Page 6 of Mail Order Mukluks (Brides of Alaska #1 | Brides of Beckham #68)

B elle’s first impression of Mrs. Johnson was not favorable. The older woman looked slovenly to Belle, but as soon as Mrs. Johnson smiled, Belle knew they would be friends. “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Johnson.”

“Oh, call me Katie. It’s going to be so nice to have another woman around.”

“Only if you’ll call me Belle. I wouldn’t know to respond to Mrs. Thompson, as no one has called me that yet!”

Katie laughed. “You’ll get used to it soon enough.” She gestured to the eggs Belle had brought. “Let me see what I owe you for them.”

“You don’t wait to pay us until they’re sold?”

“I would if they didn’t disappear within hours. Everett’s chickens are the only ones in the area, and we rely on them.”

“That reminds me...Everett told me that when you bake extra bread, you sell it quickly. Would you mind if I made some bread or cake or pies? Whatever is needed. I do enjoy baking, and after the first few days of catching up with housework, I think I’ll want something to fill my time.”

“You are welcome to come here any time and visit,” Katie said. “But I would consider myself very fortunate to have more baked goods to sell. Breads seem to do the best, but I will have no problem selling anything you make.”

“Oh, good!” Belle looked around the store. Everett had introduced her and gone on to work, leaving Belle there to get to know Katie. “I need some fabric for curtains as well.”

“Of course you do! I keep several bolts of fabric here behind the counter.” Katie set the basket of eggs aside as she pulled out a few choices. “I like this one,” she said, pointing to a pretty blue gingham.

“I do as well!” Belle said. “And Everett’s favorite color is blue, so I think he’d like it as well. I’ll take six yards of that. I should be able to make curtains and a tablecloth. It will make the cabin so much more homey!”

“Wonderful. I’ll take it from the credit on your account. Do you need anything else while you’re here?”

There were tins of food everywhere, but there was little else to purchase. “Everett mentioned you may be willing to sell some of the produce from your garden...”

“Oh yes! I would love to. As soon as I have some ready. Right now, there’s good foraging for wild strawberries. Mainly in open areas without a lot of trees. I can show you a patch if you’d like.”

“I would love that,” Belle said. “Maybe in a few days. Are there other wild berries?”

“Not yet, but there will be next month. July and August are much better for berries here.”

“I hope you’ll show me then!” Belle took the cloth that had been cut and her empty egg basket.

“I will show you whenever you want. We can sell any extra eggs or milk if you have it. Baked goods will have all the men around begging for more.” Katie smiled, showing off two blackened teeth. “I’m so happy to have another woman in town.”

“I’m glad you’re here to show me around. Thank you for all your help!” Belle said as she headed out the door.

When she got back to the cabin, she whipped up a cake quickly, having memorized the receipt as a child cooking for her siblings.

As soon as it was in the oven, she filled a tin pan with water and began scrubbing the clothes and blankets from their journey.

There was a single clothesline out back, and she carefully hung everything to dry.

There was a brisk breeze, so she had no doubt it would dry quickly.

She dumped out the water and refilled the pan, using it to scrub the floors and walls of the rooms. It looked as if the cabin had never had a true spring clean. It was her job to change that.

Belle made a pot of stew for supper, using up some of the salt pork she’d found.

She would have preferred fresh meat, but she’d long ago learned how to do without.

She kept eyeing the rifle Everett had hanging on one of the walls, thinking she could do a little hunting herself, but she really didn’t have time.

No, it would be a few days before she could start killing their suppers.

When Everett walked into the cabin at the end of his day, she quickly served the prepared meal into bowls, putting a hot roll on the side of each of their bowls.

She was still more tired from the journey than she would like, and she wanted to conserve dishes as much as she could.

She knew she should put the rolls on their own plates, but it simply seemed like too much effort.

Everett kissed the top of her head before washing his hands in the water she’d brought in for the dishes. “Supper smells delicious.”

“I hope it is. I used some of the salt pork. In a few days, when I have the cabin in order, I’ll do some hunting, and we’ll have some fresh meat. Do you ever cull the chickens?”

“Usually not until fall. I feast on eggs in the spring and summer, and then eat lots of meat, including chicken, in the fall and winter.”

“All right. I’ll make sure to save the chickens until fall.”

“I’d appreciate that. Have you handled a rifle before?” he asked.

“My father had one just like yours. When we ran out of meat, I’d shoot rabbits or squirrels. I’ve never shot big game, but I wouldn’t be averse to it.”

“Moose is good meat. If you happen to see any kill it, and we can put some away for the colder months.” He looked at her for a moment with his spoon paused halfway between his mouth and his bowl.

“I usually take off a week in mid-September to do some serious hunting to get meat stored up for winter, but if you can do some, I might be able to work through those days. After seeing you, James is talking about getting himself a mail-order bride.”

“It would be nice if there were other young couples around...” She thought longingly about the couples she’d seen around Beckham, and how they’d done so many things together. She had what she wanted—a husband and a home—but she would love to have other young women around.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if others in the area wanted to get themselves mail-order brides. Truly. There are so many men here and there just aren’t enough women. There are native women, of course, but they’re wary of white men.”

