coffee in the morning and something to eat. I have coffee, a small coffee pot, cup, plate, spoon, knife, and fork plus some fresh biscuits and a jar of honey. I won’t have you hungry. I send lunch or bring it to Wes each day. I’ll make sure to send enough for you until you get settled. You can also take your suppers here if you wish.”

  Wes bit back a laugh as Leer held up his hands. “I thank you for the basket, but I can find my own suppers. I don’t want to impose.”

  Leer needed to change the subject before Delia forced him to carry heated stones in his pockets. “I am sorry to eat and run but it has been a long day, and I’m tired.”

  “Of course,” Wes said. “I will see you tomorrow but not until close to noon. I have some business to take care of here. I’d like you to meet our next shipment of books and window glass coming in on the morning train. Last time a box of books was delivered, the crate was broken, and several books were wet. The driver said he picked up the crate in that condition, yet the baggage handler said the crate was undamaged when he helped load it on the wagon. I’d like you to make sure the crates are undamaged and arrive at the barn in good condition.”

  Leer stood and shook Wes’ hand. “I can do that. Thank you for the supper invitation. I’ll see you tomorrow. Good night, Delia. Thank you again for the good food and the basket.”

  “You are most welcome, I enjoy cooking and seeing my husband and friends eat.”

  Leer stepped out into the cold carrying the basket Delia filled for him. With the full moon overhead, he could easily see the barn ahead of him. He traversed safely through the snow in the tracks of several wagons that must have recently come and gone carrying supplies to the barn. Leer was able to follow a path through the snow to the back of the barn and the door to his room.

  Pushing open the door, Leer was pleased that there was enough moonlight filtering in through the window to allow him to see the lantern on the table and light it. Soft lantern light filled the small space as Leer once again surveyed his new home. He’d lived in shacks and slept on the ground many times while trying to obtain work. He was pleased to have a place to call his own while living in Creede.

  Leer could see Wes and Delia’s handiwork in the small room. The wood bin was full, and Leer started a fire in the small pot-bellied stove. He smiled at the bed that was big enough for his tall frame and that it was covered with a blue quilt.

  At least Delia didn’t cover it with a flowered one, Leer thought as he studied the painting of mountains on the wall. Only Delia would think of adding a painting to a room in a barn.

  As the room warmed, Leer removed his coat and emptied the basket. It conta
ined everything Delia said plus a large slice of apple pie. Leer smiled at the young woman’s generosity and began to unpack his belongings and place them on the set of shelves next to his bed. When finished, Leer sat in the single chair in the room and nodded his head. Yes, he could live here comfortably for as long as Wes needed him.

  Chapter 3

  Leer wrapped his coat around him a little tighter as he walked from the barn toward town. He mentally thanked Delia once again for the biscuits, honey, and coffee pot, but especially for the apple pie which he gladly ate for breakfast. It was much easier to face the day with something to eat and a cup of hot coffee then it would be to head out in the cold without breakfast before his trek to meet the train.

  As Leer turned off Mountain Avenue onto the main street of town, he noticed Mister Thistlewaite just standing on the boardwalk whistling a little tune Leer had never heard before.

  “Good morning, Leer,” said Mr. Thistlewaite. “Where are you heading on this beautiful morning?”

  Leer responded, “Good morning, sir. Yes, it’s a beautiful morning, but it’s cold. I’m heading for the train station to accept a shipment of books for Mr. Satterfield.”

  “Do you mind if I walk with you?” Mister Thistlewaite asked.

  “Not at all,” Leer answered. “You’re not wearing a coat again. Are you sure you’re not cold?”

  “Not at all, my boy. If you are, perhaps you should place warmed stones in your pockets. We did that when I was a boy,” Mister Thistlewaite answered and smiled.

  Leer was momentarily at a loss for words wondering if everyone in Creede shared the idea of warm stones in the winter, but he pulled himself back to the conversation and answered, “I’d like the company, and perhaps you could answer a question for me. When we first met, you called me Leer before I introduced myself. How did you know what my name was?”

  “You must have mentioned it,” Mister Thistlewaite said with a smile. “Otherwise how would I have known? Well, tell me, Leer, now that you have spent one day and one night back in Creede, do you still feel you must leave for San Francisco as soon as possible?”

  “Of course,” answered Leer. “After I finish my work for Mr. Satterfield, nothing is holding me here, and as I told you yesterday, I prefer the warmth of San Francisco.”

  “Remember what I told you. Don’t make a judgment in haste and you can find warmth anywhere. Now I must be running along. You have a nice day and smile. A warm smile always makes the day better,” said Mister Thistlewaite as he tipped his head and disappeared into the dry goods store.

  Leer shook his head and wondered about the little man as he continued to stride toward the train station. He could hear the train’s whistle blow its arrival and he picked up his pace.

  The locomotive slowed as it approached the station. Its metal wheels on metal tracks screeching its arrival to anyone within several blocks as the gray-black smoke from the smokestack drifted away from the platform. Leer enjoyed trains, but the smoke and soot were a negative he could do without.

  Leer stepped over to the ticket agent’s window and asked where he could pick up the two crates of books Mr. Satterfield had ordered. The portly ticket seller pointed in the direction of the rear of the train and said, “The crates should be in the baggage car if they were loaded properly in Denver.”

  “What do you mean if they were loaded properly? How do you not properly load two crates of books?” asked Leer.

  “Well,” the ticket seller said clearing his throat. “On occasion, we’ve had shipments not arrive on schedule, but I haven’t been notified of any delay yet today. There have been a few times when a crate was forgotten and left behind. The railroad fired the man caught napping instead of loading the cars so the problem should be resolved.”

