Page 9 of Mail Order Mittens (Brides of Alaska #2 | Brides of Beckham #68)

T hankfully, the weather was much better the following day, and James was able to go hunting.

While he was out, Maggie baked three pies, six loaves of bread, and four dozen cookies.

She didn’t bother going to Belle’s knowing Everett was probably home for the weekend, and walked to the store on her own.

She plopped her baskets on the counter, and Katie smiled as she peeked under the cloths covering them. “I didn’t think you’d be coming with anything today. Thank you! Men have been in and out all morning asking if there was anything baked.”

“Sorry, I’m late then! James was home all day yesterday, and I knew he wouldn’t want me baking.” Maggie lowered her voice. “He doesn’t like me doing this very much.”

Katie shook her head. “He’ll be pleased when he sees how much you’re making.”

“I’m not certain of that, but I hope so.”

Katie opened her cash box and handed Maggie some money. “You never make big purchases, so I’m giving you this in cash. You have a good deal of credit left.”

“Thank you!” Maggie said, excited that she was getting paid when she did what she felt like doing.

On the way home, Maggie thought about how to give the money to James, and she decided she would simply slip it into the drawer where he kept his cash. Hopefully, he wouldn’t notice there was more there than he remembered.

He wasn’t home yet when she arrived, so she put the money with his and quickly shut the door. Then she went about starting lunch. She knew he’d be back soon, and hunting made him hungry.

When he returned, it was with a smile on his face. “Everett went out with me, and we shot a deer. It’s hanging at their place. Do you want to go over there with me and help cut it up?”

“I’d love to. I made some stew for lunch. Are you hungry?”

He nodded. “I am. We’ll eat quickly and then head over.”

As they ate, he talked enthusiastically about his morning hunt. “Everett shot several mallards, and I got a buck.

“So, we’ll be having buck and duck for supper?” she asked, hiding a grin.

He chuckled. “I don’t think we’ll have them for the same meal, but I like the way you think.”

After the meal, she quickly washed the dishes, and they went to Belle’s. To Maggie’s surprise, Belle wasn’t outside helping Everett. “Where’s Belle?” she asked, looking around.

“Inside. She’s not having a good day. Morning sickness is bad today.”

“I’ll go check on her and then come out to help,” Maggie replied.

She hurried into the cabin and saw Belle, looking a little green around the gills. “Tea and dry toast?” Maggie asked.

Belle nodded. “I tried to make it for myself, but just standing made it so much worse.”

Maggie got to work, as comfortable in Belle’s kitchen as she was in her own. “What else can I do?”

“If I’m not better in an hour or two, I’m going to ask you to fix supper for us,” Belle said. “I hate not doing it myself, but I don’t think I have a choice today.”

“Absolutely,” Maggie said, putting the tea in front of her friend. “Toast is in the oven. It’ll be ready in a few minutes.”

Belle took a sip of the tea. “You remembered the ginger!”

“Of course, I did.” Maggie sat down across from her friend. “Katie paid me today. She said I’m not buying enough in the store for all my credit to be used up. James keeps telling me he doesn’t want the money, so I put it with his cash. Do you think he’ll notice?”

Belle nodded. “Yes, I do.”

“Well, I guess we’ll argue about it when he does.” Maggie sighed. She wanted to help, but she didn’t want to fight her husband every step of the way.

“I’m sorry he doesn’t make it easier for you.”

“Me too.” Maggie got to her feet to get the toast from the oven and put it on a plate, carrying it to her friend. “You eat that. I’m going to go out and see what I can do to help the men with their game.”

“I want venison stew for supper. Will you make sure to cut some of the venison into small pieces for me? I always ask Everett, but he makes them about three times the size I want.”

“I’ll take care of it,” Maggie replied, wrapping her scarf around her neck.

When she got out to the cold house, the men were inside cutting the meat from the deer into chunks. “I need one big piece to cut up for stew.”

“I’ll take care of it,” Everett said.

“Belle asked me to do it, and she’s done so much for me, I don’t want to disappoint her.” Maggie hoped Everett would believe her because she didn’t want to tell him that Belle didn’t like the way he did it.

