by Kit Morgan
“Right away.” Mrs. Bates waddled back into the kitchen.
Eldon walked to the nearest table and pulled out a chair. Miss Shrewsbury stared at him as if he just rescued her, her eyes misting, then quickly looked away and sat. When the coffee came, she took the cup from Mrs. Bates, not waiting for her to set it down, wrapped her hands around it and closed her eyes in pure bliss. “How long were you outside?” he asked evenly.
“Only a short time,” she replied dreamily. Her eyes stayed shut.
“You should have worn your coat.”
She blinked, and fingered the garment she was snuggled in. “Yes … yes, of course. I must have forgotten … that is, I didn’t think … I was so ready to …”
He saw through it. “You don’t have one, do you?”
She stared at him open-mouthed, then frowned and looked away. “No. I don’t.”
“Well, you need one in this weather. What are you gonna do?”
“I don’t know … I’m sure I’ll think of something.” Mostly she sounded like she didn’t want to talk about it.
He smiled, not wanting to cause her more discomfort. “So here we sit with our nice hot coffee.”
“Yes. Thank you.” She took a sip and closed her eyes in pleasure again.
His eyes drifted to the kitchen as his heart went out to her in a way he hadn’t expected. “Well, what gentlemen could pass up the opportunity to dine with such a fine lady?”
To his surprise, she laughed. “I’m not a fine lady, sir, but I’ll take the compliment just the same.”
What on earth did she mean by that? His eyebrows rose in bemusement. “What makes you think you’re not?”
Her eyebrows rocketed up. “I beg your pardon?”
“I’ll repeat myself – what makes you think you ain’t a fine lady?”
She swallowed hard. “Well, I …” She glanced down again. “Obviously I don’t dress like one. A fine lady would have a good winter coat.”
“Clothes aren’t everything. Though I admit they do come in handy.”
She smiled again and set her cup on the table. “Yes, they do.” She studied his clothes.
He could see the admiration in her eyes. “I didn’t always dress like this.”
“No?”
“Certainly not. I’ve worn many a buckskin coat, worn-through boots, plenty of homespun. My hats have had bullet holes in them on occasion …”
“Bullet holes?!”
He shrugged. “I used to be a bounty hunter. Getting shot at was part of the job. Never got more than nicked, though.”
She put a hand to her chest and pulled his coat tightly around her. “That’s a relief.” Then Mrs. Bates approached their table, a plate in her hand. “Wait … we didn’t order yet.”
“No need for Mr. Judrow to – I know what he likes. And I always make ham and eggs on Wednesday. So what’ll you have, miss? The same?”
Miss Shrewsbury laughed before asking about pancakes. Eldon thought he’d died and gone to heaven. It felt good to see her smile, her eyes flickering with happiness. He wanted to see more. Now all he had to figure out was how …
Within a minute Mrs. Bates had delivered a stack of fluffy flapjacks, some butter and a bottle of molasses, and returned to the kitchen. “She makes a great chicken and dumplings too,” Eldon said.
Miss Shrewsbury smiled. “I’m sure she does.”
“Shall we pray?”
She smiled. “Yes.”
They bowed their heads, Eldon said a quick blessing over the food, and they started to eat. He watched Miss Shrewsbury attack the flapjacks, catch herself, then do her best to slow down. Hmmm … “The plans for the Christmas festival are coming along,” he commented between mouthfuls. “But we do need more volunteers.”
She stopped, her fork halfway to her mouth. “Oh?”
“Yes. You wouldn’t happen to have time, would you?”
She took the bite, chewed and swallowed. “I’m not sure. I have … an obligation after work.”
He smiled. “At the livery stable.”
She didn’t seem alarmed he’d brought that up. “Yes. Jonathan … I’m helping him with his reading. But if I have time after, I can meet you at the church.”
He felt his face warm. Pretty, hard-working, and generous to her friends – what wasn’t to like about her? “That would be lovely. And I could escort you home afterward.”
She gasped. “Oh no! I mean … no, I’m perfectly capable of walking home alone …”
“I wouldn’t hear of it. A lady alone, out after dark? Don’t be ridiculous.”
