Love Finds You in Groom, Texas (8 page)

Anne stood off to the side of the kitchen with her sisters, listening to every word.

“Can I be of any help?” she asked when Maggie reached for a bowl filled with potatoes.

The older woman looked up, never missing a beat as the potato peels started flying. “Oh, honey, you just sit right down and make yourself at home while I fix supper. You’re my guest.”

“Are you sure? I don’t mind a bit.”

Maggie turned to face her. The older woman’s eyes glistened with tears. “Sweetie, I don’t expect you to understand this, but I’m accustomed to waiting on folks. It’s what I do, and I love it. These past few years…” She gestured around the kitchen. “Well, ever since my husband James passed away, God rest his soul, the house has been pretty empty, as you can see.” She paused and dabbed her eyes with the hem of her apron. “Jakey’s here for dinner at night, and the other boys bring their families by at least one or two nights a week. Other than that, I’m pretty much on my own all day. It’s taken some getting used to, I must say. When one is accustomed to a bustling house, the stillness can drive a body a bit mad.”

“I see.” Anne wasn’t sure what to say next. Being alone in a wonderful home like this wouldn’t be so bad. It sounded far more appealing than staying at Uncle Bertrand’s place, which she imagined as stiff and cold. Anne had a feeling they would never experience true peace and quiet there. Not the kind she longed for, anyway. “Still, it hardly seems fair that you’re having to work so hard to make our dinner. Helping is the least I can do. Besides, it will make me feel more at home.”

“Then, for heaven’s sake, come over here and help me cook. I want you to feel at home.” Maggie’s smile warmed her heart. “And if there’s anything I love to do, it’s working in a kitchen with a friend.”

Interesting, that she should choose the word “friend.” After all, they’d only known each other a short time. Still, the idea of working alongside Maggie did give Anne something to do, and right now she needed to feel useful.

“Have you eaten chicken-fried steak before?” Maggie asked, reaching for a slab of meat. “It’s a staple ’round these parts.”

Anne shook her head. “I don’t believe so. It’s steak fried like chicken?”

“Ah, watch and see. And prepare yourself to fall in love with the most delicious Texas treat of all. But first let me put this sister of yours to work at peeling potatoes; then you can help me with the meat.”

Emily wrinkled her nose as the potatoes were placed in front of her, but she began to peel them just the same. Kate stood next to her, looking on.

“My mother used to tell me that if I could peel an entire potato in one long strand without breaking the peel, I could have an extralarge slice of pie for dessert.” Maggie’s eyes twinkled. “How does that sound to you, honey? I’ve got blackberry cobbler.”

“Sounds delectable!” Emily focused on the potato, peeling with careful precision.

“Now, then.” Maggie went to work, pounding down the steak. Heavens, the woman was strong. She worked the meat until it was tender. Then she dipped it in egg and coated it with flour. Then back in the egg it went, then once more in the flour. “This is the best part.” She took the battered steak and dropped it into the cast-iron skillet. It sizzled when it hit the hot lard. Minutes later, the most delicious smell filled the house.

Anne could hardly wait to taste it. “Oh my. It smells wonderful!”

“Thank you.” Maggie’s cheeks flushed. “We’re beef eaters, as you might well imagine. Most of us who live on ranches depend on our cattle, not just for our income but also for our daily meals. And trust me when I say you’ve never had such tender meat in all your born days.” She paused. “I take no credit for that, by the way. My boys know just when to slaughter a cow to give us the most tender meat.”

“Ooh, I want to help slaughter a cow.” Emily looked up from the potato, breaking the long strand of peel. “Oh, bother.” She sighed. “If I keep this up, I won’t get any cobbler at all.”

“And you won’t get to slaughter any cows, either!” Kate giggled.

“That’s okay, honey.” Maggie grinned and handed Emily a second potato. “You’ll have another opportunity to get that extra-large piece of cobbler—and in response to what you just said, I’m afraid there won’t be any slaughtering around here for a while. We’ve got enough meat to keep us fed for months.”

“That’s a shame.” The edges of Emily’s lips curled down. “I would have loved slaughtering a cow.”

Anne did her best not to roll her eyes.