Everett shook his head and gave her a piece of meat, and she painstakingly cut it into small bite-sized pieces. “Aren’t those too small?” Everett asked.

Maggie shook her head. “No, they’re easier to work with when they’re this size.” There. She’d told him he was doing it wrong without admitting she knew he was doing it wrong. Surely that would save his male pride.

“I’ll have to change the way I do things then,” Everett said.

“Do you like them that small for stew?” James asked.

Maggie nodded. “Yes, then I don’t have to cut them even more when it’s time to make them for a meal.”

“I suppose you’re right,” James said, seeming a bit confused about the whole thing.

“How was Belle feeling when you were inside?” Everett asked.

“Poorly. I made her some tea with ginger and dry toast. It seems to ease her stomach when she’s feeling this way.”

“I never would have thought of that,” Everett said. “I guess that’s why she needed you around.”

“Katie would have told you to do the same thing.”

Everett nodded. “I guess she would. She’s going to deliver the baby, you know.”

“I do. I’d like to be there to help as well.”

“Good. I’d prefer to hide somewhere while it’s happening.”

Maggie laughed. “You do that. You can hide at our place with James. Or at work. You could go to work if that made you happy.”

James shrugged. “I have no intention of being anywhere close when any baby is born. Perhaps the two of us should make a pact to always hide somewhere together when a baby is coming—mine or yours.”

“Sounds good to me,” Everett replied. “I am excited to hold him for the first time.”

“What if he’s a she?” Maggie asked as she carefully wrapped the meat she’d cut into brown paper.

“Then I’ll be happy to hold her. Either way. I’m sure this won’t be our only child.”

“Belle and I always talked about our children growing up and marrying. Maybe that will happen.”

James shook his head. “Our first child isn’t even conceived yet, and you’re planning its future? I’m not sure that’s the right thing to do.”

“I’m sure it is,” Maggie responded with a grin.

Belle opened the door and stepped inside. “The tea and toast helped a lot. I think I can help with the meat now.”

“I just finished some stew meat for you,” Maggie said. “Do you want to work on the mallards while the men finish up with the buck?”

“That would be good. Let’s cut the mallards into small pieces too. It’ll be nice to have them already cut for my dumplings.”

The four of them worked well together. Belle and Maggie cut the mallards carefully, and they made several packages of them, dividing them up between families and putting them on opposite sides of the cold house.

They’d decided the east side was for Maggie and James while the west side was for Belle and Everett. It made things much easier that way.

“What are you going to bake on Monday?” Belle asked Maggie. “Other than bread, of course.”

“I thought I’d make some thumbprint cookies. The matron at the orphanage was Swedish, and she made them all the time. Of course, she called them hollongrotter . They’re still a favorite of mine, and I haven’t had them since I left the orphanage.”

“I’ve never had them. Make a dozen extra for Everett and me?” Belle grinned. “I’m craving sweets. It’s all I want to eat when I’m not sick to my stomach.”

“I’ll make a dozen for the two of you and six dozen for the store. Lingonberry jam should be delicious in them. What about you? What will you bake?”

“I think I’m going to do bread and cinnamon rolls with frosting. I can already taste them.”

Maggie pursed her lips as she studied her friend. “Do I need to start making extra of everything so you can have some?”

“That would be good...”

Everett sighed. “I hope you’re not going to stop cooking and just feed me sweets.”

“I wouldn’t think of it!” Belle said, grinning at her husband. “I get all the sweets, and you get the real food.”

James laughed, looking between the two of them. “Maggie, I’m not certain it’s a good idea for you to have a baby...we’ll find one in an orphanage.”

Maggie wrinkled her nose at James. “Oh, I’m having babies. Many. At least a dozen.”

“Where will we put them all?” he asked, eyes wide.

“No idea. That’s your job.”

They all laughed as they finished up the work. “Do you want to stay for supper?” Belle asked.

Maggie looked at James, who shook his head. “Not tonight. And we’d like you both to come over after church in the morning.

