Christmas with the Cookes

by Kit Morgan

  * * *

  The meal finished, the Cookes waited for dessert and coffee and visited with a few of the other patrons. Lorelei had never seen so many friendly people in one place in her life. They asked after each other, complimented one another, laughed, shared stories, and really seemed to care about one another.

  She asked Jefferson a few questions during their meal and found out that Clear Creek had only about a hundred people living in the area. Most of the younger ones had never been anywhere else. The Cookes had traveled to England to visit a relation (a duke, of all things), and some others had visited Oregon City or Portland. That Harrison and his family and the Dunnigans had gone all the way to Washington Territory to spend Christmas with another family was the talk of the town.

  Half the people in the dining room approached their table and asked how Colin and Belle were getting along without Harrison and Sadie. Lorelei wished she could meet them but wasn’t sure if she’d still be here when they returned. When would the MacDonalds come back to get her? She hated the uncertainty, but what could she do about it?

  “Are you ready to go?” Jefferson asked. He’d been unusually quiet during their meal and hadn’t started talking a lot until folks came to the table asking after his aunt and uncle and what Christmas would be like this year without them.

  “Yes. I’m ready.” She smiled shyly. She liked how his voice softened sometimes when he talked to her. It made her feel special. There was a caring that was hard to miss. She could get used to someone caring about her – she’d always wondered what it felt like.

  The family began to get up, and Jefferson pulled her chair out for her. Colin and Belle noted the action with interest. “Thank you,” she told him and hoped his parents didn’t disapprove. But they hadn’t stopped him. Was it rude to do so?

  Colin and Belle spoke with more people as the rest of them headed for the wagon. Jefferson helped her in, sat next to her and smiled. “How did you like it?”

  “The meal? It was wonderful. The best roast chicken I’ve ever had.”

  He rubbed his mitten-clad hands nervously on his legs a few times. “Sally’s a good cook. Tea is nice too. We… should go sometime.”

  Her heart leaped in his chest. She had the distinct feeling he was asking her out on a date. “You want to have tea?”

  He looked into her eyes. “Yes. I think it would be fine, don’t you?”

  A tingle went up her spine. “Yes,” she said with a smile. Followed by her mind yelling, no, no, you idiot! What are you doing? If not for the circumstances, she could develop a whopping crush on Jefferson Cooke. Maybe she was anyway.

  “I’ll talk to Father and find out when I can take the wagon to town. We could bring Adele or one of the others along. After all, we can’t go traipsing off to town by ourselves.”

  She shook herself. “We can’t?”

  “Of course not. What would people think?”

  Her eyebrows shot up. “Excuse me?”

  He looked at her like she was an idiot. “Lorelei, I know we’re not courting. But people might think we’re sweet on each other and then see us alone together and that’s how the rumors start.”

  Part of her wanted to say, “Well, aren’t we?” But he was right, they weren’t. And in this time chaperones were commonplace; she’d forgotten that. “Yes, of course. Adele should come with us. Although then, you couldn’t ask me about …” She waved her hand to fill in.

  He smiled. “I think she can keep a secret. Besides, I know she still has Christmas shopping to do and presents to make. She’s bound to need ribbon or yarn from the mercantile. We can get what we need, have tea and go home.”

  “That sounds fine,” she said as her heart sank.

  “What’s wrong?”

  She bit her lip. The irony of it was too much. Of course he wasn’t, as he’d said, “sweet on her.” But a part of her wanted him to be. No one had ever asked her out in high school or junior high. She didn’t connect with anyone until she met Jefferson. And all he wanted to do was have tea …

  “Everyone ready?” Colin called as he climbed onto the wagon seat. Without waiting for an answer, he got the wagon moving. The ranch was only a few miles out of town – it took just under an hour to get there, but it would be dark by then. She wondered what the rest of the evening would entail.

  When they reached the ranch, Belle, the girls and Lorelei went inside to get the fires going. They’d banked them before they left, and their foreman Logan Kincaid had come in and put a little wood on each one. Soon after, to Lorelei’s surprise, they all began to get ready for bed. She’d been so exhausted the day before she hadn’t noticed the time – not that there was a clock to confirm it.

