In truth, it was just an excuse for the townsfolk to be together, have some fun, and relax before the harvest season began.
And Kathryn had been practicing for days to make a pie to put into the contest and one to auction off. All money raised went to the church and she was hoping to have something to contribute.
But Colt was worried about the chances she would have to even get anyone to bid if they tasted any that she’d made to this point. He gave her credit for trying, because truthfully it was more than his wife had ever done when she moved out here. However, it didn’t change the fact that the first few pies he’d tasted of Kathryn’s had left him with nothing more than a great deal of pride in his own acting abilities. While he’d managed to swallow a few bites and convince her they weren’t completely terrible, his children hadn’t been able to hide their distaste as well as he had.
Thankfully, she seemed to know she wasn’t as skilled in the kitchen as she would like, and had even laughed when the children had quickly spat their first bites back onto their plate.
She was getting better, and he’d managed to actually finish his last few pieces of pie she’d made this week, so he knew with time she would be every bit as good of a cook as his mother. She was the kind of woman who wasn’t going to stop until she had learned something completely.
The only thing was, Colt didn’t know if she’d be here long enough to get there.
Chapter 16
“Oh, my dear, your pies look absolutely wonderful. Your father would be so proud of you right now.” Kathryn reached out to hug her aunt who had come over to greet her as soon as she’d spotted her setting her pies onto the judging table.
“I’m not so sure about that, Aunt Lucy, but thank you for saying it. I think we both know my pie baking skills wouldn’t be something that would overly impress Father. He’d be more excited if he saw me marrying a wealthy businessman and living the life of a society woman in the city. An apple pie made in an old wooden stove in the middle of nowhere isn’t quite up to those standards.”
She laughed as her aunt gently tapped her on the arm and clucked her tongue. “Well, you’re probably right, but if he could see how positively glowing you are since you’ve arrived out here, he wouldn’t be able to see you living any other way. You look happier than I think I’ve ever seen you, even as a young girl. I do believe the fresh prairie air agrees with you, my dear.”
For some reason, Kathryn’s eyes wandered to where Colt walked with the children. He was between them, holding their hands until they spotted some of their friends over by the church and pulled free to go and play with them.
Colt was smiling widely, and her heart fluttered slightly at the sight. She was happy to see him so relaxed today, knowing how hard he worked every other day.
“So, are you feeling settled in at the Hammond’s? Mr. Hammond is a good man, but I know sometimes he can be a bit rough around the edges, so I hope he’s making you feel welcome. I mean, I’ve seen you at church and the few times you’ve come into town, so I would hope you’d tell me if you ever felt like you needed to come stay with me instead. I would always have a room for you.”
Kathryn pulled her eyes away from Colt, who was now standing and talking with Old Tom.
“Everything’s perfect, Aunt Lucy. You don’t need to worry about me. Mrs. Hammond has been teaching me how to cook and bake, and Colt has been welcoming, even being willing to taste my cooking to help me improve. I know there’ve been a few times the food was barely edible, but he’s never said anything unkind. I actually feel guilty sometimes knowing how hungry he had to be after working all day and having to eat food that I’m sure even the pigs on the farm would turn their snouts up at.”
Her aunt laughed heartily and shook her head. “I’m sure you’re exaggerating. By the look of these pies, I’d say you’ve come a long way then.”
Kathryn shrugged nervously. She wasn’t used to being praised, especially about anything even remotely domestic. And she knew she still had so much to learn. But it had been fun over the past few days when she would hurry up to the main house after school was let out to help with the evening meal. They’d had time during the weekends to even learn how to do some baking, which was something Kathryn had never believed she’d be able to do. Or, even enjoy.
However, she’d soon learned just how much she did enjoy it. The feeling of making something from scratch, all on her own, without needing anyone else to do it was unlike anything she’d ever experienced before. And then having that creation feed others, and hopefully someday, the people eating it would even look forward to her cooking.
She knew Colt had been polite more than he needed to be, even if there’d been a few times he couldn’t hide his distaste. The family were used to eating Mrs. Hammond’s delicious cooking, so it had been an adjustment to learn how to swallow hers most days.
The strange part was that she had Mrs. Hammond right beside her, guiding her and showing her what to do, so Kathryn couldn’t quite figure out why the food didn’t taste better when she was cooking it. Maybe some people just didn’t have the ability, no matter how hard they tried.
She just hoped at least someone would bid on her pie, especially since the auction would be after the judging of the other pies they’d made and without much doubt, hers wouldn’t be winning. It would be humiliating if no one even wanted hers at all.
After chatting with a few more of the townsfolk, she decided to wander around and take a look at all the booths set up around the middle of the town. Her eyes moved around, taking in the joy being radiated from every person she met.
This small town of Promise was unlike anything she’d ever experienced before. Everyone worked together, helped each other, and genuinely cared about their neighbors. Of course, there were a few people in the community who were less friendly, but for the most part, the entire town was filled with people who didn’t have much for monetary value, but they made up for that in what truly mattered.
