That afternoon, after they’d finished the torte, Mrs. Graham had asked Ashleigh to help reorganize the storeroom, and Alexander and Ashleigh had been separated. Now that he had experienced her up close, he hated to be away from her, or at any distance at all.
Hopefully, we won’t be apart much longer, Alexander thought. In his pocket, he ran his fingers over the ring he’d bought from Mort Jackson. He still didn’t know the significance, but he knew it was meaningful to Ashleigh in some way. He couldn’t wait to ask her the question that had been running through his mind over and over again.
He pulled up to the boardinghouse and parked the wagon, climbing out slowly and taking a deep breath. He was about to ask the most important question of his life.
He wore his finest suit for the occasion, the one he normally only wore for church or holiday celebrations. He hoped it would be enough to impress the Steepleton cousins. He didn’t know what he was going to say to get the three of them alone. Fortunately, when he walked into the dining area, he found three men sitting together in the corner, huddled over several maps. While they all looked different, each of them resembled Ashleigh in some way. He knew these must be the Steepleton brothers.
Alexander walked over to them and cleared his throat. “Good evening. My name is Alexander Pierce, and I’ve met your cousin, Ashleigh, through my work at Graham’s Grub.”
The three men turned and stared at him, not saying a word.
Then, they all started to talk at once.
Gilbert jumped to his feet and enthusiastically shook Alexander’s hand. “Thank you for saving our cousin! She could have been seriously injured—or worse.”
“What are you doing here?” William wondered out loud, suspicious.
“Pleased to meet you,” Philip said warily.
Alexander felt overwhelmed, but he forged ahead. “I’ve come here with a delicate matter to discuss.”
“Have a seat.” William kicked one of the empty chairs at the table out.
“Please excuse our manners. This is William, this is Gilbert, and I’m Philip,” Philip explained.
Alexander nodded as he sat down, taking in their names. He remembered what he had planned to say and began his speech. “I’ve grown to truly respect and admire your cousin. She’s a wonderful person, and she’s everything I’ve ever wanted in a woman. I know her father has passed on and you three are her closest family as well as her friends. Do I have your permission to ask her to marry me?”
Once again, the Steepleton triplets began talking loudly and quickly at the same time. Alexander couldn’t understand what any of them were saying. They were so loud that Becky came out into the dining area and asked if anything was wrong.
“Nothing!” William said gruffly.
Once Becky had left, William looked around at everyone at the table, then spoke in a quiet, stilted tone. “Mr. Pierce, while we appreciate your offer, we can’t accept it.”
Gilbert and Philip nodded, both looking down at the floor.
Alexander was taken aback. “Can I ask why?”
“We’re on our way to California,” William said patiently. “We won’t go without our cousin. We’re going there to buy land and continue the business our fathers started in Oklahoma. There’s more opportunity out west, and we’ll all settle there together.” William spoke as if this had all been decided and there was no room for any changes.
“But I love her,” Alexander said, feeling foolish for speaking so openly about his feelings among a group of men.
“I’m sure that’s true,” Gilbert said gently. “But Ashleigh’s recently been through a great loss. We all have. She really needs her family right now.”
“We’re very sorry,” said Philip. William glared at him. Alexander suspected that William wasn’t all that sorry.
“Is there anything I can do to change your mind?” Now Alexander was desperate. This wasn’t the way he had imagined the conversation going at all. He would do whatever it took to convince them.
William shook his head. “There’s nothing.”
Alexander sat in silence, stunned. He remembered the letter he carried in his breast pocket and was glad he’d written it. Nervous that he wouldn’t be able to find the words to propose, he’d written out his feelings for Ashleigh so she would understand how grateful he was for her letter.
Although the letter didn’t outright propose marriage, it did express his deep affection for her as well as his desire to get to know her better. He pulled the letter out of his pocket. “Will you at least give her this letter? It doesn’t say anything about marriage. Please.”
