Billings was a new railroad town, only about three years old, so she didn’t know what opportunities it had for employment. And was there a boarding house she could afford, that had available room, too?
December wasn’t the month to be living on the streets as she did for a few days in Morgan’s Crossing when her father had died unexpectedly. They had lived in a rented house by the mine. The owner told her to move out when the rent was due and she couldn’t pay it. Holly did mending and washing at home for the miners to help with expenses, but she needed her father’s salary to stay in the house. She’d used most of their meager savings to bury her father.
Holly caught a ride with El Davis to Sweetwater Springs and hadn’t been back to Morgan’s Crossing since then.
“Miss? More coffee?” Holly didn’t have to look which direction the voice came from. The two men in question from last night were blatantly sitting at the same table as yesterday. Where was Sheriff Mather when they needed him? Although they could say they hadn’t done anything other than peek in the café window last night.
Holly walked over and refilled their coffee cups. “Ready to get back on the train so you can get home?” The idea of them leaving in the next couple of hours eased her tension around them.
The one called Griffin, leaned back in his chair and stared at Holly. “Oh I don’t know. Seems like a nice quiet little town. We might stick around a while,” his yellowed teeth showed plainly, as he gave her a wide grin.
“I’m sure you’d miss us if we weren’t eating here every meal.”
Holly could feel her face heat and she turned to look for other coffee cups to refill. She knew they were joking, but it still bothered her. Why couldn’t Nolan be the one staying instead?
Holly turned as the front door opened and the train conductor stood in the doorway announcing, “The train will leave in an hour so we’ll start loading in thirty minutes.”
The easy talking in the café changed as people concentrated on finishing their meal. Then they’d all want to pay at once to return to the depot.
The coffee pot was empty so she went back to the kitchen to refill it.
“Nolan, did you hear the train leaves in an hour?”
“Yes, but I’ll finish plating up the last two meals and start cleaning up for you. I hate to leave you with all these dishes, but I don’t have a choice.”
Myrtle was still sitting at the table, occasionally wiping her eyes and nose with a handkerchief. Was she rethinking her plan to leave, or sadly thinking about the past when she and her husband ran the café together? The place must have so many memories for her.
Holly was pouring coffee from the big pot they kept on the stove to a smaller one to carry around the dining room, when Myrtle’s chair scrapped across the wooden floor.
Myrtle stood leaning against the table, looking around the room, so Holly set the pot down to help her if she wanted to go back upstairs.
“Myrtle, do you need help?”
“I want to go into the dining room and talk to the coffee group. They need to be the first to hear my announcement.”
Holly looked at Myrtle, then Nolan, wondering what exactly Myrtle would tell the group. Nolan shrugged his shoulders, but followed them into the dining room, curious as Holly was about Myrtle’s comment.
Myrtle took Mr. Negus’ empty coffee cup in her hand and rapped it on the table to get everyone’s attention.
“I’m closing the café after this meal. You’ll have to meet elsewhere for coffee and meals.”
“Taking the rest of the day off?” One of the regulars kidded Myrtle.
“Nope. I’m closing the café today and moving to Billings on Monday. Thanks for your business over the years.”
Holly stared at Myrtle, and then looked around the room at the shocked faces of their customers. Most of the people were only eating here because of the train’s delay, but there were two tables of daily customers.
“Myrtle, are you sure about this?” Mr. Bailey asked.
“Yes, I’ve made up my mind,” she warily said as she sat down in a chair the older man had pulled over to their table.
“Then it’s the right thing to do, Myrtle. Why be in the middle of a snowed-in town when you could be enjoying your family without working so hard?”
“I just hadn’t been ready to leave Fred yet...”
Holly thought of Myrtle’s husband buried in the town’s cemetery. She knew what Myrtle was feeling since Holly’s father was buried in Morgan’s Crossing. But neither man was around to give them comfort and support anymore. She and Myrtle needed to move on now. Luckily for Myrtle, she had family. Holly was on her own.
