Page 7 of A Whiskey River Princess

“Well, well!” Millie Martin announced as he walked in. “I didn’t think you’d make it in tonight!”

Dirk shrugged as he brushed the snow off his coat and wiped his boots on the rug, not wanting to track mud into the restaurant. “Yeah… well… I didn’t feel like cooking.”

Millie picked up a menu and headed over to a table, expecting him to follow, then laid it down. “Don’t worry,” she cooed, patting his shoulder. “We’ll fix you right up. But you might want to think about staying in the hotel tonight.” She looked outside at the bleak exterior and sighed. “It looks like it’s already getting bad out there.”

Dirk shook his head. “No, I can’t. I have to feed the livestock and check on the ranch. Besides, Buster would miss me.” He began looking at the menu, even though he practically had it memorized.

Millie chuckled. “I’m sure the cattle—and Buster—can last one night without you.”

Dirk laid the menu down on the table. “No, but thank you. I’ll just have something quick, and I’ll be on my way.”

Millie nodded. “What can I get for you?”

Dirk and Millie had been friends for a long time, but there had never been anything more between them. Millie flirted but didn’t mean anything by it. He knew that she was just a friendly person. Dirk suspected that it was just her way.

“Does Paul have any of his fried chicken left?” he asked, handing her back the menu.

Paul Garrett was the cook at the restaurant. Even though he was getting up in age, his cooking skills were second to none.

Millie smiled as she gave Dirk a gentle pat on the shoulder. “I think so. Want some mashed potatoes and creamed corn to go along with it?”

Dirk nodded. “Yes, and some of his homemade bread, too.”

“You got it, sugar,” Millie chirped, and gave him a wink as she walked away.

There were more men than women in Whiskey River, and since Sarah had left, no one in town had caught his eye. He had moved there with Sarah a few years ago, in search of adventure on the new frontier. When they had arrived, Dirk knew it was his home. The sprawling land at the base of beautiful white-capped mountains had been everything he had been looking for. But he suspected that way of life had been too hard for Sarah. She quickly became disenchanted and ended up leaving in the middle of the night, leaving all her clothes hanging in the closet. She just left a note that said she didn’t like Whiskey River and was moving back East. It broke his heart, and in many ways, he still hadn’t gotten over it.

For so long, Dirk had refused to give up hope that she would miss him, decide that she had made a mistake, and would comeback to him. But after a while when she didn’t return, he knew she was gone. Sarah wasn’t coming back, and he had to let her go. So, he had relented, went to Laramie to see a lawyer, and had filed for divorce, on the off chance that he would ever meet someone else. Although he knew it was impossible that he would ever find someone to love as much as he had loved Sarah, he knew he had to let her go. But filing for divorce was so final. When the judge had ruled in his favor and slammed the gavel down, it resonated in his skull. And Dirk knew it was really over. He was now free to go on with his life, whether he wanted to or not.

“Here you go!” Millie placed a wooden board containing half a loaf of fresh bread on the table, along with his usual coffee. In the summer, he opted for lemonade, but in the winter, it was always coffee.

Dirk smiled. “Millie, you know me well.”

She shrugged as she gave him a warm smile. “You come here nearly every night. What do you expect?”

Dirk laughed. “Yeah. I guess.”

Millie gave him another gentle pat on the shoulder. “Your meal’ll be out in just a bit.”

Dirk nodded, a smile curling his lips. “Thanks, Millie.”

Since Sarah left, the townsfolk of Whiskey River had become his family. Every now and then, he wondered what had become of Sarah. Perhaps she went back East, as she had said in her note, and made a life for herself. He brushed the thought aside. Wherever she was, Dirk hoped that she had found happiness. After all, who could blame her? She had been a city girl not cut out for country life.

“Here you go, sugar.” Millie set a plate filled with fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and creamed corn on the table.

Dirk’s stomach growled as he inhaled the fresh aroma. “Thanks, Millie. Smells delicious.”

She smiled. “I’ll let Paul know.”

“Please do.” Dirk picked up a chicken leg, ready to dig in.

“If you need anything, just yell.” Millie walked away to help a couple who had just walked in—the only other customers in the entire restaurant. Dirk suspected that no one would be venturing out on a night like this if they didn’t have to.

Juices filled his mouth as he bit into the chicken leg, moaning as he savored the flavor.

Moments like those were when Dirk missed Sarah the most. She had been a good cook. In fact, she could have been a pastry chef at some exclusive restaurant in New York, if she had wanted to. But she wanted no part of it. She had appeared to be perfectly happy with Dirk, wanting nothing more than to be his wife… until they came to Whiskey River.

Dirk had finally found a home in Whiskey River and had hoped that Sarah would come to love it as much as he had. But it seemed that wasn’t meant to be.

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