Gilbert took the letter from his hands, compassion shining through his eyes. “Sure.”
“I really didn’t think this was going to happen,” Alexander told them, still in shock. Although he’d fallen for Ashleigh quickly, he felt the sting and pain as if they’d known each other for years.
William shrugged. “We’re sorry we couldn’t help you. But if you don’t mind, we’ve got a lot to do. We’re planning our route to California.”
Gilbert glared at his brother. “That’s so insensitive, William! He can stay here as long as he likes.”
“We’ve got work to do!” William protested.
“Don’t fight!” Philip commanded.
Alexander shook his head sadly. “I’ll leave. Have a good evening.” He walked out of the boardinghouse feeling sad and dejected. He should have known Ashleigh was too good to be true. Maybe he was doomed to go through life alone.
Inside the boardinghouse, William snatched the envelope out of Gilbert’s hands. “You’re not considering giving that to Ashleigh, are you?”
“What’s the harm?” Gilbert asked, reaching for the letter. William held it behind his back.
“Please stop acting like children!” Philip cried.
William and Gilbert ignored him. William stood up, and Gilbert followed, trying to wrap his hands around the letter. Suddenly, the envelope fluttered out of William’s hand and into the fireplace.
Embers cut through the white paper and smoke poured out of the fireplace.
“Now look what you’ve done!” Gilbert exclaimed.
William crossed his arms and sank back into his chair. “That’s where it belongs.”
“At least now we don’t have to decide whether we should give her the letter or not,” Philip pointed out.
“I think we should tell Ashleigh about what happened,” Gilbert said. “I don’t feel right about this.”
William’s face was red as he spoke. “Gil, we can’t tell her! Then she won’t want to go to California. Our only chance of making enough money to support all of us is out west. We can’t stay in this mining town. We’ll die before we make enough money to buy a farm or ranch. Not to mention, there seem to be absolutely no single women in this town! Have you noticed that?”
Gilbert slumped down in his seat. “Well, yes, now that you mention it.”
“I don’t want to lie to Ashleigh either,” Philip said. “But I do think she’s getting too attached to Creede. California will be the best place for her. With us. It’s what Mother and Father would have wanted, and Aunt Sarah and Uncle Benjamin, too.”
Gilbert shook his head. “I don’t know about this.”
William leaned in, a grave expression on his face. “Ashleigh’s vulnerable right now. She’s suffered a terrible loss. Alexander will only confuse her. We’re helping her. Do we all agree?”
After a brief pause, Gilbert and Philip nodded.
“We’re in agreement. Good.” With that, William casually pushed the maps away and began reading the local newspaper.
Gilbert sighed. He hated keeping secrets from his cousin, but deep down, he knew his brother was right. Ashleigh was in a vulnerable position. It wouldn’t be right to allow a man like Alexander to take advantage of her while she was still reeling from her parents’ deaths.
The faster the Steepletons could get out of Creede, the better. Soon, Ashleigh would be breathing in the Calif
ornia air and enjoying the California sunshine. Gilbert hoped she’d forget all about Alexander Pierce and the town of Creede.
Inside the restaurant, Ashleigh slipped on her apron and walked over to the area where she usually worked. A crate of carrots rested on the table.
“Can you chop those up for this evening’s stew, dear?” Mrs. Graham called as she walked past.
“Yes, Mrs. Graham,” Ashleigh replied. She stole a glance over at Alexander, but he was across the room and seemed focused on cutting a piece of meat. She hoped he’d stop by or say hello to her. She didn’t feel comfortable interrupting him since he was the head chef and she was simply a worker. But she couldn’t help but think back to the previous day, when they’d laughed and teased each other as they’d worked.
Ashleigh wondered if he’d read her letter, and if so, what he thought of it. She busied herself with chopping the carrots, trying to keep her mind off Alexander, but it was difficult. She’d never met a man who made her want to imagine a future with him. When she thought about Alexander, she pictured a beautiful home, small children, and a relationship that would last forever. Even though she knew her cousins wanted to push forward to California, a small part of her held out hope that she would be allowed to stay with Alexander. If he’d have her, of course.
