Toria found she enjoyed working in the store, because Mortimer and John were always around her. She loved watching their interactions with each other, giving her a picture of a closer father and son than she’d expected.

It took her a little over three hours to get the books set up the way she wanted them…and for her to find the error Mortimer had been stressing over. She called him over and showed it to him, smiling at his response.

“I can’t believe you found it so quickly! I’ve been trying to find that error for two months!”

Toria shrugged. “It’s a gift. It’s a silly gift, but it works for me.” She’d found men were intimidated by how quickly she did math, so she often downplayed how easy it really was for her.

“Well, I for one am thrilled it’s a gift you have. How much more work do you have to do to get everything like you want it.” He couldn’t believe he’d not only gotten a beautiful bride, but one who could do tasks that were difficult for him. God had truly been watching out for him when He’d sent Toria.

“Oh, I’m done. We’re balanced through the close of day last night. It’ll take me about an hour a week to keep up on everything.” She hoped he’d give her the job. The more she did, the happier she’d be. She wanted to feel like she was important to him.

He blinked at her for a moment. “I was spending three hours a week. I’m so happy to give you that chore.”

“I’m just as happy to accept it!” Toria stood and stretched her back. “I’m going to go upstairs and check on your lunch. It should be ready in about twenty minutes.”

“What about my lunch?” John called from across the store where he was redoing a display the way she wanted it.

Toria shrugged. “Your dad can bring you down a bowl, or you can come up and eat when he’s done.”

“Really? There’s enough for me?” John asked, surprised.

“I will always make enough for you. Come up anytime for your lunch. I’ll be happy to have you.” She didn’t wait for a response, knowing that he hadn’t expected her generosity and may not know how to react to it. She truly didn’t mind cooking for one more person. It didn’t take any extra time when she was already cooking anyway.

Mortimer came up twenty minutes later, his eyes wide as he saw fresh bread and a bowl of steaming soup waiting for him. “John badly wants to hate you, but he can’t help but like you. He’s having a hard time.” And Mortimer was thrilled. He’d expected a lot more discontent from his son than they’d received, considering his devotion to his mother.

Toria shrugged. “I can understand that. When my father’s first wife died, he quickly married again. My half-brother was determined to hate my mother with everything inside him. They became close because she was so kind…he couldn’t help but like her.”

“So you’re taking a page out of your mother’s book.”

“In a way. My brother was only twelve at the time, so it was a different situation. But it worked out well for them.” She sat down at the table, and he took her hand in his for their prayer. It was the first time, but she hoped it wouldn’t be the last.

He took a bite of his soup and smiled. “You have a way with cooking.”

She smiled. “It’s truly always been a hobby of mine. I lived in a boarding house in Beckham, and I would cook for all the boarders on Saturday evenings because I enjoyed it. I got a discount on my rent for it, but that wasn’t the reason. I’d have done it for free, I just never told the woman running the house.”

“I didn’t know you lived in a boarding house! Did you like it there? The ones I’ve seen are all men, so I’m surprised you were able to live in one.”

“This one was all women. If we needed more money, I think I’d enjoy running a boarding house, but I don’t think there’s any need for that here.” She had always had an entrepreneurial spirit. It was hard for her not to always be working on something. She was certain it stemmed from growing up poor.

He shook his head. “Not at all. Though our only restaurant burned down. People may like it if you planned to sell a lunch once a week or something, if you were so inclined.”

She tilted her head to one side, thinking about it. “You could sell it through the store. I could place a limit of a certain number of people buying the lunch. I would only make what was sold before the day of the lunch, so say I would fix lunch every Monday, and if men hadn’t ordered by Saturday, they would be out of luck.” She took a bite of her freshly buttered bread, thinking about it. “What would I charge for a lunch? A dime?”

“Sounds good to me. I’m not saying you should do this, just that you could do it if you were looking for something to do to fill your time.”

“Maybe…why don’t you ask around today, see who would be interested? I’ll make a steaming hot bowl of chicken and dumplings, fresh bread, dessert, and a vegetable. A cup of coffee is free with their meal. Let’s put a limit of twelve, and they have to reserve a thirty-minute slot. I’ll feed three rounds of hungry men, and I’ll be done for the day. I love the idea!”

