“I plan to take my meals with the ladies, but the place sounds sufficient.”
“We checked around for help you might hire, Emma,” Lucille continued. “I figured you’d want to arrange that yourself, but I will say that there’s a woman in our congregation who is new to the area. She came here to be with her son, who owned a tailoring shop. He passed away shortly after her arrival, and she’s now looking to cook for someone. She can help with cleaning as well, but her passion is the kitchen, and she’s quite good. Your father and I have sampled her meals, and I’d hire her myself if I didn’t already have a cook.”
Emma was so weary from the trip, she didn’t care if she had a cook or not. “Send her over tomorrow, if you like. For now, I’d just like to have a hot bath and rest.”
“Well, you’re in luck, then,” her father replied. “This house has water piped into it and a heater hooked up in the downstairs bathroom to make hot water for bathing. And of course, there’s electricity. You’re thoroughly up to date in this house.”
Emma let out a long breath. “Thank you for being so good to search for such things. I hadn’t considered the details of what we’d need. I appreciate so much that we’ll have piped-in water and electricity. After living with Clara and David and having neither, then moving to the city where they were available, I have to say I prefer the latter.”
“You may prefer it less when you hear the price of the house,” her stepmother replied. “But I took you at your word that money was of no concern.”
“It’s not,” Colton interjected before Emma could speak. “If she didn’t have enough on her own, I’d be sure and cover the cost. After all, she is family and will be allowing Rosie to live with her.”
“Yes,” Emma agreed. “We’re all family.”
Emma’s father handed her the keys. “The bank has already given you access. They’re managing things for the Wellingtons, as they’ve already left for California. The bank president will expect you to come tomorrow and handle the paperwork and other particulars.”
Emma looked to Colton, who nodded. “We’ll see to it.”
A knock sounded at the door, and Emma’s father went immediately to see who had come. It turned out to be the man with their luggage.
“I’ll help your father,” Colton said, leaving the three women to themselves.
Emma stepped away from the fire, finally feeling warm enough to face the rest of the tour. “Why don’t you show Rosie and me to the bedrooms so we can figure out where each of us will stay?”
Lucille put her arm around Emma’s shoulders. “I will do that, and then what say your father and I go to the grocers and butcher shop and pick up some things for supper? Maybe for breakfast too.”
“I’d like that very much. I feel so tired that after I wash up, I’m going to take a nap. Dinner is the last thing on my mind, but I’m sure we’ll all be hungry.”
“Then it’s settled. I’ll cook us a meal. Something simple for tonight. Then we can help you make up lists of what you want, and we can go shopping tomorrow.”
Emma had always liked Lucille Aldrich, even when shewas nothing more than a neighbor and, later, her mother’s best friend, but at the moment, she couldn’t think of another woman she loved more. The woman had incredible energy and insight, and her kindness went far beyond anything Emma deserved. No one in Cheyenne owed her much in the way of kindness. Emma had even begun to wonder if she’d made a mistake in coming to Cheyenne. With all the people she owed apologies to, it might have been smarter to just stay in Dallas.
The women gave a quick perusal of the rooms. Lucille pointed out things upstairs and commented on the various resources available. There were four bedrooms in total, with one being slightly larger and the others basically the same size. Rosie was immediately taken with the first room nearest the stairs. The walls had been papered with a print of pale pink rosebuds and twining vines.
“Oh, I like this room. It’s so pretty and reminds me of my room in Texas.”
“Then you should have it,” Emma said, giving her a hug. “I want you to feel at home.”
The larger room at the end of the hall was Emma’s choice. It was clearly more masculine in style but welcoming in dark tones of green and navy blue.
“We didn’t do much to decorate in any of the bedrooms, just put the beds and dressers in three of them and figured you could decide how you wanted to arrange it all later,” Lucille said, capping off the upstairs visit as Colton and Rich brought their trunks upstairs.
The men waited at the top of the stairs for instructions. Rosie was quick to take charge of her brother.
“My room is over here.” Rosie motioned Colton to follow her. “It looks like home.”
Colton went with her, leaving Emma’s father to give her a questioning look.
“I’ll take the far room on the right,” Emma said, suppressing a yawn.
“I’ll come help you unpack what you need for your bath.” Lucille motioned Papa to follow.
Once things were settled and Emma had her dressing gown and bath things, Lucille showed Emma the bathroom in a small room off the kitchen. She was about to bid Emma good-bye when there was another knock at the front of the house.
“Goodness, what now?” Emma was afraid she might never get to rest.
She followed her stepmother to the front door and was surprised to find Marybeth Vogel. She smiled at the woman, who didn’t look to have aged a day since Emma saw her last.
