Page 7 of Mail Order Marvelous
Chapter Three
After finishing atSally’s, Josie rushed home to finish her chores for the day.She knew she needed to have a hot supper on the table if she didn’t want to make Jack angry.
Thankfully, someone had dropped by and left meat—though she was unsure what kind it was—and potatoes on the table.She decided to do something she’d seen her mother do a dozen times.She chopped up the meat into bite sized pieces and dropped them into a pot.After browning the meat, which she thought was venison, she added water as well as onions and potatoes.Hopefully it would turn into a stew.If not, it would be a soup.At least Jack had said he wasn’t picky!
While the soup—or stew—simmered on the stove, she took the clothes off the line and carried them in, folding them on the table and putting them away.She was glad that all of Jack’s clothes were dirty because that meant she could arrange the drawers in a way that suited her.
She found a bucket and a scrub brush, and after sweeping the floors, she mopped them carefully.She knew better than to leave a speck of dirt anywhere.She’d seen how her mother had been treated when she’d made cleaning mistakes.
Actually, the reason she was such a good housekeeper was because she would go behind her mother and make sure everything was perfect.Her mother would be beaten for something else most evenings, but at least Josie helped as much as she could.
As soon as she was finished scrubbing the floor, she checked on the soup.Taking one small taste, she made a face.It was terribly bland.She quickly added salt to the soup and mixed together some flour and water to thicken the whole mess.She had no idea if it would work, but it was worth trying.
While the pot continued to simmer, she pulled out the pattern for making mukluks.There were several sizes on the pattern, and she decided she would use the size closest to his current boot size.
Jack opened the door a few minutes earlier than she’d expected, and he sniffed.“Something smells good.”
“I hope it is good.I don’t even know what kind of meat I used, but I did my best.”
He hung his jacket on a hook and looked around.“You’ve done a lot today!Did you work out what you wanted to do with your friends?”
“Not yet.I’m foraging until there’s no forage left, and then I’ll figure something else out.I may knit or sew, or something like that.”She put away the pattern she’d been looking at and served them each a bowl of whatever it was she’d made.She really didn’t know if it was a soup or a stew, or just some mess, but she’d made an effort.
Putting the meal on the table, she asked, “Coffee?Milk?Water?”
“Coffee would be nice,” he said.
She had a pot on the stove, just in case that had been his answer.She quickly poured two cups of coffee and sat down.He said a quick prayer, and then they each took tentative bites of the food.
Josie was surprised that it wasn’t horrible.It was edible, and that seemed to be all he cared about.She had gone a little overboard on the salt.She’d be more careful next time.
“This is good!”Jack said.“I thought you said you couldn’t cook.”
“I can’t!I just threw things into the pot and prayed it would be edible.I don’t even know if I should call it a soup or a stew.”
He grinned.“I call it tasty.”
She grinned.“My friend Myrtle will be baking bread for us every day and a dessert every other day.That will make things much easier.”
“I won’t argue with that at all.It looks like you had a busy day.”
She nodded.“I did.I’m not one to sit with idle hands if I can help it.”
“I couldn’t have cleaned the house this well if I’d had a month to do it.I’m impressed.”Jack could feel that she was nervous around him, and he’d decided at work that day to look for ways to compliment her to help her feel more at ease.“Tell me about your childhood.”
She smiled, her gaze distant.“My father died when I was two.My mother remarried almost immediately, and I was raised by my mother and stepfather.He was a wealthy man.”
“Did you go to school?”he asked.
“Oh, yes.My mother went on to have four more children with my stepfather.I have a sister, Stella, who is three years younger than me.We shared a room until I moved out to work at the hotel.”
“Why didn’t you stay home?”
Josie shook her head.“Enough about me.How was work today?”
He frowned.There was something she was hiding, but he felt it was too soon to push for answers.“It was good.I traded all my sawmill days for logging days with Aaron.He brought you all, and I think it’s only fair.I’m not sure if the other men will do the same, but I hope so.”
“Do you prefer sawmill or logging?”she asked.
