by Cyndi Raye
“He sure is a sight for an old ladies sore eyes,” Miss Addie said, her voice low so no one passing by would hear.
Sophie giggled. She felt the exact same way. “Why, Miss Addie, I never expected to hear those words from your lips.”
Miss Addie straightened her back. She brushed the back of her gloved hand across her brow, pushing back strands of hair that fell from its place. Placing the planter on the small bench, she grinned. “Sophie, dear, I run a matchmaking agency. One has to be a bit of a romantic in order to do so. As many years as I’ve been finding grooms for willing brides, I know when a handsome one is a good catch.” She pointed to Salem. “That one, my dear, is such a catch.”
Sophie let out a sigh. “You may be correct. Right now, I find him highly annoying.”
Miss Addie stopped filling the planter with dirt. “Oh? How so?”
“I’m not sure. It’s hard to read him.”
Miss Addie shook her head. “Mr. Nightingale is easily read. He is honorable, loyal and trustworthy.”
Sophie raised a brow. “He’s a barkeep.”
Miss Addie turned back to her flower pot. “You’re wrong. He is an owner of an establishment. That’s a big accomplishment. If you want to run my matchmaking agency, my dear, I’m afraid you’ll need to know when a man is going to be a good catch. It has nothing to do with his work. That I intend to teach you.”
Sophie kept one eye on the man across the street as she swept the dusty porch, wondering why she was so attracted to him. Yet, when face to face, he made her angry. Then he made her laugh. Sophie shook herself. She had to stop this back and forth thinking. It was so confusing. Besides, a barkeep wouldn’t marry. He was already married to his saloon. In just the short amount of time she had been in Wichita Falls, she had noticed how dedicated he was to his business.
He had never even left the saloon except to get a bite to eat at Jenna’s Place down the street on occasion. Not that she had been watching his every move. What kind of life would he give to a bride living on the second floor of a drinking establishment?
Why were these thoughts going through her head? Sophie had her plans made. She would stay in Mill’s Ridge for now as manager of the boarding house and help Miss Addie with her match making business until a lovely man who was suitable as a husband was brought to her attention.
Then she would be off to marry the man of her dreams. It all sounded unreal, as if she were making it all up.
“Sophie!”
Sophie spun her head around to see two of the ladies she had been incarcerated with pull up in front of the boarding house. “We’re here to help!”
Miss Addie clapped her hands. “Wonderful! Ladies, this will be your new residence until Sophie can find you adequate grooms.”
Sophie turned to Miss Addie. “What? I know nothing of this.”
“I’ve been here for a week, my dear. It’s time I went back to my work in Wichita Falls. The boarding house is now ready to be open for guests. There are six rooms, excluding yours. These two ladies will help you with cooking, cleaning, and checking in guests, while you work on finding them grooms.”
“Do you think I am ready for this, Miss Addie?” A touch of uncertainty shadowed her essence. Was she ready to open the boarding house to guests?
“Of course you are, my dear. Elizabeth and Rose are here to help you. They both worked as housekeepers before so they know how to keep up with a boarding house. Your job is to go through the mail each week and pick out perspective husbands for these two bright, beautiful ladies.”
“We don’t have a post office up and running yet, Miss Sophie.”
“There will be one soon. The owner of the mercantile is going to open an area in his store for a post office as soon as he gets clearance. In the meantime, you’ll have to travel to Wichita Falls each week to pick up the mail.”
Elizabeth was the first to speak up. “I am so honored to be able to repay you in this way, Miss Addie. Wichita Falls rescued us from that awful man and now you are going to find us a husband as well.”
Miss Addie held up her hand. “You deserve the best, Elizabeth, as you do too, Rose. What happened to the both of you will not ever happen on my watch. Sophie and I will make sure to screen potential grooms thoroughly. We will never allow another disaster to happen again.”
Sophie nodded. “Agreed. I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure you each find a good match.”
