by S. E. Smith
Maggie Cunnings had a spitfire of a temper when roused and she was tired of putting up with all the crap her nephews had dished out. She had been coming back and forth to the ranch for the past two years helping out between housekeepers. So far, the boys had driven off six housekeepers in the last six months, two of them men! No one could put up with all the shit the boys dished out. They weren’t mean; no they were just angry, confused, and ornery. None of them knowing how to overcome what life had dished out to them.
Ethan was the oldest at thirty-three. He was trying to take on the responsibility of everyone. He had taken over the reins of the ranch when their parents had been killed in an airplane crash almost ten years before. He did all the bookkeeping, buying, and investments that made the ranch so profitable, as well as, trying to be a ranch hand when needed. He was burning the candle at both ends and now felt responsible for what had happened to Allen.
Caleb bottled everything up never letting anyone get too close to him. He spent as much time out on the range as he could. He made sure everything outside the house ran smoothly because he didn’t know how to deal with what was happening inside it. He felt just as responsible for Allen being in the shape he was in believing he could have prevented what happen somehow. At thirty, he had always been the one to hold things in and not show much emotion. The problem with that was it ate at the inside of him.
Allen, on the other hand, was angry at the world. He had taken off at twenty and joined the military against his older brothers’ wishes wanting to get away from the ranch. At twenty-eight, he had spent the last eight years traveling and fighting all over the world. Eight months ago the boys’ world crashed down around them when it was reported Allen was missing in action in South America. When he was finally rescued he had been beaten and tortured. At first, it was unclear if he would even make it. Both his legs had been broken and he was covered in cuts and bruises. The jungle climate had been perfect for infection to set in and when he had been transported to the closest military hospital it had been touch and go for the next week. They had reset his legs and he was healing slowly. He no longer needed the wheelchair. Ethan and Caleb had brought him home six months ago and he hadn’t left the room they had set up for him since, preferring to hide in the dark with his whiskey. Ethan and Caleb had tried at first to get him to go to physical therapy only to have every therapist in a four state region refuse to come back to the ranch, no matter how much they offered to pay them. As the pressure of everything going on increased, one housekeeper after another began leaving as the boys’ tempers escalated to a breaking point. They could hardly stand being together in the same room. Maggie had stepped in again two months ago but even she was at her wit’s end. The boys needed a miracle and she needed to find it.
Standing in the kitchen she put on her coat and picked up her purse. “Please lord if you are listening my boys need an angel, one with a lot of patience. If you can find one you can share, I’d be mighty appreciative. I know I don’t talk to you as often as I should but the boys need someone to love and who can love them. Please, if you can find the time, please send my boys an angel to love.”
Sighing, she closed the door just as she heard a bottle crashing against a wall and a loud curse. Pulling her gloves on to ward off the cold Wyoming winter, she walked out to the truck and drove to town on a mission.
Chapter 2
Maggie pulled into the parking space in front of The Flats Grill. The old diner was a favorite among the locals. If you needed news or wanted to find someone to help you out this was the place to go. Any news in Boulder Flats, Wyoming would pass through the diner at some point. Getting out of the truck, Maggie felt every minute of her seventy-two years. She pushed open the door and moved to a booth near the back of the diner. She would ask Gladys if she knew of anyone looking for a housekeeping job. She would have to let whoever interviewed know it would be in a combat zone.
Dropping her scarf and purse on the seat next to her, she removed her heavy coat and hung it on the coat rack next to the corridor leading to the bathrooms. Sitting down heavily, she smiled when she saw Gladys coming with two cups of steaming coffee. Gladys’ slim body and head of silver hair barely showed her seventy years as she moved with a spry step in her walk toward the booth. She carried the two cups with the experience of years of serving.
“Hey, Maggie.” A pair of voices called out behind Gladys. Carl and Earl Ganders were Maggie’s husbands. Tall and thin, they were still handsome as sin. In a time when it was considered unusual Gladys had fallen in love with the twin brothers and they had fallen in love with her. The men had advertised for brides but only Gladys had arrived on the bus. When they had taken one look at her they knew she was for them both. They had recently celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary.
“The boys’ giving you fits again?” Gladys asked with a knowing smile sliding into the seat across from Maggie.
There had been a lot of disgruntled ex-housekeepers flowing through the diner in recent months. She had heard all about some of the more colorful fights at the ranch including Ethan and Caleb’s attempt to hire a hooker for Allen. Seems Caleb figured if Allen had sex he would be in a better mood as it had helped in the past. He had talked Ethan into talking to a friend of a friend who knew a woman from Nevada who was willing to come in. In the end, Allen had not been appreciative and the woman had left in a huff but not before threatening to tell the sheriff about what the brothers’ had tried to do if they didn’t pay her a six figure sum to keep quiet. Of course, the sheriff, Matt Holden who was a childhood friend of the boys, had threatened to arrest the woman for blackmail and prostitution. According to the housekeeper at the time the woman left with her promised two hundred and fifty dollars and a bus ticket out of town.
