Capturing the Cook

by Kirsten Osbourne

  Ashleigh gasped.

  “What is it?” Alexander asked. “Are you ill?”

  “My cousins have been lying to me for weeks, Alexander. They told me there was a man in California who wanted to marry me, but that’s not going to happen. They’ve been forging letters, and who knows what else? I didn’t want to admit that to anyone, but it sounds like they’ve been lying to you, too.” Ashleigh couldn’t believe she was pouring her heart out to Alexander, but it also felt nice to get things off her chest.

  “They told me you were already spoken for. I felt embarrassed that you never wrote back to my first letter, and I had planned to ask your cousins for—well, no, it doesn’t matter what I wanted to ask them.” Alexander spoke quickly and anxiously. He continued. “I went to the mines to see them. I found them and asked them about you. They told me that you were engaged to someone from California—a Mr. Pendergrast. I remembered the name because I was jealous another man had already asked for your hand.”

  Despite herself, Ashleigh felt her cheeks flush. “You were jealous?”

  “Well, yes, I was,” Alexander said self-consciously. “I suppose none of that matters now. But answer me this. Are you or are you not engaged?”

  “No, I’m not engaged!” Ashleigh explained. “And that was the only reason I was looking forward to going to California. I wanted to start a family. I don’t know why I’m telling you all of this.”

  “You can tell me anything, Ashleigh. I care for you,” Alexander said earnestly.

  “I care for you, too, Alexander,” Ashleigh admitted. They stood so close that they were practically touching. Suddenly, Ashleigh remembered the errand Alexander had mentioned. “What was all that about an errand?”

  “The errand was to get you to open up about what was bothering you and bring you back in good condition so you could get back to work,” Alexander confessed. “I hope I didn’t mislead you. It sounds like your cousins misled both of us.”

  Ashleigh remembered what they had been talking about. “Yes. There never was a James Pendergrast.”

  “They made the entire situation up?” Alexander looked confused.

  Ashleigh nodded her head sadly. “They did.”

  Alexander saw how upset Ashleigh was by the situation. “I’m sorry. I know how close you are to your cousins.”

  “Thank you for understanding,” Ashleigh replied. “It means a lot. I feel like I don’t have anyone to talk to here.”

  “I know what you mean. After my brother passed, I felt like no one understood how I was feeling,” Alexander told Ashleigh.

  Ashleigh nodded. “That must still be difficult for you.”

  “Yes. Even all these years later, I still miss him. It does make me even more eager to start my own family, though,” Alexander said, leaning in closer to Ashleigh. They had stepped off the path of Main Street and were in a secluded section of town, bordered by trees on one side and the back entrance to a few shops on the other.

  “Why haven’t you?” Ashleigh dared to ask, looking Alexander right in the eyes.

  Alexander put his hand on Ashleigh’s hip. “I suppose I’ve been searching for the right woman.”

  “And what would you do if you found her?” Ashleigh whispered, enjoying the sensations that were running through her body, reacting to his touch.

  Alexander leaned in closer and pressed his lips to Ashleigh’s ear. “I’d cherish her every day.”

  “What else?” Ashleigh asked, her heart beating so quickly she felt it might jump right out of her chest. She couldn’t believe how forward she and Alexander were being with each other, but she felt she had nothing to lose. When she was with Alexander, she could forget all about her cousins and their awful betrayal.

  “I’d beg her to let me marry her.” Alexander moved his lips from her ears to her lips and gently kissed her.

  Ashleigh let out a moan, unable to keep her emotions contained. “And anything else?”

  “Oh, yes,” Alexander murmured, running his hand from her hip up the side of her body toward her neck. When he got to her neck, he caressed and massaged it, then pulled her in closer for a deeper kiss. “Everything else.”

  Ashleigh felt a shudder in parts of her body she’d never felt before. She finally understood what women meant about desiring to perform wifely duties for her husband.

  Then she remembered Becky’s story about being pregnant by another man when she had met her husband, Amos. Ashleigh pulled back. “Oh, my goodness! I can’t be doing that with you.”

  Alexander stepped backward, too, startled. “What is it? Have I done something wrong?”

