Love Blooms in Winter

by Lori Copeland

  “No one had more than a scratch, praise God.” Mae fell into step behind her as Pauline wandered the store. The woman was as honest as the day was long, but she didn’t worry about price or money when she shopped. She put it on her “account.” Mae couldn’t recall the last time her account had been paid up.

  “Ain’t gonna stop church services tomorrow, is it?”

  Mae doubted that the service would be canceled, and she had a hunch the pastor would emphasize the need for faith and strength to overcome present obstacles beyond the town’s control.

  Pauline set a porcelain wash pan on the counter and then went back to browsing. Mae stared at it. Why would she need that? The elderly lady moved to the thread section, sorting carefully through the colorful spools. Muttering under her breath, Mae went to help. “Is there something you need, Pauline?”

  “Hmm…no.” She picked up a spool of black and examined it. “I’ve always favored this color.” She moved on to the dry goods section. “What’s all the fuss in town? Has something happened?”

  Mae turned in time to see Tom shaking his head. “Something quite substantial.” Mae continued to trail behind Pauline. It embarrassed her to search the woman before she left the store.

  “How much did they get?”

  This was one of her friend’s really bad days, and Mae felt sorry for the woman.

  “There were no bank robbers, Pauline. The train derailed this morning. Thankfully, no one was seriously hurt, but the track is torn up. It’s going to take a while to fix it.” Mae gently removed a bottle of hot sauce from the woman’s hands and smiled.

  “Well, I don’t mean to be hateful, but I don’t have a good thing to say about the railroad. They shouldn’t have brought that black monstrosity through here. Been nothing but a nuisance. It upsets my dogs every time it pulls into the station.” Pauline turned to focus on Tom. “Sorry, sonny, but that’s the pure truth. You got something to do with the railroad, don’t you?”

  “A little, ma’am. Not enough to worry you.”

  “It’s certainly brought Dwadlo a fair amount of prosperity,” Mae pointed out as she gently took a package of hairpins from Pauline’s grasp. Dwadlo was the end of the line, but the station brought needed supplies to outlying areas. Otherwise, the town would be nothing but a tiny spot in the road.

  “They treated me badly.” Pauline sniffed.

  Tom cracked a peanut. “I’m sorry. Was it my line? Chicago and North Western?”

  “Can’t recall.” She waved a dismissive hand. “How do I know? I only know that I don’t know any railroad person except you, sonny, but I’m obliged to like my kin.” She paused. “Or does the Good Book say to love your neighbor more than your kin? Sometimes that’s a might easier to do.”

  Mae patted her shoulder and moved her to the counter. “Let’s see, now. We have—”

  “I’m not through yet.”

  Mae pointed her to larger products, such as canned tomatoes and beans. She turned her head when she saw a tin of baking soda go in Pauline’s purse.

  “Unfortunately, Mr. Curtis isn’t going to leave town as soon as he wanted. The railroad has assigned him to help lay the new track.”

  “That right?”

  Mae checked her necklace timepiece. “Mr. Curtis, since there’s been a delay in your departure, would you join us in church tomorrow morning?”

  “You’d better warn him to wear britches that won’t catch fire,” Pauline muttered.

  The things Pauline could come up with. Their pastor did get a little thunderous, but that was the spirit of God—or so he claimed. Mae never saw the need to shout and become red-faced when she spoke of God’s love and grace, but she wasn’t called to the pulpit. She smiled. “Will you join us, Tom?” She checked her timepiece again. It was growing late, and she was plain worn-out.

  After taking another sip of his root beer, Tom set the bottle down. “I haven’t been to church in years.”

  “Then it’s high time you went. Isn’t that right, Pauline?”

  She nodded. “Overdue, sonny. I’ll dress up real nice for my kin.” She picked up a woman’s housecoat. It was a very fancy bit of finery that had come all the way from New York, but the robe’s cost scared off even the most affluent in town. Today it caught Pauline’s attention. She swooped up the silly extravagance. “How much is this?”

  “Oh, Pauline, it’s quite outrageous, and you can’t wear it to church.”

  “How much?”

  “Nineteen dollars.”

