Page 3 of Mail Order Mittens (Brides of Alaska #2 | Brides of Beckham #68)

W hen they finally reached the point where they got off the river, Maggie was exhausted mentally and physically.

She had enjoyed her time getting to know James, but she was all talked out.

So many hours spent on the river, with nothing to do but chat, and she felt like she knew him inside and out.

Fortunately, she liked the man she’d married.

They still hadn’t been intimate. They were in such a hurry to beat the frost that he’d decided it was best to wait, but he’d made it clear as soon as they reached Yeti, they would be making love.

It was only one day’s walk from the river to Yeti, and they camped at the river when they reached the spot he was looking for. She had no idea how he could tell this spot in the river from all the others they’d passed, but it seemed to be second nature for him.

When they woke their last night on the trail, the air was frigid.

Cold enough that Maggie was worried about getting there before her hands froze.

To her surprise, James had a pair of thick, fur-lined mittens for her.

“I was hoping I could save them for a gift for the first time I make you angry, but it seems like you need them today.”

She laughed. “Do you plan on angering me often?”

He shrugged. “I’m not perfect.”

“Neither am I. I don’t expect anything I can’t give.”

“Glad to hear it!”

He set a brisker pace than he had at the beginning of their trek, and she could tell he was energized by the idea of being home. “I can’t keep up,” she finally said, embarrassed to have to admit it.

“I’m sorry. We’re just so close.”

“I wish the fire were burning in your cabin when we reach it. I know that won’t be the case, but it would be wonderful.”

He frowned. “I’ll take you to Belle, and you and she can catch up while I light the fire. She or Everett can bring you by after thirty minutes or so. It won’t be warm, but the chill will be lessened.”

“That would be wonderful if you don’t mind. I can’t wait to see Belle.”

“I understand completely.”

As they drew close, he turned off to the left and led her to a small cabin with pretty curtains at the windows. There was a plume of smoke billowing out of the chimney. He knocked once, and Belle opened the door, standing there for a moment looking at her friend.

“You made it!” Belle grabbed Maggie in a tight embrace. “Oh, you’re frozen. Get in here and warm up a little.”

James watched the two women together for a moment. “I’m going to go start the fire at home. Can you bring her in about thirty minutes or so?”

Belle shook her head. “No, you two are staying for supper. Everett told me you weren’t planning on eating anything but jerky and hardtack the whole way. I refuse to allow you to feed my friend any more of that. I have a big pot of duck and dumplings on the stove.”

“Duck and dumplings?” Maggie asked, giggling at the name of the dish.

“Our chickens are egg-layers. I’ll be butchering four or five next week, but for any other chicken dish I want, I’ve learned that mallards are similar in taste.”

“Does Everett do the hunting for you? Or do you buy the ducks from somewhere?”

“Everett hunts when he has time, but I usually go alone while he’s at work.”

Maggie’s eyes widened. “You hunt?”

Belle laughed. “I told you that I grew up having to provide meals for my family. Did you think that only meant cooking?”

“I guess I never really thought about it.” Maggie shook her head. “I’m not sure I could do that. But I’m not surprised that you have taken to it ”

“You could. I don’t think you felt like you could come here and look at you now! You made that journey mostly alone. Were you afraid?”

James kissed Maggie on the cheek. “I’ll let you two catch up. I’ll be back in an hour. Will that give you enough time to put supper on the table?”

Belle nodded. “Yes. Thank you for bringing her, James.”

“You can’t thank me for bringing her. I need to thank you for helping us find each other.”

Belle grinned. “Well, you got her here safely, and that’s all I wanted.”

After James left, Maggie stood. “How can I help with supper?”

“You can keep me company. I remember how tiring that trip was, and I wasn’t traveling in the cold. You rest while I cook.”

“But...”

“I enjoy cooking. You know that.”

Maggie reluctantly sat back down. “Do you enjoy being married?”

Belle nodded. “I do. So much! And I’m expecting.”

“You are? Oh, that’s wonderful! I guess I need to follow your lead so our children can play together.” Maggie pretended to be surprised. She knew Belle would rather deliver the news herself than have James tell her.

“I guess you do!”

