Christmas at Stoney Creek

by Martha Rogers

  Tom leaned his head back and all but bellowed in laughter. “Now why would I do that when I already have the prettiest gal in town to escort about? Besides, she’s too old.”

  Heat filled her face. She hadn’t been fishing for a compliment, but it sure was nice to hear one. Then a new thought sent her nerves into a tizzy. What if he meant Angela Booker as the prettiest girl? Before she had time to ponder that idea, Tom stepped into the street.

  “I have to get back to the office and finish my story, but one of those berry tarts your Aunt Ruby makes would sure taste good about now. Are you headed that way? I’ll walk with you if you are.”

  Well, even if she wasn’t headed back to the bakery, there was no way she’d miss an opportunity like this. A trip to the mercantile could wait. “I’d be delighted for your company.” She allowed him to grasp her elbow and assist her off the sidewalk and across to the bakery.

  “Have you learned any more in your search for information about Joe Fitzgerald?” The touch of Tom’s hand on her arm sent rivers of warmth through her arm and straight to her heart. This is the way she’d like it to be all the time with him.

  “Not a thing. Of course I didn’t really expect an answer. Who really cares about one man in a large city? Have you heard anyone in town talk about him?”

  Faith shook her head. “Not anything other than the usual curiosity like where he came from, what is he doing here, and if that’s his real name.”

  “Seems like he hasn’t given anyone information about his past. He answers questions, but his answers are usually vague. He did say he’d done carpentry work, but that’s about it. Sure would be nice to get an answer from my inquiry.”

  “Maybe you will soon.”

  “I doubt it. I’ll have to come up another plan.” He opened the door to the bakery, and they stepped inside. Tom sniffed the air and grinned. “Hmm, I smell chocolate and cinnamon.”

  “Mama is experimenting with chocolate and mixing it in cookie dough and cake batter. I must say the cake results are quite good, even without icing.”

  “Sounds delicious to me. A slice of cake and cup of coffee just might get me through the afternoon.”

  He sat back and grinned while she went behind the counter to retrieve the cake and pour a cup of coffee. A few minutes later she returned with a tray and set the cup and plate on the table. She had poured a cup of tea for herself and sat down across from him.

  “Don’t you need to get back to work?” She didn’t want him to go, but then she didn’t want him to anger Mr. Blake with his absence.

  “Not right away. I’ve finished my news stories for the day. I’ll go back over them before turning them in to go to press for Saturday’s edition.” Tom shoved a bit of chocolate cake into his mouth and sat back with a satisfied smile across his face. “Outstanding cake, even better than a tart.”

  Faith shook her head. Tom would have said that about whatever Ma or Aunt Ruby cooked up. Those two women had more recipes stashed away than most people would believe, but then that’s what made their bakery such a success.

  When he finished, Tom pushed his plate away. “Now that was the best thing I’ve had all day.” He waved to Faith’s mother behind the counter. “Excellent as usual, Mrs. Delmont.” Then he stood and dropped some coins on the table. “It’s time to get back to the paper. Thanks for the visit. Remember to keep your eyes and ears open for anything new about Joe.”

  “I will, although I don’t think I’ll hear anything unless he offers the information himself.”

  “Most likely not, but it won’t hurt to be alert.” He picked up his hat and headed for the door and back to his work.

  Faith gathered the cups and plate to return to the kitchen. The bakery cases were all but empty now after the last of the lunch patrons and those who wanted baked goods for their suppers had left. She glanced at the watch pinned to her shoulder. Time to close for the day and prepare for tomorrow.

  At the door she turned the sign over and the key in the lock. She stood there for a few more minutes simply staring down the street toward the newspaper office. In the past few months every minute she spent with Tom had become precious to her. She sucked in her breath and shook her head. She could do nothing to keep him from choosing Angela over her, but she certainly could do something to make the choice a little more difficult. In the next few days she’d concentrate on finding out more about Joe Fitzgerald and helping Tom unravel the mystery surrounding the old man.

