Bertie (Pendleton Petticoats Book 6) Read online

  “Unless you want to answer telephone calls from half the town, you better hightail it over to the telephone office and ask Millie to send out a general call letting everyone know Aundy will be fine. That was my sister and she’s hopping mad no one told her Aundy had been hurt.”

  Garrett shook his head in disbelief. “How could she possibly know anything? I just left Doc’s office a few minutes ago.”

  “Word travels fast in a small town. Someone saw you and Aundy going into Doc’s office and mentioned it to Caterina at the post office.”

  Quickly finishing his coffee, Garrett slapped Tony on the back and opened the screen door. “If you have time, can you bring some ice out today? I think Aundy will need more than we have on hand with that arm.”

  Tony followed Garrett outside and pointed to his ice delivery wagon. “I’ll stop by this afternoon. I’m taking care of Laila this morning, but I’ll bring ice out later. How long will Aundy be down and out?”

  Garrett knocked the dust off his old Stetson and resettled it on his head. “Doc said she’d need to be careful with it. She’ll have to wear a sling for a few weeks then gradually regain strength in it. I’ll ask Millie to get the word out Aundy’s gonna need some help around the house for a month or so.”

  Tony nodded. “If there is anything we can do to help, we’d be happy to do whatever we can. I’d volunteer to bring out a few meals, but no one wants to eat Ilsa’s attempts. I’m sure Caterina would be happy to send out food.”

  “Thanks, Tony. We’ll get along. We can always eat at the bunkhouse and I’m sure once Ma finds out what happened, she’ll be over with a basket full of food.”

  “Nora most likely will. If she bakes a pie, save me a piece.” Tony grinned as Garrett shook his head and walked down the driveway.

  The sound of Laila, Tony and Ilsa’s toddler, calling for her daddy pulled him back up the steps to the door. “See you later, Garrett.”

  “Thanks, Tony. Give Laila a hug from her favorite uncle.” Garrett waved his hand in the direction of the house before he stepped onto the sidewalk and continued down the street.

  It took just a few moments for Garrett to reach the telephone office. He opened the door and saw Bertie Hawkins sitting alone at the switchboard. Millie Matlock, the manager of the office, was most likely taking a lunch break.

  Lacy Williams Hill, one of the other operators, married the town’s most esteemed banker the previous week and had not yet returned from their honeymoon trip to Portland.

  Garrett waited while Bertie answered incoming calls. When the lines quieted, he stepped up to the counter and removed his hat.

  “Howdy, Miss Hawkins,” he said in a friendly tone.

  Bertie jumped and screamed, spinning around on her seat with a look of panic on her face. It took her a moment to realize who stood on the other side of the counter and calm down enough so she could think rationally.

  Promptly removing her headset, she set it aside and rose to her feet. “Hello, Garrett. How may I be of assistance to you today?” She approached the counter and looked up at him.

  His silvery gray eyes held warmth as he tipped his head to her. “I’m sorry to have frightened you. I certainly didn’t mean to.”

  “You don’t need to apologize. It’s not your fault.” Bertie shook her head and straightened an already neat stack of papers they used for telegram messages. “Now, what can I do for you?”

  “Aundy had a little mishap this morning and hurt her arm. She’ll be in a sling for a few weeks and limited in what she can do for a while. I was hoping Millie would send out a general call to let everyone know what happened. You know how word gets around town. Folks start speculating on the facts and soon the truth gets left far behind.”

  “Oh, my stars! Is Aundy going to be fine?” Bertie glared up at him, troubled.

  Garrett offered her a conspiratorial look. “Although she hates to admit it, she took a tumble off the horse she’s training and dislocated her elbow. Doc says she won’t be able to use that arm the rest of the summer.”

  “How terrible. Is there anything I can do, other than get the word out around town she’s injured but will recover?”

  Inspiration struck him with sudden clarity and he studied her intently. An idea, one he deemed brilliant, rolled through his mind. The more he considered it, the more he decided it would benefit both the frightened girl before him and his injured wife.