Maggie talked about her trip while Belle told her about the town. “There’s a small store. I bake bread and sweets for them to sell. The men go nuts over anything that is premade.”

“I was hoping I could do that to earn a little extra. I’ll have to think of something else.”

“No, you won’t. There’s never quite enough to go around. There are so many bachelors living and working in this area. And they are all hungry. All the time. They all hurry to the store on their breaks to try to be the first to buy what I make.”

Maggie smiled. “So, if I did some baking and sold it, you wouldn’t feel like I was trying to compete with you?”

“Not at all! I’ll even give you pointers on what the men have liked best since I’ve been here.”

“That would be wonderful. And maybe you can show me how to clean an animal once it’s been killed...”

“I would love to do that. There’s good foraging here in the summer.

We can still find a few things, like Eskimo potatoes.

They aren’t what we’d call potatoes, but they can be found on the riverbanks and in open meadows.

If you’d like, I’ll show you what they look like, and you can do some foraging with me.

I’ve also been finding lingonberries. They’re tart, but with a little sugar, they make a fine jam. ”

“Have you tried selling jam at the store?” Maggie worried that having an extra mouth to feed would be too much for James’s finances, and she wanted to help in any way she could.

“Yes! And the men buy it out within a few hours. Seriously. Anything you feel like cooking or baking, the men will buy, and Katie, the shopkeeper who has become a dear friend, will sell it and keep a small portion of your profits. I don’t know if James has hens, but I sell our eggs and surplus milk to the store as well.

It works out well for Katie, and it makes me happy to contribute in some way.

I’m not sure if I can keep it up once the baby comes, but I will certainly try. ”

Maggie nodded. “What about sewing?” Maggie enjoyed cooking, but sewing was her true love.

“I haven’t done any sewing for the store yet, but Katie and I have talked about it, and she has said she could easily sell anything I want to sew. I prefer knitting so I’ve sold some hats and mittens. The men love them.”

“Maybe I’ll sew and let you do the cooking and baking.”

“Or we could do the cooking and baking together.” Belle turned away from the stove. “I’m so glad you’re here, and there’s another woman in town. There were only two of us, and there are no children at all. Katie’s daughter married and moved to Seattle.”

“So, there are really only two women in town?”

“Three now that you’re here.” Belle stirred the dumplings. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

“I think I am too. I just hope James is always as kind as he was on our journey here.”

“I hope so as well. I’ve never seen him get angry over anything. He seems very even-tempered. But I’ve never lived with him.”

“Well, that’s good to hear!” Maggie looked down at her hands. It was strange for her to remain idle. “I should be doing something. Are you certain I can’t help?”

“Do you want to set the table? There’s nothing else to do to get supper ready. Oh, you could slice the bread as well.”

Maggie jumped up and did as she was asked. “James said that he and Everett started the lumber operation together, but that he let Everett buy him out when he decided to become a prospector.”

“Yes, that’s how I understand it.”

At the sound of the door, Maggie looked to see a man she’d never met come inside, followed by James.

Belle hurried to the man, raising her face for his kiss. Maggie had never seen her friend look happier or more content. She seemed to love Everett and her life in Alaska.

Belle turned back to her friend. “Maggie, this is my husband, Everett.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Maggie said softly.

“And you,” Everett said. “I’ve heard a lot about you. Belle has been looking forward to your arrival.”

“She’s already made me feel quite welcome.”

“I’m sure she’s going to talk you into going on her foraging adventures with her. Do you hunt as well?” he asked.

Maggie shook her head, stifling a laugh. “I would be afraid to even touch a rifle.”

James stepped up behind Maggie and put his hands on her shoulders. “I’ll teach you to hunt if you’d like.”

Wrinkling her nose, Maggie declined. “I don’t think I could ever hunt. I’m impressed that Belle does though.”

“I’ll hunt when I’m off work then. We’ll need food stores before winter sets in.”

“This isn’t winter?” Maggie asked. It was already cold enough that she couldn’t imagine if this wasn’t at least the beginning of winter.

“Not at all,” Everett said. “We have a few weeks yet to finish foraging. You’re not going to be forced to eat tinned food all winter.”

“I’ve put up enough food for three families for winter,” Belle said, shrugging. “I wanted to make sure we were prepared, and I know we are. We’re happy to share.”