And this little fair, put together each year by everyone in the town, was a chance to just enjoy time together and celebrate the life they lived out here on the frontier.
“So, you must be the new schoolteacher everyone is talking about all over town. My name is Mrs. Martha Pembrooke. I run the Pembrooke school on the outskirts of town. How is the teaching going in that dilapidated old schoolhouse you’ve been assigned to?”
Kathryn offered a tense smile as the older woman approached her, standing in front of her so she had no choice but to stop and talk.
“Actually, the schoolhouse is wonderful. It has more than enough supplies for each of the students and it’s been quite easy to get settled in.”
“Well, you come from the city. I can’t even fathom how they convinced you to settle for a teaching assignment like this, out here in the middle of nowhere. You would have had so much more opportunity if you’d stayed back east where the schools would have the best of everything. I’m sure they’re not even able to pay you much.”
“I was thrilled when my aunt contacted me to see if I’d be interested in teaching out here. The schools back east aren’t any better than what I’ve found here.”
Kathryn tried to keep her voice calm, but she could tell Mrs. Pembrooke was here to stir up trouble. A man stood beside her and he weakly tried to pull at her arm and keep her moving past.
But she wasn’t budging.
“Oh, I don’t believe that for a second. But now that you’re here, I’d like to offer you the opportunity to teach at a real school, where you can make a difference with children who will actually be able to go far in life. And I’m certain the pay will be much more appealing than anything you’re getting from the town for working in that public schoolhouse.”
The plump woman was waving her hand around in disgust as she spoke about the little schoolhouse Kathryn taught at. A sudden urge hit her to defend the place she’d grown to love in the few short weeks she’d been here.
“I appreciate your offer, Mrs. Pembrooke, however I
have to politely decline. You see, I’m here because I do want to make a difference in these children’s lives. And just because the school I’m teaching in isn’t as big or fancy as what you’re providing, the students I have in my little school have just as much of a chance of going far in life as any others.”
By now, she could feel herself starting to shake with anger, and she knew she needed to bring it under control before she made a scene. Already, a few people who had been nearby were stopping to listen to their conversation, knowing Mrs. Pembrooke wouldn’t likely be making neighborly small talk with the new teacher in town.
Without thinking, her eyes automatically moved through the town center in search of Colt. He was standing next to the mercantile talking to Caleb, but as though he could sense she was in need of help, his gaze found hers.
Mrs. Pembrooke turned her head to see what Kathryn was looking at, and when she looked back at her, one eyebrow was raised, and a smug smile took over her face.
“Well, I guess I can see why you’re so loyal to your little school. I should have known. Surely you do remember that Mr. Hammond is a married man? It really doesn’t look good for the new schoolteacher to be pining for a man who already has a wife.”
Heat burned Kathryn’s cheeks as she stared in shock at the woman in front of her. How dare she insinuate something so vile. Her stomach churned at the thought she’d ever given any hint of having feelings for Colt Hammond. Kathryn was willing to admit she was drawn to him, but she’d never given any indication of anything more than that. At least, she hadn’t thought she had.
“Hi, Kathryn. I’m so glad to see you here. I was just talking to Mrs. Hammond and she showed me the pies you made. They look wonderful.”
Kathryn slowly pulled her glare from Mrs. Pembrooke’s and offered a weak smile to Mercy Brown as she came over and joined them.
“Hello, Mercy. I’m hopeful my pies might taste at least a little bit as good as they look.” She tried to offer the other woman a joke, but she was still trying to calm her racing heart that was filled with anger at her conversation with the Pembrooke woman.
Mercy was eyeing them both carefully, looking back and forth with concern. Thankfully, she didn’t say anything, but moved closer to Kathryn and gave her a genuine smile, reaching out and giving her hand a gentle squeeze before facing Mrs. Pembrooke.
“Constantine was looking for you and Uncle Clarence when we arrived. I think he went over by the feed mill if you want to go and find him,” Mercy said guilelessly to Mrs. Pembrooke.
“Oh, thank you, Mercy. I hope you’ve been taking good care of him and not letting your expanding waistline stop you from helping around the farm. That boy works much too hard, so we do worry about him.”
Mercy took a deep breath and held her smile. “I promise I’m still helping out as much as I can around the farm. You really don’t need to worry about him.”
The women stood and waited until the older couple finally walked away. Kathryn worked to steady her racing heart before letting Mercy know how much she appreciated her coming over to help.
“Thanks for rescuing her, Mercy. I tried to get here as quick as I could, but it seemed like everyone wanted to suddenly stop and talk as I made my way over.”
Kathryn jumped at the sound of Colt’s voice from behind her. She turned, her hand fluttering up to her chest. “I didn’t even hear you coming up.”
He grinned and shrugged. “I really am starting to wonder if we do need to take you in to see about your hearing. You’re much too easy to sneak up on.”
“I hope Mrs. Pembrooke didn’t say anything to upset you, Kathryn. I noticed you were looking a bit distressed when I walked over.” Mercy was looking at her with concern.
Colt’s smile dropped, and Kathryn immediately recognized the anger that filled his eyes. “What did she say to you, Kathryn?”