“Miss? We’d like to pay for our meal so we can get back on the train,” a customer pulled Holly away from the corner conversation between Myrtle and her friends.
She was busy the next half hour, taking money and carrying the dirty dishes into the kitchen. It would take a few hours to wash and dry all the dishes they’d used for breakfast, and she’d try not to cry knowing it would be the last time she washed them.
Holly walked into the kitchen with the last tray of dishes and saw Nolan with his coat and hat on, ready to leave for the depot.
“Thank you so much, young man for helping us. I truly appreciated it and I want to give you something special to take with you.”
“Mrs. Randolph, that isn’t necessary. I didn’t have anything else to do while I waited for the train, so I thank you for the free meals and the opportunity to brush up on my cooking skills.”
Myrtle wasn’t listening to him as she reached for something in the drawer on the worktable. Holly almost gasped aloud when Myrtle pull Fred’s recipe book out and handed it to Nolan. Why would Myrtle give her husband’s book to a stranger? And why not to Holly if Myrtle wasn’t going to keep it? It would have been so useful if Holly ever had an opportunity to open her own café someday. She had spent hours reading the recipe book and made several of the recipes.
“This is a record of all the recipes Fred made over our years together. He knew most of them by heart so he didn’t use the book, but it was handy for when we had workers helping us. Since you’re taking over a café, I’d like you to have this recipe book. Maybe there will be new dishes you could add to your grandparent’s menu, to make it your own place.”
“Well, I’m honored to receive a recording of your recipes and I’ll be sure to use it.”
Nolan glanced at Holly with a worried look on his face. Did he sense her disappointment in not receiving the recipe book herself?
“Is the winning biscuit recipe in there?” Nolan lowered his voice, pretending to whisper to Myrtle.
Myrtle laughed and shook her head. “That’s Holly’s recipe, so you’re out of luck.”
“Oh, shoot,” Nolan grinned at Myrtle, and then gave her a tight hug.
“It’s been a pleasure to work in your café, Ma’am. If you’re ever in Kansas, be sure to stop and eat at the Clancy Café. Now I better get on the train.” He waved to the dining room. “Holly, would you walk me to the door, please?”
Holly hoped Nolan didn’t notice the tears forming in her eyes. She had grown fond of the man and hated to see him leave.
“Holly, please take this money,” Nolan quietly said while holding out a large bill to her.
“I can’t take—”
“You’ll be on your own soon, and I’d feel better knowing you had some extra funds to tide you over until you found a new job and home.”
Holly hesitated but took the money and slipped in her skirt pocket. Nolan didn’t realize how much she needed the money.
“Thank you so very much. I hate to take handouts, but Myrtle’s decision has turned my life upside down, and I’m not sure what I’ll do yet. I really appreciate this support, and your helping in the café, too.”
Nolan took her hand, gave it a squeeze, and then held it up to his lips for a soft kiss. “And I enjoyed working with you. Goodbye, Miss Holly Elizabeth.”
Holly watched out the
window until Nolan’s bundled figure, trudging through the snow, was out of sight. She’d finally met a kind and decent man but he left Sweetwater Springs as quickly as he arrived. But she guessed it didn’t matter since she was leaving on Monday anyway.
Chapter 5
Nolan glanced over his shoulder as he made his way through the snowy path to the depot. Holly stood in the window watching him walk away. It was a chance meeting, but he hated leaving her behind. For some reason he could clearly hear her father’s words from years ago. Always protect the women and children.
Holly would start over in Billings. She’d have Myrtle and her daughter’s family to help her. Meanwhile, he needed to help his grandparents in Kansas, so there was no use thinking about the raven-haired beauty.
The engine was warming up, the puffing growing louder as Nolan hurried to the depot. Time had passed as he had said goodbye to the ladies.