“I just don’t know what to do. Ethan took off for two weeks on the excuse he needed to go to an auction, Caleb would rather spend a week out on the range in freezing weather than be in the house, and Allen,” shaking her head Maggie took a drink of the hot coffee before continuing, “the boy is going to drink himself to death if something isn’t done. I can’t do any more. I need a miracle, Gladys.”
Gladys sat quietly wishing she could help her friend out. She was at her wit’s end too. She didn’t know a single person who was willing to take on the Cunnings’ men, no matter how rich or good looking they were. Sighing she reached over and placed a supportive hand over Maggie’s as she shook her head in sympathy, “I wish I could help you out.”
Maggie spent the next hour talking with Gladys and her husbands. She enjoyed their company and missed them since she had moved to Florida. If the weather in Wyoming wasn’t so damn cold in the winter she would have stayed just to be near them. Her old bones just couldn’t seem to handle it any more plus she had met a really nice widower whom she enjoyed spending time with. Just as she was resigning herself to returning to the ranch empty handed the bell over the door chimed. Maggie looked up and inhaled a deep breath. Standing just inside the door was a young girl. She had on a thin patchwork jacket and was wearing a pair of faded jeans and scuffed up boots. What caught Maggie’s eye was the light streaming in behind her. She didn’t know if it was the play of the light through the ice-coated window or what but the girl looked like she had a halo around her head.
“Gladys, Earl, Carl look behind you.” Maggie whispered excitedly. “I believe my angel just walked into your diner.”
All three of them turned as one to look at the new arrival. Their eyes widened as they noticed the play of light surrounding her.
Lily stood inside the door of the diner biting her lower lip with uncertainty. She pushed a strand of dark hair behind her ear as she looked around. She didn’t have much money but she needed to get warm and find something to eat. The diner was the first place she had seen when she had arrived in town. Walking over to one of the bar stools at the counter she lowered her canvas bag and sat on the stool. Earl walked around the counter to take her order smiling a welcome as he handed Lily a worn menu. Lily
looked at the menu for a minute trying to decide. Her mouth watered at all the delicious selections. She had a hard time choosing what to order. It would have to be something very inexpensive. She finally settled for ordering a glass of water, no ice, and a cup of soup. It was all she could afford until she found a job. She would ask the man behind the counter before she left if he knew of anyone who might be hiring locally. She would also have to find a place to stay tonight. She really didn’t have enough money for a room, she sighed. She better get as warm as she could now because she had a feeling she was going to be very cold tonight if she couldn’t find a really, really cheap place to sleep. Pulling out a small battered change purse, she pulled a couple of crumbled dollar bills out of it. She sighed again, she was going to have to find a job soon or she would be going hungry as well as cold.
Sipping the hot soup she let the warmth slide through her frozen body. She hadn’t realized it was so cold out until she came in out of it. Smiling at the man behind the counter, Lily asked softly, “You wouldn’t know if anyone around could use a good housekeeper or cook do you? I’m a hard worker and dependable.”
Gladys had risen when Lily had ordered moving towards the kitchen. She smiled at Maggie as she walked by her, “This one is a keeper. I say hire her if she needs a job. She is just what the boys need.” She whispered.
Maggie had been sitting in the booth watching the young girl as she looked over the menu. She could tell the girl was cold and hungry but probably didn’t have much money if her jacket was any indication. It was hardly appropriate for early October in Wyoming. When Maggie heard her ask Earl about a job she thought she had hit pay dirt. She stood up and walked over to the girl.
Maggie studied her closely for a minute before speaking. “I might know someone who’s looking for a housekeeper. My name’s Maggie Cunnings. Why don’t you sit down with me at the booth over there and we’ll talk for a bit?”
Lily studied the older woman for a moment before nodding. The woman looked to be in her late sixties or early seventies. It was hard to tell really as she had one of those ageless faces. Lily couldn’t believe her luck. She watched wide-eyed as the woman turned and went back to the booth she had been sitting at when Lily had first come into the diner. Lily quickly collected her canvas bag and picked up her water. When she turned to grab her cup of soup Carl had already picked it up and placed it on the table across from Maggie along with a cup of hot tea. Lily started to say she hadn’t ordered hot tea but her protest died when she saw Carl wink at her. Smiling her thanks, Lily turned to study the woman sitting across from her as she slid into the booth. Maggie continued to stare at her for a moment longer. Feeling a little self-conscious, Lily tucked a stray strand of her dark brown hair behind her ear.
“So, you want to be a housekeeper?” Maggie began.
“Yes, ma’am. My name is Lily. I have plenty of experience with maintaining a house and I’m an excellent cook. I am also very good with children.” Lily said earnestly. “I’m honest and dependable, too.”
“Call me Maggie and I’m sure you are, dear. I can tell a lot from the way a person holds themselves if they are telling me the truth. The house you would be working at has three males in it. They are brothers. Ethan is the oldest, followed by Caleb and Allen. They aren’t easy to work for but they are good men. They’ve been through six housekeepers in the last eight months.”