She swallowed hard before answering. “Yes, of course you’re right.” She started on another forkful of pancake, as if to stop herself from saying any more.
He stared at her another moment, then said. “Good, it’s settled.” He hoped.
Chapter 10
Settled? Well, that was more than Aggie could say for herself. Yes, he knew she was staying at the Todds’ – it wasn’t like that was a secret. But she hadn’t been free of the Bridgers for even a week, and now she was letting a man escort her through town after dark? A tall, strong, handsome, well-dressed man who gave her the coat off his back … stop it, Aggie, stop it! How could she trust him, after all she’d been through?
She finished her meal deep in thought. He’d been so kind, and she hated to part with his company, but she’d have to go to work soon …
“Would you like another cup of coffee?”
Aggie nodded. Maybe just one.
He called to the kitchen, and Mrs. Bates came out with the pot, poured them each another cup, then waddled back.
“She doesn’t talk much?” Aggie asked.
“She does once she gets going. I think it’s too early. Speaking of which, you don’t mind spending more time here at the café, do you? It’s a little over an hour before the dress shop opens.”
“Really? That long?” Clearly she’d been far too deep inside her head.
“You don’t have an appointment elsewhere, do you?”
She shook her head. “No, I … I’d like to stay for awhile.”
His eyes met hers and held them. “So would I, Miss Shrewsbury. Are you still hungry?”
She thought about that, and blushed down to her roots. “Actually, yes. I hope you don’t think I’m a glutton …”
“Not for a moment – a good appetite is healthy. Let’s see what treats Mrs. Bates has in reserve.”
So for the next hour, Aggie got to sit with Mr. Judrow and get to know him better. She learned about his relationship with his brother, his time in the Confederate Army, some of what she expected were his tamer adventures in bounty hunting, his good fortune in the California gold fields and his eventual journey to Montana Territory.
And Mr. Judrow got to watch her work through a huckleberry muffin, three slices of bacon, two scrambled eggs, two pieces of rye toast, a bowl of stewed plums, a big glass of buttermilk and yet another cup of coffee. All those years of having little or nothing to eat at the Bridgers’, and now here was this handsome man buying all this food for her and grinning in delight as she devoured it! Who knew? Though Mrs. Bates did start to stare at her in wonder after a while.
One advantage of all that eating – aside from it being delicious – was that she didn’t have to talk about her past. The trek west with her parents, and their hopes and dreams for a new life in a new land … those same hopes and dreams dying with them in a broken-down wagon on the side of a lonely road … her struggle to survive until the Bridgers found her … her struggle to survive living with the Bridgers …
… no, she’d rather keep all that to herself for now. Why ruin the moment with such tales of despair? Instead, she wanted to focus on him – his face, his eyes, his voice, everything about him that she could, for as long as she could. With her luck, she was dreaming and could wake up any moment.
He pulled out his pocket watch. “Oh well,” he said sadly. “I suppose it’s time.”
And there it was. She smiled faintly and nodded
.
Mr. Judrow got up, went around the table and helped her from her chair. “Keep my coat on until we get to the dress shop,” he insisted. “Now what time will you be finished with young Mr. Bridger’s lesson?”
“Um … I’m not sure. We don’t really have a set time.”
“Well, then I’ll trust him to escort you to the church. And I can get you home after the meeting – if you’re able to come, I mean.”
“Yes. That would be fine.” She felt like an idiot, just nodding and agreeing to everything, but there was no help for it.
“Forgive me if it’s forward of me to say, but … I’ve enjoyed your company, Miss Shrewsbury. And if we’re going to be on the festival committee, we’ll be seeing a lot of each other …”
She gulped. Oh dear, what was he going to say?
“… would you join me for a late supper this evening?”
Aggie wanted to melt into a puddle. Oh yes, yes, yes, she wanted to spend more time with him – and he with her! “I … but …” She frowned, clenched her fists and willed her brain to start working. “The Todds will be at the meeting too. And I’m sure they won’t worry as long as I’m not out too late. So yes. Yes, supper after the meeting. That would be …” Wonderful! “… fine.”