  “Would you like to borrow a book?” Adele asked as they entered the kitchen.

  Thank Heaven! “Yes, what do you have?”

  “I have a wonderful book I just finished. You’ve probably read it. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.”

  Lorelei stared at her. “Actually, I’ve, uh… always wanted to read that one but never had the chance to.” That was close – she’d almost said, “Seen the movie.”

  “It’s in my room – I’ll get it for you. Unless of course you’d like to read my newest book.”

  “Have you read it already?”

  “No, but you’re our guest. You’re welcome to it.”

  Lorelei smiled. The gaping difference in manners between her century and this one was astounding. “No, you read it.”

  “Thank you. I’ll get your book and bring them both down.”

  Lorelei looked around the kitchen. “Are we reading in here?”

  “No, silly, the parlor.” She left her standing next to the stove

  Belle put on a kettle to boil. “Would you like some tea?”

  “Thank you.” She went to the kitchen table.

  Belle went to the hutch and took out some cups and saucers. “I’m sorry about your family.”

  Lorelei smiled and sighed. She didn’t like talking about her family, and always felt a void in her heart where her parents should’ve been. But there was nothing. Even her memories of them were fading. “As they say where I come from, it is what it is.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Over the next week a routine developed. Lorelei would get up with the other girls, bring in water, wood and the morning’s milking, and help Belle with cooking. She learned to separate milk from cream, make flapjacks, biscuits and bread. She especially liked making bread – Patsy had (will have?) a bread maker, and everyone in the house loved the smell when it was in use.

  Unfortunately, one day Erwin and some of his friends were roughhousing, knocked it off the counter and broke it. Patsy, being Patsy, was so mad she told him she was never going to bake bread for them again, and she didn’t. Lorelei figured it was because she was too cheap and/or too stubborn to buy another bread machine and certainly wasn’t about to make it by hand.

  The women made breakfast, cleaned up, then began the other daily chores – mending, darning, more baking, lunch preparation. And no sooner were they done cleaning up after lunch than it was time to start supper. But she had to admit the food was wonderful – she’d get fat if it wasn’t for all the extra exercise she got from the chores. She was starting to feel great, with more energy than she’d ever had before.

  “I asked Father about our trip to town,” Jefferson announced as he entered the kitchen one afternoon.

  Lorelei looked up from her mixing – she and Adele were making cookies. “Town?”

  His eyes filled with disappointment. “Tea?”

  “Oh!” She put the bowl down. “Yes, I’m sorry. We can go?”

  He smiled in relief. “Tomorrow. Adele, can you come along?”

  “For tea? Sure I can!”

  A tingle went up Lorelei’s spine, along with a sudden bout of shyness. He obviously hadn’t forgotten about asking her to tea, though she had. “So it’s all set, then. But … how well can you keep a secret, Adele?”

  “You can
trust me. Is this about your … big secret?”

  Lorelei leaned back in alarm. “What do you know about that?”

  “Only that I was pretty sure you had one.”

  “Well … yes, it is. Nothing illegal, of course, and your parents and Jefferson already know. But don’t let anyone else know.”

  “Cross my heart,” Adele replied and did.

  Jefferson nodded. “What kind of cookies are you making?”

  “Molasses.” Lorelei looked at the crockery on the worktable. “I haven’t gotten far. Adele is teaching me.”

  He smiled, joined her at the worktable and picked up a jar. “Here, I’ve made these many times growing up. I know the recipe by heart.”

  “You do?”

  “Sure.” He pried the lid off, poured molasses into the bowl, then motioned her to stir.

  She did, her eyes never leaving his. Whenever he was around, she felt so comfortable, so relaxed. “How much flour?”

  He looked at the small flour sack on the table. “Two teacups full.”