He stared at her for a moment, shaking his head. “You’re not ever going to let any grass grow under your feet, are you?”

“Of course not! I cannot stand sitting around with nothing to do. I love to cook, so why not make a little money off it? If that doesn’t pan out, maybe I’ll make scarves or gloves. I could make work shirts for the local men who don’t have wives, and you could sell them in your store. There are so many things I could do that would help you, and also keep me from sitting around twiddling my thumbs.”

“What about John? If he wants lunch, does he have to reserve a spot?” Mortimer asked.

“Of course not. You and John eat for free. Other men have to pay. Let’s do an eleven-thirty lunch slot, a noon slot, and a twelve-thirty. You and John can eat at eleven and at one. You two fight it out between the times which you’d prefer.” Toria’s eyes danced with excitement. She had a way to make a little money, and she wouldn’t be bored. She wanted nothing more. Well…maybe for her husband to fall in love with her. Looking at Mortimer, she noticed that he was smiling.

“That works. I’ll make a sign and post it today. Are you sure you don’t mind?”

“Mind? I’m excited to do it!”

“We really don’t need the money, you know.” He didn’t want her to think that they needed her to work to make ends meet, because that was far from the truth.

Toria shrugged. “But more never hurts, and I love the idea of being able to do it. It will keep me busy.”

“All right. We’ll see what happens after I post the sign and we talk about it.” He wiped his mouth with a napkin she’d put on the table and got to his feet. “John asked me to bring some lunch to him. He’s going to eat in the back room today.”

She rushed to the stove, serving a big bowl of soup, then slicing three pieces of bread and buttering them. She put it all on a tray and handed it to her husband, who grinned. “If he’s still hungry after that, there’s plenty more. I want him to get his fill.”

“My John isn’t shy about food. He told me that he enjoyed supper with us so much last night that he didn’t bother going to the saloon. Thank you for helping me get him away from that place.”

“Maybe the whisky doesn’t have a firm hold on him yet. If not, then we’ll have a better chance of keeping him out of the saloon. Make sure he knows that he’s welcome to come for supper tonight.”

“What are you serving?”

She shrugged. “No idea yet, but I do know it will be delicious.”

Mortimer laughed, shaking his head as he headed for the stairs that led back to the store. His sweet wife was a wonderful cook, and it sounded like she knew it.

* * *

When Mortimer poked his head into the house that evening, John was right behind him. “John decided to bless us with his presence for supper again.”

“Wonderful!” Toria turned from the stove where she was ladling two bowls of a thick, hearty beef stew. She reached for another bowl and filled it as well, setting them all on the table. She put a loaf of bread in the middle with a ball of butter beside it. She was glad she had a cake for dessert, because she knew it would please both men.

Once she was seated, they prayed together. As the men dug into their stew, she asked, “Did you talk to anyone about my Monday lunch idea?”

Mortimer nodding, taking a sip of water. “I did. You have twelve men signed up for Monday.” He’d even been surprised by how many had signed up so quickly.

“That was fast.”

“I think it helped that John was eating your soup while I was talking to people about your cooking, and they could smell it.”

Toria laughed. “Good marketing plan!”

John shrugged. “I was just eating my lunch. No plan involved other than dealing with my hunger.”

“Well, I’m excited. I’ll make sure to have the supplies on hand Monday morning, and we’ll see how it goes. Have they already paid you? Or will they pay me on Monday?”

“I wasn’t sure which you’d prefer, so I went ahead and took payment. If you want to do it differently next time, you just let me know.” Mortimer buttered his bread, taking a big bite. His favorite thing she’d made so far was her bread. There was just something special about it, though he didn’t know what it was. “Just make sure to remember John and me at lunch time. There has to be enough food for fifteen, not just twelve.”