  “Whoooee.”

  “Yes, very expensive.” Mae gently took it out of her hands and put it back on display, but Pauline retrieved the robe and stuffed it in her purse. “Put it on my bill.”

  Mae mentally groaned. Her bill was past the point of ludicrous, and Dale certainly couldn’t afford this luxury. She would let Pauline take it home, and then she’d bring it back to the store Monday morning.

  Pushing away from the counter, Tom reached into his pocket and pulled out a money clip. Peeling off two bills, he handed them to Mae.

  She started to refuse the offer, but Pauline had so few pretty things, and after all he was her kin. “Thank you,” she murmured. “That’s most generous of you.”

  “Consider it a gift from the railroad. Speaking of which, do you have any strong young men in town who need work?”

  Mae wondered if he was evading the church question and decided she’d let it rest for now. “Why?”

  “Their help would come in handy in laying the new track.”

  She put the bills in the money box. “Is that what you do for the railroad? Oversee rail repair?”

  “Not ordinarily. I’m in management now, but I’ve laid a few thousand miles of track over the years. I’ve worked about every job the railroad offers.”

  “Really.”

  Lifting his bottle of root beer to his lips, he grinned and winked before he took a long drink.

  She watched the muscles in his throat move as he swallowed and felt a blush creep up her neck. She wasn’t accustomed to his playful side. “I’m sure the men in town will welcome the work, and I’m also certain the railroad will pay a handsome wage as you are in a bit of a bind.”

  He lowered the bottle, studying her. “Why, you little conniver.”

  She held up a hand and smiled. “Purely business, Mr. Curtis.”

  She squealed when he leaned over and held the dripping cold root beer bottle over the top of her head. Lunging for the container, she playfully wrestled for the weapon. His long arm easily kept the bottle from her reach. Feminine squeals and male laughter was filling the room when the front door opened and Jake stepped inside.

  Mae caught the newcomer’s entrance from the corner of her eye and immediately snapped to attention. Straightening her bodice, she said, “Hello, Jake.”

  Looming in the doorway, the lawyer’s eyes appraised the situation. “What do we have here?”

  What indeed? How could she have acted like a hooligan, losing complete control of her decorum? What would her father have said had he been alive to witness his daughter tussling with a man—and in public, no less?

  She summoned a shaky smile. “Well…you know about the derailment. Tom and I were…um…discussing the incident.”

  Stepping inside the store, Jake closed the door. “Indeed.”

  She tried to stay calm while his eyes assessed her hair, which now hung loose down her back in curls. She must have lost the pins in the friendly scuffle.

  “And by the looks of you, you were also a victim?”

  Tom set the bottle on the counter. “There’s no need for sarcasm, Mallory. I’m sure this does look a little…inappropriate. I apologize for my behavior. I dripped water over her head and she reacted.”

  Jake’s gaze focused on Mae and he lifted one brow. “Pardon me?”

  Pauline giggled. “Have you tried the root beer yet, Jake? It’s real fine.”

  Mae closed her eyes with relief when the old woman peered around a shelf. With Pauline present
Jake couldn’t possibly find the situation upsetting—merely curious. Yet she still felt the heat rising to her cheeks, and when Tom turned to face her she wondered if he could see it.

  “Please accept my deepest apologies, Miss Wilkey. I am under a bit of a strain today and forgot my manners.” He gave a courteous but pretentious bow.

  Patting her flyaway hair, she nodded briefly. “Apology accepted, Mr. Curtis. It has been a most trying day for all concerned. I do hope to see you at services in the morning.”

  “Well, what is life without hope?” He flashed her another smile.

  Mae held her breath when he tipped his hat briefly to Jake, gave her another wink, and then left the store. Why did she feel guilty when she’d done nothing wrong?

  When the door closed behind him, Tom’s grin faded. You’re stuck here now, Curtis. You’d best be saving your winks for available women.

  The lazy smile returned when he stepped off the weathered porch. Still, it had felt good to see the look on that stuffed shirt’s face. Mae was a wonderful woman, full of life, and he enjoyed her company. She deserved someone better than Jake Mallory. Tom had to fight to harness his thoughts. Mae was close to being spoken for, and that was that. Bad-mouthing another man never gave him pleasure, but what could she possibly see in someone who considered himself to be the biggest toad in the puddle?

