Mistletoe Courtship (11 page)

“Why, I think that would be lovely,” Virginia finally said.

“Good. That's good.” Colter decided he'd best not give her time to change her mind. “I'll go get the buggy and be right back. I want to show you the place I plan to build my house, too.”

Colter muttered to himself the whole way to the livery. Had he made it too obvious by telling her he wanted to show her where his house would be? He wasn't sure if she would be flattered or alarmed if she knew how much he wanted her to come with him.

By the time he got back to the saloon with the buggy, he'd
convinced himself that he needed to wear a suit. He had most of the pieces for a suit, but not a tie, so he went next door to ask Petey to watch the children and lend him a tie. Fortunately, Petey had worn his tie today as a salute to the coming holiday so he could just hand it over when Colter asked.

Petey wished him well and advised him to be a gentleman.

“She sets a great deal of store by manners,” the older man said. “See you mind yours.”

Colter was careful to take Virginia's arm and escort her to the buggy before lifting her up so she could sit. Once she was settled, he tucked the buffalo robe around her knees. Then he patted her hand and asked if she'd like a peppermint.

“I didn't even know they had such a nice buggy at the livery,” Virginia gushed and turned to Colter as he climbed up into the buggy, too.

The smell of peppermint floated over to him and he breathed deeply.

“We can be fairly civilized out here,” Colter exaggerated. It might be more accurate to say they'd be civilized when the railroad came to town. At least, that was what he'd heard. But now was not the time for a man to be timid.

The road to the Hargroves' place was sprinkled with old snow. For most of the winter, the sides of the road had been piled high with drifted snow. But today the sky was blue.

“I haven't been out of town for months,” Virginia said.

“Any time you want to go, just let me know,” Colter replied. “I'm planning to buy a buggy like this now that I have Patricia to take around.”

“She'd rather ride a horse.”

“Maybe, but I want to see her turn out to be a fine lady—like you.”

“What?” Virginia looked up at him and squeaked. “She'd hate that.”

“Well, I do figure that being a bachelor father, I'm bound to make some mistakes with the children. There are things that women just seem to understand easier.”

He gave a heavy sigh after those words and let Virginia sit in silence for a bit. He hated to use guilt, but he hoped it would work.

“Just don't force Danny to play the piano.” She finally couldn't stand it. “I already gave him quite a few lessons and he hated it.”

“Patricia though—”

“Patricia should have the best lessons you can buy,” Virginia said. “On any instrument. She's a natural with it.”

Colter congratulated himself. The conversation had flowed in the direction he wanted it to. Maybe Petey didn't need to worry so much.

“I could use your advice. When I build my house out here on the Dry Creek, should I plan to keep the piano in the parlor or in its own room?”

“Oh, don't put it off by itself. The person playing the piano misses out on too much that way. Patricia needs to have others around.”

Colter asked her more questions and, before much time had passed at all, they were making the turn to go into the Hargrove place. Jake had added corrals around his place since Colter had been here last. And there were a row of chokecherry bushes growing along the lane leading to the wood-frame house Jake had built after he married Elizabeth. There were snowdrifts melting along the south side of the house and a couple of sheets hanging on the clothesline to the north.

They didn't even need to knock at the door. Elizabeth had heard them and came outside before he'd finished pulling the buggy to a stop.

“Well, what a wonderful surprise,” Elizabeth shouted out
as she wiped her hands on her apron and smoothed back her dark hair.

Colter studied Elizabeth. She was wearing a brown cotton dress and her dark hair was swept back into a bun. Her cheeks were pink, and he could see her breath in the cold air. She looked so happy he could only believe she was. She'd come from the east just like Virginia had. Granted, Elizabeth had been more of a servant than a lady, but she had found happiness on the banks of the Dry Creek. If she could do that, couldn't Virginia, too?

V
irginia had never envied her friend as much as when she was in her kitchen. And it wasn't the string of dried onions that hung from a hook by the far cupboard or the jars of spices and herbs that lay so colorfully on the small shelf. It was that Elizabeth knew how to use the onion and the spices. She could probably make a wonderful meal out of dried grass for her family if she had to.

The kitchen smelled like cinnamon. A plank table stood below a small glass window that was frosted over. The heat from the cookstove made the room comfortable. Colter was with Jake and Spotted Fawn out in the shed catching chickens.

“You came just at the right time,” Elizabeth was saying. “I was going to go and get a chicken ready for our dinner tomorrow, too. I should have thought about Petey and his friends. You'll need—what? Six chickens?”