  Under his direct gaze, Bertie reached up a hand to make sure her unruly blonde curls hadn’t completely escaped their confines. Finding her hair mostly in place, she waited for Garrett to speak.

  He leaned on the counter so he didn’t tower over her. As one of the tallest men in town, he put considerable effort into appearing approachable and friendly. “Say, Bertie, how do you feel about living in the country for the summer?”

  “The country? What in the world are you talking about?” Bertie shot him a confused frown.

  “Aundy is going to need someone to help around the house, with cleaning and canning, working in the garden, that sort of thing, until Doc says she’s healed. I’ve been trying for the past few years to get her to hire someone, but she refuses. Now, she won’t have any choice. If things work out well, the position might become permanent. Would you be interested in the job? You’d be out on our ranch, where it’s peaceful and secluded.” Garrett gave her a long, knowing look. “And safe.”

  Bertie stared at him, trying to decide if he was serious. He’d said the one word guaranteed to pique her interest. There wasn’t a single place in Pendleton she’d felt safe since the night Richard Kent beat her senseless. The thought of being away from town and all the people there held a certain amount of appeal. Garrett’s mention of it being peaceful and safe almost made her agree on the spot.

  Instead, she straightened the papers again and considered her response. Millie was already short-handed at the telephone office and Bobby might starve to death if she wasn’t there to cook for him, but something in her heart whispered for her to spend the summer at Nash’s Folly.

  “Well, what do you think?” Garrett continued leaning on the counter, awaiting her response.

  Bertie forced herself to meet Garrett’s gaze and smile. “I think I should discuss the possibilities with my brother this evening. May I reply to your very kind offer tomorrow?”

  “Tomorrow would be dandy. I appreciate you...”

  The door opened with a bang and Millie Matlock breezed inside, balancing a box on one arm with a bag in her other hand. She toed the door shut before noticing Garrett at the counter.

  “Garrett Nash, what brings you by our office?” Millie smiled at him as she set the box and bag on the counter then removed her hat. She hung it on a coat rack by the door then marched behind the counter and placed a gentle hand on Bertie’s tense shoulder.

  “Aundy hurt her arm this morning. Considering how fast news travels around town, I hoped to talk you into sending out a call to let everyone know she’s alive and well before someone starts planning a funeral.”

  Millie laughed and nodded her head. “I’d be happy to do that, Garrett. In fact, I have another bit of news to share with everyone.”

  “What might that be?” Garrett straightened and gave Millie a curious glance.

  “As hard as it is to believe, Marvin Tooley and the Widow Johnson wed the day before yesterday. Pastor Whitting performed the ceremony.”

  Garrett’s eyes widened and he slapped his hat on the counter, sending up a little puff of dust. “You’re pulling my leg, Millie. What woman in her right mind would marry that old goat?”

  A giggle bubbled up from Bertie’s throat and out her lips. “Now, Garrett, you know Aundy and Caterina have declared Mr. Tooley their special project. He’s become almost civilized in the last year or so.”

  “Almost.” Garrett smirked at Bertie and Millie. “I’m thrilled for them both. Marvin and the widow deserve all the happiness they can get. Aundy will be plumb peeved Marvin didn’t invite us to the wedding. Did you
hear what he plans to do now?”

  Millie nodded her head. “He’s moving into town and going to help Mrs. Johnson, er, I mean Tooley, manage her boarding house. I happened to run into the two of them this morning and they couldn’t have looked any happier. They’d just finished signing papers at the bank, selling Marvin’s place.”

  Garrett sighed and drummed his fingers on the counter. “I wish Marvin had mentioned his plans to sell. I would have given more than a fair price for his farm since it borders our land. He didn’t happen to mention who he sold it to, did he?”

  “He didn’t share a name, but I believe it’s that man right there. The one leaving the bank.” Millie motioned across the street where a young man with a dusty brown Stetson mounted a tall chestnut horse. Lean, yet visibly strong, he appeared to be accustomed to hard work. A slight stoop in his movements made it appear as if he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders.

  Despite the sadness that seemed to surround him, he had a very handsome face.