Miss Addie smiled. “Sophie, you are already talking like a true matchmaker. Let’s go inside where we may have some tea and discuss the next weeks activities.”
The boarding house was similar to Miss Addie’s in Wichita Falls. The open room served as a sitting room with two couches the ladies had cleaned up by taking the cushions outside and beating them with brooms. The dust had been so thick they had all but choked before they were finished. No one had cleaned the place in ages.
There was a small area to cook and serve the guests at a rectangular table setting in the middle of the next room. The ladies sat down one by one while Sophie served tea. She was beginning to feel at home. For the last week, they had cleaned all the curtains and hung them back up, fresh and clean. It was hard work but the two of them worked well together.
The rooms were all cleaned and ready for guests. “Elizabeth and Rose, I think it best for the two of you to take rooms closer to mine and the living area. That way we can hear if anyone need us.”
“Good choice,” Miss Addie agreed. “It’s also best if the two of you share a room for now since you won’t be here permanently. That will leave five rooms to let out. I’ve already taken it upon myself to let out three of the rooms, giving you a healthy income to start.” She placed a small cloth bag in Sophie’s hand.
“That’s wonderful, thank you!” Sophie was so grateful for Miss Addie’s experience. She had learned a lot in the past week. With the income from three rooms already, they could buy some of the things needed to brighten up the boarding house.
“The three guests will pay you each Monday. I made you a list of prices to charge for daily, weekly and monthly rates. Since Mill’s Ridge doesn’t have a bank yet, you may have to bring some of the money along on your weekly run to Wichita Falls and place in the account set up there. Later on, when we find a banker to operate from here, we will switch the monies. Perhaps by then, you’ll have found your own groom.”
Sophie smiled. “Perhaps.”
A knock on the door surprised Sophie. Who would be calling already? Miss Addie rose to answer. “Why, yes, Mr. Nightingale, please, do come in.”
Salem’s large frame took up most of the space. Sophie noticed first thing the large sack he held in his hand. All at once she realized what was going on.
“Salem?” Sophie choked out, hardly believing he would be one of their guests. How in the world was she to operate a place of business with a man like him so close by?
Miss Addie, a grin spreading from cheek to cheek, took Salem by the elbow and walked him towards the ladies at the table. “Ladies, Mr. Nightingale is our first guest. I reserved the room upstairs at the top right of the hallway for him. Sophie, if you don’t mind, will you please show our first guest his room.”
Sophie glared at Salem, who was watching her reaction. He didn’t smile or make a smart remark this time. His quiet attitude subdued Sophie if anything. This side of Salem was unexpected. “Ma’am,” he said, removing his hat.
She led the way up the wooden stairs, stopping in front of the door. Swinging it open, the large open space held a single bed covered in a dark brown blanket. A small breeze rustled the plain brown matching curtains through the open window. A three drawer dresser sat in the corner by the window. “Will this satisfy, Mr. Nightingale?”
“Call me Salem, please.”
“You didn’t answer my question.”
“Yes, it does. Anything is better than the mess at the saloon. I’m afraid I may be here longer than expected.”
Sophie raised her brows. “What do you mean?”
He shrugged, placing his bag at the foot of the bed. “The upstairs of the saloon is a nightmare. Broken furniture and so much trash to haul out and burn. I thought I’d only need to stay here for a week or so but that may change.”
Sophie didn’t know whether to be glad or nervous. Having Salem here under her roof was a bit nervewracking. Especially when her emotions jumped out of control whenever he was near.
Sophie said the only thing she could think of at the time. “We can always use the money. Thank you for staying at Sophie’s Boarding House.” She had just made that name up but it actually sounded nice to her ears.
He grinned. “Well, I better get back to work.”
She moved aside while Salem went downstairs to speak to Miss Addie. She stood at the top of the steps and watched him leave. As she made her way downstairs, Sophie caught a glimpse of his large frame through the front window as he crossed the street. Turning, all eyes were on her. Pinkish color ran across her cheeks. To get caught staring after a man was a tad embarrassing. “It’s not what you think,” she told the ladies.