“Now it’s your turn, Anne.” Maggie led her through the process of breading the meat and dropping it in the skillet.
Before long, she almost had the hang of it.

Emily seemed to be doing pretty well with the potatoes too. Within a few minutes, most of the ones in the bowl were peeled. Mostly peeled, anyway. Anne still noticed a few smidges of peeling, but Maggie was gracious enough not to mention it. Instead, she went to work, chopping the potatoes and putting them on to boil.

As she worked, Maggie started another conversation about life on the ranch, her every word holding the littler girls spellbound. Anne, however, found herself distracted with unhappy thoughts of Uncle Bertrand.

When Maggie paused for air, Anne dove in. “I need to reach my uncle,” she explained, her words a bit rushed. “He is expecting us this afternoon, so I’m sure he’s going to be quite startled that we’re not arriving.”

“Hmm.” Maggie leaned against the countertop. “Surely when he goes to the station to fetch you he’ll get word about what’s happened. I wouldn’t worry too much if I were you.”

“Still, I would feel better if we could reach him. Do you know where I could find a telephone?”

“Why, we have one right here in our home.” Maggie grinned and gave her a playful wink. “My older sister Bets is green with envy. Has been ever since we had the phone put in a couple of months back. Don’t know why she’s always bothered by such things. I’ve tried to tell her that jealousy is a sin, but she doesn’t seem to believe it. Then again, Bets has always been the jealous sort.” She finally paused for air. “What was your question again, honey?”

“Oh. I was just asking… Hmm.” Anne shook her head. She couldn’t seem to remember.

“She asked if we had a telephone.” Jake’s voice rang out from behind her. “She wants to call her uncle in Dallas.”

“Yes, that’s right.” Anne turned, her heart gravitating to her throat as she took in the cleaned-up version of Jake. He’d combed his hair, and she found the new style very appealing. It really accentuated his green eyes. And the plaid shirt showed off his broad shoulders, as well. My goodness, if that boy didn’t clean up nice.

He flashed her a boyish smile. “Ma’am, I took the liberty of asking the folks at the station to send your uncle a telegram. I hope you don’t think I’m out of line. Just wanted to give him your whereabouts.”

“But how did you… I mean, however did you know how to reach him?”

“Oh, easy.” He leaned against the wall, his gaze shifting to Emily. “Our young reporter over there gave me all the facts. She also gave me a lesson in Texas Panhandle history too. She’s quite a pistol.”

“Oh, she’s a pistol, all right.” Anne chuckled. “Let’s just hope she never gets her hands on one!”

“Ooh, I wish I
could
shoot a gun.” Emily extended her hand, pointing her index finger in gun-like fashion. “Wouldn’t that be something? I’d wear boots and a ten-gallon hat and shoot anyone who looked at me cross-eyed.”

“That’s my concern,” Anne said. “What if someone you loved accidentally looked at you cross-eyed? Then what? They would go to an early grave.” Anne wished at once she could take back her words. Why did the conversation always go back to death? She glanced at Kate, who sat on the floor playing with the dog. Thankfully the youngster didn’t seem to notice her choice of wording.

At this point, Maggie took over the cooking of the meat. Before long, the platter on the counter was filled with thick, steaming slices of fried steak. The smell was almost enough to drive Anne to her knees. Still, they couldn’t eat until the others arrived. Besides, Maggie needed her help with the gravy and the biscuits. Oh, what a heavenly meal this was turning out to be!

Minutes later the grandfather clock chimed six times. What happened next caught Anne completely off guard. The door to the house swung open, and a passel of children raced inside. The two in front—both redheads—were boys. They were followed by a little one, maybe three, in a darling yellow-checked dress. Behind her came a young woman not much older than Anne. Must be the mama.

Within minutes, the house was full, side-to-side, top-to-bottom, with family. Anne had never seen so many people crowded into a kitchen before. And the voices! They overlapped, one on top of the other. Laughter rang out, along with slaps on the back and lots of chatter about how good the meat smelled.

Through the crowd, she made out Jake’s smiling face. He grabbed one of the littlest children and swept her into his arms, giving her a tender kiss on the cheek. One by one he embraced them, laughing and talking as if they were his own.

