She smiled. “Your father offered to help.”
“That sounds like him.” He glanced past her and then returned his gaze to hers. “I see they’re all coming back, so I’ll be quick about this. I wondered if maybe we could take a walk later.”
“Oh ... well, I’m supposed to take a walk with my father.” She hoped he didn’t hear the disappointment in her voice. She set the plate on the table, relieving her arms of the weight. My, but she had several important conversations scheduled for the day.
Father was the most important, though a talk with Carter was a close second. Her face warmed. She needed to rein in her thoughts. Even though she had given her life back to the Lord, Carter still might not want anything more than friendship with her. Best to be realistic.
“Maybe after you’re done walking with him, you can walk with me. I’m sure you’ll still be trying to digest all that.” He motioned to her plate as Marvella Ashbury joined them. Her plate was piled even higher.
“I never know how to say no to some of those dishes. Especially that peach pie.” She put her plate on the table. “Carter, how nice to see you. I was just speaking to your father.”
“Good to see you, Mrs. Ashbury. I was just seeing if maybe Ellie wanted to take a walk with me later.”
“Of course she does.”
Eleanor rolled her eyes for the first time in Marvella’s presence. For goodness’ sake, Marvella didn’t even look at Eleanor for her approval!
Marvella let out a laugh. She patted Eleanor’s arm, ignoring her insolent disposition. “Never you mind. Don’t bother giving me any more of your sassy looks. Why don’t you join Carter and his family? The men will be busy talking about the railroad and the national park. You should go and enjoy the day and have some fun. There are going to be games after lunch.”
Father arrived just then, thank heaven! Eleanor shook her head, doing her best to look disappointed. “No, Father and I plan to take a walk after lunch.”
“Oh pshaw!” Mrs. Ashbury waved her words away like a pesky mosquito. “Your father won’t mind if you walk instead with a handsome young bachelor. Will you, Stewart?”
Father chuckled. “Not at all. It’s only reasonable that Ellie should trade in an old man for a young one.”
“It’s settled, then.” The older woman took her seat. “Now, Carter, you carry that heavy plate of hers.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Carter grabbed her plate, grinning from ear to ear.
20
Eleanor enjoyed her time with the Brunswicks, despite her being with them because of Marvella’s machinations. Sarah and Jacob treated her like a part of their family, and she couldn’t have been more welcome. Jacob shared stories of their lives in Kansas. Dramatic tales of prairie fires and tornadic storms and of the two married daughters they left behind when they moved to Montana in 1885. They had come in search of an adventure.
At one point, she dared to ask her question. “So why does one farmer need twenty thousand acres to grow wheat?”
Jacob Brunswick hadn’t been the least bit offended, much to her relief. “Because there are millions of hungry people out in the world. Each acre of wheat produces roughly thirty-seven bushels.”
Carter jumped in at this. “And each bushel of wheat produces about forty-two pounds of flour. More than that if it’s not extra refined.”
“And forty-two pounds of flour can make an equal number of one-pound loaves of bread,” Sarah added with a smile. “One thing this family knows, is wheat.”
“No matter how much I plant, it seems the world always needs more,” Jacob finished off. “Wheat keeps the world from starving to death.”
It made so much sense. What would the world eat if there wasn’t a healthy crop of wheat each year? Some poor families lived almost exclusively on bread and whatever else they could manage to get.
Still ... “But couldn’t the government own the land and keep it public, rather than having a lot of independent farms? Then when storms or insects destroyed the crops, you wouldn’t bear the repercussions alone.”
Jacob gave a laugh. “Have you ever known anything where the work was done by one person, overseen by another, and owned by a third to ever work well? I know the land like the back of my hand. I tend to it and keep it as healthy as possible. This year part of our acreage will go fallow to rest. Next year another part will be set aside. We even rotate and plant different crops every so often. If we didn’t manage the land in a responsible way, we’d end up with nothing. The land wouldn’t even grow grass properly.”
“What’s more,” Carter added, “if the government owned the land and leased it out, they might not allow for that kind of responsible management.”
They really did know what they were doing. And yet, no one treated her in a hostile manner for her thoughts or questions. These were good people. Maybe they would become friends for a great many year—
Years? Eleanor’s mouth dropped open a bit. When had she started thinking in terms of years in Kalispell? She wasn’t sure, but these people ... this place...
Yes, she could see herself living here for years.
When lunch was finally over and everyone had had their fill, Eleanor excused herself to return Marvella’s dishes and claim her father for their walk. As she approached the table, she was glad to see he was already finished with his meal and sat chatting with the mayor and Mr. Hill. George Grinnell was nowhere in sight.
