Page 353 of Conveniently Wed
“Can you keep that under your hat?”
“What under hat?” Li looked confused.
“That means please don’t tell anyone I was dressed like a man. The men wouldn’t take that news favorably.”
“Not tell nobody.” Li bowed at Aundy then hurried back to the bunkhouse.
Aundy finished hanging her laundry before retreating to Erik’s desk for the afternoon.
After completing bookwork she’d put off, she rolled her shoulders and looked at the clock on the mantel across the room. If she didn't hurry, she’d be late for dinner and she didn’t want to keep hungry men waiting. She washed her hands and face thentidied her hair before rushing out the kitchen door and down the steps. Green sprouts poked up from the dirt in the garden and she added weeding to her ever-growing list of chores. Li made sure she knew what plants were weeds and what ones were supposed to be growing.
Boisterously knocking on the bunkhouse door, she smiled at Dent when he opened it, motioning her inside.
“Welcome, Missy. Heard you were joining us for supper.” Dent pointed to the big table, lined with benches on both sides and chairs on each end. He escorted her to a chair and held it while she sat down.
“Li was quite persuasive in his argument that I share supper with you,” Aundy said, winking at the cook as he set a bowl of rice on the table.
“We liked his Chinese food so well the other day, we asked him to make some more,” Bill said, looking a little sheepish. No doubt, he and Fred were the loudest protestors at eating something new. “Nik said you wanted to try it.”
“I do.” Aundy bowed her head while Dent gave thanks. When he finished, she looked around the table. “I have eaten Chinese food before, though.”
“You have?” Nik shot Aundy a questioning glance as he passed a bowl to her.
“Yes, I have. In fact, there was a special event in Chicago I attended that provided the opportunity to sample food from all over the world.” Aundy let her thoughts drift back to an adventure she experienced with her parents, brother, and sister.
“Where was that?” George asked, helping himself to a mixture of meat and vegetables in a savory sauce.
“At the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893.” Aundy took a bite of the food and enjoyed the flavors that exploded on her tongue.
“Really? You were there?” Fred asked, his eyes lighting with curiosity. “I heard it was something to see.”
“It was. There were all kinds of food booths, and people from every walk of life as well as games and exhibits and rides,” Aundy said, thoughtful as the memories resurfaced. “I think my favorite thing of all was the Ferris wheel.”
“What’s a Ferris wheel?” Nik asked, waiting for her to explain.
“It was a ride that could hold more than two thousand people. It was literally a huge wheel standing more than two-hundred and sixty-feet tall. It sat on a monstrous axle and had thirty-six passenger cars attached to the rim of the wheel. People sat, or stood, in the cars and the wheel would take them up in the air and bring them back down to platforms.” Aundy used her index finger to show how the wheel moved. “At the very top, you could see not only the fairgrounds and the city of Chicago, but also for miles and miles around. It was amazing.”
“I want to ride a Ferris wheel,” Nik said, imagining how wonderful it would be to see so far in the distance.
“Perhaps, someday you will.” Aundy offered the boy an encouraging smile.
The men asked more questions about Chicago, the fair, and things she’d experienced. They talked about some of the more interesting things they’d seen in some of their travels and before they realized the lateness of the hour, it was well past time for the last of the evening chores to be completed.
“Goodness, I didn’t mean to distract you boys for so long.” Aundy rose to her feet, ready to help Li clear the table. He shooed her away, so she started to walk out with the men.
“We enjoyed your stories, Missy,” Dent said, patting her on the shoulder as he settled his hat on his head then opened the door.
A dead lamb hanging from a limb in the cottonwood tree between the bunkhouse and the barn captured their attention as they stepped outside. A wicked looking knife, covered in blood, pinned a note to the tree.
Aundy screamed and Dent pulled her around, shielding her from the gruesome sight.
“Bill, cut that thing down. Fred, bring that letter over here, and the knife,” Dent ordered as his gaze took in the quiet barnyard. Nothing seemed unusual or out of place, other than the disturbing sight in the tree.
Nik ran over to the tree with Bill and bravely held back his tears as he cradled the dead animal. At least it wasn’t Butter. After gently laying the lamb on a mound of grass, Nik scrambled to his feet and sprinted toward the pasture where the flock grazed. George, Lem, and Hank raced behind him.
“I’m okay, Dent.” Aundy took a deep breath and stepped back from her foreman. She couldn’t believe anyone would be so cruel as to kill a helpless lamb and string it up from a tree, but evidently, someone was desperate to make his point.
Aundy read the note and dropped it as if something poisonous had bitten her. She rubbed her hands on her skirt, as if she tried to wipe off something filthy. How had she and the men missed someone lurking around right outside the door while they enjoyed dinner?