“Goodness, no. I think one old hen will be enough.” Virginia closed her eyes and added, “I plan to make soup.”

“Oh.” Elizabeth stopped pulling jars off the shelf by the cookstove. She turned to look at Virginia. “Soup?”

Virginia had been afraid of this. “It's all wrong, isn't it? I
don't know what I was thinking. I was talking to Colter and before I knew it I had said we should invite Petey and his friends to dinner. Of course, you know all I can make is soup and—”

“You make a lovely pot of tea, too,” Elizabeth interrupted to proclaim loyally.

“I know this Christmas is special for Colter and I wanted to give him—” Virginia spread her hands in despair. “I wanted him to remember this Christmas forever.”

“He can remember soup.”

“He's going to be wishing it was fried chicken with every spoonful he eats,” Virginia said as she went over and sat down in a chair by the table. “He's even going to have to make the biscuits.”

“There's nothing wrong with a man cooking. Jake does it sometimes.”

“And you're kind, too,” Virginia said, half wailing the words. “You're the one he should marry.”

Elizabeth started to laugh at that. “I don't think Jake's ready to give me up quite yet.”

“Well, you know what I mean.”

“I sure do,” Elizabeth said as she came over to the table and sat down. “And I'm all for it. I always thought you two should marry. I was going to say something, but Jake said I should mind my own business.”

“Oh, no. You don't understand. We're not getting married. I just want him to remember me.”

“But why aren't you getting married? I've seen the way you two look at each other.”

Virginia blinked back a tear. “I can't make soap either. Children need soap.”

Elizabeth reached over and put her hand over the one Virginia had resting on the table. “You can manage soap. The big question is—do you love the man?”

“I don't know. We're just so different.”

“It's this place, isn't it? I know when you first came, everything was so new and you missed your home. But how is it now?”

“I've gotten used to a lot of things. And I do know that if I go back, I won't be here to celebrate when the railroad finally makes it to town and when the church gets their own building.”

“Then stay. Find out if what you feel for Colter will grow.”

Virginia took a shuddering breath. “It's not that simple. I worked all my life to please my father and all I did was disappoint him. What if it's the same with Colter? I keep thinking I should take the job in Denver if I get the position. I just—It would certainly be safer. I could save enough to move back east. And I love music.”

Elizabeth stood up. “Virginia Parker, I know you love music, but I never thought you'd scare easy. Don't give up so fast. I say it's time you learn to make fried chicken.”

“Colter loves your fried chicken,” Virginia said as foolish hope rose in her heart. “I think he ate three pieces at the church dinner.”

Elizabeth laughed again. “Then, when we're done with you, you're going to make it even better than I do.”

Elizabeth walked over to the cupboard and pulled out a piece of paper and a pencil. “Just do everything the way I write it down. When you've made it a couple of times, you can change things to your taste. I'm giving you some spices, too. Pepper, salt, ginger, cinnamon.”

By the time they heard the men walking back to the house, Elizabeth had managed to write instructions for frying chicken, making gravy and mashed potatoes, as well as cooking gingered carrots. Virginia confessed she was not to be trusted with vegetables, but Elizabeth assured her she had written every step down so simply a child could do it.

“We'll still let Colter make the biscuits,” Elizabeth said as she stood up from the table. “Just so he doesn't come to expect all this every day.”

Virginia thought nothing would be more wonderful than to be so competent he would expect meals like that. But she knew Elizabeth had cooked and waited on people for years before she married Jake. The other woman didn't know what it was like to have men rush to do the cooking because hers was so bad.

“I'm sending some pickles back with you, too,” Elizabeth said as she handed her several small cloth bags with spices. “It's not Christmas without my dill pickles.”

Virginia put the spices in the pocket of her dress.

When the men came in, their hands cold and their boots muddy, Elizabeth insisted Colter take Virginia over to see where he was planning to build his house. She and Jake would bring the chickens to town with them on Christmas Eve.

Virginia folded up the sheet of instructions Elizabeth had given her and put it in her pocket next to the spices. Then Elizabeth put the yellow dress for Patricia in her hands and handed the jar of pickles to Colter.

“I can't thank you enough,” Virginia said.

Elizabeth grinned. “Spotted Fawn is happy to give it to her. She remembers how it was not to have the same kind of clothes as the other children.”

Virginia nodded. “We'll see you soon.”

