I nibbled my bottom lip as I watched him start the fire. I wanted to ask him about Cole and what Bess might have done to change history, but my gut told me to wait. Despite my reservations, I was enjoying this conversation with Sam, and I didn’t want to ruin it with Cole’s name. Instead, I said, “It surprises me that you aren’t skeptical about it.”
“She explained a lot about it to me and proved it by telling me about things that would happen before they did. That’s how I knew she came from a different time in the future.” His countenance changed as he said, “She never lied to me about anything. I would have trusted her if she had told me she went to the moon.”
It was clear he had loved Bess, though I wasn’t sure if it had been a romantic or brotherly love.
There was a noise in the other room, and then Hazel’s muffled voice filtered into the kitchen as she spoke to Johnnie.
“I’ll teach you how to cook.” He rose from the stove and wiped his hands together. “I’m not as good as Bess was, but I know how to make biscuits and flapjacks. I can fry bacon and eggs, and I even know how to make sourdough bread. My customers aren’t picky.” His smile returned, and he looked younger than before. “As long as they have a pretty woman to look at, they’ll be happy.”
My cheeks warmed from his compliment as the fire inside the stove crackled and heat began to radiate off the metal.
“Thank you.”
He nodded once and then said, “I’ll fetch some water. Paddy should be in here soon, and he likes his coffee.”
After Sam left the kitchen, I stood by the cookstove for a heartbeat, wondering at our easy conversation—and what else I would learn about this enigmatic man.
Breakfast was frantic as we made flapjacks and bacon and served coffee. The dining room was filled to overflowing, and there were more men waiting outside for their turn. Paddy and I served while Sam cooked, but he explained each step to me as he worked, and I realized it would be much easier than I had thought. It really wasn’t the technique but the timing that I would need to worry about. We had to feed as many men as possible in a short amount of time.
I watched for Cole, though I would have been surprised if he showed up now that Bess was gone. I wanted to ask around to see if anyone knew him, but I didn’t want to upset Sam or draw too many questions from others.
As we were washing up after breakfast, Father appeared at the kitchen door, his white hair mussed and his clothing wrinkled. He was pale and weak, and he’d lost a great deal of weight, but his eyes were shining with joy.
“Father!” I said as I wiped a plate with a clean cloth and set it on the stack before me.
He leaned against the door frame, as if getting out of bed had sapped all his energy. “I wanted to eat at the table today. The sooner I can join the land of the living, the faster I’ll get well.”
Sam left the cupboard where he’d been stacking coffee cups and helped Father the rest of the way to the table.
“Thank you kindly, Mr. Kendal,” Father said. “Not only for your help, but for giving us a place to stay and a job for Ally.”
“It’s my pleasure.” Sam lifted his brown-eyed gaze to me. “I don’t know what I would do without her.”
“Do you think it’s a good idea for you to get out of bed?” I asked Father quickly, not knowing what to do with Sam’s praise.
“I couldn’t say for sure.” Father sat on a stool as Hazel joined him and gave him a big hug. “But I’m bored to death in that room all by myself, and that’s no way to live.”
“If we had a kitty, you wouldn’t be bored, Father,” Hazel said.
“Indeed.” Father smiled and glanced at me. “We’ll need to start talking about where we might find one of those.”
“A cat?” Sam asked, moving back to the sideboard where a stack of dishes waited to be dried.
“It’s Hazel’s dream to finally have a kitten,” I explained quickly. “But I’ve told her we need to wait until we have a place of our own.”
“What kind of a kitten do you want?” Sam asked Hazel.
“An orange one with white paws,” she said, excitement lighting up her eyes. “And I’ll call him Whiskers.”
“What happened to calling him Snowball?” Father asked with a teasing smile.
“I can’t call an orange kitty Snowball.” Hazel laughed as if it was a ridiculous idea.
“Then we’ll have to get you two kitties when the time comes.” Father didn’t seem as concerned as I was about promising his young daughter something he couldn’t guarantee.
I grabbed the plate of food I’d prepared for him earlier andbrought it to the table, hoping to shift the conversation. I hated disappointing Hazel. “It does me good to see you up, Father.”
Leaning over, I placed a kiss on his forehead, thankful that God had spared his life thus far. Coming to California had been my idea, and if he’d died on the way, I didn’t know how I would have lived with the guilt. It was still my hope that he’d gain enough strength to make it to the Yuba River by the end of September, but that dream seemed out of reach now. I might need to do a little research and see where the next gold strike would happen and try to get him to that one.Ifhe gained his strength.