  A wagon pulled up to the hitching post. A woman dressed in men’s clothing set the brake and got out. Though he’d never met her, Tom realized she must be Lil, the woman Fisk had told him about. Before she could climb down from the wagon, an older man wearing suspenders and hip boots walked up. Tom had spotted him around the store this week. “Curtis!”

  “Sir?”

  The farmer’s eyes sized him up, and then he turned to spit a stream of tobacco. Wiping his mouth on his sleeve, he accused, “Name’s George Stewart. I’m a might riled, son. You killed my bull.”

  “Pardon?”

  “You work for the railroad?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “That train killed my bull. One of my best. So if you work for ’em, then you owe me fifty dollars.”

  “Fifty?” Tom shook his head. “I regret that your bull was killed in the accident, Mr. Stewart, but the railroad pays seven dollars a head.”

  “Seven dollars!”

  “I might get them up to ten, but not a cent more.”

  “That there was prize stock, Curtis.”

  He noticed the woman had climbed down from the wagon and approached. He stayed focused on the farmer. “I understand, sir, but that’s the offer. Seven—possibly ten dollars.” Grumbling under his breath, the farmer glanced at the rough-edged woman.

  Shrugging, she said. “What are you going to do with a dead bull, George?”

  The man’s eyes narrowed. “You’d settle for ten dollars for one of your prize sows, Lil?”

  “If she were dead and I didn’t need the meat, I would.”

  Scowling, George apparently worried the offer over in his mind. “Okay, Curtis. Ten dollars and you move the carcass.”

  “When am I supposed to have time to do that—”

  The woman stepped in front of him and offered a handshake. “I’m Lil Jenkins. If I can have the meat from that bull to do with what I want, I’ll clear it away for you.”

  “By yourself?”

  “No. I got a friend who will pitch in.”

  “Deal.” Tom had bigger headaches than a dead bull.

  “Consider it done.”

  Fourteen

  Nighttime shadows had deepened by the time Mae hung the new sign in the store window before retiring for the day.

  HELP WANTED

  Men with strong backs and hearty souls needed to repair railroad track. $1 per day. Apply inside.

  She was pleased Pauline had finally agreed to go home, though it had taken almost an hour to convince her to do so, and Jake had left without much of a fuss about what had happened between her and Tom. He had never been playful with her the way Tom was that evening, and it saddened her. But the day’s events saddened her too.

  Mae couldn’t think of the last time Dwadlo experienced an accident. She intended to extinguish the lights and go straight to bed when she heard footsteps approaching. She turned to see the hog farmer through the window.

  “I need your help, Mae,” Lil said as soon as she had opened the door and stepped inside.

  The postmistress stared at her friend’s clothing. “Goodness, Lil, what happened to you? Where did all that blood come from? Are you hurt—”

  “No, I’m fine, but I have a mess on my hands. I have to move a dead bull.”

  Mae was sure she’d heard it all now. The vivacious, spunky Lil was known to tackle anything, but moving a dead bull at this late hour? And though she hadn’t asked, Mae was certain she was part of her friend’s crazy plan. “How do you propose that we—meaning you and me, I’m guessing—move a dead bull?”

  “Haven’t had time to give that solid thought, but we gotta move it quick. We can still salvage the meat before it freezes.” She latched on to Mae’s arm and urged her out of the store and down the steps.

  “Now, just a minute—”

  “No time to jaw, Mae. We got to dress that bull.”

  “How did it die?”

  “Train got it. The poor thing got knocked so far back from where the train stopped that no one noticed it till a short while ago.”

  “Do you have your butchering tools and a lantern?”

  “No. I wasn’t planning on butchering anything when I came to town today.”

  “Wait here. I’ll get some things.” Whirling, Mae went back into the store and returned a few minutes later with a large saw, two of the sharpest knives she could find, a meat cleaver, and a lantern. Lil immediately began thinking aloud about ways to move a two-thousand-pound animal.