  “Thank you both, lovely ladies, for your assistance.” Garrett opened the door and stepped outside. “Oh, and Miss Hawkins, just let me know tomorrow what you decide.”

  Millie waited until Garrett closed the door before glancing at Bertie. “Decide? About what?”

  “Garrett offered me a job helping Aundy this summer. I told him I needed to talk to Bobby before I could give him an answer, and you, of course. I don’t want to leave you more short-handed than you already are with Lacy gone on her honeymoon.” Bertie walked back to her chair at the switchboard and sat down. “Besides, I’ve never lived in the country. I’m not sure I’d enjoy it.”

  Millie shook her head and plopped down in a chair next to Bertie. “Are you crazy? Aundy and Garrett have a beautiful home with indoor plumbing and I heard they recently had electricity installed. They also have that Chinese cook at the bunkhouse. Just think of all the exotic foods you’d get to eat. You and Bobby have raised a garden and I know you put up preserves, so those are skills you wouldn’t have to learn. You’re a good cook and can take care of a home. It seems to me as if this opportunity would be a great adventure.”

  Bertie struggled to believe Millie encouraged her to quit the job she’d held and enjoyed for the past two years. At least she’d enjoyed it up until Richard Kent destroyed her perfect little life.

  “But what about…”

  Millie smiled and slapped her hands on her thighs then spun around in her chair. “Bertie, I couldn’t have thought of a better plan myself. I know working here has been hard on you after, well, after what happened. I see you jump every time that door opens. It isn’t good for you to put yourself through that day after day. You need a change of scenery and I think Nash’s Folly is just the thing to help you get past what happened and find yourself again.”

  “But you’ll be so short-handed. Lacy won’t be back until…”

  The efficient and effervescent Millie tugged on her headset and plugged in a call. While she waited for someone to answer, she winked at Bertie. “Don’t you worry about a thing. If you want to work at the ranch this summer, I’ll get Susan to come back to work part-time and find someone else to fill your spot until autumn. You can decide then if you want to return. Who knows? Maybe you’ll fall in love with one of those handsome cowboys out at Nash’s Folly.”

  Bertie rolled her eyes, ready to offer a retort, but the switchboard lit up with incoming calls claiming her attention.

  If her brother agreed, it looked like she’d spend the summer at one of Pendleton’s most successful ranches.

  Chapter Two

  Riley Walsh rode his horse through the town of Pendleton, taking in the tidy storefronts as well as the interesting mix of people strolling down the sidewalk.

  He’d seen Chinese immigrants and Indians, miners, farmers, ranchers, businessmen, and women dressed in everything from calico to silk.

  A tiny blond-haired woman struggling to get out from beneath a falling dress form caught his eye in a shop window. He reined his horse to a stop and started to dismount to offer his help when a woman with dark hair and a teasing smile hurried into the display window and helped set the dress form upright. The two women noticed him outside the window and waved in friendly welcome.

  Embarrassed to have been caught watching them, Riley tipped his hat and urged Mud down the street.

  So far, the people he’d met in Pendleton were pleasant. Marvin Tooley and his new bride had welcomed him to town when he’d arrived the previous evening at their boarding house. He spent the night there then they rode out to Marvin’s farm to look things over. Upon returning to town, they signed papers at the attorney’s office and then the bank making his purchase of the place official.

  A good chunk of the money from the sale of his farm in Kansas now resided in Marvin’s bank account. Riley could build up a successful farm at the Tooley place, but it would take a few years to get started.

  As he returned to the boarding house where he’d left his wagon, team of horses, and mule, he thought about what was needed to make the house on the farm livable.

  Admittedly, Marvin told him the house and barn needed some work and knocked down the price at the derelict state of the buildings. Nonetheless, the fences were in good shape and the pastures looked lush and green, ready for Riley’s cattle that would soon arrive by railcar.

  He hated to transport them in the summer heat, but there wasn’t any help for it. When he finally found a buyer for the farm he’d been trying to sell for three years, he jumped at the opportunity to be rid of it.

