by Mimi Milan
Chapter 6
Noelle, Colorado
December 29, 1876
“You still hanging around that pretty little Mexican gal… or does she need a real man to step in and take over?”
The ugly sneer encouraged boisterous laughter from several men who had accompanied Elmer into the diner that morning. It was such a pity, too. The day had begun so well with Nacho’s usual morning routine of stepping outside for a bit of fresh air, cold and crisp in his lungs. He walked down to the livery to tend his horses and then back up to begin breakfast for the men who would stumble in, looking for something solid to soak up the rotgut they had drowned themselves in the night before.
Too bad one of those men included the bane of his existence.
“You know what, Elmer? As the owner of this establishment, I would be well within my rights to toss you out anytime I please – same as Seamus.”
“You can’t do that!”
“Oh, yes, I can… and I most certainly will if you continue making snide remarks about my intended. She is a woman of worth and I will not tolerate another lewd remark like the ones you’ve been making the past couple of days.”
Elmer looked fit to be tied, but there was an audience watching the two men now. He couldn’t back down.
“Yeah, well… If she’s so sweet on you, then why ain’t she down here? Huh? Tell us that.”
Nacho sighed with irritation. “As I stated yesterday, she is studying some very special family recipes – secret recipes – and they take time to perfect.”
“Well how hard can it be to perfect beans? Lord knows that’s about all you can cook!”
The jab got Elmer another round of laughs and he hooted with the rest of the men. Nacho prepared to give the oaf a piece of his mind and inform him that he was always more than welcomed to leave if he didn’t like the food – and to stay gone for good. But for as quickly as the men had been to poke fun at Nacho, they were just as quick to leave when Sheriff Draven wandered into the diner. Slapping hats on their heads, those who had already paid slipped out the door. The others were quick to throw their money down onto the table – except Elmer. He tossed a few coins onto a dirty plate itself. They sunk into the leftover huevos rancheros, the runny yolks and red sauce thoroughly covering them.
Nacho frowned, but didn’t have a chance to speak.
“Mind putting those where they belong?”
The Sheriff glared at Elmer and the man flinched. He immediately fished out the coins, plunked them on the table and then left without another word spoken. Nacho smiled with satisfaction.
“Good day, Draven. A cup of coffee, amigo? No, wait. Perhaps something a little different.” Nacho turned to make his way for a cup of chocolate atole, but the sheriff waved away the offer.
“Not today, Nacho. I’ve got an errand to run.” The man waved a stack of papers he carried with him. They looked like sketches.
Nacho quietly wondered if the chore the sheriff had been tasked with might have involved Pearl. It was no secret the man was attracted to one of Madame Bonheur’s ladies. Having been down that path before (and seeing that it led to little more than heartache) Nacho wanted to warn him to be careful. However, Draven was the sort of man who made his own decisions in life. Besides, Pearl seemed different from the women he had known. Perhaps everything would work out in the end.
“Well, if you aren’t here to eat, then how can I help you?” Nacho finally asked, picking up a wet cloth to wipe down one of the tables. “I hope there’s no kind of trouble. Unless, of course, it has something to do with Elmer Copperpot and you’re wanting to make an arrest.”
He gave the sheriff a wink and the man laughed.
“Sorry, friend. Nothing like that. I’m just looking for a little information. Thought you might know a thing or two since folks got to eat. Maybe you’ve heard tale of a few strangers wandering around town? Any gossip about a couple of roughriders roaming around?”
Nacho mulled over the sheriff’s question. “You know, come to think of it, I did overhear a couple of men say something last night. It was only in passing, though. I was walking past one of the tables when I specifically heard old man Moses say that he’d never seen a scarier looking bunch – all big and likely to chew leather for dinner.”
“Is that so?”
“Asi es.”
Draven appeared pensive for a moment. He waved around the stack of papers again. “Alright. I’ve got to get these drawings delivered. There might even be one in there for your bride if the two of you ever get around to saying vows.”
“Believe me, Sheriff, I’m trying.”
Nacho didn’t feel like going into further detail and Draven didn’t seem to mind that at all. “Well, let me know if you come across any strangers.”
“You think there might be some kind of trouble?”
“Nah. Nothing like that. I just like knowing what going on in the town I protect. So, keep me posted. Deal?”
“Claro que si. You’ll be the first person I notify.”
Draven nodded with satisfaction and made his way back out of the diner. Seeing that most of the work was completed, Nacho decided to close up as well. There was still plenty of day left and he wanted to spend it with Josefina. He tossed the washcloth on the counter and grabbed his coat off a nearby rack, so eager to leave that he almost forgot to lock the door.
“We wouldn’t want another Grandpa Gus incident,” he whispered to himself.
The man was harmless and nothing came to pass the last time, but who knew what could happen given the wrong circumstances. What if the old man got a wild hair to make something to eat and burned himself on the stove? Nacho would feel terrible if the viejo got hurt while in his restaurant.
Nacho climbed up into the wagon, thankful he had thought ahead to prepare it for a ride out of town. He made his way to La Maison, pulling up right as Josefina was stepping out.