  CHAPTER 8

  TOM SEARCHED FOR Joe on the church grounds, hoping to find him before they went inside for services. He’d agreed to have dinner with the Whiteman family after church, and Tom wanted to make sure Joe had come this morning.

  Faith caught up to him. “If you’re looking for Joe, he’s around at the side talking with a few of the men.”

  “Thanks. I want to make sure he doesn’t forget he said he’d have dinner with us today.” He started that way then stopped. “Um, it might be a good idea for you to join us since I’ve asked you to help with unraveling this mystery.”

  Her face lit up with her smile. “Thank you, I’d love to join you. I’ll check with your mother to see if she needs help.” With that, she picked up the hem of her skirt and climbed the steps to the church.

  He’d intended to ask Angela since Faith had come along last week, but he had sought her help, so it was only right to include her today. With a shake of his head he hurried to the side of the building to look for Joe. There would always be other times to ask Angela to join him.

  Joe spotted Tom right off and waved. “Hi there, young man. These here men have been telling me about some carpentry needs around town. Appears I’ll be busy the next few weeks or so.”

  “That’s good news. Means you’ll be staying around for a while.” The longer, the better as far as he was concerned. Now he would have more time for research. “You haven’t forgotten about today, have you?”

  “Not when it comes to your ma’s cookin’. She’s one of the best around.”

  “Wonderful. Just come on to the house after church. With the nice weather, we’ll have tables and chairs sitting in the yard behind the house so we can eat outside today.” He shook Joe’s hand and nodded to the other men. “Good to see you gentlemen. Glad you’re going to keep Joe busy.”

  Tom then hurried back to the front entrance and bounded up the stairs. He slowed to a sedate walk to enter the building and mosey down the aisle to the family pew. He slid in beside his mother. “Joe will be there today. He didn’t forget.”

  “I should hope not.” She cut her gaze to his but didn’t turn her head. “Faith let me know she’d be there as well. Since I didn’t have time to bake cookies for the children, she’s going to bring some new chocolate cookies her mother is trying out.”

  Tom’s stomach rumbled with that news. “If they’re anywhere near as good as her chocolate cake was on Friday, I may eat more of them than the children do.”

  An amused smile accompanied a nod. “I’m sure you could.” She poked his arm. “Now hush and make room for your father.”

  He stood and inched his way past his sisters to sit on the far end of the pew. Pa filled in the vacant space beside Ma. The pianist struck a chord, and everyone picked up their hymnbooks.

  After what seemed like hours, the preacher raised his hands for the final benediction. His anxiousness to talk more with Joe around his family and get Micah’s take on the old man accounted for Tom’s impatience this morning. The hard bench hadn’t helped either.

  Tom followed his parents and siblings up the aisle and out to an afternoon filled with sunshine. Faith joined him at the bottom of the steps.

  “Will you go with me down to the bakery to pick up the cookies? Ma is likely to talk with Mrs. Gladstone another half hour, and I don’t want to wait that long.”

  Tom hooked her hand onto his forearm. “Sure. It’s a pleasant day for a walk. Besides, maybe if I’m good, you’ll give me one of those cookies a little ahead of time.”
<
br />   Faith slapped at his hand. “No, you’ll have to wait just like the others.”

  “A man can try, can’t he?” He grinned down at her, but she merely nodded and looked straight ahead.

  Tom mused. “I suppose Gretchen O’Neal went to Reverend Booker’s church this morning with Mr. and Mrs. Blake. She sure created a stir when she went into town yesterday to shop with Mrs. Blake. Even Daniel made a comment about her looks.”

  Faith laughed. “I can imagine so. She turned more than a few heads when they came into the bakery to pick up Mrs. Blake’s order for the weekend.”

  After unlocking the door, Faith retrieved a box from under the counter and filled it with cookies. Even when closed the place smelled of cinnamon, sugar, and chocolate. Tom breathed in the aroma and eyed the box in Faith’s hands. How could he entice her into letting him have one early?

  She locked the door and laughed. “I see that ‘poor little me’ look in your eyes.” She lifted the lid and extracted one cookie. “You may have one now, but the rest are for the children. If we have any left, you can fight your brother over them.”