Not wanting to draw any more attention to them, or to ruin the fun of the day, Kathryn just waved her hand and laughed. “Honestly, I wasn’t even paying attention. Something about her school being better than my school, or some silly notion. It’s nothing to worry about.”
She grabbed Mercy’s hand and started to walk over to where some of the other women from town were visiting under a tree by the church as the children ran all around them. “Come on, we don’t want to miss out on any of the exciting news the women will be sharing with each other.”
She didn’t let her eyes meet Colt’s, but she could feel them boring holes into her back as she walked away. She just needed a few moments to gather herself and everything would be fine.
The last thing she needed was for Colt to find out exactly what Martha Pembrooke had said to her.
And how she’d suddenly realized how much of the woman’s words might just have rung true.
Chapter 17
“Come on, Pa! It’s almost time for the judging of the pies and then they’ll have the auction. I sure do hope Miss Reeves isn’t too upset if her pie doesn’t win. I know she’s been trying so hard to learn, but sometimes her food doesn’t taste so good. I don’t want to tell her, though, because I know it would hurt her feelings.”
Colt smiled down at his daughter and reached out to ruffle her hair as she grabbed his hand and started pulling him toward the tables set up for the pies. “Oh, I don’t think Miss Reeves will be too upset. She knows she still has a lot to learn, but it’s good that you’re minding your manners around her. It wouldn’t be nice to make her feel bad when she’s trying so hard to learn.”
Delia stopped walking and looked up at him. “Remember when Ma was living with us? She never even tried to cook. How come she didn’t want to learn too?”
Colt’s heart stopped at the casual mention his daughter made about her ma and when she lived with them. She hadn’t spoken much about it at all since the first few weeks of Arlene leaving, so he was caught off guard about the question.
“Well, I guess maybe your ma wasn’t too interested in cooking, and since Grandma Winnie was still living there, it was just as easy for her to keep doing the cooking. But I’m sure your ma would have loved to learn someday.”
How could he tell his daughter that her ma had made it very clear soon after they’d been married that cooking was not something she would be doing? Arlene had never wanted to learn, even when his own mother had offered many times to help teach her some simple recipes. She wanted nothing to do with any of the menial chores women living out here were expected to do.
Colt swallowed the familiar anger that started to bubble up in his throat. So many times over the past few years he’d sat and wondered how he could have possibly been so wrong about someone. He felt like a fool for being so taken in by her beauty that he hadn’t been able to see through her false pretenses about wanting to be a perfect wife to him.
Now he knew the truth about who she was, and it killed him knowing he’d brought two children into the world who had to go through life without the love of a mother.
He didn’t know if he’d ever be able to forgive himself for that.
And he vowed he’d never make that mistake again.
“What if she gets upset about not winning and decides to move away?”
Colt had to shake his head to get back to the conversation. It took him a few moments to realize Delia was back talking about Kathryn now, and not her mother.
He laughed and pulled at her hand to get her walking again. “Miss Reeves won’t move away over losing a silly pie baking contest.”
In fact, as much as he didn’t like to admit he was wrong, Kathryn had shown a strength of character he’d never expected from her. He was starting to wonder if perhaps she might be able to handle living out here after all.
But it had still been less than a month, so he wasn’t going to completely believe she could cope with frontier life just based on what he’d seen so far.
The heat had been relentless again today, and even though there was a light breeze, it did nothing to offer any relief. But the people of Promise didn’t let
it hamper their fun. Colt was sure he’d never seen so many people at their summer fair, but he figured since so many new settlers were coming to the area every year, it made sense. He remembered coming to the fairs as a child and now as he watched his son playing a game of ball over by the mercantile, his heart filled with happiness knowing his own children could experience life in this little town.
They’d all enjoyed lunch scattered around the town, everyone laying out blankets to enjoy their picnics they’d packed, each family trying to find a little spot of shade to rest from the heat. Kathryn seemed to be having fun and had shared a conversation with both Fae and Caleb who’d joined their family to eat.
But he knew she was still holding something back about that conversation with Martha Pembrooke, and he intended to find out what had upset her.
Now, his eyes moved to where she stood by the table with the other women who’d entered pies to be judged. Each of the pies had only been given a number so none of the judges could be biased about the pie they were tasting. Old Tom, Doc Jacobs, Caleb, and a few other men from the town had been chosen to taste each of the pies and then decide among themselves which one deserved the ribbon.
Kathryn looked nervous as they made their way toward one of the pies, and he knew immediately it had to be hers. He held his breath, hoping the men would at least be kind enough not to make any faces as they took a bite.
Thankfully, each of them ate without giving anything away and moved on to the next pie. He watched as she visibly relaxed too. For a woman who had grown up in the city and had never needed to do anything for herself, it still amazed him how these simple little things like making a pie for a small town fair could mean so much to her.
As he stood beside his daughter, watching this woman beaming with pride and excitement over something he would have never thought she’d care about, he realized there was a lot more to Kathryn Reeves than even he might have been willing to admit.
Love is Patient Page 8