Intrigue a la Mode by Regina Jennings

Author:Regina Jennings
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Historical Fiction, FIC042110, FIC042030
ISBN: 9781493417131
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 2020-01-29T16:00:00+00:00

Etta Mae rolled to the edge of the bed, then sat up and rested her head in her hands. “Why do I have so much energy at night, but when morning comes, I can’t manage to get out of bed?”

Willow lay on her back and gripped her blanket as a heaviness settled on her. It had been two days since she and Graham had argued. That didn’t mean that he wasn’t watching her every time she looked up. And it didn’t stop him from placing dishes on her table first, much to the amusement of the other girls. But the imposed distance between them filled her with dread. In the beginning, she’d thought he was a nuisance—that she’d be better off if he went away and let her focus on her job. Now she worried that he’d do exactly that and she’d never see him again. Why was she so confused?

She turned her face away from Etta Mae and toward the open window. Was this how her father felt when marrying her mother? Tuberculosis meant that her mother would never be strong or helpful, but he loved her and had married her anyway. Practical concerns weren’t important when measured against their love and his desire to take care of her. And because they put their love before finances, Willow and Olive had had a happy but poor childhood. Because of their love, Willow desperately needed her job and was unwilling to lose it because of the antics of a busboy.

She sat up and hugged her knees to her chest. Today was another day with Graham working at her side but out of reach. What was Calista up to? If Willow knew, she would tell Graham—anything to solve this rift between them. As it was, her cousin’s erratic behavior had no explanation. Calista was the only person who could clear this up.

Standing, Willow placed both hands on the windowsill. It was time to look for discarded bottles and tidy up the platform. Unlike at Granny Laura’s ranch, mornings on the railroad tracks were not spectacular. She missed the ranch. The fields, the cattle, the cousins—that was what she was really homesick for, and seeing Calista made it worse.

The sky lightened in the east. That was the way home, and she’d get to go tomorrow. Because of her late-night work, she’d earned a few days’ leave. With train fare free for all Harvey employees, her decision was easy. Some girls preferred to visit their sister restaurants and hotels and see the country, but not Willow. Not this time. With all her confusion, she needed the touchstone of home. She needed to lean on the wisdom of her elders and be reassured that the world hadn’t changed just because her heart had.

The tracks stretched out like long arms reaching for her family. Tomorrow, she told them. Tomorrow she’d take a ride and clear her head.

With the rising sun, she could see a bump of something down on the tracks. Willow leaned over the windowsill.

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