His Chosen Bride (Love Inspired Historical)

by Rhonda Gibson

  Beth was waiting for her in the kitchen when she arrived. “Oh, good, right on time.” She pointed at a basket of apples. “Look what Levi brought with the supplies this morning.”

  “Carolyn’s apples,” Millie answered with a smile. “She said she’s craving an apple pie.”

  “She’s not the only one. I think I’ll bake a few tonight after we close the restaurant.” Beth handed Millie a menu.

  Millie looked down at it. “I was thinking that I might take a pie over to Carolyn in the morning, too. If that’s all right?” She quickly added, “I’ll pay for it.”

  Beth laughed. “No, you won’t. I was thinking of baking one for her and asking you to take it to her.”

  “Really?” Millie studied Beth’s face. She wanted to make sure that the other woman wasn’t just being kind.

  “Yes, really. Now I want you to sit down in that chair and learn that menu. It hardly ever changes. The nightly special does, but that menu is what we serve every day.” Beth picked up a tray of glasses filled with tea and pushed through the door that connected the kitchen with the restaurant.

  Millie spent the first half of her second working day memorizing the menu, learning how to prepare salads and, as Beth called it, familiarizing herself with the kitchen.

  She’d quickly learned the day before that tea and water glasses were something Beth needed lots of so she steadily kept those filled. As dirty dishes came in, Millie took it upon herself to wash and dry them so they could be rapidly refilled.

  Around one-thirty, Beth came into the kitchen and sank into the closest chair. “I don’t know if I could have kept up today, Millie, if you hadn’t been here. I think that has been our busiest lunchtime yet.”

  “I’m glad I could help. I felt bad staying in the kitchen while you rushed around like that.” She dried her hands on the semidry tea towel and picked up a fresh iced tea.

  Beth took the glass from Millie. “Oh, no, you were a big help in here. I couldn’t have gotten done nearly as quick if you hadn’t been filling glasses and plates for me.” She took a big drink from the tea. “And look at this kitchen. I don’t have to wash dishes all afternoon.”

  The smile on her face was reward enough for Millie. “I had no idea how much went into running a restaurant,” she confessed, taking a seat across from Beth.

  “Most people don’t. But, I’ve wanted to own a restaurant all my life.” Beth set the glass down and stood to take off her apron.

  Cooking and cleaning up after people weren’t things Millie wanted to invest her life in. She stood also and picked up the broom. Common sense told her that the kitchen needed to be spotless before this evening’s crowd began to trickle in.

  Beth continued, “Levi says when I’m ready he’ll sell this one to me. Can you imagine owning your own business?”

  Millie nodded because she could imagine it. She wanted to own an art gallery but probably not for the same reasons that Beth wanted to own a restaurant. She knew what her motivation was, but what was Beth’s? “Why do you want to own a business so badly, Beth?”

  “I love helping others. Owning the restaurant means I am giving businessmen a place to eat when they can’t go home for a good meal. It is also helping wives and mothers have a night off from cooking. And my favorite part is watching children eat a dessert that they normally wouldn’t get at home. For me it’s all about serving others.”

  The excitement on Beth’s face humbled Millie. She’d never done anything for others for the pure pleasure of helping them. What did that say about her? Was she as self-centered as she felt?

  “You go rest for a couple of hours. I’ll finish this up and then I think I’ll do the same.” Beth took the broom from Millie’s hands.

  Millie nodded and left the room, thankful that the lunch hours were from 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. She thought about what Beth had just told her.

  Her motivation for wanting an art gallery was nowhere near as noble as Beth’s desire to own a restaurant. Millie mainly wanted to prove to her mother that drawing wasn’t a waste of time, that there was value in having a talent for art.

  Was that a selfish motivation? How could her talent serve others? Millie frowned. She’d never considered helping others. Oh, Lord, am I truly a spoiled child? Everything we do should be to glorify You. Should I give up this dream and return to Cottonwood Springs? Or is there a way I can be of service to others and still keep the dream?