“Buenas,” he greeted her in the familiar afternoon tradition and jumped down from the wagon. She laughed at his boyish charm.
“Good after noon, Nacho.” She awarded him with a bright smile as he approached. “Would you like to come in and visit with me?”
“Actually, I was hoping you were coming to visit me.” He took hold of her hand and kissed it, all the while drinking in the sight of her. The ribbon was once again woven through her thick braid, which hung over one shoulder. Small, curly ringlets had worked their way loose, though. They framed her cherubic face in a way to make her eyes appear larger and livelier than normal. He breathed in the familiar soft scent of lavender and whispered, “you look ravishing.”
She blushed. “You always say the sweetest things. Thank you. Also, my ankle is feeling much better. However, I still don’t think I’m in a position to walk all the way to the diner. Otherwise, I would have gladly visited earlier.”
“I did not mean for you to walk down to the diner,” he said. He gave her hand an extra squeeze and bowed before her. “Would you do me the great honor of visiting my home, señorita?”
Josefina grew excited. “Do you mean the homestead you told me about yesterday?”
“Eso es,” he confirmed. The revelation of him owning a home outside of town had come up while they poured over his mother’s recipe book the day before. He still wasn’t sure which brought him more joy – the fact that she was learning the recipes so well, or the reality that returning to the homestead he briefly shared with Colette didn’t bother him as much as it once did. For as easily as his mind had conjured up her name, it swiftly drifted back out. He smiled at the idea of finally moving beyond his past. “So, is that a yes?”
She nodded eagerly. “Of course. I’ll go get my coat.”
She wandered off and returned a few minutes later, coat donned and carrying a small bag. “I grabbed a few things in case we get hungry.”
“With two fine cooks as ourselves? It would never happen!”
When she didn’t laugh at his joke, he sobered and helped her up into the wagon, climbing in
after her.
“Is it far?” she asked.
He took hold of the reins and gently snapped them. “Not too much. It’s just on the outskirts of town – a couple of miles from Zeke Kinnison.”
“Ah, yes. I know who he is. I think one of the women are interested in him – or maybe it is reverse. I could not say. Nonetheless, it would be kind of nice to have neighbors… while still not being too terribly close.”
“Yes, that is why I chose the nice little spot I have. That way there is solitude, but not so much to be completely secluded. Also, it would allow me to be far enough away from any rowdy dealings in town but still close enough to get to the diner quickly.”
Josefina frowned. “You said ‘rowdy dealings.’ I suppose I should have asked this before, but is Noelle a dangerous place?”
“No, not really. Some of the guys can get a little rough sometimes, but it’s nothing different than what you would find in any other town. Really, the folks here in Noelle are a good bunch.” An image of Elmer Copperpot purposely throwing his money into his plate of food appeared. He added, “Well, except maybe one or two guys. They aren’t anything to worry about, though. More annoying than dangerous.”
A comfortable silence settled between them as they rode out of town and down the long, winding road some ways. Fina became animated again.
“Nacho, look!” She pointed to a family of deer jetting through a field they passed. “I haven’t seen any of them in a while. They aren’t that common in Denver. At least, not inside of town.”
“Fortunately, you’ll see plenty of them out this way. I remember I once thought I heard one of the horses neighing. When I opened the front door, it was a beautiful buck. I guess he was talking to his lady friend, telling her it was okay to come out to play for a while.”
Josefina clapped her hands. “How exciting! I can’t wait to see your home.”
“Well, you won’t have to wait long. It’s just over this crest.”
They rounded the top of the hill and a quaint, snow covered cabin surrounded by barren trees and a frozen pond came into view.
“Ay, Nacho, it’s gorgeous. If my ankle was completely healed, I would jump down and run to it!”
Nacho laughed, pleased to see she was taken with the place. “When I first arrived in town, I had the same plan as everyone else. I wanted to strike gold. However, I also wanted to live in a place where I could safely hide it – instead of doing so in a little tent out in the bush, or a rented room in one of the saloons. Both are easy ways to lose your money through drink or theft. So, I bought the land with the money from my part of the ranch I inherited. Then I set to work on the homestead.”
The wagon drew up to the house and Nacho grimaced. After Colette passed, he really let the place go. With a yard full of dead trees half covered in snow, the crusted windows further declared the terrible neglect the place had suffered.
“I know it isn’t much to look at right now, but it has a lot of potential. All it needs is a woman’s touch.”
Josefina grew serious as Nacho climbed down and offered her a hand. “Didn’t it already have one?”
“If you speak of Colette, then not really.” He offered his arm and when she accepted, folded her hand into the crook of it. They made their way to the front porch. “She only stayed here the last couple of months of her pregnancy. In the beginning, she preferred to stay in town at the diner.”
“Is that where the French-looking dressing screen came from? The one in the room attached to the diner’s kitchen?”
Nacho nodded. “I guess staying in town gave her a better opportunity to continue making money by entertaining other…”
He trailed off and looked away. Fina’s grip on his arm tightened.