Lily leaned back and stared into Maggie’s eyes thoughtfully. “If you ask me, it sounds like they haven’t found the right person for the job yet. I’m not afraid of hard work and it isn’t easy to drive me off, ma’am. I stay until the job is done. Do you mind me asking if they are married? Do they have any children who need tending?”
Maggie smiled at the old fashion term. “None of them are married and none of them have children, at least none that we know of.” Maggie said humorously. “It hasn’t been easy. All three of those boys need a strong hand to get them into shape. I’ve done the best I can over the past two months but I’m getting too old for this.”
“Are you their housekeeper? Will they have a problem with you hiring me?” Lily asked curiously.
“I’m their aunt. I’ve been helping out. Each one of those boys needs something different. They all have very distinctive personalities. Ethan works too hard and never takes time for himself. Caleb bottles everything up and it eats away at him. But the one needing the most help is Allen. He has a lot of anger he needs to work through. They have grown apart over the years and now can’t seem to be around each other for very long without losing their tempers and fighting.” Maggie said watching carefully for Lily’s reaction. She wondered if she was giving Lily too much information; information that would scare her off. Maggie let out a small prayer hoping Lily would be strong enough to accept the challenge. She felt it was only right Lily knew all the facts going into the position.
Lily smiled gently. “It really sounds like they need more than a housekeeper. They need someone who can help them become a family again.”
Maggie grinned with relief at Lily’s insight. “You might be right. Those boys need someone who won’t leave the first time they growl at them. They need to learn there is more to life than work or heartache. And, they need to learn how to be brothers again. They were very close growing up always hanging out with each other and supporting one another through all the scrapes they used to get into. It seems like they have forgotten that.”
Lily nodded. “Ma’am, Maggie, I need a job and it sounds like your boys need an experienced housekeeper who won’t take their growling personal. If you are willing to hire me I won’t disappoint you. I’ll stay as long as they need me.”
“Well then, consider yourself hired! I need you to start as soon as possible. Are you staying in town? Can you start tonight?” Maggie couldn’t contain her joy at the prospect of Lily being at the ranch. Somehow, she knew Lily was the right one. If she didn’t know any better she would have thought she had been heaven sent as she fit her earlier prayer for an angel to help get those boys back in shape.
“Actually, I just got off the bus and I haven’t found a place to stay or anything yet. All I have is what’s in my bag.” Lily nodded to the large canvas bag at her feet. Lily didn’t want to admit she didn’t have any money to stay anywhere and the thought of a nice warm bed was a welcome relief.
Maggie frowned looking at Lily’s jacket. “We need to get you a few things. Your jacket isn’t going to help keep you warm. We’ll head over to Pete’s Trader Stop before heading out to the ranch. They’ll have everything you’ll need.”
Lily shook her head, determination making her lips form a straight line. She never took anything without being able to pay for it. Her parents had raised her it just wasn’t right. “I’ll get it when I get my first paycheck. I have enough to keep me warm until then. I don’t want to take anything until I’ve earned it.”
Maggie studied the girl sitting across from her. She seemed so young but her eyes told a different story. “Child, how old are you? Do your parents know where you are?”
Lily smiled sadly. “I’m older than I look. My parents passed away a few years ago and I don’t have any other family. I’ve been on my own for a while now.”
Maggie’s eyes shone with compassion, “Well, let’s get you out to the ranch. I can show you the house tonight and if you don’t mind I’ll head out back to town tonight so I can get an early start in the morning. I miss my Albert something fierce, not to mention the warm, sunny weather of south Florida. Albert and I met there ten years ago when I moved there to get away from the cold Wyoming winters. I have to admit, I don’t miss them at all.”
Lily suddenly had a terrible thought. “Maggie, what if the men don’t like me? What if they fire me before I even have a chance to prove myself?”
“Now, don’t you mind those boys. I’m the one hiring you so they can’t fire you unless I tell them they can. In fact, I will guarantee you the first three months salary plus living accommodations just for taking the job. How
does that sound?”
Lily couldn’t help the relieved smile that curved her lips. “Like a plan. You won’t regret it, Maggie, I promise.”
“Gladys, Carl, Earl, I’ve found a new housekeeper for the boys. I’m going to take her out to the ranch and get her settled in. If you don’t mind can I stay at your place tonight so I can head out early tomorrow morning for the airport? It will save me at least an hour’s drive.” Maggie asked as she gathered her things together.
Gladys smiled warmly at Lily before replying, “Any time, Maggie. You know that. The guest room has your name on it.” Maggie gave Gladys a quick kiss on the cheek and flushed when both Earl and Carl came up and gave her a kiss on the lips. Shaking her head at the two men she turned and grinned at Lily, a nice pink glow on her cheeks.
Lily gathered her bag and waited as Maggie put on her coat and gloves. Following the older woman out the door Lily turned at the last minute to look at Gladys, Carl, and Earl, “Thank you. The soup and hot tea were very good.”
Gladys leaned back into Earl’s arms and smiled up at both men, “I think those Cunnings’ men aren’t going to know what hit them.”
Carl leaned down and gave Gladys a kiss, “I think you’re right, dear. I think you’re right.”