  Chapter Seven

  Millie was still pondering her prayer when she returned four hours later to work. The dining room had a couple of people in it, but no one sat at Levi’s table. She heaved a sigh of relief. Millie knew she’d have to face him eventually, but right now, she just didn’t feel up to apologizing.

  Beth smiled at her as she hurried from the kitchen. “Did you rest well?” she asked as she passed. The scents of cinnamon and sugar moved with her, and Millie knew her boss hadn’t taken the break as planned.

  “Not really. Did you?” Millie shot back before dashing into the kitchen to make sure everything was in order.

  The smells of baking apples, cinnamon and sugar caused her mouth to water. Full tea glasses sat on a tray and several tea pitchers lined the counter. A hot bucket of soapy water sat in the sink, and from the looks of everything, Beth had been working for at least an hour, if not all afternoon.

  Millie turned back around and headed to the front, where new customers stood waiting to be seated. She took the first group to their table and then hurried back to get the second group. The thought came to her that they could easily seat themselves, but she remembered that Beth felt it was a special privilege to show them to their tables.

  As soon as she had three groups seated, Millie began to take their drink orders. The evening continued with people coming in and eating, and as soon as that crowd was done, another took its place. It was all she and Beth could do to keep up.

  Just when things started to settle down, Millie felt as if someone was watching her. She looked toward Levi’s table and saw that he, his mother and his brother, Daniel, had all entered the restaurant. She’d been so busy with the other customers she hadn’t noticed Beth seating them.

  Millie hurried to the kitchen, where Beth stood dishing up a bowl of ham with beans and potatoes. She twisted her apron in her hands; she wasn’t ready to face Levi yet.

  “Levi and his family just arrived. Would you mind taking out that tray of tea glasses to them?” Beth asked as she added two biscuits to the tray of food she was preparing.

  Her heart rate jumped. She couldn’t talk to him yet. It was one thing to know she needed to apologize but quite another to actually do it in a place filled with people. And especially in front of his mother.

  “Millie?” Concern filled Beth’s voice. “Are you all right?”

  The desire to lie and say she was sick threatened to spill from Millie’s lips, but she knew better than to lie. “Yes, but, well, Levi and I had words this morning and I’m not ready to face him just yet, especially since his mother is with him.” She scrunched her apron even more and still her palms felt sweaty. “Would you mind taking care of them this time?”

  Beth handed her the tray she’d just filled with food. “That goes to table number one. I’ll do it for you this time, but you are going to have to face him sometime. He does live here, ya know?”

  Millie nodded. “I know.” And then she hurried to deliver the bowls to table number one.

  She didn’t look in Levi’s direction, just hurried to do her job and then rushed back into the kitchen. Even the sweet scent of apple pies baking did nothing to calm her nerves. Frantic for something to do, Millie looked about the kitchen.

  A large pan of dirty dishes beckoned her to wash them. Millie grabbed the dishcloth and began scrubbing. Beth was right. She would have to face him and probably later tonight in the sitting room. How would she apologize?

  Millie tried to imagine their conversation, but no matter how she foresaw it, she came off sounding like a crazy person. W
hy had she allowed hurt feelings from her past to make her behave so badly with Levi this morning? She didn’t know, but she did know it was time for a change. A change for the better.

  * * *

  Levi watched Millie dart back into the kitchen. He felt sure she was trying to hide from him and that added to the acid already churning in his stomach. Whatever he’d said to upset her, Levi wanted to make it right.

  All day he’d been trying to figure out what he’d said or done that had set her off. He still didn’t know, but he’d seen the hurt in her eyes right before her anger had flared. If he lived to be a hundred, Levi knew he never wanted to cause Millie pain.

  He pushed his chair back and laid his napkin down. “If you will excuse me, I need to take care of something in the kitchen. I’ll be right back.”

  Beth looked up from the table she was serving and smiled at him. Did she know what was wrong with Millie? Had Millie confided in her new friend?