  Uncertain what direction he should go once the sale was final, an advertisement in a newspaper he’d picked up caught his attention. He sent a telegram to Mr. Tooley, stating he’d buy his farm sight unseen. After he loaded the few belongings he couldn’t part with into his wagon, he paid to freight it along with his horses and mule to Pendleton. His cattle would be loaded on tomorrow’s train and should arrive at the end of the week. He hoped to be able to find enough young boys handy on a horse to help him move the cattle out to the farm.

  He’d need to buy feed for his horses, groceries for himself, and then see about finding some part-time work. The first year at his new place, he planned to pasture the cattle, put up enough hay to get them through the winter, then plant wheat to harvest the following year.

  It was a good thing Marvin included his farm equipment in the deal. Old and somewhat rusty, Riley thought once he completed repairs, the equipment should serve him well for at least a few years.

  After dismounting at the boarding house, he tied Mud to the back of the wagon next to his mule, Steve, then stepped up to the back door and tapped. Mrs. Tooley answered with a hospitable smile.

  “Come on in, Riley. I just set lunch on the table. We’d be pleased to have you join us.”

  Riley removed his hat and walked inside. “I appreciate the offer, ma’am, but I couldn’t further impose on you, especially knowing you two are recently wed. Again, my congratulations on your nuptials.”

  “Oh, don’t disappoint my bride, Riley.” Marvin walked into the room and kissed his wife’s cheek. “Sit yourself down and have a bite with us.”

  The grizzled man had a rotund belly, white hair, and a growth of silvery stubble on his face. If he’d appeared a tad jollier, he could have done a fair job of impersonating Saint Nicholas. As it was, the man fairly beamed as he bent down and planted another kiss on the velvety cheek of his wife.

  Plump with a bun of white hair pinned on top of her head, Evelyn Tooley looked like she should be someone’s grandmother. She did a fair job of mothering anyone who stayed at the boarding house, Riley included.

  “Thank you, sir.” Riley hung his hat on a peg by the door then took a seat at the table. After Marvin offered a blessing on the meal, they discussed farms in Kansas, the farm Riley had just purchased from Marvin, and some of the neighbors.

  “The Nash family is the closest to your place, Riley. They’re good folks, even if they can be a little bossy and
nosy.”

  Evelyn smacked Marvin’s arm. “If it wasn’t for Aundy and Caterina, you’d still be wallowing in filth and drunkenness, thinking you didn’t have a friend in this world.” She patted her husband’s broad back. “I, for one, am grateful they saw something in you the rest of this town missed.”

  Marvin blinked at his wife, started to say something then appeared to change his mind. After clearing his throat, he nodded toward Riley. “Like I said, they’re good folks. Nora and J.B. Nash moved here about the same time I did. They started Nash’s Folly from nothing but hard work and determination. They have one boy, Garrett. He took a fancy to his neighbor’s widow and married her before anyone knew what was happening. When they wed, they consolidated her farm with the Nash’s ranch. There are two ranch foremen, two bunkhouses, two sets of hired hands, but they all work together and it’s one of the most prosperous ranches around these parts.”

  Slowly leaning back in his chair, Marvin eyed Riley. “In fact, if you’re looking for extra work, Garrett might need someone for the summer. He pays a good wage and is honest.”

  “Thank you, sir. I’ll look into it.” Riley forced himself to smile at Evelyn when she looked his direction. “The food is very good, Mrs. Tooley. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome at our table anytime, Riley. We hope you won’t be a stranger once you get set up on the farm. If you need anything at all, you be sure to let us know.”

  Riley couldn’t fathom why the couple was being so nice to him. They didn’t know him, know anything about him, but they’d extended more kindness to him than he’d received in the past three years in his hometown.

  Glad he’d followed the nudge he felt to move to Pendleton, he thought he would easily come to like the town and the people there.

  As soon as he finished his meal, he thanked Marvin and Evelyn again for their kindness and hospitality. They walked with him outside and watched as he climbed onto his wagon.

  “Go see Mr. Johnson at the mercantile. He’ll set you up with whatever you need and if he doesn’t have it, he can order it. Remember, don’t be a stranger.” Evelyn waved at him as he picked up the reins and released the brake.