Willow

by Norah Hess

  "At the moment I don't work for anyone." Willow jumped to her feet.

  "Hey, that's better yet." The tall man stood up also, the warmth back in his voice. "I'd like to spend the entire night with you. How much would you charge me?"

  Willow stared at him a moment, her mouth open. He thought she was a soiled dove! Without fully realizing what she was doing, she lifted her hand and her palm popped like a pistol shot as it smacked across his face.

  Jules's hand went to his stinging cheek. "Why, you little bitch!" he grated out.

  "How dare you!" Willow exclaimed. Pushing past him, she hurried back into the hotel.

  Jules stood, still nursing his cheek as he watched her until she disappeared up the stairs.

  So, she has set up shop here in the Palace, he thought. She thinks she's too good for a dusty, down-at-the-heels cowboy, does she? Probably she only does business with bankers and shopkeepers, men in neat suits and smelling of bay rum.

  In his hurry to leave, Jules almost knocked down an elderly man coming up the steps. "Sorry, old timer," he said remorsefully when he saw that the old cowboy had a decided limp. "Are you all right?" His hand went out to steady the other man. "I'm fine, young feller," Smitty said gruffly. "Go tend to whatever business you're in such a hellfire hurry to get to."

  Jules grinned as he watched the old man stump into the hotel. The crusty old fellow probably worked there. Sweeping out the lobby and emptying out cuspidors. No wonder he was so crabby.

  Jules stood on the sidewalk a minute trying to decide what to do with the evening. He was pretty well beat from helping his men brand mavericks all day and didn't look forward to the fifteen-mile ride to his ranch. Also, he didn't look forward to listening to his Aunt Jess and his housekeeper Nina trade insults with each other. The two women went at it hammer and tongs. He couldn't wait till the new housekeeper he'd hired arrived, so he could send Nina packing.

  He stepped down onto the dusty street. He'd stop in at the saloon and have a few drinks, then rent one of the rooms upstairs and spend the night there.

  "It's about time you got back," Willow said grumpily when she opened the door to Smitty's knock. If he hadn't been late returning, she wouldn't have had that run-in with the insulting cowboy who had taken her for a lady of the evening.

  "I wasn't gone all that long," Smitty shot back. "I didn't know you was all that hungry."

  "Well, I am." Willow picked up her small bag from the bed where she had angrily tossed it on her return from her upsetting conversation with the hateful cowboy. "I hope they still have some food left in the kitchen," she said, brushing past Smitty and heading down the hall toward the stairs. "For cryin' out loud." Smitty stumped along behind her. "It's only a little past six o'clock."

  The dining room had several customers when Willow and Shorty entered it, mainly men. Smitty wondered why they kept ogling Willow, and why her face looked so cross.

  When they had been seated by a rosy-cheeked, teenaged country girl, they both ordered the chicken dinner, something they weren't used to having. Smitty ate with an eager appetite, but Willow just pushed the food around on her plate. Smitty knew she was out of sorts, but he never paid much attention to women's moods. They changed all the time and a man could go crazy trying to figure them out. Willow would be in a better mood tomorrow, or she wouldn't. The sun would still come up in the east and set in the west.

  Before they left the dining room, Smitty asked the young lady who had served them how to get to the Asher ranch. All the time the waitress gave him instructions, her eyes were on Willow. It was obvious she was speculating as to why the striking blonde was going to Jules Asher's ranch.

  The directions Smitty received were very simple. They were to head out of town and follow the dirt road that would take them straight to the ranch. It was just fifteen miles.

  When Jules had stepped through the batwing doors of the saloon, he was greeted by four men from neighboring ranches who made room for him at the bar.

  When Archie, the bartender, had asked him what would be his pleasure, on the spur of the moment, he'd ordered a bottle of whiskey and a glass. Now, after sharing a few drinks, he wanted some privacy. His companions didn't feel insulted when he took his bottle to a table slightly to the left of saloon's big window and sat down. They understood that once in a while a man liked to be alone when he drank. There were times when he had something on his mind that he wanted to mull over.

  Without fully realizing it, Jules wanted to watch the hotel across the street. He wanted to see how many men would enter it and climb the stairs to the little cat's room.