“All aboard! Time to get all aboard!” Nolan rushed to the car steps where the conductor was calling to the last passengers hurrying to catch the train. He was glad he hadn’t taken off his trunk now. Running and sliding in the snow was enough hassle with his two bags he’d taken off the train yesterday.
“You’re the last passenger. Glad you made it,” the conductor said as Nolan stepped up on the stairs. Nolan looked back to respond to the man and noticed Griffin and Ronald walking around the corner of the depot, away from the train. Why weren’t they on the train if Nolan was the last passenger to board?
“What about those two men?” Nolan nodded toward the two men who had their backs to them.
“Said they would wait for the Monday train. Still had business in town to finish.”
Shoot. Were they hoping to break into the café now that Nolan was leaving? He’d noticed they were in the café when Myrtle made her announcement of closing today.
“I have a trunk in the baggage car marked ‘Clancy Café, Clear Creek, Kansas’. Will it get pulled off for delivery if I’m not with it?”
“It should. I’d suggest you telegraphing the depot there so they know to pull it off though. Why?”
“I’m going to wait and take the Monday train, too. Sorry for delaying your departure.”
Nolan stepped down the stairs, waiting for the men in question to get around the depot before Nolan walked into the building to talk to the agent. A simple telegraph to Clear Creek would make sure his trunk was taken off the train.
Before walking back to the café, Nolan paid a visit to the jailhouse to tell Sheriff Mather his suspicions of the two men, and to let him know he would be escorting Myrtle and Holly to Billings on Monday. A three-day delay didn’t matter in Nolan’s schedule.
Next, he strolled into Cobb’s mercantile. His visit was two-fold. He’d seen the men walk in there, so Nolan wanted them to know he was still around the area.
He needed some new clothes, so why not do it today if the store carried ready-made clothes in his size. His trousers were thin and worn out, and he’d like a warmer vest to wear.
“Hello, Mr. Cobb. I need some new clothes,” Nolan announced when he was halfway to the back counter.
Griffin and Ronald’s heads whipped around hearing his voice. Griffin’s eyes narrowed while Ronald’s widened in surprise. Good. Hopefully his being seen should take care of any surprise plans they had for the café tonight.
“Why are you still in town?” Griffin bluntly asked.
“I could ask you the same thing.” Nolan shrugged his shoulder but kept his gaze steady on Griffin.
“We missed the train, so we’ll have to wait until Monday.”
Uh huh. That was a downright lie, but Nolan didn’t let on he knew it.
“I’m helping the café owner pack for her move to Billings and will escort her to her family there.”
“What about the half-breed? She staying here?”
Nolan counted to ten while he stared at the man. “Miss Brandt is moving with Mrs. Randolph, so she will be with us.”
There was a barely audible curse coming from Griffin’s mouth when he stormed out of the store with Ronald right behind him. Nolan watched them walk down the street, the opposite direction of the café before he turned back to Mr. Cobb.
“As I was saying, I need new clothes to replace my army issues...”
Nolan hesitated at the café door, wondering if he should knock or walk in. He tried the door handle, hoping Holly had locked the door, but the door easily opened. Given the amount of dishes they used this morning, there was a good chance the women were still in the kitchen washing them.
“Holly? Myrtle?” Nolan called out, still standing by the front door, not wanting to surprise them by just walking into the kitchen.
Holly instantly peered through the serving window between the two rooms.
“Nolan? What are you doing here? Did you miss the train?”
What should he tell her? Lie and say he missed the train, or tell the truth?
Nolan nodded to Myrtle who was sitting by the kitchen table when he walked into the kitchen.
“I was ready to get on the train, but I decided to stay and help you ladies pack and move, if that’s agreeable with you.”
“Well, that would be most appreciated, young man. I didn’t stop to think how much work the packing and hauling things downstairs would be when I announced the café was officially closing today.”
“It would have been a lot for Holly to do herself, although I’m sure she could manage it.” Nolan smiled as Holly was about to protest?
“Or maybe you had already talked to your neighbors about helping?”