Toria laughed. “I will never forget that stomach of yours.” She was sure it was the only way she’d ever get him to love her. By feeding him well. She knew it was silly that she even wanted love, but every day she wanted it a little more. She’d read one too many fairy tales, and she was ready for her happily ever after now. Why hadn’t she realized that she would feel the need for his love so soon?

“Good thing.” Mortimer continued eating steadily as did John. They both had three bowls of stew and several pieces of buttered bread. “Are you going to help in the store tomorrow? It’s inventory night, and we need all the hands we can get.”

“I’m happy to. Do you want me all day? Or should I just come in after close?”

“I’d like to start showing you how we do things, so coming in the morning would be my preference. I’ll give you an idea of the costs of different items and teach you to use our cash register. The more you know, the better for all three of us.” Mortimer studied her, trying to guess how she’d respond.

“That sounds good to me! I’m excited to learn it.”

John nodded. “It’ll give me more time for my deliveries if you’re helping Dad out in the store. That’s what I’m supposed to do, but I don’t always have the time.” John reached for another piece of bread as he spoke.

“Do you get all the deliveries made?”

John shook his head. “The way we do it is we schedule me for four hours of deliveries per day. I could easily do a full eight, and some people just have to find another way to get their purchases home.”

“I wish someone had told me that sooner! Do you charge for your deliveries?”

Mortimer nodded. “We charge twenty-five cents in town and fifty cents out of town. He stays booked up.”

“I think those are fair prices for us and the customers.” Toria thought for a moment. “It sounds like if you had help for four hours a day, John could spend his entire day on deliveries. Is that right?”

John nodded. “I think that would cover it. Don’t you, Dad?”

“It would. I just don’t really want to take on another employee at the moment. I don’t have time to train someone.” Mortimer didn’t mind training his wife, but he wanted to have as much free time as he could. Getting to know her was a lot more fun than he’d dreamed it would be.

“Sounds simple enough. Train me tomorrow, and I’ll take John’s place in the store starting on Monday. He can be free for deliveries.” Toria couldn’t believe they hadn’t mentioned it earlier. Helping out would make her feel valued.

“What about your lunch idea?” Mortimer asked.

“Oh, true.” She frowned for a moment. “Here’s what we’ll do. I’ll spend Monday morning doing the lunches, and Monday afternoon in the store. Then you still only need to deliver on Monday. Most days, I’ll probably want to be in the store early in the day, but there’s no need on the days I’m fixing lunch.”

Mortimer and John exchanged a look. “You won’t feel like we’re trying to take advantage of you?” Mortimer asked.

“How is that taking advantage of me? I came here fully expecting to help out in the store as much as possible. I love the idea of meeting everyone in town, and what better way is there to do that than working in the store.” Toria was practically bouncing up and down in her seat, she was so excited to be able to help. It would be the perfect introduction to town.

John nodded. “If Dad’s all right with it, then I think it’s a brilliant idea. I would love to be able to do my real job and not constantly have to help out.”

“You’re still going to have to help out in the store some,” Mortimer told him, “but it sounds like most of your time can be spent on your deliveries. I’m sure we’ll have some very happy customers.”

“I’m sure we will. So many of the ranchers in the area would rather I delivered to them.”

After they’d finished supper, John and Mortimer again played checkers while Toria did the dishes. She would have been happy to play, but she didn’t begrudge them the time she spent cleaning. She enjoyed cleaning. Anything that kept her hands busy and her mind occupied was enjoyable to her. She’d never been one of those women who could sit around gossiping, because she felt like she was wasting time.

Once John had left for the night, Mortimer and Toria spent some time together, cozied up on the sofa. She kept her hands busy with knitting another pair of socks. “Who is this pair for?”

She shrugged. “Does John need socks? Do you need some ready-made socks to sell in the mercantile? I’m not worried about what will happen to them when I’m done, as long as my hands are busy now.”

He shook his head. “If John doesn’t need them, I’ll sell them. I’ve worn mine, and they’re very well made. Did I thank you for spending your time on the train making me socks?”

She grinned. “I didn’t spend all my train time on socks. I also made myself the apron I’ve been wearing, and I helped a couple of women with their young babies.” She bit her lip, needing to broach a subject that she wasn’t sure he’d like. “How would you feel about more children? I’m not sure I can have them, but there’s no reason to think that I can’t.”