  When midnight arrived and he was the only man left in the barroom, and not a single man had visited the building he watched, Jules gave up his vigil and asked Archie for a key to one of the rooms upstairs.

  The next morning, early, when Willow and Smitty met for breakfast in the dining room, he didn't think his companion looked much more pleasant than she had the night before. As they ate ham and eggs, he remarked, "I hope you're not worried about the job that's waitin' for you. You're a hard worker and you'll do just fine."

  "I hope so, Smitty." Willow gave him a wan smile. "I don't know how many people are living there, how many I'll have to cook for and clean up after. What if I don't please this rancher and he turns me out later? Where would I go? I can't go home and marry Buck Axel."

  "Accordin' to your Maw, Asher is a bachelor, so there shouldn't be any younguns runnin' round."

  "I wouldn't mind children. I like young ones. It's bossy adults I'm worried about."

  "Well," Smitty said when he had drunk the last of his coffee, "there's no use wonderin' about it. Let's get on out there and find out."

  As they loped their horses toward the dim outline of the distant mountain, they passed hundreds of longhorns along the way. "This Asher must be pretty well off," Smitty opined.

  "It looks that way," Willow agreed and grew more nervous of what she would find at the man's ranch. She imagined that a man of wealth would expect high-quality work.

  It was mid-morning when they reached the foothills of Davis Mountain and began to climb an area that was sparsely covered with pine and mesquite. Before long they rounded a huge rock formation, and a sprawling Spanish-style adobe house stood in front of them. A wall of the same material, some three feet tall, surrounded the building, broken by a wide arch in the center. Hanging on two short chains was a sign with the name "Asher Ranch" burned into the wooden board.

  Reining in outside the wall, they tied their mounts to a heavy hitching rail. "Quite a fancy place, ain't it?" Smitty said from the side of his mouth as they stepped into a tiled courtyard and walked beneath a wide portico leading to a heavily built door of dark wood. All was quiet inside, and the only sound outside was an old hound who gave a mixed sound of greeting as he barked and wagged his tail at the same time.

  "Hello, fellow." Willow held her hand down for him to sniff and the dog danced around her, begging for attention.

  "Let's see if there's anyone around here," Smitty said and pulled the rope of a bell attached to the wall. He waited a minute, and when no one answered his summons he lifted his hand to tug the rope again. Just then the door opened. A cross-faced, dark-haired woman stood before them. She looked at Smitty with cool disdain.

  "If you're looking for a handout, go to the cookhouse." Her gaze went over Smitty's dusty clothes, his scuffed boots. "Now look here, you…" Smitty began, but Willow stepped out of the shadows.

  In a voice of quiet dignity, she said, "We're not looking for something to eat. I don't know if it's any of your business, but I'm here at Mr. Asher's invitation to be his housekeeper."

  At first an uncertain look came into the woman's eyes as she gave her attention to the tall, slender girl with the long blond hair. Then jealous anger blazed in her dark eyes.

  "Hah!" she sneered. "Housekeeper, is it? Why don't you come right out and say that you're here to warm his bed. I'm his housekeeper."

  "Not anymore, you ain't," an age
d voice cackled behind the woman. "You'll be movin' on when Jules gets home."

  "You don't know what you're talking about, you knotty old stick." Enraged, she turned on an elderly, white-haired woman who walked with the aid of a cane.

  The little woman with the bright, bird-like eyes that were full of delighted laughter said, "Don't you wish I didn't know what I was talking about." She pushed past the soon-to-be ex-housekeeper and gave Willow a wide, toothless smile as she held out her hand and said, "I'm Jess Miles, Jules's aunt."

  Willow shook the small, dry hand and said, "I'm happy to meet you Mrs. Miles."

  "Call me Aunt Jess." She directed a sly look at the other woman who had apparently never been allowed that familiarity. "That's Nina."

  Willow turned to Smitty. "Aunt Jess, meet my friend, Smitty Black. He cooks for my father's ranch hands."

  The frail little woman and the old man smiled at each other, both careful not to squeeze the other one's hand too hard.

  "I've forgotten my manners. Come inside." When Willow and Smitty stepped into the wide entrance hall, Jess gave her arch enemy a rap on the ankle with her cane. "Bring some coffee to the family room, Nina," she ordered. "Fresh brewed. None of that left-over stuff you usually give me."