  Millie turned as he entered the kitchen. Her eyes grew large, and she stared at him like a newborn fawn. A telling shade of pink filled her checks, confirming what he’d suspected. Millie Hamilton had been trying to avoid him.

  Levi moved into the room and rested a hip against the table. “Millie, I feel really bad about this morning and came to apologize. It isn’t my place to tell you where you can and can’t go. I’m sorry if I came off as bossy.” There, he’d said it. The words were out, but he didn’t feel any better.

  She turned away from him. “You aren’t the one who should be apologizing, Levi. I should.” Millie picked up the clean tea towel and dried her hands.

  Her blue eyes drank in his face. She offered a soft smile. Sadness filled her features and he wanted to offer comfort, but something deep down told him that Millie wouldn’t want that right now.

  He pushed away from the table. “I don’t understand.”

  Millie took a step back. “I overreacted this morning.” A deep sigh forced itself from her lungs. “All I have done since we’ve met is snap at you, and for that I truly am sorry, Levi. I promise I’ll try to behave better in the future.” Millie folded her hands in front of the white apron she wore over a light green dress and lowered her eyes.

  Levi wasn’t sure if he liked this submissive stance. Had she apologized to someone else before and been instructed to behave in this manner? He didn’t know what to think of her behavior, but wanted to make her feel more at ease with him. “No harm done. Thank you for the apology and I hope you have accepted mine, as well.”

  Millie nodded but still did not raise her head to meet his gaze. Levi couldn’t seem to stop himself. He closed the distance between them and lifted her chin. Liquid blue met his gaze. He brushed the hair from her cheek and smiled. “I’m glad we are friends again.” Not trusting himself, Levi dropped his hands and left the kitchen.

  What had gotten into him? Levi tried to act causal as he walked back to his table. His hands shook and he really felt like going back and hugging Millie. She’d looked so vulnerable and he wanted to offer her comfort. Of course he’d feel that way toward any woman who looked as downtrodden as she had. And he had a thousand cattle on the hillside in Granite, too, he mocked sarcastically.

  “Is everything all right in the kitchen?” his mother asked as he sat back down.

  “Yes.”

  “Good.” She folded her hands on the table and got right to business. “One of the reasons I came into town today was to talk to you about Anna Mae, Emily and Susanna. As you are well aware, those ladies came to town Sunday to have lunch with you.”

  Levi glanced at his older brother. Daniel tried to hide his grin behind his tea glass. He was doing a poor job of it.

  “Yes, and as you saw, I had other business to attend to and couldn’t make it.” Levi watched as Beth carried a tray with their meals toward them. He knew his mother would wait before continuing with whatever it was that she found so important to come to town for on a Wednesday.

  Beth placed their food in front of them. “Can I get you anything else?” she asked politely.

  Levi looked from his mother to Daniel. Both shook their heads so he answered for all of them. “No, this looks wonderful. Thank you.”

  She smiled and turned to leave.

  Daniel said a quick prayer over their meal before their mother picked up where she’d left off. “Well, I know you were busy Sunday, but you can’t continue to ignore them.”

  “Mother, I’m not ignoring them. They are staying with you out on the ranch. I only come out on weekends, and not every weekend at that, and special occasions, you know that.” Levi dipped his spoon into the bowl of red beans. Spices teased his taste buds.

  “Yes, but now that they are here maybe you could make the effort to come out more often.” She was giving no quarter.

  Daniel grinned across at him. “You might as well agree. You know she’s not going to let up until you do.”

  Levi laid his spoon down and wiped his mouth. “I have a full year to choose a bride. Mother, nothing you can say will make me decide any sooner on which lady I will choose.”

  “I see.” She laid her utensils down and focused her green eyes on him. “So when do you plan on getting to know these women?”

  Daniel leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. He seemed overly pleased at the confrontation playing out in front of him. Levi decided to ignore his older brother.