“Nolan, we’re still washing and drying dishes, so we haven’t talked to anyone yet.” Myrtle replied as she lifted another plate off the stack of wet dishes Holly had sat on a towel on the table for her to dry.
“Won’t your grandparents be looking for you?” Holly asked over her shoulder as she had gone back to washing dishes.
“I already sent a telegraph saying I’ll be arriving a few days later,” Nolan shrugged his shoulders to indicate everything was fine.
“I stopped by the mercantile and bought some new clothes, too,” he lifted up his arm to show the extra brown-paper wrapped package in his hand besides the clothes bag.
“Nolan, I appreciate you doing this for us, but we’d have been fine. Why did you come back?” Myrtle looked at him, and then at Holly. Was she thinking he wanted to spend more time with Holly? Well that was true if he wanted to be honest with himself, but Myrtle needed to know why he didn’t get on the train, too.
“The two men, who, I think, were looking into breaking into the café last night, didn’t get on the train this morning. They told the conductor they had some unfinished business here and they’d take the Monday train instead.”
Holly whirled around, never minding that her wet hands were dripping water on the floor.
“They’re still here?” She quickly looked out past him to the dining room, then out the back window, searching for the men in question.
“They were browsing in the mercantile when I stopped in for clothes. I took the liberty to say I was staying with you until you moved, to derail any ideas they may have had about robbing you.”
“Thank you, Nolan. We’ll gladly put you to work, and feed you, too.” Myrtle looked at the open pantry door. “I didn’t think about all the food we have in stock when I announced I’d close the café immediately.”
“Well, we have three days to eat it, sell it, or give it away.” Nolan laughed. He was going to enjoy his final “escort” duty in the Montana Territory.
“And if it takes a few days longer to leave town I’m fine with that. So what’s first for me to do?”
Myrtle handed him her drying towel. “If you’d finish drying dishes, I’m going to get paper and pencil and start making a list of all the food items in the pantry. Maybe we can post in businesses around town what’s for sale?”
“I doubt the Cobb’s would post for you,” Holly wryly added.
“But maybe,
they would buy pickles from you since they were a favorite in the café,” Nolan pointed out.
“Well then you be the salesman and approach the Cobb’s for me, please. They’d try to buy them for next to nothing from me,” Myrtle pointed her pencil at Nolan and laughed.
“Holly, aren’t we glad Nolan came back to help?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Holly said without much conviction. Even with his help, it left Holly homeless in three days.
***
It was a mixed blessing to have Nolan helping her and Myrtle. She was so glad Nolan was here to lift all the items Myrtle wanted moved and packed. For thinking she didn’t need to take much with her to move in with her daughter, Myrtle had sure changed her mind. What would her daughter think of the crates of food, dishes, and linens they packed to deliver to her house?
As Nolan predicted, the Cobbs jumped at the chance to buy the last of the “famous Randolph Café pickles” from Myrtle. Mr. Cobb brought over a wagon and he and Nolan loaded several cases of pickles Friday afternoon.
A few other people wandered in the café yesterday and today to see what was for sale. The coffee group showed up at their regular time this morning, pretending they didn’t believe Myrtle was actually closing. Holly had ground coffee beans and made coffee, expecting some people would walk in the door, and Myrtle wouldn’t have the heart to tell them to leave.
The dear men had pooled their money together to give her and Myrtle each envelopes of cash for their new adventures. They, in turn, were sent home with jars from the pantry, their choice of canned fruit, vegetables, or jam.
Holly pulled out of her thoughts when Nolan knocked on the doorframe of her bedroom. The door was open so he could see her sitting on her bed, with a pile of items beside her.
“Yes?”
“Anything I can carry downstairs for you yet?”
“I only have one trunk of things which I’m packing now.”
Nolan noticed the portraits on the bed and gestured toward them. “May I look at them?”
Montana Sky: Nolan's Vow (Kindle Worlds) (Grooms with Honor Book 0) Page 5