“I guess I need to come up with something to feed you!” Maggie said. “Oh, I know!”

“What?” Belle asked.

“You’ll see when you get there. It’s another favorite from the orphanage. Mrs. Gustafson made the best meals!”

“Write out the receipt for me then. I’m sure I’ll want it.”

“I will do that!”

On the walk home, James held Maggie’s mittened hand in his own. “What are you making for lunch tomorrow?” he asked.

She smiled. “Mrs. Gustafson used to make a stew, but she’d serve it in bread.

She’d take a loaf and cut it in half lengthwise, small loaves for the younger children, and then she’d stuff it full of the stew.

The flavors would meld into the bread, and we’d eat it that way.

I don’t know if that was a receipt she got from Sweden, or just something she enjoyed cooking. Either way, we all loved it.”

“Sounds interesting. I’m certainly willing to try it!”

“And I’m going to make some of the jam thumbprint cookies for us tomorrow. I don’t think Belle is going to be happy if she has to wait for them.”

He chuckled. “She did seem very excited at the idea of having sweets. Any and all sweets.”

“Yes, she’s been crazy about them. I wish her stomach wasn’t so upset. I’d bake her more.”

James nodded. “I hope you don’t get sick when you’re expecting. Do you know if your mother did?”

She shrugged. “It’s not something I ever remember talking about with her. But I remember very little about her except she had the most beautiful red hair.”

“Like you?” he asked.

She shook her head. “No, hers was much prettier.”

“What are we going to have for supper tonight?” he asked.

“Fried duck. I don’t want to use the chickens Belle gave us yet, and I can’t help but wonder how good the duck will be if I fry it as I would a chicken. And I’m going to make mashed potatoes...not Eskimo potatoes either. I’m making the russets Katie gave me from her garden.”

“That sounds really good!”

“I hope it is.”

When they got home, she got to work cooking their supper right away, while James worked on the rabbit. “I’m close to finishing this one.”

“What will you do with it?” she asked.

“Do you really think I could make money selling my carvings?” James seemed a bit nervous asking.

“I really do. Would you like me to write to Elizabeth and see if she knows anything about it? If she doesn’t, she’ll learn. She’s a wonderful person.” Maggie turned away from the stove and looked at him, trying to gauge his reaction.

“Yes, I would like you to do that if you don’t mind.”

“I promised Elizabeth I’d stay in touch, so I’ll write her a letter and include the question. Oh, and I meant to talk to you about one of the girls who Belle and I used to work with. She wants to move here and marry as well. Do you know of anyone who would like a mail-order bride?”

He laughed. “I could go to work, close my eyes and point, and there would be no danger of me finding a man who didn’t want a bride.”

She smiled, imagining the scene as he described it. “Well, pick someone out and tell him to write to Elizabeth!”

“I’ll do that. I know Everett had the address posted, but someone took it. I’ll post it on the wall again. Hopefully, it won’t be stolen this time.”

“Maybe I’ll write out several papers with her address and you can hang them all from the same nail. Then men can take one if they’d like.”

“Not a bad idea at all.”

He finished the rabbit right before supper. “I think it’s done. Tell me what you think.”

Maggie put down the plates she’d been about to carry to the table and hurried over to look at his rabbit. “Oh, James. It’s perfect! It looks like it’s going to jump right out of my hand!”

“That’s what I was hoping for. You keep that one.”

Maggie looked at him for a moment before clutching the small rabbit to her chest. “Do you mean it?”

He laughed. “It’s just a piece of woo

“It’s so much more than that. I will always treasure this.”

He shook his head, obviously uncomfortable with how excited she was by it. “Is it time to eat yet?” he asked.

With tears prickling her eyes, she hurried back to the counter where she’d set the plates and carried them to the table. “I hope it turned out all right.”

“I’m sure it did.” He looked at the mashed potatoes. “These look delicious. And you made gravy!”

“Shouldn’t I make gravy?” she asked, confused.

“Yes, I love gravy. You’re a much better cook than I expected you to be!”

She shrugged. “I try.”