“I hope you know I would never do anything like that.”
Her words would have put him at ease, but the look in her eyes was fearful. Had he said something to indicate she would?
“The thought didn’t even cross my mind, but enough talk about that. I don’t want to bring the past into our present anymore.”
She nodded in agreement. “Yes, let’s see the inside of your home.”
He wanted to correct her and say “our home,” but refrained. Despite her seeming strength of character, there were moments when she reminded him of the deer they had spied in the field. Beautiful and strong, yet easily frightened if approached wrong. Besides, it wouldn’t really be their home until they married. That is, if they ever got around to saying “Si, acepto.” It seemed like both had fallen into the custom of making references to how things would be after the fact, but kept dancing around the discussion of accomplishing the deed itself. Worse, he didn’t know how or when to broach the subject. The first time around had been easy. The woman was pregnant. He stepped up to take care of “his” responsibility. However, there were no clear instructions this time around. Add to that the fact that he never felt this connected to someone before…
“Ignacio, are you feeling well?”
Nacho looked down at Josefina and realized he had mentally wandered off.
“Forgive me. I was lost in thought. I honestly can’t recall the way this place looks,” he lied.
“Do you wish me to wait out here while you go… straighten up?”
He gathered she must have thought he was worried she would find more of Colette’s things laying around – like the dressing screen in the diner’s single room apartment. He had given those things away, though. Clothes, shoes, and various little trinkets made their way back to the other ladies at La Maison, all of whom had been only too happy to snatch them up – like birds pecking over the leftover crumbs he shook from the bread tray each morning.
“No,” he finally said. “There’s no need for you to keep standing out in the cold. Just be forewarned that it might not be as tidy as the restaurant.”
He opened the door and invited her in. Before them was everything as he remembered. There were two sitting chairs with a small table between them and a fireplace in the front room. Off to the right was the dining room with the kitchen on the other side of that. To the left of the parlor was a staircase that wrapped itself up to where two bedrooms awaited.
“I see what you mean,” she said and ran a gloved hand over a nearby table covered in dust. Her fingers made deep grooves, revealing that the table still retained a deep cherry color to it beneath all the muck. Dust floated into the air, tickling their noses forcing them both to cough.
“Like I said, it’s been a while since I’ve visited the place. Perhaps it would be better if you waited outside until I get it all cleaned up.”
“Nonsense,” she replied. “I’ll be cleaning it regularly once we’re married. No harm in beginning the chore a little early.”
“Yes, about that…”
“Hmm?”
He tugged at his collar and cleared his throat again. “Yes, you were quite right in your assessment. Perhaps it would be best if we helped clean the place together. I’ll just start a fire first and try to get the place a little warmed up.”
He went about getting the kindling lit and added a few logs that had remained by the fireplace from long ago. Soon, a small blaze crackled in the stone hearth and he went off in search of rags and a large bucket. He returned a few minutes later.
“We have a well but I figure it’s probably frozen,” he explained and showed her the bucket full of snow. “Besides, more work to draw up water when the snow will melt soon enough.”
“Let’s set it by the fire and it will melt even quicker,” Josefina suggested. The long, thin branches of a nearby tree caught her attention as they whipped back and forth in the breeze, their gnarled fingers scratching at the window. “In the meantime, I can go for the recipe book. I left it out in the wagon.”
Nacho looked up as well. “Perhaps that’s a good idea.”
Josefina donned her coat again. Then she opened the door, barely cracking it open when the knob tore free from her hand. The door swung wide and a gush of air rushed in. She c
ried out in dismay. “Oh, no!”
Nacho joined her and immediately felt the way Josefina looked – completely horrified to see pages of his mother’s recipe book sucked out from between the leather binding only to fly through the air before landing in the patches of wet snow. The precious papers tumbled along the yard, racing towards the frozen pond.
He sprinted down the stairs. “Quick! We can still catch them if we hurry.”
Fina followed, frantic at the thought that she would be to blame if she couldn’t return the book as new. She made a mad dash for a paper that floated over a stump and then landed close by. She snatched up the recipe and, filled with triumphant glee, waved it in the air.
“I’ve got one,” she declared as she turned to find Nacho and saw him carefully stepping onto the pond. She yelled, “What are you doing?”
“I’ve got them all except that one right there,” Nacho said.
She looked to where he pointed, chagrined to see that a single sheet quietly rested in the middle of the pond. Ignoring the slight pain in her foot, she rushed towards the pond as quickly as she could. “Párate, Ignacio! Don’t go out there. You’ll fall through.”
Nacho stiffened at the sound of the suggestion. “Then what do you suggest we do? The wind has died down and it might get stuck out there for who knows how long. Besides, the pond is frozen.”
He stomped his foot to prove his point. He turned back to her. “See?”
Thankful she wore sensible shoes, she slipped out onto the ice with him and saw that he was right. It was indeed frozen. She slid a little, her arms waving wildly. She filled with embarrassment at the fact that she could twirl on her toes for minutes at a time, but could hardly keep her balance on the glass pool.