“I’ll find some way to trade,” Maggie said, not wanting to be in her friend’s debt. “I can let your dresses out and do many other things.”

“I may take you up on that,” Belle said. “You can use my sewing machine. Sewing has never been something I enjoy much. The machine does make it less of a burden though.”

When they sat down for supper, Everett said a prayer over the meal, thanking God for Maggie’s safe arrival.

After her first bite of supper, Maggie smiled. “It does taste almost exactly like chicken and dumplings. I need you to teach me to make this!”

“I’ll do it happily. It’s easy to hunt mallards in late June and early July. Perhaps you can pick wild strawberries for me, and I’ll hunt for you.”

“That sounds like a perfect arrangement. And I’ll do a kitchen garden of course.”

James shook his head. “We don’t have a large enough property for a kitchen garden.”

“Our property is big enough for two. And that way we can work in the garden together. The men work a lot of hours, and I think we’ll be much happier spending our days together.”

James cocked his head to one side. “Did you clean my cabin while I was gone?”

Belle shrugged. “I thought it would be nice for Maggie to come home to a house that had already gone through its fall cleaning. Now she won’t have to go to the trouble to do it herself.”

“Oh, you shouldn’t have!” Maggie insisted.

“It was a labor of love,” Belle responded. “You have clean sheets and a clean quilt. I think I would have felt the need to stay up all night doing the laundry.”

“Thank you, Belle.”

“You’re very welcome.”

“If I come over in the morning, will you take me to the store?” After Belle nodded, Maggie looked at James. “Do you have flour and sugar, and all those little things I’ll need?”

James shook his head. “I’ve subsisted on hardtack and beef jerky. The only time I’ve gotten real meals is when I was invited here or to the Johnsons.”

“The Johnsons?” Maggie asked.

“They are the proprietors of the store here in town.”

“I see. They sound like good people. Belle has told me a great deal about Mrs. Johnson, but she uses her first name.”

“Yes, they’ve become quite close since Belle arrived,” Everett said. “I’m sure Belle will introduce you around and get you acclimated to our little town. We have Sunday service at the Johnsons. There’s no church, so we study a chapter per week.”

“I’ll look forward to it,” Maggie said, excited about a time for worship and socializing.

After Maggie had eaten two bowls of the duck and dumplings, she pushed her bowl away. “This was delicious, Belle. I had no idea you were such a good cook.”

Belle smiled. “I have always enjoyed cooking.”

“And you were allowed to help Chef Andre in the kitchen often. I’m sure you learned a great deal from him.”

“In some ways,” Belle said. “He liked to make every meal fancy. The idea of him cooking something like duck and dumplings is simply ridiculous.”

“You’re right. I was always glad simpler meals were provided to the staff.”

“I was as well. It was a difficult place to work at times, but we were fed and housed. I don’t think we could have asked for more.”

Maggie shook her head. “I would have asked to not have my bottom pinched.”

“What?” Belle asked, obviously shocked.

Maggie told the story of the incident and her subsequent dismissal. “I don’t know that I would have had the courage to go see Elizabeth if that hadn’t happened.”

“Well, I’m glad you did see her. Mr. Templeton should be ashamed that he dismissed you instead of standing behind you.” Belle shook her head. “I’m thrilled I’m not working there any longer. My new boss is very kind.”

Everett laughed at that. “I’m not sure who you think your boss is, but I hope you don’t mean me. I don’t want to take on the responsibility of employing a woman who does what she pleases when she pleases.”

Maggie could see clearly that it was all Belle could do not to giggle. “I do a lot of things, but I don’t tend to run amok.”

“No, but I never know if I’m going to arrive home to fifty jars of jam or a deer hanging from a tree.”

“I don’t want you to get bored with me, darling...”

Maggie loved the relationship between the two, and she was just about to say so when James stood. “We need to be going. I’m exhausted.”

Maggie was disappointed, but she knew she would be able to see Belle the following day. “I should help with the dishes before we leave.”

Belle shook her head. “No, that journey was no picnic. Go home and get a good night’s sleep. I’ll be here tomorrow, and we’ll make our plans to take over the world.”

Maggie grinned. Belle was never boring.