Introductions were made, but Anne felt sure she’d never keep all the names straight, especially since all the boys—little ones included—had J names. Thankfully, the females were a little easier. There was Pauline and Milly, Cora, and Ruth. Still, with so many, Anne hoped she wouldn’t be quizzed on the names later. And which one was it Maggie had said reminded her of Anne? Was it Cora? No, maybe it was Ruth. Or was it Pauline, the newlywed?

Oh, bother. She couldn’t remember. Not that it mattered tonight. No, all that mattered now was sitting down to dinner with this amazing group of new friends.

Maggie clapped her hands together, getting everyone’s attention. “Let’s gather around and pray before we dish up this meal. My chicken-fried steak tastes even better once it’s been blessed.” She nodded in her oldest son’s direction after everyone stood around the table. “John, would you do the honors?”

“A-course.” He nodded then removed his hat and bowed his head. The other brothers followed suit, one after the other. Jake wasn’t wearing a hat, but he did bow his head…after flashing a smile Anne’s way.

She tried to focus on the prayer. Truly, she did. But Jake’s smile, along with those dimples and gorgeous green eyes, drew her attention instead. Indeed, once John stopped praying, Anne was still deep in thought about Jake.

“Annie!” Emily nudged her, and she startled to attention. “Don’t fall asleep just yet. We might never get another meal like this as long as we live. We need to enjoy it.”

Anne tried not to let her embarrassment get the best of her as she took her seat alongside the others. She fussed with her napkin to avoid looking at Jake once more.
I’m going to enjoy it all right.

“Oh, I daresay if you stay on at O’Farrell’s Honor, you’ll see plenty of meals like this,” Milly said. “We eat like this nearly every day.” She told the girls about the different types of food Maggie was known for, and the older woman’s cheeks turned pink.

“Oh, go on with you.” Maggie fussed with her hair. “I just do what every other woman in these parts does. I care for my family. That’s a woman’s greatest joy.”

Anne found herself feeling that strange feeling again, this time a tightening in her chest adding a bit of physical pain to the emotional. Why did she find herself so affected by Maggie’s mothering skills? Why, she’d known dozens of great mothers in Denver, including Charlotte’s precious mother. None had caused this kind of reaction.

Anne found herself so caught up in her thoughts that she almost missed a joke one of the children was telling. She managed to catch the tail end of it and offered a smile, just in case anyone happened to look her way.

Yes, someone happened to be looking her way. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of Jake offering her another boyish grin. Gracious, a girl could get used to that.

“If you think this is delicious, you should see what Maggie cooks up for Christmas!” Ruth said. “There’s ham and turkey and the best sweet-potato casserole you ever tasted.”

“Then I want to stay till Christmas!” Kate licked her lips and everyone laughed.

Still, Anne could see the potential for disaster with this situation. In spite of the overwhelming welcome, she needed to stay focused. In just a few days, O’Farrell’s Honor would be nothing but a distant memory. She and her sisters would be living in Dallas at Uncle Bertrand’s home. Likely the only Christmas dinner to be served there was one around a painfully quiet table with servants spooning out the food.

Oh, but when she smelled that chicken-fried steak, when she heard the laughter of the children, Anne could almost picture herself one of the O’Farrell’s Honor brides.

She stifled a laugh. How funny would that be—to be a bride in a town called Groom?

Gazing across the room at Jake, she had to conclude that there were worse fates to befall a female in distress.

Chapter Seven

If you’ve traveled from state to state, you’ve likely witnessed hundreds of sunsets. The colors of the setting sun over the Grand Canyon are magnificent, to be sure. And the snowcapped Rockies are quite a sight to behold in the evening’s afterglow, as well. But there’s nothing like the north Texas plains, springing to life under the colors of the near-night sky, to capture the imagination. There simply are no words to describe the variety of vivid reds, golds, and purples as the vibrant day gives herself over to the shadows of night. No matter where you travel, where you roam, you’ll never find a sunset like the one you’ll find at home…in the Texas Panhandle.
—“Tex” Morgan, reporting for the
Panhandle Primer