  Before she flounced off, Nina gave the aunt a malevolent look that revealed her hatred. But Jess's only rejoinder was a cackling laugh as she led Willow and Smitty into a large, tiled great room.

  What a beautiful room it will be once the dirt and grime have been removed, Willow thought as Jess motioned with her cane for her and Smitty to have a seat. As Smitty laid Willow's saddlebags on the floor beside the chair he had taken, the old aunt saw the new housekeeper's glance moving over the room.

  "It looks awful, don't it?" she said. "That lazy Nina hasn't lifted a hand in here for over a month. It's about time my nephew hired someone to take real charge of his home. That one in there ain't worth spit when it comes to workin'. She's only good for—" Jess stopped her tongue before finishing what she was about to say. But Smitty knew what she was thinking and gave her a knowing look that made them grin at each other and ignore the questioning look Willow gave them.

  "Would you like to see the rest of the house while we're waitin' for our coffee?" Jess asked. "I'd like that." Willow stood up, but Smitty said he'd just as soon stay where he was.

  The house was large and handsome. Besides the great room there were four large bedrooms, a dining room and the kitchen, which they didn't enter. There were tiles throughout, with colorful Mexican and Indian rugs scattered about. The furniture was in the Spanish style, as was the pottery.

  Dust and dirt clung to everything, including the curtains and heavy drapes. The windows were so gritty with grime that Willow couldn't clearly see through them.

  The tour completed, Jess said, "I'll tell Pedro, the blacksmith's helper, to send his wife over to give you a hand scrubbing down the place. Once you get on top of the dirt, it won't be hard for you to keep the place up."

  "I don't mind the scrubbing," Willow protested. "I don't need any help."

  Jess shook her head. "It wouldn't be right for you to clean up after that lazy Nina."

  They were walking back toward the great room when Jess asked, "Are you a good cook, Willow?"

  "I think so. Smitty taught me a lot and gave me some of his secret recipes."

  "Do you know how to cook spicy food?"

  "I'm sorry, Jess, but I don't."

  "Good girl." Jess beamed at her. "Me and you are gonna get along just fine."

  When Willow and Jess walked into the family room, they heard loud voices coming from the kitchen down the hall and saw Smitty sitting on the edge of his seat, his head turned that way, listening.

  "Smitty—" Willow started to tell him not to listen to a private quarrel, but Jess held a finger to her lips and whispered, "Shh, I want to hear this."

  "You might as well stop yelling," a male voice said firmly. "If you have no place to go, you can move into the cabin until you find a new job." Willow leaned forward now and listened. The man's voice was vaguely familiar.

  Nina's sharp voice challenged, "I don't know why I can't stay here in the ranch house. There are four bedrooms. And another thing—why do you feel you need a different housekeeper?" Her voice softened. "Don't I keep you satisfied anymore?"

  "If you want the truth, no, your work is unsatisfactory."

  Nina's voice rose again. "I don't think that woman is here to keep house for you. I think you've brought her here to replace me in your bed."

  A brief hush fell in the kitchen. Then the man was saying in a deadly calm voice, "It's none of your business why she's here, but these are the reasons I'm replacing you as my housekeeper. Number one, I want a woman who will keep the house clean and cook me nourishing meals. My stomach is all torn up from eating the spicy hot dishes you cook. Number two, the house looks like a pigsty, and number three, Aunt Jess doesn't like you and wants you out of her home."

  A big smile spread across Jess's face when she heard that. "As for the woman visiting my bed, I've never seen her, and I have reason to believe she's as ugly as a mud fence."

  "Hah! Do you think I am stupid? You know damn well you've seen her."

  "Look, I've had enough of your carrying on. If you don't want to stay at the cabin, I'll take you back to El Paso, where I found you serving drinks in a casino."

  "Oh, all right. I'll go to the cabin," Nina gave in sullenly.

  "You know where the place is. I'm going to go meet this Ames woman while you pack your duds."

  The three eavesdroppers sat back in their chairs, trying to look as though they hadn't heard a word when they heard heavy footsteps coming down the hall.