A few giggles erupted. Miss Addie raised her all knowing brows. “Are you certain you would like me to find you a groom, Sophie? It looks as if you may not be in need of one.”
“Why, I don’t know what you mean, Miss Addie. Of course I want you to find me a groom.”
The other girls tried to hide their smiles behind their hands but Sophie noticed them anyway. She was getting furious that she made it so obvious to everyone of her feelings towards Salem. If he found out, she would be the embarrassment of the town. Of course, she didn’t know how she felt, all she knew was her stomach rolled each time he was near. Her heart rate went up and her emotions took a turn every way imaginable.
Miss Addie coughed. “Very well, then, I’ll work on finding you a groom right away.”
Sophie sat at the table, picking up her now cold cup of tea. “There’s no rush, really. I’d like the opportunity to make this boarding house a success before I go. It’s beginning to mean a lot to me.”
Miss Addie hesitated before taking a sip from her own cup. “Of course, my dear. Let’s work on this place first and foremost. Some of the townsfolk who fled are coming back here, re-claiming their homes. Soon this town will be a reflection of our own. Wichita Fall’s lovely newswoman, Miss Charity has placed articles in the newspapers from here to the East. Soon, we will have lots of families wanting to settle in Mill’s Ridge. I suppose by then you may be ready to move on and find yourself a wonderful husband.”
Sophie turned to the front window, catching a glimpse of Salem back at painting the saloon doors. “I suppose,” she murmured, more to herself.
Having a home and family was all she had ever wanted. Even with yearning for a man like Salem, Sophie knew the kind of life he lived would never lead to anything. If she wanted those things, she’d have to make them come true with her own doings. She looked up at Miss Addie. “Start the process. I do believe by the time we find the perfect groom, I’ll be ready and willing to move on.”
“My pleasure. Now, ladies, I’m going to hitch up the buggy and get back to Witchita Falls before the sun sets. There should be two more guests coming in later today. A young man who will be the town’s new preacher has decided to start his own parish here. I’m afraid he is going to have a tough time finding a place at first for his services, so perhaps you ladies will be kind enough to ask some of the townsfolk if anyone can oblige this man of God.”
“We will certainly do our best.”
Miss Addie stood. She reached for her bonnet. “Good day, ladies.” Reaching out, Sophie gave her mentor a hug. “Thank you for everything, Miss Addie. I would still be in town, wondering where to go and what to do if you hadn’t taken me in and given me work.”
Sophie felt the older woman’s soft gloved hand on her shoulder. “You deserve so much more. Your life will reflect what you do with it. Make it the best and all the riches of this wonderful life will be yours.”
“Somehow I don’t think you mean money, do you?”
“Riches come in so many different ways, my dear. You’ll see.”
Chapter 3
Salem jerked back his hand, the hammer just missing his thumb. He had been daydreaming about the woman across the street when he almost nailed himself to the door. Thoughts of Sophie and being under the same roof with her was going to be difficult. He had to get his head on straight. It was time to quit anyway as the sun was beginning to fade behind clouds.
He had painted the saloon doors earlier before getting busy securing the railing with extra nails. All he needed was a sign for the front and the exterior of the property would be done. The inside was another matter. It was a mess. Outlaws had broken almost every chair and table in the saloon, along with treating the upstairs like they were in a hog’s pen. It would be weeks before the upstairs would be liveable.
He hoped by the end of the week he could at least open the saloon to get some money flowing through the place. Repairing the wooden tables and chairs wouldn’t be too difficult. Salem stepped inside the messy interior to find a bar that was stocked with empty whiskey bottles and broken glass all over the floor. It wouldn’t take him long to clean up but he’d have to order all new stock. In the meantime, he could go to Wichita Falls in the morning and borrow some of his own bottles to stock the bar.
