Page 9 of Mail Order Mukluks (Brides of Alaska #1 | Brides of Beckham #68)

A fter finishing her baking on Saturday, Belle followed through with her plan and took Everett’s rifle with her to the store.

She’d baked the normal amount of bread for the day, but she made double the amount of cookies she normally would.

To her surprise, there were several men in the store waiting for her to drop off her treats.

All of them had different things they wanted, and Belle listened intently. She felt a bit overwhelmed by all the men wanted, but she would simply do what she could.

As she walked along the river, she saw a grouping of ducks, and when they didn’t fly away as she approached, she put the rifle to her shoulder and carefully aimed. She shot three times and hit three ducks.

The others had scattered by that point, but three was plenty. Instead of her favorite meal of chicken and dumplings, she’d make a huge pot of ducks and dumplings for supper. Hopefully Everett would enjoy it as much as she was certain she would.

Once home, she plucked the feathers and prepared the mallards for the pot. As soon as she had cut them into manageable pieces, she put them into the pot to boil. She could already taste the meal.

She added celery and made the dumplings, carefully rolling them out on the table.

It had been years since she’d cooked the meal, but it came back easily.

One of her first memories was helping her mother make chicken and dumplings.

She felt a pang as she thought of her mother, and she couldn’t help but wonder how her younger siblings were doing.

For dessert, she made strawberry shortcake. The strawberries wouldn’t be fresh for long, and while they were, she’d take advantage and make one of her favorite desserts.

By the time Everett was home, the entire cabin smelled of the dumplings. The strawberry shortcake was on the counter, ready to be served, and the table was set.

Everett washed his hands and sat down. “Supper smells good. Did you kill one of the chickens?” he asked.

“Oh, no. Of course not. You said to wait on the chickens until fall. I did some hunting and shot a few ducks. I hope you don’t mind that I used your rifle.”

“Of course not!” he said. “I’m glad you left the chickens alone though.”

“I listen,” Belle said with a grin. She served up two large bowls full of the duck and dumplings. “I’ve been missing chicken and dumplings. When I spotted the ducks, I thought they might make a good substitute for the way I’ve usually made the meal.”

“Did you learn to make it at the hotel?” he asked.

“No, my mother showed me. It was always my favorite, so we had it often. And then I cooked it for my siblings. For some reason, it was never on the menu at the hotel.”

“So, you’ve really missed this! I’m always happy to eat chicken and dumplings. I’ll let you know what I think about duck and dumplings when I’ve had a few bites.”

“Well, if you don’t like it, I’ll make something else for you,” she said, smiling. “And of course, you’ll have strawberry shortcake for dessert.”

She sat down at the table with him and when she’d taken her first bite, she grinned. “It’s not exactly the same, but it’s good!”

He took a bite and nodded. “I think I prefer chicken and dumplings, but I’ll take duck and dumplings any day. What kind of duck did you get?”

“Mallard. They’re so beautiful, I felt guilty shooting them, but fresh meat was a must. I don’t know why I wanted it so badly, but I did.”

“This fall, we’ll slaughter Melba’s calf. When it’s a female, I sell it, but when the calf is male, I slaughter. The Johnsons have a bull they let me use to breed Melba. And they have a heifer as well.”

“There aren’t a lot of farm animals in this area,” she said.

“It’s a logging town. That’s why it was built. The Johnsons built the store to help us all out, but there aren’t many farmers close enough to buy from.”

“We’ll just have to get some more farm animals ourselves. Where does the bacon come from? Is it shipped in from Washington?”

He nodded. “Almost everything the store carries comes from the mainland.”

“Would there be a way to get piglets in the spring?” she asked, thinking of all the meals she could make if they had their own pigs.

He sighed. “You’re intent on turning this place into a farm, aren’t you?”

She shrugged, feeling sheepish. “I grew up in a farming community. It’s what I know.”

“I’ll look into your piglets, but I can’t make any promises. I wouldn’t mind fresh pork myself.”