“My thoughts exactly.” He offered her his arm. “Shall we?”
She took it and let Eldon Judrow escort her to work.
When they reached the dress shop, he walked her inside, took his coat off her shoulders and bowed. “I hope you’re warm enough. It is a little chilly in here,” he said, gazing into her eyes.
Aggie thought she might die of joy. “I’ll be all right. Thank you for the use of your coat.”
He leaned in a little closer. “Think nothing of it.” His eyes roamed her face, finally locking on her lower lip.
“Ahem.”
Both their heads snapped up. “Mrs. Cornell!” Aggie yelped, a hand to her chest. “You … you surprised me!”
Mr. Judrow started to chuckle. “And me.”
Mrs. Cornell raised an eyebrow at them. “Clearly. Don’t let me keep you, Mr. Judrow.”
“No.” He went back to gazing into Aggie’s eyes. “We mustn’t do that.” The strange warmth that had taken Aggie by surprise earlier hit her again.
“I meant,” Mrs. Cornell said with a little more emphasis, “don’t let me keep you from where you needed to go next. While Miss Shrewsbury starts work?” But she was smiling.
Aggie watched Mr. Judrow nod. “We’re having a committee meeting this evening at the church. For the Christmas festival.” His gaze drifted back to Aggie. “Miss Shrewsbury has graciously agreed to attend.” He glanced at the dressmaker again. “Would you like to join us as well?”
Mrs. Cornell thought a moment as she straightened some spools of thread. “Yes, I think I’d better. Er, that is, I think I will.”
“Also, Miss Shrewsbury has agreed to have supper at the café with me afterward. Would you like to come along? We’d love to have you.”
Aggie squinted at him. I would?
Mrs. Cornell glanced between them. “Well … we’ll see.”
Aggie stifled a sigh of relief, smiled at her employer, then turned back to her escort. “Tonight, then,” she said in a voice softer than she intended.
Mr. Judrow smiled, bent at the waist and, to Aggie’s utter surprise, took her hand and kissed it. “Tonight.” He released her hand and went out the door, leaving her standing there stupefied. What just happened? Not that she objected – quite the contrary!
“My, my, Aggie,” Mrs. Cornell said archly. “You’ve certainly captured his attention.”
Aggie looked at the hand he’d kissed and put her other over it, as if it was now a cherished memento. She sighed, and then did what she always did when things seemed to be going too well. She sobered and remembered who and what she was – nothing. Maybe she really was dreaming.
“I’d wager he’ll be courting you soon,” Mrs. Cornell said with a smile. “If he isn’t already.”
Aggie shook herself. “Wh-what?”
“For Heaven’s sake, dear, what man acts like that other than a gentleman wishing to court?”
Aggie openly gawked at the door. “Court?” she whispered. “Me?” Tears welled up and it was all she could do to keep the water works at bay. She’d never dreamed this could happen. It wasn’t the first time a man had noticed her, but Olivia had always been quick to block her and snatch him away. Besides, the Bridgers had hardly let her out of the house long enough for a man to notice her.
“You’d better start thinking about how you feel,” Mrs. Cornell said, breaking into her thoughts.
“Feel?”
“About Mr. Judrow – what else would I be talking about?” She studied Aggie and giggled. “Of course, I suspect you’ve already thought about it.”
Aggie blushed. “He bought me breakfast.” More like four breakfasts, but still.
“He did? Well, he’s attentive. Who else was with you?”
A chill went up Aggie’s spine. “Oh, uh … he ran into me on my way into town. I left far too early, so he asked me to join him for a cup of coffee …”
Mrs. Cornell thought on that a moment. “You shouldn’t be alone with him too much. No doubt that’s why he invited me to supper tonight.”
Aggie closed her eyes in resignation. She was right – she did have her reputation to think of. No matter how gentlemanly Mr. Judrow might be, being alone with a man wasn’t proper. “You think so?”
“I’m fairly sure. Now get that dreamy look off your face and let’s get to work. We have a lot to do today.”
Aggie smiled, glanced at the door one last time, then joined Mrs. Cornell behind the counter.