  Ashleigh shook her head vigorously. “It’s not that. I just don’t trust myself to be alone with you. I have so many feelings, and I don’t think they’d lead me to make an appropriate decision.”

  Alexander nodded seriously. “I understand what you mean. I respect that you’re not a woman of loose morals. You value yourself and your body, and that’s why you’re the kind of woman I’d want to marry.”

  Ashleigh gaped at Alexander. Had he just told her he wanted to marry her?

  Suddenly, the large clock on Main Street struck one in the afternoon. Alexander started. “We should get back to work.”

  Ashleigh nodded in agreement, but she felt sad. The spell had been broken. Maybe Alexander had just been lying to her to cheer her up. He probably had seen how sad she was about her cousins and wanted to make her feel better.

  Alexander began briskly walking back toward the restaurant, and Ashleigh followed. When they returned, most of the merchants had left, and the staff had turned their attention to focus on that evening’s dinner preparations.

  When Alexander reentered the kitchen, Robert Graham clapped him on the back. “There’s the man of the hour! All of the merchants were singing your praises, Alexander. Several said they wanted to bring their family and colleagues from other towns to eat here because the food was so good! Well done!”

  Alexander smiled briefly at Robert, then got back to work. The afternoon passed quickly for Ashleigh, who received one assignment after the next. She found it difficult to concentrate because she kept thinking about Alexander Pierce and the way he had kissed her.

  She had never been kissed before, and now she understood what all the fuss was about. Back in Oklahoma, she had met older girls from church who had talked about what men had tried to do with them. She had thought that it sounded horrible, but now that she had experienced it, she understood why they had liked it.

  Ashleigh daydreamed about a church wedding, where she and Alexander would vow to love each other for all their days. She knew her mother and father would have loved him, and it hurt her to know that they would never meet him.

  “Ashleigh! Watch where you’re going!” one of the other kitchen workers scolded. She walked past Ashleigh with a pot of boiling water.

  Ashleigh jumped out of the way. “I’m sorry.”

  The interruption caused Ashleigh to think about another problem with her daydream. In seven days’ time, she and her cousins had to pack all of their things and begin their journey to California. There was no way Alexander would follow them there; he had a successful career and a life he enjoyed in Creede.

  Ashleigh’s dream quickly turned into the nightmares that had plagued her sleep. Soon, she’d be in the wagon with her cousins, headed for California, and then disaster would strike. There would be no church vows, white dress, or handsome husband. There would be no wedding at all.

  Chapter Ten

  Ashleigh took her meals in her room that entire week, and Ned walked her to work each day. On the way home from work, John Jackson escorted her to the boardinghouse. Everyone had been able to detect that there was tension among the Steepleton cousins, but no one knew what it was about.

  Becky knocked on Ashleigh’s door one evening. “May I come in?”

  “Sure,” Ashleigh called. She didn’t mind visiting with Becky, as long as her cousins weren’t with her.

  Becky came in and p
erched gently on Ashleigh’s bed, where Ashleigh lay reading a book. “Do you want to talk about it?”

  “Talk about what?” Ashleigh smiled and pretended she had no idea what Becky was talking about.

  “Trust me, Ashleigh, you’re not doing yourself any favors by ignoring your problem and hoping it will go away on its own. It won’t.” Becky was only a couple of years older than Ashleigh, but she felt it was her responsibility to try to guide her through whatever conflict she was having with her cousins.

  Ashleigh sighed and folded the book, setting it down on the night stand. “My cousins are being impossible,” she declared.

  “What have they done now?” Becky asked. “I do feel sorry for you that you’re so outnumbered. There are three of them and only one of you!”

  Ashleigh smiled. “That’s the way it’s always been.” Her smile faded. “But this time, they’ve gone too far. May I tell you something in confidence?”

  Becky looked surprised but nodded quickly. “Of course.”

  “We all disagree about California. I happen to know—and I can’t tell you how—that going to California will be very bad for our family. I want to stay here in Creede, but my cousins want to leave in three days.” Ashleigh told Becky the long story.