He tilted his head to one side, thinking about it. “I truly hadn’t considered I would have more children of my own. I’m not sure why. I thought I could possibly be asked to parent the children my wife brought with her, but…more of my own wasn’t a thought.” He was sure that it would help her to have children, so she could be busier…and while that wouldn’t bother him, he didn’t like the idea of losing her at the mercantile, either. “Why don’t we see what happens when the time comes?”

“All right.” She had always enjoyed being around children, but she’d never had a driving need for some of her own. Not like some women had. Her sister-in-law had fourteen children, and she’d wept copiously when the doctor had told her that she was past her child-bearing years. She’d wanted so many more.

“I will say I like the way you are with John. I know he’s not yours, and not technically a child anymore, but you handle him very well. I was worried that whoever came here to marry me would have trouble with him, but he seems to like you a great deal more than I thought he would like anyone.”

“I like him too. I’m sure that helps.”

“I’m sure it does. Thanks for welcoming him into your life so readily. He mentioned today that he’s enjoying being with us more than he likes the saloon. How would you react if he moved back in with us?”

“That wouldn’t bother me at all. He’s only nineteen. I’m sure he has a lot more growing up to do before he’s ready to be on his own.”

Mortimer laughed. “When I was nineteen, I was married and digging for silver while my wife waited for me back east.” She was right, though. John was younger at nineteen than he’d been.

“That was a different time! I don’t think people need to marry so young anymore. Either way, though, I’m happy if he comes back or if he goes. If he’s here, I’ll have more to do, and I think you’ve already gathered my biggest fault.”

“Your biggest fault?” So far, he hadn’t noticed any faults, except that she didn’t look like his ex-wife, and truly, he couldn’t call that a fault in good conscience.

“I can’t stand not being busy. I take on triple the work I should, because idle time is almost frightening for me. I’ve always believed that idle hands were the devil’s playground—the only time I’ve sat idle in my life was when I was too sick to work. I still went back to work a couple of days before I should have.”

“I’m not sure if I consider that a fault or a positive trait of yours.”

“It could go either way, I think.”

“How old were you when you moved out of your parents’ home and into the boarding house?”

She sighed. “Sixteen. My parents were killed in a boating accident when I was sixteen, and though my brother invited me to live with him, I knew I would be better off if I just found a job and supported myself. There were times when they barely had enough food for their children, and taking in an extra mouth to feed would have paupered them.”

“I can understand that. Sixteen seems so young for a lady to be on her own, though.”

She turned to him, her fingers stopping. “And it would be different for a man?”

He shrugged, not realizing she was at all offended by his words. “In some ways. By sixteen, most boys are big enough to take care of themselves. They’re ready for hard physical labor. Ladies aren’t.”

“I suppose that’s true. My niece moved out on her own at eighteen and took over a matchmaking agency. She now has a reputation as the best matchmaker in all of Massachusetts.”

“What made her decide to be a matchmaker?” he asked. “That doesn’t seem like a job for an unmarried young lady.”

“She sort of fell into the job, but she realized she had a knack for it right off. There was a matchmaker who was marrying, and she was going to let the agency close. Elizabeth hated the idea of no one in town filling the position, so she took over. She and Harriett—the former matchmaker—still keep in touch.”

“That’s wonderful. I think women should be able to do anything they want to do.”

A smile touched Toria’s lips as she got back to work. He’d redeemed himself with that last statement. “I think it’s time for me to turn in for the night.” She was disappointed that he hadn’t kissed her again, but she couldn’t stay awake much longer with everything she had planned for the following day.

“May I kiss you goodnight?” Mortimer asked.

She smiled, because it was as if he’d read her mind. “I’d like that a great deal.”

“I’m glad.” He cupped her face in his hands, and his lips touched hers. “Goodnight, sweet wife.”

“Goodnight.”

She wandered off to her bed, still smiling. He was a good man, and she was so fortunate that she’d been the one to answer his letter.