Eldon hummed all the way home. By God, he might have just found the future Mrs. Eldon Judrow. What was it about that little ragamuffin that so drew him? She looked as if she hadn’t a penny to her name – skinny, pale, acting half-starved. She’d eaten enough for three strong men at breakfast! But how could that be? She had a job, and the Todds were no doubt feeding her well. Hmmm …
Well, no doubt the riddle would be solved soon enough. He sighed happily and walked on.
“Mr. Judrow!” a shrill voice called. “Oh, Mr. Juuuuuuudrow!”
He stopped and turned to find the annoying Miss Bridger trotting after him. “Good morning,” he said stiffly, tipping his hat.
“Good morning.” She flashed him a pretty smile. “My, but it’s certainly cold out here.”
He glanced toward the dressmaker’s shop. “Yes, it is.”
“You wouldn’t happen to know a place to warm up?” she asked hopeful.
“The café has hot coffee and –”
“Wonderful!” she exclaimed, grabbing his arm. “Let’s go.” She gave a good yank and almost pulled him over. “You’re a little clumsy, aren’t you?”
Eldon righted himself and loosened his arm from her vise-like grip. “Not generally,” he quipped as politely as he could manage.
She smiled and reached for him again, but he smartly took a step back. She frowned at him. “Why, Mr. Judrow, if I didn’t know better, I’d say you didn’t want to have a cup of coffee with me.”
She had that right. He forced a smile. “I have things to attend to, alas, but I’m sure you’ll warm up sufficiently once you’re inside.” He turned away before she could paw at him further.
Behind him, he swore he could hear her pout. “But it won’t be with you …”
“Good day, Miss Bridger – do enjoy your coffee,” he said without turning, and quickened his steps.
“Oh, Mr. Judrow?” she called after him.
Eldon groaned, stopped and looked over his shoulder. “Yes?”
“You’ll be at the festival meeting tonight, I take it?”
Oh no, he thought to himself. “I plan to be, yes.”
“Wonderful! I’ll see you then.” She gave him that smile again, which conjured an image of a cat baring its fangs at a bird. With a swish of skirts she
turned and headed for the café.
Eldon watched her go. Olivia Bridger clearly thought she was a force to be reckoned with. Not for him – he’d dealt with escaped criminals, Union soldiers and the odd California shyster – but he felt sorry for whatever poor fool she finally coerced into marriage. He shook his head and started off again.
Then he stopped short. “Bridger,” he mumbled. Wasn’t that young friend of Miss Shrewsbury named “Bridger”? The boy he’d met was pleasant enough, but could this be his sister? He didn’t have her red hair, but his was reddish-brown …
Another mystery to contend with, Eldon thought as he continued on. But the most important one was figuring out how best to court Miss Agatha Shrewsbury.
Chapter 11
Aggie had a hard time concentrating on her work that morning, between thoughts of Eldon and drowsiness from all that excellent food. She kept stabbing her fingers as she sewed, and even cried out once. Thankfully, Mrs. Cornell had been upstairs fixing lunch when that happened – a blessing in itself.
To top things off, an odd little man came into the shop asking for charity donations for the festival. She wondered who Albert Dunst was really collecting money for, as he seemingly hadn’t shaven in days and his clothes were even more worn than hers. Then there were the circles under his eyes and a suspicious odor of moonshine. “I got a few coins already!” he said proudly as he held up a small tin cup and shook it.
The sound of the coins reminded her she didn’t have any. “Let me fetch Mrs. Cornell and see if she can help you.”
“Ya don’t got nothin’ to donate?”
Aggie studied him, glanced at her own frayed clothes, then shrugged. “I’m afraid I don’t have any money.”
“Aw, that’s too bad,” he said sadly. “But don’t worry, it’s almost Christmas! Good thin’s always happen ‘round Christmas.”
Aggie tried to smile. Not to her, they didn’t.
He set his cup on the counter and started to dig in his pockets, poking his fingers through holes in two of them. “I know I got it here somewheres.”
“What?”
Mr. Dunst smiled. “Christmas! That is, if I can find it …” He continued to pat his clothes, searching.