As she worked, Ashleigh tried to catch Alexander’s eye, but each time he passed by, he seemed to avoid eye contact. She hoped she hadn’t done anything to upset him. She thought back to the evening before. She probably shouldn’t have brought up his brother, although she had no way of knowing that it was a sad topic for him.
Meanwhile, Alexander struggled to focus. Simple tasks took far too long because he was too busy replaying his conversation with the Steepleton brothers the night before. He was too embarrassed to face Ashleigh. He couldn’t even look her in the eyes. If he was a good enough man to be her husband, he would need to stand up to her cousins and make them understand.
“Alexander, didn’t you ask us to order more beef for tonight, not fish?” Mr. Graham asked, interrupting his thoughts. He gestured to the fish Alexander prepared to cut.
Alexander flushed. It was unlike him to make mistakes. “You’re right, Mr. Graham. I’ll go and get that now.”
Mr. Graham gave him a strange look and walked away. Alexander knew he needed to concentrate on doing his work. But Ashleigh kept appearing in his thoughts. It was going to be a very long day.
After work, Ashleigh waited for one of her cousins to walk her home. She preferred to wait in the small hallway in the back of the restaurant so she wouldn’t disturb any of the patrons or the workers.
“What are you doing, all by yourself?” Ernie’s cranky voice disrupted Ashleigh’s thoughts.
“Where did you come from?” Ashleigh asked, looking around. As usual, Ernie had seemed to appear out of nowhere.
“Never mind that. Why aren’t you with Alexander, showing him that you’d make a great wife?” Ernie asked impatiently.
Ashleigh sighed. “Oh, Ernie, he ignored me all day. Wait a minute. What are you doing here? Do you work here, too? Normally the only people who come back here are the staff.”
Ernie rolled his eyes. “You’re focusing on the wrong things. You need to make sure Alexander proposes to you before your cousins drag you off to California. We don’t have much time!”
Ashleigh’s eyes narrowed. “Just a few days ago, I was attacked because you asked me to meet you outside. You can understand if I’m more than a little suspicious of your motives right now.”
Ernie looked more exasperated than guilty. “Trust me, I didn’t know that was going to happen! You were supposed to be there to run into Alexander, and I got you to the right place. That was what needed to happen.”
Ashleigh didn’t know if she could trust Ernie. “I see, you’re trying to be a fortune teller again. I suppose this is all related to the big tragedy that’s going to happen if I move with my cousins to California, right?”
Ernie let out a big sigh. “I didn’t want to have to do this, but I suppose I must.” He paused. “On the bottom of your right foot, you have a scar. You got it when you were climbing trees with your cousins as a young girl. William got impatient and tried to go ahead of you, and he pushed you out of the tree. Gilbert sat with you and held your hand as you cried from the pain. Philip ran to get your aunt, who cleaned and bandaged your wound, but you’ll always have the scar because the cut was so deep.”
Ashleigh gasped. “How could you possibly know all that? I’ve never told anyone that story.”
“I’ve told you, Ashleigh, it’s my job! Now you need to start listening to me, or terrible things are going to start happening around here,” Ernie warned.
Ashleigh still couldn’t believe how much Ernie knew about her life. “Wait a minute. You must have spoken to one of my cousins at the boardinghouse! Which one?”
“I haven’t spoken to any of your cousins, Ashleigh, trust me! I couldn’t if I wanted to!” Ernie crossed his arms. “Why do I always get the most difficult assignments? Why can’t I ever get a friendly, trusting young boy or older woman? Instead, I get an ungrateful, suspicious young woman who will never listen to me!”
Ashleigh squeezed her eyes shut in frustration, trying to think. Part of her believed the older man, but she didn’t understand why. She knew the town of Creede was filled with unsavory characters and that she should be careful giving her trust. When she opened her eyes, Ernie was gone. “What in the . . . ?”