  His face flushed and tight with anger, Jules strode into the great room and came to a sharp stop. The startled look that came into his eyes showed that he hadn't been aware of a listening audience to his and Nina's row. His gaze was drawn to Willow immediately, and they exclaimed in unison, "You!"

  "Do you two know each other?" Jess asked, confusion on her face.

  We haven't officially met," Jules said coolly, "but our paths have crossed."

  "That's right," Willow agreed in a voice equally cool. "Mr. Asher propositioned me last night."

  "What do you mean, he propositioned you?" Smitty bristled, perching on the edge of his seat. "I mean he offered me money to sleep with him."

  "Jules, tell me you didn't do such a thing!" Jess was on the edge of her seat now, too. "Hell, Aunt Jess, I didn't know who she was. She was sitting outside the hotel all dressed up. What was a fellow to think?"

  "If he could think," Willow said contemptously, "he might have thought that the woman was waiting for someone, and I don't mean some stranger who would come along and offer to buy her services in his bed."

  "Why didn't you tell me about this?" Smitty demanded of Willow as his eyes bored into Jules.

  Willow shrugged. "It wasn't important," she said scornfully. "I thought he was a down-at-the-heel saddle tramp without a dime in his pocket. Anyway, I was starving and all I could think of was eating supper." Her eyes dared Smitty to mention her agitated state all through the meal or her lack of appetite.

  Jules opened his mouth to make some kind of cutting remark, but Jess cut him off. "Well, now that's all straightened out," she said. "So, Jules, meet Smitty Black. He brought Willow here. He'll be leavin' in the mornin' to return to his job as a cook at the Ames ranch."

  When the men had given a cool nod to each other, Jess looked at Willow and asked, "Do you want to see the kitchen now?"

  Willow nodded and stood up. As she followed the old woman out of the room, Jules watched her through half-closed eyes. His new housekeeper had a supple grace that was delightful to watch. He squirmed as his loins tightened.

  "She sure is good to look at, ain't she, Asher?" Smitty hadn't missed the way Jules's eyes had followed Willow as she left the room. When Jules made himself shrug indifferently, the old cook warned, "Only to look at, nothing else. If an
ybody ever hurts that girl in any way, some dark night he'll feel my knife in his back."

  Jules started to laugh at the notion of this old man wielding a deadly blade, but then he saw that the warning wasn't uttered in a show of bravado. Smitty Black's expression said that he meant every word he said.

  "Don't worry, old timer. I never have cared for wildcats."

  "I'm glad to hear that," Smitty said, and the subject was dropped.

  "While we're waiting for lunch, would you like to go down to the corral and look at my Arabian horses?" Jules asked.

  As the two men left the hacienda and walked toward the stables, Willow and Jess were surveying the kitchen.

  "What a mess," Jess said in disgust. "It's a wonder me and Jules didn't get food poisonin' from the food that come out of here." She sighed. "The old Mexican woman who used to keep house for Jules kept this kitchen so bright and shiny, me and Jules took all our meals in here. It was a sad day for us when she went to live with her daughter."

  "It will be that way again," Willow assured Jess, "but not today," she added, looking at the large black range, which was covered with splattered, baked-on grease.

  And the table looked equally bad, she thought. Dirty dishes and the remains of last evening's supper were still sitting on it. Her feet slid on a patch of grease as she walked to the sink. When she saw it stacked with pots and pans and skillets, she sighed. Where to start in this unbelievably dirty kitchen?

  "I guess the first thing to do," she said, rolling up her sleeves, "is to start on these cooking utensils, then scrub down the stove and table."

  "I expect so," Jess agreed. She had discarded her cane and was now bustling around with an energy she hadn't had in months. She took an apron from behind the stove and handed it to Willow. "This belonged to Maria. It's clean. That Nina never wore a cover over her dresses."

  Willow lifted the lid on the water reservoir and was surprised to find it full. The water was only warm, however, and she would need it very hot to get the grease off the items stacked in the sink.

  While Jess built a fire in the cookstove, Willow filled two large pots with water from the tank and set them on the stove to heat. As she waited for steam to rise from the cast-iron containers, she started scraping dried food off the plates and bowls that littered the table. Then she stacked them and set them aside to be washed later.