  Becky sighed. “I had hoped we’d have more time with all of you, but I knew this would happen eventually. Why do you think it will be bad for your family?”

  “I can’t explain all of it, and I know it probably sounds crazy, but I know for a fact that if I go to California, I’ll end up all alone, and my cousins will end up dead or injured!” Ashleigh exclaimed, her face turning bright red.

  Becky felt a hand to Ashleigh’s forehead. “Are you feeling feverish? Sounds to me like you’re predicting the future.”

  Ashleigh sighed. “Never mind. I didn’t think you’d understand.”

  “I’m sorry,” Becky apologized. “Continue on with your story. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  “There’s another reason why I don’t want to go to California. Why I want to stay in Creede,” Ashleigh continued.

  “It isn’t my cooking, is it?” Becky joked. “Because Mrs. Franklin will be back any day now, and she might get jealous.”

  Ashleigh smiled ruefully. “Your cooking is wonderful, but it’s something else. Or I suppose I should say, someone else.”

  Becky’s jaw dropped open. “Who? Tell me!” Becky’s mind flitted through possibilities of who it could be. There weren’t many eligible young men in Creede.

  “It’s Alexander Pierce,” Ashleigh whispered. “And I think he cares for me, too.”

  Becky smiled brightly. “Oh, that’s wonderful! I’m happy for you.”

  “But don’t you see? Alexander and I can’t be together because my cousins are leaving in three days for California.” Ashleigh folded her arms and sank back into bed. “I don’t know what to do!”

  Becky nodded thoughtfully. “I see your problem.”

  “If this were last year, I’d ask my parents for help. But I don’t have them anymore.” Ashleigh hated saying it out loud because it was true. She knew she couldn’t dwell on the past, but it was hard to not think of her parents when major decisions needed to be made.

  “But you have me!” Ernie shouted indignantly as he appeared, perched on the other side of Ashleigh’s bed.

  Ashleigh buried her head in her hands. “Not now,” she told Ernie. “I’m busy.”

  Becky blinked in surprise. She stood up. “You’d like me to leave you alone because you’re busy?”

  “Oh, no, don’t go!” Ashleigh exclaimed. “I wasn’t talking to you.”

  Becky stared at Ashleigh strangely. “Then who were you talking to?”

  “You wouldn’t believe me,” Ashleigh said.

  Just then, there was another knock on Ashleigh’s bedroom door.

  “Who is it?” Ashleigh called grumpily.

  Becky went to the door and peeked out, then shut the door again. “It’s William. He wants to talk. I’ll leave you two alone.”

  “I don’t want to talk to you, William!” Ashleigh called, but Becky had already left the room, and William knocked again. Ashleigh thought about her parents and what they might do if they were in her situation. Like Philip, they had been happiest when everyone in the family got along. They would probably have encouraged Ashleigh to talk things out and forgive her cousins.

  With a begrudging sigh, Ashleigh walked to the door and pulled it open. “Fine, William. I’ll talk to you. But let’s go downstairs so I can speak with all three of you.”

  William looked surprised but quickly turned around and walked down the stairs. Ashleigh followed him, and they went to their usual table. The other boarders stayed out of earshot from their table, giving them privacy for their serious discussion.

  “Before we say anything, we all owe you a big apology,” William began.

  Ashleigh nodded. She agreed.

  “I’m sorry, Ashleigh,” Philip said quickly.

  “I’m very sorry, Ashleigh. It was wrong and you have my sincerest apologies,” Gilbert added.

  “I’m sorry, too,” William put in.

  “I appreciate your apologies, but you also have wronged someone else,” Ashleigh told them.

  “Who?” William frowned.

  “Alexander Pierce,” Ashleigh sighed. When would her cousins truly understand that their actions had consequences?

  “I’ll apologize to him, too, then,” William said hurriedly. “We need you to start talking to us again, Ashleigh, and working together with us. We’ll be leaving for California in a few days—”

  “If you really wanted to apologize to me, you’d listen to me about waiting longer before we move to California.” Ashleigh folded her arms. She wasn’t going to sit back and allow them to make the biggest mistake of their entire lives. She was going to fight.