While they ate, she told him about the special requests she’d had for certain baked goods. “I promised to have strawberry shortcake at the store at ten on Monday. Katie is going to sell individual servings.”

He shook his head. “The men ask me every day what you’ve been baking. It’s getting a little ridiculous. I think they’re all ready to kill me so they’ll have the opportunity to marry you.”

“That’s horrible!” she said.

“I’m joking. Mostly.”

“Do you mind how much I’m baking to sell?” she asked. “I’ll stop if you want me to, but it feels good to still be able to make an income.”

“I’m not going to stop you,” Everett told her. “But I don’t know how I’ll feel if you keep working so hard once the babies start coming.”

“How many children do you want?” Belle asked, realizing they’d never had a real discussion about children.

“I don’t know. Three or four. You?”

She laughed. “As many as God will give me. I’ve always wanted an even dozen.”

He flinched. “And where would they all sleep?”

“I guess you’d have to make an order at the sawmill and add onto the house,” Belle replied.

He shook his head. “You’re going to be a handful, aren’t you, Belle?”

“I don’t know where you get that idea,” she said demurely, but she knew exactly what he meant.

She’d never felt the kind of freedom she had since quitting her job at the hotel.

It was like she finally had the right to make decisions and live for herself.

Within reason of course, but...she didn’t want to be reasonable. And she wasn’t ashamed about that fact.

“Did you get that sewing machine you wanted ordered?” he asked. “Maybe it will keep you from turning our house into a restaurant.”

She laughed. “But then I’d turn it into a tailor shop!”

“Maybe you could take up reading...or needlepoint. Don’t women like reading and needlepoint?”

“I feel like it’s a waste of my time. I’d rather keep busy.”

“Well, at least you keep me fed...”

“You’ll always come first. I promise!” Belle didn’t want him to worry that she was putting all of his men ahead of him. She would never do that!

“I know. I’m mostly just teasing you.”

She stood. “Do you want more supper, or should I serve the cake?”

“Supper, then cake.” Everett smiled. “I’m going to put on a hundred pounds being married to you.”

She served him another bowl of the dumplings and sat down across from him. “What else is good hunting at this time of year?” she asked.

“I don’t think it’s a great time for hunting. Bear has a strange taste in summer. I think it’s all the fish they eat. They’re better in spring or fall. Moose and caribou have young. It’s better to wait til fall.”

She sighed. “Fish is good?”

“Fish and waterfowl are your best bets. Do you not like fish?”

“I’ll eat anything. I would prefer not to eat fish, but if it’s what’s available, I won’t complain.”

“The waterfowl are molting and not flying right around now. Maybe you should hunt for them and get enough stocked up to last us for a while.”

“Great idea! You don’t mind if I keep using your rifle then?”

“I have a bow and arrows that would be better if you could get used to shooting it. The ammunition is expensive because they have to ship it all the way from the mainland.”

“I never thought of that. I’ve done a little bow hunting. My father would take the rifle with him at times because he didn’t like the idea of a girl hunting. So, I used my younger brother’s bow and arrows.”

He shook his head. “You amaze me. I was expecting a docile housewife, and instead, I find a woman who can do everything she sets her mind to.”

Belle laughed. “My father would be so disappointed if he could see me.”

“I’m not.” Everett needed her to know he didn’t expect her to fit into societal norms. “In Alaska, we need strong women, and that’s exactly what you are.”

She was inordinately pleased by his comment. As she ate her cake and washed the dishes, her mind kept going back to what he’d said. She was a strong woman. She’d never seen herself that way, but she was!

When she was snuggled beside him in bed that night, he stroked her hair. “Church tomorrow.”

“Yes, I’m planning for it. That’s why I made so much for supper.”

“Good. That was a wonderful meal. I wonder what fried mallard would taste like.”

“I have a feeling we’ll find out soon.” She propped herself up on her elbow and kissed him. “I think I’m going to like being an Alaskan wife.”

He gathered her closer, kissing her more deeply. “Anything else you like?” he asked.

“You.” She looked down into his eyes. “I like you.”