  “My next trip out to the ranch will be on Daniel’s birthday. I can talk to the ladies then.” He took a long swig of his tea and prayed that would satisfy her.

  Bonnie smiled at him. “Then I’ll make sure all three are there.”

  He’d expected her to argue more since Daniel’s birthday wasn’t for another week and a half.

  Then he realized what she’d said. Where else would they be? They were living with her at the ranch. Levi didn’t much care for the new gleam in his mother’s eyes. She was up to something, but what? He looked to his brother.

  Daniel shrugged and went back to his meal. His mother also picked up her spoon and dipped it into the warm ham and bean dinner. Levi sighed. Why fight it? Whatever Bonnie Westland was up to would be revealed in her time. Until then, Levi chose to breathe freely and have a pleasant meal with his family.

  It was later in the evening when he finally made his way to the sitting room. The other boarders were already there and having a lively discussion.

  Mrs. Englebright sat in an overstuffed chair beside the fireplace, and Millie sat across from her on the couch. He noted that Millie’s cheeks were a faint pink, as if she’d somehow embarrassed herself before his arrival.

  Mrs. Englebright smiled at him as he entered the room. “I’m sure Levi will side with me.”

  “Side with you on what?” he asked, pulling up the footstool and sitting down beside the widow. His gaze drank in the fresh blue dress that Millie wore. Her eyes matched the color of the dress to perfection.

  “Our Millie says peach pie is the best. I disagree and think that apple is much tastier.”

  Levi laughed with relief. He was thankful the topic wasn’t something more serious than pie.

  “I contend you are both wrong.” Mr. Lupin spoke up. He stood beside the piano holding what looked like a cup of coffee. “Pecan will always be the best of the pies.”

  “Nuh-uh, my ma’s apple pie is the best,” Mark insisted.

  Mrs. Englebright winked at the boy and nodded. He smiled at her and then returned to the plywood puzzle he’d been trying to put together.

  Beth entered the room carrying a covered dish. The scent of hot apple pie preceded her. A long table rested against the far wall. She carried it to the sideboard and smiled at them all. “Who would like a slice of fresh apple pie for dessert?”

  “Me!” Mark jumped up from the small table and raced to his mother’s side.

  “I would.” Levi grinned at Millie and Mrs. Englebright. “I think I’m going to say that my favorite pie at the moment is the one Beth just brought in.”

  Laught
er filled the room as everyone stood and made their way to Beth. She’d already brought in dessert plates and forks for everyone. A pot of coffee and several cups were also present.

  This was the time of day that Levi favored most. All the boarders coming together each evening had been another one of Beth’s ideas. She’d pointed out that if they all lived under the same roof they should try to spend time together at least once a day. Evening was the most reasonable because everyone’s work was done for the day and they could all relax.

  Beth served Mrs. Englebright first. The elder woman inhaled the fragrance of the pie. “Beth, I do believe you have outdone yourself with this.”

  “You best taste it first before you start throwing compliments about,” Beth teased.

  Next, Beth handed a slice to Mark, then Millie and lastly to the two men. “I hope these pies turned out nice. I made two for the restaurant and one for Carolyn Moore. You are still going to take it to her in the morning, aren’t you, Millie?”

  Millie smiled. “Yes, I will. Thank you for baking one for her.”

  “It was my pleasure.”

  Levi used his fork to cut into the pastry. Juicy apples and flaky crust coated his fork. He savored that first bite and then grinned like a cat with a bowl of cream. “It is better than nice—it is...”

  “Magnificent,” Mr. Lupin filled in for him.

  “Yes, it is,” Millie agreed. She nibbled at the crust and then dipped her fork into the syrup that the apples, cinnamon and sugar had created. “I wish I could bake like this.”

  “As do I,” confessed Mrs. Englebright after she’d swallowed her first bite.

  A pretty blush filled Beth’s face. “Oh, stop. It’s only apple pie. I’m sure both of you have talents you haven’t shared yet.”