“I don’t blame them... They have a right to live as they always have.”

After supper, she washed the dishes and put them away. “I washed the sheets and blankets today. I can’t wait to climb between the sheets.”

He chuckled. “Are you still as tired from that trip as I am?”

“I am. I feel like I’m being silly, but I’m exhausted.” She shook her head. “Of course, I didn’t let that make me sit around all day.”

“I can see that. Looks like you did all the laundry and scrubbed the cabin from top to bottom.”

“I’m not quite done with the cabin yet, but I did a lot. I bought some fabric for curtains and a tablecloth. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Not at all. I’m not sure I see a need for those things, but if you do, then we should have them.”

“I think I’m going to need an early night again tonight. I hope that won’t bother you.”

Everett shook his head. “Not at all. But...there’s something we should talk about.”

She sat down across from him. “What’s that? Should I be nervous?”

He chuckled. “I don’t think so. We’ve been married a few weeks now...and we’re finally settled into our home. I’m not saying it has to happen tonight, but I sure would like to consummate our marriage soon.”

“Is that so?” she asked, her eyes filled with mischief.

“It is. Don’t you think it’s time?”

“I’ve been willing all along. I expected it to happen long before we reached Yeti.”

“I don’t think either of us have the energy to give it our best tonight. Why don’t we say Saturday night? I don’t work Sundays, so we have all night.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Is it going to take us that long?”

“It might...”

She chuckled. “Saturday night is fine. I’m glad to know when...I’ve wondered.”

“I really thought we should get to know one another first. I know that’s old fashioned, but...” He paused looking at her. “Is this your first time?”

She nodded. “Yes, it is. While other girls had beaus, I had younger siblings to feed, and then I had to work twelve- or fourteen-hour days. There’s never been time for a courtship.”

“That was my impression, but I wanted to be certain.”

Belle looked at Everett then, wondering. “What would you have said if it hadn’t been my first time?”

“Well, you’re already here, so it’s not like I could send you back!

” He shook his head. “After getting to know you, I would have accepted it. It would have surprised me, but you’d still be my wife at the end of the day.

” He stood, rubbing the back of his neck.

“I thought it would feel restful dealing with paperwork after that long journey, but it just made my neck hurt.”

“Sit down. Maybe I can help.” When he was seated, she put her hands on his neck and found the knot. She dug her thumbs in, trying to ease his pain.

Finally, she felt the knot disappear, and she removed her hands. “Better?” she asked.

“How did you know to do that?” he asked, surprised she’d taken care of his pain so quickly.

“I worked with some of the other maids to ease their pain from being hunched over washboards or standing at a sink peeling potatoes all day. When I first worked at the hotel, there was an older woman who helped me that way, and then she showed me how to help the others. It became my job. Then I taught one of the younger women before I left.”

“From now on, I’ll want you to help my neck every time it aches.”

“Are you saying I’m a pain in your neck?” she asked.

He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her into his lap. “I’m saying you’re a cure for the pain in my neck.”

She laughed softly. “I was worried about you for a moment there...”

He pulled her down for a kiss, feeling the smile on her lips with his own. He hadn’t truly kissed her before, preferring to keep their encounters to quick pecks while on the trail. Now though, he felt as if he could explore her mouth with his, his hands gently roaming over her back.

This care-free wife of his was something to behold...and something he would always cherish. Finally, he broke the kiss, and he could see that she’d enjoyed it as much as he had. “Excuse me, wife, but I’m tired and need to ready myself for bed. What do you think I am? A chair?”

Her giggles filled the cabin. “You’re going to be a pain in my backside, aren’t you, Everett?”

“Every chance I get.”

She jumped up from his lap and hurried to get her nightgown. He excused himself while she readied herself for bed. She was between the sheets when he came back inside.

The entire time they’d been gone, he’d slept in his clothes, but to her surprise, he stripped off completely before climbing into bed.

She thought it was completely, at least. She closed her eyes when he was down to his drawers, not feeling comfortable watching him get completely naked.

She’d seen naked little boys, of course, as she’d been a surrogate mother to her younger siblings.

But she’d never seen a grown man naked. She was a bit surprised at how much the idea of Everett naked bothered her.

He pulled her against him, and she was happy for the fabric of her nightgown.

She snuggled into his arms, pressing a kiss to his bare shoulder.

“Now don’t you go and try anything, Belle.

I’m tired, and I told you we’re waiting until Saturday night.

” He mumbled under his breath something about brides that didn’t know how to blush, and she laughed.

“I’m trying to sleep, you crazy man.”

He chuckled softly, still holding her close. “Goodnight, Belle.”

“Goodnight, Everett.”

As Belle closed her eyes for sleep, she realized she liked being held by Everett. He made her feel safe and loved. She had a feeling that life would turn out just the way she wanted. And maybe she could have the dozen children she’d always dreamed of. Under the beautiful Alaska sky.