Suddenly, Mrs. Graham’s voice called down the hallway. “Ashleigh, dear! Your cousin is here to walk you home!” Ashleigh walked down the hallway toward the front dining area. As she passed Mrs. Graham, the older woman lowered her voice to a reverent whisper. “And may I add, he’s incredibly handsome! Is he unmarried?”
Ashleigh giggled. She wondered which cousin Mrs. Graham was referring to. “Yes, all of my cousins are unmarried. They’re triplets.”
Mrs. Graham looked like she was going to faint. “Three unmarried men in Creede from a good family? My Patience is already spoken for, of course, but I’m sure a few of my friends have daughters that might be very interested . . .”
Ashleigh smiled. “Thank you, Mrs. Graham. My cousins are all loyal and dependable men. I’d be happy for them to find love in this town.”
“There are very few young women; that’s the problem,” Mrs. Graham fretted.
Ashleigh wanted to ask her why that was the case, but then someone started calling her name. “I should go. Thank you, Mrs. Graham. Have a good evening!”
“You too, dear!” Mrs. Graham replied.
Ashleigh found William at the entrance to the restaurant, pacing back and forth. “Let’s hurry so we aren’t late for dinner,” William explained.
“Thank you for walking me home,” Ashleigh said. “I hope it’s not always necessary.”
“In this town it is,” William said gruffly.
Ashleigh knew that meant there was no room for further discussion. She sighed and fell into step alongside William’s powerful strides. “How was work today?”
“It was fine. I actually find myself enjoying the work. It’s difficult, but it’s well-paying and good for developing muscle,” William admitted.
Ashleigh felt a small ray of hope. She knew she shouldn’t push the issue, but maybe William would like his work in the mines so much that he’d want to stay in Creede. Then she’d have more time to spend with Alexander. That is, if he stopped behaving so strangely. Ashleigh frowned as she thought about it.
“What’s wrong? You have the most curious expression on your face, like something is really bothering you.” William looked around anxiously. He already felt that he’d failed his cousin since she’d been attacked. Even though it hadn’t been his fault, he considered himself the new patriarch of the family and felt that the incident had occurred on his watch. He would never be able to forgive himself if any other danger befell his cousin.
“It’s nothing, I guess,” Ashleigh said. She didn’t
want to bother William with her silly thoughts.
“Has anyone been giving you trouble?” William demanded, stopping in his tracks.
Ashleigh laughed despite herself. “No, William, nothing like that! I’m sorry to worry you. It’s just a simple schoolgirl crush.”
To Ashleigh’s surprise, William’s expression darkened. “What’s he said to you?”
“Nothing,” Ashleigh replied sadly. “Today he simply ignored me. Wait a minute. How did you know who I was talking about?”
William’s face flushed, and he started walking again. “I can tell by the way your expression changes when you talk about him. You get all dreamy.”
“Oh, is it that obvious?” Ashleigh winced. “You have nothing to worry about. He’s clearly not interested in me after today. He didn’t say a single word to me! And he kept avoiding me. He didn’t even wave hello or goodbye.”
“Good,” William said, sounding satisfied.
“What do you mean by that?” Ashleigh felt a little insulted. She didn’t expect William to understand her troubles, but he could at least act polite about it.
William hesitated. “I mean, we’ll be leaving for California soon, and I don’t want any distractions for you.”
Ashleigh sighed. “I understand.”
When they got back to the boardinghouse, Ashleigh went upstairs to change her clothes before dinner. William found Gilbert and Philip and told them about his conversation with Ashleigh. “It seems like Alexander is heeding our advice.”
“I still feel guilty for not telling Ashleigh about the letter,” Gilbert confessed.
“I know what you mean, but I think it’s all working out for the best,” Philip said.
“Now we just need to get Ashleigh excited about moving to California,” William added. “She seems glum.”
Capturing the Cook Page 6