  “We need Esau.”

  “Lil, listen to you. When he comes around folks get nervous, you know that. Besides, are you planning to drag the bull to your place?” Mae put the tools in the back of the wagon and climbed aboard.

  “We can’t drag it to my place. There’d be nothing left. That’s why we’ll have to butcher it where it is.”

  “You know more about this kind of stuff than I do. Where is it?”

  “Not far from the accident site. It must have wandered onto the track and caused the wreck. George Stewart was hot under his collar because the accident killed one of his stock. He wanted fifty dollars, but Curtis held firm. He gave him ten, but we have to clean up the mess.”

  “Tom said I have to clean up the mess? How dare he make that commitment for me!”

  “Easy, girl. I offered to clean it up. And it was my idea to ask you to help me. No use letting good meat go to waste.”

  “I guess not, but couldn’t one of the men in town take care of the matter?” Exhaustion was overtaking her. Mae didn’t know if she had it in her to dress a bull tonight. The accident had stripped her of energy. Her bones ached, and she longed for a hot bath to sooth them.

  “No one was available.” Lil climbed up onto the driver’s seat of the wagon. “Typical, ain’t it? Can’t find a man when you need one.” She looked at Mae. “Guess that’s why we ain’t married!”

  “Maybe.” Climbing up the side of the wagon and onto the seat, her so-called beau ran through her mind. But Jake would ask for her hand someday, she was sure of it. Lil slapped the reins across the horses’ hindquarters and the wagon lurched forward.

  When they rode past Pauline’s house, Mae noticed the lamplight in the window. Undoubtedly her elderly friend was sound asleep in her chair.

  They arrived at the broken track and Lil followed it. They came upon the carcass a ways beyond the accident site. The felled animal was huge—more bull than Mae wanted to tackle, but she had no choice. She was here now, and she would make the best of it. She thanked the Lord for the moon or the task before them would have been even more daunting.

  Lil quickly built a fire and then grabbed the tools wh
ile Mae positioned the lantern for good light. Lil made the first cut and then began skinning the animal before Mae stepped in to help. Within thirty minutes she had stripped out of her gloves and discarded them. Her fingers quickly lost feeling, but she couldn’t work with her hands covered.

  “There’s some nice roasts here,” Lil said.

  “Very nice, but I’m not hungry. I’m tired and cold.” Mae heard a noise in the distance. It was dark and quite late. Who—or what—was out there? “Lil, did you hear that?”

  “Yep. No telling who it is.” In the distance dogs approached. Jeremy kept Pauline’s dogs penned at night, so they shouldn’t be hers. The ruckus grew louder, and Mae paused as she watched a small figure, with a familiar pack of dogs on her heels, enter the ring of light. Pauline. Dressed in long johns that were covered with her new robe.

  “Oh, Pauline.” She dropped her knife and went to offer the elderly woman her coat. She would catch her death. “What are you doing here? I thought you’d be sound asleep.”

  “Saw you and Lil go past the house and knew something was up. We got another train wreck?”

  “No.” Poor Pauline. When had the train ever run at this hour? “You need to go on back home. Here. Put on my coat. It’s too cold outside for you.”

  “I can’t do that. If I leave with your coat, you won’t have anything to wear. Besides, I’m not cold. I’ll just sit by this cozy fire.”

  Lil was never one to coddle. “Pauline, put on that coat and git home.”

  “I don’t want to go home. Maybe I’ll go tell Fisk what you’re doing out here in the middle of the night.”

  Lil snorted. “Go ahead. He won’t care.”

  Nodding, Pauline sat down on the railroad track in front of the fire. “You’re right.”

  “Then why bring it up?”

  “Will you two stop it? Let’s just get this job done and go home.” Mae bit her lip to keep her teeth from chattering as she went back to work on a hind quarter. “Pauline, can you at least keep the dogs away from the meat, please?”

  “Okay.” The old woman whooshed her hand through the air. “Git away from the meat.”

  The gesture and command did little good, and the animals nosed along the ground, tracing the fresh scent of blood. Pauline huddled on the rail. “Want me to help?”