  “We can’t wait any longer, Ashleigh. We’ve been through this.”

  Suddenly, the idea appeared to Ashleigh all at once. “Fine. If you leave on Monday as you’ve planned, I won’t go. You can go to California on your own.”

  Gilbert gasped. “You can’t be serious, Ashleigh.”

  “We’re not planning to come back to Creede, Ashleigh. If you don’t go with us, we won’t be able to come back for you,” Philip explained.

  “I understand that,” Ashleigh said. She knew that to her cousins, she probably seemed impulsive, but this was what Ernie had wanted for her all along. She saw him in the corner, nodding his approval. When she turned to get a better look, he had disappeared. Oh, well. She’d deal with him later.

  “Ashleigh, that’s preposterous. You’re unmarried, and your job at Graham’s Grub doesn’t pay enough for you to be able to afford boarding, let alone anything else. You’ll be out on the streets in a few weeks!” William laughed.

  “I’ll figure something out,” Ashleigh said stubbornly.

  “Ashleigh, think about what you’re saying. We have real opportunities in California. We can’t stay here. And we don’t want to leave you behind. What would our parents have thought of that?” Gilbert reasoned. Normally, they were in step on every thought, idea, or decision. It felt strange and sad to be disagreeing with her on something so important.

  “Maybe you all should have thought about that before you wrote fake letters and hid Alexander’s letters from me!” Ashleigh cried. She had tried to be calm, but it wasn’t working. She’d had enough of their antics. She would have expected it from William and maybe Philip. But Gilbert should have known better.

  “Let’s talk about this again in the morning,” Philip said calmly. “We’ll all be thinking more clearly then.”

  Ashleigh shook her head, storming up the stairs and into her room. She wasn’t going to go to California and watch her cousins throw their lives away.

  The following morning, Ashleigh woke to a brusque knock on the door.

  She opened it gingerly. “Good morning.”

  On the other side was Becky, a sympathetic lo
ok on her face. “I’m so sorry to disturb you. But your cousins have stopped paying for your room in the boardinghouse. I feel terrible about this, but Mrs. Franklin entrusted me to run the boardinghouse while she’s away. Do you have any money saved up that you can use for the rent?”

  Ashleigh’s mouth dropped open. “There must be some mistake.”

  “I’m afraid there’s not,” Becky said. “You should talk to your cousin William.”

  Ashleigh was horrified. She flew out of her room and banged on the door of the room that William, Philip, and Gilbert shared.

  Philip answered, still groggy from sleep. “What is it? What’s going on?”

  “How dare you?” Ashleigh shouted. “You stopped paying for my room?”

  William woke up from the lower bunk. Gilbert peered out from the top bunk, rubbing his eyes.

  “Let’s talk about this downstairs, once we’ve dressed and eaten something,” William suggested.

  Ashleigh couldn’t believe what he had done. At every twist and turn, her cousins had disappointed her.

  “Come with me,” Ashleigh said to Becky, ignoring her cousins.

  Becky followed Ashleigh back to her room, wringing her hands. “I feel really awful about this,” Becky said.

  Ashleigh took a sock out of the nightstand drawer, where she had kept her wages. She could afford two nights of rent, but not much more. She’d have to find another job to continue to live in the boardinghouse. Ashleigh counted the money and handed it to Becky. “Here are fees for two nights. I’ll get more to you later.”

  “Thank you,” Becky said with a sigh of relief. “I’ll leave you alone now. I’m really sorry, again.”

  Ashleigh nodded, and Becky left. Ashleigh sank onto her bed. What was she supposed to do now?

  She dressed quickly and practically ran to work. She didn’t wait for Ned or anyone to escort her. She knew she was taking a risk, but she wanted to get to Graham’s Grub early so she could talk to someone about getting another job.

  As Ashleigh approached the front entrance, Alexander was arriving to start his day as well. She spotted him from behind and saw that he kept putting his hand into and out of his pocket. It seemed like a strange nervous habit, but she didn’t mind. Just seeing him made her feel relaxed and carefree. The stress of the morning evaporated, and she enjoyed being in his presence.