Mail Order Angelique by Margaret Tanner

Author:Margaret Tanner [Tanner, Margaret]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-03-27T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seven

As they journeyed on, the countryside became rougher, more isolated. Whereas before she’d seen chimney smoke from a few ranch houses, out here there was nothing. They passed through a cutting with jagged rocks on either side which opened out on to a flat plain stretching for as far as the eye could see. Only when she glanced back did she realize they had been slowly climbing and were now quite high up.

“We’re situated on a large plateau,” he said, as if guessing her thoughts. “Some freak of nature I suppose you could call it. It’s cooler up here than it is down below.”

“Do you ever get snow?”

“Occasionally if the weather is really bad, we aren’t that high up, though.”

About ten minutes later they passed under a wooden archway with the word Argyle burned into it. “This is it,” he said. “Home.”

When they drove into the front yard, she glanced with interest at the split log cabin, which over the years had been weathered silver by the elements. It had two windows overlooking the porch and one large window on the high gabled loft area.

“This cabin was built by my grandfather when he first came here. The house my father built, well you know the story. Two blackened tumbledown chimneys are all that’s left of it now.”

The bunkhouse, stables and barn were built from vertical timber boards and she wondered whether the house had been built of the same materials.

Clint helped her down, picked up the baby’s basket and walked to the porch. “You go inside, I’ll put your luggage and the stores on the porch and bring them in when I get back from taking care of the horse. I’ll let Hughie and Bert know I’m back. They’ll want to meet you. The baby will come as a shock especially when they know he’s Tim’s.”

Once she walked inside, Angel took off her bonnet and glanced around her new home. It was tidy, a little dusty and drab. No personal items lay around.

The sitting room and kitchen were combined. Two doors led off it, one probably the bedroom, the other leading to the backyard she surmised.

The small cook stove had an oven at least. She peeked into the basket and the baby slept soundly. He seemed to enjoy travelling in the buckboard.

On the kitchen hearth was a wooden box full of kindling and logs. At least she could get the fire going. Ham, eggs and biscuits for supper, something quick and easy while she got acquainted with everything. A staircase opposite the back door led to the loft area. The space under the stairs had been turned into a closet. Timothy had sounded so proud when he spoke of the work he had done on the cabin. How sad she and Robbie had never been able to share it with him. Once the stove was alight, she filled the coffee pot and placed it on one of the hotplates. This kitchen wasn’t as good as the one in Preacher Tom’s place, although better than what they had on grandpa’s ranch.

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