Flynn's Debt by Margaret Tanner

Author:Margaret Tanner [Tanner, Margaret]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-09-19T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Six

Did she want to marry Gus? If she didn’t, what would become of her? He was a handsome man especially when he smiled, and he was obviously capable of supporting a wife. She had read about Mail Order Brides. They agreed to marry men they hadn’t even met, and people didn’t look down on them. Her position was more dire than most of these women. It was a matter of life and death for her.

She climbed to her feet. Gingerly stepping over to the dresser she checked for supplies. Flour, sugar, salt and coffee. The neatly labelled tins made selecting her ingredients easy. Pancakes were something she could manage. Strange how all his storage containers, cups and plates were made of tin.

She quickly prepared the pancake mixture, found a pan and greased it with a strip of bacon fat she found near the side of the stove. Did he have any butter? She didn’t like doing it, but would be able to make butter if he had a churn.

Through the open window of the house she spied a washing line. There was everything she needed for a comfortable life here. Her eyes were drawn to the double bed. What he would expect from her as a husband she wasn’t quite sure, although she had seen stallions covering mares, so imagined it might be something like that.

Once she saw Gus striding up from the milking shed carrying a bucket of milk in one hand and her saddle bags in the other, she tipped some of the pancake mixture into the hot pan. He stepped inside, placed the milk on the table, the saddlebags on the floor against the wall.

“Something smells good.” He sniffed appreciably.

“Pancakes. I hope you didn’t mind me helping myself to the ingredients.”

“No, help yourself to anything you need.” He checked inside the dresser and she was glad she had put the flour tin back in the same spot as he’d had it. She had made sure to wipe off the slight film of flour on the bench as she worked.

“I didn’t make a mess.” She hoped she didn’t sound too belligerent.

“I haven’t said anything.”

“You checked, though.”

He grimaced. “I’m sorry. I guess I’ve lived on my own for too long. I can’t stand untidiness or disorder.”

“I never would have guessed.”

He laughed, and it was a pleasant sound.

“Sit down and I’ll serve you the pancakes. Another coffee?”

“Yes, thanks.” He glanced around then pulled out a chair and sat at the small pine table. She guessed he normally would have sat in his armchair.

He emptied his mouth before speaking. “These are good. I haven’t tasted pancakes in years.

“I used to make them a lot once. It was Pa’s favorite food.”

“We’ll drive into Belle and see if the preacher will marry us,” he suddenly said.

Joey spluttered into her coffee. “Now! Today!”

“Yes, I want to get it over and done with. I don’t want you spending the night here if we aren’t wed. It wouldn’t be decent.”

“Who would know?”

“I would, and it doesn’t sit well with me.

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