  “All right,” answered Leer. “I’ll check the baggage car, and hopefully the books have arrived.”

  Leer turned around to make his way to the baggage car when he noticed a young woman in a dark blue traveling suit alighting from the train with the help of the conductor. Her brown hair seemed to glisten in the morning sunlight, and her beauty nearly took his breath away. Leer watched the young woman who was clutching her satchel tightly glance around the platform as if she were looking for someone or something.

  Leer strode closer and smiled at the young woman. When she smiled back, his heart skipped a beat, and he took the opportunity to approach her and said, “Good morning, you look a bit lost. May I be of some assistance?”

  “Yes, thank you,” the young woman replied. “I need to find my trunk and if you would be so kind, could you suggest somewhere in town that is respectable. I need a hotel room, and I’m new to Creede.”

  Leer smiled at the young woman and said, “Of course, I can help you. I’m here waiting for a shipment, and I think it will be offloaded at the same time as your trunk. If you need somewhere safe and proper to stay, I recommend the Hearth and Home. Millie McRae runs it with her husband and the rooms are clean and secure.”

  “Thank you, Mister? I didn’t get your name.”

  “O’Leary, Sean O’Leary, but my friends call me Leer.”

  The young woman blushed and glanced at her feet before returning her gaze to Leer. “It’s nice to meet you, Mister O’Leary. My name is Margareta Unger, but my friends call me Meg.”

  “The pleasure is all mine, Miss Unger, believe me. It looks as if they’ve unloaded my crates and a large green trunk. Would it be yours?”

  “Yes, there’s my trunk,” Meg answered and followed Leer to the trunk and crates sitting at the edge of the platform.

  Leer addressed the young man who was moving the trunk and crates to the edge of the platform, “I would like to inspect the two crates for Mister Satterfield for damage before you deliver them to the library site.”

  “Yeah, sure, but you mean the big old barn, right?”

  “For now, it’s being used as the library storage. Please assure that these crates arrive undamaged this time,” Leer suggested with a stern look on his face.

  “Yes, sir,” the young man answered.

  Library, Meg mused. It seems Mister O’Leary knows Mister Satterfield. Maybe he could introduce me.

  Leer turned to Meg and waved her closer. “This is Miss Unger. Deliver her green trunk there to the Hearth and Home.”

  “Yes, sir,” the young man replied and tipped his hat to Meg.

  Leer held his arm out to the brown-eyed beauty. “Would you allow me to escort you to the Hearth and Home?”

  Meg smiled again and nodded her head, “I’d appreciate it, Mister O’Leary.” She took his arm, and they walked toward the town center.

  After a bit of small talk about the weather and her trip on the train, Meg decided to take a bolder step and ask Leer what she wanted to know.

  “I heard you mention Mister Satterfield’s name to the man unloading my trunk. Do you know him?”

  “Yes, he’s my employer and friend. I’m here in Creede to supervise the building of the new library when the ground thaws,” Leer explained.

  “That’s why I came to Creede, too. I want to apply for the librarian position. Do you think I could meet Mister Satterfield?” Meg asked.

  Leer stopped and looked at Meg. “I thought the newspaper ad asked for letters of qualifications. Why did you come personally?”

  Meg knew she couldn’t confide in Leer even if he seemed to be a nice man, and she hated to lie. Her mind whirled with thoughts until she finally said, “I wanted a fresh start somewhere I’ve never lived and decided to take a chance. If I can’t get the job as the librarian here, I’ll move on to find another opportunity.”

  For some reason Leer couldn’t explain, he didn’t want Meg leaving town and decided he’d do his best to help her obtain the librarian position. Just before he spoke to her again, he glanced across the street and saw Mister Thistlewaite smiling and tipping his hat.

  Why does that little man show up so often, Leer wondered before turning his attention back to Meg.

  “H
ere we are at the Hearth and Home. I think you’ll find it comfortable. Mister Satterfield is either at his home at the end of Mountain Avenue or at the barn we’re using for book collections and building shelves. I’d suggest you stop at his home before heading to the barn. His wife will be able to tell you where you can find him,” Leer told Meg before handing back her satchel.

  “Thank you, Mister O’Leary for the information and the escort. If everyone is as friendly as you, I think I will like it here in Creede,” Meg said as she turned to enter the Hearth and Home.

  Leer smiled and tipped his hat. “Have a good day, Miss Unger. I hope to see you again soon.”

  As Leer continued his walk back to the barn, he again saw Mister Thistlewaite standing across the street. The strange little man just watched Leer with a broad smile on his face.

  Chapter 4

  Meg walked up to the front desk of the Hearth and Home and was met by a lovely lady who greeted her warmly.

  “Good morning, I’m Millie McRae, welcome to the Hearth and Home. How may I help you?”

  “Good morning, my name is Meg Unger. They told me at the train station that someone would deliver my trunk here. I also need a room since I’ll be staying here for a few days or longer,” explained Meg.

  “If you just arrived by train, I think maybe you would also like a bath and a bite to eat along with your room,” Millie suggested.

  “A bath sounds divine,” Meg answered. “I’m not sure about eating. The rocking train did not agree with me.”

  “Let’s get you checked in, and after your bath, I’ll have some soup, fresh bread with honey, and tea sent up. Maybe then you’ll feel like eating. It might help settle you.”

  “Thank you, it might be just what I need. Mister O’Leary said this was a nice place, and he wasn’t wrong,” Meg answered.