*****

A FTER CHURCH, BELLE invited the Johnsons over for Sunday dinner. “I have duck and dumplings...”

Katie laughed. “Never tried that. Bernard isn’t much of a hunter.”

“Oh, I went out hunting myself yesterday and shot three mallards. They were delicious! I wasn’t certain how gamey they would be, but they’re good!”

“Well, if you ever shoot extra, I’m willing to buy them from you.”

Belle wanted to clap her hands. She couldn’t believe that the simple things she did to create variety in their food were helping her to earn money. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

As they walked to the cabin from the store, Katie mentioned to Bernard that Belle had been hunting. He shook his head. “I have too soft a heart for hunting. That’s why I run a store.”

“Fiddlesticks,” Katie said. “I run the store. You do the books.”

“I help with the store when I’m needed.”

“Uh huh,” Katie said, shaking her head at him.

“I guess I’m the only jobless one around here...” Belle said.

“Jobless?” Everett asked. “You do the work of five men!”

“Or three women...”

Katie laughed loudly. “It’s true!”

Ignoring her comment, Everett opened the door to allow the others inside. “I think we’re going to have to expand this cabin so we can have three ovens. Belle won’t be able to keep up otherwise.”

“I think she’ll manage,” Katie said. She stood beside Belle, who was warming up their dinner. “I can’t wait to see what duck and dumplings taste like.”

Bernard gaped at Belle. “Duck and dumplings? Ducks are cute little critters...”

“They are. Tasty too!” Belle said, winking at Katie.

“I’m not quite certain what to think of your wife, Everett,” Bernard said to his friend.

“I think she’s pretty terrific.”

After lunch, Bernard and Katie said their goodbyes. “I’d invite you to play cards,” Everett said, “but then we’d be bored of games by winter, and we’d have nothing to do...”

“I’ll take you up on that invitation in late September,” Bernard replied as they walked back toward their home.

When they were gone, Everett looked at Belle. “Want to do some hunting? Or fishing?”

“Hunting,” Belle said firmly. “I really don’t like fish very much.”

“You’ll be eating them this winter whether you like them or not.”

“Depends on my hunting skills, doesn’t it?” Belle took his words as a challenge. She was going to prepare them for a winter full of meat, whether he liked it or not.

To her surprise, Everett opened a trunk and removed both a crossbow and a longbow. “Preference?” he asked.

“I’ve never used a crossbow! Would you mind giving me a lesson, and then I have more options while you’re at work?”

“I’d be happy to. I never thought I’d hear you say you didn’t know how to do something...”

She nudged him with her shoulder, laughing.

They spent an enjoyable afternoon hunting. Her lesson was short, and she caught on quickly.

The ducks didn’t try to fly away, so they were able to get a great deal more than they would have otherwise. Everett explained that ducks couldn’t fly while molting.

Belle tried her best to shoot only mallards as she’d tried other ducks and hadn’t liked the taste nearly as much.

When they got home with their prey, Belle asked Everett if he would help her pluck and clean them. He agreed readily, and they made short work of it. They’d brought home twenty birds in all, seventeen mallards and three pintails.

“I’ll cook and can these tomorrow and then do some strawberry preserves on Tuesday. We’ll have duck for the winter.” She looked proud of their haul.

Everett nodded. “I usually rely on bacon and salt pork in the winters. I don’t have a lot of time to hunt.”

“I have all the time in the world,” she told him. “We’ll have more than bacon and salt pork. I promise you that.”

Before they went to bed that night, Belle thanked Everett for hunting with her and teaching her to shoot a crossbow. “Now I have another skill that will help us with food throughout the winter. I only wish I’d gotten here in time to grow a kitchen garden.”

“Mrs. Johnson knew you were coming. She put in an extra-large garden so she could share.”

“Perhaps she’ll let me trade ducks for real potatoes. I’m not sure I can live on the Eskimo kind...”

“Oh, you can. I have for years. But yes, a russet potato sounds glorious.”

“Baked, with plenty of butter!”

“Can you eat them any other way?” he asked.