 

Colter felt nervous as he drove the buggy farther down the road. He'd only shown a few people besides Jake and Elizabeth where he hoped to build his house. A person had to be able to see what the place would look like when it had trees around it in order to truly appreciate the site.

“You're still warm enough?” he asked Virginia as he turned the horses off the main road and headed up the nearby rise.

Virginia turned to him. “I'm stronger than I look. I don't need to be coddled.”

So much for Petey's advice on being polite, Colter thought. If he kept this up, she would think he was a snake-oil peddler.

“Of course you don't need to be coddled.”

They topped the rise and Colter pulled the buggy to a stop. The area was covered with light snow, but it would be green in the spring. The soil was good.

“We have to go a little way for water,” he started to explain, “but I've always liked to be a little higher than what is around me.” He knew Petey would despair of him. “I suppose it goes back to my gunfighting days.”

Virginia nodded. “I can see that.”

Colter had known many women and their response to his mention of being a gunfighter had either met with fascination or repulsion. Virginia showed neither. She just looked at him straight across, like she could accept it, even if she didn't like it.

“Not that anyone who lived in my house would have to worry much about men coming to gun me down.” This was the reason he'd mentioned it. He'd wondered if she was worried about this and it was holding her back. “I entered a couple of shooting contests and lost. It took the shine right off my reputation.”

“That was a clever thing to do.”

He gave her a quick glance. “Not many people understand that.”

“What way will you have the house facing?” Virginia asked as she turned to look around.

“Northeast.” Now that the buggy was at a complete stop, he was free to watch her reaction. She had a smile on her face, which he figured must be good.

She nodded. “If you're going to put in a kitchen, take a good look at Elizabeth's first. I've never seen one so well-organized.”

“Jake plans to help me with the house.”

“Good.”

The sun was shifting as they sat there in silence.

“I figure two stories with the top for bedrooms.”

Virginia nodded. “The children will like that.”

Colter let her look around in silence for a bit. Then he figured that if she looked too long at the area she might find some reason to not approve of it. Besides, it was best to leave now so they'd get back to town before dark. He knew Petey would stay with the children as long as they were gone, but he would still worry until they were back.

 

Virginia saw that lanterns were beginning to be lit in the windows of Dry Creek as Colter drove her back to the saloon.

“I don't mind walking from the livery,” Virginia said. “If you want to just go there with the buggy.”

“There would be no end to the scolding I would get from Petey if I didn't bring you back to the saloon. Besides, it's as easy to go to the livery afterward.”

“It's just…” She hesitated. “I wanted to stop by Lester's for a minute.”

“Oh.”

“I need to talk to him,” she added.

Colter looked over at her face. She looked miserable.

“I appreciate you coming with me. I don't think Lester should mind if you go out driving with a friend.”

“He has sensitive feelings.”

Colter grunted at that. A buzzard could look mighty sad; that didn't mean his feelings were honest. It was just a ploy to fool his dying prey. Colter pulled the buggy to a stop in front of the livery though. If the lady wanted to walk, she could. He swung himself down from the seat and walked around to offer Virginia his hand.

“Thank you,” she said as he took her hand.

Colter could feel the tremble in her fingers. “It'll be fine.”

She looked up at him with worried blue eyes. “I just have to talk to him. It won't take long.”

He nodded. The way the men gossiped in Lester's saloon the man would have probably heard about their drive. “If he gives you any trouble, let me know. I'll talk to him.”

“I don't think…” Virginia looked alarmed.

“Not to argue,” Colter explained. “Just to let him know we went to the Hargroves' to order chickens.”

He helped Virginia step down from the buggy. “I can walk with you. I don't like you being on the streets at dark.”

“It's still light enough,” Virginia said as she pulled her shawl around her shoulders more securely. “I'll be home before you know it.”

Colter nodded. Nobody could stop him from keeping watch over her as she walked down the street. For the moment, she called his saloon home. That meant she was his to protect even if she planned to give her heart to another.

He stood there until he saw her enter into Lester's establishment.

By then the livery owner had come out to get the buggy.

“How'd it work for you?” he asked. “Have a nice ride?”

“I can't fault the buggy,” Colter said as he paid the man.

With that, Colter started walking down the street, too. In his past life, he'd follow Virginia into Lester's place and either start a fight or get roaring drunk. In the morning, he'd wake up sore and sick. Now he was learning a new way. He'd go back to his place and see how that old cat was doing. And make some supper for his children. God would have to help him accept Virginia's decision if she agreed to marry another man.