Page 4 of A Groom for Millie
“Whoa,” Heather said, stopping her horse. “Where’s your wagon, Millicent?”
Millie spied Cecily and Arthur Pool sitting next to Heather. The children were bundled underneath a wool blanket.
“The wheel busted. I’ve not found anyone to fix it.”
Heather tapped Cecily and pointed to the small bench in the back of the covered buggy. The little girl scrambled over the seat and pulled her brother next to her. Heather passed them back the blanket.
“Mary Rose, why don’t you come up here and get in the back with Cecily and Arthur.”
“We can walk, Heather,” Millie insisted.
Heather raised a finger. “It’s way too cold to be outside. I think we are going to get snow again.” She tucked her skirt under her leg to make room for the new passengers.
“Come on, Mary Rose,” Millie said, leading her daughter to the buggy. Mary Rose scrambled onto the seat and climbed over, leaving a slushy footprint on the seat. “I’m sorry about that,” Millie said, brushing the dirty snow off. Millie climbed into the buggy and Heather gave a little slap of the reins, lurching the horse forward.
They went up Chimney Rock Ranch Road towards the houses on the outskirts of town. They passed Heather’s small ranch with several large cows grazing on the patches of grass poking through the snow. Millie’s house was half a mile further down the road. She was extremely grateful she didn’t have to walk.
Finally, Millie’s small farm came into view. There was a small plume of smoke, telling her the fire was still going in the woodstove. A medium-sized wooden barn was off to one side of the house, along with a chicken coop. That is where Millie’s small farm animals stayed. There was a large barn further down in the pasture for the horses. She could see the equines dotting the landscape in their winter blankets.
Heather pulled up in front of the cabin. Millie and Mary Rose scrambled down. Mary Rose ran off to the barn to check on her favorite goat.
“Thanks for the ride,” Millie said. “Would you like to come in for dinner? I’m making a cheese omelet.”
Heather smiled. “Perhaps next time. I need to get the children home. Tonight is bath night.”
Millie laughed when she heard the groans from the backseat. Giving the side of the buggy a quick slap she watched her friend turn around in the yard and ride back towards her home.
“Mary Rose,” Millie called. The child popped her head out of the barn door. “Time to come in.”
“I wanna see Freckles, Momma.”
“Freckles will be there after you’ve eaten. Let’s get you inside first and make supper.”
Mary Rose ran back towards the house. Millie was jealous of the little girl’s energy and ability to spring back from the unfortunate circumstances. She followed Mary Rose up to the door and entered the small house.
The cabin was one large room with two bedrooms in the back. George had splurged and purchased a brand-new Monarch stove for the house the year after Millie arrived. It was the most beautiful stove Millie had ever seen. The bright black iron was decorated with gold trim and pearl handles. Millie thought it was too beautiful to cook on, but she made many meals on the iron burners.
The stove also provided heat for the house during winter, which was an added benefit. Millie didn’t have to chop large amounts of wood because once the fire was going, the iron stove would heat up and remain hot for hours.
Millie took a skillet off the wall and put it on the burner to heat, along with a teaspoon of bacon lard from a jar she kept in the cupboard. While she waited for the sound of grease sizzling in the pan, she cracked open four eggs and beat them in a bowl until they were frothy.
Setting the bowl aside, she grated about half of the cheese she purchased and placed it on the table. If the plate was too close to the stove, the cheese would melt and be a big mess by the time she needed to sprinkle it over the eggs. The rest of the cheese she wrapped and put back in the cupboard.
After the pan was nice and hot and the melted lard started to pop in the pan, Millie poured the eggs into the pan and let them cook for a few minutes. When the eggs were set, she popped the pan in the oven and made a note of the time.
It would take about fifteen minutes for the eggs to cook. That allowed her plenty of time to feed the animals and collect any eggs that her few remaining chickens laid that afternoon. When she returned, she’d layer on the cheese and make some toast. It was a simple dinner, but Millie didn’t feel like cooking.
After dinner, Millie put Mary Rose to bed and listened as the child said her prayers. “God bless Momma. God bless, Papa in Heaven. God bless my new papa and my little brother. Amen.” Millie tried not to cry as her daughter reached her hands up for a kiss. “Goodnight, Momma.”
“Sleep tight, sweet angel,” Millie said as she tucked the blanket around Mary Rose. Returning to the kitchen she poured a cup of coffee and sat at the table. Her satchel sat on the chair where she left it. Pulling it over, she opened the clasp and looked inside.
The slate where Mary Rose had drawn a picture slid out. Lovingly tracing the figures on the slate, she looked around the room for a place to set it. Deciding on the ledge under the window, she gingerly set the slate on it, being careful so it wouldn’t fall, and pulled out the letters.
Six letters were from strangers she didn’t know and the one from her mother. Placing the letter from her mother aside, she fanned the other six out like a deck of cards. She gave a little sniff. It was almost like she was gambling.
In essence, she was. She was taking a chance on the man she would marry.
Grabbing her notebook and a pencil from her bag, she started making a list of what she wanted.