  Tom grabbed it from her hand and almost shoved it into his mouth, but stopped at his lips. If this was to be the only one, he needed to savor it. One tiny bite confirmed what he expected. Delicious. “Wow, you’ll sell a lot of these.”

  “Mama hopes so. Maybe then we can get that new stove we need so badly. The one we have is getting old and unreliable. She’s seen one in a catalog she’d like to have because it’s bigger with an extra oven.”

  Tom nodded, but cookstoves were the last thing that interested him right now. The cookies, yes, but how they were made, no. Faith rattled on for a few more minutes then stopped on the sidewalk.

  “You’re not the least bit interested in our kitchen, and here I’ve been running on like Stoney Creek. Best we get on over to your house with these cookies.” She stepped up her pace and went ahead of him.

  “Wait, Faith, I want to remind you to keep an ear out around Joe. We still want to find out more about him.”

  She didn’t stop but turned her head to call back, “All right. I won’t forget, but you’d better hurry on now.”

  Tom didn’t waste any more time getting back to the Whiteman house. Faith went on inside, but Tom sought out his uncle Micah. He found him in the back helping set up tables. Tom caught up with him between trips to the storage shed.

  “Micah, may I have a few words with you?”

  His uncle stopped and looked back to the men with the tables. “Sure. I think we’re about done here. Hannah’s spreading the tablecloths, and all the benches and chairs are in place. What can I do for you?”

  “You remember the old man I met on the train and brought home with me?”

  “Yes, I do. I hear he’s helping with odd jobs around town. What about him?”

  “I need your help. You’re pretty good at reading people, so I’d like for you to talk with him and give me your impression of him.”

  “Any particular reason?”

  “Well, some things just don’t add up. He was a smelly, dirty mess when I found him. Looked like he didn’t have anywhere to go or anywhere to live.”

  Micah shoved back his hat. “So, he’s just another old bum looking for handouts.”

  “I don’t think so. For one thing, he has almost perfect teeth. When he talks, he sometimes uses really poor grammar, and other times it’s perfect. His manners are often contradictory as well. I’ve seen him use the right utensils, say the right words to people, then at other times he acts like he’s never been around folks in a social setting before.”

  “That does sound a bit odd.” Micah scrubbed his chin with his fingers. “I tell you what I’ll do. I’ll engage him in a little talk and see what he knows about various subjects. Maybe I can get a feel for him from that.”

  Tom expelled his breath in a whoosh. “Thanks. I hoped that’s what you’d say.” He glanced over his uncle’s shoulder. “Looks like the womenfolk are coming out with the food. I’m going to make sure I get to it before some of my cousins do. I’ll see you after dinner.”

  With Micah doing a little snooping, they might start unraveling the mystery of Joe Fitzgerald . . . if that was his real name.

  Joe kept an eye on Micah and Tom while he finished helping set up tables. Micah had introduced himself as the husband of Mrs. Whiteman’s sister, Hannah. They had several young’uns running about the yard. He sensed right away the shrewdness in the man’s character. There’d be no fooling that man on a horse or cattle trade. He’d have to be on his toes around the cowboy.

  He’d already met Hannah and realized right away she carried one leg much shorter than the other. Her bright personality more than made up for the flaw in her physical being, however. She reminded him so much of the daughter he’d lost in a boating accident on Lake Michigan. Hannah even had the same red hair as his Rebecca.

  Joe shook off the memory and reached out to assist Mrs. Whiteman with the large platter of meat she carried.

  “Oh, thank you, Joe. Molly’s carrying the second one. Can’t have too much meat around this family of men. Have you met everyone yet?”

  “Most of them, I think. I met Molly and Stefan and Micah and Hannah, but haven’t had the pleasure of all their children as yet.”

  Sallie Whiteman wiped her hands on her apron and laughed. “There’s a passel of them for sure.” She glanced around at the group then raised her hands above her head and began clapping.