  She smiled. She’d noticed early on there were no measuring cups or spoons in the house. Belle scooped out flour with either a large serving spoon or a literal teacup. Before she could reach for the flour, he plopped a cupful into her bowl, measured out another, then added a few pinches of salt and other ingredients. “You’re good at this.”

  “I used to love helping Mother make cookies when I was young.”

  She smiled. To hear him refer to himself as young was odd. She expected to hear one thing, only to hear another. They might talk oddly, but it made her realize the Cookes were no different than people of her time, except for their impeccable manners.

  Belle stuck her head in the door. “Adele, would you like to go visit Honoria about tonight?”

  “Oh, yes!” Adele wiped her hands on her apron, took it off and was out the door in a flash.

  Lorelei mixed the cookie dough, dropped spoonfuls onto a baking pan and put them in the oven. “What’s happening tonight?”

  “Oh, we’re eating over there tonight,” Jefferson explained.

  She remembered the family mentioning they ate at the main ranch house a few nights a week. “Why haven’t we done so?”

  “Because of you.”

  “What?”

  He shrugged. “We didn’t want to overwhelm you. I told Mother and Father you’d be fine. Harrison and Sadie aren’t here, and it would be much quieter than usual. But they thought you needed your rest.”

  “I’m not going to break, you know.” She put the mixing spoon into the bowl and took it to the dry sink. “I feel fine.”

  “Then you should enjoy yourself tonight. You’ll get to meet Grandpa Jefferson and Grandma Edith.”

  “Why haven’t I met them yet?”

  He shrugged again. “Like I said, Mother and Father…”

  “Are a little too protective, I think,” she finished. After all, she wasn’t made of glass. But given what she’d been through, most people might have had a nervous breakdown by now. She had no idea why she hadn’t, except that she’d been made so welcome here. And that with Jefferson she felt… more whole, as if part of her had been missing all this time. The feeling was growing too, and she wasn’t stressing herself out by fighting it.

  By the time Belle and Adele returned, Lorelei was taking the first batch of cookies out of the oven. “You made them yourself?” Adele asked in shock.

  “I had help.” She nodded at Jefferson, who sat at the table sipping a cup of coffee.

  “What are you still doing in here?” Belle asked. “I thought you were helping your father in the barn.”

  “Logan and Owen are helping Father. I came in here and helped Lorelei make cookies.”

  Belle arched an eyebrow at him. “Baking cookies is not one of your chores, son.”

  “I was helping our guest. Everyone pitches in to do that.”

  Lorelei grinned at him. He was sly when he wanted to be.

  Belle left to work on a dress she was mending for the Christmas play, which made Lorelei think. “If the play is only a week away, why haven’t there been any rehearsals?” She began to spoon out the next batch of cookies.

  Jefferson laughed. “Because we don’t need many. We’ll rehearse next week.”

  “That’s not much time.”

  “It is when the whole town knows the play.” He laughed as she put the next batch in the oven. “I know it by heart. I told you at the church, remember?”

  She’d already forgotten about the tea, and now this. Was she starting to lose her mind?

  “It’s all right, I understand if you don’t remember. You’ve been through a lot.”

  That was true enough. How did most people handle getting shot a century or more through time? Or was she the first?

  Adele came back in. “When we go to town tomorrow, can I do some Christmas shopping at Dunnigan’s?”

  “I was figuring on just that,” Jefferson replied. “Besides, I have some money and wanted to buy Mother her gift.”

  “I thought you already bought her a gift.” Adele took a cookie and had a bite. “Mmm, these are just right.”

  “No, I haven’t. Come to think of it, I haven’t gotten you a gift either.”

  Her eyebrows shot up. “Did you draw my name?”

  “No, I drew Thackary’s, but I was going to get you a gift anyway.”

  Adele laughed. “Oh, thank you!” Then she turned thoughtful. “Am I going to be your chaperone?”

  “Um, well … I mean …”

  Lorelei snorted. Jefferson was nervous. The time period dictated a courting couple had to have a chaperone, lest anyone think something untoward happened while they were alone. He either didn’t want Adele thinking the same thing or … “Yes, you’re going to be our chaperone,” she replied before Jefferson could.

