“There are some in town. And you’ll like our cook and housekeeper. Mrs. Bell reminds me of my own mother,” he said.
“Aye, that’s because she won’t tolerate a dirty dish left upon the table,” a gravelly voice said from behind Jonathan.
“Mrs. Lee, this is Mick O’Rourke, one of our guests.” Jonathan gestured at the shorter, stocky man who’d just joined them in the entryway. “Mrs. Lee is my intended.” His face went warm at the words, and he hoped neither Mrs. Lee or O’Rourke would notice.
“It’s wonderful to meet you.” Mrs. Lee let the scruffy O’Rourke kiss the back of her hand, and Jonathan felt the strangest urge to push the fellow away.
“I’m glad you arrived safely,” O’Rourke said before donning his hat and bidding them good afternoon.
As the door shut behind his guest, Jonathan turned back to Mrs. Lee. “The rest of the men are working. You’ll meet more of them at supper tonight.”
She nodded, and he took her through the rest of the first floor. She marveled at the parlor, asked questions about the meals when he showed her the dining room, and nodded in approval at one of the empty first floor guest rooms.
“If we do have lady guests, these rooms will be reserved for them. They’re proximal to both Mrs. Bell’s room and mine—ours—and so I thought that might lend a comfort and a feeling of safety to ladies.” He looked to her for her opinion. Mrs. Bell had seemed satisfied with the idea, but it would be nice to get the thoughts of a younger woman who was, at the moment, unwed.
Mrs. Lee nodded. “Yes, I think that’s a fine idea. I’d feel comfortable in one of these rooms.”
“If you like, you may take this one.” And when she smiled at the suggestion, he entered and set her carpetbag on the floor near the chair under the window. “It has a nice view too, for now. I imagine that will diminish as the town grows, though.” He lifted the curtain, and she joined him at the window.
“Oh, it is lovely!” She smiled as she looked out at the mountains that stretched beyond the edge of town.
“Would you like to see the kitchen?” he asked.
She followed him down the hallway to the spacious kitchen. Mrs. Bell was there, stoking the fire in the stove to begin the supper preparations. “I’m planning a stew with some hearty bread,” she said before she noticed Mrs. Lee.
“That sounds good,” Jonathan said before introducing the two women.
“Mrs. Lee, welcome.” Mrs. Bell clasped the younger woman’s hand between her own.
“Please, call me Catherine. Your kitchen is lovely.”
“You ought to see it at the height of dinner.” Mrs. Bell laughed. “I’ll be happy to have another woman about the place. Do you cook?”
Mrs. Lee nodded. “Yes, and I’m happy to help with tidying the rooms too.”
Jonathan breathed a sigh of relief. Despite making certain Pastor Simpson passed on his need for a wife who could help manage the boarding house, he’d worried Mrs. Lee would come without knowledge of keeping house. And that even if she did, she and Mrs. Bell might not get along.
“Perhaps you could show me all that needs doing later tonight or tomorrow morning?” Mrs. Lee asked.
“Of course. We don’t have many free moments around here, what with ten hungry—and messy—men,” Mrs. Bell said with a sideways glance at Jonathan. “But we’ll find time to have a cup of tea and chat.”
Jonathan raised his hands as Mrs. Bell went back to the stove. “I tidy my own room,” he said defensively.
“You do, but in general, men are messy creatures,” the older woman said as she shut the door to the stove.
Jonathan bit back a smile as he exchanged a glance with Mrs. Lee, who pressed a hand against her stomach. Mrs. Bell eyed her for a moment, her eyebrows raising, before turning toward the pantry.
“We’ll have a talk this evening,” she said over her shoulder to Mrs. Lee.
“That sounds lovely.”
“We’ll leave you be,” Jonathan said to Mrs. Bell as he strode toward the rear door that led to the expanse of yard behind the boarding house.
Shutting the door firmly behind them, he extended his hand to gesture at the town off to the right. “That’s about all there is to Grover’s Gulch. We have the necessities, but nothing too fancy.”
“That’s quite all right by me,” Mrs. Lee said. “I’m accustomed to living simply.” She rested her hand on her stomach and sighed. “Mr. Clark—” She paused, laughing. “I’m sorry. I’m not entirely certain what to call you.”
“It is a strange sort of situation, isn’t it?” he replied with a grin. “If you’d like, I’d be happy for you to call me Jonathan.”