Salem peered out the window to see if there were any lights on at the mercantile. Even though Max Ward owned the saloon, it didn’t mean the property was to sit long. Max would expect him to turn it around and fast. The man was a brilliant businessman and liked to make money. Even if he did have a heart of gold and would compensate well, Salem would make sure his saloon was up and running as soon as possible.
There was a dim light on at the mercantile, so Salem locked up and began to walk down the street. Since there wasn’t a lot of people in Mill’s Ridge yet, he strolled down the center of the street.
“Mr. Nightingale?”
He turned around to see one of the ladies from the boarding house waving him down. She lifted her skirts to run across the street. He tipped his hat when she stopped right in front of him, her chest heaving from being out of breath.
“Mr. Nightingale, Sophie wanted me to tell you that supper is soon ready. We’ll be serving in twenty minutes.”
“That’s nice of you to let me know. I have some business to attend to at the mercantile and I’ll be right there. I won’t be long.”
The younger woman with strawberry blonde hair smiled and fled back across the street. She seemed timid in the presence of a man. That didn’t surprise Salem, not after what John Abbott put those poor women through. Pretending to bring each one west as a mail order bride and then stealing them only to put all those women on the auction block. He hoped Mill’s Ridge was rid of a no-gooder like John Abbott. In the meantime, he’d keep an eye out while he was here. He placed a hand on the knob of the door to the mercantile and shook his head. Salem was sounding more and more like a sheriff protecting his town.
He was the proprietor of a saloon, nothing more.
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Sophie wasn’t sure why the palms of her hands sweat so. Trying to cook a decent meal for the three boarders was simply a matter of producing a hearty meal and yet knowing Salem would be attending her table this evening made her so nervous.
He hadn’t been back since earlier today when he dropped off his things. She had peeked out the window several times throughout the afternoon before clenching her jaw and forcing herself to stop watching for him. It didn’t do her any good. In a matter of weeks she may well be on her way to a new life. She didn’t have time to dally.
The jingle of the bell attached to the front door gave her goosebumps. Sophie rubbed her hands together, trying to calm down knowing it was Salem who would walk through the door. The other two men were already settled in.
It seemed as if her emotions were on a mountainous wagon ride. In order to get through this, Sophie would have to take charge. That always
seemed to work around Salem. She turned. “Mr. Nightingale, there is water to wash up on the back porch. Don’t come to my dinner table unless you do so.”
Salem stopped about three feet from Sophie. He grinned. “Yes, ma’am.”
As he walked out the back door, he turned so fast she didn’t have time to look away. Sophie’s eyes widened. She hadn’t realized she had stopped what she was doing and stood watching him. When his face scrunched and he stuck out his tongue at her, she turned away so fast she almost ran in to Reverend Pope, the young preacher.
“I’m so sorry,” she told him. “Please, sit down.”
Sophie heard chuckles drifting in from the open window. Darn that man! He knew she was besides herself every time he was in the same room. How in the world would she get through dinner?
How would she get through the next few weeks with him underfoot? Elizabeth and Rose were scurrying around the kitchen, setting the platters of food on the table. Sophie had cleaned out what was left in the pantry and bought a nice sized roast from the mercantile earlier. When she sat at the head of the long, rectangular table, the pleasant smell rifted through the room. She had done well for a thrown together meal of roast meat, potatoes and asparagus.
After saying grace, Jim Marley, the ranch hand hired by Max Ward, had practically stuck his head down in the plate and ate as if it was his last meal. Sophie grinned. She was glad everyone was eating. There was no conversation, just traces of forks scraping across the Lenox china.
When his plate was empty, Reverend Pope spoke up. “What is it Mr. Ward is having you do here, Mr. Marley?”
The man finally swallowed the last of his food and patted his mouth with a cloth napkin he had tucked under his chin. “Whatever needs to be done, Preacher. Right now what I am doing is taking inventory of each business Mr. Ward owns. So far, I see a need to open up the mill again, that’s for sure. Why, I don’t believe it will take long at all to get this town up and running. So long as we can find good folk who want to inhabit these parts.”