  “Finally! Why didn’t you just say so?” Adele smiled at Lorelei. “I’d love to chaperone the two of you.”

  “It’s not like that!” Jefferson said.

  “It isn’t?” Lorelei mock-objected. She followed it with a sniffle, feeling positively giddy at this point. After all, Adele knew her brother better than she did. But was it safe to let her heart rule the situation? Did it not realize she was trapped in the wrong century and didn’t know from one day to the next what would happen to her? She had to be logical about this and not give in to her emotions. And yet, she felt a lot better when she did – better than she could recall ever feeling before.

  She wondered what it would be like if Jefferson had been transported to the 2010s and put in her or the Jensens’ safekeeping. He probably wouldn’t know what hit him. But would he be attracted to her? Impossible to say.

  Jefferson finally spoke but didn’t answer her question. “Well, then … the three of us will go to town after lunch tomorrow, take care of business at Dunnigan’s, have tea and come home.”

  Lorelei looked at Adele, who smiled in satisfaction. Maybe it was stupid to do this. But maybe it was about time she did something risky. “All right.”

  He grinned and backed toward the door, his eyes never leaving hers. He nearly bumped into the wall before grabbing his hat and coat off a peg, putting them on and leaving the house.

  “My my, is my brother ever sweet on you,” Adele cooed. “He’s gone calf-eyed.”

  Lorelei couldn’t help but smile back. “Calf-eyed? What does that … oh, I get it. Yeah, I think you’re right.”

  Adele shrugged, left the kitchen table and joined her at the stove. “It was only a matter of time. How could he not?”

  “I can think of a few reasons,” she said automatically. But she’d always looked at things that way – the glass half-empty. It kept her from being as disappointed.

  “How long do you think you’ll stay?” Adele asked.

  Lorelei shook her head. “I don’t know. To be honest, I don’t know where the MacDonalds have gone or why they left me here.” She shrugged and sighed.

  “The MacDonalds are strange, everyone kn
ows it. But they’re good people, Lorelei. Most folks around here would tell you they’d trust them with their lives.”

  “That does make me feel a little better,” Lorelei admitted.

  “But even so,” Adele went on, “Jefferson’s my brother. I’d be much obliged if you didn’t break his heart.”

  Lorelei’s jaw dropped. “Excuse me?”

  “If you don’t hear it from me, you’ll hear it from my parents sooner or later,” Adele confessed. “Of course, you’re both of marriageable age …”

  “What?!” Lorelei gaped at her. She didn’t know what to say, so she tried the only logical thing she could. “But we’ve only known each other a week!”

  Adele’s eyebrows rose as she shrugged. “So?”

  “So?! He can’t possibly be thinking of dating … I mean, courting me after just a few days!”

  “Why not? If you were mail-order bride you’d already be married.”

  Lorelei held up her hands. “Marriage! Whoa, slow down …”

  “Why are you acting so strange?” Adele asked. “Don’t people get married right away where you’re from?”

  “No! We believe in long engagements. Taking our time, getting to know each other … sometimes for years.”

  “Years.” Adele looked amazed, then glanced at the floor. “Are those shoes comfortable?”

  Lorelei started. “What?” She looked at her feet. “Oh. Yes, actually, they are.”

  Adele smiled sheepishly. “May I try them on? I’ve never seen anything like them.”

  If it got the girl off the subject of Jefferson, courting, and … marriage, then she was all for it. She went to the kitchen table, sat, and took off her tennis shoes.

  It took longer for Adele to do the same. When she was done, she offered her own shoes to her. “We could trade for the rest of the day.”

  Lorelei looked at her serviceable work boots and cringed. Then again, maybe she should walk a mile in this girl’s shoes, literally. Parthena wanted to hike out on the prairie and build snowmen. “All right, let’s.”

  They proceeded to put on each other’s shoes and Lorelei was surprised at how comfortable Adele’s were. Of course, they didn’t compare to her Converses, and she hoped Adele didn’t grow attached to them. “Do they fit?”