  It didn’t take long for all the clan to quit whatever they were doing and gather around. Joe’s stomach growled in anticipation of the food now spread on the main table. If the others were as good a cook as Sallie, they were all in for a treat.

  Sallie quieted the crowd and pointed to her husband. “Manfred, if you’ll do the honors.”

  They all held hands and Joe found himself between Micah and Tom. He stifled a grin at how the two of them had maneuvered themselves to either side of him. After the prayer, plates were filled, and the families sat around to eat and visit. The food was just as good as Joe expected it to be, but the fact that neither Tom nor Micah asked many questions put Joe on edge. Those two had something up their sleeves besides their arms.

  Sure enough, after the dessert of warm pie and cream, the two men asked Joe to walk with them to help digest the huge meal they’d just consumed.

  Micah guided them toward the barn at the back of the property saying he wanted to take a look at Daniel’s horse to make sure the lad took good care of him. Once there he did inspect the horse, but that didn’t take long.

  When he straightened up from checking the horse’s shoes, Joe steeled himself for the questions sure to come.

  Tom didn’t disappoint. “You’ve been mighty busy this week, and we haven’t had much chance to talk. How are you liking Stoney Creek?”

  Innocent enough, and a question he had no trouble answering. “It’s a nice town, and so far the people have been a mite friendlier than some other stops I’ve made along the way.”

  Micah brushed straw from his pants leg and raised an eyebrow. “Oh, and you’ve visited a lot of towns like ours?”

  Telling the truth without revealing too much about himself should satisfy their curiosity. “Yep, I’ve been crossing this great country of ours for a spell now. Decided I wanted to see more of it before I die.”

  “I get to do that across Texas with my reporting. Must be nice to see other states. Wish I could, but a reporter’s salary wouldn’t allow it. How do you do it?”

  Now was the time for only a bit of the truth, but no lies. “Well, you see, I visit a town long enough to do some odd jobs to earn money for the next stop along the rails. After being in Illinois and Missouri, I decided to come to Texas, and it sure is a big state to cover. Taken me longer than the others so far.”

  Micah sauntered out of the barn beckoning Joe to follow. “We do have a big state. So you plan on leaving us soon as you make enough money to buy train fare to the next town?”

>   Now how could he answer this question? Leaving had been part of his plan in the beginning, but he liked this town and what he’d seen so far. “Not sure about that. Might decide to stay a while longer. The ladies in this here town are mighty fine cooks, and the room at Miss Emma’s is mighty comfortable.”

  Before either Micah or Tom could respond, a swarm of arms and legs surrounded them with shouts and pulled Micah toward the house.

  “Come on, Pa. We got the ball and bat out and we need you to play with us.”

  “Okay, okay.” Micah grinned and allowed the boys to pull him away. “We’ll talk again later, Joe. Nice meeting you.”

  Joe breathed deeply and let it out. He’d dodged that bullet. Then he realized Tom still stood there. He grabbed the boy’s arm. “C’mon. I heard Faith say she’d brought some cookies from the bakery. Like to see if there’s any left.”

  He headed for the house, but Tom didn’t follow right away. Joe turned to see why and found Tom standing in the yard, his arms folded across his chest with a look that said he wasn’t done with his questions.

  Avoiding that young man had grown harder with each day, but this was the type of town he’d been looking for these past months. He’d just have to be more careful about where and when he spent time with Tom.

  CHAPTER 9

  EARLY MONDAY MORNING Tom glanced through the notes he’d written about Joe after Micah had talked with the man. His uncle’s observations were the same as Tom’s. The man was an enigma and had something in his background he didn’t want others to know. With a sigh Tom shoved the notes to the side and picked up the papers he needed for his trip to Austin.

  The door to the offices creaked open, and Gretchen O’Neal walked in. She wore a plain black skirt and white shirtwaist over which she wore a black jacket. Her hair had been pulled back in a bun at the nape of her neck with a black felt hat sporting a single black feather sitting on top. Tom nodded his approval. This young woman was ready to work, but even with such a stark change from her clothing on Friday, she was a very attractive woman and still rather intimidating with her self-confident air.